All Comprehensive RHD Thread

[tws24]

We have a plethora of RHD that are looking very promising. Let's discuss here what we think should happen.
Doughty - Likely King for Life

Roy - Steady next layer veteran
Walker - Offensive D coming off injury with trade value at a low
Durzi - Offensive and the intangibles you like to see (RFA at end of season)
Spence - Has handled the NHL quite respectably and stock rising
Stecher - Likely an insurance for this year (UFA at end of season)
Strand - Has been serviceable when called upon

Clarke - Would need to go back to OHL next year if not the Kings
Grans - Exceeded expectations for his first NA season
Faber - Could potentially sign after his NCAA season

One could argue that out of the 10 RHD here, everyone is NHL level now with exception to Grans who is still a bit raw.

For the sake of a more complete picture of the total defensive core, our LHD is:
Anderson - Defensive D has played well with Drew
Bjornfot - Defensive D with glimpses of Offense (still 20)

Maata - Has been respectable when in the right slot (UFA at end of season)
Edler - Veteran Defensive D (UFA at end of season)
Moverare - Steady and serviceable D (23 years old RFA at end of season)
Wolanin - Has been serviceable when called upon (UFA at end of season)

Nousiainen - Recently signed and getting ready to play NA hockey
Kirsanov - Signed 2 year contract with SKA St. Petersburg last summer
Meehan - Finished his sophomore season at UMass Lowell
Doyle - Transferring to Northeastern

Do we bring in a LHD through free agency/trade? Will that defenseman be offensive minded or defensive minded? If he is offensive minded, do we keep Roy to preserve a offensive/defensive minded pairing scheme? Do we move a RHD to LD? Very difficult decisions coming up.

Click to read more...

 

[Sybil227]

With the NHL suspending their agreement with the KHL I believe IF Kirsanov made it to the US and he wanted to sign with the Kings, we're free to ignore his SKA contract.
I don't expect that to happen. At all. But, strictly speaking, it's not a 0% chance.

 

[lumbergh]

the right hand left hand thing is not as big a deal as many think. A RHD can be trained to play the left side. The big thing is playing pucks off the boards on the backhand, but many players are plenty skilled to do that well on their off side.

I advocate playing Durzi with Doughty. Walker gets traded for a pick. Lose Stecher and Strand (although I quite like Strand) to free agency. Clarke, Faber, and Grans are all at least a season away.
Durzi-Doughty
Bjornfot-Roy
zAnderson-Spence
Moverare/FA

 

[apocalypse]

Clarke was drafted in '21. Kid is not ready for the NHL.

 

[Statto]

the right hand left hand thing is not as big a deal as many think. A RHD can be trained to play the left side. The big thing is playing pucks off the boards on the backhand, but many players are plenty skilled to do that well on their off side.

I advocate playing Durzi with Doughty. Walker gets traded for a pick. Lose Stecher and Strand (although I quite like Strand) to free agency. Clarke, Faber, and Grans are all at least a season away.
Durzi-Doughty
Bjornfot-Roy
zAnderson-Spence
Moverare/FA

I actually like having D play their offside if the have a good backhand. It’s good for protecting the middle of the ice defensively and better offensively.

 

[Statto]

Clarke was drafted in '21. Kid is not ready for the NHL.

You may be right but in fairness I don’t think we really know that until he’s had a chance at camp. Your philosophy is automatically keeping these guys in junior for as long as possible, which in most cases is right but it isn’t always. I do not have a big issue with your view that patience is key and developing a player has to be done with the long term in mind but some players need that early move into the NHL.

Clarke may be one of those guys. I don’t think he has much to learn technically in the OHL, where he has dominated so it really depends on where he is physically. Man strength starts to kick in at various ages, as an example I was 19 when I definitely had enough strength to play any sport against older men, just not any skill or ability to go with it. (At this point a 10 year old can put muscle me but that’s a different story )

So I think he will be assessed and unless they think he will get run over he will get his 9 games. He certainly has a bit of grit and attitude in his game so I don’t think we will have to worry about him being mentally ready for the fight. I don’t think you can take a definitive stance just based on his age.

 

[Statto]

We have a plethora of RHD that are looking very promising. Let's discuss here what we think should happen.
Doughty - Likely King for Life

Roy - Steady next layer veteran
Walker - Offensive D coming off injury with trade value at a low
Durzi - Offensive and the intangibles you like to see (RFA at end of season)
Spence - Has handled the NHL quite respectably and stock rising
Stecher - Likely an insurance for this year (UFA at end of season)
Strand - Has been serviceable when called upon

Clarke - Would need to go back to OHL next year if not the Kings
Grans - Exceeded expectations for his first NA season
Faber - Could potentially sign after his NCAA season

One could argue that out of the 10 RHD here, everyone is NHL level now with exception to Grans who is still a bit raw.

For the sake of a more complete picture of the total defensive core, our LHD is:
Anderson - Defensive D has played well with Drew
Bjornfot - Defensive D with glimpses of Offense (still 20)

Maata - Has been respectable when in the right slot (UFA at end of season)
Edler - Veteran Defensive D (UFA at end of season)
Moverare - Steady and serviceable D (23 years old RFA at end of season)
Wolanin - Has been serviceable when called upon (UFA at end of season)

Nousiainen - Recently signed and getting ready to play NA hockey
Kirsanov - Signed 2 year contract with SKA St. Petersburg last summer
Meehan - Finished his sophomore season at UMass Lowell
Doyle - Transferring to Northeastern

Do we bring in a LHD through free agency/trade? Will that defenseman be offensive minded or defensive minded? If he is offensive minded, do we keep Roy to preserve a offensive/defensive minded pairing scheme? Do we move a RHD to LD? Very difficult decisions coming up.

With all the RHD if we bring in a guy on the left it has to be via trade. We have too many guys in the right and we have to move more than one of them. It won’t simply be Walker either, not to get the quality we want. We will have to give up at least one of Durzi, Faber, Spence or Grans and there is a case for moving ant of them and they all have so much potential that there will be some regret over whomever goes.

Offence from the blue line does not have to come from a specific side and on the right we have enough potential offence so I’m not worried about that with the lefty. What I want is grit, snarl and the ability to clear the crease. As long as they can move the puck and start a play that’s fine by me because it will bring some balance to the group.

 

[apocalypse]

You may be right but in fairness I don’t think we really know that until he’s had a chance at camp. Your philosophy is automatically keeping these guys in junior for as long as possible, which in most cases is right but it isn’t always. I do not have a big issue with your view that patience is key and developing a player has to be done with the long term in mind but some players need that early move into the NHL.

Clarke may be one of those guys. I don’t think he has much to learn technically in the OHL, where he has dominated so it really depends on where he is physically. Man strength starts to kick in at various ages, as an example I was 19 when I definitely had enough strength to play any sport against older men, just not any skill or ability to go with it. (At this point a 10 year old can put muscle me but that’s a different story )

So I think he will be assessed and unless they think he will get run over he will get his 9 games. He certainly has a bit of grit and attitude in his game so I don’t think we will have to worry about him being mentally ready for the fight. I don’t think you can take a definitive stance just based on his age.

I think there's more to Juniors and the AHL than proving oneself. They're development leagues for a reason. They're there for players to improve and work on their game. They should stay there until they've really excelled and shown that they can handle tough challenges given by LA staff. For instance, Vilardi should've never been called up as early as he was. Instead, he should've been given the task of leading the Reign into the playoffs and beyond. He should've been given 1st line duties as a center,(forget the Tynan line), and he should've been given the pressures that an NHL player faces daily. Instead he was brought up too soon and now he plays wing... I don't want that to happen with Clarke. I want him to develop correctly and be the monster that he is. Isn't it already enough that we've stunted the growth of Byfield?

 

[Schrute farms]

i'm more concerned about our complete and utter lack of having a Dman with size and physicality.....as opposed to LHD vs. RHD issues. I see this as a current, and long-term going forward, huge problem that needs to be addressed on defense ASAP.

 

[johnjm22]

Spence goes back to the AHL.

Clarke plays 9 games and goes back to Junior.

Walker is the 7th dman or traded/waived.

Right side:
Doughty
Roy
Durzi

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Spence goes back to the AHL.

Clarke plays 9 games and goes back to Junior.

Walker is the 7th dman or traded/waived.

Right side:
Doughty
Roy
Durzi

This is the likeliest scenario that uses the assets at hand in the most efficient manner.

And to add to that, I’d expect Moverare to be our #7 and Blake to augment the LHD position with a trade.

 

[kings11]

Spence goes back to the AHL.

Clarke plays 9 games and goes back to Junior.

Walker is the 7th dman or traded/waived.

Right side:
Doughty
Roy
Durzi

This was my initial thought but the truth is that Spence is probably too good for the AHL unless proven otherwise.. small sample size sure, but it’s obvious what we have in him
Clarke is likely to take a spot based on talent alone.. the truth is he’s too dominant for juniors and can play in Ontario… seeing how aggressive the Kings can be with certain prospects, I see him staying with the club..

The real question is who they’re targeting for LHD and what scorer catches their eye…

 

[Choralone]

Maybe Spence goes back to the AHL until Walker proves his worth and is traded in the midseason or at the deadline. Then Spence comes back up again for good.

 

[rajuabju]

I said it another thread but I’m much more concerned about the fact that we don’t have a shutdown D in the mold of Scuderi/ Mitchell/ Greene than the fact that we lack Left handed D. Come playoff time I think that’s where we get exposed

 

[KingsHockey24]

I said it another thread but I’m much more concerned about the fact that we don’t have a shutdown D in the mold of Scuderi/ Mitchell/ Greene than the fact that we lack Left handed D. Come playoff time I think that’s where we get exposed

Zadorov is a UFA this Summer right?

Anderson-Doughty
Zadorov-Durzi
Bjornfot-Roy
*Spence