Self-fulfilling prophecy.
GDT: 2024-25 season game 60 LA Kings vs St. Louis blues @7:30pm 3/5/25
- Thread starter kingsboy11
- Start date
Self-fulfilling prophecy.
1st unit has been total garbage all season long with this coach management.
We cannot expect different results if we are not crazy naive.
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
- Apr 18, 2018
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Its the wrong mindset. his thinking is always how to improve defense than how to improve offense.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
lolllll
#benchclarke
Edmundson is already another PLD situation, trying to overplay him in favorable situations to justify the investment, but he just keeps getting worse. If anything, they should be thanking Clarke for working miracles to make Joel playable, like Spence did for Englund last year. Spence was a little better, but Joel has actually been worse.
They want so badly to make Gavrikov/Anderson a thing that they're sabotaging the rest of the D to do so, sometimes guys are just toxic for each other (ex. Muzzin and Martinez) on top of it. Doughty and Edmundson do NOT work well together.
#benchclarke
Edmundson is already another PLD situation, trying to overplay him in favorable situations to justify the investment, but he just keeps getting worse. If anything, they should be thanking Clarke for working miracles to make Joel playable, like Spence did for Englund last year. Spence was a little better, but Joel has actually been worse.
They want so badly to make Gavrikov/Anderson a thing that they're sabotaging the rest of the D to do so, sometimes guys are just toxic for each other (ex. Muzzin and Martinez) on top of it. Doughty and Edmundson do NOT work well together.
For once I would love for the Kings to just play their best players together.
Doughty is the team's best RHD (barely at this point). Hey I've got a great idea, let's pair him with the team's best LHD (which I'd say right now is Gavrikov).
Mikey Anderson is the teams 2nd best LHD - Hey what if we played him on the 2nd pair with the team's 2nd best RHD Jordan Spence??
Edmundson is your 3rd best LHD (barely/arguably over Moverare) - let's play him on our 3rd pair (crazy idea right?) and put him with our 3rd best RHD (Clarke).
Byfield's our best center right now. Let's play him as our 1st line center with our best left wing (Fiala) and our best right wing (Kempe). Kopi is probably our 2nd best center right now. Let's play him with our 2nd best LW (Foegele) and our 2nd best RW (Laferriere). Then Turcotte, Danault, and Moore as our 3rd line.
Fiala - Byfield - Kempe
Foegele - Kopitar - Laferriere
Turcotte - Danault - Moore
Jeannot - Helenius - Lewis
Gavrikov - Doughty (And try to keep Doughty's minutes somewhere around 20 mins)
Anderson - Spence
Edmundson - Clarke (Try to ensure Clarke gets at least 14-16 mins of ice time)
PP1:
Laferriere
Fiala - Kopitar - Kempe
Doughty
PP2:
Moore
Turcotte - Byfield - Clarke
Spence
Not saying that the above would be a perfect team or that the above team wouldn't still struggle to score but it would be a hell of a lot better than what we've been doing. And if you take the team above and then add a decent scoring winger and maybe add another 4th liner with size/speed - this team would look significantly better.
Doughty is the team's best RHD (barely at this point). Hey I've got a great idea, let's pair him with the team's best LHD (which I'd say right now is Gavrikov).
Mikey Anderson is the teams 2nd best LHD - Hey what if we played him on the 2nd pair with the team's 2nd best RHD Jordan Spence??
Edmundson is your 3rd best LHD (barely/arguably over Moverare) - let's play him on our 3rd pair (crazy idea right?) and put him with our 3rd best RHD (Clarke).
Byfield's our best center right now. Let's play him as our 1st line center with our best left wing (Fiala) and our best right wing (Kempe). Kopi is probably our 2nd best center right now. Let's play him with our 2nd best LW (Foegele) and our 2nd best RW (Laferriere). Then Turcotte, Danault, and Moore as our 3rd line.
Fiala - Byfield - Kempe
Foegele - Kopitar - Laferriere
Turcotte - Danault - Moore
Jeannot - Helenius - Lewis
Gavrikov - Doughty (And try to keep Doughty's minutes somewhere around 20 mins)
Anderson - Spence
Edmundson - Clarke (Try to ensure Clarke gets at least 14-16 mins of ice time)
PP1:
Laferriere
Fiala - Kopitar - Kempe
Doughty
PP2:
Moore
Turcotte - Byfield - Clarke
Spence
Not saying that the above would be a perfect team or that the above team wouldn't still struggle to score but it would be a hell of a lot better than what we've been doing. And if you take the team above and then add a decent scoring winger and maybe add another 4th liner with size/speed - this team would look significantly better.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
I mean at worst they obviously need a shakeup
I think you need to roll Fiala Byfield Kempe and rotate in Thomas Helenius a lot more frequently and with more than 5 minutes. Take a few off the top guys; if you're scared to play the bottom lines it's because Lewis can't keep up, not because Helenius is a liability.
Anderson - Doughty
Gavrikov - Clarke
Moverare- Spence
The bigger problem maybe is that as defensive as that D is, it's low mobility, which is a clear problem for Clarke and Doughty now as well. A swifter LHD would do wonders.
I think you need to roll Fiala Byfield Kempe and rotate in Thomas Helenius a lot more frequently and with more than 5 minutes. Take a few off the top guys; if you're scared to play the bottom lines it's because Lewis can't keep up, not because Helenius is a liability.
Anderson - Doughty
Gavrikov - Clarke
Moverare- Spence
The bigger problem maybe is that as defensive as that D is, it's low mobility, which is a clear problem for Clarke and Doughty now as well. A swifter LHD would do wonders.
He is not even capable to think how to improve offense that is why he is looking at something else.
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
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He knows they don't have the horses to play anything other than Kopitar live-to-score-on-another-shift style hockey because it has become so deeply ingrained in their DNA due to close to 20 years of the same.
And, it is reasonably successful given their roster.
I do wonder what folks expect here. If the Kings loosened the reigns, their ancient goalies and lack of pure skill would be exploited in a second. They aren't going to change anything while they worship #11 and #8, and they can't get even close to the playoffs any other way.
The only, or at least best way out is to cut the cord to the past, change to an uptempo style and take their lumps while the roster changes over from the last decade of treading water by design. Its a management problem, and while people were fixated on the roster they didn't notice that the issue was the plan, not the players.
The best thing the Kings could have done was to deal Kopitar instead of giving him 8 years. It was so easy to see the last ten years coming. Its not a knock on the player, nobody is perfect, but mediocrity was always going to be their ceiling while chasing past glories.
The fact that they’re about to trade Clarke or Spence without even trying that D corps alignment once is maddening.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
it's funny that they were VERY against anything but LHD-RHD alignment until they were forced to and when it worked went "oh yeah we can do that BUT ONLY FOR THESE TWO the rest of you can get f***ed"
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
this is where we have to give Tampa a lot of credit for letting Stamkos walk like an egyptian when they did
Not gonna lie, I hate the whole "What is Hiller supposed to do?? This team just doesn't have the right players - he's doing the best he can with what he has" mindset....
What do you mean he's doing the best he can????!?
This guy is actively choosing not to play Clarke and Spence at the same time and he just gave Edmundson 25 mins of ice time????
He refuses to take Lewis out of the lineup. He refuses to limit Doughty's minutes.
"Doing the best he can" my ass
What do you mean he's doing the best he can????!?
This guy is actively choosing not to play Clarke and Spence at the same time and he just gave Edmundson 25 mins of ice time????
He refuses to take Lewis out of the lineup. He refuses to limit Doughty's minutes.
"Doing the best he can" my ass
If only the Kings had used a first round pick on a defenseman that is both a very good skater and defense first...
Blake has to have a fear of puzzles, because he certainly can't see how complimentary pieces fit together.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
And benching Turcotte
and going away from Kempe-Byfield-Fiala after it works, reuniting them, watching them score, then breaking them up again
I have soured heavily on his roster decisions even if I mostly like him as a coach. I WILL Say I've noticed him a lot more in a good way AND bad way than mclellan because Hiller at least tinkers
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
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They did, for a week when Doughty came back. And when Anderson was out they had something similar. And for the first 50 games of the year while Doughty was out.
They just don't want to break up Anderson and Gavrikov because of the analytics.
When it's two stay at home lefties they just can't help themselves smh
Incredibly maddening. It's sad for the fan base at this point. Spence and Clarke are both GREAT young RHDs and we're just going to send one away in a gift basket to another team all because this coaching / management group has a flawed philosophy of how to win in the NHL.
Hard to support this team right now.
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
- Apr 18, 2018
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To keep it on the original topic (I totally agree re Kopitar btw)... Im not advocating for completely changing styles - just pointing out that Hiller is inept at offense. The fact the PP is at 15% for the entire season (5% on the road) speaks volumes about his inability to improve anything related to offense. Since the PP is unrelated to the 5x5 defensive structure, it seems he (and Newell Brown) dont have any ideas either personnel or system that can improve it.
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
- Apr 18, 2018
- 10,813
- 11,199
Random side note... Has anyone else noticed how many Kings goals are scored with Laferriere net front screening the goalie???
This kid is so damn good even when he's not having a great game / not personally scoring he's doing a lot of good things to help the team win.
This kid is so damn good even when he's not having a great game / not personally scoring he's doing a lot of good things to help the team win.
