GDT: 2021-22 season game 75 LA Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks @5:30pm 4/12/22

[Axl Rhoadz]

But failing to make the playoffs this season, given the position we were in just a couple weeks ago, would be a failure. It's not like we've been scratching and clawing all season to hurdle the teams just in front of us. We had a huge advantage and we've let that waste away. The context of this failure is important. Yes, injuries are a major cause, but not the only cause. That's where the "gloom and doomers" are coming from. I think you know that.

the only people that wouldn't be looking at injuries as the main reason why things 'slipped away' are either blind or part of the group on this board who are on suicide watch daily. This season would not be considered a failure if they missed the playoffs -- disappointing, no doubt.

 

[DoktorJeep]

I don't think you need to live there to have skin in the game.
I wish I was local to see all the game you have. Me I have done so many Calgary Edmonton back to backs. Shelling out for expensive tickets and gas to get me to and from. Some times hotel as well. I have over 30 jerseys that are not knock offs. Have a whole basement of signed pictures, and cup plagues and what not (have some of the net from 2012 in a Dustin brown frame, and a sliver of a puck from 2014, shit like that).
Point is there is other ways than being local to have some "skin in the game". Sometimes it is hard taking shit from Coiler and Flame's fans, but I would not cheer for anyone else. Friggin Yanic Perreault cursed me.

It's a testament to the stature of the metropolis of LA that our local teams attract so many fans from all over the globe. It is the local fans who put in the vast majority of the time and money and enable that global reach.

I don't say this to downplay the passion of Kings fans around the world. But the fans that don't live here, especially folks living in Canada, don't understand that it sucks that there aren't more hockey fans in SoCal. You live in a place that lives/breathes hockey 24/7, so the Kings are just another topic of discussion within the top entertainment option available to you. Our team has a better chance of converting a young Canadian kid into a life long fan than millions of children in our own city because they have much more popular sports heroes to root for.

In the 30+ years since Gretzky came, the landscape of hockey in SoCal has completely eclipsed the 20 years prior. We have 2 successful, stable franchises that have won Stanley cups and produced HoF worthy home grown players. I never thought I would see that in my lifetime if you had asked me back in the year 2000.

But despite that, things move so fast here in the entertainment capital of the WORLD, that yesterday's champion is today's after thought. If you ask the Sudanese guy who came to America last week and is now working as a cashier at the gas station closest to Staples Center who Lebron James is, he would know the answer without being able to speak a word of English.

You could stand on the corner of Hollywood and Vine all day asking people who Phil Danault is and get nothing but blank looks. In this town to succeed you need to not only win and win consistently, you also need stars. Otherwise, the second there is a problem with ownership and the hockey team, you are staring down the loss of the team as a very real possibility.

We are eternally lucky that AEG wanted to build an arena and entertainment district in downtown LA, that saved this franchise. But if we go through a decade plus of missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the first two rounds, we are one Uncle Phil heart attack away from being right back in danger of being a complete joke of a franchise.

No Kings fan wants that, whatever your opinion of Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille are.

 

[johnjm22]

This is so true....and why it's not acceptable to have a popcornopolis offense, where there are ZERO Kings
on the entire first page of leading scorers. You have to click page 2, to find Kopitar at 56th! And to find the next highest scoring King, well...you must click page 3, to find Kempe at 112th. ! A travesty. This should not be acceptable. If you can win tons of 3-2 games and make the playoffs, fine. But most people want to see the stuff McDavid, Matthews, Kaprizov, Panarin have and LA's answer to that is Adrian Kempe. Now is the time to get at least a Filip Forsberg and a Jakob Chychrun.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Certainly the Kings need some high end offensive talent. But paying big money to a guy with a current shooting % of 20.5 is probably not a good idea.

 

[YP44]

Certainly the Kings need some high end offensive talent. But paying big money to a guy with a current shooting % of 20.5 is probably not a good idea.

all depends on term IMO.

 

[KINGS17]

In hindsight everything is so simple, yes.

They aren’t playing playoff hockey this season due what we have seen last night. They were playing playoff hockey in 2016, 2017 & 2020.

No Chicago should have let them become free agents after another championship. That is what they should have done.

In hindsight? Give me a break. You have been around long enough to know my post has nothing to do with "hindsight". I have said each and every one of these 8-year retirement contracts is BS right from the start.

Much like the Kings, Chicago should have reaped the benefits of their Stanley Cup championships and made a decision to not miss the opportunity associated with having over-valued assets. These over-valued assets were not only Kane and Toews, they included Keith, Seabrook, and others as well.

I always love the argument about going after another championship after winning three of them in the span of three to five years, when the average career of a hockey player is around five years. After winning two or three , guess what the ride is over. That is not the time to give every player you think you couldn't have won without a max term, expensive contract.

That approach is ridiculous, and the results all too predictable.

 

[KINGS17]

It's a testament to the stature of the metropolis of LA that our local teams attract so many fans from all over the globe. It is the local fans who put in the vast majority of the time and money and enable that global reach.

I don't say this to downplay the passion of Kings fans around the world. But the fans that don't live here, especially folks living in Canada, don't understand that it sucks that there aren't more hockey fans in SoCal. You live in a place that lives/breathes hockey 24/7, so the Kings are just another topic of discussion within the top entertainment option available to you. Our team has a better chance of converting a young Canadian kid into a life long fan than millions of children in our own city because they have much more popular sports heroes to root for.

In the 30+ years since Gretzky came, the landscape of hockey in SoCal has completely eclipsed the 20 years prior. We have 2 successful, stable franchises that have won Stanley cups and produced HoF worthy home grown players. I never thought I would see that in my lifetime if you had asked me back in the year 2000.

But despite that, things move so fast here in the entertainment capital of the WORLD, that yesterday's champion is today's after thought. If you ask the Sudanese guy who came to America last week and is now working as a cashier at the gas station closest to Staples Center who Lebron James is, he would know the answer without being able to speak a word of English.

You could stand on the corner of Hollywood and Vine all day asking people who Phil Danault is and get nothing but blank looks. In this town to succeed you need to not only win and win consistently, you also need stars. Otherwise, the second there is a problem with ownership and the hockey team, you are staring down the loss of the team as a very real possibility.

We are eternally lucky that AEG wanted to build an arena and entertainment district in downtown LA, that saved this franchise. But if we go through a decade plus of missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the first two rounds, we are one Uncle Phil heart attack away from being right back in danger of being a complete joke of a franchise.

No Kings fan wants that, whatever your opinion of Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille are.

Phil Danault? Isn't he the President of Canada, or whatever they call the leader up there in America's hat.

 

[johnjm22]

all depends on term IMO.

Indeed. But players of his stature sign max-term deals.

You want Forsberg, it will cost 7 years, 60M-70M.

He's not worth it.

 

[KINGS17]

Indeed. But players of his stature sign max-term deals.

You want Forsberg, it will cost 7 years, 60M-70M.

He's not worth it.

You're right, Forsberg is not worth it. That kind of deal only make sense if your team is poised to win a cup now, and the deal allows him to be traded after you take a shot at winning the cup. Even then, it is still problematic, because you may not be able to find another GM who will take the contract off your hands.

Overall, not worth it.

 

[Bandit]

Don't drink the Kool-Aid just yet...

If anyone around here is drinking Kool Aid... Protip though: It's not Kool Aid when it comes directly from Blake's crotch.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Indeed. But players of his stature sign max-term deals.

You want Forsberg, it will cost 7 years, 60M-70M.

He's not worth it.

He might be worth it if you factor in the $40M sunk cost on Kopitar and Doughty over the next two years. The team has shown they can be competitive right now.

If it’s a UFA, you don’t sacrifice the futures in the pipeline. With this deep a pipeline, it stands to reason some part could be sacrificed for an additional upgrade.

I’ll change my opinion on the Kings if Blake shows he has the wherewithal to win a bidding war for the top UFA and bring in the unicorn LD without giving up Byfield or Clarke.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Certainly the Kings need some high end offensive talent. But paying big money to a guy with a current shooting % of 20.5 is probably not a good idea.

The Kings have always struggled with scoring and since the Palffy/deadmarsh era. Short lived as that was, that was 20 years ago with Andy Murray as HC. Lot of people thought that was a WTF hire.

Since then, the systems and coaches the Kings have hired placed an emphasis on everything except scoring. Crawford didn’t last very long due to clashes with the players etc.

The kings already have talent in the pipeline, they just need the right coach and system to enable that production.

 

[johnjm22]

He might be worth it if you factor in the $40M sunk cost on Kopitar and Doughty over the next two years. The team has shown they can be competitive right now.

If it’s a UFA, you don’t sacrifice the futures in the pipeline. With this deep a pipeline, it stands to reason some part could be sacrificed for an additional upgrade.

I’ll change my opinion on the Kings if Blake shows he has the wherewithal to win a bidding war for the top UFA and bring in the unicorn LD without giving up Byfield or Clarke.

But do we want a top free agent? The majority of the time, teams end up regretting signing the big fish UFA. It usually hurts more than it helps.

The problem is, you have to overpay to land the player. And they only have a few of their best years left in them (if at all)

I remember when everybody around here wanted Gomez, Drury, Brad Richards, and Kovalchuck (the first time). Had any of those signings been made, the Kings probably never would have won the cup.

 

[YP44]

But do we want a top free agent? The majority of the time, teams end up regretting signing the big fish UFA. It usually hurts more than it helps.

The problem is, you have to overpay to land the player. And they only have a few of their best years left in them (if at all)

I remember when everybody around here wanted Gomez, Drury, Brad Richards, and Kovalchuck (the first time). Had any of those signings been made, the Kings probably never would have won the cup.

had Smyth not demanded out the kings would not have won the cup. Fraser and the cap space to get Carter were so huge.
I was pissed at him at the time but turned into one of the best things for LA

 

[DoktorJeep]

But do we want a top free agent? The majority of the time, teams end up regretting signing the big fish UFA. It usually hurts more than it helps.

The problem is, you have to overpay to land the player. And they only have a few of their best years left in them (if at all)

I remember when everybody around here wanted Gomez, Drury, Brad Richards, and Kovalchuck (the first time). Had any of those signings been made, the Kings probably never would have won the cup.

We overpaid for Danault and it’s turned out better than any conceivable scenario, just saying

 

[KINGS17]

He might be worth it if you factor in the $40M sunk cost on Kopitar and Doughty over the next two years. The team has shown they can be competitive right now.

If it’s a UFA, you don’t sacrifice the futures in the pipeline. With this deep a pipeline, it stands to reason some part could be sacrificed for an additional upgrade.

I’ll change my opinion on the Kings if Blake shows he has the wherewithal to win a bidding war for the top UFA and bring in the unicorn LD without giving up Byfield or Clarke.

Sunk costs are just that...sunk.

...and they don't have to be a sunk cost.

 

[KINGS17]

But do we want a top free agent? The majority of the time, teams end up regretting signing the big fish UFA. It usually hurts more than it helps.

The problem is, you have to overpay to land the player. And they only have a few of their best years left in them (if at all)

I remember when everybody around here wanted Gomez, Drury, Brad Richards, and Kovalchuck (the first time). Had any of those signings been made, the Kings probably never would have won the cup.

The only one the Kings wanted back then that turned out well for the team signing him was Chara with the Bruins.

 

[All The Kings Men]

We overpaid for Danault and it’s turned out better than any conceivable scenario, just saying

A huge part of the reason the Danault signing has exceeded any conceivable expectations is because the expectations were reasonably set in the first place.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

A huge part of the reason the Danault signing has exceeded any conceivable expectations is because the expectations were reasonably set in the first place.

He helped lead Montreal to the finals, (shutting down many centers throughout the playoffs) but 5 goals all reg season, was going to limit how much he was going to make as a free agent. If he scored even 15 reg season goals, would have made even more...and maybe priced himself out of the Kings would be offer.

 

[DoktorJeep]

A huge part of the reason the Danault signing has exceeded any conceivable expectations is because the expectations were reasonably set in the first place.

So you’re saying if we pay Forsberg $9M x 7 years and say he’s here to score 35g, then he’s going to put up 50 goals. Sign me up.

 

[BigKing]

Everyone that spends too much time here on this board is a big-time Kings fan and there isn't going to be a dick-measuring contest over who is a bigger fan or whatever.

As a 20 year STH'er; however, I'm not going to just give everyone in the organization--including those on the ice--a free pass when I'm putting down real money and real time for this team. Big difference between watching on the couch v. driving up to DTLA from Long Beach after driving down to Mission Viejo and back for work that day. It was actually a blessing last season that we weren't allowed at the games so I was saved from myself: the couch has generally been the better choice the past several seasons.

I want to see an exciting, contending product that is built to last: or at least built to last as long as possible in the CAP world. The Kings haven't won a home playoff game since Game 5 against the Rangers in 2014 and I'd gladly go another year without even a home playoff game if I knew Blake was setting this team up to be that true contender moving forward. With the current prospect development and roster construction, I just don't see it.

I'm going to the games, watching them on TV and cheering for wins. I hope they pull off a miracle this season and win the Cup just like I do every season. That said, I'm more interested in Blake's upcoming offseason, what the roster looks like on opening night and how Byfield starts the season. There are definitely things to like about the team this season so it is wrong to just completely shit on it but they don't look like a real contender and the forward prospect development is horrifying. I've enjoyed this season so much more than anything since 2018 but I also didn't go through watching complete garbage teams--many times in person--so I could witness a fun little "surprise" playoff appearance this season.

In a vacuum, this season is great because they are much improved over the past few seasons: a stretch that stacks right up there with the absolute worst stretches in Kings history. I understand just being in the moment, believing in Blake and expecting him to figure it out. Kudos to those of you that can do that but I've been watching this franchise wallow in mediocrity--or worse--for so long that I can't give him the benefit of the doubt.

Remember how great it felt to be back in the playoffs in 2018? No, you don't because they were in the playoffs for a grand total of seven days from first puck drop to the final whistle. It ultimately meant jack shit. This is why you have a lot of posters worried about the deployment of the players that are supposed to make this franchise a perennial contender. It's why I'm worried so much about this offseason since it is most likely going to make or break this rebuild.

Too long of a story short: we all want this team to win a Cup this year. Nobody is actively rooting for them to lose. I hate when that notion is put out there. We've all seen this franchise sneak in to a playoff spot and get bounced in the first round numerous times while we've seen them sneak in and dominate once. If the former gets you hard then I wish I could be as carefree: I'm happy for you. For me and a lot of us here, this season is like the Eddie Murphy joke from Raw where he says you give a starving man a cracker, he'll act like its the best thing he's ever ate in his life. Get that cracker every day for a year and you realize it is just a regular old cracker. This season is a cracker after years of starving so, yeah, it tastes good and I can enjoy it for what it is but how are we not getting the same cracker next season?

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

Time to dump some prospects and hope they thin out the right ones. Time to make some decisions on which ones are your horses and put them in the correct post position. Offer Dustin Brown a 1 year deal at 1.5 million and let him decide if he wants to take it. That Arizona trade seems like a no brainer if they will play ball for a thing not drafted in the first round the last 2 years.

Biggest need is to get 2 new assistant coaches to fix the damn pp and penalty kill. 30 more pp goals and a top 10 kill puts this team in the division lead. Only reason I don’t say head coach is because I know there isn’t a snowballs chance in hell of it happening this year with the points increase.

 

[Telos]

Forsberg would be an amazing pickup no matter what, but I that would be a tough contract to take in with Kopitar and Doughty still here and he hasn't played more than 67 games since 6 seasons ago. I'd be all for getting him, but that would take some crazy gymnastics, would likely have to get rid of Kopitar and then I would question if our centers would be good enough to justify Forsberg in the first place.

 

[KingLB]

A huge part of the reason the Danault signing has exceeded any conceivable expectations is because the expectations were reasonably set in the first place.

Yup, and mostly cause he was brought in to be a mid level guy. Similar to how Zeus was a pretty good signing (until the last year) and then obviously Skud/Willie. Mid level, vets, seem to be the sweet spot of the FA market. At least for the kings…

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

To AZ: Iafollo, Turcotte, Durzi, 2022 1st, 2022 2nd, and 2nd in 2023.

To LA: Chychrun and lowest 2022 2nd Phoenix has.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Forsberg won't sign here and I don't think it's a good idea anyway. He's going to get way too much term and cap hit for a player his age. Combine that with the -offense in LA factor and 3 years in you're paying 10 million for a 50 point winger who is showing signs of slowing down but he still has 4 years left on his deal...