Jeremy Roenick Doubles Down on Drew Doughty Calling Los Angeles Kings Players "Selfish"
The Los Angeles Kings exploded into the 2023 season as one of the most exciting teams in the Pacific, and the entire NHL. However, since going 16-4-4 in their first 28 games, they have since fallen to a 48-game record of 23-15-10.
This skid includes 3 wins out of their last 17 games. Former NHL player Jeremy Roenick joined Snipes and Stripes to talk about the team's biggest issue, echoing the comments made by Drew Doughty about players only playing for themselves.
"They are going the wrong way. And I'm telling you, there is there is a problem. There's a problem in L.A. And Drew Doughty brought it out and he brought it out in an interview. And I thought it was exactly pinpoint, because it's exactly why teams go on these skids. It's exactly why teams lose hockey games and I believe there's a few teams that have the same characteristic that Drew Doughty brought out and called his team out."
via Jeremy Roenick, Snipes and Stripes
What Roenick is alluding to is the interview that Doughty gave about the Kings' recent struggles. He told the LA Times:
“I think we got guys in this room who are too worried about themselves and worried about their points and worried about stuff like that,” Doughty said after they finished a 1-2-1 homestand at Crypto.com Arena to bring their home record down to 8-9-6.
“We get a 3-1 lead tonight and guys start thinking it’s a cookie night and we stop playing the way we know how to play, have an awful second period, and then aren’t much better in the third. “It’s about the team. It’s not about yourself, and a lot of guys on this team need to realize that.”
The Kings are too talented of a team to be losing this many games. Despite their win against Nashville, this is simply not enough.
"And that's and that's the the people, the field. Yeah. And Pierre-Luc Dubois, I watched him play. I went to the game last week against Buffalo. I watched Pierre Bois play this game. And I will tell you, he's got talent. He's got no pulse, no pulse. He has zero pulse. He is soft and there's there's no bite in this guy. There's no jam. He's a big guy to and when you have people like that who are supposed to be your leaders that that throw off that aura and again I hate to pick on certain players, but certain players make it very easy for me to pick on. And Pierre-luc was one of those players."
via Jeremy Roenick, Snipes and Stripes
Pierre-Luc Dubois was the big get for the Kings in the offseason, and he was exchanged for Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi, and a 2024 second-round draft pick
Iafallo and Vilardi were dependable pieces of the Kings and ones that were more team-centric than Dubois. The team needs to figure out their issues and start playing like they had been doing when the season began.
While there is much more hockey to go, 3 wins out of their last 17 won't allow them to keep pace with Pacific giants like Vancouver, Vegas, and Edmonton.
