2012 was nothing short of a brilliant year in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings who dominated the post-season and put the icing on the cake to defeat the New Jersey Devils in six games. The sweetest part of that series was lifting the trophy on home ice in front of their excited fan base. It is a year that they will truly never forget.

However, after losing their opening game on home ice to the eventual champions in 2013, the Chicago Blackhawks, their season was nothing like their championship campaign as they struggled to dominate the way they once did.

Now, in the 2013-14 season, the team needs to rely on the likes of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to lead them to the heights that they are truly capable of. They are two players that were impressive back in their Philadelphia Flyers‘ days but in Los Angeles, they have already won a Stanley Cup. Being that they can still hit their top stride, winning another one is nowhere near out of the question.

Currently, the Kings sit in seventh out West with a total of 10 points, five wins and three losses. Being two over 500 is impressive since the league is getting tougher every year, but they can do so much better. They have a team, a fan base, a coach and management that when put together brought out the heart and soul of the players to clear a path towards victory.

How does one team go from glory to turmoil in only a single season? Simple: they won the title, they thought they were on the top of the world and when that happens, other teams grow hungrier by the day and unleash themselves against the team that has or rather had it all.

This season has been a slow but decent start for Los Angeles. After about 20 more games, we will get a better idea of where this team can really go this year.