Speculation: 2020-21 LA Kings News/Roster/Rumors Discussion Part VI

[BringTheReign]

Just wanted to remind everyone that we ended last season on a 7 game win streak and were rewarded by the hockey gods with the #2nd overall pick!

Winning games to end the season, especially when Byfield is in the lineup and Vilardi/Andersson look incredible together, is a good thing in my book!

 

[KingsFan7824]

Just wondering, were there any moves Dean made which you liked where there wasn't luck involved?

Scuderi. Handzus. Stuart was a good give him a shot signing. Penner made sense. I still get the theory behind Lucic, so I have to throw that in.

I'd say Vis/Still/Greene, but that was also completely based on having Doughty. Solid move though.

Just because luck is involved doesn't mean DL didn't have to take the risk. If Williams isn't hurt for a number of years in a row, he's probably not available, but DL took the risk. Mitchell, had to give an aging guy with a concussion and extra year, but it worked. Richards and Carter were luck, but you also can't force teams to get rid of those kinds of players. The other team has to want to get rid of them, or the player has to want out, otherwise you're not getting them.

Smyth would be another good move. You almost have to get him, just because the price was do low. It's not like he had 12 goals here the way Penner did. Smyth was actually productive.

DL was good at buying low. Couldn't sell high worth a damn, but enough of the numerous reclamation projects worked out that he was able to piece together a team dripping with moxy. Up to and including the eventual Cup winning coach.

 

[onlyalad]

Just wanted to remind everyone that we ended last season on a 7 game win streak and were rewarded by the hockey gods with the #2nd overall pick!

Winning games to end the season, especially when Byfield is in the lineup and Vilardi/Andersson look incredible together, is a good thing in my book!

I know logically better draft picks are good to get, but I say, no matter how small the window, if you have a chance at post season you fight for it. If the kings win out and the Blues lose the next 3, Kings fans everywhere will drinking for a week.

 

[KINGS17]

Scuderi. Handzus. Stuart was a good give him a shot signing. Penner made sense. I still get the theory behind Lucic, so I have to throw that in.

I'd say Vis/Still/Greene, but that was also completely based on having Doughty. Solid move though.

Just because luck is involved doesn't mean DL didn't have to take the risk. If Williams isn't hurt for a number of years in a row, he's probably not available, but DL took the risk. Mitchell, had to give an aging guy with a concussion and extra year, but it worked. Richards and Carter were luck, but you also can't force teams to get rid of those kinds of players. The other team has to want to get rid of them, or the player has to want out, otherwise you're not getting them.

Smyth would be another good move. You almost have to get him, just because the price was do low. It's not like he had 12 goals here the way Penner did. Smyth was actually productive.

DL was good at buying low. Couldn't sell high worth a damn, but enough of the numerous reclamation projects worked out that he was able to piece together a team dripping with moxy. Up to and including the eventual Cup winning coach.

I don't think you give Dean enough credit. He wasn't just a junk man wandering around the NHL hoping to pick something up and refurbish it.

You didn't mention the acquisition of Jack Johnson, which turned into Carter.

You assume Dean can only make the Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene, because he knows he has Doughty in his back pocket and call it luck. I would say Dean saw a need for the kind to leadership Stoll and Greene (two players which had been in a cup final) would provide, and would have made that deal in any case.

You call a lot of things luck, which I would call circumstance. There are always players who have been injured which makes them more available in a trade than they might be otherwise. Dean did his homework on the Williams trade and took a calculated risk, with the additional benefit of sending a message to the rest of the young players on the team by trading O'Sullivan.

Luck = when preparation meets opportunity. In my book Dean was prepared to make the Richards and Carter deals, when there were other contending teams which didn't have the expendable assets to make those deals.

 

[tomd]

I don't think you give Dean enough credit. He wasn't just a junk man wandering around the NHL hoping to pick something up and refurbish it.

You didn't mention the acquisition of Jack Johnson, which turned into Carter.

You assume Dean can only make the Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene, because he knows he has Doughty in his back pocket and call it luck. I would say Dean saw a need for the kind to leadership Stoll and Greene (two players which had been in a cup final) would provide, and would have made that deal in any case.

You call a lot of things luck, which I would call circumstance. There are always players who have been injured which makes them more available in a trade than they might be otherwise. Dean did his homework on the Williams trade and took a calculated risk, with the additional benefit of sending a message to the rest of the young players on the team by trading O'Sullivan.

Luck = when preparation meets opportunity. In my book Dean was prepared to make the Richards and Carter deals, when there were other contending teams which didn't have the expendable assets to make those deals.

Also, IIRC Lombardi had a small window to trade Visnovsky before his new contract kicked in and there was a lot of speculation at the time that he moved him to avoid that contract. Either way it worked at pretty well.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I don't think you give Dean enough credit. He wasn't just a junk man wandering around the NHL hoping to pick something up and refurbish it.

You didn't mention the acquisition of Jack Johnson, which turned into Carter.

You assume Dean can only make the Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene, because he knows he has Doughty in his back pocket and call it luck. I would say Dean saw a need for the kind to leadership Stoll and Greene (two players which had been in a cup final) would provide, and would have made that deal in any case.

You call a lot of things luck, which I would call circumstance. There are always players who have been injured which makes them more available in a trade than they might be otherwise. Dean did his homework on the Williams trade and took a calculated risk, with the additional benefit of sending a message to the rest of the young players on the team by trading O'Sullivan.

Luck = when preparation meets opportunity. In my book Dean was prepared to make the Richards and Carter deals, when there were other contending teams which didn't have the expendable assets to make those deals.

Johnson was a great one. I don't even worry about it turning into Carter, because that's unknowable. Carolina coming off the Cup, they don't want to wait on JJ since he wants to stay in college, they lost a center and dman in free agency, and there's your trade. Opens up a roster spot for Kopitar to boot. All you had to do is take Tverdovsky.

Too much changed when Doughty was coming. Once DL had him, he accelerated everything. Within 12 months he added Stoll, Greene, Williams, Scuderi, and Smyth.

Without Doughty I don't know if any of that happens.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Doughty put Lubo in play iirc.

 

[BigKing]

Doughty put Lubo in play iirc.

Yes, but the 41 point season at age 31 with the NMC kicking in also put him in play.

Was the right move regardless since he never matched his 2006 and 2007 output again except for that out-of-nowhere season in Anaheim.

 

[Sol]

Kings haven't been mathematically eliminated? What...

 

[KINGS17]

Johnson was a great one. I don't even worry about it turning into Carter, because that's unknowable. Carolina coming off the Cup, they don't want to wait on JJ since he wants to stay in college, they lost a center and dman in free agency, and there's your trade. Opens up a roster spot for Kopitar to boot. All you had to do is take Tverdovsky.

Too much changed when Doughty was coming. Once DL had him, he accelerated everything. Within 12 months he added Stoll, Greene, Williams, Scuderi, and Smyth.

Without Doughty I don't know if any of that happens.

Visnovsky finished the 2006-07 season with 58 points (18-40=58) in 69 games.

He was signed to a 5-year extension on July 11, 2007, which would kick in after the 2007-08 season. I can't quote chapter and verse, but let's just say as the 2007-08 season rolled along, Dean started to regret signing Lubo to the deal.

Lubo still had a fine season in 2007-08 with 41 points (8-33=41), however, Dean did not appreciate how often Lubo deferred to Blake on the power play, and Lubo not taking more of a role as a leader. I think Dean had decided to move him during the off season before the season was over.

 

[apocalypse]

Scuderi. Handzus. Stuart was a good give him a shot signing. Penner made sense. I still get the theory behind Lucic, so I have to throw that in.

I'd say Vis/Still/Greene, but that was also completely based on having Doughty. Solid move though.

Just because luck is involved doesn't mean DL didn't have to take the risk. If Williams isn't hurt for a number of years in a row, he's probably not available, but DL took the risk. Mitchell, had to give an aging guy with a concussion and extra year, but it worked. Richards and Carter were luck, but you also can't force teams to get rid of those kinds of players. The other team has to want to get rid of them, or the player has to want out, otherwise you're not getting them.

Smyth would be another good move. You almost have to get him, just because the price was do low. It's not like he had 12 goals here the way Penner did. Smyth was actually productive.

DL was good at buying low. Couldn't sell high worth a damn, but enough of the numerous reclamation projects worked out that he was able to piece together a team dripping with moxy. Up to and including the eventual Cup winning coach.

I'll never forget Smyth and Kopitar's chemistry. They killed it out there. One has to wonder what they could've been like on a wide open offensive team like the Penguins or Blackhawks of their day.

 

[Docgonzo]

Calgary's top pick ever is #4. I would be ok with them getting a #1 pick. Also because everyone in Calgary has had to watch Edmonton draft #1 picks for years.

If those kids are supposed to be that good I don’t want Calgary to get it. Kings facing McJesus/Leon in Edmonton and the next big one in Calgary for the next decade? No thank you.

 

[johnjm22]

People forget that when Dean came to the Kings he was all about the "New NHL". He believed it was going to be all about skating and offense. Player size wasn't going to be as important.

Visnovsky fit the prototype of the New NHL. That's why he was extended.

Dean eventually changed course. Moving Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene was part of the course correction to a defense first philosophy.

 

[King'sPawn]

Kings haven't been mathematically eliminated? What...

If the Kings win their next 4, and St. Louis loses all 4 in regulation, then the Kings pass them and make it.

 

[SFKingshomer]

If the Kings win their next 4, and St. Louis loses all 4 in regulation, then the Kings pass them and make it.

Less than zero chance

 

[Sol]

If the Kings win their next 4, and St. Louis loses all 4 in regulation, then the Kings pass them and make it.

What a terrible division lmao

 

[KINGS17]

Less than zero chance

So, you're saying...

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's kind of a stupid moment to be a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing but Carter's 4 goal game has pushed me to the fire Mclellan line.

 

[TruKingFan]

It's kind of a stupid moment to be a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing but Carter's 4 goal game has pushed me to the fire Mclellan line.

At some point, and it's almost here, the coaching staff will have to looked at hard to see if they're the right group to get the Kings to the next level. I have no confidence TMac can do it - he's never done it in his entire career.

 

[Bandit]

It's kind of a stupid moment to be a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing but Carter's 4 goal game has pushed me to the fire Mclellan line.

I dunno, I think that’s more from having something to play for than anything. Even if Carter enabled god mode for us this year we’d probably still be out of it. That falls more on the makeup of the roster to me.

 

[cyclones22]

Well we know he won't be fired this offseason. I'm willing to give them a little benefit of the doubt with the crazy schedule, covid-19, injuries and the expansion draft coming up. If the team struggles and I see crappy lineups again next season I'm going to be calling for his firing as well.

 

[Fishhead]

It's kind of a stupid moment to be a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing but Carter's 4 goal game has pushed me to the fire Mclellan line.

I don't know if TM is the right guy yet, but there is this. The Kings have 3 regular skaters over 30 in Kopitar, Brown, and Doughty. The average age of the rest of the skaters in last night's game was 23.4. I always forget how young this roster is. After the Carter trade they are one of the youngest in the league, and that's with Grosenick at 31 and MacD at 27. They are only going to get younger, so some patience is going to be needed.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Todd won the Calder Cup, was an assistant for a Stanley Cup, and went undefeated in World Championships. He’s won more than most give him credit for. Detroit was one of the best offenses in the league when he was their offensive coach, they had a lethal power play. Kings offense has been rubbish for what, 15 years now? How many coaches have been here. I don’t blame Todd. Kings will can him and guess what, it’ll continue to be bottom 10. The only way you fix it is completely getting rid of everything. I don’t see a coaching change changing anything.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Who hired Todd? Start there.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

The State of the Kings:

Who could have ever predicted that 36 year old Dustin Brown and 36 year old Jeff Carter have 17 and 16 goals, respectively at this time of the 2021 season -
more than any other King? Answer: no one. And this is not a good thing. Not that no one could have predicted it; no....it's not a good thing that the Kings
still do not have any players that can score more goals than these 2. It's more of a testament about the Kings' Popcornopolis Offense and not the
great prowess of these 2 players. Although, kudos to both of them.

If I am an exec for Popcornopolis Popcorn, I'm calling the Kings PR department and asking
if we can be the Official name of the Kings' offense.