SEAN O’DONNELL
This season: 82 games, 0 goals, 12 assists, 71 penalty minutes, 20:29 average ice time.
The good: When the Kings acquired O’Donnell from the Ducks — essentially for free, since the conditional draft pick ended up staying with the Kings — they didn’t have unrealistic expectations. In O’Donnell, they sought a veteran who would be a good presence in the locker room and be a left-shot defenseman whom they could pair with rookie Drew Doughty and be a steady presence. O’Donnell ended up being all that and more. His average ice time was at its highest level since the 2003-04 season and, at age 37, he played all 82 games for a second consecutive season.
The bad: After a brilliant start to the season, O’Donnell’s play did take a bit of a mid-season dip, and Terry Murray sought to cut back his minutes, but O’Donnell still regularly played more than 20 minutes per night.
Going forward: The Kings could easily have traded O’Donnell at the deadline, but chose to keep him and sign him to a one-year extension. There’s still very much a place for O’Donnell on this team. Even though Doughty has graduated, so to speak, and probably doesn’t need the defensive protection that O’Donnell provides, O’Donnell’s steady play and leadership can definitely be utilized by Terry Murray next season. O’Donnell’s conditioning is strong, and he should be able to hold up well for at least one more season.