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

[kovacro]

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.

Danault is going to get paid. He shut down Matthews in the 1st round. Excellent player defensively.

He turned down a pretty lucrative offer from the Habs already. Will not come cheap. Would not be surprised if he gets offered something north of $6 million.

 

[KingsFan7824]

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.

How is it not a need? They've never been able to replace Stoll or Fraser.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

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.

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.

Yeah came to say the same, he seems to be holding out for a Hayes contract

Could we give it to him? Absolutely, and we'd be mad about it in short order. But I really like the idea of using Danault as the defensive C and Anze as the offensive one...

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yeah came to say the same, he seems to be holding out for a Hayes contract

Could we give it to him? Absolutely, and we'd be mad about it in short order. But I really like the idea of using Danault as the defensive C and Anze as the offensive one...

Any move the Kings make, or don't make, will likely not result in a Cup. We'll be mad about whatever gets done, and likely ponder what could have been had the just done the other thing instead.

I think that's why Doughty re-signed, even knowing what the team was by 2018. He just wants to be in the playoffs. He certainly believes in himself, and the proven guys around him, even if he no longer has a reason to.

Doughty would've been fine keeping the 18-19 team together, even if they finished where they finished. He just wants established players around him. Same as Allison back in the day.

Blake has to do anything, and more importantly, ownership has to spend some money. I think the Kings had a $50m payroll this year, so, that's gotta go up.

 

[KINGS17]

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.

Ooo! Ooo! I know this one. It's Price and pray!

Montreal is going to be a bug on Vegas or Colorado's windshield.

 

[KINGS17]

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



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.

Who cares about keeping Doughty quiet? I certainly don't.

 

[tomd]

Any move the Kings make, or don't make, will likely not result in a Cup. We'll be mad about whatever gets done, and likely ponder what could have been had the just done the other thing instead.

I think that's why Doughty re-signed, even knowing what the team was by 2018. He just wants to be in the playoffs. He certainly believes in himself, and the proven guys around him, even if he no longer has a reason to.

Doughty would've been fine keeping the 18-19 team together, even if they finished where they finished. He just wants established players around him. Same as Allison back in the day.

Blake has to do anything, and more importantly, ownership has to spend some money. I think the Kings had a $50m payroll this year, so, that's gotta go up.

Doughty signed on July 1, 2018 and the Kings had just come off a 98 point season. Kovalchuk signed the same day. To think that Doughty envisioned the meltdown that was to occur only months later is really speculative (and that is being charitable). Doughty is the least of the problems the Kings have. They would literally be Buffalo-west right now if he wasn't on the team.

 

[KINGS17]

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...

You have a lot of faith in Bluc, I don't.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Ooo! Ooo! I know this one. It's Price and pray!

Montreal is going to be a bug on Vegas or Colorado's windshield.

I honestly feel like I'm watching two different leagues right now.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Doughty signed on July 1, 2018 and the Kings had just come off a 98 point season. Kovalchuk signed the same day. To think that Doughty envisioned the meltdown that was to occur only months later is really speculative (and that is being charitable). Doughty is the least of the problems the Kings have. They would literally be Buffalo-west right now if he wasn't on the team.

Doughty is among those to blame for the team failures and should look in the mirror. Had him, Kopitar, Carter, Toffoli, etc. played more inspired hockey then we may not be having this conversation.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

These highlights make me miss Willie Mitchell.


People talk about the Kings not having found a replacement for Voynov, but I'd say the bigger hole that was never filled was Mitchell's spot on defense.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Who cares about keeping Doughty quiet? I certainly don't.

It's like Karlsson; they're stuck, everyone knows it, and what do you do about it?

Doughty signed on July 1, 2018 and the Kings had just come off a 98 point season. Kovalchuk signed the same day. To think that Doughty envisioned the meltdown that was to occur only months later is really speculative (and that is being charitable). Doughty is the least of the problems the Kings have. They would literally be Buffalo-west right now if he wasn't on the team.

They also got torched by Vegas, and had 1 playoff win in 4 years, missing the playoffs twice. Not many saw the meltdown coming the way it did, although plenty of people no longer believed in the Kings by that point.

These highlights make me miss Willie Mitchell.


People talk about the Kings not having found a replacement for Voynov, but I'd say the bigger hole that was never filled was Mitchell's spot on defense.

They only guy they ever replaced from those teams was Richards, and only because Carter was already here, when they had to bring him in to replace Gagne. Although you could say Pearson replaced Penner, and Toffoli replaced Carter, but that was the end of it.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

They only guy they ever replaced from those teams was Richards, and only because Carter was already here, when they had to bring him in to replace Gagne. Although you could say Pearson replaced Penner, and Toffoli replaced Carter, but that was the end of it.

I think many assumed one of Nic Dowd or Nick Shore would be replacing Stoll, and McNabb and Forbort were to be the replacements for Regehr and Scuderi, but none of them really took ownership of those roles.

The blueline really took a big hit from all of those departures. In addition to the aforementioned Mitchell, Regehr and Scuderi, Greene only played one full season after the last Cup win and was done afterwards, and nobody filled that role either.

 

[Master Yoda]

I think many assumed one of Nic Dowd or Nick Shore would be replacing Stoll, and McNabb and Forbort were to be the replacements for Regehr and Scuderi, but none of them really took ownership of those roles.

The blueline really took a big hit from all of those departures. In addition to the aforementioned Mitchell, Regehr and Scuderi, Greene only played one full season after the last Cup win and was done afterwards, and nobody filled that role either.

That's a lot of grit/toughness/leadership lost on the blueline.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I think many assumed one of Nic Dowd or Nick Shore would be replacing Stoll, and McNabb and Forbort were to be the replacements for Regehr and Scuderi, but none of them really took ownership of those roles.

The blueline really took a big hit from all of those departures. In addition to the aforementioned Mitchell, Regehr and Scuderi, Greene only played one full season after the last Cup win and was done afterwards, and nobody filled that role either.

Muzzin replaced Scuderi too I guess. They quickly ran out of prospects though.

 

[deeshamrock]

Danault is going to get paid. He shut down Matthews in the 1st round. Excellent player defensively.

He turned down a pretty lucrative offer from the Habs already. Will not come cheap. Would not be surprised if he gets offered something north of $6 million.

He is not only a good shutdown center, with the right usage, he'd be a good 2 way center. But the Habs don't see him that way and with Suzuki's emergence and kotkaniemi getting his feet wet, i think they see that as their future top 6 C's. I think they view Evans as a guy who can with the right experience, replace Danault.
So I think for both sides, him leaving will be for the best.
A center with this defence skills with skilled wingers would be a valuable add to any teams top 6.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

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 further your point, it means having a GM/hockey ops that knows what the identity of the team will be and has a vision for what the roster will look like. With current management, it seems to change year to year. At first they were throwing out buzzwords that fans wanted to hear such as SPEED, Cup contenders, scoring and so on.

Interestingly enough, the exact opposite has happened.

 

[KINGS17]

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.

The Kings and 2012 were a different animal. The Pacific Division was stacked. The only team to finish below .500 was the Ducks, and it was only by two games.

The Kings may have been the 8th seed, but they missed winning the division by only a few points.

 

[KINGS17]

To further your point, it means having a GM/hockey ops that knows what the identity of the team will be and has a vision for what the roster will look like. With current management, it seems to change year to year. At first they were throwing out buzzwords that fans wanted to hear such as SPEED, Cup contenders, scoring and so on.

Interestingly enough, the exact opposite has happened.

The Kings franchise now seems to have a DNA associated with it, and it isn't flashy wingers like Marner.

The Kings DNA is strong goaltending, solid defensemen, the depth down the middle. It isn't a bad recipe, as it sent the Kings to three WCFs in a row and provided two Stanley Cups.

Even if you look at the Kings two big acquisitions on the wing over the course of those seasons, in 2012 Carter had some snipes to be sure, but he did a lot of damage in close.

In 2014, I think Gaborik's 14 goals in the playoffs maybe traveled a total distance of 60 feet.

 

[KINGS17]

He is not only a good shutdown center, with the right usage, he'd be a good 2 way center. But the Habs don't see him that way and with Suzuki's emergence and kotkaniemi getting his feet wet, i think they see that as their future top 6 C's. I think they view Evans as a guy who can with the right experience, replace Danault.
So I think for both sides, him leaving will be for the best.
A center with this defence skills with skilled wingers would be a valuable add to any teams top 6.

I think Evans is underrated. They may be right.

 

[Bandit]

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

Their vision is simple:

GM must be French Canadian.

If Blake's vision is "Just make the playoffs and anything can happy to keep Doughty happen" he should be fed to the fishes off Santa Monica Pier immediately.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Kings franchise now seems to have a DNA associated with it, and it isn't flashy wingers like Marner.

The Kings DNA is strong goaltending, solid defensemen, the depth down the middle. It isn't a bad recipe, as it sent the Kings to three WCFs in a row and provided two Stanley Cups.

Even if you look at the Kings two big acquisitions on the wing over the course of those seasons, in 2012 Carter had some snipes to be sure, but he did a lot of damage in close.

In 2014, I think Gaborik's 14 goals in the playoffs maybe traveled a total distance of 60 feet.

I think Gaborik's airborne body traveled further after those goals than the puck did

 

[kingsholygrail]

These highlights make me miss Willie Mitchell.


People talk about the Kings not having found a replacement for Voynov, but I'd say the bigger hole that was never filled was Mitchell's spot on defense.

Was this the game that had the infamous pad push by Williams that Rangers fans cry about?

 

[Bandit]

Was this the game that had the infamous pad push by Williams that Rangers fans cry about?

That was against San Jose.



Hey look, it's our coach!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Was this the game that had the infamous pad push by Williams that Rangers fans cry about?

You may be thinking of Dwight King being in the crease, which was the third goal in that game.