The Los Angeles Kings had yet another season to forget. The franchise that once had Wayne Gretzky, finished last in the Pacific Division, and tied the Tampa Bay Lightning for fewest points in the league with 71. The Kings suffered 43 losses which is their worst total since 1988-89. Here’s a recap of the season that was in Los Angeles.

The Kings were very active during free agency, but the players they signed were unable to help them in the regular season. Los Angeles signed six players and watched four players leave town. The Kings signed Jon Klemm, Kyle Calder, Tom Preissing, Michal Handzus, Brad Stuart, and Ladislav Nagy. After finishing the 2006-07 season with only 68 points, these players were supposed to be the answer.

Controversy seemed to follow the Kings most of the season, but it wasn’t the players who were creating it; rather it was head coach Marc Crawford. During the season, Todd Bertuzzi announced that he was suing Crawford for his role in an on-ice altercation that took place in Vancouver when Bertuzzi played for the Vancouver Canucks.

Los Angeles had the honor of playing the first regular season games played outside North America when they faced the Anaheim Ducks in London. The Kings got off to a good start with a 4-1 win in the first game of the season, but went on to lose their next five games.

The Kings didn’t have problems scoring, but they did have trouble stopping the puck. They allowed 266 goals during the regular season, ranking 29th in the league. Los Angeles used six different goaltenders on the season with Jason LaBarbera drawing the majority of the starts. The only goalie to have a winning recorded and a GAA under three was Erik Ersberg and he started the season in Manchester. Ersberg finished at 6-5-3 and a 2.48 goals-against-average.

Dan Cloutier, who spent the past ten years as an NHL goalie and expected to battle to be the number goalie, was waived on September 20 and was assigned to Manchester after clearing. The Kings had traded two top draft picks for Cloutier in July of 2006, hoping he would be the answer. Instead, Cloutier was ineffective and a non-factor all season, appearing only in nine games for Los Angeles.

Defense was a problem all season long as well. Only a handful of players finished with a positive plus-minus rating, but for the most part, the majority of the players finished with a minus. The worst was Michal Handzus with a -21. With an inability to play defense or have consistent goaltending, the Kings will acquire the second pick on the upcoming draft.

The Kings worst game of the season came on January 8 when they were shelled in a 7-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. On the flip-side, the Kings were able to score goals and that showed in a 9-2 win against the Blackhawks on New Year’s Day. They also scored eight goals against the Sabres on December 6, 2007.

Anze Kopitar, in his second season in the NHL, was the Kings leading scorer after improving on last season’s numbers. Kopitar finished the season with 32 goals, 45 assists, and 77 points; all career highs. The Kings had six players finish with 40 or more points and four players with 20 or more goals.

As the NHL trade deadline approached in February, the Kings were expected to be sellers and were. The Kings traded Brad Stuart to the Detroit Red Wings and sent Jaroslav Modry to the Philadelphia Flyers. There were also rumors circulating that they wanted to trade Rob Blake, but he had a no-trade clause and would only accept a trade to the Colorado Avalanche. Thus, Blake remained with the Kings.

The Kings are definitely in rebuilding mode once again. Rob Blake, Ladislav Nagy, Scott Thornton, and Jon Klemm are all restricted free agents, and the only one that might have a chance at returning is Nagy. Blake and Klemm are both aging veterans at the end of their careers and might be ready to hang up the skates for good.

Patrick O’Sullivan is a restricted free agent and is a top priority. O’Sullivan was the Kings fourth highest scorer with 53 points, and Los Angeles will be looking to lock him up for the long term. Another key player the Kings will look to re-sign is Matt Moulson, who spent the entire season in Manchester and put up decent numbers with 28 goals and 28 assists.

Teddy Purcell had an outstanding season in Manchester and appeared in ten games with the Kings. Purcell had a goal and two assists with the Kings, but had 25 goals and 58 assists in Manchester and finished third in the league in scoring. Purcell might be ticketed to spend most of the season in Los Angeles.

The Kings will look to free agency to fix the problems they had this season. Their first order of business will be to upgrade the defense and possibly explore what goaltenders will be available. Wade Redden and Paul Mara are two top defensemen that will be free agents this off-season and expect the Kings to go after one or both of them.

The Los Angeles Kings need to get better and they need to get better fast. Crawford will be on the hot seat before the season ever begins. In a tough Pacific Division with teams such as San Jose, Anaheim, and Dallas, the Kings might be poised for a long playoff drought.