The Gretzky Era ended in Los Angeles when the Kings traded the Great One to the St. Louis Blues in 1995-1996 and you would think the team would flounder without the presence of Gretzky in the lineup. The Kings however were able to qualify for the playoffs in 4 of the next six season but without much success; losing in the 1st or 2nd round. The Kings went on to miss the playoffs for the next 3 years and prompted management to hire Dean Lombardi in April of 2006 to right the ship.  And right the ship he did!  Even though the team missed the playoffs in his first 3 years as GM, he was building a Championship caliber team in Tinseltown.  In 2009-2010 the Kings returned to the playoffs but lost in the 1st round and repeated the same results the following season. In 2011-2012, with more than half a season left, Darryl Sutter was brought in to coach and the Kings barely eked into the playoffs but went on such a tremendous run through the playoffs capturing their 1st Stanley Cup. Their efforts to repeat were thwarted by the current Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks, but we can see them returning for another chance to raise the Cup. Goalie When you start with the perhaps one of the top 3 goaltenders in the NHL, your chances of getting to the Stanley Cup finals are greater than most teams. Your odds increase when that goalie is none other than Conn Smythe trophy winner Jonathan Quick.  Quick was hampered by injuries early last season but should return to form for the current year.  Although they traded away Jonathan Bernier, they did receive back Ben Scrivens in that deal and he is more than a capable backup, although he is no Bernier.  Expect Quick to get majority of the starts and should post better than average stats.  You can do no wrong with building your fantasy team around Quick. Defense The blue line begins with Drew Doughty but there is a new star-in-the-making coming up quickly. Ever since his sophomore season where he scored 59 points in a full season, high expectations have been put upon his shoulders by fantasy poolies but he has never come close to that level since.  He did have 40 and 36 point seasons following that career year, but that is about all you can expect from DD.   Slava Voynov is entering his 3rd NHL season and after a somewhat breakout year in the Lockout season with 25 points in 48 games, he turned it up in the playoffs with a 6-7-13 performance in 18 games. Look for Voynov to continue that trend.  With injuries on the back end, Jake Muzzin got called into action and performed rather well with a +16 rating and garnering 16 points in 45 games.  Don't expect much this year but is a good handcuff option if someone gets injured.  The rest of the defense is more the stay-at-home types who play solid defensively without chipping in with much production.  That list includes Matt Greene, Robyn Regehr, Willie Mitchell, Jeff Schultz, Alec Martinez and Keaton Ellerby but gone is veteran Rob Scuderi who went back to Pittsburgh. Forwards Anze Kopitar leads this team, and at 26, he is in his prime. That's a word we like a lot around here.  IT already seems like he has been around forever as this will be his 8th season, all as a member of the LA Kings. He has led the team in scoring in 6 of those 7 seasons and is ripe to do it once again, perhaps besting his career total of 81 in 2009-2010.  Jeff Carter is loaded with talent but is an enigma ever since his 84-point campaign in 2008-2009 and has not broken the 70 point barrier since.  More known for his goal-scoring streaks, he has on several occasions managed to have decent assist totals.  Justin Williams always seems to fly under the radar mostly because in his early career, he was often beset by injuries, but lately has managed to string along a few seasons relatively healthy. For fantasy owners, let's hope that streak continues but don't expect more than a 5th or 6th forward status. Mike Richards and Dustin Brown are pretty similar in that they are hard-nosed players who are as streaky as they come.  They are more in line with Williams than a Kopitar or a Carter in terms of production, but they do bring an edge to their play.  Matt Frattin was brought over in that Bernier trade and will offer secondary scoring along with Trevor Lewis and Jarrett Stoll. Prospects Tyler Toffoli is projected to get a spot on one of the top two lines this season but hasn't shown much in this preseason suggesting that maybe he will start the year in the AHL. Be patient as he will be plying his talent in the NHL real soon.  Tanner Pearson (1st round pick in 2012) and Valentin Zykov (2nd round in 2013) are a few years away and will need time to develop but pack a potent punch. C/RW Linden Vey scored 100 points in the WHL in 2010-2011 but seems to be behind on the prospect depth chart but does have top six potential.  Defenseman Derek Forbort drafted in the first round of the 2010 draft and will develop a little longer as the Kings' defense is set.  Overall Fantasy Outlook The Kings are a well-balanced team with a lot of grit. They have the right amount of scoring to go along with tenacity. They have adapted and respond well to Head Coach Darryl Sutter.  With goaltender Jonathan Quick manning the crease, Captain Dustin Brown keeping the team focused, Drew Doughty  leading the defense and Anze Kopitar supplying the potent offense, this team is poised to return to the Stanley Cup finals which would have been a 3rd straight year if not for last year's Champion Blackhawks knocking them out in the Conference Finals. SO many things need to happen, and at least ten teams have a legitimate shot at getting to the Cup Finals, but the Kings seem to have all the right pieces in all the right places.