LaberFred » whether Lacy and Shields had setbacks or

It hasnt been all that long since teams were patterning themselves after the Los Angeles Kings. The St. Louis Blues were basically a Missouri version of the Kings. The Washington Capitals became the Eastern Conference version.But that was so 2014. Speed is the thing now and the Kings suddenly look a little slow.Well, not to everybody.We have four or five world-class skaters, said Kings GM Dean Lombardi. You think Jeff Carter cant skate? You think Anze Kopitar cant skate? Drew Doughty cant skate? Trevor Lewis is a world-class skater. Were not slow. Were big ... Because were big and physical, thats all people look at.And we hadnt even told him yet that were concerned the Kings are getting old too.Thats the Kings in 2016 in a nutshell. There is still greatness there. Doughty and Kopitar are in the top three in their respective positions in the NHL. Jonathan Quick is on the short list of goalies most would be thrilled to start a Game 7.Theres a championship DNA.But boy, are there questions. Have the players tired of coach Darryl Sutter? Is there enough speed to keep up with the next-generation Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers? When did the San Jose Sharks pass them as the better team?This will either be the season that the Kings squeeze another chance at glory out of their Stanley Cup roster or the season it becomes apparent it needs to do a San Jose- and Boston-like rebuild to pump young talent into the roster.There are too many proven winners to take the Kings lightly this season -- but too many real concerns about depth, durability and depreciation to feel great about them.Best new facesIf the Kings are to return to glory, its the old faces who will get them there. Last year, Lombardi made a splash in acquiring Milan Lucic but couldnt make the finances work to keep him around long term. Finances were a big reason that Lombardi couldnt aggressively improve his team from last year. Los Angeles locked up its core, along with many of the depth players from the Stanley Cup teams, and is betting they can keep it going moving forward.Teddy Purcell was a nice depth signing and has shown an ability to play up and down the lineup in his career. Hes probably best suited on a third line but has played with high-end talent like Connor McDavid and Steven Stamkos in the past and is capable of filling a spot in the top six if necessary.Lombardi continued his value shopping by adding depth on defense with the signing of Tom Gilbert. A knee injury shortened Gilberts 2015-16 season, but if he can stay healthy and return to form, the 33-year-old could be a nice addition. At Gilberts age though, those are big ifs.Biggest unknownsWhat made the Kings great in the past is you knew exactly what you were getting. This was a big, heavy team that played a demanding but effective brand of hockey that resulted in them dominating possession for long stretches. They were relentless, and by the third period, they usually wore the opposition down. That also takes a toll on the players.Dustin Browns game has fallen off a cliff. He has now scored just 11 goals in consecutive seasons and its clear his production wont match his contract. Marian Gaborik?isnt healthy -- again. His speed changes the dynamic of the Kings lineup, and its a huge unknown how many games hell play during the course of the season. The Kings lean heavily on Quick, who has settled in as a goalie who can be expected to produce a .917 save percentage each year. For a guy considered one of the best in the world, thats underwhelming.Sure thingsThe Kings have two sure things, and theyre what makes this a team that you can never count out: Doughty and Kopitar. Its such an advantage to have a world-class No. 1 defenseman and No. 1 center on the roster. Good teams have one. Only the lucky few have two and those are the teams usually playing well into the spring.Despite all the questions surrounding the Kings, Sutter can count on getting nearly half a game out of Doughty each night -- and that the Kings will control play during his shifts.And in Kopitar, the Kings have a premier two-way center who stacks up with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews as the best in the world.When Kopitar is on the ice, the Kings can count on him shutting down the opposing center and thats invaluable.He always focuses on the defensive game, said Canucks center Henrik Sedin. Hes a terrific player. Its a tough matchup for anyone who goes against him.PredictionThese are no longer the powerhouse Kings you could comfortably pencil in as a Western Conference finalist, but as long as Doughty and Kopitar are around, theyre going to be competitive. Third place in the Pacific. 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The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Vapormax Nere Pas Cher . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eddie Lacy and Sam Shields are done for this season and perhaps forever in Green Bay.Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced Wednesday that neither would be activated off injured reserve. Instead, that designation went to undrafted rookie cornerback Makinton Dorleant.Lacy, the Packers leading rusher, went on injured reserve on Oct. 20 and subsequently underwent surgery on his left ankle. There was hope at the time that Lacy could return late in the season.Shields, the Packers top cornerback, hasnt played since he sustained a concussion in Week 1. He went on injured reserve two days before Lacy.Its unfortunate for Eddie and its unfortunate for Sam, but based on all the medical information and the conversations to this point, thats where we are, McCarthy said.McCarthy wouldnt say whether Lacy and Shields had setbacks or whether this decision was based on the need for another cornerback for Monday nights game at Philadelphia. The Packers lost cornerback Demetri Goodson to a knee injury in Sundays loss at Washingtton.dddddddddddd Dorleant has been on injured reserve since Sept. 5 because a hamstring injury he sustained in the preseason.Once again, these are more medical decisions, McCarthy said. And this is really a decision thats been made from the input of our medical staff.Theres no guarantee that Lacy or Shields ever plays for the Packers again. Lacy will be a free agent this offseason, and Shields concussion history may force the Packers to move on. Shields has one year remaining on the four-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2014, but his latest concussion was the fourth of his NFL career and second within nine months.McCarthy said he did not know whether Shields would be cleared to play again.Really, the conversation with Sam, I know particularly mine with him, is he needs to get healthy for himself and his family, McCarthy said. That needs to be his focus, and it is his focus. Thats what were focusing on. ' ' '