Leading up to the NHL trade deadline there was considerable chatter that the LA Kings were very much in on Finnish star Mikko Rantanen. Esteemed and very connected SportsNet NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman reported one of the hurdles to any deal was the talented forward’s disinterest in signing an extension with the Kings.
When one thinks about the plethora of recent big name free agents making LA their home: Lebron James, Mookie Betts, Shohei Otani, Freedie Freeman, and Roki Sasaki, just to name a few, it begs the question of why the new Dallas Star would not want to sign in Los Angeles.
Some have speculated that having no state income tax in Texas might have been a factor. It seems, however, a bit of a stretch that a player signing a 96 million dollar contract would be concerned with state income tax. Could it be the perception that the LA Kings aren’t a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup this year?
According to Moneypuck, the Kings currently have a 2.6% chance of winning it all this year, whereas the Stars are sitting at 11%. Recent playoff experience may have also figured in on Rantanen’s decision. The Kings have suffered three straight first round exits while the Stars have made it to the Western Conference finals the past two seasons.
Could LA’s defensive style of play have also played a factor? As Boston Bruin defenseman Nikita Zadorov famously put it last season as a member of the Vancouver Canucks: “they don’t make plays; they just rim the puck and sit back all game.” While this is a slight exaggeration of the Kings’ offensive philosophy, it may have given a two-time 100+ scorer like Rantanen some food for thought.
The last LA King to record over 100 points was number 99, Wayne Gretzky in the 1993-94 season. Is it possible that today’s high scoring forwards are weary of coming to LA because they fear having to adopt a more defensive style of play at the expense of individual stats? One will probably never know all the reasons why Rantanen balked at signing a long-term deal with the Kings, but it probably has more to do with winning a Stanley Cup than individual point totals.
The LA Kings have not won a playoff series since 2014 and are coming off first round losses in three straight years. Their precarious third place/wildcard positioning simply doesn’t make them an attractive destination for a player that wants to win now. This dynamic is unlikely to change until the Kings start winning playoff series.
