Los Angeles Kings Can Afford To Be Patient With Dustin Brown
By PowerPlayCJ
@powerplaywithcj
Getty Images
The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the hottest teams in hockey and are looking every bit like last year’s Stanley Cup champs. Their hot start has been possible mostly due to Jonathan Quick’s stellar goaltending and the team’s second line of Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson absolutely torching the league’s best defenses. One player that has had little to do with the team’s start has been captain Dustin Brown, who has essentially no-showed offensively.
Through the team’s eight games, Brown has a lone goal and no assists despite playing over 17 minutes per game and seeing time in the team’s top-six forwards. While Brown is playing his usual gritty, effective game physically he’s not carrying a $5.875 million cap hit to be a grinder. The Kings need Brown to start producing more offensively if they want to successfully defend their title. That doesn’t mean patience isn’t in order.
The Kings look like world beaters with Brown having about as big an impact on the score sheet as your average fan in the seats at Staples Center. Can you imagine what they’ll look like when he hits his groove again? Allowing Brown to figure out what’s keeping him from producing offensively is what’s best for both him and the team.
Time is on the Kings’ side as they stand at 6-1-1 going into their big matchup in Philly against the “rival” Philadelphia Flyers. Allowing Brown and other struggling forwards such as Mike Richards and Justin Williams time to find their games could make a world of difference.
For a team like the Kings that judges success not in terms of regular season stats but postseason wins, it’s just business as usual.
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