In the late 2000s to mid-2010s, California NHL fans were living their dream, regardless of which team they rooted for.
Between 2006-07 and 2016-17, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, and the San Jose Sharks came close, marking plenty of success on the West Coast.
In that span, the Kings won two Stanley Cups and bowed out in the Western Conference final once. The Sharks made the conference final three times, advancing to the Cup final in 2015-16. The Ducks won it all in 2006-07 and made the conference final twice afterward.
While all the California teams were contenders in the early to mid-2010s, the Kings clearly led the pack.
However, by 2018-19, all three teams were beginning to age out, and they started rebuilding. That was, until the Kings' surprisingly strong 2021-22 season.
While the 2020-21 season was shortened to 56 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kings continued their downward spiral, finishing 21-28-7 with 49 points. Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, and Jonathan Quick were entering the later stages of their career, and they didn’t have many promising assets aside from Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. The team finished 27th overall in scoring, Quick had a down season in net, and there were holes throughout the roster, leading many to believe the Kings would be stuck at the bottom for years to come.
However, in 2021-22, the Kings had a surprising turnaround, amassing 99 points and securing their first playoff berth since 2017-18. They lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round after dropping Game 7, but their success didn’t stop there.
Led by a mix of veteran leadership and maximizing their young talent, they've made the playoffs the last three seasons as well. However, they’ve been a first-round exit every time.
On the other hand, the Ducks and Sharks haven’t had the same success. Anaheim hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017-18 and San Jose hasn’t made it since 2018-19.
The Ducks have slowly been building their roster through productive draft picks, with the most notable being Leo Carlsson, their first-round pick in 2023, who has amassed 29 points in 22 games so far this season. They’ve also added key contributors, such as Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry and Jackson LaCombe. In January 2024, they also acquired Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers.
As for the Sharks, they’ve struggled with inconsistent drafting and didn’t find a promising young player in the draft until 2023, when they selected Will Smith. The team was lucky enough to obtain the first overall pick in the 2024 draft and sceleelected Macklin Celebrini, who has formed a strong connection with Smith on the first line and has helped bolster the Sharks' offense. However, they’ve struggled with the goalie situation since the departures of Antti Niemi and Martin Jones, and the team also hasn’t been able to build up a stable defensive core.
As a result of slow rebuilds, both teams have been stuck near the bottom of the Pacific Division for the last six seasons.
Don't Be Shocked If The Tables Turn Soon
After a long wait, it appears the rebuilds for the Ducks and Sharks are close to ending.
Through 22 games, the Ducks sit atop the Pacific Division with a 14-7-1 record and 29 points. They rank second in goals-for per game with 3.59. The team’s young talent has looked excellent so far, with Carlsson, Gauthier and Terry all averaging over a point per game, and Sennecke has also been a key top-six forward.
Their goalie, Lukas Dostal, also deserves some praise for his strong play. Through 17 starts, he holds an 11-5-1 record, .904 save percentage and 10.1 goals saved above expected, which ranks seventh among NHL goalies.
Within the last year, Anaheim has also added veterans Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, who have fit in well next to the Ducks' young talent. The team also has nearly $17 million in cap space, the third-most in the league.
After starting the season 0-4-2, the Sharks have had a complete turnaround, largely as a result of Celebrini’s play. Through 23 games, he’s notched 34 points, 12 on the power play, two game-winning goals and two hat-tricks. They’re heating up and are 9-4-1 in their last 14 games.
San Jose’s young talent may not be as fully developed as Anaheim’s with players like Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson still adapting to the NHL. But Celebrini has shown he’s capable of leading the team, and with him on the verge of becoming a superstar, the Sharks just need to continue to build around him. Their first line, consisting of Celebrini, Smith, and Tyler Toffoli, has the highest goals percentage in the league amongst lines with 120 minutes or more at 83.3 percent.
While their first line has looked like one of the best in the league, there are still holes in the team on offense and defense. They rank 22nd in goals-for per game and 21st in goals against per game. But with possibly two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two fourth-round picks this year, as well as nearly $6 million in cap space, the Sharks are in a good spot.
The Kings Are In A Much Tougher Position
Sure, the Kings still have talent and are playing at a high level, but they don’t have as much build around. They also have several players either nearing the end of their careers or contracts.
Just five forwards – Byfield, Kevin Fiala, Kempe, Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere – are locked up beyond next season. It also doesn’t help that their longtime captain, Anze Kopitar, announced he’ll be retiring at the end of the season.
They also have defensemen Cody Ceci, Mikey Anderson, Joel Edmundson and Brian Dumoulin locked up beyond next season. All except Anderson are 30 years or older and likely don’t have much left in the tank. Their goalie, Darcy Kuemper, is also in his age-35 season and is only under contract for one more year.
According to PuckPedia, they’re only projected to have $2.3 million in cap space this offseason, although that number could jump up to around $20 million next year.
While the Kings might not have a complete fall from grace, their time as the leader of California hockey may be coming to an end. Unlike Anaheim and San Jose, they don’t have a super promising young core, and their prospect pool ranked 29th in Future Watch. The Sharks ranked first, and the Ducks ranked second. The Kings also have too many expiring contracts and not enough money to fill all the holes, which could force the team to enter some sort of rebuild in the near future.
This may not be the year, but California hockey is on the verge of changing.
Michael Hapanovich is an intern with The Hockey News.
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