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

[DryIslandBartender]

Blake should recognize what he has in Bjornfot, a defenseman that conceivably can be a mainstay for 12-15 years in LA. He is under cost control for a few years and should not be included in any trade talks at all.

As far as the Eichel stuff, I don’t see it happening. Buffalo is going to ask for the moon and center is not a need for this team. I think Blake is going to make more low risk moves, add a trusty veteran on the cheap to fill out the bottom six, along with more serviceable defenseman that defend the puck. Think Bobby Ryan, Dmitri Kulikov etc.

 

[Sparky206]

Blake hasnt got much credit for the AA signing. He is a gun at creating high danger chances and has really taken to playing a two way game. I'd have no issues locking him up for 4-5 years for something starting with a 3.

 

[KingsFan7824]

The need for a “Doughty partner” is a poor asset usage. If the Kings get a true #2 or even a 1b. You don’t pair him with Doughty, you put him in the second pair and have one of them on the ice for atleast 45 mins of the game. Instead of both on the ice for 25 mins. It’s what the Kings did when Voynov was on the team. It’s what the Ducks did with Pronger/Neids.

Doughty and Voynov were both RHD, and you rarely see a RHD play the left side. LHD play the right side all the time, but not the other way for whatever reason. Walker was there with Doughty last year, but he's no longer there.

Blake hasnt got much credit for the AA signing. He is a gun at creating high danger chances and has really taken to playing a two way game. I'd have no issues locking him up for 4-5 years for something starting with a 3.

The shorter, the better. No reason to lock yourself into a guy like Athanasiou. 2 years. Maybe 3 to keep the cap hit down a bit.

 

[HookKing]

He's finally 50% on face-offs this year. Kopitar was sub-50% until he was 24, too.

You can't be serious. Kopitar was just a shade under 50%, Eichel is under 45.

 

[YP44]

You can't be serious. Kopitar was just a shade under 50%, Eichel is under 45.

curious how many defensive zone faceoffs Eichel takes compared to other top line centers. Given the offensive zone team gets to pick side it definitely has an impact. Buffalo, I imagine, takes a larger amount of defensive starts than most.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Trading Bjornfot is silly talk even for Eichel. We finally have a pretty solid D and it will only get better. I do think they could use some more toughness back there but those guys are hard to come by.

 

[YP44]

Trading Bjornfot is silly talk even for Eichel. We finally have a pretty solid D and it will only get better. I do think they could use some more toughness back there but those guys are hard to come by.

If Bjornfot is the key piece in a Eichel trade I do that every day of the week. elite centers are harder to find than D.

 

[BringTheReign]

Re: Eichel faceoff win percentage (or Vilardi's, for that matter)

There are multiple public analyses that show faceoff win percentage has much less importance on team winning percentage or success on the penalty kill and power play than folks would expect. Instances where teams score or are scored on right off the draw are easy to remember, when the reality is most goals occur not as a direct result of a faceoff win or loss.

A typical NHL game features 60 faceoffs. But while their overall impact on goals and wins is minimal (it takes an average of 75 faceoffs to achieve a plus-one goal differential), Czuzoj-Shulman says “if teams can pull off the faceoff strategy they want to, and can set up a player for an open shot, there’s a ton of value there.”

Smith School of Business - Insight - A Data Edge in the Faceoff Circle
DO FACEOFFS MATTER IN HOCKEY? – Five Hole Analytics
Searching for a link between winning faceoffs and NHL games
http://statsportsconsulting.com/main/wp-content/uploads/FaceoffAnalysis12-12.pdf

 

[kilowatt]

You can't be serious. Kopitar was just a shade under 50%, Eichel is under 45.

Was*

Eichel is at 50% this season. Yes, Kopitar is historically better than Eichel at the same ages, but Eichel has improved his faceoff percentage significantly the past three seasons, and it's reasonable to expect it to continue to improve.

I'm not convinced we should trade for Eichel, though.

 

[YP44]

Was*

Eichel is at 50% this season. Yes, Kopitar is historically better than Eichel at the same ages, but Eichel has improved his faceoff percentage significantly the past three seasons, and it's reasonable to expect it to continue to improve.

I'm not convinced we should trade for Eichel, though.

i just don't think faceoffs should be the deciding factor.

 

[kilowatt]

i just don't think faceoffs should be the deciding factor.

I don't either, they don't have much sway on me. I was just responding to questions about Eichel's faceoff prowess.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Why are we talking Eichel? I drafted him in the 1st round of my fantasy league and he's been horrible.

It's funny how the deepest position in this org is center and we are talking about adding a center. Kings should be looking at a goal scoring winger and a top 4 D under 25.

 

[SFKingshomer]

I'd make a play for Reinhart and McCabe.

 

[YP44]

quick injured?

 

[YP44]

Why are we talking Eichel? I drafted him in the 1st round of my fantasy league and he's been horrible.

It's funny how the deepest position in this org is center and we are talking about adding a center. Kings should be looking at a goal scoring winger and a top 4 D under 25.

probably talking because LA has been linked to him. I think LA should be looking at D if anything, but do to expansion should wait till summer.

Looking at the years the kings won the cup how many players did they have that were fantasy studs? I don't think in any sport there is as much of a disconnect between fantasy value and actual value as there is in hockey.

 

[regulate]

quick injured?

Yes, he's out considered day to day. Also Ingham was recalled from the ECHL to the AHL, so we may see Grosenick or Villalta on the NHL roster this week.

 

[YP44]

Yes, he's out considered day to day. Also Ingham was recalled from the ECHL to the AHL, so we may see Grosenick or Villalta on the NHL roster this week.

gros is backing up tonight

 

[Bandit]

Great. Looks like he got hit in the head.

 

[Schmooley]

If Quick is out for some time then here is Cals chance to prove himself as a number 1 goalie that can handle the load. I think hes capable.

 

[tny760]

Great. Looks like he got hit in the head.

yeah vilardi kneed him in either the head or the shoulder huh? i saw the phrase "banged up" a couple times, that plus day-to-day makes me hope it's not a concussion

i went back and saw a reverse angle, seemed like when he went to retrieve his stick he was hunched over so he was definitely favoring something, but i can't tell if that was nursing dizziness or a shoulder stinger

regardless, i think cal's up to the task, he's been getting good work in and playing well. good problem to have i guess

 

[Matt13]

yeah walker kneed him in either the head or the shoulder huh? i saw the phrase "banged up" a couple times, that plus day-to-day makes me hope it's not a concussion

i went back and saw a reverse angle, seemed like when he went to retrieve his stick he was hunched over so he was definitely favoring something, but i can't tell if that was nursing dizziness or a shoulder stinger

regardless, i think cal's up to the task, he's been getting good work in and playing well. good problem to have i guess

Vilardi.

 

[tny760]

Vilardi.

er yeah

i think i typed that while faust was saying "walker" and my brain crossed up... weird

 

[Brodeur]

Why are we talking Eichel? I drafted him in the 1st round of my fantasy league and he's been horrible.

Eichel is shooting 3.3% which is almost unsustainably low. It's not by a wide margin but Eichel is tied for the league lead in goal posts hit with 5 (which I didn't realize was a stat that NHL.com bothered to track).

Shooting percentage can fluctuate wildly even among top players. in 2016-17, Nathan MacKinnon shot 6.4% and Claude Giroux shot 7%. The following year both guys doubled those numbers and were in the running for the Hart.

As for the Kings, I think it's just writers throwing spaghetti against a wall as only a few teams could make an offer that Buffalo would stop and think about.

 

[Reaper45]

Eichel is shooting 3.3% which is almost unsustainably low. It's not by a wide margin but Eichel is tied for the league lead in goal posts hit with 5 (which I didn't realize was a stat that NHL.com bothered to track).

Shooting percentage can fluctuate wildly even among top players. in 2016-17, Nathan MacKinnon shot 6.4% and Claude Giroux shot 7%. The following year both guys doubled those numbers and were in the running for the Hart.

As for the Kings, I think it's just writers throwing spaghetti against a wall as only a few teams could make an offer that Buffalo would stop and think about.

Yep. I mean imagine if Buffalo really decides to deal their 24 year old #1 center. They’re gonna want to send him far into the west so they don’t have to face him often. Kings are on of the few teams who could make that happen.

 

[Stimpythecat]

Yeah. Kings are one of the few teams with the assets and cap space to do it. I really don't think they want to send him to the rangers and have to read about and face him all the time.

Detroit has the cap space but I am not sure about the pieces.

Some of the sharks fans think they have the pieces to trade for him. I am not nearly as familiar with their farm system as others but is this really the case?