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

[Steve Zissou]

Because when Schwartz ISNT scoring he's still an absolute animal.

I really love Schwartz's game and how he filled in Backes role once he left. He provided leadership, grit, and really propelled that team to the Cup 2 years ago.

Last year, however, Schwartz was nothing close to being an "absolute animal."

Maybe this is a case of injuries starting to slow his game both physically and mentally (ala Carter) and/or there is a redemption story in there somewhere... but my gut tells me this is shades of Mike Richards demise.

So could be a good buy low candidate?

He's a UFA. Is he willing to sign a shorter 2 year deal? I don't think so, but good thing is that we wouldn't give up anything other than cap space.

 

[tbrown33]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Walker led the team in even strength goals and points from the blueline.

Yeah, he was on pace for about 32 points across a whole season.

I appreciate what he brings and you could do worse for PP2. I'm not at all saying he was bad, just that he's likely not the top-4 solution to bring us more offense. But that does help show that if we had a good offensive dman on the 2nd pairing, we'd have a 50-60 point Doughty, a hopefully 40-50 point guy at least, and then a 30ish point Sean Walker to go with defensively stout guys in Roy, Anderson, Bjornfot, etc. who all may have a little more to give too if we can start slinging the puck around better. That's phenomenal D production and a 'missing link' if you will, it's a good set of personnel but it's not very dynamic right now.

 

[deaderhead28]

3 of the last trades DL did, were among his worst: #1 for Sekera. Too much for a 20 game rental and he became injured and then left.
#1 - 13 overall + Jones + Miller for Lucic. Too much to give up, especially with no term. I was reading closely who the Kings were leaning towards
and 2 major reports - one was Kyle Connor and the other was Matt Barzal. Had they drafted either one of those, the Kings would have had either of those
guys by the 16-17 season and would still be making the playoffs. Maybe not cup contending, but doing much better.

And...Cernak for Bishop. DL knew what he was dealing in Schenn, Simmonds, O'Sullivan and Jacj Johnson, but he prematurely gave up Cernak.
That's why I am not excited about now possibly moving 1-3 of these prospects: Byfield (although think he's untouchable) Turcotte, Kupari, Kaliyev,
Thomas, Fagemo, Madden. Too hard to know their true value now and even by the next trade deadline, have a better idea how they may project.
Of course, may take 3 years, but I at least do not want to see another Cernak result.

All these propects are not playing in LA and some will be used in a trade...It's a business and there's not enough room for every player and they all won't pan out.Blake and AEG are not waiting for 3 more years,it's a business not a hobby...

 

[johnjm22]

Yeah, he was on pace for about 32 points across a whole season.

I appreciate what he brings and you could do worse for PP2. I'm not at all saying he was bad, just that he's likely not the top-4 solution to bring us more offense. But that does help show that if we had a good offensive dman on the 2nd pairing, we'd have a 50-60 point Doughty, a hopefully 40-50 point guy at least, and then a 30ish point Sean Walker to go with defensively stout guys in Roy, Anderson, Bjornfot, etc. who all may have a little more to give too if we can start slinging the puck around better. That's phenomenal D production and a 'missing link' if you will, it's a good set of personnel but it's not very dynamic right now.

Walker strikes me as a late bloomer. If you look at his history, he steadily improves his production everywhere he's gone.

He's one of those guys that probably never should have made the NHL, but he's always tweaking his game under the radar. Just getting slightly better all the time.

Keep in mind he had that terrible injury this year that slowed him down. But in May things really started clicking for him. He finished the season with 8pts in 8 games.

He could develop into a 40 point defenseman.

LEAGUE	YEAR	PTS/G
NCAA	13/14	0.34
NCAA	14/15	0.51
NCAA	15/16	0.54
NCAA	16/17	0.58
AHL	17/18	0.43
AHL	18/19	0.77
NHL	18/19	0.25
NHL	19/ 20	0.34
NHL	20/21	0.38

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[deaderhead28]

Maybe splash is the wrong term but you do need a product that will bring people to the rink.

I would expect a splash thïs summer and look for Luke & Blake to make other moves if the cost is right.AEG lost money and ratings were rumored to be really bad on tv...

 

[cyclones22]

Walker strikes me as a late bloomer. If you look at his history, he steadily improves his production everywhere he's gone.

Now imagine how well he would play if he wasn't paired with absolute garbage like Macdermid and Maatta who often thought his role was to supply offense?

 

[KingTech]

Now imagine how well he would play if he wasn't paired with absolute garbage like Macdermid and Maatta who often thought his role was to supply offense?

which is way i would move him up the lineup in minutes and pair him with Bjornfoot I have a feeling with more ice time he would show more offense Move Roy down and use his solid defense with the maatta and MacDermid

 

[King'sPawn]

All these propects are not playing in LA and some will be used in a trade...It's a business and there's not enough room for every player and they all won't pan out.Blake and AEG are not waiting for 3 more years,it's a business not a hobby...

Ultimately they were traded too early. The Kings didn't get the value back that warranted what they had.

 

[kinghock]

Ultimately they were traded too early. The Kings didn't get the value back that warranted what they had.

I hope these kind of mistakes will not be repeated now, because lack of patience…

 

[deaderhead28]

Ultimately they were traded too early. The Kings didn't get the value back that warranted what they had.

No one knows exactly how long a propect may take to develop or if they'll develop at all.Fact is you got to give to get.I know many on here were saying the same thing you did when Patrick O' Sullivan was traded...Fact is some of these propects will not wear a Kings sweater and will be traded or let go...There has been many propects that didn't make it and were traded etc...I remember folks crying about Jack Johnson being traded.WILD TIMES....

 

[deaderhead28]

I hope these kind of mistakes will not be repeated now, because lack of patience…

Issue is no one knows what these kids will turn out.Kings will not sit on kids playing.Tgis was never the plan...Blake and Luke want a competitive team and will try to feel needs that can mix in propect talent with young established talent....

 

[bland]

Issue is no one knows what these kids will turn out.Kings will not sit on kids playing.Tgis was never the plan...Blake and Luke want a competitive team and will try to feel needs that can mix in propect talent with young established talent....

Pardon me, stewardess, I happen to speak jive...

Nope, this IS the plan. Some fans complain about a full rebuild but they don't seem to understand that it is a blessing, a luxury to be able to tear down and build back up with a base of raw, but varied talent. They don't come around often, but when you have that opportunity you need to embrace it. Its an opportunity for an organization to decide from as close as you can get from scratch to determine the kind of hockey you want to play and to build a team around that philosophy.

 

[bland]

Now imagine how well he would play if he wasn't paired with absolute garbage like Macdermid and Maatta who often thought his role was to supply offense?

Walker actually plays pretty damn well on the left side. If a big move cannot be made this summer, I still say bringing in Bogosian for a year or maybe even two addresses some minor concerns on the blueline at the cost of just his salary.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Walker strikes me as a late bloomer. If you look at his history, he steadily improves his production everywhere he's gone.

He's one of those guys that probably never should have made the NHL, but he's always tweaking his game under the radar. Just getting slightly better all the time.

Keep in mind he had that terrible injury this year that slowed him down. But in May things really started clicking for him. He finished the season with 8pts in 8 games.

He could develop into a 40 point defenseman.

LEAGUE	YEAR	PTS/G
NCAA	13/14	0.34
NCAA	14/15	0.51
NCAA	15/16	0.54
NCAA	16/17	0.58
AHL	17/18	0.43
AHL	18/19	0.77
NHL	18/19	0.25
NHL	19/ 20	0.34
NHL	20/21	0.38

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I absolutely agree with that and the previous year when we were just shuffling things around he even had a very good stint next to Doughty. I'd love to see him get more minutes with a better partner.

Just tracing back where this whole conversation started--the thought was that we need something more dynamic/offensive in the top 4. If everyone believes the answer to that is Walker, I'm not REALLY fighting it because then the problem to solve is just who moves down and surely it's easier to find a bottom pairing guy. I think people are reading that I'm talking down on Walker and I'm not--just that if the thought is our Dcore isn't playoff caliber because it's not dynamic enough, I'm pointing out there's a large gap between Doughty and Sean and no imminent internal options.

 

[Rusty Batch]

My perspective on the rebuild is that the best time to win is when you have the prospects on their ELCs.

 

[KingsFan7824]

3 of the last trades DL did, were among his worst: #1 for Sekera. Too much for a 20 game rental and he became injured and then left.
#1 - 13 overall + Jones + Miller for Lucic. Too much to give up, especially with no term. I was reading closely who the Kings were leaning towards
and 2 major reports - one was Kyle Connor and the other was Matt Barzal. Had they drafted either one of those, the Kings would have had either of those
guys by the 16-17 season and would still be making the playoffs. Maybe not cup contending, but doing much better.

And...Cernak for Bishop. DL knew what he was dealing in Schenn, Simmonds, O'Sullivan and Jacj Johnson, but he prematurely gave up Cernak.
That's why I am not excited about now possibly moving 1-3 of these prospects: Byfield (although think he's untouchable) Turcotte, Kupari, Kaliyev,
Thomas, Fagemo, Madden. Too hard to know their true value now and even by the next trade deadline, have a better idea how they may project.
Of course, may take 3 years, but I at least do not want to see another Cernak result.

17-18.

Add one of them, and yeah, the Kings are likely better, and the kind of team Doughty is ok with. The problem though is that in 2015, DL isn't thinking the Kings have a whole lot of time left to truly compete. He was still too close to winning too many Cups in such a short amount of time, and at that point you can't waste 2 more years. Those 2 years were eventually wasted, but he was trying to strike while the iron was still warm. If they had 1 additional year of Kopitar on a good contract, on top of 15-16, maybe the 2015 off season isn't what it was.

My perspective on the rebuild is that the best time to win is when you have the prospects on their ELCs.

And they have to be productive.

The Pens and Hawks have 3 Cups because the won with some of their most important players were on their ELCs. On the other hand, the Oilers tried to do the same with their best guys, but it didn't work, and they're still desperately trying to dig out of the mess that was left, despite McDavid.

It all comes down to what ownership wants to spend. If they still want to be a bottom of the league payroll, then not much is going to happen. They obviously have the cap space to add 2, 3, even 4 players, depending on how they split it up, and they don't necessarily have to trade any of the prospects anyone really cares about. There's likely at least 1 playoff spot up for grabs in the Pacific next year. Or I assume there is. They're still doing the top 3 and wild card? Has that changed? Have they not made a final call on that? I know there was some talk of maybe a tweak or two.

 

[Reaper45]

Yeah, he was on pace for about 32 points across a whole season.

I appreciate what he brings and you could do worse for PP2. I'm not at all saying he was bad, just that he's likely not the top-4 solution to bring us more offense. But that does help show that if we had a good offensive dman on the 2nd pairing, we'd have a 50-60 point Doughty, a hopefully 40-50 point guy at least, and then a 30ish point Sean Walker to go with defensively stout guys in Roy, Anderson, Bjornfot, etc. who all may have a little more to give too if we can start slinging the puck around better. That's phenomenal D production and a 'missing link' if you will, it's a good set of personnel but it's not very dynamic right now.

Walker is a lot like Martinez in that neither of them are dynamic but they’re f***ing ideal to have on the 3rd pairing.

 

[Mats26]

I really love Schwartz's game and how he filled in Backes role once he left. He provided leadership, grit, and really propelled that team to the Cup 2 years ago.

Last year, however, Schwartz was nothing close to being an "absolute animal."

Maybe this is a case of injuries starting to slow his game both physically and mentally (ala Carter) and/or there is a redemption story in there somewhere... but my gut tells me this is shades of Mike Richards demise.



He's a UFA. Is he willing to sign a shorter 2 year deal? I don't think so, but good thing is that we wouldn't give up anything other than cap space.

Schwartz game has fallen off a bit. He is not the same player like he was 5 years ago. Injuries have really started to pile up and slow his game down. Also there are reports he is looking for a 6 million per on a long term deal...thanks but no thanks.

I like his veteran leadership qualities and work ethic 5 per on a 2 maybe 3 year bridge is what I would offer. I don't think that gets it done though.

 

[YP44]

There's an evander kane thread on the trade thread board. i imagine there would be a division rival tax, but depending on cost would love him .

 

[Rusty Batch]

17-18.

Add one of them, and yeah, the Kings are likely better, and the kind of team Doughty is ok with. The problem though is that in 2015, DL isn't thinking the Kings have a whole lot of time left to truly compete. He was still too close to winning too many Cups in such a short amount of time, and at that point you can't waste 2 more years. Those 2 years were eventually wasted, but he was trying to strike while the iron was still warm. If they had 1 additional year of Kopitar on a good contract, on top of 15-16, maybe the 2015 off season isn't what it was.



And they have to be productive.

The Pens and Hawks have 3 Cups because the won with some of their most important players were on their ELCs. On the other hand, the Oilers tried to do the same with their best guys, but it didn't work, and they're still desperately trying to dig out of the mess that was left, despite McDavid.

It all comes down to what ownership wants to spend. If they still want to be a bottom of the league payroll, then not much is going to happen. They obviously have the cap space to add 2, 3, even 4 players, depending on how they split it up, and they don't necessarily have to trade any of the prospects anyone really cares about. There's likely at least 1 playoff spot up for grabs in the Pacific next year. Or I assume there is. They're still doing the top 3 and wild card? Has that changed? Have they not made a final call on that? I know there was some talk of maybe a tweak or two.

If this group of prospects isn't productive then we are f***ed anyways.

 

[Piston]

There's an evander kane thread on the trade thread board. i imagine there would be a division rival tax, but depending on cost would love him .

You've got to be kidding. This is a guy undisciplined enough to lose millions of dollars at the gambling tables, who has worn out his welcome in three different locker rooms and who is turning 30 before next season. Add in a $7mm cap hit and one has subtraction by addition

 

[YP44]

You've got to be kidding. This is a guy undisciplined enough to lose millions of dollars at the gambling tables, who has worn out his welcome in three different locker rooms and who is turning 30 before next season. Add in a $7mm cap hit and one has subtraction by addition

he is physical, plays both ends of the ice and can pot 30. Given flat cap and few teams that would be bidding he could be cheaper to aquire than past years.

There definitely is concern with me over gambling debts, more than teammate issues to me.

 

[raswilliam]

Kane is the last guy we want hanging out with our kids. Worst role model possible.

 

[Lt Dan]

Now imagine how well he would play if he wasn't paired with absolute garbage like Macdermid and Maatta who often thought his role was to supply offense?

THIS x 4,64, 654, 3po,167

Kane is the last guy we want hanging out with our kids. Worst role model possible.

also a very good point. This x 4,64, 654, 3po,166