2016 LA Kings Offseason GDT V: Free Agent Frenzy

[PJ Kings Hockey]

Apparently you missed the DL team review. I'm pretty sure the conclusion was to get older and slower at a high price and continue to shed prospects.

Well, it's worked for us the last couple of years so....stay the course!

 

[damacles1156]

I am all for speed and skill as well, but speed does not necessary mean you need fast skating forwards. Speed comes from quick transition or movement of the puck by defensemen. As Dean mentioned in one of his press conferences, the Kings have "speed and skill" as demonstrated by our successful record in 3 on 3 OT. What we lacked in the playoffs and got very exposed was getting trapped in the defensive zone.

Even though we downgraded this year by replacing Lucic was Teddy Purcell, this Kings team can be successful if, as a team, they really work on the transition game. I am not sure if any of the defensemen we either signed or our rookies can do that, but if we improve in that area by 30% we have the core to go far in the playoffs. If our transition game is the same as last year, we wont be competitive, but may squeeze in.

Speed/Skill has become a buzzword. I actually think people don't understand, when they say "Add More speed/Skill".

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

They need to be better at moving the puck and completing passes and making plays.

That's the reason why the team got trapped in its own end of the ice so often, because ******** like McNabb and Schenn couldn't complete a pass out of their own zone.

 

[damacles1156]

They need to be better at moving the puck and completing passes and making plays.

That's the reason why the team got trapped in its own end of the ice so often, because ******** like McNabb and Schenn couldn't complete a pass out of their own zone.

It also didn't help that Doughty/Kopitar/Carter/Toffoli, hell basically the whole team, crap the bed so to speak.

Muzzin actually looked like he could hold his own the whole series(lead the team in scoring too), that was about it.

Playoff series, should never hinge on guys like McNabb. If they do, your team shouldn't have even made the playoff's.

SJ won that series because Thornton/Couts/Pavs/Burns/Jones, kicked the Kings best players in the teeth....Nightly.

 

[AlphaBravo]

It also didn't help that Doughty/Kopitar/Carter/Toffoli, hell basically the whole team, crap the bed so to speak.

Muzzin actually looked like he could hold his own the whole series(lead the team in scoring too), that was about it.

Playoff series, should never hinge on guys like McNabb. If they do, your team shouldn't have even made the playoff's.

SJ won that series because Thornton/Couts/Pavs/Burns/Jones, kicked the Kings best players in the teeth....Nightly.

In addition to the Kings's weak transition game, we got killed in the playoffs because: (1) we were unable to clog the neutral zone (something, for example, the Ducks perfected after they went through that horrible slump); (2) the Sharks were able to enter our end with speed; and (3) our defensemen would allow the Sharks to penetrate the middle of the ice, instead of pushing them out to the perimeter. The most effective line doing that was the Thornton/Pavelski line.

Also, I think there was a serious mental breakdown. You can run Xs and Os all day long, but its really a mental breakdown when you cannot hold a lead for a few minutes. Literally, every time we scored, the Sharks would respond in a flurry. This issue never existed between 2010-2014, first became an issue in 2015 and has not been solved since.

 

[Trolfoli]

They need to be better at moving the puck and completing passes and making plays.

That's the reason why the team got trapped in its own end of the ice so often, because ******** like McNabb and Schenn couldn't complete a pass out of their own zone.

I'd like to add Muzzin couldn't clear the zone either. Which is partly why Schenn was so bad. 2 guys that can't get out of the D zone playing together.

Oh yeah and Scuderi

 

[AlphaBravo]

I can't say any particular King played well in that playoff series. It was just an epic failure all along. Although I don't think this falls on his shoulders, but Doughty did not play well either - - and I almost never say this since he is such an amazing defenseman.

The way I see it, because of the Kings's success from 2012-2014, the players got very complacent. Missing the playoffs in 2015 was a wake up call that making it to the playoffs wont be easy. This resulted in a great regular season performance, which put us comfortably in the playoffs (the 3-on-3 record certainly helped as well). Hopefully the early exit last year will be the wake up call the Kings need that they cannot simply flip a switch during the playoffs and roll over every team.

 

[KingsFan7824]

5-1, L
5-3, L
4-3, L
2-1, L
6-3, L

0-5, and outscored 22-11 at home against the Sharks last year. That's a total team effort.

Pavelski - 7g, 4a, 11pts
Burns - 4g, 7a, 11pts
Thornton - 2g, 4a, 6pts

Muzzin - 1g, 3a, 4pts
Pearson - 0g, 4a, 4pts
Carter - 2g, 1a, 3pts
Toffoli - 2g, 1a, 3pts
Lewis - 2g, 0a, 2pts
Kopitar - 1g, 1a, 2pts
Lucic - 0g, 2a, 2pts
Doughty - 0g, 2a, 2pts
Brown - 0g, 2a, 2pts

Pavelski and Burns averaged 2 points a game in LA. Lewis was tied in goals for the Kings on home ice.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The Kings also played like a bunch of sackless ******* against the Sharks. They couldn't play any softer against a team that was motivated to beat them and to prove a point. Which is why the Kings were so handily outplayed and embarrassed in just about every meeting against the Sharks.

 

[BigKing]

The Kings also played like a bunch of sackless ******* against the Sharks. They couldn't play any softer against a team that was motivated to beat them and to prove a point. Which is why the Kings were so handily outplayed and embarrassed in just about every meeting against the Sharks.

Hard to bully them when the refs are calling everything so tight on the physical side.

Not the reason why they lost; the reason for that is due to playing like ****. Hated how tight the officiating was in that series though.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Hard to bully them when the refs are calling everything so tight on the physical side.

Not the reason why they lost; the reason for that is due to playing like ****. Hated how tight the officiating was in that series though.

Those were soft penalties though that weren't really caused due to the Kings playing overly physical hockey. They simply couldn't keep up with the Sharks and the puck was constantly hemmed inside their own zone. Hence the number of minor penalties committed by team.

Of the 21 skaters to appear in a playoff game, 16 of them committed penalties. The only players not called for any penalties in the playoffs were Kyle Clifford (oddly enough), Andy Andreoff, Kris Versteeg, Alec Martinez and Nick Shore. The Kings committed 22 minor penalties in 5 games.

 

[head eyes]

Hard to bully them when the refs are calling everything so tight on the physical side.

Not the reason why they lost; the reason for that is due to playing like ****. Hated how tight the officiating was in that series though.

Calling it tight like they did doubly hurts because SJ's powerplay was so good.

Didn't SJ win like 3 games by 1 goal, which were from the 2-3 PP goals a game they had? Pavelski absolutely manhandled the Kings.

 

[BigKing]

Those were soft penalties though that weren't really caused due to the Kings playing overly physical hockey. They simply couldn't keep up with the Sharks and the puck was constantly hemmed inside their own zone. Hence the number of minor penalties committed by team.

Of the 21 skaters to appear in a playoff game, 16 of them committed penalties. The only players not called for any penalties in the playoffs were Kyle Clifford (oddly enough), Andy Andreoff, Kris Versteeg, Alec Martinez and Nick Shore. The Kings committed 22 minor penalties in 5 games.

Toffoli in Game 2 and Carter in Game 4 were absolute jokes and game changers. Calling the slash on Lucic in the 3rd period of Game 3 was a joke as well...its the playoffs.

Again, they lost because they got outplayed; however, it is no surprise that SJ didn't look the same against Pittsburgh once things weren't called as tightly as before.

 

[HookKing]

They need to be better at moving the puck and completing passes and making plays.

That's the reason why the team got trapped in its own end of the ice so often, because ******** like McNabb and Schenn couldn't complete a pass out of their own zone.

That tends to happen when you only have 1 legit puck mover left in the lineup and people wonder why Doughty labored. The dude was pile-driven into the ground by Sutter. Sadly, its looking like another year of the same.

 

[damacles1156]

Doughty plays about the same as all Top Elite Defenders. He is not playing some vast amount of minutes more than top guys like Karlsson/Suter

Doughty played less minutes overall in 2015-16, than he did in 14-15

Also if a Veteran or Forbort/Gravel step up this season, Doughty will most likely play even less overall minutes this coming season, than in 14-15, 15-16.

 

[kingsfan28]

The Kings also played like a bunch of sackless ******* against the Sharks. They couldn't play any softer against a team that was motivated to beat them and to prove a point. Which is why the Kings were so handily outplayed and embarrassed in just about every meeting against the Sharks.

Which in my opinion, lies right on Sutters shoulders. They guy knew they were going to be motivated and did nothing to prevent a 1st round match up with them. All those points thrown away during the final 2 weeks were inexcusable. Once the playoffs started, he coached the series like a frat boy showing up hungover for his midterm and completely unprepared.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Which in my opinion, lies right on Sutters shoulders. They guy knew they were going to be motivated and did nothing to prevent a 1st round match up with them. All those points thrown away during the final 2 weeks were inexcusable. Once the playoffs started, he coached the series like a frat boy showing up hungover for his midterm and completely unprepared.

What do you expect? The last few weeks being what they were, they were ultimately up 3-0, at home, late in the 2nd period, to the damn Jets, in the last game of the regular season, with the division on the line, and ended up losing in a SO.

Kopitar with the Selke, Doughty with the Norris, big game Quick, statistically one of the best defensive teams in the league, the best 3v3 OT team in the league, and they couldn't hold a lead at home against the 6th worst team in the league. A coach can do or say whatever he wants, he's only as good as his players.

 

[HookKing]

Doughty plays about the same as all Top Elite Defenders. He is not playing some vast amount of minutes more than top guys like Karlsson/Suter

Doughty played less minutes overall in 2015-16, than he did in 14-15

Also if a Veteran or Forbort/Gravel step up this season, Doughty will most likely play even less overall minutes this coming season, than in 14-15, 15-16.

Karlsson didn't play in the playoffs not to mention he doesn't have to give a crap about what happens behind him. What other top D guys have to carry washed up plugs like Scuderi on their back?

Doughty playing fewer minutes this year is pure fantasy and you know it. Sutter ran Doughty, Kopitar and Quick into the ground foolishly trying to win the division and that's why they had nothing left for the playoffs.

 

[Trolfoli]

Which in my opinion, lies right on Sutters shoulders. They guy knew they were going to be motivated and did nothing to prevent a 1st round match up with them. All those points thrown away during the final 2 weeks were inexcusable. Once the playoffs started, he coached the series like a frat boy showing up hungover for his midterm and completely unprepared.

Don't forget that game that Schultz was in, in the beginning of the year because Sutter had his panties in a bunch. Solid loss.

Toffoli in Game 2 and Carter in Game 4 were absolute jokes and game changers. Calling the slash on Lucic in the 3rd period of Game 3 was a joke as well...its the playoffs.

Again, they lost because they got outplayed; however, it is no surprise that SJ didn't look the same against Pittsburgh once things weren't called as tightly as before.

It's almost like Pittsburgh figured out that you can take pressure off your crappy defense by utilizing the fast break and forcing the other team to respect it. Like how the Kings pulled the reverse sweep against the Sharks...

Sutter's inability to make adjustments like this worries me with how the D is going to look next year. Nothing like going full turtle with a D that just isn't good enough to pull it off. Could be a really painful year.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Karlsson didn't play in the playoffs not to mention he doesn't have to give a crap about what happens behind him. What other top D guys have to carry washed up plugs like Scuderi on their back?

Doughty playing fewer minutes this year is pure fantasy and you know it. Sutter ran Doughty, Kopitar and Quick into the ground foolishly trying to win the division and that's why they had nothing left for the playoffs.

That doesn't explain the 5-1 and 5-3 losses at home to the Sharks in October and December. That doesn't explain why the whole team sort of let up after clinching a spot, including that last game, going into the playoffs with zero momentum.

Add Gaborik just coming back from a knee, Martinez going out, being owned all year at home against the Sharks anyway, and their lackluster play as a team in the last month, and only a solid play by Dustin Brown of all people allowed the Kings to even win one game.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Seems like the Kings have had a series of "fast" players and they were all challenged offensively. Since the 92-93 line of Donelly-Millen-Granato I'm struggling to think of a fast Kings player who didn't have massive hands of stone like Nick Shore and his 3.3 shooting percentage.

 

[Omni Owl]

I don't want to hear about the refs, I know they made some idiotic calls but its ultimately up to the team to pull through and overcome the awful officiating. Its a cop out to blame the refs. The Shark's top guys absolutely manhandled our guys, who played some of the most uninspired/lackluster hockey I've ever seen.

I'm actually starting to believe McNabb can turn things around despite how much I constantly **** on the guy. If not, there's always Gravel's emergence to look forward to.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It is nice to see Brayden McNabb, Rob Scuderi and Derek Forbort standing in to block Drew Doughty's shots.

 

[The Tikkanen]

It is nice to see Brayden McNabb, Rob Scuderi and Derek Forbort standing in to block Drew Doughty's shots.

I've played with those 3 guys in beer league.

 

[raswilliam]

It is nice to see Brayden McNabb, Rob Scuderi and Derek Forbort standing in to block Drew Doughty's shots.

How about that "A" on his sweater?

C Kopi
A Carter
A Doughty

????