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

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HookKing said:
Oh hell no. Those top two lines are slower than the second coming.
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that may be true but the first line is proven. I honestly can’t find a second line I like with Vilardi as the center and I can’t find a second line center on our current team other than Vilardi. That’s my problem.

if we switch Andersson and Kempe around it is our top 2 lines from a year ago.
 
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rajuabju said:
I know Carter is forgettable at this point, but still here...
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inhave no problems letting him sit the odd game at this point. Especially if we fall out of the playoff race. Want to see what we get with the kids
 
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Sol said:
Yeah and Frk doesn't really hit the net either. Frk is an unimportant player is what I'm getting at.
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I don't think he's here for long, after all, Arty Party will be here soon, but he did score at a 30 goal pace with Vilardi and has an absolute f***ing bomb that people have to respect which opens others up.

Have to at least let him show up to see if he can replicate that before turfing him.
 
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Frk was scoring at a 29 goal pace for us.

He was finding ways to score. And it's not like he was living off the powerplay. Only 1 of his goals was on the PP.

This team is decent defensively. They just need a few more goals here and there to get them over the hump. Maybe Frk can help with that.

Would be funny to have two Detroit cast offs scoring goals for us.
 
Sol said:
Yeah and Frk doesn't really hit the net either. Frk is an unimportant player is what I'm getting at.
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Both Wagner and Frk are placeholders, no doubt. However playing with Vilardi in the NHL Frk paced at 29 goals and 39 points. No he didn’t score much with Detroit but that’s a different setup, he’ll be coming back to the environment he succeeded in, to play with the guy that has gotten the best from him. He has played the best hockey of his career with Vilardi, and this is as much about getting the best from Gabe than a direct comparison with Wagner. If he gets the best from Vilardi and really gets him going then he becomes a very important player. So between the two it’s an easy choice.
 
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I don’t see it, I see Frk and Luff as the same player. Luff scored 8 in 33 while playing 4th line minutes in 18-19, small sample sizes mean nothing. Plus Wagner leads the team in hits while playing 10mins a night. Scratching him for Frk will just make the team even softer.

Also Frk’s shooting percentage was 23% during his 17 game stint, doubt he’s duplicating that.
 
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Frk wasn't just scoring at pace on the Kings last season. He scored 23 goals on Vilardi's wing in Ontario. There is synergy there and if planting Frk on Gabe's wing in LA helps his development, then it's a no-brainer. IIRC Kempe played the other wing on that line at the end of last season during Gabe's 10 game run. A speedy guy who can actually hold onto the puck i.e. NOT Wagner is what that line needs for zone entries and possession. Someone who can hold the puck long enough for his linemates to enter the zone and start the cycle. It's the role Iaffalo plays on the first line. Enter the zone with speed, peel back, pass it to Kopi or Brown once they enter the zone.
 
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Sol said:
I don't know man, I don't put as much faith in pace.
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That’s fine, and I agree you can only grade the guy on what he’s actually done, right? I’m not saying he WILL score 30 goals, only that for a guy who ‘can’t hit the net’ he was doing it pretty well with Vilardi. IMO he should get a chance to do that until he doesn’t.
 
I watched Frk for years in Detroit's system.
I don't see how Vilardi-Frk is sustainable given their skating.
All respect to the guy for keeping himself in the picture after all these years. But if you're going to have those two together, you better have a speedy, defensive-oriented winger on the other side.
 
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Button Button’ing for the Kings as usual haha. It must have pained him to put so many LAK on the list so he had to punish us somehow.
 
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I usually find he puts a lot of onus on the world Jrs and seems to like to hype prospects of Canadian teams. This list though is as confusing as some of Todd’s lineups
 
Button's annual ranking always seem a little bit too reactionary to how the WJC unfolded. Almost like ranking students based on the SAT results.

His 2019 ranking had Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the #13 prospect overall with Jake Oettinger nowhere in sight. Luukkonen had backstopped Finland to a WJC Gold Medal and he was solid in the tournament but I didn't think he was suddenly a top tier prospect (Button did this in 2017 when he listed Tyler Parsons as the #12 prospect fresh off WJC Gold for Team USA). Meanwhile Oettinger happened to be two weeks too old to be eligible for the WJC, so he was seemingly out of sight / out of mind.
 
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Brodeur said:
Button's annual ranking always seem a little bit too reactionary to how the WJC unfolded. Almost like ranking students based on the SAT results.

His 2019 ranking had Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the #13 prospect overall with Jake Oettinger nowhere in sight. Luukkonen had backstopped Finland to a WJC Gold Medal and he was solid in the tournament but I didn't think he was suddenly a top tier prospect (Button did this in 2017 when he listed Tyler Parsons as the #12 prospect fresh off WJC Gold for Team USA). Meanwhile Oettinger happened to be two weeks too old to be eligible for the WJC, so he was seemingly out of sight / out of mind.
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His 2016 list is pretty hilarious.
TSN Hockey's Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects - TSN.ca

Look at who he has ranked at 17 and the names ahead of him.
 
I haven't watched the Reign's games. How has Byfield looked?
That production for a guy that young - won't be 19 until August - is crazy.
But I also see the -13 or whatever.
 
MBH said:
I haven't watched the Reign's games. How has Byfield looked?
That production for a guy that young - won't be 19 until August - is crazy.
But I also see the -13 or whatever.
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He was - 19 a few weeks ago. He went on a 5 game goal scoring streak a few weeks ago and is generally figuring things out. Has to work on his defensive and would like to see him be more aggressive
 
Byfield has shown Malkin-like flashes of unstoppable dominance and Alexander Ovechkin-like flashes of defensive negligence

He’s got a LOT to learn for sure about all-around pro game but anyone that’s watched can see the insane potential, but the inconsistency has sure been there—though both that and his ‘drive’ are certainly improving. And what I mean by his drive isn’t that it didn’t exist—he seems to be the kind of player that will utterly thrive with familiarity as once he gets comfortable he’s instinctual instead of overly thoughtful. You can see that with his drive off the boards for a goal last week. Such a natural, nonchalant “I’m just going to use my body to beat 4 dudes” move. Not that ANYONE can consistently do that at an NHL level—but when you see that, you want more, and can understand why anyone saying he could be the best in that draft if he puts it all together like that more frequently. That blend of tools—size, speed, agility/edges, hands—is quite literally unstoppable.
 
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