Speculation: 2021-22 LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread Part VI

[Stimpythecat]

Demand for good defencemen is sky high. We got Williams at a heavy discount because of the relative glut of forwards in comparison. No discount forthcoming for Chychrun.

 

[Statto]

And williams broke his hand, tore his same knee twice, and tore his achilles before becoming a King.

IIRC wasn’t he still recovering from the hand/wrist at the time of the trade?

 

[cyclones22]

Kings management seems to think Clarke could be ready. At least based off of comments before this season even started. He has already played well against men in the Slovak League. And now he is dominating the OHL. I don't think they will rush him but if he looks special in training camp you got to play him the maximum number of allowable games to begin with.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Of course they can or as you say, one or two can be traded… Walker maybe starts the season in IR but he’s already proven he can slot as a LHD.. but it all comes down to Clarke and whether he can force those situations

You'd have to trade them in the offseason. That's when teams make moves. Not even the whole offseason either. You get the week or two surrounding the draft to do anything. Once free agency starts, any trades are pretty much done, and teams just signs guys. Then the deadline. Can't just trade one come next November or whatever.

That's 5 RHD, which is a lot. Fine, Walker can play the left side full time(hasn't proven that yet, but for the sake of argument). Doughty isn't sitting. We seem to like what Durzi is doing. Roy is too solid to sit. You wouldn't have Clarke here to sit. Not going to play 7D for 82 games, even if you wanted to. Highly doubt that's ever come close to happening anywhere in the league.

If Clarke is ready to be on the team, that call likely has to be made by the draft, and then at least one of Roy, Durzi, or Walker has to go. Walker likely doesn't have a ton of value. Especially with an all around knee injury for a guy who needs his skating. Hate to lose what seems to be some offensive flair from Durzi, but then Clarke is supposed to be that same kind of guy. Don't really have another Roy anywhere, and he helps on that PK.

 

[Statto]

Good points - anything can happen. I'm just not sure how much better we would be with Chychrun, minus the prospects and draft picks that it would take to get him. If Edler hadn't got injured, I don't think we would even be having this discussion with the emergence of Durzi and the other D corps waiting in the wings.

With the emergence of Durzi and Clarke’s expected impact is there still a huge need for Chychrun specifically? It seems like we are very soon going to have a lot of offence on the right, so does it really matter what side of the D it comes from? I can see some technical system issues but they can be worked around. With Durzi coming through is physicality on the blue line now the priority rather than offence? I’m not saying Chychrun isn’t still a good piece to add but is the priority now physicality given it’s a pretty big hole on the blueline. It certainly makes me feel we don’t overpay for Chychrun.

 

[Steve Zissou]

With the emergence of Durzi and Clarke’s expected impact is there still a huge need for Chychrun specifically? It seems like we are very soon going to have a lot of offence on the right, so does it really matter what side of the D it comes from? I can see some technical system issues but they can be worked around. With Durzi coming through is physicality on the blue line now the priority rather than offence? I’m not saying Chychrun isn’t still a good piece to add but is the priority now physicality given it’s a pretty big hole on the blueline. It certainly makes me feel we don’t overpay for Chychrun.

Chychrun is f***ing stud. He brings size, grit, and a scoring ability unlike most in the entire league. Dare I say that at this point he also brings some leadership and fits in that middle age bracket to meld the youngins with the vets.

On the left side Toby and Mikey are Steady Eddies back there, but let's face it, don't bring much in the way of offense ::cough:: except the Pittsburgh game.

Blake going out to get a piece to help get them over the top either this year or the next is also a way to reward this team for their hard work and play thus far. It's a signal shift that results will start to be accounted for with increased expectations.

If this was a DL spreadsheet, we would see the need for a top LD still missing up on the projector.

The price, however, remains the biggest factor in trading for Chychrun.

 

[kilowatt]

I see Anderson as Matt Greene 2.0, and he'll probably be a quality third pair guy if we can find better players. Bjornfot probably tops out as a good 2LD. Granted, if we we have a legit RD1 and RD2 (Doughty, Clarke, Durzi or Faber even) then just pairing them up with guys that are good enough isn't the worst plan.

 

[Kurrilino]

My no list:
Byfield, Obviously
Turcotte, need to keep 2nd best C prospect for when Kopi's contract is up.
Vilardi, good shot & playmaking. Should be great on 55's wing.
Kaliyev. nope
Clarke. Nope nope nope.

If Blake can get it done without that great. If not there are other options.

I absolutely agree with everything above
Just becuse we have riches, doesn't mean to throw them around like there is no tomorrow

 

[Docgonzo]

Yeah, I remember when Williams was an injury waiting to happen and Stoll had arthritis, as well.

Obviously go get medical clearance first but saying he's had surgery in the past is far different than saying he's missed a bunch of games that he hasn't.

Difference is one was one of the best players on a Stanley cup winning team and the other was a younger player that just went to the finals. Not the best player on a bad team.

It’s hard to shake off a losing culture, which is why I think Blake insulates the rookies so much. Both Stoll and Williams were thought of high character players that went far in the playoffs. That’s why they were worth the risk.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Chychrun is f***ing stud. He brings size, grit, and a scoring ability unlike most in the entire league. Dare I say that at this point he also brings some leadership and fits in that middle age bracket to meld the youngins with the vets.

On the left side Toby and Mikey are Steady Eddies back there, but let's face it, don't bring much in the way of offense ::cough:: except the Pittsburgh game.

Blake going out to get a piece to help get them over the top either this year or the next is also a way to reward this team for their hard work and play thus far. It's a signal shift that results will start to be accounted for with increased expectations.

If this was a DL spreadsheet, we would see the need for a top LD still missing up on the projector.

The price, however, remains the biggest factor in trading for Chychrun.

I think way too many people are missing that part of JC's scouting report because of the offensive year he had previously and the bad defensive year he's having now--he's a monster TWO way D, not just an offensive guy. Think Giordano, not Hughes.

Difference is one was one of the best players on a Stanley cup winning team and the other was a younger player that just went to the finals. Not the best player on a bad team.

It’s hard to shake off a losing culture, which is why I think Blake insulates the rookies so much. Both Stoll and Williams were thought of high character players that went far in the playoffs. That’s why they were worth the risk.

I don't really disagree but you're not bringing JC in to be a leader or THE guy either, you've got Doughty for that. Plus if you're going to punish him for being a big part of a losing team, you also have to give him credit for being THE driving force on a team that won the qualifying round vs. Nashville; he made OEL obsolete in seconds. in 56 games, 18 g 41p--that's a 60pt pace. About 24 min all situations time on ice. every other arizona d-man but his partner had 150-200% ES goals against as they had goals for--JC's pairing was the only one to have a positive % with 48/44. They were literally the only ones to finish with positive relative stats. His splits with other d-men are gross; anyone that played with him succeeded, those who played without him absolutely fell apart from high 50s percentages to often low 30s percentages. Honestly they were Drew Doughty 2018 level numbers all around.

That's the guy Arizona is trying to trade and who you'd be presumably be trading for. It's absolutely not without risk, it's a lottery ticket, and I certainly wouldn't purge the farm for him myself--but I think a lot of people are trying to convince themselves that Chychrun isn't a difference maker.

 

[LAKings88]

I absolutely agree with everything above
Just becuse we have riches, doesn't mean to throw them around like there is no tomorrow

No one is suggesting trading all the top prospects.

If Turcotte was the main piece tho, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

Helenius, Madden, Vilardi, Thomas, JAD, Pinelli, someone else I probably forgot. You trade from strength to shore up weakness.

Chychruns don’t come around often. Turcotte will be good but it’s a hockey trade.

 

[Steve Zissou]

This dude is a f***ing stud.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Chychrun goals last year
2 STL (1 En)
2 Min
2 Avs
3 SJ
3 LA PP
6 ANA
13 of 18goals against 2nd worst Ducks, 7th SJ, 8th LA & 1 En.

This year back on track with 2 G in 26 games for a 6 goal 22 point pace on IR.

Chychrun might be good at defense. He has good shot placement & timing, but is just a 20 point defenseman. This is not what you pay an elite price for.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Chychrun goals last year
2 STL (1 En)
2 Min
2 Avs
3 SJ
3 LA PP
6 ANA
13 of 18goals against 2nd worst Ducks, 7th SJ, 8th LA & 1 En.

This year back on track with 2 G in 26 games for a 6 goal 22 point pace on IR.

Chychrun might be good at defense. He has good shot placement & timing, but is just a 20 point defenseman. This is not what you pay an elite price for.

Okay, how about the previous season when he was on track for 15g, 35 pts? Do we throw some of those out because they were vs. the Pacific? And the previous, on pace for 31 pts. His literal rookie year he got 20 pts...in just over 60 games.

You're just being dishonest and disrespectful now. No need to mental gymnastics yourself into thinking JC sucks, you can say you don't want him at-price and that's a fine opinion.

I'm not gonna continue defending another franchise's 1C but some of you need to give your head a shake.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Okay, how about the previous season when he was on track for 15g, 35 pts? Do we throw some of those out because they were vs. the Pacific? And the previous, on pace for 31 pts. His literal rookie year he got 20 pts...in just over 60 games.

You're just being dishonest and disrespectful now. No need to mental gymnastics yourself into thinking JC sucks, you can say you don't want him at-price and that's a fine opinion.

I'm not gonna continue defending another franchise's 1C but some of you need to give your head a shake.

Chychrun only averages 58 games a season. "On pace" over 82 games may be an over inflation of his numbers. Paying an Eichel like package has a good chance of ending in buyers remorse & a lot of maalox.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Kings need a physical d man badly.

I wouldn’t compare Mikey Anderson to Matt Greene who was a beast in the gym and had a fight card that included Eric Goddard.

 

[KingsFan7824]

It's a signal shift that results will start to be accounted for with increased expectations.

The price, however, remains the biggest factor in trading for Chychrun.

At some point, you have to pick one of these roads to go down. It's increase expectations, or hold onto assets. Both can't truly be done.

Had the Richards trade been proposed prior to it happening, how many would've said yes to that? Today, everyone does the trade 1000 times because it all worked out. Right after it happened, it was probably, well, ok, lets go. 2 months beforehand though? After the Kings just took the Sharks to 6 games without Kopitar, and Simmonds did pretty well, and Schenn was still considered to be the next big thing?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Kings need a physical d man badly.

I wouldn’t compare Mikey Anderson to Matt Greene who was a beast in the gym and had a fight card that included Eric Goddard.

We'll see a couple of them tonight!

I'm partial towards Lauzon.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Chychrun only averages 58 games a season. "On pace" over 82 games may be an over inflation of his numbers. Paying an Eichel like package has a good chance of ending in buyers remorse & a lot of maalox.

He was healthy scratched as a rookie a number of times. In a 70 game season in 19-20, he played in 63. In a 56 game 20-21, he played 56.

You can't play games that don't happen. It's overstated.

I said nothing about package value.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Kings need a physical d man badly.

I wouldn’t compare Mikey Anderson to Matt Greene who was a beast in the gym and had a fight card that included Eric Goddard.

I loved Greener, but i think his fight card was a list of guys that kicked his ass.

Tough as nails but the guy couldnt fight his way out of a wet paper bag.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Pass on Chychrun.

 

[respD]

So given what Kempe has done so far this season, what’s the current thinking about his ceiling? Is he a legit 30+ goal player?

If hockeydb.com is accurate, his current 17 goals is higher than any of his full season totals on any team he’s played with since his first season with MoDo Jr. at age 16. If you only looked at those numbers you wouldn’t project him to be a big scorer.

But this is the first time in his career where he’s not among the youngest guys on the team, so maybe this is him finally flourishing now that he’s had several seasons to learn to compete at the NHL level.

 

[Fishhead]

Over his career Chychrun has played in 77% of his team's available games. Gotta assume he's missing a chunk of games every season.

Personally, I wouldn't give up that much for a guy who has had shoulder surgery, a torn ACL in one knee, and a torn meniscus in the other. Great player, but risky.

 

[Reclamation Project]

So given what Kempe has done so far this season, what’s the current thinking about his ceiling? Is he a legit 30+ goal player?

If hockeydb.com is accurate, his current 17 goals is higher than any of his full season totals on any team he’s played with since his first season with MoDo Jr. at age 16. If you only looked at those numbers you wouldn’t project him to be a big scorer.

But this is the first time in his career where he’s not among the youngest guys on the team, so maybe this is him finally flourishing now that he’s had several seasons to learn to compete at the NHL level.

25-30 goal consistently. His shooting percentage is like 50% higher this year than his career average. I'd expect a greta season for him to be 30/30/60.

Kaliyev is the only consistent 30+ player on this team, I expect him to hit 40 in the next couple years.

 

[respD]

25-30 goal consistently. His shooting percentage is like 50% higher this year than his career average. I'd expect a greta season for him to be 30/30/60.

Interesting. Even at his career average, he’d already have 11-12 and would be on pace for 25+, still a career best by a lot. He must be getting a lot more shots this season.

Kaliyev is the only consistent 30+ player on this team, I expect him to hit 40 in the next couple years.

If he can play his way into a situation where he’s getting a lot of looks then a lot of goals should result. I don’t mind him apprenticing on the fourth line though. The things that keep Lizotte and Lemieux in the league are the things he needs to develop. When he gets those the rest will follow.