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

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KingsHockey24 said:
I wouldn't mind signing David Krejci to a 2 year deal. Productive two-way veteran playmaker; put him with Kaliyev or Vilardi and see what they can do.

Iafallo - Kopitar - Arvidsson
Kempe - Krejci - Kaliyev
Brown - Byfield - Vilardi
Moore - JAD - Athanasiou

*Grundstrom , Lemieux
Click to expand...

The KKK line.

I can’t see the Kings retaining AA only to have him slotted on the 4th line.

Lemieux has to be in the lineup night in, night out. He’s the only asshole we have that can out there be a jerk and stir the pot.

I think Byfield starts in Ontario. And depending on if we add another top 6 guy like Saad, Kaliyev could be ticketed to start in thr AHL as well.

Still early days in the off-season so we’ll see if free agency changes things.
 
With AA and Frk they have 16 forwards. Thats without any rookies like Byfield, Kupari, Kaliyev getting a spot.
Players have to get dealt unless they just plan on having a lot of competition at camp and just waiving anyone that doesnt make the cut.
 
MBH said:
I watched quite a bit of Hawks hockey. Suter isn't going to drive the offense.

You want to fix the offense? Start by getting defense that can retrieve and pass the puck.
Because after Doughty, the Kings' defense is about as bad as Detroit's.

Sign Ryan Suter and Alex Goligoski.
Watch how much better your second and third lines will be.
You can't ask your forwards to create offense when they're reaching for passes behind them, or chasing passes into the neutral zone, or digging them out of their skates.

Maybe you buy out Dustin Brown, but that seems pointless at this stage - plus he helps the PP.

Arvidsson Kopitar Kempe
Iafallo Byfield Athanasiou
Andersson Vilardi Moore
Lizotte JAD Brown

Anderson Doughty
Suter Walker
Whoever Goligoski
Click to expand...

Suter isn’t coming here. He’s going to a contender by all accounts after all those years floundering with a mediocre Wild club.

Your missing Matt Roy on the backend. He’s an important piece going forward.
 
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MBH said:
I watched quite a bit of Hawks hockey. Suter isn't going to drive the offense.

You want to fix the offense? Start by getting defense that can retrieve and pass the puck.
Because after Doughty, the Kings' defense is about as bad as Detroit's.

Sign Ryan Suter and Alex Goligoski.
Watch how much better your second and third lines will be.
You can't ask your forwards to create offense when they're reaching for passes behind them, or chasing passes into the neutral zone, or digging them out of their skates.

Maybe you buy out Dustin Brown, but that seems pointless at this stage - plus he helps the PP.

Arvidsson Kopitar Kempe
Iafallo Byfield Athanasiou
Andersson Vilardi Moore
Lizotte JAD Brown

Anderson Doughty
Suter Walker
Whoever Goligoski
Click to expand...

Where is our 2nd best defenseman Matt Roy?
 
kovacro said:
The KKK line.

I can’t see the Kings retaining AA only to have him slotted on the 4th line.

Lemieux has to be in the lineup night in, night out. He’s the only asshole we have that can out there be a jerk and stir the pot.

I think Byfield starts in Ontario. And depending on if we add another top 6 guy like Saad, Kaliyev could be ticketed to start in thr AHL as well.

Still early days in the off-season so we’ll see if free agency changes things.
Click to expand...

The KKK line. I can see the Kings promotional items now!
 
kovacro said:
Suter isn’t coming here. He’s going to a contender by all accounts after all those years floundering with a mediocre Wild club.

Your missing Matt Roy on the backend. He’s an important piece going forward.
Click to expand...

Gotta miss someone if you sign two veterans.

I think the truth is that the Kings are going to have to be patient.
If Doughty and Kopitar don't like it, they should ask for a trade.
You can't win with this caliber of defense.
 
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Outside of Kovalchuk, I can’t recall a single day 1/2 UFA that’s signed with the Kings while Blake has been GM. I don’t expect that to change this year. I’m sure someone will be quick to point out LA’s historical track record of not being a major UFA destination to furnish an excuse for continued futility.

So outside of more trades, with camps opening in 8 weeks around Sept. 22, the current roster is what we’re likely to see. At best there is one move coming, but the track record suggests it will be another low risk / theoretical reward dumpster dive special.

The expansion and entry drafts were Blake’s opportunity to do something that could move the needle. Instead, the can gets kicked down the road once again. By Thursday, Blake apologists will have their “plenty of time to make changes via trade” excuse shined up. Let’s see what this years version of Olli Maata turns out to be.
 
Still think we should make a play here…
 

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Docgonzo said:
I don’t get the craziness over Pius Suter, 24 year old rookie that got to center a 40 goal scorer in Debrincat and Patty Kane.

Kane has 66, Debrincat had 56 and Suter had 27. Feels like the exact player someone overpays for and finds he’s not that great when he’s not sheltered by all stars.
Click to expand...

I don't know that it's craziness but I'd rather bank on cheaper younger UFAs with upside than overpay Saad or even Schwartz who I love.

I'm not saying back up the Brinks truck or anything but if you could get Suter at 2.5/3 vs. Saad at 6 I'd say it's an easy choice.
 
MBH said:
I watched quite a bit of Hawks hockey. Suter isn't going to drive the offense.

You want to fix the offense? Start by getting defense that can retrieve and pass the puck.
Because after Doughty, the Kings' defense is about as bad as Detroit's.

Sign Ryan Suter and Alex Goligoski.
Watch how much better your second and third lines will be.
You can't ask your forwards to create offense when they're reaching for passes behind them, or chasing passes into the neutral zone, or digging them out of their skates.

Maybe you buy out Dustin Brown, but that seems pointless at this stage - plus he helps the PP.

Arvidsson Kopitar Kempe
Iafallo Byfield Athanasiou
Andersson Vilardi Moore
Lizotte JAD Brown

Anderson Doughty
Suter Walker
Whoever Goligoski
Click to expand...

No, its not the defense that's the problem. The Kings forwards did such a poor job forechecking, backchecking and along the wall that the pressure on the young defense resulted in far, far too many situations where the only play available was to ring it around the boards - where a forward would routinely lose a battle and the puck would stay in their zone.

The Kings were horrid at both bluelines, they couldn't sustain a forecheck, their back pressure was non-existant allowing for constant easy entries against - it put way, way too much pressure on the defensemen. You can't hold them responsible for not having the time to pick their heads up and hit a stretch pass.

There is a lack of highest end skill and maturity for certain, but the problems plagued even their most experienced blueliners. Anderson won't ever be a point producer, but he can make a first pass. Roy, Walker and Bjornfot have very good puck skills, and Doughty is a star. Maatta doesn't have stone hands either. But if you are consistently under intense pressure and count on your wingers to help, you are going to stick to the safest play you can - and that limits your offense from the back. It was a clear step back from even the previous season, but that saw Toffoli, Clifford and Lewis, all strong board players, replaced by the ultra-soft Athanasiou and several rookies who didn't display much board work acumen.
 
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I think Maatta might be better this year than people expect.

He's a pending UFA. He's at his prime age and knows if he wants to get another significant contract he needs to play well.

A repeat of last year, and he might find himself out of the league or on a 1year 1M deal next season.

Players have a way of finding their game when it's time for a new contract.
 
Here's the video of Friedman discussing Danault and the Kings:


Danault would be like signing Michal Handzus, a center who can handle the defensive responsibilities, which is something the Kings are lacking in after Kopitar. Then again, the Kings are also sorely missing a finisher on the wings and another top four defenseman.

He most certainly is a player who can help the Kings in gaining possession, winning draws, killing penalties, and is good for about 40+ points on a full schedule, but adding another center is going to have to force Vilardi to shift to wing (where he can possibly be another Frolov, given how strong he is on the puck and along the boards), or they'll have to move him for an upgrade on the wings or on the blueline.

A potential lineup if they go this route...

Iafallo - Kopitar - Arvidsson
Kempe - Danault - Vilardi
Moore - Byfield - Athanasiou
Andersson - Anderson-Dolan - Brown

Then you have the likes of Grundstrom, Tkachyov, Frk, Lemieux, Wagner, Lizotte competing for the two reserve spots in the lineup as the 13th/14th forwards.

Ideally, I'd like to see the Kings add another finisher on the wing, because if that is what the forward group looks like, then they're going to have to pray for career years and bounce back seasons from that group.
 
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Very surprised they gave AA a qualifying offer after initial reports. They must be closer in their talks than anyone thought, or AA is warming up to Blake's two offers. It also gives more winger options if we strike out with trades and free agency. Glad to see him probable to come back...
 
Regarding Puis Suter....

This kid had a surprising good rookie year. I remember him since he had a hatty in the same game as his 1st NHL goal.


Suter’s lack of a qualifying offer was somewhat surprising. He was one of the Blackhawks’ best rookies last season. He had 14 goals and 13 assists in 55 games. He was tied for second on the team with 11 five-on-five goals and fourth with eight primary assists.

That said, the Blackhawks were fearful of what Suter could get in arbitration. That does seem where that was headed if the Blackhawks qualified him. Suter and the Blackhawks were “far off” in their contract numbers, according to a source. There’s a chance the Blackhawks and Suter return to the table before Wednesday, but it’s more likely Suter becomes an unrestricted free agent.

This shouldn’t affect the Blackhawks getting any future European free agents. If anything, Suter’s situation might help the Blackhawks. What’s important for these players is often just getting an opportunity. Suter got that. He’ll probably get paid now too, just with another team.


I think this kid has a lot of upside. He's also 25 years old and fits into that middle age bracket that this team lacks.

I'd like to see what him (or another RFA/UFA), Tkachyov, and Arvidson can do to our stale offense. We'll still a LD though for this year. This think this is the top priority.

This is one of the perfect players to sign because he doesn't fit into the flat cap on another team and won't command a lengthy contract taking him into his 30's.
 
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Athanasiou should be able to score 16-20 goals and 40-42 points next season. Very, very solid middle 6 numbers and just what the Kings need more of!
 


Even With AA Deal Close to Final, Kings Could Add a Forward and Make it All Work

I have to admit, nice to see Vilardi on the 3rd line... showed some playmaking with Moore and Andersson last season.

Iafallo – Kopitar – Arvidsson
Kempe – Danault – Brown
Athanasiou – Vilardi – Andersson
Moore – JAD – (Forward 12)
(Forward 13)
(Forward 14)

Tkachyov
Grundstrom
Frk
Wagner
Lemieux
Lizotte
 
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