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2017 Offseason Thread 5.0 Summer Doldrums

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It's been great that everyone has had to earn their spots. It's interesting as I don't recall this board being so much in agreement wrt the opening night roster. Campbell was the player we mostly didn't want to see sent down but the biggest reason for that was the risk of losing him to waivers. Yes he had a good Camp but so did Kuemper, on performance alone it was a close call.

Sending LaDue down is probably the most debated decision. He didn't have a good camp, which I think we all agree on but Fantenberg made him expendable. Sending LaDue down I think sent a message to the whole organisation that this team will be a meritocracy. Gravel was always on the roster bubble and needed a decent camp but I think most of us had LaDue in as a lock. I believe within a couple of months Fantenberg will show that he's a solid second pairing d-man. Once they are confident that he can play solid NHL minutes I think we will see a trade for scoring help. This presumes LaDue will show that he wants to earn his spot whilst he's back in the AHL. He needs to dominate.

The reward for the hunger and progression shown by MacDermid also gives a similar message. He's shown that he is very coachable and has put everything into trying to make the roster. He demonstrated the exact mindset guys need to show if they want to make this team and has been rewarded for it. No one is going to pretend he's a more gifted player than LaDue but he's going to get the chance to fill a specific role. His first few games may be interesting but if he continues to learn fast my gut feeling is that they will persevere with him and he MAY just stick.

Iafallo really excites me and I can see him forcing his way onto the top 6 during the course of the season. If that happens and Gaborik can come back and play a decent number of games we will have good secondary scoring for the first time in a long time.

It's definitely the most excited I've been in the lead up to the seasons opener for years. There are lots of question marks but they all feel to be in a positive context. We have a whole bunch of young players coming on board which will help the vets and give them more energy and jump. It's going to be fun. So far Blake has done a great job.
 
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I am very high on LaDue, so it was disappointing seeing him get sent down. But I think he had a poor to average camp, which justified the decision. That said, I still believe in LaDue and think that he can show that he is capable of second pairing minutes. By mid-season, I think management will move away from MacDermid and Folin. I thought they showed hunger during camp and preseason, but they are so slow that they wont last a full year in the NHL. Ultimately, I can see LaDue and Gravel getting a call up and at a minimum, LaDue securing a permanent spot.


Per Rosen, it looks like Iafallo may play on the top line with Kopitar and Brown. I was very impressed with Iafallo, but I would prefer to have Cammy on the top line for the first few months of the season.
 
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I really like our line up compared to last year though IMO. Blake made some real solid adjustments. I like that roster spots are earned now, not given because of the time you spent like it was before. Really excited for this year, and to see how the new comers perform. This could be a very big rebounding year. As long as Kopitar has a good season.
 
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AlphaBravo said:
I am very high on LaDue, so it was disappointing seeing him get sent down. But I think he had a poor to average camp, which justified the decision. That said, I still believe in LaDue and think that he can show that he is capable of second pairing minutes. By mid-season, I think management will move away from MacDermid and Folin. I thought they showed hunger during camp and preseason, but they are so slow that they wont last a full year in the NHL. Ultimately, I can see LaDue and Gravel getting a call up and at a minimum, LaDue securing a permanent spot.


Per Rosen, it looks like Iafallo may play on the top line with Kopitar and Brown. I was very impressed with Iafallo, but I would prefer to have Cammy on the top line for the first few months of the season.
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Wow! They must really like him. Can't blame them
 
Sol said:
Wow! They must really like him. Can't blame them
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At first I was a little shocked, but it makes a lot of sense--tons of speed and he's a puckhound, but not a puckhog that wants to shoot like Cammy. Though there's good chemistry behind Kopi-Cammy-Brown, the clear focus here is "get the puck for and to Kopitar."
 
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I think Top line Iafallo is less about him up there and more about Cammy on the 3rd. Without Cammy, our third line is full of inexperience, so it's nice to have someone there who knows the ropes/knows his role.
 
Desperate? Come on now. I give credit to Blake for going another direction even with the Cammy signing. Let's see what happens before we write him off before the start of the season.
 
How long before we lose the tag "slowest team in the league?" . I don't see us that way at all, more of a middle of the pack, average speed. I think our style of play under Sutter made it look that way. The media just seem obsessed with it, to the point of overblowing it as now THE key factor in winning. I guess until we tank and draft only fast players it won't change.
 
Statto said:
It's been great that everyone has had to earn their spots. It's interesting as I don't recall this board being so much in agreement wrt the opening night roster. Campbell was the player we mostly didn't want to see sent down but the biggest reason for that was the risk of losing him to waivers. Yes he had a good Camp but so did Kuemper, on performance alone it was a close call.

Sending LaDue down is probably the most debated decision. He didn't have a good camp, which I think we all agree on but Fantenberg made him expendable. Sending LaDue down I think sent a message to the whole organisation that this team will be a meritocracy. Gravel was always on the roster bubble and needed a decent camp but I think most of us had LaDue in as a lock. I believe within a couple of months Fantenberg will show that he's a solid second pairing d-man. Once they are confident that he can play solid NHL minutes I think we will see a trade for scoring help. This presumes LaDue will show that he wants to earn his spot whilst he's back in the AHL. He needs to dominate.

The reward for the hunger and progression shown by MacDermid also gives a similar message. He's shown that he is very coachable and has put everything into trying to make the roster. He demonstrated the exact mindset guys need to show if they want to make this team and has been rewarded for it. No one is going to pretend he's a more gifted player than LaDue but he's going to get the chance to fill a specific role. His first few games may be interesting but if he continues to learn fast my gut feeling is that they will persevere with him and he MAY just stick.

Iafallo really excites me and I can see him forcing his way onto the top 6 during the course of the season. If that happens and Gaborik can come back and play a decent number of games we will have good secondary scoring for the first time in a long time.

It's definitely the most excited I've been in the lead up to the seasons opener for years. There are lots of question marks but they all feel to be in a positive context. We have a whole bunch of young players coming on board which will help the vets and give them more energy and jump. It's going to be fun. So far Blake has done a great job.
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I'm just happy we don't have retreads on the top line to start the season [Cammi can still produce]. Both Purcell and Settaguchi look so lost out there to start the season, Sutter was forced to put King up there which didn't help. Even in the preseason the teams scoring chances look so much better, especially from closer in towards the middle.
 
Marian Gaborik continues to progress, according to John Stevens, but he hasn’t been on the ice since early last week. That raises the inevitable and dreaded S-word. Has Gaborik experienced a “setback?”

“I don’t know if it was a ‘setback.’ We didn’t really put a timetable on anything,” said Stevens, who suspects Gaborik will return to the ice soon. “…They felt he could use some rest, maintenance days. We wanted to give it to him and make sure he kept progressing in a positive manner. I wouldn’t say a big ‘setback’ by any means.”

There’s no timetable here. Stevens reiterated that Gaborik will need rest “at certain times.” He also said that the forward continues to progress, and that the prevailing thrust encompasses a season-long approach where the team may “give him a few days to gain a week or a week to gain a month” if it means avoiding a setback.

“We’ll just wait and see,” Stevens said. “I think we’re going to err on the side of caution.”
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http://lakingsinsider.com/2017/10/03/october-3-practice-notes-gaborik-not-skating-whats-plan-laich/
So do the Rosen mouthpieces incapable of independent thought still owe Tikkanen an apology?
 
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YP44 said:
LaDue over Frolin for me
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Two different players. I think Fantenburg took LaDue's spot as an offensive leaning Dman, even though they play different sides. Folin will be the more stay at home on the right side. LaDue will get plenty of chances this season. Fantenburg just flat out out-played him in preseason and I agree with him over LaDue to start the season. May change my mind after the first week of games...But at least they're all healthy to start.
 
It's nice to have a bunch of waiver exempt decent young players/prospects to keep everyone on their toes - on the Kings and the Reign.
 
To be fair, he was ahead of the earlier timeline and had some sort of set back.

Stevens says no set back and then says he had one.

This needs to be an LTIR situation instead of carrying a designated hitter.
 
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Everyone on here was assuming Gaborik will simply be placed on LTIR and not be seen or heard from again, when in fact it still sounds like he's ahead of schedule and is getting some "maintenance days."

He's still a part of the team and hasn't magically disappeared like most hoped he would be. His cap hit still lingers and he still remains a King who could appear in the lineup this month.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:
Everyone on here was assuming Gaborik will simply be placed on LTIR and not be seen or heard from again, when in fact it still sounds like he's ahead of schedule and is getting some "maintenance days."

He's still a part of the team and hasn't magically disappeared like most hoped he would be. His cap hit still lingers and he still remains a King who could appear in the lineup this month.
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Who was thinking that? They didn't do anything over the summer that would lead anyone to think that. He's still making too much money, and doesn't get career threatening hurt. I doubt he's going anywhere until at least 2020.
 
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