2021 NHL Entry Draft - Round 1: July 23 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, SN NOW, TVA Sports)

[regulate]

Absolutely, 10 times out of 10 you make that deal.
Granted, who in the NHL today is similar to Ziggy? Im also sure the cost for that player would be slightly more than what you posted..
Auston Matthews comes to mind as a comp but that’s a stretch.. Now I’m really curious, who is the modern version of Ziggy?

Depends on the player. You're talking 3 first rounds picks here, plus a guy who would have been picked in the first round if he wasn't so young in his draft eligible year. It would have to be an elite player IMO. Bjornfot is already a top 4 D at 19 years old. JAD has solid leaderships skills as a bottom six C or wing. Vilardi is just scratching the service, conditioning is still a battle, but he has high-end skill. And who knows who will be available at 8th overall. Seems like an Eichel level player would be required for me anyway.

 

[BigKing]

Olli Jokinen, Josh Green and Mathieu Biron were also part of the deal.

The equivalent package today would be:
8th OA
Vilardi
Bjornfot
JAD

for

27 year old 1st line winger
27 year old second line center.


Would you do it?

If it was for players as good as Palffy and Smolinski then yes, although Bjornfot has actually proven something at the NHL level v. Biron at the time of the trade. Jokinen probably had more value than Vilardi as a former 3OA though so maybe that evens out. Palffy was so good and that package still doesn't touch Byfield and Turcotte so sign me up.

Crazy how Jokinen was garbage for so long then just exploded. It looked like the Kings traded nothing of value in that deal for several years then Jokinen started to produce.

 

[kings11]

Depends on the player. You're talking 3 first rounds picks here, plus a guy who would have been picked in the first round if he wasn't so young in his draft eligible year. It would have to be an elite player IMO. Bjornfot is already a top 4 D at 19 years old. JAD has solid leaderships skills as a bottom six C or wing. Vilardi is just scratching the service, conditioning is still a battle, but he has high-end skill. And who knows who will be available at 8th overall. Seems like an Eichel level player would be required for me anyway.

Even then, Palffy was already a 3x 40 goal scorer at 25YO.. with how open the NHL is now, Ziggy might have been a 50g scorer, 100pt player

 

[YP44]

Absolutely, 10 times out of 10 you make that deal.
Granted, who in the NHL today is similar to Ziggy? Im also sure the cost for that player would be slightly more than what you posted..
Auston Matthews comes to mind as a comp but that’s a stretch.. Now I’m really curious, who is the modern version of Ziggy?

don't want to put it on the main boards due to Colt55 going ape shit, but honestly if I squint Tarasenko could be a modern version. I would not do that deal for him though

 

[johnjm22]

Absolutely, 10 times out of 10 you make that deal.
Granted, who in the NHL today is similar to Ziggy? Im also sure the cost for that player would be slightly more than what you posted..
Auston Matthews comes to mind as a comp but that’s a stretch.. Now I’m really curious, who is the modern version of Ziggy?

If it was for players as good as Palffy and Smolinski then yes, although Bjornfot has actually proven something at the NHL level v. Biron at the time of the trade. Jokinen probably had more value than Vilardi as a former 3OA though so maybe that evens out. Palffy was so good and that package still doesn't touch Byfield and Turcotte so sign me up.

Crazy how Jokinen was garbage for so long then just exploded. It looked like the Kings traded nothing of value in that deal for several years then Jokinen started to produce.

You have to consider the age of the players you're acquiring though.

At 27 years old, a player is in their prime, but it's the tail end of their prime usually. Smolinski really only had 2 productive years for us.

Matthews wouldn't be a comp for Palffy because Matthews is only 23.

I think the best comps for Palffy would be the 2018 versions of Tarasenko or Panarin. Maybe someone like JT Miller would be a comp for Smolinski.

 

[YP44]

I want Johnson or Eklund followed by Edvinsson.
If all three are gone than deal the pick

 

[Lt Dan]

You have to consider the age of the players you're acquiring though.

At 27 years old, a player is in their prime, but it's the tail end of their prime usually. Smolinski really only had 2 productive years for us.

IIRC Smoke was much more productive for us on the wing. When he got moved to center when Reinprecht and Blake were traded, the production dropped big time

 

[BigKing]

You have to consider the age of the players you're acquiring though.

At 27 years old, a player is in their prime, but it's the tail end of their prime usually. Smolinski really only had 2 productive years for us.

Matthews wouldn't be a comp for Palffy because Matthews is only 23.

I think the best comps for Palffy would be the 2018 versions of Tarasenko or Panarin. Maybe someone like JT Miller would be a comp for Smolinski.

Kings got five productive seasons out of him with the last one shortened significantly by injury. Then the lockout. Came back at PPG with the Pens then ditched the NHL.

If we are just talking about the quality of player and that player is of Palffy's quality, I'm all aboard for your proposed equivalent trade. Proposed Eichel deals involve Turcotte and Palffy is a better player than Eichel.

 

[kings11]

You have to consider the age of the players you're acquiring though.

At 27 years old, a player is in their prime, but it's the tail end of their prime usually. Smolinski really only had 2 productive years for us.

Matthews wouldn't be a comp for Palffy because Matthews is only 23.

I think the best comps for Palffy would be the 2018 versions of Tarasenko or Panarin. Maybe someone like JT Miller would be a comp for Smolinski.

IDK, Ziggy imho was a better player than both tank or the bread man

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Think about it like this: There is a higher probability of the Kings getting the best player in the draft at 8 than most years.

Lack of games and scouting means that the probability of the best player will probably be outside the first round is very high.

 

[johnjm22]

IDK, Ziggy imho was a better player than both tank or the bread man

From 95/96 to 97/98 (right before coming to LA), Palffy had the 9th most points of any player in the league.

In the last 4 seasons, Panarin has had the 6th most points of any player in the league.

So I think it's a relatively good comparison.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I’d say the way Nikita Kucherov plays is pretty damn close to what we saw from Palffy, and I’d definitely give up a similar package as the one that landed Ziggy if the Kings were getting Kucherov in return.

 

[kings11]

From 95/96 to 97/98 (right before coming to LA), Palffy had the 9th most points of any player in the league.

In the last 4 seasons, Panarin has had the 6th most points of any player in the league.

So I think it's a relatively good comparison.

Stats are fine but as a player and even with the eyeball test… Ziggy was much better than Panarin.. add in the supporting cast and I think it’s clear Ziggy would have been a top 3-5 player today. He was that good

 

[Lt Dan]

Stats are fine but as a player and even with the eyeball test… Ziggy was much better than Panarin.. add in the supporting cast and I think it’s clear Ziggy would have been a top 3-5 player today. He was that good

He was, but we acquired him without enough of a supporting cast. The closest thing that he ever had to a complete team in LA was that 2000-01 team after Blake was traded and that only lasted until the Allison trade

 

[Legionnaire]

Lack of games and scouting means that the probability of the best player will probably be outside the first round is very high.

Higher. I think it's equally high across the board.

 

[kings11]

He was, but we acquired him without enough of a supporting cast. The closest thing that he ever had to a complete team in LA was that 2000-01 team after Blake was traded and that only lasted until the Allison trade

that was exactly my point LT.. imagine what he would have done with a little help… I mean hell, we gave those Avs trams a tough fight

 

[Lt Dan]

that was exactly my point LT.. imagine what he would have done with a little help… I mean hell, we gave those Avs trams a tough fight

Indeed that run was literally the best thing that happened to us between 1993 and 2012.

After that the team kept getting thinner. Derek Armstrong was eventually our #1 center. And we had a team of Jeff Guilianos and Mike Weavers

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[YP44]

Luke Hughes just went up a notch in my book.

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Power can't be dazzled by the lights of the NHL...he needs to look at whats best for his development and thats not playing for Buffalo in 2021-22...Another year of college will do wonders and it might also clear some of the mess that has become the perennial loser Buffalo Sabres organization

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Have to say, people crap all over Hoven on here for his rumors (and I guess at times it seems well deserved given how declarative his statements are), but I don’t see any other LA based writer covering the upcoming draft. I think thus far it’s only been his site and @FrozenRoyalty who have articles about the draft.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Some major Jay Bouwmeester vibes from Power