Coming out of the lockout there was hope. The Kings made a big splash and acquired Pavol Demitra. They made a couple of low-key signings in an attempt to patch up the goaltending in acquiring Mathieu Garon from the Montreal Canadiens, and then acquiring Jason LaBarbera from the Rangers. Garon was long thought to be a potential starter stuck behind Jose Theodore in Montreal and Jason LaBarbera had absolutely shredded the AHL. Hope.
A good start confirmed these hopes. In fact, until a rough game in Buffalo, there didn't appear to be a serious flaw with the team. Lubomir Visnovsky had turned into one of the elite offensive defensemen in the game. Alex Frolov, Craig Conroy, and Pavol Demitra formed one of the best top lines in the league for a period of time. The Kings were riding high. Mathieu Garon and Jason Labarbera each turned in solid stints as the team's #1 goaltender (Labarbera was one of the best goalies in the league in October before cooling off and being sidelined due to various issues). After that tumultuous evening in Buffalo, though, things changed. The Kings tumbled wildly out of control from the top of the conference. By April they were fighting for their playoff lives with very slim hopes. They missed the playoffs completely.
