The Kings’ summer was short but sweet, highlighted by celebrations of their second Stanley Cup championship in three seasons and the wonderful tradition of players and staff members enjoying a day with the Cup.

It was grand, but Coach Darryl Sutter is ready to drop the puck for training camp and launch the Kings’ effort to become the first NHL team to win back-to-back titles since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. Players are scheduled to report to NHL training camps Thursday and skate Friday.

“I’m kind of antsy now after watching the kids all week,” Sutter said of the Kings’ rookie camp participants. “We’re ready to go. The guys, everybody has been in for a while skating and looking forward to get going.”

A few won’t go all-out right away. In addition to goaltender Jonathan Quick’s wrist surgery, Sutter said winger Kyle Clifford had undergone a wrist procedure and center Jarret Stoll had undergone hip surgery. “We’ll see how it goes once camp gets going,” Sutter said. “We’ll follow the protocol.”


Their status figures to be the main question facing the Kings as camp begins. For the rest of the NHL, the question is who can beat the Kings? And how can it be done?

“Right now, the ‘how’ is the difficult part,” said Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau, whose team lost a seven-game, second-round playoff series to the Kings in May.

“The ‘who,’ there’s an awful lot of good hockey teams in the West. The advantage that the Kings have is they know what it’s like to be up against it. They know how to push, and somehow they pushed that extra gear in the past. How many teams can go seven or eight elimination games, whatever they had to do last year, and go 8-0?”

Seven, actually, including two against the Ducks.


“I think that comes with their veteran leadership and it’s really solid, starting with the guy behind the bench, and that leadership just rolls right on,” Boudreau said. “You could see the Drew Doughtys growing up. He’s always been great on the ice but you can see the maturity in him. And they’ve got the Jarret Stolls and Jeff Carter, who’s so much different from the Jeff Carter I knew in Philadelphia. He was just a horse last year. And the Justin Williamses and everybody else, like [Marian] Gaborik.

“It’s going to be the goal of every team in the West to beat them, but it’s not going to be easy.”

Those other teams made many moves — some of them splashy — in an effort to overtake the Kings.

The Chicago Blackhawks, whose repeat hopes ended in a Game 7 overtime loss to the Kings in the Western Conference finals, signed free-agent center Brad Richards. They needed a second-line center to match the Kings’ strength up the middle, and Richards should fit well there.


The St. Louis Blues, rugged but short on scoring, signed center Paul Stastny to a four-year, $28-million contract. They’ve been hoping to take the next step for the last few seasons and this could be their chance.

The Colorado Avalanche, which went from 29th overall in 2012-13 to third last season, signed right wing Jarome Iginla, who came on late to score 30 goals for Boston last season. He should support center Nathan MacKinnon, voted rookie of the year last season after scoring 24 goals and 63 points.

The San Jose Sharks, unable to protect a 3-0 series lead over the Kings in the first round, made noises about changes but did little beside shedding winger Martin Havlat, defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Stuart, and signing bruiser John Scott. Management took the captain’s “C” from Joe Thornton and the alternate captain’s “A” from Patrick Marleau but should have been more concerned about the hearts that beat beneath those jerseys than the letters sewn onto them.

The Ducks also put a priority on adding a strong second-line center and acquired Ryan Kesler from Vancouver. They’ll lose the experience of winger Teemu Selanne and center Saku Koivu, who have retired, but might gain speed and production from their kids.


Sutter has noted all of these moves.

“The top teams in the conference improved and the reason being that they didn’t beat us,” he said. “We think we can improve from within. Our young guys really have to become better players. Guys that we called up and played well for us in the playoffs have to become better players, That’s clear. And go from there.”

This shapes up as Sutter’s first “normal” season coaching the Kings. He took over in December of 2012 and led them to the Cup; the 2012-13 schedule was shortened by a lockout and last season was interrupted by an Olympic break. It’s normal in another way, if you think about it: The Kings are the defending champions, and that’s becoming an unexpected and happy new normal here.