Speculation: 2021-21 LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster discussion part V

[DoktorJeep]

Prospects are not ruined by playing on a team with the expectation of losing. They’re only ruined when the big money players can’t lead the team to wins and management looks for ways to deflect blame.

 

[No Name The Nameless]

If this team is going to suck for another damn year, we'd better suck because we're giving key prospects big minutes. If we're bottom three after 15 games, it's time to stop sheltering minutes.

Turcotte - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Andersson - Danault - Vilardi
Arvidsson - Byfield - Tkachev
Iafallo - JAD - Moore

No way man. Keep the kids far away. The kings are an ice cream truck that sells drugs.

 

[No Name The Nameless]

Prospects are not ruined by playing on a team with the expectation of losing. They’re only ruined when the big money players can’t lead the team to wins and management looks for ways to deflect blame.

Losing breeds losers. Unless you are a sociopath you cannot help but become programmed with acceptance on some level.
I think we’ve seen this a little bit with DD in the past. A known winner with a winners mind set has many times packed it in. He’s also deflected blame (excuses).

When you are not fighting for that high, what are you fighting for? The love of the game? The money?

 

[KingsFan7824]

If this team is going to suck for another damn year, we'd better suck because we're giving key prospects big minutes. If we're bottom three after 15 games, it's time to stop sheltering minutes.

Turcotte - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Andersson - Danault - Vilardi
Arvidsson - Byfield - Tkachev
Iafallo - JAD - Moore

Where is all this roster space coming from? Especially 16 games into the year. You know they're not sitting or trading Brown, so you're just making yourself more agitated by hoping for it.

 

[YP44]

Sure you want gabe to learn from him, but RV - Kopi - Brown has been one of the most dominate lines in hockey this season according to the advanced metrics.

agreed, but I think that it is Kopitar that is driving those stats. I am a big Brown fan and think he can help balance the lineup.

 

[YP44]

If this team is going to suck for another damn year, we'd better suck because we're giving key prospects big minutes. If we're bottom three after 15 games, it's time to stop sheltering minutes.

Turcotte - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Andersson - Danault - Vilardi
Arvidsson - Byfield - Tkachev
Iafallo - JAD - Moore

What did you do to Brown?

 

[YP44]

It utterly amazes me how people think throwing prospects into big minutes they aren't ready for is somehow good for their development. You want to ruin a prospect? That's how.

agreed for the most part.
to prove your point look at how Edmonton treated their prospects not named Conner or Leon.

 

[bland]

What did you do to Brown?

Introducing the new Bailey.

 

[MollerManor]

If this team is going to suck for another damn year, we'd better suck because we're giving key prospects big minutes. If we're bottom three after 15 games, it's time to stop sheltering minutes.

Turcotte - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Andersson - Danault - Vilardi
Arvidsson - Byfield - Tkachev
Iafallo - JAD - Moore

I mean I get what you are saying, but again like most said, the "Brown problem".. (which I really don't see as that big of a deal).

I think it's incredibly reasonable to give him the Shane Doan send off.. put him on the 4th line, have him grind like the good ol days but on reduced time, shelter his remaining skill while giving some wisdom to the young kids, and we can all reminisce of the good ol cup days once he plays his final send-off game and retires on semi-good terms without doing too much (more) damage.

 

[bland]

No way man. Keep the kids far away. The kings are an ice cream truck that sells drugs.

I think the only thing that is going to change the direction of this team is the overwhelming influx of youth that returns an enthusiasm, energy and aggressive spirit to the franchise. You have to put kids in the position to play their game, not fall in line behind a stale, settled enviornment watching older players get all the key situational minutes.

Its a real bummer that Byfield got hurt, nothing management can do about that. Bjornfot is starting to blossom, and all these big minutes as a #2 for Anderson will be invaluable for him when he settles into a #4 role in the near future. Its imperative that the forwards get those same opportunities, and watching Vilardi and Kaliyev sit in previous games to over play 34+ year olds in a vain attempt at being a playoff team is really, really depressing. It was refreshing to see how the bench was handled last night after such a disheartening effort in the previous game.

 

[Fat Elvis]

It like to see Moverare recalled to play a few games. The available RHD in Ont isn't great(Durzi) or not ready(Grans) and I've seen enough of Clague.

The team at the moment is just so disjointed, it's a tough watch. These injuries are not ideal and hopefully we're not completely out of it by Thanksgiving.

 

[YP44]

I mean I get what you are saying, but again like most said, the "Brown problem".. (which I really don't see as that big of a deal).

I think it's incredibly reasonable to give him the Shane Doan send off.. put him on the 4th line, have him grind like the good ol days but on reduced time, shelter his remaining skill while giving some wisdom to the young kids, and we can all reminisce of the good ol cup days once he plays his final send-off game and retires on semi-good terms without doing too much (more) damage.

Brown is more than a 4th line player at this point in his career. Give him 1 year deals as long as he wants them.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Brown is more than a 4th line player at this point in his career. Give him 1 year deals as long as he wants them.

Yeah nah. Brown is fine, but the older guys need to go for roster spots.

With Buffalo getting a bunch of teams foaming at the mouths for centers, Kings should put Kopi on the market at 50% retained. See what happens.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yeah nah. Brown is fine, but the older guys need to go for roster spots.

With Buffalo getting a bunch of teams foaming at the mouths for centers, Kings should put Kopi on the market at 50% retained. See what happens.

There's nothing the Kings have done for years on end that would suggest they will put Kopitar at 50% out there. If it were possible, it would be fun to speculate on it, but it ain't happening.

Get through this year, whatever happens, happens. Brown, Athanasiou, Kempe, Tkachev, Vilardi, Lizotte, Grundstrom, Lemieux, and Andersson are all up after this year. That's 9 of 14 spots. You hope some of the RFAs are worth re-signing, but that's at least a solid handful of spots that can easily be left open for what is supposed to be a lot of quality youth.

Obviously management did not believe that most of the prospects were ready this year. Right or wrong evaluations, irrelevant. They brought in or kept too many vets to think otherwise.

If they do the same next summer though, then we can really start to question the building blocks of this rebuilding effort.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

It like to see Moverare recalled to play a few games. The available RHD in Ont isn't great(Durzi) or not ready(Grans) and I've seen enough of Clague.

The team at the moment is just so disjointed, it's a tough watch. These injuries are not ideal and hopefully we're not completely out of it by Thanksgiving.

I’d give a Durzi a shot. Strand seems to play better with LA than on ONT. Maybe Durzi will be similar. If not, we’ll need to run with Clague.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The idea of Durzi having to play defense on NHL-level forwards is nightmare fuel. And his offense isn't good enough to overcome that.

 

[kingsfan]

Kopi has a nearly full NTC thankfully. I hope he never gets dealt unless he asks to be and has the chance to retire as a King. I hope we're never such an unclassy organization as to try and jettison our legends, especially ones who are still performing very well like Kopitar.

 

[YP44]

The idea of Durzi having to play defense on NHL-level forwards is nightmare fuel. And his offense isn't good enough to overcome that.

Rather him than have Clague play his off side.

kind of a shit situation. If Durzi comes up and does well LA will likely lose him on waivers once everyone is healthy. If he plays poorly than that obviously is shit.

 

[YP44]

Yeah nah. Brown is fine, but the older guys need to go for roster spots.

With Buffalo getting a bunch of teams foaming at the mouths for centers, Kings should put Kopi on the market at 50% retained. See what happens.

nope

 

[bland]

Kopi has a nearly full NTC thankfully. I hope he never gets dealt unless he asks to be and has the chance to retire as a King. I hope we're never such an unclassy organization as to try and jettison our legends, especially ones who are still performing very well like Kopitar.

The team is what matters, not the players. We will all miss Kopitar when he is gone, but he really should have been dealt before his last extension for the health of the organization. The Kings haven't benefited one bit from that deal, they were never in position to succeed in the first half and the second half of it - which admittedly I thought would see his play suffer but was dead wrong - saw the inevitable rebuild delayed by chasing playoffs.

There is a very good chance that the Kings will not have won a single playoff game in the entire duration of his max extension. Had they traded him to jump start the rebuild years ago it is likely that they are already well ahead of where they are now. Sure its conjecture, but what we do know is that not trading him has no tangible positive results.

Who is better off for him being here? Vilardi hasn't set the world on fire. None of the other young forwards have succeeded, much less overachieved. Hopefully Byfield will be the one to actually learn something from Anze.

Brown and Kopitar are model citizens, but can anybody point to anything positive that they have done to help anybody grow?

 

[kingsfan]

How would you know who helps who grow exactly?

No one, absolutely no one, would see the Kings possibly not winning a playoff game during Kopitar's contract. Nor was it an overpayment, then or now. Brown's was and I can see the argument against that one, but Kopi and Quick's deals were solid investments at the time that haven't panned out in terms of playoff success. Since winning the cup last we've had a true number one centre, a true number one defenseman and what we thought would be a true number one goalie, so three of the biggest foundational blocks to build around quickly. The fact management has messed that up -both DL and Blake- doesn't take away the fact we could have put together a good team around them if management wasn't imploding the team around them for various reasons over the years.

 

[HookKing]

It would be interesting to see if Brown would be willing to go at the TDL. Maybe his kids would like to see him in a playoff run. I think I lot of contenders might want him aboard for a run...he's skating well and hitting and scoring. Coming back next year? Certainly negotiable.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

I had no idea we had so many members of Sean Durzi's extended family posting here

 

[YP44]

I had no idea we had so many members of Sean Durzi's extended family posting here

slim pickings

 

[YP44]

It would be interesting to see if Brown would be willing to go at the TDL. Maybe his kids would like to see him in a playoff run. I think I lot of contenders might want him aboard for a run...he's skating well and hitting and scoring. Coming back next year? Certainly negotiable.

if brown comes to blake and says deal me ____ for a crack at the cup, then sure.