GDT: 2024-25 season game 18 LA Kings vs Colorado Avalanche @7:00pm 11/13/24

[crassbonanza]

I’m almost there. Now just say that Byfield being a passenger as a 2nd overall pick player is worse than Fiala being a moron. This rebuild was entirely built on the back of Byfield and he hasn’t done shit to date that is worthy of the spot we drafted him at. No one can tell me I’m wrong

The thing that sucks the most about the Byfield situation is the contract that Blake gave him. He's making 6.25 and is walked directly to free agency without buying any UFA years. We are overpaying from a production standpoint with the hope that he develops. The issue is that if he does develop we will have to pay significantly more or lose him. For comparison Stutzle is making 8.2, but is signed for 2 more seasons.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Byfield is who he is. And that’s coming from someone who wanted him over Stutzle in 2020, immediately soured on him, started to believe again, and is now just ambivalent.

He’s not a star player and probably never will be. He’s a good middle six forward with range and some occasional gamebreaking shifts. He probably enjoys a long career as a #3 or #4 option on someone’s wing.

Blake drafted seven thousand centers with high picks and failed to develop any of them at that position. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t happening to us.

 

[kingsfan28]

Good lord Spence was bad again. Absolutely bitch slapped all night by Mackinnon and Raantanan. Biggest disappointment out of all the dmen by far .He was expected to make a bigger leap once Doughty went down, he's gone the other way. The turnover with the goalie pull was an epic way to end his night and he had a perfect view of the hattrick goal.

 

[kingsfan28]

Imagine the team with Faber and Vilardi.

Still be in the blackhole, but we'd be complaining how Vilardi can't stay healthy, and how we need more scoring [which we did], should trade some of our RHD for it. And why is AI still on the team, blocking younger prospects.

 

[tigermask48]

Still be in the blackhole, but we'd be complaining how Vilardi can't stay healthy, and how we need more scoring [which we did], should trade some of our RHD for it. And why is AI still on the team, blocking younger prospects.

Not really, if AI is still here, Lewis isn't. Sure we are probably bitching about AI's contract being what it is for a bottom 6 player, but he's still a decent enough plug that he can take shifts anywhere in the lineup and not look out of place... unlike Lewis or JAD.

Vilardi would slot in for Fiala or Foegle and one of Thomas/Turcotte is in the lineup every night.

People would complain about AI blocking prospects but I never really saw it. Fiala, Danault, PLD and Arvidsson were always more of a a roadblock than Iafallo was.

Iafallo could always be put anywhere in the lineup and would still produce. He was a great utility player and didn't need a defined role unlike those others.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Weird game, they played a great 2 minutes.....then forgot how to shoot.....literally, forgot how to f***ing shoot the puck, so many wide open looks passed up because the shot from the corner goaline is clearly more dangerous, that's how they scored the 1st goal, right?

Kuemper was fighting the puck the entire night, Clarke made a huge rookie mistake, hope he learns from it on the 3rd COL goal, no idea what he was thinking leaving the front to go be the 4th guy in the srum on the boards....

 

[Reaper45]

Danault, Spence, Byfield and Thomas have been horrible.

Why does Hiller keep playing Lee when he’s pissed at other players? Lee is the modern day John Tripp.

Tripp was a much better scrapper.

 

[kingsfan28]

Not really, if AI is still here, Lewis isn't. Sure we are probably bitching about AI's contract being what it is for a bottom 6 player, but he's still a decent enough plug that he can take shifts anywhere in the lineup and not look out of place... unlike Lewis or JAD.

Vilardi would slot in for Fiala or Foegle and one of Thomas/Turcotte is in the lineup every night.

People would complain about AI blocking prospects but I never really saw it. Fiala, Danault, PLD and Arvidsson were always more of a a roadblock than Iafallo was.

Iafallo could always be put anywhere in the lineup and would still produce. He was a great utility player and didn't need a defined role unlike those others.

AI is currently a 4 mil a year ,4th line player who's stats have gone downhill since the trade. His worse season as a pro was last year. I get that he can play up and down but he'd have blocked LAF for sure, probably been him and Carl on the wings after VA went down last year. Wouldn't be so sure about Lewis.

 

[Fat Elvis]

They are what they've been. Better than the bottom feeders but top out as 1st round cannon fodder.
Been this way for years. Trying the same thing and expecting different results.
The decision making needs to change, throughout the organIzation. BLuc needs to be escorted out of the building. The team is not making life difficult on their opponents. I don't recall a single hit by LA last night. Put together 2 good shifts, 2 all game. Horribly constructed and coached team.
Reason the standings are what they are is because Laff and Clarke, and that they've played the softest schedule in the league so far.

 

[chris kontos]

That’s why I can’t really get behind the bitching of Fiala. We traded away Vilardi when he broke out and was easily to everyone the most talented draftee. Then we have Byfield who can’t really do anything impressive just yet besides a couple shifts maybe once or twice a week. That’s a far cry from what we need from him. kings traded Vilardi, Kings are riding Kopitar, Byfield isn’t even a star at this point in his career, why on earth do we really give a f*** about Fiala? Sure maybe the trade was the wrong timing but as far as I am aware we were tanking for the likes of Byfield Clarke and Turcotte. None of these players are anywhere close to who Kopitar and Doughty were at their age. Vilardi was the best and we traded him man. Why the f*** do we truly give a f*** about Fiala? I feel like anyone who bitches about him has lost the plot entirely. We were tanking for these guys and none of them play an important role at this point.

lost the plot? why give a f*** about fiala?
this team is headed to mediocrity at best and wont be competitive for a stanley cup for 10yrs or>. the plot is as long as the team makes money it will never change. and for this fan the heart of competition doesnt exist on this team. its obvious what mgmt is doing and has been written about by you and damn near everybody else exhaustively.
the comedy relief that fiala brings is a real positive that watching this moron embarrass himself every other night in front of huge crowds of people is a spectacle thats also a real bright spot in the poor excuse top to bottom for competition that is presented to us as entertainment. i have never laughed so hard at a player in a hockey game in my long yrs as a fan. these belly laughs are hard to find and are as good a reason as any to continue to view this team.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Kings needed to dump AI and his 4 million. Kupari looks like a bust.

It’s Vilardi and the 2nd rounder (Durzi) that hurt the most about that deal.

The Faber for Fiala deal didn’t bother me at the time. With Faber having an epic rookie season and the way Fiala has played since, it looks bad plus Blake threw in a 1st.

 

[tigermask48]

AI is currently a 4 mil a year ,4th line player who's stats have gone downhill since the trade. His worse season as a pro was last year. I get that he can play up and down but he'd have blocked LAF for sure, probably been him and Carl on the wings after VA went down last year. Wouldn't be so sure about Lewis.

If Iafallo is a 4th line player he wouldn't have been blocking Laf who spent the majority of last year in the top 6. That logic doesn't track.

 

[tigermask48]

Kings needed to dump AI and his 4 million. Kupari looks like a bust.

It’s Vilardi and the 2nd rounder (Durzi) that hurt the most about that deal.

The Faber for Fiala deal didn’t bother me at the time. With Faber having an epic rookie season and the way Fiala has played since, it looks bad plus Blake threw in a 1st.

The only reason they needed to dump AI and Durzi was because of PLD and his cap hit coming back. There were definitely other better options to dump salary if needed.

Also that 1st in the Fiala trade was Liam Ohgren who was up until recently in the NHL in a bottom 6 role for the Wild. So that pick is also already paying off for Minnesota.

 

[Omni Owl]

Figured this one would be ugly, 7 games in 12 days finishing at mile high is f***ed up regardless of how I feel about the team, not surprised they had no oxygen in their brains.

Now for 3 games in 10 days at home vs. non-playoff teams.

I really think they couldn't hang with the high altitude, completely fell off after a decent 1st period. Avs have such an advantage when it comes to their locale.

Our future at center looks bleak once Kopi retires, because Byfield just ain't it, hopefully that changes but I'm not holding my breath. No team is going far without a legit 1C and then some down the middle.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I mean for the kids at least these are expected growing pains.

Guys like Danault and Fiala don't have that excuse. Byfield and Spence do. Spence is being miscast/overused at this stage unfortunately, Byfield is struggling mightily, but you have to let him work through it. Development isn't linear and you're often going to get one step back before two steps forward...even Stutzle has followed that pattern.

My worry with him still stems more from the fact that they're still making Kopitar the main character.

 

[King'sPawn]

You missed the main points about him. He’s a disappointment that he’s not a star yet. He’s a disappointment that for being drafted so high that he struggles heavily with confidence.

Overall he’s a disappointment to the point that he himself is not anywhere near good enough to build around. The Kings are going to have to rebuild again and it’s undeniable. The one player that actually was already a star and they traded him was Vilardi.

I know this board has a tendency to celebrate any positive thing he does because it actually feels good to not feel like shit about the team but I feel like many posters are out of touch with reality as to what his ceiling is. If it was high, you’d know it by now, the fact we even have to constantly talk about the fact that Byfield STILL hasn’t put it together should tell you how much closer his ceiling is to the floor.

I stated why I tbink Byfield is a disappointment. I understand yours, but disagree.

Either way, him not yet (or possibly ever) becoming the player the Kings need him to be doesn't wipe out the whataboutism used in defense of Fiala, who at times is all but playing himself out of the lineup.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

To think that the team doesn’t know that Blake and Luc are most likely gone if they don’t perform at 130% output is evident. They are. Buckling under the pressure. They know they can’t beat Edmonton and it’s in their heads. Crumbling from the inside out. They know the team will be completely remodeled in an unknown entities vision. They are waiting for things to shake out. Same as having a lame duck president!

 

[kingsholygrail]

The 4 forwards 1 defenseman thing isn't working, btw.

 

[bland]

Fiala is never going to "figure it out". This is why Minnesota had no problem letting him be their cap casualty as a big part of their culture purge, and it's why Nashville tired of waiting.

He is in business for himself. He isn't a bad guy - its just that is how he thinks the game is played. And the results prove time and again that he will not help you win no matter how much work - hard work too - he puts into sharpening his skills. He cannot defer, he cannot read time and place, and he cannot err on the side of caution when blatantly needed.

You cut your losses and move on. And if there is anything Blake is actually good at, that's it.

The 4 forwards 1 defenseman thing isn't working, btw.

There isn't a single LHD in the entire organization that they can play in that situation.

Which is so unusual because puck moving LHD are one of the easiest elements to find in hockey.

 

[johnjm22]

Fiala has a full NMC until 2026.

 

[tigermask48]

The 4 forwards 1 defenseman thing isn't working, btw.

Years ago I remember having a convo about coaches with my younger brother and he was telling me about former NCAA coach that would get down by 3+ goals and would start pulling his goalie at even strength for the extra attacker.

He described it as some brave new strategy, and I asked him "does it ever work and they come back?" He responds with "not really, most games just become blowouts."

I let the thought rattle around in my brain and then just asked "if it never works, why not just try and win the game normally?" to which he had no response.

 

[Herby]

33 points in 17 games for Mackinnon.

140 points last year.

Having a player like that essentially handicaps your opponent.

Kings don't have the horsepower to contend with teams like this. We need to rebuild.

Trade Fiala.

Don't worry, when we make the playoffs we won't see any superstar players, right?

Fiala is never going to "figure it out". This is why Minnesota had no problem letting him be their cap casualty as a big part of their culture purge, and it's why Nashville tired of waiting.

He is in business for himself. He isn't a bad guy - its just that is how he thinks the game is played. And the results prove time and again that he will not help you win no matter how much work - hard work too - he puts into sharpening his skills. He cannot defer, he cannot read time and place, and he cannot err on the side of caution when blatantly needed.

You cut your losses and move on. And if there is anything Blake is actually good at, that's it.


There isn't a single LHD in the entire organization that they can play in that situation.

Which is so unusual because puck moving LHD are one of the easiest elements to find in hockey.

100% spot on about Fiala. He is the epitome of a me first non-team player. He has been called out by a team leader for being selfish about stats, benched in game for taking stupid penalties and scratched for missing a meeting (coincidentally right after the in game benching), and yet last night shows that he hasn't learned from these things or just doesn't care.

The problem is, Fiala and the team both know there is a huge skill issue on this team, and they really can't remove arguably their most skilled player as the team still keeps playing contender, he will be moved when Blake is finally fired.

As far as LH offensive defenseman, yes it's been a major organizational issue for years now. But it's their own doing, Lane Hutson was sitting there in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft and was EXACTLY what the team needed, but Blake decided to draft yet another center who can't shoot the puck into the ocean (I guess JAD, Kupari and Turcotte weren't enough).

Can anybody come up with a list of left-shot offensive defenseman the Kings have drafted in any of Blake's eight drafts? It shouldn't take very long.

But, how could Blake have known about the lack of LH offensive d-man on this years team, right?

HOW COULD BLAKE HAVE KNOWN

 

[johnjm22]

If you're a professional sports GM, it goes without saying that before you acquire players you're doing deep-dive research on them; watching film, consulting staff, doing cap calculations, projecting lines and future rosters, talking to your sources around the league about said player. And much more I'm sure.

But with PLD and Fiala it doesn't feel like that was done. These are guys who look good on paper. Feels like the analysis ended there.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

If you're a professional sports GM, it goes without saying that before you acquire players you're doing deep-dive research on them; watching film, consulting staff, doing cap calculations, projecting lines and future rosters, talking to your sources around the league about said player. And much more I'm sure.

But with PLD and Fiala it doesn't feel like that was done. These are guys who look good on paper. Feels like the analysis ended there.

Beg to differ to a point, you are doing those things but you are relying heavily on your scouting team, your cap guy, your minor league coaches, major league coaches etc. You aren't really projecting future lines as much as future slots, top 6 top 4 top 3 etc

 

[johnjm22]

you are relying heavily on your scouting team, your cap guy, your minor league coaches, major league coaches etc.

Yes. That's what I'm saying.