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

[Martyros]

Is there really any risk of a team claiming Frk? He's a guy with limited proven NHL results, coming off an injury, not in game shape and during the CV period with down financial times for teams. I honeslty don't know this answer. But from my virgin eyes, it seems like the Kings FO felt pretty sure that he'd clear waivers and he'd be sent to Ontario to rehab himself into game shape.

a team that needs a new, fresh, cheap body on the roster?

 

[YP44]

Once again Carter with a free pass. Disgusting.

Carter has looked really good last couple of games IMO. Hill absolutely robbed him a couple of times and he seems like one of few guys who gave a shit

 

[lexlavender]

Both Frk and Vilardi should be sent down to get some reps

 

[YP44]

Both Frk and Vilardi should be sent down to get some reps

honestly would rather see both in than wagner. I am done with Wagner at this point. Really routed for hte guy but he needs to be moved.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

BARF.

Need Roy back...and feel sorry for Lemieux...Lizotte and Wagner won't get him the puck. Lizotte holds it too long and does nothing with it and and Wagner rarely passes and takes low % shots.

Lias should be playing with Lemieux. MacD on second paring? Here comes 4th loss in a row.
LA Kings projected lineup vs. Arizona Coyotes

Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown
Athanasiou – Kempe – Carter
Moore – JAD – Grundstrom
Lemieux – Lizotte – Wagner

Anderson – Doughty
MacDermid – Walker
Clague – Strand

Quick (starter)
Petersen

 

[KingLB]

Is there really any risk of a team claiming Frk? He's a guy with limited proven NHL results, coming off an injury, not in game shape and during the CV period with down financial times for teams. I honeslty don't know this answer. But from my virgin eyes, it seems like the Kings FO felt pretty sure that he'd clear waivers and he'd be sent to Ontario to rehab himself into game shape.

He had a few decent games, then disappeared. Basically the best way to get over hyped on HF is to not play...Now I can extrapolate his small sample size across a whole year!!

 

[YP44]

BARF.

Need Roy back...and feel sorry for Lemieux...Lizotte and Wagner won't get him the puck. Lizotte holds it too long and does nothing with it and and Wagner rarely passes and takes low % shots.

Lias should be playing with Lemieux. MacD on second paring? Here comes 4th loss in a row.
LA Kings projected lineup vs. Arizona Coyotes

Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown
Athanasiou – Kempe – Carter
Moore – JAD – Grundstrom
Lemieux – Lizotte – Wagner

Anderson – Doughty
MacDermid – Walker
Clague – Strand

Quick (starter)
Petersen

Durzi over MacD for me.

Anderson - Doughty
Clague - Walker
Durzi - Strand

 

[tny760]

i'm good with that. gabe looks like he's needed a game or two off for a reset for a while now. nothing against him, this is a whole new kind of load..

 

[AlphaBravo]

BARF.

Need Roy back...and feel sorry for Lemieux...Lizotte and Wagner won't get him the puck. Lizotte holds it too long and does nothing with it and and Wagner rarely passes and takes low % shots.

Lias should be playing with Lemieux. MacD on second paring? Here comes 4th loss in a row.
LA Kings projected lineup vs. Arizona Coyotes

Iafallo – Kopitar – Brown
Athanasiou – Kempe – Carter
Moore – JAD – Grundstrom
Lemieux – Lizotte – Wagner

Anderson – Doughty
MacDermid – Walker
Clague – Strand

Quick (starter)
Petersen

I think the winning streak tainted our expectations regarding where this team currently stands. However, when you stop and objectively look at this lineup, you clearly realize we should not even be a bubble playoff team this year. That looks absolutely awful.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Seeing these line combinations is the only remaining hope I have for this season.

Iafallo Kopitar Vilardi
Kaliyev Kempe Brown
Grundstrom JAD Andersson
Lemieux Byfield Turcotte

Anderson Doughty
Clague Roy
Bjornfot Walker

Petersen

I think AA22 and Moore move by the TDL.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Jesus Frking Christ



I mean I doubt he’ll be claimed but why waivers and not conditioning stint? Asset/contract management? He’s done in the NHL for the year? Seems a little heavy handed .

 

[Statto]

Durzi over MacD for me.

Anderson - Doughty
Clague - Walker
Durzi - Strand

Durzi couldn’t even get his positioning in front of his own net right when the puck was in the corner, in the last Reign game I watched. He’s a long way from being the answer and right now I think I’d take Brickley over him but in all truth there are few options with all the injuries. I’d play MacD IF he’s going to show some snarl, otherwise I really don’t get the point of him and he’s another one that’s been pretty meek the last few games. Maybe with Lemieux in the lineup they can tag team and feed off each other a little... dunno.

 

[King'sPawn]

Durzi over MacD for me.

Anderson - Doughty
Clague - Walker
Durzi - Strand

What has Durzi done at the AHL level to suggest he should get an NHL game?

 

[KingLB]

What has Durzi done at the AHL level to suggest he should get an NHL game?

I’m not advocating, but with the Kings hurting for offense, adding firepower from the back wouldn’t be the worst idea?

 

[Statto]

Jesus Frking Christ



I mean I doubt he’ll be claimed but why waivers and not conditioning stint? Asset/contract management? He’s done in the NHL for the year? Seems a little heavy handed .

I guess they don’t like what they are seeing from him for whatever reason. Maybe they plan on sending Vilardi down also for the rest of the season, which I’d certainly consider. It’d give the Reign a bit more strength in depth and give the flexibility to send guys back and forth for a few games. As I’ve said, Vilardi looks mentally tired so time in the AHL may be of benefit to give him big minutes and further improve his conditioning.

There are a lot of moving parts right now and I have to think they have a plan, we aren’t yet quite seeing.

 

[Steve Zissou]

TMac get your head out of your ass and put Lias back in.

 

[YP44]

What has Durzi done at the AHL level to suggest he should get an NHL game?

was looking for offense. Our d coverage is shit with MacD as is.

 

[Bandit]

TMac get your head out of your ass and put Lias back in.

Really is a ball-scratcher...

 

[AlphaBravo]

I guess they don’t like what they are seeing from him for whatever reason. Maybe they plan on sending Vilardi down also for the rest of the season, which I’d certainly consider. It’d give the Reign a bit more strength in depth and give the flexibility to send guys back and forth for a few games. As I’ve said, Vilardi looks mentally tired so time in the AHL may be of benefit to give him big minutes and further improve his conditioning.

There are a lot of moving parts right now and I have to think they have a plan, we aren’t yet quite seeing.

Haven't heard this option raised before, but if Vilardi is still waiver exempt, I think this is a good idea. Reign need help, and this team needs to send a message that your spot is not secure on this team. I would love to see Carter benched as well to make this message clear. The season is over, might has well set the foundation for next season. I would also like to see Byfield, Turcotte, Kaliyev get their 7 games (and others).

 

[head eyes]

was looking for offense. Our d coverage is shit with MacD as is.

MacDermid has more goals than every other Kings D that isn't named Doughty. Durzi makes MacD look like Matt Greene in the D-zone.

 

[Sol]

No. I wish you said get rid of a random vet. Because then it could be argued if it was a middling player, like Maatta, that the youth would be competing to replace him.

Nobody can competently play Kopitar's role - a No. 1 center.

So trading a player just to get value means you still need to fill his role. That means:
- putting in a player who can't fill it, setting them up to fail
- forcing a rookie to do it, setting them up to fail
- overspending on free agency to get someone to fill the spot.

The Kings don't need to throw more quality vets away. They need their youth to develop and take over.

It's the same as with Carter. If your youth couldn't replace him, then you have bigger problems to address before worrying about trading him.

Even with youth capable of filling in the voids after trading Muzzin, Martinez, etc, they're still a mess defensively. Luckily Doughty can carry the top pair. Trade Kopitar, and you have less of a top line than what you have now, and nobody to carry it.

Trading Kopitar means you are trying to make the team worse and you want to kick start a rebuild inside the rebuild you already have.

The youth is outplaying Carter now. Trade him. This is the process I've been advocating.



Then-rookies Kopitar/Doughty/etc had plenty of different personalities and influences to help mold them. However, Kopitar and Doughty were talented enough to take in the roles, or integrate themselves into that role, fairly quickly. Mostly because Kopitar and Doughty didn't have a "Kopitar and Doughty" already on the team to replace and supplant.

I'm not saying keep Kopitar to foster a competitive/run through the wall attitude. We both know he's not that type of player. But he's a player with attention to detail, self-accountability as far as his role on the ice, and not seeing himself above playing a defensive game.

You need your top players to show those soft skills, as well as helping teach Byfield how he, as a player of similar size, can incorporate using his body and mechanics to protect and move the puck. Kopitar had to learn most of that himself or from lesser skilled players - that doesn't mean the Kings should expect the next wave to do the same.

I'm not opposed to bringing in grizzled vets, or vets with an attitude/toughness. I know it's not popular, but that's a part of the culture MacDermid brings, though again, he needs to be on the lower scale of ice time. He still brings that intensity to his game. I also wish the Kings re-signed Clifford.

Byfield, Turcotte, Anderson, Bjornfot, etc will be the next wave on the Kings if they own it. It has to come from them. Just like how it had to come from Pearson, Toffoli, Forbort. None of them stepped up to be more than settling into a role. If they don't own it, then frankly none of this matters, whether Kopitar is traded or not.

Im just completely perplexed by this notion. Who has Kopitar molded yet? Why is this there such an unholy boner from you to keep him? Do you think Byfield is that bad that he doesn't have the decent hockey skill or IQ to figure that himself or take advice from the coaching staff rather than Kopitar? It's like that guy said, you can bring in players like Foligno. Other vets that aren't gonna cost an arm and a leg to guide the younger players. You dont need to let Kopitar waste away for god damn training wheels purposes. There is obviously no middle ground in this discussion so lets call it done.


Kings aren't going anywhere with Kopitar as their number one center... Why is there such a desire to let him waste away? "WE NEED A NUMBER ONE CENTER OMGGGGGGGG" Yeah. We are 26th. We need the youth to come in and the Kings need to get better assets to accelerate the transition to younger players. I'd agree with you if the Kings were 1 or 2 players from being a good team. They're not. Putting training wheels on a broken bike. Amazing.

 

[Sol]

Curious to hear why Frk is on frking waivers.

Cause he's probably injured a lot and takes up a roster spot.

 

[BigKing]

I'll just say this: I was cringing the entire time Durzi was on the ice in OT last night because I expected an odd-man rush the other way and boy did he ever deliver.

Maybe there is the whole "more structure" at the NHL level v. the AHL but he looks like dog shit in the AHL. You just keep rolling MacD out there with the current injury situation and hope for the best.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Maybe the Muzzin deal isn't so good now - Durzi sucks, Grunny is inconsistent and the 1st is TB, but he is no Muzzin.

 

[AzKing]

Im just completely perplexed by this notion. Who has Kopitar molded yet? Why is this there such an unholy boner from you to keep him? Do you think Byfield is that bad that he doesn't have the decent hockey skill or IQ to figure that himself or take advice from the coaching staff rather than Kopitar? It's like that guy said, you can bring in players like Foligno. Other vets that aren't gonna cost an arm and a leg to guide the younger players. You dont need to let Kopitar waste away for god damn training wheels purposes. There is obviously no middle ground in this discussion so lets call it done.


Kings aren't going anywhere with Kopitar as their number one center... Why is there such a desire to let him waste away? "WE NEED A NUMBER ONE CENTER OMGGGGGGGG" Yeah. We are 26th. We need the youth to come in and the Kings need to get better assets to accelerate the transition to younger players. I'd agree with you if the Kings were 1 or 2 players from being a good team. They're not. Putting training wheels on a broken bike. Amazing.

Kopitar is a lot like Kershaw is with the Dodgers. They are good players and lead by example with regards to being hard workers, clean, etc. They are not molders of talent though. They are also not outspoken or leaders in the room that will stand up and get angry. It just isn't their style. The Dodgers went out and got Mookie Betts to do that heavy lifting. Doughty seems to be the one who does it for the Kings because Brown isn't that type of leader either.

The Kings need more guys who will step up and hold players accountable in the room. The problem is that a guy usually has to be a good player in order to command the respect needed to call other guys out. You can't have some plumber on the 4th line in that role. We don't have that Justin Williams, Mike Richards type of player on this team from the Forwards group.