What is `success' to you?

a little weak on the poll options here. Before the season I thought we would be in the position of the Blackhawks last season where we are just barely in the playoff race, yet unlikely to jump enough teams to make it in. Now since being teased since the end of January the playoffs started tasting too sweet not to want them. Overall, baring a 10 game losing streak the season is a success although I would love for them to be in it until the last game

You gotta make the playoffs or else.

I said finishing above .500.

We expected to be better this yeat with all the new talent and we expected to have better defensive play as has been the focus since training camp. The goal with this young team is to have all of that preparation lead to something and while the playoffs would be ultra nice, finishing above .500 would be considered a successful byproduct of our work this season.

Finishing above .500 is success to me. The 2nd half of last season we basically had a .500 record. I expected a continuation of that this season, even with a new coaching system and a couple of rookies in the lineup.

This poll is indicative of the core problem of the Kings. If the question is as open-ended as "What would you consider a successful Kings season?", how can there be any legitimate answer other than "Stanley Cup Championship?" And yet... that's not even an option. This has been a franchise content to wallow in mediocrity so long that nobody even thinks to measure success in championships. It's a mental state that nobody running the Kings in 45 years has seriously attempted to break.

I think the poll choices pretty much cover it for us fans. I went with this season already being a success because the Kings improved defensively, they are forming an identity, they will have a better record than last season and (my favorite) they seem to be growing together as a team which when you consider they'll be vying for a playoff spot more formidably next season is very exciting. I can't wait to see this group of guys in the playoffs.

However, not making the playoffs next season would be a failure.

p.s. this year's numbers (since, you know, it's not over yet...):

final pts/record needed/odds of playoffs

92pts/12-2-0/99%
91pts/11-2-1/93%
90pts/11-3-0/79%
89pts/10-3-1/52%
88pts/10-4-0/26%
87pts/9-4-1/8%
86pts/9-5-0/0.2%
85pts/8-5-1/0%

Looking at the schedules of our opponents, I think it's likely that 89 points will be enough this year. Now, I would be pretty happy if the Kings got to their last four games of the season and a record of 3-1 in those games would get them into the playoffs. So, I break the rest of the season down into three chunks:

games 1-3 (pre-Williams return); 4-10; last four.

2-0-1
5-2-0
3-1-0

First of all Rich, thank you for all these posts on a boring Monday at work. It really does make the day more interesting & fun.

I love this Kings team. I am not stupid enough to consider anything less than a Stanley Cup a failure. Most of us realize you don't go from the worst record in the NHL (tied) to a Cup. So we are taking small steps. And this years step was much bigger than most of us thought.

Progressive improvement culminating in a Stanley Cup. But I will tell you that I've never met a nicer bunch of people than those in the Kings organization that I met last week at the Kaboom playground event. They were even nicer than the Ducks people I met last year at Shoot for the Cure.

Bringing up Ersberg and Quick and not destorying them... Giving Doughty some big time playing minutes... Sending Brown to the All Star game... solidifying the defense...

I'm not a Kings fan, and I think this season has been fantastic for a young club. They weren't going to win the Cup this year anyways, so the "playoffs or else" talk is bogus. Development, especially of a team that offers this much talent, is the most important thing for them right now, and this was a developing year.

They'll be good for a long time if they can shore up their young guns, they don't need to win it all this year.

This seems pretty pathetic, but as a long suffering Kings addict, I was excited and satisfied at the draft! So, for me it's all been exciting, particularly with the emergence of the rookies and goalies. I can't wait to see what DL does over the summer. After a bad start with Plan B (which I think was his reaction to a mandate of the idiots at corporate, he seems to have gotten his trade legs. Clearly he is something we have never had i.e. an effective GM at the draft table.

I almost clicked on "Finishing above the Ducks" but voted "The season is already a success". Basically, my thoughts are this: the Kings have greatly exceeded their expectations this season, which is my definition of a success. If they were able to finish better than the Ducks, that would probably be the greatest thing that could happen this season for the Kings. But the season is already a success, in my eyes, no matter what... as long as they don't go 0-14-0. Then, we'd better get Tavares.

Thanks for the update Quisp.

The Kings "culture of losing" is rearing its ugly head in this poll.

Anything short of the playoffs, after how many years???? is a FAILURE!!!

Sure, we had some great moments. Sure, we have some great players who are only going to get better.

But PLEASE don't confuse your low expectations with what is a basic benchmark for any franchise.

Playoffs. Period.

wavesinair

Agree with you. While the season has firmly demonstrated postives movement within the franchise, making the playoffs (the "second season") is what it is all about.

I'd call the season a success.

Sure we didn't make the playoffs, but defense improved, penalty kill and power play improved. Got a lot of ice time for younger players. All players building up their defensive play now instead of next season when we're in the playoffs.

Consider also where the team was last season, what we got out of the trades and what most people expected out of the team this season. Big improvements and surpassing many expectations( but not blowing them out of the water ).

Next season I would expect the team to be in the playoffs for it to be a success though.

wavesinair...I'm 50/50 with you.

I get your point completely. Its the culture of winning that has to be developed here, which is why I voted that the season is already a success. My reasoning is that while the bottom line is that the 'second season' is in fact the real goal, I don't discount where this whole process started last year when Crow was fired. I'm with quisp in his assessment. Next season, if at the same point, we are questionable for the playoffs...then I'd be steaming. The culture has been implimented and now its time to deliver. Can we do it this year? tough call...is it a failure of a season if not...I strongly don't think so. This team is ready to explode onto the scene next year. Whats another long summer, when ahead lies many many years of playoff contention?

Finishing above .500 this year constitutes success, as hard as it is to concede. That San Jose game clearly showed, in case there was any doubt, that this team does not know how to win, yet. This year was crucial as far as preparing these young players with the mental fortitude and knowledge of what it will take for next year and beyond. Next year will be the watershed moment for Dean Lombardi and the Los Angeles Kings. If they do not make the playoffs next year, start worrying.

I'm happy with the season so far, but it is not successful unless they make the playoffs.

Quisp--Just gotta love your statistical breakdowns of GamesToGo...

For all of you who believe that it's Stanley Cup or Bust: Bully for you! Too bad you'll be so unhappy, most of the time...

For all of you who believe that it's Playoffs or Bust: Bully for you, too! However, from where I sit, it's not whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, it's how are the Kings filling up the glass. It can't be by stealing another glass's water, because that water is most likely rancid and infected, unless the source is truly pure. The only way to fill my Kings' glass is from below, dribbles at a time, from good drafting and player development. That way, when the glass is full, it stays that way as all spills are slowly replaced with home-grown talent.

I guess I am too patient for some of your, perhaps because I am a perfectionist. I want a series of playoff appearances, and multiple Stanley Cups. I want the Kings to be the best organization in the NHL. There is only one way to achieve that, and it takes PATIENCE.

I went with making the playoffs because it's closest to winning the cup.

This season has been a big improvement but it doesn't count for anything unless you can bring home some hardware.

I said making the playoffs because they were attainable. It would be different if we were out-classed most nights, but we're not. And it's pretty easy to think of three games that we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, even more where we "settled" for an OT loss (9 of 'em). Staying with JLB so long cost us points that we didn't have to lose. I also think that some roster and line decisions were detrimental. And some players just did not execute at key moments (2 on 0 played worse than a Pee Wee would have!)

That we didn't come through I guess is objective proof that we weren't good enough, but in hindsight I think the playoffs were attainable and if we don't make them, then we did not play to our potential, and that is the opposite of success.

Seeing the ducks get shut out last night

I feel we are so close. We are only 3 or 4 wins from being in the playoff. Had the team not blown late period leads in a few games. We would be in the palyoffs.

With that. I voted for making the playoffs. Anything else this season is a failure.

Quisp--Just gotta love your statistical breakdowns of GamesToGo...

For all of you who believe that it's Stanley Cup or Bust: Bully for you! Too bad you'll be so unhappy, most of the time...

For all of you who believe that it's Playoffs or Bust: Bully for you, too! However, from where I sit, it's not whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, it's how are the Kings filling up the glass. It can't be by stealing another glass's water, because that water is most likely rancid and infected, unless the source is truly pure. The only way to fill my Kings' glass is from below, dribbles at a time, from good drafting and player development. That way, when the glass is full, it stays that way as all spills are slowly replaced with home-grown talent.

I guess I am too patient for some of your, perhaps because I am a perfectionist. I want a series of playoff appearances, and multiple Stanley Cups. I want the Kings to be the best organization in the NHL. There is only one way to achieve that, and it takes PATIENCE.

"Yog S'loth said:
This poll is indicative of the core problem of the Kings. If the question is as open-ended as "What would you consider a successful Kings season?", how can there be any legitimate answer other than "Stanley Cup Championship?" And yet... that's not even an option. This has been a franchise content to wallow in mediocrity so long that nobody even thinks to measure success in championships. It's a mental state that nobody running the Kings in 45 years has seriously attempted to break."

...and plaqued by unrealistic expectations of Kings fans!

wow Quisp, thanks for the numbers! that helps a lot

Ha ha...Anthony got dogged by a non Kings fan on a Kings site..Even the outsiders know your posts are ridiculous.

I think the season has already been a success. We're in the middle of March and we're playing hard for a possible playoff spot. If you follow the Kings and believe in what the organization is trying to do, this is exactly what we were hoping for...A good, young, competitive team that will continue to get better.

Technically we are still in the hunt, it is still fun to tune in and watch the team play. I hope we are in it until the last day of the season, that would be awesome.

Last year all we had was this blog come this time of the year.

Rich can we do a poll like this at the start of the next season? Maybe two polls: What do you expect the Kings to accomplish this season, and what do you hope the Kings accomplish?

Then we would have most posters here on record.

This year is a success because of this blog.Even with the usually suspects,this blog has made the season enjoyable.Keep getting better and good things will happen.Thanks to ALL !!!!

I think offensively the team has regressed,but defense wins championships.Of course it helps if you can make it into the playoffs.With the bad trade,and inability to utilize the prospects in Manch,this team has been set back one more year which means next year, "I hope we can make the playoffs ",is the cry yet again.

For the people saying PLAYOFFS, do you not understand this is a rebuild? NEXT YEAR is the playoffs.

year 1 2006/07 - tear it down, rebuild (basement dwellers)

year 2 2007/08 - rebuild (basement dweller w/ slight improvement)

year 3 2008/09 - learning how to win (.500 hockey)

year 4 2009/10 - playoff contention (the pressure will be on BIG TIME)

year 5 2010/11 and beyond - division contention/Stanley Cup contenders (If DL hasn't met this expectation, he's toast)

When I say I think 89 points will "likely" get us into the playoffs, I should probably have said, "more likely than the 52% odds given by the randomized model, in which each team has a 50/50 chance of winning each game. I think as we get down to the wire, each game is going to be more playoff-like than the last, and the outcomes will be distinctly not random; rather, teams competing with each other will be knocking each other out of contention; some teams will be tanking; others will be streaking. By definition, the Kings have to be streaking in order to get to 89 points in the first place. This places extra pressure on the other teams, many of whom the Kings will have had to beat in order to get to 89. Therefore, I do think that getting to 89 will give us significantly better than a coin-toss's chance of getting in.

Which is a hell of a lot better odds than we thought we'd be getting.

And, p.s., it's already the middle of March, and the Kings are still playing meaningful games. Who thought that was possible?

Johnny, denial is also a river in Egypt.

Fan for 25 years and it gets harder to believe year after year. For an org like the Kings this is a success. For a good organization with a winning tradition or a true desire to have a winning tradition, this isn't enough. I am glad fans feel good about this year, but I really feel that we still deserve better. A rebuild period would be easier to swallow if it followed a successful period. This org has had varying levels of garbage over the years. Better this year? Perhaps. Does cat crap smell slightly less bad than dog crap? Perhaps.

wavesinair

I stand by what I said. Next year is THE time for the playoffs. This year? You've got to be kidding me. Even if we did, we'd get slaughtered against San Jose or Detroit.

Knowing that in my heart of hearts I didn't think this team had a snowball's chance in hell of being any better than last in the West, I consider it a major accomplishment if (and when) they finish 13th. Still, it's another huge FAIL for a franchise that has sucked hind tit for the better part of 41 years. The good news is that mediocrity is just a season away, and 8th or 9th will be within reach. I like most of the young nucleus, though the O'Sullivan trade still stings and stinks in my book. The problem is parity, and we're still going to see the Atlanta's dominate the Washington's every once in a while (as we did last night)and so those nights when the Kings get pasted by a "bottom feeder" or a Sharks or Wings team looks beatable by a young upstart Kings team will skew the fan perception, but STAY THE COURSE. Don't fall into the trap that would have you believe this is a top team, because it isn't even close, but know that as they get better, and as the pundits who believed 15th was the best they could do start to see 13th as an upgrade, well, success might be defined as it will be defined in Columbus this year. Get to the show, and when the curtain goes up, maybe your actors will perform well enough to earn a curtain call. My guess... not even next year, but soon...

Season a success? being in 13th place as opposed to 15th in the west is success? No wonder the management/ownership of this team is satisfied with mediocrity... if the fans deem this a success, why shouldn't they?

I am a fan of 'another' NHL team, and while I think "Cup or Bust" is a little steep, I will say I am not truly satisfied until they reach at least the third round of the playoffs.

Championship teams are owned by people who think about Championships, managed by people who are capable of leading a team to the Championship games (and preferably have been there a time or two... ahem, yes DL that is aimed at YOU), coached by guys who can instill a championship winning philosophy into ALL his players and the players have to ALL buy into the fact that they are there for one reason: To play a high caliber game that will bring a championship to all of the above mentioned spokes in the wheel AND to the fans who support the team financially and emotionally.

For the above paragragh alone, the Kings ARE NOT a success (yet?)

The goal of every franchise is to win the Stanley Cup, every year, stated or not. With that said, the season is a failure.

Or is it? No, it's not. They may fail to win the cup, BUT, the progress made on and off the ice by the youngest team in the NHL will pay dividends in the coming years in tring to obtain that goal.

For those speaking of constant mediocrity...your right. Your also wrong...If you can't see the overall improvement of this team, well, your as blind as Stevie Wonder.

Of all the years watching this team play (going on 26 now), I've never had this much fun. Yes, that includes the run to the finals.

We all know this franchises futile history. Rehashing does what for this debate? Nothing...it's just that...history. Previous regimes never learned from their mistakes...seems to me, this one is.

Constant improvement towards the goal is all ANYONE can ask for, and will get. IF you don't get that, then management gets canned. That's how it works.