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2014 LA Kings Draft Thread

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kingsfan said:
If DL thinks Glodobin has a good work ethic and no character issues, I can see us picking him. He's a 40 goal guy, so if he's willing to work his D can come around to be at least passable under Sutter.
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I can tell you that Glodobin hasn't any character issues at all so far (none that anyone has heard). Character is one of his strengths actually. I like him and if he ends up with us then he could be a great add. We have spent a bunch of time around Tuch as recent as 3 weeks ago so he is definitely on our radar but at what level it is hard to say. I guess it could be a couple of players that we have been following around Tuch but he sure seems like the guy.

McKeown has taken a step forward in how he is viewed by most this season and has proven that he can play with a physical edge that some thought was missing. While he would be redundant for us he would be the kind of redundant player that you have to love having.

Honka, if he were 3" taller he would be going in the top 5 this year or most any other year as far as I am concerned. Just a solid solid player. Heck if he were just an inch taller he would be right there with Voynov at the same point in there development but HONK has much more skill and confidence.

Scherbak I don;t know about Hossa but he has some of that same level headed make the great smart play every time style to his game that MG did coming up so who knows. I see him as a possession guy who plays a smart smart game. Good hands and a funny kid. A locker room cut up kind of guy and a nice humble nature to him. I would be happy if we picked him up.

Pastrnak for my money he is our man. I like every aspect of his game and while he projects to second line W (plays all 3 forward positions but RW is his natural spot) he plays with the kind of energy and smarts that could take him anywhere. He needs time for certain but he would be a nifty pick up for us who could pan out to be a solid add.

Vrana I have written about a bunch and the kid has skills no doubt about it. He is an introvert by nature so a tough read. That isn't a bad thing but it is hard to figure out what is going on when your talking with a monosyllabic giant. Smart guy who has great hands and gets open the same way that Toffs did before his draft. Needs work but who doesn't.

I am still in the middle of things so I have to keep the info short but I am putting the touches on my top 30 list and will post it after the playoffs.
 
After watching Brayden McNabb I think he should definitely play for us next year. Big boy that hits and can make plays. I see no need for Mitchell anymore.

Muzzin-Doughty
Regher-Voynov
McNabb-Martinez

Then we might also sign a guy like Sarich, Meszaros, Klesla who knows.

McNabb should play for us next year thats what I can say.


Edit: Then again we have this guy that could be a solid #7.
Bodarchuk-Kings-camp-2013.jpg
 
Hopefully Mitchell/Greene/RR are all not back with the Kings next year.

I would actually use a buyout on RR.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
You just named 3 players who are useless and more likely done than Mitchell or Greene.
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Yep. We might ***** and moan but the only viable options are the same if not worse than Mitchell.

That includes orpik as well, as Pittsburgh fans can't wait to get rid of him. He looks slower than Greene lol
 
KingsHockey24 said:
Does this mean we just roll with the kids next season? No way Dean will throw 5 Million at Niskanen or any of the other better free agent defencemen.
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If we're going to dip into the FA pool it may as well be for Mitchell or Greene, tbh.

Personally I'd love to keep Mitchell around for vet experience, let Greene walk to Edmonton, buy out Regehr (can we even do that?).
 
Roxo said:
Would be kinda of funny if the kings drafted D jack doughtery ..
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If they still had Jack Johnson along with Drew Doughty, oh man, Bob Miller would get so confused. Almost like what we may have seen if they landed Brad Richards as a UFA after acquiring Mike Richards, while Brad Richardson was still a part of the team.
 
cnshockey said:
Remember when everyone wanted Brad Richards and I said it'd be a bad idea? Good times.
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Although he is playing better this year, they sure did dodge a bullet with that one and wisely acquired Jeff Carter instead.

Touching on prospects again. I know we've said before that the Kings don't have many high end scoring forwards in the system, but with the way Toffoli and Pearson have come up and contributed, I figure it may be a safe bet to say those two will be with the team as regulars in the lineup from here on out.

I don't see many holes in the lineup and whatever competition there may be up front, it will most likely be settled internally with guys like Vey, Weal, Shore, Andreoff, etc.

Lombardi going out and moving one of his top collegiate prospects in Fasching to acquire a close to NHL ready defenseman in McNabb tells me that he may be looking to address an issue with depth on his blueline. They aren't as loaded in the pipeline on defense as they are up front and in between the pipes.

My gut feeling is that the Kings are going to target a mobile defenseman who can be groomed as someone who can play the powerplay and play in a top 3-4 role.
 
I think there are a couple defensemen who could fall. As I said earlier in the thread, Nelson Nogier could be a late round steal. Missed half the season due to injury. The omission of Brycen Martin from Team Canada's u-18 team suggests he may fall as well.
 
King'sPawn said:
I think there are a couple defensemen who could fall. As I said earlier in the thread, Nelson Nogier could be a late round steal. Missed half the season due to injury. The omission of Brycen Martin from Team Canada's u-18 team suggests he may fall as well.
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Other than Ekblad I have no D-men in my top 15. Hell none other than Ekblad before the worst possible Kings pick if they fail to make the Western Conference final. So yeah there will be fallers. Of note, I have Brycen Martin ranked below the Kings pick in the 2nd round...
 
KingsHockey24 said:
Does this mean we just roll with the kids next season? No way Dean will throw 5 Million at Niskanen or any of the other better free agent defencemen.
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I think we also said the same prior to DL tossing $3.6 mill per at Rob Scuderi. That happened and worked out well.

If DL has had any success in UFA, it has been with defensemen, especially stay at home types.
 
Holden Caulfield said:
Other than Ekblad I have no D-men in my top 15. Hell none other than Ekblad before the worst possible Kings pick if they fail to make the Western Conference final. So yeah there will be fallers. Of note, I have Brycen Martin ranked below the Kings pick in the 2nd round...
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You don't think much of Dleury, Honka, McKeown, etc?
 
KingsHockey24 said:
After watching Brayden McNabb I think he should definitely play for us next year. Big boy that hits and can make plays. I see no need for Mitchell anymore.

Muzzin-Doughty
Regher-Voynov
McNabb-Martinez

Then we might also sign a guy like Sarich, Meszaros, Klesla who knows.

McNabb should play for us next year thats what I can say.


Edit: Then again we have this guy that could be a solid #7.
Bodarchuk-Kings-camp-2013.jpg
Click to expand...
Yep Bodnarchuk deserves a shot for sure. This kid can play and plays way bigger than he is.
One of the most well rounded D they have in the system.
Caught in a numbers game with two cup champs in Boston and LA
 
i love Niskanen's game, but same problem as with Girardi when we were discussing him months ago - RHD. when we were talking about available UFA Dmen the selection this summer is thin and the best available are RHD.

the pickings are slim and there are very few that i would consider making a move for. other than Niskanen at a quick glance the others that standout to me and could improve the blueline are M Fayne and N Nikitin. they aren't tremendous, but it improves the mobility and bottom pairings compared to Mitchell and Greene.

Soupy is a UFA also this summer, so Dean has to make a decision on him. personally i would rather Dean walk away from Mitchell and Greene. RR goes into a rotation with some younger guys to save his legs for the late in the season.

beyond that Dean pulls up the likes of Campbell, Bods, McNabb, etc and LA revamps the blueline internally. bring some of the MAN guys up/down for cups of coffee and experience. there will be growing pains, but in the long run it means LA's D corp will turnover quicker, gain experience sooner than later and ultimately have a longer possible window of stability
 
Seems like reasonable thinking whisky. I also see Leslie and Ebert heading into the mix of Manchester/Ontario. Maybe they let Campbell walk (hence the few games as a thank you), or bring him back on a 2 way 2 yr. We'll see. I would have liked to see Bodnarchuk in a few. Hard to tell where management sits with him. He seems capable.
I think the defense is pretty decently laid out. So I see DL and Futa looking at a guy like Tuch, or a wing with some wheels and finishing skills. I think that's where the organizations could stand to add. Speed and finishing on wing.
 
Great posts.

McNabb is going to be a very very nice add for us next season. Even though he has a few NHL games it will be his true rookie season but he is more than NHL ready so should come along pretty quickly. Adding him will be good for us in all 3 zones.

Forbort getting a cup with the team seems like a forgone conclusion at this point but I would wait until the 2nd half of the season to do so.

Gravel is ready but still a bit of a mystery regarding what will happen with him. I would have him in the line up every second I could right now but Morris knows what he is doing. I haven't had a chance to talk with him since before the playoffs started but will be talking to him prior to the draft so I should know more then.

This being my last official draft I am super busy training my replacement(s) and being as thorough as possible so no questions come up down the road. Between that and being a regent official for the Q playoffs I have been swamped. Looks like we will get at least two shots at some solid kids this draft and regardless of what people say, there are some very solid kids in the first three rounds this season.
 
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