2019-20 Kings News/Rumors

[bouncesonly]

They have a podcast. Christ on his throne, who greenlit THAT?!

You need a green light to start podcast? Maybe you don't know what a podcast is.....it's like a twitter feed, except spoken. Anyone can have one

 

[tny760]

i've heard them promoting it on the broadcast though so i have to assume it's official in some regard

contracts and stuff too yknow

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I have a tough time giving Kopitar too much guff this season. He has been playing about as well as possible considering his supporting cast and the state of the team in general.

With that said, season to season, he's still an inconsistent player.

 

[bouncesonly]

In that case, so has McDavid. Hope Edmonton can get pennies on the dollar for that scrub.

He's 10th in cap and closer to 20th in salary this year, which is about where he is in scoring, which is not at all what he's all about. When you can recognize that 10 million is a pretty low bar for the future, you'll maybe understand a little better. Kopitar is making less than Benn, Seguin, Stone, Trouba...list goes on. He's not paid and treated like a superstar, those guys are getting close to 15 m now. He's paid commensurate with his status as THE elite two-way forward in the league, which is still true.

It seems like your qualm is with his salary for some reason. Not sure what 'results' you're looking for but no superstars are willing their teams to victory on their own and Kopitar isn't paid like the guys you're referencing anyway soooo your point still sucks, especially since you can't commit to writing what your expectations are. It's easy to hide behind abstractions. What could Kopitar do that would make you happy with him? I'd rope K17 into this since he's your biggest and looks like only cheerleader here but even he's made it clear nothing Kopitar can do matters, so at least he's committed. You're simply taking blind pot shots.

I'm not 'comfortable living in the past,' I simply recognize that a guy who is over PPG and in on nearly half of his team's offense while doing the bulk of the defensive heavy lifting on a last place team while STILL playing over 20 minutes a game is more than meeting my expectations.

Like, of all the things to complain about this year, imagine hating Anze Kopitar so much that you pin any of this on the guy who has 22 points when his linemates have 10 and the rest of the team has single digits (Doughty 13 to be fair).

Objectively, too much facts bro. Objectively

 

[Ollie Weeks]

You need a green light to start podcast? Maybe you don't know what a podcast is.....it's like a twitter feed, except spoken. Anyone can have one

Murp de durp. I assume it to be the idea of somebody in Kings PR. Not either of those two. Odd time for you to smell blood in the water.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Delete

 

[Statto]

I have a tough time giving Kopitar too much guff this season. He has been playing about as well as possible considering his supporting cast and the state of the team in general.

With that said, season to season, he's still an inconsistent player.

That’s part of the problem with his scoring consistency. If he had guys of a higher quality with him, they’d help him through his dry spells. He’d pick up goals and assists now and then and it’s more of a dip in scoring than a barren spell. It’s also helps shorten and dips in form.

The problem is that he is our only forward that effectively drives play with any sort of consistency. Most of the top players have at least 1-2 guys that help out the “main man”. If Kopi’s form drys up his scoring falls off a cliff because his line mates tend to contribute nothing towards picking up the slack apart from the odd unexpected moment. It’s only the aforementioned super elite guys that don’t have dips in form, so expecting different is unrealistic.

 

[bland]

That’s part of the problem with his scoring consistency. If he had guys of a higher quality with him, they’d help him through his dry spells. He’d pick up goals and assists now and then and it’s more of a dip in scoring than a barren spell. It’s also helps shorten and dips in form.

The problem is that he is our only forward that effectively drives play with any sort of consistency. Most of the top players have at least 1-2 guys that help out the “main man”. If Kopi’s form drys up his scoring falls off a cliff because his line mates tend to contribute nothing towards picking up the slack apart from the odd unexpected moment. It’s only the aforementioned super elite guys that don’t have dips in form, so expecting different is unrealistic.

However...

Kopitar is not a playmaker, and his style of play isn't cohesive with the types of players one traditionally sees as top offensive threats.

Anze's strengths do not include any kind of deception or rapid puck movement designed to take advantage of a snipers skills. He succeeds via attrition - it is virtually impossible to take the puck away from him. Not just because of his size, but he rarely puts himself into the kinds of positions where his options are limited. He draws extra defenders in, wears them down, and looks to put the puck into the spaces they just vacated. Usually that space is very near Anze, requiring wingers who are skilled at cycling and recovering pucks in the areas on the ice that aren't all that dangerous. Skilled players like to carry the puck more or be fed in advantageous locations.

So when Anze stops driving the play, he is doubly ineffective because the guys he prefers playing with aren't the type to drive the play either. It just becomes non-stop perimeter safe passing plays.

For all of his talents and reliability, Kopitar has always been a bit of a disappointment. He is a reluctant superstar who largely doesn't demand the most out of his ability and far too often settles for safety. He could very well have been the best center of this era, but has settled for less. That is just who he is, and while its usually good enough to be the best on his team, its been difficult to celebrate someone who had and has so much more to give when it has been and is needed.

 

[Fishhead]

However...


For all of his talents and reliability, Kopitar has always been a bit of a disappointment. He is a reluctant superstar who largely doesn't demand the most out of his ability and far too often settles for safety. He could very well have been the best center of this era, but has settled for less. That is just who he is, and while its usually good enough to be the best on his team, its been difficult to celebrate someone who had and has so much more to give when it has been and is needed.

This right here is why he's led the team to cups. I don't think he's a superstar at all, I think he's an excellent player who understands his strengths and plays to them, rather than trying to do things that he's not the best at. He's never going to put an emphasis on stats, he's always going to be about winning where it counts. If you asked Anze, I doubt he'd give two shits if he was the best on his team.

I can see how some would view him as an underachieving superstar, I view him more as a guy under that level who elevated his game and did what was needed for the team to win when it counted most. I think it's a little unfair to say he settled for anything, he's one of the dominant defensive centers of his era without sacrificing scoring.

 

[King'sPawn]

However...

Kopitar is not a playmaker, and his style of play isn't cohesive with the types of players one traditionally sees as top offensive threats.

Anze's strengths do not include any kind of deception or rapid puck movement designed to take advantage of a snipers skills. He succeeds via attrition - it is virtually impossible to take the puck away from him. Not just because of his size, but he rarely puts himself into the kinds of positions where his options are limited. He draws extra defenders in, wears them down, and looks to put the puck into the spaces they just vacated. Usually that space is very near Anze, requiring wingers who are skilled at cycling and recovering pucks in the areas on the ice that aren't all that dangerous. Skilled players like to carry the puck more or be fed in advantageous locations.

So when Anze stops driving the play, he is doubly ineffective because the guys he prefers playing with aren't the type to drive the play either. It just becomes non-stop perimeter safe passing plays.

For all of his talents and reliability, Kopitar has always been a bit of a disappointment. He is a reluctant superstar who largely doesn't demand the most out of his ability and far too often settles for safety. He could very well have been the best center of this era, but has settled for less. That is just who he is, and while its usually good enough to be the best on his team, its been difficult to celebrate someone who had and has so much more to give when it has been and is needed.

Most minutes among forwards on the team, toughest deployments, Selke winner and Hart finalist, leading scorer in almost every season. Even under McLellan, who is better at distributing time on ice, he STILL is second in shorthanded time on ice on the entire team and leads the second forward in average TOI/GP by 1:30
vs.
Not a playmaker who opts for safe plays and doesn't demand the most out of himself, and thus is difficult to celebrate.

Exhibit A of unrealistic expectations.

 

[BigKing]

This right here is why he's led the team to cups. I don't think he's a superstar at all, I think he's an excellent player who understands his strengths and plays to them, rather than trying to do things that he's not the best at. He's never going to put an emphasis on stats, he's always going to be about winning where it counts. If you asked Anze, I doubt he'd give two ****s if he was the best on his team.

I can see how some would view him as an underachieving superstar, I view him more as a guy under that level who elevated his game and did what was needed for the team to win when it counted most. I think it's a little unfair to say he settled for anything, he's one of the dominant defensive centers of his era without sacrificing scoring.

He has sacrificed scoring though. His skill level should have led to more 90+ point seasons.

I'm not saying he shouldn't have in order to be more responsible defensively, but he has definitely sacrificed scoring in order to be a guy who is generally always in the right position.

This is where a lot of the frustration comes with him: it seems like he has the talent to just put the team on his back offensively but then he has his off-seasons and those stretches where it seems like he doesn't want to shoot. Then you watch him stick four goals in MacKinnon's face and it makes you ask "Where is that guy every night?" Not that he's expected to score four goals a game but more that attitude of proving he is the best player on the ice.

Anze does a lot of taking what is given him as opposed to taking whatever the f*** he wants. The former is safe and his talent level allows this method to still lead to points being scored but what can be frustrating is that he has the talent to do the latter and seemingly chooses not to do it. That is why some are left wanting more from him: the guy was called the best player in the world by Gretzky (or something like that) in 2014 and then probably should have been MVP in 2018. You see him with Slovenia and he just goes for it because he knows he has to do it or nobody else will. Then, here, you get a ton of Perimitar v. maybe trying a f***ing deke and cutting to the middle of the ice.

He needs to take over a game at times but it seems like he will just stick to the system and safe play instead of imposing his will. You see that he has 22 points in 21 games but then you're like, when did those happen? Its tough to appreciate what he is doing when you are in last place and it doesn't seem like we are seeing any highlight-type stuff from him in the midst of slogging through a lost season. Also, mo' money mo' problems.

I say all of this as a guy who loves the dude and is eternally grateful to him for being a giant reason why there are two Cup banners. He's just a nice guy that seems to act the same in 2008 as he did in 2014 as he does now. Fans want to see a captain that is showy in a sense that they do something that allows you to see that he is upset about losing and will be an inspiration to the rest of the team. Kopitar just goes out, plays good hockey and says the same damn soundbites that he has for his entire career. He is a boring, hockey robot. That's a tough spot for him because no amount of fiery captain shit is going to turn this season around but the fan base really wants to see it: it's just not him.

 

[Choralone]

Fans want to see a captain that is showy in a sense that they do something that allows you to see that he is upset about losing and will be an inspiration to the rest of the team. Kopitar just goes out, plays good hockey and says the same damn soundbites that he has for his entire career. He is a boring, hockey robot. That's a tough spot for him because no amount of fiery captain **** is going to turn this season around but the fan base really wants to see it: it's just not him.

When he breaks his stick, fans on here deride him for it. He can't win.

 

[Bandit]

When he breaks his stick, fans on here deride him for it. He can't win.

Not when he just stands there with his ass stapled to the halfwall playing catch with Doughty on every powerplay.

 

[Statto]

He has sacrificed scoring though. His skill level should have led to more 90+ point seasons.

I'm not saying he shouldn't have in order to be more responsible defensively, but he has definitely sacrificed scoring in order to be a guy who is generally always in the right position.

This is where a lot of the frustration comes with him: it seems like he has the talent to just put the team on his back offensively but then he has his off-seasons and those stretches where it seems like he doesn't want to shoot. Then you watch him stick four goals in MacKinnon's face and it makes you ask "Where is that guy every night?" Not that he's expected to score four goals a game but more that attitude of proving he is the best player on the ice.

Anze does a lot of taking what is given him as opposed to taking whatever the **** he wants. The former is safe and his talent level allows this method to still lead to points being scored but what can be frustrating is that he has the talent to do the latter and seemingly chooses not to do it. That is why some are left wanting more from him: the guy was called the best player in the world by Gretzky (or something like that) in 2014 and then probably should have been MVP in 2018. You see him with Slovenia and he just goes for it because he knows he has to do it or nobody else will. Then, here, you get a ton of Perimitar v. maybe trying a ****ing deke and cutting to the middle of the ice.

He needs to take over a game at times but it seems like he will just stick to the system and safe play instead of imposing his will. You see that he has 22 points in 21 games but then you're like, when did those happen? Its tough to appreciate what he is doing when you are in last place and it doesn't seem like we are seeing any highlight-type stuff from him in the midst of slogging through a lost season. Also, mo' money mo' problems.

I say all of this as a guy who loves the dude and is eternally grateful to him for being a giant reason why there are two Cup banners. He's just a nice guy that seems to act the same in 2008 as he did in 2014 as he does now. Fans want to see a captain that is showy in a sense that they do something that allows you to see that he is upset about losing and will be an inspiration to the rest of the team. Kopitar just goes out, plays good hockey and says the same damn soundbites that he has for his entire career. He is a boring, hockey robot. That's a tough spot for him because no amount of fiery captain **** is going to turn this season around but the fan base really wants to see it: it's just not him.

But this is exactly what his coaches until now have wanted him to do, for his entire career. They wanted him to be the guy that put up decent points and shutdown the oppositions top forwards. Throughout his career he’s shutdown guys that score more then chipped in with a big goal or key pass to to us to a win, especially in the play-offs. He hasn’t piled on points, but he was more often than not a difference maker. If he’s not that player we don’t win 2 cups.

I’m the first to talk about Richards and Carter taking us over the top. However Kopi was the vital piece that allowed us to win playing the way we did, we just take it for granted as we drafted him.

He’s not going to reinvent himself now but give it a year under TM and I think we see him make the adjustments TM wants.

 

[Bandit]

Apparently our stadium series jersey, I know you're all shocked, more black & white:

f***ing hell...

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The Avs and Kings are trying to outdo each other in who can don the ugliest sweaters. What a piece of shit design.

 

[Kingnut]

I just want the patch

 

[crassbonanza]

Apparently our stadium series jersey, I know you're all shocked, more black & white:

****ing hell...

Have we officially dropped any colors from the organisation? I noticed Faust kept referencing the "Silver, Back and White" during the first few games and it felt so forced that I have to imagine it was a directive from the team.

 

[Bandit]

I just want the patch

I just want Luc's head on a spike... Too much?

 

[KINGS17]

He has sacrificed scoring though. His skill level should have led to more 90+ point seasons.

I'm not saying he shouldn't have in order to be more responsible defensively, but he has definitely sacrificed scoring in order to be a guy who is generally always in the right position.

This is where a lot of the frustration comes with him: it seems like he has the talent to just put the team on his back offensively but then he has his off-seasons and those stretches where it seems like he doesn't want to shoot. Then you watch him stick four goals in MacKinnon's face and it makes you ask "Where is that guy every night?" Not that he's expected to score four goals a game but more that attitude of proving he is the best player on the ice.

Anze does a lot of taking what is given him as opposed to taking whatever the **** he wants. The former is safe and his talent level allows this method to still lead to points being scored but what can be frustrating is that he has the talent to do the latter and seemingly chooses not to do it. That is why some are left wanting more from him: the guy was called the best player in the world by Gretzky (or something like that) in 2014 and then probably should have been MVP in 2018. You see him with Slovenia and he just goes for it because he knows he has to do it or nobody else will. Then, here, you get a ton of Perimitar v. maybe trying a ****ing deke and cutting to the middle of the ice.

He needs to take over a game at times but it seems like he will just stick to the system and safe play instead of imposing his will. You see that he has 22 points in 21 games but then you're like, when did those happen? Its tough to appreciate what he is doing when you are in last place and it doesn't seem like we are seeing any highlight-type stuff from him in the midst of slogging through a lost season. Also, mo' money mo' problems.

I say all of this as a guy who loves the dude and is eternally grateful to him for being a giant reason why there are two Cup banners. He's just a nice guy that seems to act the same in 2008 as he did in 2014 as he does now. Fans want to see a captain that is showy in a sense that they do something that allows you to see that he is upset about losing and will be an inspiration to the rest of the team. Kopitar just goes out, plays good hockey and says the same damn soundbites that he has for his entire career. He is a boring, hockey robot. That's a tough spot for him because no amount of fiery captain **** is going to turn this season around but the fan base really wants to see it: it's just not him.

I think this is an apt description of the situation. I have said many times before I wish Kopitar would impose his will on the opposition, but it rarely happens. It's a beautiful thing to see when he does it though.

 

[KINGS17]

Apparently our stadium series jersey, I know you're all shocked, more black & white:

****ing hell...

I didn't think Robitaille could approve any uniform that is worse than what they have worn in black, grey, and white in the past. I clearly underestimated his ineptitude.

 

[FrozenKing18]

What the f*** is this obsession with the damn black and white? It’s terrible!

 

[kingsboy11]

Good God that's atrocious. The game is going to be in February in Colorado right? No one is going to be able to tell who's who on the ice with that design especially if its snowing.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

The praise that I give Blake is how well he has restocked the pipeline. Honestly, in a few years we may look back at this period of time as one of the most impressive prospect pool turnarounds in recent memory. It was more than just not trading picks, it was using those picks well, it was chasing alternative means of finding prospects in college free agents, it was making solid moves to acquire draft picks/prospects. We will see how that goes this season, but give credit where it is due, the pipeline is looking fantastic right now.

Yes he has restocked with a gigantic help from Futa,Yannetti and company...but they are all just prospects...personally I think LA has rushed too many at one time and funneled them into Ontario... I would have most of the Europeans developing in their own leagues and then brought them over...can't see the point in having prospects playing 3rd-4th line roles in the AHL! Play them to death or let them develop on their own teams that will!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Savage.

Okay, which one of you guys is this though?

But this is exactly what his coaches until now have wanted him to do, for his entire career. They wanted him to be the guy that put up decent points and shutdown the oppositions top forwards. Throughout his career he’s shutdown guys that score more then chipped in with a big goal or key pass to to us to a win, especially in the play-offs. He hasn’t piled on points, but he was more often than not a difference maker. If he’s not that player we don’t win 2 cups.

I’m the first to talk about Richards and Carter taking us over the top. However Kopi was the vital piece that allowed us to win playing the way we did, we just take it for granted as we drafted him.

He’s not going to reinvent himself now but give it a year under TM and I think we see him make the adjustments TM wants.

The thing is, the 'other' top two-way guys can't produce like Anze even on far superior offensive teams with far superior offensive linemates. People act like they need to see that 90 point season more often but that IS unrealistic to ask him to be a Selke winning player potting 50 more points than his linemates, literal MVP caliber seasons time after time when you have Crosbys and McDavids running around.

People here are still looking at raw offensive numbers and not the heavy lifting. About the only player whose production DOESNT see a steep drop vs. Anze Kopitar is Crosby (probably McDavid now, too). But there was a while there where guys who were scoring upwards of 90 points saw literally half of that vs. Kopitar while he went on his merry way getting a point or two a game (I honestly just haven't looked in a couple of years because I was under the impression he was still respected and understood for that around here but I didn't know how wrong I was). If folks can't see that as valuable and dominant at this point, after having watched him march through the 2012 and 2014 playoffs while totally sawing off the Sedins, Getzlafs, etc. of the world, I don't know what to say. Hell the Ducks actively went out and got Kesler specifically because Anze was running over Ryan Getzlaf repeatedly.

It's. not. just. about. raw. offense.

Edit: and it sounds like people at least appreciate his tools and want him to be/beat peak Malkin, but even Malkin isn't peak Malkin most of the time, so temper expectations accordingly. It's one thing to want him to be the best player in the league, it's quite another to slag him when he isn't.