Kings Philosophy: Slow and Low, That Is The Tempo

Do you want to know how I know the Kings are an organization that’s on the right track? No, it has nothing to do with their recently concluded 9-game winning streak. It has nothing to do with the goaltending that the franchise has always lacked and it isn’t because there’s a great mix of youth and experience.

In fact, it has nothing to do with the current team or any potential successes at all. I can sum up a basic change in organizational philosophy in three simple names: Thomas Hickey, Brayden Schenn and Jonathan Bernier. Just like good BBQ, it’s all about taking your time and going slow and low. Maybe that’s more like the Beastie Boys.

Anyone that closely follows major junior hockey in Canada, the draft projections, Team Canada at the World Junior Championships or the Los Angeles Kings knows exactly who each one of these guys are. Each of these guys had high hopes (maybe Hickey wasn’t as high as #4 overall) and was expected not only to eventually make an NHL team—but to thrive at the NHL level. Teams HOPE the best for plenty of prospects; but they expect the best only for a chosen few. In these three players, the Kings have a handful of these types of guys all to themselves.

This is the first time in the Kings’ 43-year history that they’ve shown the resolve to see a complete rebuild through to completion. Plenty of times they would start the rebuild with decent talent, but would bring them to the NHL or trade them for a quick fix and that last spot in the playoffs. That is—when they actually kept their draft picks and HAD prospects in the pipeline. Today, they’re not only acquiring draft picks, but they’re using them wisely and handling the growth process correctly. Each step in each process is just as important as the others—yet this is the first time the franchise has made a concerted effort at ANY of them. Depending on your perspective, that’s either extremely exciting or extremely sad.

The Red Wings have long since been the gold-standard for me when it comes to top-to-bottom organizational excellence. People constantly talk about how well they draft in the later rounds with guys like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, but it’s not just their scouting department’s tendency to find the diamond in the rough. Once the Wings draft those players, they know they’ll be in Juniors, Europe or the AHL for the next few years. No questions asked. No exceptions. Ken Holland and company understand that their actions AFTER a player is drafted are just as important as actually calling the player’s name on draft day.

It’s one thing to KNOW the best process. Holland has been doing this for long enough for people to SEE the blueprint towards sustained success. But it’s quite another to have the patience to “stay the course” and endure hard times without stunting a prospect’s development for a HOPE at quick victory. It may work in the short-term—but in the long run it probably won’t.

By bringing up players before they’re ready, a team is “hoping” that they’ll succeed. By letting them mature at their own pace and bringing them up when they’re ready, they “know” they’ll succeed. It takes the unknown away for both the player and the team as a whole.

Just a few years ago the Kings’ organizational depth was so awful, they would have rushed all three of these prized prospects to the NHL level. The youngsters would have been in over their heads, struggled to survive in the world’s best league and would have pissed off fans and coaches alike.

By letting these prospects slowly mature through the proper ranks at the proper pace, the Kings are giving them every opportunity to succeed. They are letting them taste success and earn the confidence that can only be gained by playing to the best of one’s potential.

The process of patience is mutually beneficial. Even though every player is ambitious and wants to play in the NHL, maturing and learning their craft before they are thrown into the fire is best for their development. Their chances of success increase exponentially if they learn the tools of their craft BEFORE reaching the NHL. Likewise, the team benefits by recalling players that are prepared to be recalled. Of course, there’s always a learning curve—but it’s much easier to break in a player that is physically (and mentally) prepared for the rigors of the NHL.

By having players that have been given every opportunity to thrive, they are taking away excuses as well—both for the individual AND the team. The young player won’t be able to say that they were put in a situation that they weren’t able to succeed in. The team will not be able to say that they lost games because they had some young kid that had no business playing in the NHL. On both the prospect and the team level, there’s no one else to blame except for themselves.

Of course it’s not easy. If it was easy, EVERYONE would do it. But for those that are willing to show the patience to see that their prospects are properly developed, they will be the ones that reap the benefits for years. Forget potential playoff spots and substantial winning streaks—if the Kings continue down this path that they’ve started, they’ll be looking at more than just one freak year in the playoffs.

They won’t be a contender. They’ll be a perennial contender. What’s not to be excited about?