a lot of injuries.Normally, it looks bad one year. But the negatives from one year can | Forum

It hasnt been all that long since teams were patterning themselves after the Los Angeles Kings. Air Max Uk . The St. Louis Blues were basically a Missouri version of the Kings. The Washington Capitals became the Eastern Conference version.But that was so 2014. Speed is the thing now and the Kings suddenly look a little slow.Well, not to everybody.We have four or five world-class skaters, said Kings GM Dean Lombardi. You think Jeff Carter cant skate? You think Anze Kopitar cant skate? Drew Doughty cant skate? Trevor Lewis is a world-class skater. Were not slow. Were big ... Because were big and physical, thats all people look at.And we hadnt even told him yet that were concerned the Kings are getting old too.Thats the Kings in 2016 in a nutshell. There is still greatness there. Doughty and Kopitar are in the top three in their respective positions in the NHL. Jonathan Quick is on the short list of goalies most would be thrilled to start a Game 7.Theres a championship DNA.But boy, are there questions. Have the players tired of coach Darryl Sutter? Is there enough speed to keep up with the next-generation Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers? When did the San Jose Sharks pass them as the better team?This will either be the season that the Kings squeeze another chance at glory out of their Stanley Cup roster or the season it becomes apparent it needs to do a San Jose- and Boston-like rebuild to pump young talent into the roster.There are too many proven winners to take the Kings lightly this season -- but too many real concerns about depth, durability and depreciation to feel great about them.Best new facesIf the Kings are to return to glory, its the old faces who will get them there. Last year, Lombardi made a splash in acquiring Milan Lucic but couldnt make the finances work to keep him around long term. Finances were a big reason that Lombardi couldnt aggressively improve his team from last year. Los Angeles locked up its core, along with many of the depth players from the Stanley Cup teams, and is betting they can keep it going moving forward.Teddy Purcell was a nice depth signing and has shown an ability to play up and down the lineup in his career. Hes probably best suited on a third line but has played with high-end talent like Connor McDavid and Steven Stamkos in the past and is capable of filling a spot in the top six if necessary.Lombardi continued his value shopping by adding depth on defense with the signing of Tom Gilbert. A knee injury shortened Gilberts 2015-16 season, but if he can stay healthy and return to form, the 33-year-old could be a nice addition. At Gilberts age though, those are big ifs.Biggest unknownsWhat made the Kings great in the past is you knew exactly what you were getting. This was a big, heavy team that played a demanding but effective brand of hockey that resulted in them dominating possession for long stretches. They were relentless, and by the third period, they usually wore the opposition down. That also takes a toll on the players.Dustin Browns game has fallen off a cliff. He has now scored just 11 goals in consecutive seasons and its clear his production wont match his contract. Marian Gaborik?isnt healthy -- again. His speed changes the dynamic of the Kings lineup, and its a huge unknown how many games hell play during the course of the season. The Kings lean heavily on Quick, who has settled in as a goalie who can be expected to produce a .917 save percentage each year. For a guy considered one of the best in the world, thats underwhelming.Sure thingsThe Kings have two sure things, and theyre what makes this a team that you can never count out: Doughty and Kopitar. Its such an advantage to have a world-class No. 1 defenseman and No. 1 center on the roster. Good teams have one. Only the lucky few have two and those are the teams usually playing well into the spring.Despite all the questions surrounding the Kings, Sutter can count on getting nearly half a game out of Doughty each night -- and that the Kings will control play during his shifts.And in Kopitar, the Kings have a premier two-way center who stacks up with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews as the best in the world.When Kopitar is on the ice, the Kings can count on him shutting down the opposing center and thats invaluable.He always focuses on the defensive game, said Canucks center Henrik Sedin. Hes a terrific player. Its a tough matchup for anyone who goes against him.PredictionThese are no longer the powerhouse Kings you could comfortably pencil in as a Western Conference finalist, but as long as Doughty and Kopitar are around, theyre going to be competitive. Third place in the Pacific. Air Max Sale Outlet . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Air Max Sale Uk . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.airmaxcheapuk.com/ . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. After Syracuses record-setting loss to Pittsburgh that ended the Oranges first season under Dino Babers, the coach revealed his immediate plans.I am going to be out Sunday recruiting, Babers said after Saturdays 76-61 loss at Heinz Field.Smart move.Babers was hired almost one year ago to replace Scott Shafer, whose final game at Syracuse was an emotional home win over Boston College that left the Orange with a 4-8 overall record and a 2-6 showing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Babers ended his first year at Syracuse with the same record and the team on a four-game slide.Theres room for more improvement on both sides of the ball.Five of Syracuses losses came against teams ranked this week in the AP Top 25 -- Clemson, Louisville, Florida State, Pittsburgh and South Florida. Those five outscored the Orange 282-123, and only one of Syracuses victories came against a team with a winning record.Syracuse embraced the new coaching regime and Babers uptempo offensive blueprint, finishing the season ranked 11th in passing offense (321.3 yards per game). But too many injuries on both sides of the ball, reminiscent of what happened to Shafer, and an inability to score despite some gaudy passing numbers, relegated the Orange to another losing season.Helped by that final crazy game against the Panthers , Syracuse finished its season ranked 89th in scoring nationally, averaging just 25.7 points per game. Coupling with a defense that was ranked 121st and allowed nearly seven yards per play was not a winning formula, especially with a run game that averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and was ranked 119th.Still, the players like what theyve seen, especially their upset win over then-No. 17 Virginia Tech, which will play Clemson for the ACC championship.People have truly changed the way they act on and off the field, said quarterback Zack Mahoney, a capable fill-in for injuured starter Eric Dungey . Air Max Free Shipping. People buy into coach Babers methods. I just hope that in the future we continue to push ourselves.The biggest question heading into the offseason is the health of Dungey, the cornerstone of the offense who missed four games last year with at least one concussion and the final three games this season after incurring a hard hit to the shoulder-head area in the first quarter of a 54-0 loss at Clemson. Dungey, who will be a junior next year, was on the sidelines throwing before each of the final two home games but did not play and also didnt play Saturday.Whoever lines up over center wont have the most important cog of this years offense -- wideout Amba Etta-Tawo. The Maryland transfer set school records in his final year of eligibility -- 94 catches for 1,482 yards (second nationally) and 14 TDs. Also departing is kick returner Brisly Estime, who led the nation with 17.7 yards per punt return.Defensively, the Orange allowed 501 yards per game, 35 TDs rushing, and 5.4 yards per rush, all school records. The good news is that the Oranges top three tacklers -- LBs Parris Bennett (110) and Zaire Franklin (101, 10 TFLs), and CB Daivon Ellison (90) -- return next season.There was growth, Babers said. Could we be better on defense? Yes, we could be better on defense. We can be better on offense. The one thing that happened this year that is a blessing is that a lot of guys got to play because of a lot of injuries.Normally, it looks bad one year. But the negatives from one year can be the blessings the next year. We have to roll through and see how it goes.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 ' ' '