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Speculation: 2020-21 News/Rumors/Roster Thread Part IV

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I was a little down on our defensive corps through the first couple of weeks, but I gotta say that I am pleasantly surprised with what i've seen since then. Roy and Walker have exceeded expectations. Anderson and Bjornfot will be studs in this league for years to come. It's like not Doughty is old. Clague has had moments where you are like hmmmmm he's not as bad as I thought. Strand is probably the biggest eye opener for me. He has looked dynamic in every game that i've seen him in. As much as I like the physical presence that MacDermid brings, you can tell that he's not as mobile as he needs to be with some of the matchups he'll be facing. That's a very solid base and we can definitely trade for another if and when we are in a position to go far in the playoffs. This year's draft will have a lot of great defensemen prospects. Hopefully Blake and Co. has done their homework and we find a couple of gems.
 
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DryIslandBartender said:
Eichel/Kopitar pairing won’t be scoring 100 points on the regular like those guys.
Click to expand...

How many cups have McDavid/Draisaitl won? Lots of points don't equal lots of wins. Having Kopitar as our second line center would be ridiculous. We would immediately be legitimate playoff contenders with our current team, not to mention the rest of our prospects on the way.

Let's assume the trade would look something like Byfield, Kupari, Clague, and our 2021 1st.

That still leaves us with Turcotte, Vilardi, Kaliyev, Madden, Thomas, Bjornfot, and the rest of the prospects.

Turcotte - Eichel - Kaliyev
Iafallo - Kopitar - Brown
Kempe - Vilardi - Madden
Grundstrom - JAD - Thomas

Bjornfot - Doughty
Anderson - Roy
Maatta - Walker

Would that roster be better with Byfield, Kupari, and Clague instead of Eichel? Jack's a top ten center in the league as is and he's only 24. It's not like we're trading for Crosby hoping to make one last push before it's too late for Doughty and Kopitar. Eichel can lead this team for a long time.

I totally understand not wanting to do it, I just think it's really, really rare to have the stars align like this. We have the capspace, the prospects, and the surrounding players to make this work and to compete immediately. We're even in a better position than we were heading into the 2011-12 season! Eichel might not push us to a cup this season, but the kids coming up in the next year or two might.

I'm really torn because I love the prospect group that we've got, but I also recognize that Kopitar and Doughty won't be great forever. I don't want our prospects to graduate onto a milquetoast team that can't compete. I don't want to be the Oilers. :)
 
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kilowatt said:
How many cups have McDavid/Draisaitl won? Lots of points don't equal lots of wins. Having Kopitar as our second line center would be ridiculous. We would immediately be legitimate playoff contenders with our current team, not to mention the rest of our prospects on the way.

Let's assume the trade would look something like Byfield, Kupari, Clague, and our 2021 1st.

That still leaves us with Turcotte, Vilardi, Kaliyev, Madden, Thomas, Bjornfot, and the rest of the prospects.

Turcotte - Eichel - Kaliyev
Iafallo - Kopitar - Brown
Kempe - Vilardi - Madden
Grundstrom - JAD - Thomas

Bjornfot - Doughty
Anderson - Roy
Maatta - Walker

Would that roster be better with Byfield, Kupari, and Clague instead of Eichel? Jack's a top ten center in the league as is and he's only 24. It's not like we're trading for Crosby hoping to make one last push before it's too late for Doughty and Kopitar. Eichel can lead this team for a long time.

I totally understand not wanting to do it, I just think it's really, really rare to have the stars align like this. We have the capspace, the prospects, and the surrounding players to make this work and to compete immediately. We're even in a better position than we were heading into the 2011-12 season! Eichel might not push us to a cup this season, but the kids coming up in the next year or two might.

I'm really torn because I love the prospect group that we've got, but I also recognize that Kopitar and Doughty won't be great forever. I don't want our prospects to graduate onto a milquetoast team that can't compete. I don't want to be the Oilers. :)
Click to expand...

Go work your magic in the Eichel mega thread. They really didn't respond to my trade offer haha.
 
We saw AEG cut expenses recently. The pandemic has hit them particularly hard because of the business they're in (live events).

I don't think they want the Kings adding significant salary right now.
 
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If the Kings keep improving and showing heart, there can be arguments to getting Eichel and against it.

The “For” Eichel argument could be that it shows the vets that Blake isn’t going to let them just ride off into the sunset with Cup memories or be dumped for spare parts. It’s risky though because you can throw off what could be a decade of dominance if the kids you don’t give up deliver.

The “Against” argument is that the Kings aren’t going to win a Cup even with Eichel so while they could be one a better contender, they need more than just one elite Center to be able to knock off the top teams in a playoff series. They also have no idea what they are giving up yet either. Could Turcotte be the next Mike Richards or Byfield the next mega freak in the NHL? Would they be better off staying the course and being a competitive team that nobody really wants to face in the playoffs for a couple years? They then could go from mosquito to some sort of nightmare super team with depth everywhere and a manageable salary cap?

Either way, the Kings are now starting to see some fruits of their labor and are moving towards a proactive rather than reactive situation like what we are seeing in Buffalo, Ottawa etc.

It’s refreshing and makes the games fun for a change.
 
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I'm not on the Eichel bandwagon, but getting him would extend Kopitar's career. Kopi is playing great this year, but imagine if his minutes were reduced and he wasn't the only one relied on in key situations. Definitely would result in some easier minutes.
 
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Seems like Blake is facing his first really big decision. Starting the rebuild two years ago was an easy choice made by the poor play of the team. Building draft capital and a deep prospect pool was also the obvious choice although his scouting department has helped make him look like a genius so far. He has an energized core 5 that knows how to win and can lead the team. But, they are aging and won't be the players to lead the Kings to the next Cup. On the other hand, Blake has the deepest prospect pool in the NHL, multiple draft picks and has the cap space to bring in a superstar player. If Buffalo wants to shake things up, the Kings are the only option in terms of cap space and plentiful young talent that Buffalo would want.

Choice number one is to stay pat. It is the safe and probably smart choice, one that I would likely make. Let the kids develop, see where the holes are, and address them with smaller trades or through the draft. With this direction, we can even sell off a couple of pieces at the trade deadline and acquire more draft picks. The only downside really is that it sends a message to the older core that their time is coming to an end, and, with the exception of Doughty, their days of chasing Cups is over. But, Kopitar, Quick and Brown are consummate professionals and will fill their roles. Rob Blake won’t be fired for choosing this option.

Choice number two is put together a package for Eichel. This would probably be two #1 picks or a #1 and #2, two premium prospects (only one if it is Byfield), one secondary prospect and a roster piece. This would be quite doable given the depth of the prospects pool we have, but it would be a very bold move, one that if it backfires could cost Bluc their jobs down the road. The reality is, however, that Championships are won with bold moves, not by playing it safe. Not that Eichel alone wins us the Cup, but we would certainly be in that position sooner, with our veteran core still around, than we would be by standing pat.

There is one more element to this we have not discussed. You're Jack Eichel. You’ve played for Buffalo for six years now without sniffing the playoffs. Your team is bereft of talent, lacks cap space, is missing draft picks and has a mediocre, at best, prospect pool. That said, you are ‘The Guy’, the captain who get asked all the questions who is responsible for leading a group that has no history of winning. Having all that pressure cannot be a lot of fun and turning a culture of losing around when you are only 24 is quite a challenge above and beyond having to be the biggest producer on the team. Now, you are traded to LA. You no longer have to be ‘The Guy’, Kopitar, Brown and Doughty are. All you have to do is play. Much of the pressure is now off you, and as a bonus, you get to learn from a Core 5 that have each won two cups. The talent level may not be what you would want ideally, but the prospect pipeline is in place. In a few years, you will be ‘The Guy’ again, but you’ll be more mature and will have learned the role from the very best. I can’t imagine that such a change in scenery won’t have a huge positive impact on Eichel’s overall game without the weight of the entire franchise on his shoulders.

This is a defining moment in Blake’s GM career. He won a Cup because Colorado made a huge, bold move to acquire him. Yes, circumstances were different, but this is not an obvious decision for him.
 
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piston said:
This is a defining moment in Blake’s GM career. He won a Cup because Colorado made a huge, bold move to acquire him. Yes, circumstances were different, but this is not an obvious decision for him.
Click to expand...

I think your post is a bit long-winded and dramatic...no offense.

Blake has established one thing to be very clear about his approach to this job...he doesn't think very far out of the box. Whether that's a confidence thing or a calculated method, it's the reality so far of his tenure. As of today, it looks like it's paying off and there's no way Blake is going to disrupt that. Now, 2.5 weeks ago when this looked like another lottery season...he probably still wouldn't do it. Way too bold of a move for Blakey....and I agree with that perspective at this time.
 
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Well now @piston went and got me all f***in pumped up. Where do I sign?

It's not an easy or obvious decision, I agree. But bold vs. conservative...Blake doesn't strike me as that bold. But as you point out, he hasn't had to be yet, either. One thing is for sure--he's not getting another Eichel through trade. So does he throw caution to the wind, or wait for Turcotte and Byfield to arrive?

No offense to the rest of the superb pool but they're essentially spare parts in this discussion, 1-2 of the rest doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

(except bjornfot, hands off pls)
 
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johnjm22 said:
We saw AEG cut expenses recently. The pandemic has hit them particularly hard because of the business they're in (live events).

I don't think they want the Kings adding significant salary right now.
Click to expand...
The Pegulas might want to shed salary too. I’m fine with bringing on Eichel, but not at the ridiculous offers in this thread. Offer Turcotte and 1st round pick either this summer or next (Kings’ choice). If they want more, Blake can hang the phone up. Let them see that there aren’t too many teams that can take on his salary without sending high cost players back.

In other words, Eichel on our terms or not.
 
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Sleeping Dog said:
The Pegulas might want to shed salary too. I’m fine with bringing on Eichel, but not at the ridiculous offers in this thread. Offer Turcotte and 1st round pick either this summer or next (Kings’ choice). If they want more, Blake can hang the phone up. Let them see that there aren’t too many teams that can take on his salary without sending high cost players back.

In other words, Eichel on our terms or not.
Click to expand...
I think we're definitely in a buyer's market. There's just not that many buyers. Budgets and cap space are tight. No one wants to spend money.

Henrique had 26 goals in 71 games last year, and the Ducks couldn't find any takers.

Poor Sabres. If they end up having to move Eichel they'll be selling into the worst market in over a decade.
 
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kingsboy11 said:
Insider Trading: Will Canucks make a deal before the deadline?

Someone posted this in the trade/free agent forum so I thought I'd share it over here. Dreger is indicating that Blake wants to look for a dynamic left handed defenseman under the age of 25
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I wonder who he might be aiming at. Most dynamic 25-and-under LHD I can think of off the top of my head probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon (Dahlin, Hughes, Heiskanen, Sergachev).
 
Wonder if someone like Chychrun fits the bill. Obviously that’s tough with it being a division rival...

edit: Yotes record better than I thought, really not happening.
 
Sleeping Dog said:
The Pegulas might want to shed salary too. I’m fine with bringing on Eichel, but not at the ridiculous offers in this thread. Offer Turcotte and 1st round pick either this summer or next (Kings’ choice). If they want more, Blake can hang the phone up. Let them see that there aren’t too many teams that can take on his salary without sending high cost players back.

In other words, Eichel on our terms or not.
Click to expand...

johnjm22 said:
I think we're definitely in a buyer's market. There's just not that many buyers. Budgets and cap space are tight. No one wants to spend money.

Henrique had 26 goals in 71 games last year, and the Ducks couldn't find any takers.

Poor Sabres. If they end up having to move Eichel they'll be selling into the worst market in over a decade.
Click to expand...

While Eichel is locked up through the 2025-26 season with a $10-million AAV cap hit, a no-movement clause is set to kick in on July 1, 2022. With that in place, Eichel will have complete control of where he is traded to.
 
Dreger on TSN's Insider Trading is saying that Blake is looking for a Dynamic Left Shot Defenseman. I would tend to agree here, that is the big piece that is missing right now both on the roster and in the pipeline. A young proven #2 LD that can provide some offense.
 
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