Speculation: 2021-21 LA Kings News/Rumors/Roster discussion

[Raccoon Jesus]

Knowing our luck Wright will be a Duck and Bedard will be a Shark

 

[johnjm22]

Realistically the options for significantly improving this team are very limited.

As it stands now, there's 8 bottom tier teams in the league heading into the 21-22 season:

Buffalo
Anaheim
NJ
Columbus
Detroit
SJ
LA
Seattle

The Kings point percentage was .341 last two months of this season. Probably a sign of things to come. Real good chance we're picking very high up in the 2022 draft.

 

[Cook24]

Realistically the options for significantly improving this team are very limited.

As it stands now, there's 8 bottom tier teams in the league heading into the 21-22 season:

Buffalo
Anaheim
NJ
Columbus
Detroit
SJ
LA
Seattle

The Kings point percentage was .341 last two months of this season. Probably a sign of things to come. Real good chance we're picking very high up in the 2022 draft.

Not gonna happen. Moves will be made. Team will be much better in a couple months. Would be stupid to hold onto Kopitar and Doughty if we’re just gonna let them waste away...

 

[KopitarFAN]

Not gonna happen. Moves will be made. Team will be much better in a couple months. Would be stupid to hold onto Kopitar and Doughty if we’re just gonna let them waste away...

I tend to agree. Now, whether they'll be any better than a quick 1st round exit (or narrowly miss) is another story.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Blake can easily put together a bullshit team like Montreal. That's all Doughty really wants anyway. Just a team that makes the playoffs. He re-signed after 17-18, so, contender doesn't matter. You can find a Carter Verhaeghe, or a 34 year old Hornqvist out there somewhere.

Keep Doughty happy. Keep him quiet. Just make the playoffs.

 

[deaderhead28]

Not gonna happen. Moves will be made. Team will be much better in a couple months. Would be stupid to hold onto Kopitar and Doughty if we’re just gonna let them waste away...

Bingo

 

[Peter James Bond III]

I don't want to trade prospects where you do not have a good handle on where they will be at, in terms of development in 2 years.
I fear another Erik Cernak deal..."so we gave up Cernak...I don't think he will amount to much" FFFFFFFF!!

If Blake gives up a few prospects, had better be for a legit top 3 forward or #1 LHD. and, take advantage of teams with cap troubles
and tilt the deal some.

 

[tomd]

Blake can easily put together a bullshit team like Montreal. That's all Doughty really wants anyway. Just a team that makes the playoffs. He re-signed after 17-18, so, contender doesn't matter. You can find a Carter Verhaeghe, or a 34 year old Hornqvist out there somewhere.

Keep Doughty happy. Keep him quiet. Just make the playoffs.

Montreal may not be the best example since they are just one win away from being a final 4 team. I think most fans would take that...but not here of course.

Without measurable improvement this summer it is pretty easy to argue that the team would be closer to Buffalo level futility. Montreal or Buffalo...hmmm.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Montreal may not be the best example since they are just one win away from being a final 4 team. I think most fans would take that...but not here of course.

Without measurable improvement this summer it is pretty easy to argue that the team would be closer to Buffalo level futility. Montreal or Buffalo...hmmm.

I'd say they are the best example. A bunch of old guys leading the team, a lot of secondary and complimentary players, with a couple young guys mixed in. As long as you don't play a real team, you can make a 2nd or 3rd rd run if you just get in. Which is all Doughty wants. Get in, play 5 games, play 9 games, whatever it would be, and come back next year. That's what most teams are. It's unlikely the Kings will be a real contender again, no matter what they build with, no matter who is building the team, so, just whatever. Bring in some guys, win a playoff game or two. There's too much luck involved in becoming a true contender. You need great contracts. You have to completely win on a trade or two. You need youthful and cheap production. You need old guys that will play a role.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Not gonna happen. Moves will be made. Team will be much better in a couple months. Would be stupid to hold onto Kopitar and Doughty if we’re just gonna let them waste away...

Why don't people get that there's not a choice with those guys? This isn't 1997, or 2002, or whatever other year without a cap.

 

[Fishhead]

There are 3 other teams that can afford to bring in Kopitar or Doughty without moving significant amounts of salary and they are worse than the Kings.

 

[KINGS17]

Blake can easily put together a bullshit team like Montreal. That's all Doughty really wants anyway. Just a team that makes the playoffs. He re-signed after 17-18, so, contender doesn't matter. You can find a Carter Verhaeghe, or a 34 year old Hornqvist out there somewhere.

Keep Doughty happy. Keep him quiet. Just make the playoffs.

Yeah, if this is the plan, it's garbage.

 

[KINGS17]

Montreal may not be the best example since they are just one win away from being a final 4 team. I think most fans would take that...but not here of course.

Without measurable improvement this summer it is pretty easy to argue that the team would be closer to Buffalo level futility. Montreal or Buffalo...hmmm.

Montreal is going to get worked as soon as they play outside of Canada. Price is going to have to stand on his head for Montreal to win two games in their next series.

 

[Mats26]

I'd say they are the best example. A bunch of old guys leading the team, a lot of secondary and complimentary players, with a couple young guys mixed in. As long as you don't play a real team, you can make a 2nd or 3rd rd run if you just get in. Which is all Doughty wants. Get in, play 5 games, play 9 games, whatever it would be, and come back next year. That's what most teams are. It's unlikely the Kings will be a real contender again, no matter what they build with, no matter who is building the team, so, just whatever. Bring in some guys, win a playoff game or two. There's too much luck involved in becoming a true contender. You need great contracts. You have to completely win on a trade or two. You need youthful and cheap production. You need old guys that will play a role.

Sounds like Montreal to me. Guess what; there are 16 "contenders" every year. Kings(Doughty) know that. Did we forget 2012, just get in and see what happens.

 

[kings11]

Simply put, the Kings need to weaponize their cap space!
#1 on that list should be the TBL..
Sign Palmieri, Coleman, Folingo, heck even Hoffman should be a short term option just to help and try to get the kids a taste of the playoffs more so than Doughty

 

[tomd]

I'd say they are the best example. A bunch of old guys leading the team, a lot of secondary and complimentary players, with a couple young guys mixed in. As long as you don't play a real team, you can make a 2nd or 3rd rd run if you just get in. Which is all Doughty wants. Get in, play 5 games, play 9 games, whatever it would be, and come back next year. That's what most teams are. It's unlikely the Kings will be a real contender again, no matter what they build with, no matter who is building the team, so, just whatever. Bring in some guys, win a playoff game or two. There's too much luck involved in becoming a true contender. You need great contracts. You have to completely win on a trade or two. You need youthful and cheap production. You need old guys that will play a role.

Montreal is going to get worked as soon as they play outside of Canada. Price is going to have to stand on his head for Montreal to win two games in their next series.

So instead you advocate missing the playoffs for the next 4 years in the hope that the Kings will be in a position to draft the next MacKinnon, Makar, Landeskog, and Rantanen. Solid plan. And if that doesn't work, no problem, just rinse and repeat. If Buffalo can do it so can LA!

Only the most diehard tank oriented fans in Montreal are upset at what their team has done this year.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Why don't people get that there's not a choice with those guys? This isn't 1997, or 2002, or whatever other year without a cap.

Failing to set a clear vision and plan has placed management in a difficult situation. The majority of fans are casual and only pay attention to the headlines. They’ve been told that the roster needed reimagining, and the term rebuild has never been put out there by the team, front and center. What makes you think a large number of fans would believe that the cup core aren’t here to win more?

For the majority of Kings fans, the choice is to lessen your fandom if you believe that to be true. Some fans can take a patient outlook, but the business side of the team doesn’t worry about that. The pressure to drive ticket sales, sponsorship dollars and tv ratings is top of mind. And being a good team allows you to charge a premium for those things.

So keeping those players is making a choice to commit to being a premium product. Falling short of that is worse than setting low expectations and then making them. When management has put out a product for 3 years that fails to meet the majority of the expectations that matter, the ones held by people paying money, then they’re going to make short sighted moves to save their skins.

This is why you don’t hire hacks and rookies to run the big club.

 

[KINGS17]

So instead you advocate missing the playoffs for the next 4 years in the hope that the Kings will be in a position to draft the next MacKinnon, Makar, Landeskog, and Rantanen. Solid plan. And if that doesn't work, no problem, just rinse and repeat. If Buffalo can do it so can LA!

Only the most diehard tank oriented fans in Montreal are upset at what their team has done this year.

No, instead of your false choice, I advocate building a contender. I doubt a contending Kings team will have Kopitar, and possibly not Doughty on the roster.

That means having a GM who can spot bargain character players like Stoll and Greene, Williams, Mitchell, etc. and mixing them in with talented young players. It is a solid plan. The question is, can this management team follow a plan and execute on it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I mean if anyone can articulate what the 'vision' is in Montreal I'll give you a cookie.

I don't know anyone that can watch the North division playoffs and believe they have a chance against the field outside of Carey Price channeling the ghost of Patrick Roy.

I'm with @KingsFan7824 , I don't think Blake would struggle from here to put together a 'bullshit' patchwork team like MTL whose goal is simply "get in and anything can happen" but I'm pretty sure the last time a poster used that last quote here the pitchforks and torches came out soooo

Closer to the playoffs, farther from a Cup.

 

[tomd]

No, instead of your false choice, I advocate building a contender. I doubt a contending Kings team will have Kopitar, and possibly not Doughty on the roster.

That means having a GM who can spot bargain character players like Stoll and Greene, Williams, Mitchell, etc. and mixing them in with talented young players. It is a solid plan. The question is, can this management team follow a plan and execute on it.

To your first point regarding Kopitar and (possibly) Doughty...you might be right which is why the "rebuild" was so ill conceived. Unless, that is, the plan was to trade the newly acquired prospects and picks for established NHL players who can contribute while 11 and 8 are still here.

To your second point regarding the management team...we both know that Blake and Luc don't even have a plan let alone one they can execute. Do we still even know what their plan was in 18-19 when they started this whole "rebuild"? I actually hope they prove me wrong this summer but we'll just have to wait and see on that.

 

[deaderhead28]

Me after reading some of these posts.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yeah, if this is the plan, it's garbage.

Name a better way to keep Doughty quiet. And no, trading him anywhere but Toronto is not an option.

No, instead of your false choice, I advocate building a contender. I doubt a contending Kings team will have Kopitar, and possibly not Doughty on the roster.

That means having a GM who can spot bargain character players like Stoll and Greene, Williams, Mitchell, etc. and mixing them in with talented young players. It is a solid plan. The question is, can this management team follow a plan and execute on it.

Which was good enough to get the Kings to the playoffs, and that's it. That's all they did for a couple years. They would've just continued doing that if not for the Flyers and eventually Blue Jackets organizational decisions.

Doughty and Kopitar already have the Cups, so I don't think that's what they're desperate for. At least Doughty anyway. He keeps including Kopitar in all his tirades, but who knows what Kopitar cares about. But, they just want to play in semi-important games as they get older. They don't have a decade left. Don't have to go all in either. Don't have to sell Byfield or Turcotte to just make the playoffs. Just use the cap space.

They have a little over $20m. If they re-sign a couple guys, make it $15m-ish. Bring in a couple $7m players. Three $5m guys. Four $4m depth chaps. In the Pacific next year, that puts you in playoff contention. Not beating Vegas, probably not beating McDavid either, but that's not what the players want. As long as Seattle doesn't pull a Vegas impersonation, that's 2 spots for a lot of crappy teams. The Kings can certainly put themselves in that particular conversation without breaking any banks.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Watching for a defensive center this offseason. Maybe Danault or a cheaper short term patch. If Blake is serious about moving the team forward a 3C would really help. Blake may choose to start next season with Byfield, Vilardi, JAD, Kupari at center. Excite everyone with prospects & when there are growing pain grab a good draft pick. Stealth tank or committed to improvement? We'll find out soon.

 

[Piston]

Danault is precisely who we should target. From the little I've seen, he seems great defensively, wins faceoffs and can kills penalties. He is just the kind of character guy people here are clamoring for, and after a down year offensively, he won't break the bank. You can use him to take AK off the penalty kill to reduce his ATO. Yes, this is not a position of need, but it creates a lot of flexibility with the rest of the roster.

 

[SFKingshomer]

I love Danault and have mentioned him before but the contract he turned down is more than he's probably worth. This screams like a Bobby Holik situation to me. He would be a good add if you could get him for 3-4 years at 4-5 per.