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Speculation: 2021-22 LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster discussion part III

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Even Marc Savard thought Kovalchuk would do well with Kopitar.


Being that both players are primarily guys who like to skate with the puck end-to-end, and Kopitar really isn’t that creative of a playmaker (as evidenced by the stagnant powerplay for so many years), we should’ve known that combo wasn’t going to work. Same goes with Carter. The Kings really didn’t have any creative centers on the roster, and haven’t had any natural playmaker since… Jason Allison?

Now if the Kings had a playmaking center paired with Kovalchuk, we might have seen different results. Kopitar loves having wingers who can get him the puck, hence the reason why he clicked with the likes of Smyth, Williams, Iafallo, etc., players who aren’t exactly known for their blazing speed or puck skills.
 
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Sol said:
Funny, reading that thread and seeing people just acting like that "third" year of the contract is suddenly a big deal when the team had nothing better to do with the capspace and Kovalchuk wasn't breaking the bank.

Just the typical people wanting to complain just to complain. Kovalchuk wasn't great, but you could have easily said that about the franchise as a whole.

Also... No assets were lost
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Money and trust in your GM are real things so the idea that it was completely harmless is false. It's an indictment of Management's grasp of the team.

It doesn't necessarily matter in regards to wins and losses since it all got blown up anyways but it wasn't a harmless crime. Buying that Toronto first round pick would have been nice but your ownership is going to need to see some good decisions before tossing Rob another few million.
 
Malice430 said:
Did we ever get around to re-signing AA?
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No. He had a very good 4 week period and looked great and then they began talking contract.
He then was terrible last 3 weeks and I think that was his fate, to be let go.

Why HOPE he can be effective on a nightly basis, when he was flat out meh, the last 3 weeks, when the Kings were close to playoff seed and he was playing for a contract, to boot? He should have been really impressing,

Consider if they gave him even 2 years - he would have to be top 6, as not good for bottom 6.
The Kings are adding 2 top 6 now: Arvidsson + soon to be added top 6 player.
Those 2, plus Kopitar, Vilardi, Iafallo...possibly Kempe, Byfield, Turcotte, Kaliyev, Kupari, Fagemo.
Then there's Madden and Thomas...and possibly #8OA will be a dynamic forward, that may be ready in 1+ years (if McTavish or Guenther)

AA would possibly block a Kupari or Kaliyev or Turcotte (if he plays wing) The probability of AA scoring 20 goals is not great here, either.
There have never been 7 young forwards under 21 with this talent level here (or anywhere for that matter in the NHL) Not 7.
Another reason why Brown should not get another year, for that matter. He may struggle finishing this year.
 
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Sol said:
Not like they really gave him a chance to shine on the PP either.
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It doesn't matter though. He's never been part of a particularly good PP.

After the signing, I brought up stats showing it all the way back to his Atlanta days. I got called an idiot, but I think we know who turned out to be right. (I can't find the original post though).

Anyways, I didn't hate the signing, and thought he would be relatively productive. But management's thought process behind the signing shows they don't really know what's wrong with team. They still don't.
 
Ollie Weeks said:
Kovalchuk was exactly the same disease the previous regime suffered from. They proved unable to honestly assess their team’s shortcomings. That’s the problem.
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Ok, GM, say you don't sign kovi. What do you do with a team coming off a playoffs that they couldn't score in, and got swept because of it? stand pat, or try and bring someone in who won't cost you assets or roster players who could still score.

I think it's was a pretty honest assessment by Blake bringing in a guy who could still score, which is what we needed. No picks, or young assets were lost, only cash. He did pretty well right until the black cloud parked itself over the team around game 15.
 
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johnjm22 said:
I never had much of an issue with the Kovalchuk signing because they didn't give up any assets. But my point still stands; the Kings needed a center, management never made any attempt to address that, and instead pursued a winger. This inability to recognize the issue makes me question their judgement.

Also, AK was never going to make much positive difference on the PP. That fact that management thought so, also makes them suspect.
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refresh my memory, where was Carter, still injured or got injured that year? If they needed a center it would've cost a lot and from what i remember Kyle Turris wasn't the best option.
 
kingsfan28 said:
refresh my memory, where was Carter, still injured or got injured that year? If they needed a center it would've cost a lot and from what i remember Kyle Turris wasn't the best option.
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This was the year Carter suffered his injury. But even if he was healthy, the Kings still needed a center. I think I've been saying this for 5 years now.

Part of the Kings problem is they don't use their players efficiently. You either need to specialize, or be deep enough to roll your lines move evenly.

It's been so obvious for so long that the Kings need more specialization, and they need a center to do that. The fact that they've been unable to recognize it makes me question their judgement. A winger was not the teams most pressing need, yet that's all they pursued.

At the time, I said the best option for the Kings was ROR. I think I was right about that. Whether or not it made sense to give up assets for him is another topic all together.
 
johnjm22 said:
This was the year Carter suffered his injury. But even if he was healthy, the Kings still needed a center. I think I've been saying this for 5 years now.

Part of the Kings problem is they don't use their players efficiently. You either need to specialize, or be deep enough to roll your lines move evenly.

It's been so obvious for so long that the Kings need more specialization, and they need a center to do that. The fact that they've been unable to recognize it makes me question their judgement. A winger was not the teams most pressing need, yet that's all they pursued.

At the time, I said the best option for the Kings was ROR. I think I was right about that. Whether or not it made sense to give up assets for him is another topic all together.
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We don't really know if they were looking for another center so Carter could move to the wing. That kind of move is always REALLY expensive. ROR cost 3 players and a 1st and a 2nd. That's a lot of assets to give up for a team on the edge of a rebuild. I don't think we even had the assets to make the call to Buffalo. That 2nd line center has always been like the unicorn of hockey. Look how long it took the Kings to find one pre-cups. Wingers will always be the easiest to find.
 
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kingsfan28 said:
Because it's relevant to the team moving forward, comparing what Blake is trying to do with drafting and building his team vs what Lombardi did and his mistakes.
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Yeah right. These aren't surface level references. Mods on here need to step up
 
Edit: sorry if I got passive aggressive instead of just working to get back on track.

Back on topic: depending on who the Kraken takes from the Kings, does anyone think who they lose will affect the players they will target in free agency or trade?
 
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King'sPawn said:
Edit: sorry if I got passive aggressive instead of just working to get back on track.

Back on topic: depending on who the Kraken takes from the Kings, does anyone think who they lose will affect the players they will target in free agency or trade?
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Not really, it doesnt look like we are gonna lose much to the Kraken, either a 3rd / 4th liner or a depth dman. Im kind of hoping we're setting our sites a little higher than that in a trade.
 
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All right, here's a discussion that's not Lombardi related:

How done is Subban? I don't watch him a lot and I assume he's just never going to be great again. NJ wants to move him apparently, if Seattle doesnt take him (which could work from a pr perspective.)

So, I have no interest in the guy, but wondering if anyone has been paying more attention to him and think he would be worth looking at.
 
Blake is the GM. He puts together the roster. This is the roster thread. Blake gets talked about and someone, eventually, always brings up his predecessor in some sort of comparison, be it specific moves or philosophy.

Has it been beaten to death? Sure. Posting fantasy lineups with three UFAs and two trades has been tired since the internet was created. You all can choose to ignore analysis of something that actually happened: I'll ignore the fantasy lineups.

When something actually happens to the roster or there is a sourced rumor, I'm sure we'll all dive in.
 
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I wonder if Blake is having any discussions about players Seattle could flip to LA via the expansion draft. Plenty of interesting options out there. Should be an interesting day.
 
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kovacro said:
I wonder if Blake is having any discussions about players Seattle could flip to LA via the expansion draft. Plenty of interesting options out there. Should be an interesting day.
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If Seattle is in fact taking Gourde from TB, I'd love to add him depending on the cost. Would have loved Blake to get him from TB directly (assuming Gourde waived for LA).
Kempe - Gourde - Moore would be a killer checking line that could also score
 
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