2017-18 Kings News/Rumors/Tidbits

[BigKing]

While the Kings title teams were ultimately better than this team at present, all you've got to do is get in and hopefully be playing well as you get in.

I'm not as high on the team as most on here, but agree with the poster that said they have exceeded our expectations. I just wanted them to be fun to watch again and, save for the November disaster, they've been very entertaining.

Carter will be the addition. Maybe an Amadio jumps in and has a Dwight King/Nolan impact. It's just going to be interesting to see where they are as the trade deadline approaches.

Also nice to see that some on here are noting that the gap to out of the playoffs is closing. They need to stop giving points away to division foes. I think they will make the playoffs, but I'm not clearing my calendar for April and May just yet.

 

[Reaper45]

31 Thoughts: Rogers wanted NHL trade deadline in primetime - Sportsnet.ca

Kings have the inside track on D Zach Whitecloud.

 

[Stimpythecat]

I don't want to make a trade just to make a trade. I would like to see LaDue given another chance to fill that top 4 role. Everything is a risk just like putting in a rookie Voynov into the top 4 was a risk in 2012.

If it works, we have our top 4 RHD who is more importantly cost controlled for a few years. Not only that, we don't spend the assets in a trade.

I also like what I'm reading about Amadio. Once Carter comes back, our lines are becoming set with promising guys on the horizon. Our 4th line was stellar last year. They weren't the issue.

With the performance of Kempe and Amadio and with Vilardi on the horizon, I'm moving away from trying for a major UFA signing in the offseason. Gaborik may still be overpaid for a 3rd line winger but we'll cross that bridge in the offseason.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

31 Thoughts: Rogers wanted NHL trade deadline in primetime - Sportsnet.ca

Kings have the inside track on D Zach Whitecloud.

He was at the last development camp with the Kings.

NHL teams giving Zach Whitecloud a serious look

A number of NHL organizations were trying to convince him to turn pro immediately after his first NCAA season with the Beavers, but he felt he would benefit from at least one more season of college hockey before making the jump to the professional ranks.

And Whitecloud, who was born and raised in Brandon, said as many as 29 NHL squads (there are now 31 teams, including the expansion Vegas Golden Knights) were keen to have him attend their summer development camp.

All NHL squads stage these camps, featuring draftees and free agent invites, a few days after the pro draft each June.

Whitecloud opted to accept the Los Angeles Kings’ invitation to attend their development camp, staged June 27 to June 30. He said he chose to attend the Kings’ camp because the L.A. event included plenty of one-on-one instruction as opposed to numerous scrimmages offered by some other organizations.

“It was a life-changing experience,” Whitecloud said of his time at the Kings’ camp.

The event was held at the Toyota Sports Center, the Kings’ practice facility located in El Segundo, California.

Whitecloud said off-ice sessions, including talks about proper nutrition and weight training, were especially informative.

"Every kid by now feels they know everything,” he said. “In all honesty, I didn’t know half the stuff they told me.”

Whitecloud added he was keen to soak up all the information he could while at the camp. He had tons of questions for members of the Kings’ staff, including president Luc Robitaille and vice-president/general manager Rob Blake, two of the greatest players to don Los Angeles jerseys.

“Everyone on that staff has been a professional athlete,” Whitecloud said. “They made you feel welcome. It was a great atmosphere. And I was always picking brains apart, trying to get as much information as I could.”

 

[The Tikkanen]

For those saying Kempe has cooled off he is still playing less minutes than Shore. Shore has gone 27 straight games without a goal because he does not have an NHL caliber shot and is the most timid Kings player I have seen in a long time. As soon as a defender starts to approach him he will simply get rid of the puck rather than take a hit. That also explains how a supposed defensive center has 27 hits in 39 games. Shore is averaging 14:58 a game to Kempe's 13:14 which makes ZERO sense. The guy has a ridiculous 20.3 shooting percentage and Stevens won't give him ice time.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

For those saying Kempe has cooled off he is still playing less minutes than Shore. Shore has gone 27 straight games without a goal because he does not have an NHL caliber shot and is the most timid Kings player I have seen in a long time. As soon as a defender starts to approach him he will simply get rid of the puck rather than take a hit. That also explains how a supposed defensive center has 27 hits in 39 games. Shore is averaging 14:58 a game to Kempe's 13:14 which makes ZERO sense. The guy has a ridiculous 20.3 shooting percentage and Stevens won't give him ice time.

Do you really not see the difference in their roles?

Shore is getting 14:58 TOI--great. Kempe is getting 13:14. That is easily explained by shore getting 1:05 of shorthanded time a game and Kempe next to none. Kempe also gets PP time while Shore gets next to none.

Not sure I'd cite Kempe's shooting percentage as if it isn't going to regress, no one shoots 20% for a year. He's obviously a better raw scorer than Shore, and he's getting deployed as such. More minutes doesn't necessarily = better minutes.

Shore has the 4th best CF% on the team despite by far the worst zone starts on the team. Shore's zone starts: 25.82% ozone, 33.48 neutral zone, 40.7% dzone.

Kempe has the worst CF% of the forwards except for Andreoff, Mitchell, Brodzinski despite by far the most preferential zone starts on the team. Kempe's zone starts: 40.25 ozone, 40.25 neutral zone, 19.5 defensive zone. I've literally never seen more preferential minutes. Like, how do you start 81% of your shifts away from the defensive zone and still rack up the 4th-worst CA/60 on the team?

It's literally defensive specialist vs. offensive specialist. I can see why Stevens doesn't want to force-feed Kempe minutes, he's getting crushed defensively despite the softest minutes of anyone on the team.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Do you really not see the difference in their roles?

Shore is getting 14:58 TOI--great. Kempe is getting 13:14. That is easily explained by shore getting 1:05 of shorthanded time a game and Kempe next to none. Kempe also gets PP time while Shore gets next to none.

Not sure I'd cite Kempe's shooting percentage as if it isn't going to regress, no one shoots 20% for a year. He's obviously a better raw scorer than Shore, and he's getting deployed as such. More minutes doesn't necessarily = better minutes.

Shore has the 4th best CF% on the team despite by far the worst zone starts on the team. Shore's zone starts: 25.82% ozone, 33.48 neutral zone, 40.7% dzone.

Kempe has the worst CF% of the forwards except for Andreoff, Mitchell, Brodzinski despite by far the most preferential zone starts on the team. Kempe's zone starts: 40.25 ozone, 40.25 neutral zone, 19.5 defensive zone. I've literally never seen more preferential minutes. Like, how do you start 81% of your shifts away from the defensive zone and still rack up the 4th-worst CA/60 on the team?

It's literally defensive specialist vs. offensive specialist. I can see why Stevens doesn't want to force-feed Kempe minutes, he's getting crushed defensively despite the softest minutes of anyone on the team.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Good breakdown.

I’ve said it from the beginning, but I still feel Kempe’s best fit is a second line winger where he doesn’t have to match up against top forwards, and he can use his lateral speed to create chances.

He’s likely never going to develop into a strong Corsi center. He’s simply not good enough on the dot, and he doesn’t have good defensive instincts.

Bottle his strengths, put him on Carter’s wing, and he’ll put up some good numbers.

 

[ibleedkings]

For those saying Kempe has cooled off he is still playing less minutes than Shore. Shore has gone 27 straight games without a goal because he does not have an NHL caliber shot and is the most timid Kings player I have seen in a long time. As soon as a defender starts to approach him he will simply get rid of the puck rather than take a hit. That also explains how a supposed defensive center has 27 hits in 39 games. Shore is averaging 14:58 a game to Kempe's 13:14 which makes ZERO sense. The guy has a ridiculous 20.3 shooting percentage and Stevens won't give him ice time.

I really hate seeing Lewis on the second unit over Kempe.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Lewis over Kempe on the 2nd unit is only a recent change and one that worked immediately.

 

[Legionnaire]

Would you take the 1/9/12 version of the Kings over the 1/9/18 version of the Kings?

Easily. Mike Richards is better than anyone else new to the 18 version.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Gaborik may still be overpaid for a 3rd line winger but we'll cross that bridge in the offseason.

The games missed are an issue, but if he scores at a 29G/53pt level per 82 games, at a sub-$5m cap hit, that's ok. If he can be productive with less ice time, that's ok. The question is how long will it last, since he'll be 36 next month, and has 3 years left on the contract. A buyout still wouldn't be easy, and it would still probably cost them something to trade him.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Easily. Mike Richards is better than anyone else new to the 18 version.

I just don't know how much gets colored by the ultimate results of that season. Were we happy with the roster and performance by 1/10/12? Were we thinking they would be fine, even if they made just 1 big trade to fill what were by then 2 holes on the top 2 lines? This was still before Brown's career peaked in the spring too. We didn't know Brown had 2012 playoffs Brown in him. One injury to a d-man in the playoffs, and who goes in? Drewiske? Was that really contender depth? Every base was not covered that year.

Would you take the roster today, or the one at the start of the 2013 season? The one with no Mitchell, basically no Greene, Martinez was in and out, Muzzin was a rookie, Scuderi aged quickly, and Ellerby and Drewiske were in there somewhere. Quick had his worst numbers as a #1 NHL goalie. That team got to Game 5 of the 3rd round, in part because Quick was great in the playoffs, even though Kopitar, Brown, and Doughty didn't do much.

 

[jfont]

The games missed are an issue, but if he scores at a 29G/53pt level per 82 games, at a sub-$5m cap hit, that's ok. If he can be productive with less ice time, that's ok. The question is how long will it last, since he'll be 36 next month, and has 3 years left on the contract. A buyout still wouldn't be easy, and it would still probably cost them something to trade him.

if he produces those same numbers, it wouldn't be feasible to buy him out...

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Here's a fun thread for the folks who have been historically upset with our bottom six production:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threa...-top-heavy-barkov-huberdeau-trocheck.2433357/

 

[ibleedkings]

Lewis over Kempe on the 2nd unit is only a recent change and one that worked immediately.

I don’t know, I know they needed a little shakeup on the pp, but Lewis is not someone that should get pp time if you ask me. I’m sure Kempe will find his way back there soon.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don’t know, I know they needed a little shakeup on the pp, but Lewis is not someone that should get pp time if you ask me. I’m sure Kempe will find his way back there soon.

I'm sure they'll swap again soon too. But then again, 3 goals separate them goal and point wise (despite Kempe's aforementioned minutes vs. Lewis' tough minutes), let's not pretend there's a vast gap there either. I love Kempe's speed, assertiveness, creativity when he's clicking, but it's nice to have options for when he's not.

 

[Fat Elvis]

I don't understand all the hate for Shore on these boards. I actually think he's having a pretty decent season. Sure you'd like him to be a better goal scoring threat, but Lewis his first few years averaged 3 a season. Those 3 goals a year didn't make him any less valuable to the team. I think Shore like Lewis has a lot more value to this team than most here give him credit for.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't understand all the hate for Shore on these boards. I actually think he's having a pretty decent season. Sure you'd like him to be a better goal scoring threat, but Lewis his first few years averaged 3 a season. Those 3 goals a year didn't make him any less valuable to the team. I think Shore like Lewis has a lot more value to this team than most here give him credit for.

I get it. He's soft, not visually impressive, and doesn't score much. But his underlying metrics are incredible and he's regularly in the lineup for that reason, he's an elite 4C.

He's a thinker out there and you wouldn't want many of him on the roster for the above weaknesses but what he does bring in the context of this roster is fantastic.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I get more upset with the amount of goals that are scored when the bottom six are on the ice, because we know the likelihood of them getting that goal back is slim.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I get more upset with the amount of goals that are scored when the bottom six are on the ice, because we know the likelihood of them getting that goal back is slim.

And that's the tradeoff we warned about before the year. People complained about more offensive talent on the bottom six (despite plenty of evidence we were fine there); we got it, and now they score even more, but get scored on more. This is my complete lack of surprise.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Easily. Mike Richards is better than anyone else new to the 18 version.

Yeah I don't remember when he got banged in the head by Florida, but Richards was nearly PPG and an early bright spot that season.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

And that's the tradeoff we warned about before the year. People complained about more offensive talent on the bottom six (despite plenty of evidence we were fine there); we got it, and now they score even more, but get scored on more. This is my complete lack of surprise.

I actually see more hearkening back to when the bottom six was better at both ends of the ice. The last time I think I had complete faith in the bottom six forwards was when the Kings had Stoll centering King and Lewis, and Fraser was between Richardson and Nolan. A bottom six that hit hard, wasn't a liability on the ice, and chipped in on offense as well.

We now see a bottom six that has a tendency of getting trapped in their own end of the ice. There are exceptions though, I like how Lewis has performed and become a bit of a leader on the bottom six, I like Torrey Mitchell when he isn't committing minor penalties. Shore isn't assertive, that's his problem. He just appears to be a healthy body who once in a blue moon will make a nice play. Clifford has been banged up but started looking good in the early goings of the season, until he got his bell rung from a hit. And Andreoff is what we all expected him to be, completely useless.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I always wonder how this version is going to look when Carter is back pushing either Kempe or Iafallo down and gaborik up? Theoretically you can either spread out the scoring or really load the lines

Gaborik-Kopitar-Brown
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Iafallo-Kempe-Lewis
Jokinen-Shore-Mitchell
Clifford, Andreoff

Lots of move-able parts there and that's fantastic and I think that's all people really wanted before, the ability to have guys that can shift up and down (Gaborik to a degree, Iafallo, Lewis with his scoring up, etc.)

 

[KingsFan7824]

I get it. He's soft, not visually impressive, and doesn't score much. But his underlying metrics are incredible and he's regularly in the lineup for that reason, he's an elite 4C.

He's a thinker out there and you wouldn't want many of him on the roster for the above weaknesses but what he does bring in the context of this roster is fantastic.

That might be part of the issue. His first action was 14-15, but Richards was there most of the time, and when he got a shot after Richards was sent down, the team was already a mess. 15-16, Lombardi got Lecavalier, which pushed Shore down. Last year, him and Dowd sort of switched between the 3rd and 4th lines, and neither could grab that 3rd center spot with regularity. This year, with Carter out, and Kempe not really a center, or at least not ready for heavy C duty, Shore has gotten more time, but he hasn't done more with the time. His faceoff% is down from last year, and he's not scoring much more per game.

None of that is Shore's fault per se, he goes on the ice when told to. A victim of circumstance. An elite 4th line C playing on the 4th line would be great.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

That might be part of the issue. His first action was 14-15, but Richards was there most of the time, and when he got a shot after Richards was sent down, the team was already a mess. 15-16, Lombardi got Lecavalier, which pushed Shore down. Last year, him and Dowd sort of switched between the 3rd and 4th lines, and neither could grab that 3rd center spot with regularity. This year, with Carter out, and Kempe not really a center, or at least not ready for heavy C duty, Shore has gotten more time, but he hasn't done more with the time. His faceoff% is down from last year, and he's not scoring much more per game.

None of that is Shore's fault per se, he goes on the ice when told to. A victim of circumstance. An elite 4th line C playing on the 4th line would be great.

Yeah when/if he's on line 4, he'll get less heat I'm sure. A little bit of Derek Armstrong syndrome. Miscast.

But it's still wild to me because he's produced at every level and we see the flashes--OT goal vs. the Ducks, some marvelous passing/vision--but the offensive side hasn't really come together. I don't think anyone will really be upset if he settles in as a Dominick Moore, that's a good value pick.