The Los Angeles Kings did not take long to remind everyone that Stanley Cup champions tend to stumble backward the season after winning it all.
The champs were trounced 4-0 by the San Jose Sharks in their opener, then lost to the Arizona Coyotes in overtime, before finally winning on the third try, over the unimposing Winnipeg Jets.
“Definitely a step in the right direction,” veteran centre Anze Kopitar said after the ice-breaking victory.
Not that the first week really tells much of a story. This will be a nine-month adventure.
But as talented as the Kings might be, the reality is that the NHL has not produced back-to-back champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.
The Kings, at least, remain as big, fast and deep as they were last year, with minimal turnover in personnel.
They also should see improvement from two of their brightest young stars, wings Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson.
They have been matched on a line with veteran sharpshooter Jeff Carter. The trio has scored five of the team’s six goals.
One way to avoid complacency on a championship team is through the energy of ambitious youth. Toffoli and Pearson personify it.
“Jeff really helps us out,” Toffoli said of Carter, 29. “He’s really vocal. When we’re struggling, he’s making sure he’s getting on us.”
The Kings still have goalie Jonathan Quick to backstop the defence, as well. Quick was the starter when the Kings won the Cup in 2012, too.
But it may help that Quick is being pushed by a talented back-up, Martin Jones, 24, who was credited with the team’s first win of the season.
Defensively, the Kings remain anchored by stalwart Drew Doughty. With his name now engraved on the Cup twice, Doughty seems to be getting the kind of widespread love usually reserved for those who play in the more media-attentive eastern half of the continent.
It is also easy to forget that Doughty is only 24.
The biggest obstacle to the Kings retaining the Cup may simply be history and fate. As former coach and television analyst Barry Melrose put it, albeit facetiously, “It’s not their turn.”
The Western Conference alone will be bearish enough to navigate, with the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and St Louis Blues bringing their own high expectations.
Still, the idea of surviving NHL parity and the play-offs does not discourage bright-eyed youngsters. Pearson, who is still technically a rookie, saw most of his action last season during the post-season.
“Winning the first time around,” he said, “makes you hungry for another one.”
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