It’s the way the NHL world works. A big, heavy, skilled team like the Kings wins the Stanley Cup and teams try to reshape their roster with size and physicality to keep up.
Now, with the Pittsburgh Penguins the reigning champs, you’d better believe NHL front offices have had conversations about how to add speed to keep with an evolving game.
“It always happens. Flavor of the month, right?” Kings general manager Dean Lomabrdi said when we chatted recently, although he was quick to point out that blindly adding speed just to add speed isn’t the answer.
“Speed through the puck beats skating every time,” Lombardi explained. “And can you make plays [at high speeds]? That’s different from pure speed.”
But like the champions before them, the Penguins have left a blueprint on how to win a Stanley Cup, with many of the same building blocks as the recent champions before them in Chicago and Los Angeles.
We examined them in depth on Tuesday but here’s a breakdown of the five key attributes that made the Penguins great:
1. Franchise center(s)
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts
4. Three skilled scoring lines
5. Mobile puck-moving defense
Teams that have all five of those ingredients are poised to be a top contender for the Stanley Cup this season. How do teams in the Pacific stack up? Here’s a look:
Note: Teams are listed in order of 2015-16 finish.
Anaheim Ducks
1. Franchise center: The Ducks qualify here with Ryan Getzlaf, but the clock is ticking. Last season wasn’t Getzlaf’s best, with 13 goals the second-lowest total of his career. His points-per-game average was 0.82, which is still good, but not to the standard we’ve come to expect from a guy who averages nearly a point per game in his career. He needs to be better if the Ducks are going to win a Stanley Cup.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Anaheim’s depth on defense meant that former coach Bruce Boudreau didn’t have to lean on Hampus Lindholm as much as other coaches do their top defensemen, but Lindholm definitely qualifies as a franchise defenseman -- assuming he ever re-signs (he's a restricted free agent). He doesn’t put up big points, but the Ducks controlled 57 percent of the shot attempts when he was on the ice. He’s great.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: One of the quietly impressive things that GM Bob Murray has done while running the Ducks is that they’ve been a true Stanley Cup contender on a budget. Strong drafting helps the cause, but now many of those young players have moved on to second and third contracts. Anaheim is starting to age, but still qualifies here with guys like Nick Ritchie and Shea Theodore ready to go this season when needed.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: The key here is Rickard Rakell. Getting him signed and into the camp gives the Ducks enough depth at forward to put together a solid third line. But, Murray has opted to build his forward group around veterans by bringing in Mason Raymond and Antoine Vermette. In a league where youth and speed is becoming crucial, there’s some concern about the bottom six in Anaheim.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: There are strong skaters and puck-movers on this defense, including Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler and the emerging Shea Theodore. The question is whether all of them are still there as the season progresses and Murray looks to add a forward in trade. He’s a GM who is definitely not afraid to tinker with a roster over the course of a season.
Total: Four out of five. It’ll be interesting to see how the Ducks respond to prodigal coach Randy Carlyle, but this roster remains one built to win it all.
Los Angeles Kings
1. Franchise center: Check. Anze Kopitar is the prototypical franchise center.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Drew Doughty is the prototypical franchise defenseman.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: This is where the Kings have gotten into trouble. When they were winning Stanley Cups, they had young players like Tyler Toffoli, Dwight King, Tanner Pearson and Trevor Lewis all on the cheap. They’ve graduated to bigger money, and it has hurt the Kings' depth. Adrian Kempe is a candidate, but this group could use a few surprises with young players like the Penguins got last season.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Gone are the days where a player of Justin Williams' caliber was found on the Kings' third line, and the decline of Dustin Brown really hurts here. A potential third line composed of players in a pool of Brown, Nick Shore, Dwight King and Kyle Clifford isn’t going to scare opposing teams.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Tom Gilbert are all good puck-movers, while Alec Martinez is solid across the board. This defense could use one more strong skater, but the ability to play Doughty half the game makes up for a lot of deficiencies.
Total: Three out of five. This is an aging team that isn’t as deep as it once was. We’re starting to see the results of trading first-round picks and giving long-term contracts to depth players. If it doesn’t look like the Kings have another run in them, GM Dean Lombardi may want to consider a reset like the Sharks and Bruins have done to infuse more youth.
San Jose Sharks
1. Franchise center: Check. Joe Thornton showed in the playoffs last year he still has it. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture are ready to accept the baton in this category when Thornton slows.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Brent Burns' emergence as a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman transformed the Sharks. Now they just need to get that contract extended.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Doug Wilson collected draft picks while retooling this roster, and the payoff should be coming soon. Chris Tierney and Joonas Donskoi are both still on their entry-level deals and the Sharks have Jeremy Roy, Nikolay Goldobin and Timo Meier coming.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Wilson has used free agency wisely to fill out the depth at forward with Joel Ward and now Mikkel Boedker candidates to play on the third line. Patrick Marleau or Tomas Hertl are both capable of centering a third line, and Tierney proved he can play with the best players during the playoffs. There’s enough here for Pete DeBoer to work with.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Paul Martin are all strong puck-movers who can skate. David Schlemko was a sneaky-good signing on this front, adding depth on defense with a player who can also transition the puck.
Total: Five out of five. It’s not easy to climb the mountain again after getting to the Stanley Cup finals and losing, but the Sharks have the roster to do it.
Arizona Coyotes
1. Franchise center: The Coyotes have one of the best farm systems in the game, but didn’t have the lottery luck needed to land a Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel or Auston Matthews the past two years. Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome may eventually qualify for this role, but as it stands right now, Martin Hanzal is the Coyotes' No. 1 center.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Check. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the kind of defenseman you build a team around.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Check. Eventually you hope the Coyotes will take advantage of the cheap, young talent to fill in with expensive veterans, but in the meantime, GM John Chayka is effectively using the extra cap space to pick up more young talent like Lawson Crouse and Jakob Chychrun. Either way, it’s an asset.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Not yet. But once the young talent matures, the Coyotes will get there.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: This is where the Coyotes are headed. Ekman-Larsson, Connor Murphy and Alex Goligoski are all very mobile defensemen. We’d like to see the Coyotes add at least one more into the top four before getting a check mark in this category.
Total: Two out of five. The Coyotes aren’t there yet, but they’re most definitely building the correct way. They have the potential to fill up every one of these categories in the next couple of years.
Calgary Flames
1. Franchise center: We’re going to give Sean Monahan the check mark here. He’s almost there, and at 21 years old he should be entering the best seasons of his career.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Mark Giordano currently holds this spot, and Dougie Hamilton has the ability to work his way into it as Giordano ages.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau graduated to second contracts, but the Flames will still be getting cheap contributions from Sam Bennett and maybe even 2016 first-rounder Matthew Tkachuk.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Depth at forward is the concern here, especially if Tkachuk isn’t ready to go. The Flames are still maturing as a roster, and this is one of the areas that needs work.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Yup. Giordano is the star, but T.J. Brodie is exactly the kind of defenseman you win with in today’s NHL. Great skater and puck mover. Even a guy like Dennis Wideman has strong offensive instincts and can move the puck.
Total: Four out of five. The Flames may be a nice sleeper candidate to have a breakout season in the West if Glen Gulutzan can find the right combinations at forward.
Vancouver Canucks
1. Franchise center: The worst part of the Canucks being stuck in no-man’s land is that we’re missing Henrik Sedin on the biggest stage. At 35 years old, he’s still remarkably good. Here’s hoping he gets a Joe Thornton-like opportunity in the next couple seasons.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: Nope.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: Yes, but not as many as you’d want for a team that is trying to bring in young talent.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: The addition of Loui Eriksson gives Willie Desjardins options in the top six, and the growth of young players like Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi could mean the Canucks eventually have the depth needed to compete in the West. They’re just not there yet.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: Chris Tanev qualifies as a strong puck mover, although he doesn’t contribute a ton of offense. There’s upside with Ben Hutton, and Philip Larsen can skate, but there are just too many questions with this defense.
Total: One out of five. It may be another long season in Vancouver.
Edmonton Oilers
1. Franchise center: Check. It won’t be long until Connor McDavid is one of the three best players in the game.
2. Big-minute franchise defenseman: GM Peter Chiarelli was crushed for the Taylor Hall deal, but at least he was trying to address a need. Bringing in Adam Larsson gives the Oilers a young defenseman who may one day reach this level. He’s just not quite there yet. Oscar Klefbom is a legitimate top-four defenseman, but not a franchise guy. Darnell Nurse is another good, young defenseman. There are some nice pieces, but there’s not a true No. 1 in the bunch.
3. Contributors on entry-level contracts: The Oilers have two more seasons with McDavid on his entry-level deal. It’s a competitive edge on which they need to capitalize. The Blackhawks, for example, won their first Stanley Cup of the Jonathan Toews era with Toews and Patrick Kane on the final seasons of their entry-level deals. Edmonton has McDavid and Leon Draisatl on the cheap right now, which allowed them to land Milan Lucic.
4. Three skilled scoring lines: Depending on how Todd McLellan plays his cards, the Oilers could have a third line that features Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi. That would be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Check.
5. Mobile puck-moving defense: This is still a work in progress, but Edmonton is headed in the right direction. This defense has solid skaters and solid puck movers. We’d like to see Chiarelli add one more high-end skater to this defense before giving it a check mark.
Total: Three out of five. I know you’ve been hearing it for years, but the Oilers are coming. They made an eight-point improvement in the standings last season, and it wasn’t a particularly good season. A full season of McDavid along with the additions of Lucic and Larsson should be enough to put them in the playoff conversation.