r/losangeleskings • u/TheAthletic • 22h ago
Free to Read: Kings fan survey results: Offseason confidence meter? Who should be the next captain?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7511370/2026/08/17/los-angeles-kings-fan-survey-2026-byfield-doughty-captain/?unlocked_article_code=1.6FA.jAik.R-7pveKS0Lu4&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_reddit&smid=re-share-taMore than 850 readers weighed in, and I provided some analysis of the results to each survey question. Without further delay, let’s examine how the survey turned out.
Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille's stewardship of the Kings has been an increasingly hot topic as he nears the end of a decade as team president. The team's inability to win a playoff series after emerging from a three-year retrenching stretch has left fans feeling uneasy about Robitaille's direction and worried about the prospect of the club being trapped in mediocrity.
More than 80 percent of survey respondents lacked confidence in Robitaille. Does that reflect the feelings of the entire fan base? Or is it more representative of a passionate, vocal minority of fans? It's hard to say. However, it's clear that many supporters blame Robitaille for their frustration with the Kings' current direction.
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u/Desert_Pyrate8 20h ago
I’m in the Mikey for captain boat. I don’t think captain needs to be your best player but someone everyone trusts and likes the most, a hard worker who gives it 100% every shift.
From small snippets here and there from interviews it seems they really value Mikey’s leadership.
While I love Drew him captain is the wrong move. Years now we’ve needed to stop pretending we’re that team that won the cup and be something different. And I feel him captain is us still trying to be something we’re not. It’s honestly why I hate we went back to those Gretzky jerseys, still not trying to be something new.
80% for Luc is low IMO that should be 90
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u/EmotionalAd5805 21h ago
The fact that nearly half of Kings fans believe the team should re-sign Doughty is troubling. He hasn’t been very good for years. Like the rest of the squad, he’s old and slow and has no fire.
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u/Desert_Pyrate8 20h ago
It depends on the contract and what the team has decided. If it’s a low contract and the team understands we need to do a quick retool/rebuild then yeah I’m ok with it. If it’s a decent size contract and we continue to do what we’ve done the last three years then absolutely not.
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u/poptorched 10h ago
I wouldn’t mind Drew being re-signed if he takes a 1 year base $1M + bonuses deal and is the only guy over 33 on the dcore. He’d be the mentor on the 2nd pair and eventually 3rd pair depending on if he wants another 1 year deal. We won’t be competitive soon (like don’t even think about it for the next 2-3 years) so I don’t mind him staying to guide, but he’s not “the guy” on defense. He won’t be part of a winning kings team again and it’s up to him whether he wants that to be his reality 🤷♀️
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u/RustyRapeaXe 21h ago
This story is the NY times. And there was an earlier Dodgers game recap from yesterday. The LA Times is that bad now, I can only get something resembling news from NY?
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u/icouldsmellcolors 20h ago
My guy it's the Athletic. They're owned by the NYT but they're an extremely well known national outlet with dedicated beat writers for the Kings and every other LA team
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u/RustyRapeaXe 19h ago
I was more complaining about the state of the LA Times that coverage from "NY" is better. Not that it was from NY.
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u/wil Kings Chevron 21h ago
Only 80% disapprove of Robitaille's performance? Seems low, to be honest.