Speculation: 2025 TDL Discussion

So let’s get it back in a qb deal

And when will that be? We’ve been a treadmill team that overpays for vets for years
Whenever Kopitar’s back finally caves from carrying that Piano around for so long, Drew’s “thank you” contract has expired, and Kempe walks to UFA for 11M a year.

There just isn’t any top end talent on the roster, in the system, or even available for trade with what the Kings can offer.

Blake can hedge the future all he wants since it won’t be his problem, but he is quite literally forcing the next guy into some dark corners. It’s gonna have to be a deano 2.0 style tear down to recover, only (probably) without your future 1C/1W/1G already in the pipeline.
 
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Anze Kopitar last scored on Dec. 29 against the Flyers, which tied him with Dave Taylor for most goals in franchise history with 431.

Since then, Kopitar has 0 goals and 4 assists in 11 games.

At least they have future #1 center Quinton Byfield to take the reigns, with his 23 points in 47 games this season.

There are 32 defensemen in the NHL who are outscoring Byfield, and Brandt Clarke is one of them.
 
Whenever Kopitar’s back finally caves from carrying that Piano around for so long, Drew’s “thank you” contract has expired, and Kempe walks to UFA for 11M a year.

There just isn’t any top end talent on the roster, in the system, or even available for trade with what the Kings can offer.

Blake can hedge the future all he wants since it won’t be his problem, but he is quite literally forcing the next guy into some dark corners. It’s gonna have to be a deano 2.0 style tear down to recover, only (probably) without your future 1C/1W/1G already in the pipeline.

And I think that's what gets misconstrued a bit around here as well

Like sure, the Kings have some 'nice pieces'...every org has that at some age. There aren't any difference makers left in the system, you aren't likely to get them at black hole picks, and you are most likely not getting ENOUGH at black hole picks to make it work. Kempe is an exception, if they could get a Kempe in the 20s every year, they'd be a contender. You can't.

Props to Blake for one big thing--he has put together an absolutely excellent collection of depth, 2nd tier guys who can tilt play vs all but the best 1st tier guys. That will never be enough to get you past McDavids and Eichels, that's why the scoring and PP sucks, and there is nothing they can do at the deadline to 'fix' that. It's built broken. Like, if he were GM of the Oilers and inherited that top end talent, I think he could get a Cup team, as all the pivoting he's doing would be excellent to surround a core. He's great at spotting defense, depth, and undervalued JAGs. Right now, he's doing that, but around a 37 year old, a legendary but hurt and aging defenseman, and a goalie go round.

I won't blame him for slinging what he has to sling at this deadline in pursuit of that because the writing is on the wall and none of what's in the system will be there when we arise from the upcoming dark days but man is it going to suck to watch a team throw a false window open only to get worse results year after year until the car crash.
 
I mean we are all basically Groundhog Day'ing the early 2000s right now in pop culture

Kings are just doing it with literally the same people involved

It's the year 2000. After another disappointing couple of seasons involving missed playoffs or first round losses, The Los Angeles Kings get out to a hot start through the first few months before a road trip around the turn of the year starts to derail them...they fumble around playing slightly .500 hockey to land in the unfortunate 'Pacific' playoff spot out of the division lead, forced to play against arguably the best players in the era trying to establish dominance after losing in the previous year to the Stanley Cup Champion. They get unceremoniously turfed in just a few games due to a patchwork roster that doesn't have much of an identity. Their 1 and 2cs are primarily defensive and much of the scoring is laid onto the back of a dynamic winger. Fortunately they still have a Norris Caliber dman, though aging. But years of sketchy management are catching up, with dwindling assets and an aging roster despite a lack of success, and appear headed towards a black hole. Familiar names in the organization include Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Glen Murray, Nelson Emerson, Craig Johnson, and Sean O'Donnell.

It's the year 2022. After another disappointing couple of seasons involving missed playoffs or first round losses, The Los Angeles Kings get out to a hot start through the first few months before a road trip around the turn of the year starts to derail them...they fumble around playing slightly .500 hockey to land in the unfortunate 'Pacific' playoff spot out of the division lead, forced to play against arguably the best players in the era trying to establish dominance after losing in the previous year to the Stanley Cup Champion. They get unceremoniously turfed in just a few games due to a patchwork roster that doesn't have much of an identity. Their 1 and 2cs are primarily defensive and much of the scoring is laid onto the back of a dynamic winger. Fortunately they still have a Norris Caliber dman, though aging. But years of sketchy management are catching up, with dwindling assets and an aging roster despite a lack of success, and appear headed towards a black hole. Familiar names in the organization include Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Glen Murray, Nelson Emerson, Craig Johnson, and Sean O'Donnell.

It's the year 2023. After another disappointing couple of seasons involving missed playoffs or first round losses, The Los Angeles Kings get out to a hot start through the first few months before a road trip around the turn of the year starts to derail them...they fumble around playing slightly .500 hockey to land in the unfortunate 'Pacific' playoff spot out of the division lead, forced to play against arguably the best players in the era trying to establish dominance after losing in the previous year to the Stanley Cup Champion. They get unceremoniously turfed in just a few games due to a patchwork roster that doesn't have much of an identity. Their 1 and 2cs are primarily defensive and much of the scoring is laid onto the back of a dynamic winger. Fortunately they still have a Norris Caliber dman, though aging. But years of sketchy management are catching up, with dwindling assets and an aging roster despite a lack of success, and appear headed towards a black hole. Familiar names in the organization include Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Glen Murray, Nelson Emerson, Craig Johnson, and Sean O'Donnell.

It's the year 2024. After another disappointing couple of seasons involving missed playoffs or first round losses, The Los Angeles Kings get out to a hot start through the first few months before a road trip around the turn of the year starts to derail them...they fumble around playing slightly .500 hockey to land in the unfortunate 'Pacific' playoff spot out of the division lead, forced to play against arguably the best players in the era trying to establish dominance after losing in the previous year to the Stanley Cup Champion. They get unceremoniously turfed in just a few games due to a patchwork roster that doesn't have much of an identity. Their 1 and 2cs are primarily defensive and much of the scoring is laid onto the back of a dynamic winger. Fortunately they still have a Norris Caliber dman, though aging. But years of sketchy management are catching up, with dwindling assets and an aging roster despite a lack of success, and appear headed towards a black hole. Familiar names in the organization include Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Glen Murray, Nelson Emerson, Craig Johnson, and Sean O'Donnell.

It's the year 2025, After another disappointing couple of seasons involving missed playoffs or first round losses, The Los Angeles Kings get out to a hot start through the first few months before a road trip around the turn of the year starts to derail them.

Gee I f***ing wonder what happens next!
Well, the organization is primarily being run by the 1999-2000 LA Kings. None of what has happened has been a surprise.
 
If we're looking for toughness, why don't we bring back Andreas Lilja. :sarcasm:

pworrell.jpg
 
Get a scorer and try:

New left wing scorer-Byfield-Kempe

As the top line

Or trade Byfield now if we’re just gonna put the corpse of Kopi out there
 
And when will that be? We’ve been a treadmill team that overpays for vets for years
Been saying for while, this gets much much worse for Kings fans before it gets any better. If Blake is gone but Luc stays we likely end up with Bergevin as the next GM and nothing changes.

Luc is now THE problem and Blake is merely a symptom. The issue is Luc has managed to survive for way too long in the front office and I think short of Kopitar and Doughty retiring and the Kings hitting rock bottom is the only way Luc gets sent packing... and that's probably a couple years off still.
 
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Hey maybe they are indeed shopping Clarke...you have to think the desperation level might be at the point of looking into Barzal or Elias Pettersson...if they looked into that, those are the kind of names that would come up. Does Blake survive another 1st round exit? Does Luc (unfortunately probably he does)? I think Blake is a goner if the Kings don't make WCF or play a very tight 2nd round at worst.

Look, they got out of the rebuild pre-maturely to satisfy #11 and #8's desire to win. Then it became clear that they didn't land a generational player with their lottery picks who would be ready to play at a high level off the bat. Then they started adding veteran 1b support players...in the mind of Blake what is there to prevent him from going all-in? He probably won't be around for Byfield and Clarke's peak and they themselves probably won't be good enough anyways. And the rest of young capital he already blew on Dubois and Fiala, so there's not much there coming up in terms of high-end talent.
 
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I would trade Doughyt if Gavrikov wants a longer term. He's got maybe 2 years left after getting his tire patched. He's 35 now. Send him where he can win, get a few upgrades where needed. Sort of being doing well without him this season. Might as well rip the ACE bandage off and see what this team can do in the playoffs without him.
 

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