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

[KINGS17]

That was against San Jose.



Hey look, it's our coach!

I never agreed with the announcers on this play. They don't know if Williams can see the puck laying between Stalock's pads or not, and a player is allowed to make contact with the goalie when going for a free puck in the crease. Clearly the puck was loose and Williams jab at it appears to be well-aimed to me.

 

[kingsholygrail]

That was against San Jose.



Hey look, it's our coach!

They all just blur together, don't they? lol

 

[johnjm22]

I think people are underselling the Canadiens a bit. You look at their lineup and it's actually pretty deep. They have some underrated players.

It may be a patchwork group of players, but whenever you get momentum like this, you're capable of beating anyone. Whoever they play in the ECF they'll give lots of problems to.

 

[SmytheKing]

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 2012 Kings weren't "lucky" at all. They fired their coach mid-season because they were terribly underachieving. From the time they hired Sutter until the playoffs, they were one of the top 5 teams in the NHL and they were the 3rd highest scoring one too. They were a Blackhawks team away from winning three cups in a row.

This team is nowhere close to that team and neither is Montreal.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think people are underselling the Canadiens a bit. You look at their lineup and it's actually pretty deep. They have some underrated players.

It may be a patchwork group of players, but whenever you get momentum like this, you're capable of beating anyone. Whoever they play in the ECF they'll give lots of problems to.

Sure they're a pain in the ass with good defense and a hot goalie. I'm not disputing that.

But the North as a whole is crap, and again, if you can tell me what the 'vision' for the construction of the Canadiens is, I'm all ears.

 

[johnjm22]

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.

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...

If the Kings got Danault, what makes you think they'd even use him correctly?

We already had a guy on the Roster capable of this role. His name was Jeff Carter.

Carter with the Pens (Playoffs):
DZ Starts:
Carter: 56.5%
Crosby: 26.1 %
Malkin: 19.2%

PK TOI/G:
Carter: 1:54 (Most among all Pens Centers)
T. Blueger: 1:47 (2nd most among Pen's centers)
Crosby: 0:15
Malkin: 0:15

FO:
Carter 57.7% (104 attempts)
Crosby 42.2% (128 attempts)

PP TOI/G:
Crosby: 2:17
Rust: 2:14
Guentzel: 2:10
Malkin: 1:47
Carter: 0:54

The Penguins didn't trade for Carter for his offense. That was just a bonus / surprise.

You're supposed to use specialists to take the defensive load off your best offensive players.

Ever wonder why the Kings are so terrible while having Kopitar and Doughty on the roster at the same time? A partial reason is because they're the dumbest team in the NHL when it comes to player utilization, and have been for years.

Kings don't get it. The rest of the league does. Terrible coaching.

 

[bland]

If the Kings got Danault, what makes you think they'd even use him correctly?

We already had a guy on the Roster capable of this role. His name was Jeff Carter.

Carter with the Pens (Playoffs):
DZ Starts:
Carter: 56.5%
Crosby: 26.1 %
Malkin: 19.2%

PK TOI/G:
Carter: 1:54 (Most among all Pens Centers)
T. Blueger: 1:47 (2nd most among Pen's centers)
Crosby: 0:15
Malkin: 0:15

FO:
Carter 57.7% (104 attempts)
Crosby 42.2% (128 attempts)

PP TOI/G:
Crosby: 2:17
Rust: 2:14
Guentzel: 2:10
Malkin: 1:47
Carter: 0:54

The Penguins didn't trade for Carter for his offense. That was just a bonus / surprise.

You're supposed to use specialists to take the defensive load off your best offensive players.

Ever wonder why the Kings are so terrible while having Kopitar and Doughty on the roster at the same time? A partial reason is because they're the dumbest team in the NHL when it comes to player utilization, and have been for years.

Kings don't get it. The rest of the league does. Terrible coaching.

Consider this as an alternative: the Kings gave out far too many retirement contracts to players whose collective power let tbem quit on multiple coaches without consequences.

Brown didn't magically find his game under Stevens, he sulked his way into Sutter's doghouse because he thought being stapled to Kopitar was his birthright. This core group quit on Sutter, got what they wanted in Stevens, quit on him too, never tried showing up.for Desjardins, and essentially quit on McLellan half way thru this year as well.

This core frankly doesn't deserve to be coddled. They need to be put in their place for the health of the franchise. Problem here is that management is just another group of players and not a hard lined results oriented group who are willing to tell Brown that he isn't a first liner anymore, to tell Quick he is now a backup, to tell Doughty to.shut his mouth and to light a fire under Anze every time he takes his foot off the gas.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

If the Kings got Danault, what makes you think they'd even use him correctly?

We already had a guy on the Roster capable of this role. His name was Jeff Carter.

Carter with the Pens (Playoffs):
DZ Starts:
Carter: 56.5%
Crosby: 26.1 %
Malkin: 19.2%

PK TOI/G:
Carter: 1:54 (Most among all Pens Centers)
T. Blueger: 1:47 (2nd most among Pen's centers)
Crosby: 0:15
Malkin: 0:15

FO:
Carter 57.7% (104 attempts)
Crosby 42.2% (128 attempts)

PP TOI/G:
Crosby: 2:17
Rust: 2:14
Guentzel: 2:10
Malkin: 1:47
Carter: 0:54

The Penguins didn't trade for Carter for his offense. That was just a bonus / surprise.

You're supposed to use specialists to take the defensive load off your best offensive players.

Ever wonder why the Kings are so terrible while having Kopitar and Doughty on the roster at the same time? A partial reason is because they're the dumbest team in the NHL when it comes to player utilization, and have been for years.

Kings don't get it. The rest of the league does. Terrible coaching.

Do you have Carter’s numbers in those categories on the Kings?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Consider this as an alternative: the Kings gave out far too many retirement contracts to players whose collective power let tbem quit on multiple coaches without consequences.

Brown didn't magically find his game under Stevens, he sulked his way into Sutter's doghouse because he thought being stapled to Kopitar was his birthright. This core group quit on Sutter, got what they wanted in Stevens, quit on him too, never tried showing up.for Desjardins, and essentially quit on McLellan half way thru this year as well.

This core frankly doesn't deserve to be coddled. They need to be put in their place for the health of the franchise. Problem here is that management is just another group of players and not a hard lined results oriented group who are willing to tell Brown that he isn't a first liner anymore, to tell Quick he is now a backup, to tell Doughty to.shut his mouth and to light a fire under Anze every time he takes his foot off the gas.

If they were just coddled they wouldn't be giving Kopitar all the d-starts and #1 defenseman minutes.

Another alternative--
Brown isn't a 1st liner anymore but had chemistry w/Kopitar and the next highest scoring right winger on the roster was Grundstrom at a 20 pt pace
Petersen played 35 games (~50 game pace) to Quick's 22
Doughty played Norris caliber hockey all year, he can say whatever the f*** he wants, especially since he's just saying what everyone else here is anyway
Anze sure tapered off at the end but still scored at his career avg, a 73 point pace

I do think accountability is an issue but I'm with @johnjm22 that a lot of this is poor utilization for a variety of reasons rather than coddling, especially in Anze's case, what do you expect when you play your 33 year old 1C 21 hard minutes a game? The only forwards getting more icetime are Matthews, McDavid, Marner, Draisaitl, and Kane and those guys don't sniff defensive responsibility.

 

[bland]

If they were just coddled they wouldn't be giving Kopitar all the d-starts and #1 defenseman minutes.

Another alternative--
Brown isn't a 1st liner anymore but had chemistry w/Kopitar and the next highest scoring right winger on the roster was Grundstrom at a 20 pt pace
Petersen played 35 games (~50 game pace) to Quick's 22
Doughty played Norris caliber hockey all year, he can say whatever the f*** he wants, especially since he's just saying what everyone else here is anyway
Anze sure tapered off at the end but still scored at his career avg, a 73 point pace

I do think accountability is an issue but I'm with @johnjm22 that a lot of this is poor utilization for a variety of reasons rather than coddling, especially in Anze's case, what do you expect when you play your 33 year old 1C 21 hard minutes a game? The only forwards getting more icetime are Matthews, McDavid, Marner, Draisaitl, and Kane and those guys don't sniff defensive responsibility.

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Kopitar WANTS defensive zone work. Always has, that is who he is. Doughty WANTS to play 45 minutes a night. Brown WANTS to be a first liner, and Quick WANTS to be the starter.

They need a coach- who has more pull with the office than the players - to tell them no for the good of the franchise.

 

[johnjm22]

Do you have Carter’s numbers in those categories on the Kings?

Well it's a bit different because they had him playing wing a lot here. Which just proves my point further.

But his D-Zone starts were 44% in LA last season. As soon as he went to Pittsburgh it shot up to 57%.

You can clearly see the philosophical difference between the teams.

 

[johnjm22]

Consider this as an alternative: the Kings gave out far too many retirement contracts to players whose collective power let tbem quit on multiple coaches without consequences.

Brown didn't magically find his game under Stevens, he sulked his way into Sutter's doghouse because he thought being stapled to Kopitar was his birthright. This core group quit on Sutter, got what they wanted in Stevens, quit on him too, never tried showing up.for Desjardins, and essentially quit on McLellan half way thru this year as well.

This core frankly doesn't deserve to be coddled. They need to be put in their place for the health of the franchise. Problem here is that management is just another group of players and not a hard lined results oriented group who are willing to tell Brown that he isn't a first liner anymore, to tell Quick he is now a backup, to tell Doughty to.shut his mouth and to light a fire under Anze every time he takes his foot off the gas.

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Kopitar WANTS defensive zone work. Always has, that is who he is. Doughty WANTS to play 45 minutes a night. Brown WANTS to be a first liner, and Quick WANTS to be the starter.

They need a coach- who has more pull with the office than the players - to tell them no for the good of the franchise.

Coddling has nothing to do with it. It's just about efficiency and maximizing player skill sets. That doesn't mean there's no blame on the players.

And I agree with your last post; they need a coach who will them no. It shouldn't matter what the players want.

In the Vegas series I saw Kopitar overrule Stevens.

In Boston they figured out that it doesn't make sense for Bergeron to take all the heavy defensive lifting. I doubt it was Bergeron's idea, it was the coaches that made the decision.

 

[Mats26]

The 2012 Kings weren't "lucky" at all. They fired their coach mid-season because they were terribly underachieving. From the time they hired Sutter until the playoffs, they were one of the top 5 teams in the NHL and they were the 3rd highest scoring one too. They were a Blackhawks team away from winning three cups in a row.

This team is nowhere close to that team and neither is Montreal.

No one is comparing the Kings 3 year legacy to this year Habs run, but 2012 similarities are there.
Pieces were added in the off season and at the deadline for a push. They fired their coach mid-season because they were terribly underachieving. Came in as a last seed underdog and upset the favorites, got on a roll. The have young hungry players mix with veterens and a goalie that is on fire with a market that is desperate for a cup.

Sounds like the 2012 Kings run to me, without the domination. Will they win it all?....time will tell.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Sorry, but I completely disagree. Kopitar WANTS defensive zone work. Always has, that is who he is. Doughty WANTS to play 45 minutes a night. Brown WANTS to be a first liner, and Quick WANTS to be the starter.

They need a coach- who has more pull with the office than the players - to tell them no for the good of the franchise.

Kopitar didn’t always want defensive zone work. Terry Murray had to drill that in his skull to even do it.

 

[Schmooley]

No one is comparing the Kings 3 year legacy to this year Habs run, but 2012 similarities are there.
Pieces were added in the off season and at the deadline for a push. They fired their coach mid-season because they were terribly underachieving. Came in as a last seed underdog and upset the favorites, got on a roll. The have young hungry players mix with veterens and a goalie that is on fire with a market that is desperate for a cup.

Sounds like the 2012 Kings run to me, without the domination. Will they win it all?....time will tell.

Ill bet you they dont win.

 

[Noonan61]

I curious why everyone is clamoring for Danault? Not sure I wanna pay $6-7 million, 6-7 years for a 2nd/3rd line defensive center at this moment. Especially if our best prospects are mostly centers. Just seems mismanagement of cap space. Kings biggest needs are scoring wingers and a top LD.

 

[Mats26]

Ill bet you they dont win.

meh...they were supposed to get smoked by the Leafs. Just about to sweep the Jets it seems. They have a 1 in 4 chance now. Islanders are hot as well.
Crazier things have happened, but an Islanders vs Habs final... I'll bet the Habs win it.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Eichel and Ristolainen to the Kings on draft day for Turcotte, 8OA and a second, next year's first, and Kempe. #RP5

 

[Bandit]

Well it's a bit different because they had him playing wing a lot here. Which just proves my point further.

But his D-Zone starts were 44% in LA last season. As soon as he went to Pittsburgh it shot up to 57%.

You can clearly see the philosophical difference between the teams.

It’s easier to use Carter in a defensive role when he’s behind Crosby & Malkin as opposed to Kopitar and Lizotte.

 

[HookKing]

The 2012 Kings weren't "lucky" at all. They fired their coach mid-season because they were terribly underachieving. From the time they hired Sutter until the playoffs, they were one of the top 5 teams in the NHL and they were the 3rd highest scoring one too. They were a Blackhawks team away from winning three cups in a row.

This team is nowhere close to that team and neither is Montreal.

LOL. You do know that without Carter crapping the bed in Columbus and subsequently being traded to the Kings -- LA doesn't even make the playoffs much less win a cup. At that point they had the worst offense in the entire league. Not to mention they got rid of minus forever at the same time. Not just lucky but damn lucky.

 

[fsanford]

Sure they're a pain in the ass with good defense and a hot goalie. I'm not disputing that.

But the North as a whole is crap, and again, if you can tell me what the 'vision' for the construction of the Canadiens is, I'm all ears.

The North is one big pillow fight.

Habs will get a nice rest, butr Colorado or Vegas should take them out in 5 games.

 

[Cook24]

Ever since that article suggest Matt Tkachuk to the Kings I can’t stop wanting it. Just gonna speak it into existence...

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Ever since that article suggest Matt Tkachuk to the Kings I can’t stop wanting it. Just gonna speak it into existence...

I’m holding out for McDavid for Wagner, Maatta, and Imama. I know a lot of fans will hate that though as Imama is destined to become a superstar, but you have to give to get.

 

[Mats26]

I never seen a worse 1C than Dubois. What happen to him? Ended up on the 4th line, hope he was playing injured because that trade looks bad right now.

 

[FSL KINGS]

What if a team trades for Dubois & Laine & plays them on the same line? Is that like crossing the steams?

Are there other trades where both teams were disappointed?