Speculation: Another year of this Bluc **** (The 2024-25 season thread)

[KopitarGOAT420]

I've been pretty optimistic / patient with the Kings this year but even I'm starting to lean towards selling at the deadline & re-tooling if these guys don't catch fire in the next 5-10 games and start playing consistently good hockey.

The main reason: Moore, Danault, Fiala, and Byfield

Those 4 all having disappointing seasons so far is killing the Kings. That, plus middling/inconsistent goaltending.

The Kings could bring in a lot of valuable assets if they moved on from Fiala, Moore, Danault, and Gavrikov prior to this year's deadline. They'd also free up an ASS-ton of cap space that they could use to target 1-2 legitimate difference makers. Fiala should be a difference maker but his bad penalties, poor defensive play, and turnovers seriously detract from his offensive creativity/production. Especially this year when the production hasn't even been too great. You can probably live with it if he's a point/game.. You can't live with it if he's 0.75 points/game like he is right now. You also seriously change the complexity of this team by trading those 4.

Plus it would give them the ability to throw guys like Byfield, Turcotte, Laferriere, Clarke, etc into the deep end this season and get those guys serious minutes/experience - which would likely seriously benefit the team next year.

 

[Schmooley]

His contract this season and next is a negative.

Danault is not a negative this season. If they decided to trade him tomorrow they wouldnt have to pay to get rid of him and would get assets back.
If his play continues to get worse from here on out then yea maybe you are right it will be negative next year.
They would be smart to do the trade this year while he has value.

 

[Statto]

I'd love to lay it on Blake because my understanding is that GMs have more say in 1st and 2nd rounders

But this goes well back to DL as well

So it's likely that whatever is working from 3rd round on just isn't going for them in the 1st 2

Yeah it was clear when they traded back in the last draft that Yannetti wanted to do it, but Blake had to agree it. Yannetti talked about having to persuade Blake that they’d still manage to get one of the players they wanted as well as the extra pick from trading back. So if Blake is the decision maker at 20+ he definitely is for the top 5. I’m obviously paraphrasing what Yannetti talked about wrt trading back.

I believe (in other words hope I remember correctly) with Byfield and Stutzle the scouts had them extremely close together. It became more about the type/style of player they wanted when the decision was made… again I’m heavily paraphrasing… as opposed to who’d be better, it was about best fit for what they were trying to build.

He's almost 32, and with the type of game he has played for most of his career his body is probably closer to that of a 35-36 year old. There are a lot of miles on those tires. People talking about the Kings flipping him for a 1st at the deadline if we are out of it are being very very optimistic. His contract this season and next is a negative.

Which is why I said many times over the summer that it was time to move him…sell high just before the drop off.

 

[Herby]

Danault is not a negative this season. If they decided to trade him tomorrow they wouldnt have to pay to get rid of him and would get assets back.
If his play continues to get worse from here on out then yea maybe you are right it will be negative next year.
They would be smart to do the trade this year while he has value.

I worded it wrong, I didn't mean a negative in the PLD, Mike Richards, Cal P sense where you have to pay someone to take him. But his contract is not something that is going to be seen as a positive, and with how he has looked this season (after declining last season as well) he is not a $5.5m player. His play has gotten gradually worse each season he has been here, and he has two more years beyond this one. Another reason I hate these contracts that take non-star guys well into their 30's.

I think the Kings could trade him to a contender for a pick tomorrow if they wanted, I just don't think it's the type of pick many here think it will be.

Which is why I said many times over the summer that it was time to move him…sell high just before the drop off.\

And I think that was probably the original plan when they traded for PLD. Have one season of Kopitar, PLD, Danault at C and then when it came time to pay Byfield you move Danault to free up space, address other holes on the roster and free up a spot for Byfield to play C.

Of course that plan blew up in Blake's face, as most of his plans have.

I've been pretty optimistic / patient with the Kings this year but even I'm starting to lean towards selling at the deadline & re-tooling if these guys don't catch fire in the next 5-10 games and start playing consistently good hockey.

The main reason: Moore, Danault, Fiala, and Byfield

Those 4 all having disappointing seasons so far is killing the Kings. That, plus middling/inconsistent goaltending.

The Kings could bring in a lot of valuable assets if they moved on from Fiala, Moore, Danault, and Gavrikov prior to this year's deadline. They'd also free up an ASS-ton of cap space that they could use to target 1-2 legitimate difference makers. Fiala should be a difference maker but his bad penalties, poor defensive play, and turnovers seriously detract from his offensive creativity/production. Especially this year when the production hasn't even been too great. You can probably live with it if he's a point/game.. You can't live with it if he's 0.75 points/game like he is right now. You also seriously change the complexity of this team by trading those 4.

Plus it would give them the ability to throw guys like Byfield, Turcotte, Laferriere, Clarke, etc into the deep end this season and get those guys serious minutes/experience - which would likely seriously benefit the team next year.

It's very unlikely that this management team has a green-light to do a re-tool that involves trading secondary players and then coming back next season with Kopitar and Doughty again being the best players on the team for a 47th straight season.

This is their do-or-die season, and if they are in playoff contention at the deadline (which is very likely) they won't be unloading the types of guys you listed.

When the pieces start being moved it's going to be the beginning of a complete tear down, and that is very unlikely to happen with Rob Blake as the GM. His fate is tied to this group having playoff success this season.

 

[bland]

Danault is CLEARLY worth his deal and would most definitely bring back a first at the deadline if they tried to move him.

Half the top 6 had a slow first 10 games, but they have all rebounded to regular form since then.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Danault is CLEARLY worth his deal and would most definitely bring back a first at the deadline if they tried to move him.

Half the top 6 had a slow first 10 games, but they have all rebounded to regular form since then.

Yeah people are underrating Danault bigtime here, just as they did on his way out of MTL

He is a very valuable player especially on that deal and would bring back a 1st + for certain

well not certain, it's blake, so a 2nd and a 35 year old

 

[Herby]

Yeah people are underrating Danault bigtime here, just as they did on his way out of MTL

He is a very valuable player especially on that deal and would bring back a 1st + for certain

well not certain, it's blake, so a 2nd and a 35 year old

When he left Montreal he was still in the stone prime of his career, he was 28 years old and one of the best defensive centers in the NHL.

We are 3+ calendar years from then, and 4 seasons of playing a physically demanding role for perhaps the most physically demanding team in the NHL, the "lets grind out 3-2 wins" LA Kings. That is a big difference.

I am not saying he is Mike Richards, but I think some here are to slow to realize when a decline is happening, these are not robots. Danault's play on both sides of the rink has tailed off each season he has been here, and he has two more years beyond this one.

If Danault were on the Sharks and Blake traded a 1st for him at the deadline, I am guessing most people here would be furious.

 

[bland]

When he left Montreal he was still in the stone prime of his career, he was 28 years old and one of the best defensive centers in the NHL.

We are 3+ calendar years from then, and 4 seasons of playing a physically demanding role for perhaps the most physically demanding team in the NHL, the "lets grind out 3-2 wins" LA Kings. That is a big difference.

I am not saying he is Mike Richards, but I think some here are to slow to realize when a decline is happening, these are not robots. Danault's play on both sides of the rink has tailed off each season he has been here, and he has two more years beyond this one.

If Danault were on the Sharks and Blake traded a 1st for him at the deadline, I am guessing most people here would be furious.

No, but if you are a Cup contender and looking to go over the top Danault is about as good as you could get at the deadline.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

When he left Montreal he was still in the stone prime of his career, he was 28 years old and one of the best defensive centers in the NHL.

We are 3+ calendar years from then, and 4 seasons of playing a physically demanding role for perhaps the most physically demanding team in the NHL, the "lets grind out 3-2 wins" LA Kings. That is a big difference.

I am not saying he is Mike Richards, but I think some here are to slow to realize when a decline is happening, these are not robots. Danault's play on both sides of the rink has tailed off each season he has been here, and he has two more years beyond this one.

If Danault were on the Sharks and Blake traded a 1st for him at the deadline, I am guessing most people here would be furious.

Don't get me wrong I think he's in over his head going forward as a 1/2C high leverage minutes guy, but if you're an ACTUAL contender and can snag this guy as a middle six C for matchups and keep him around 15 minutes? You don't care about 3 years from now.

 

[chris kontos]

Remember: tradition moves us forward.
Neither danault or gavrikov are going anywhere

 

[Johnny Utah]

The Kings can't move Danault. There is no center to take his place. Kopitar will retire after next season.

Who are the centers beyond that? Byfield, Danault, Turcotte and Helenius?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Kings can't move Danault. There is no center to take his place. Kopitar will retire after next season.

Who are the centers beyond that? Byfield, Danault, Turcotte and Helenius?

you could easily point out the complete lack of depth in the org at ANY position at this point

why do you think Ontario is getting speedbagged

There's no "X" to take ANYONE'S places

 

[Schrute farms]

I hate to say it out loud, but I'm pretty sure Bluc believes this is a Cup contending team. They'll point to the standings and say we're right at/near the top of the Pacific and that's without the best Dman in the league (again, them talking). Add DD and this team is Cup worthy come playoff time.

 

[Herby]

you could easily point out the complete lack of depth in the org at ANY position at this point

why do you think Ontario is getting speedbagged

There's no "X" to take ANYONE'S places

This result was easily apparent to anybody who realistically looked at it, many of us were discussing it here as it happened (but how could Blake have known, right?). You just can't trade that many picks and prospects and have that many underwhelming to bust picks in the top 2 rounds and expect anything else. And it won't be getting any better, it got worse with the 2022 picks becoming pros this season, and next season its the 2023 draft players will be entering pro hockey and we will continue to fall behind other teams in this regard, and the ones who are as bad as us have much more playoff success than the Kings do.

Lombardi ended the Kings rebuild when it was apparent he had 3 elite players (Kopitar, Doughty, Quick) and a few more very good ones (Brown, Johnson, Simmonds). Blake ended his with nothing even in the same universe. It was horrible to end the top 10 pick stage of the rebuild, but then he compounded it by trading our black hole firsts like he had a team that was one piece from contending. Its not as easy to draft a star with a black hole pick as it is a top 5, but at least we still had some hope. But Blake extinguished that for a couple of players in Fiala and Gavrikov who did not help the Kings do any better in the playoffs, in fact they have been less competitive vs. Edmonton than before they got them.

Don't get me wrong I think he's in over his head going forward as a 1/2C high leverage minutes guy, but if you're an ACTUAL contender and can snag this guy as a middle six C for matchups and keep him around 15 minutes? You don't care about 3 years from now.

Well, maybe the Kings fall out of the race and we can see at the deadline, but I will take the under on 1st round pick being the return. I think when he first came to the Kings he was one of the best defensive centers in the league, but its worse each season, and is noticeably worse this season. And that's not even factoring in he has 1 goal in 17 games, now I'm not saying he's going to score 5 goals or whatever he is on pace for, but his goal-scoring continues to drop, it's very possible he fails to score a dozen goals this season for the Kings, this just doesn't resemble in any way the guy who scored 27 goals for the Kings his first season and 55 points his second season.

If I were managing a contender, especially one that is young and about to or in the middle of a multi-year contending run I would think twice to committing myself to that contract for 2 more years, especially when I could be getting a guy in a decline.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Ive been hoping for QB on PP1... saw this on daily faceoff.. is this accurate?

 

[chris kontos]

Some comments by jim fox on nhl radio today
He said that "kevin fiala is the most interesting man in the nhl" (lmao) and that fiala is "unreliable" and that "fiala is at the point in his career where he needs to be more dependable so that his linemates know where to position themselves to receive passes."
I was very surprized to hear fox talk about a Kings player this way- in fact its the first time ive ever heard him bluntly criticize any kings player.

Im glad my comedy interpretation of fiala is at least recognized by the pros because this guy makes my watching the kings this season a fun experience.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Blake can’t move any more pics. Greentree automatically became the Kings best prospect when they drafted him.

I went to two Reign game this year and they were both boring. Thomas, Turcotte and Clarke graduated to the show and even Helenius is in LA now. There is nothing except Portillo, Booth, Dvorak and Jamsen and none of them looked good. Pinelli looks good but not a game changer. Basically half a point a game player.

Looking thru the other prospects there is nothing to get excited about besides Ziemmer, Greentree and George. I would add Woolley and Mania also but Mania really disappointed in rookie camp.

I know there are some college kids that the Kings are high on but they are forwards. Nothing on D. Maybe Salin or Kirsinov?

Jack Hughes looks to be a bust. There is nothing at any position.

 

[Herby]

Some comments by jim fox on nhl radio today
He said that "kevin fiala is the most interesting man in the nhl" (lmao) and that fiala is "unreliable" and that "fiala is at the point in his career where he needs to be more dependable so that his linemates know where to position themselves to receive passes."
I was very surprized to hear fox talk about a Kings player this way- in fact its the first time ive ever heard him bluntly criticize any kings player.

Im glad my comedy interpretation of fiala is at least recognized by the pros because this guy makes my watching the kings this season a fun experience.

Fox should be careful, the last time he made negative comments on a Kings player (correctly calling Turcotte a future 3rd liner when the org was still pushing him as Mike Richards 2.0) he was forced to amend/clarify his opinion as to not make the bosses look bad. Of course Fox was right about Turcotte, and he is 100% right on Fiala, but the truth doesn't matter to the Kings FO, controlling the narrative does.

 

[shuchukfan]

I just learned that there is a street named after Blake in Simcoe, Ontario. It's called Rob Blake Way and it is a dead end street. No joke.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Fox should be careful, the last time he made negative comments on a Kings player (correctly calling Turcotte a future 3rd liner when the org was still pushing him as Mike Richards 2.0) he was forced to amend/clarify his opinion as to not make the bosses look bad. Of course Fox was right about Turcotte, and he is 100% right on Fiala, but the truth doesn't matter to the Kings FO, controlling the narrative does.

What did Fox say about Fiala?

 

[Herby]

What did Fox say about Fiala?

Its in the post I quoted (assuming it's true, which I have no reason to suspect it isn't). But if you ignore that person.

He said Fiala was unreliable and difficult to play with.

I think the thing with Fox is that he is pretty well connected to many in the FO, and probably has heard many negative things about Fiala, just as he heard things about Turcotte being a 3C rather than a top six guy. But he doesn't realize what a tight ship the Kings run and that these feelings are not as out in the open as he might think they are, so they are kind of shocking to many when he says them.

 

[All The Kings Men]

Its in the post I quoted (assuming it's true, which I have no reason to suspect it isn't). But if you ignore that person.

He said Fiala was unreliable and difficult to play with.

I think the thing with Fox is that he is pretty well connected to many in the FO, and probably has heard many negative things about Fiala, just as he heard things about Turcotte being a 3C. But he doesn't realize what a tight ship the Kings run and that these feelings are not as out in the open as he might think they are, so they are kind of shocking to many when he says them.

purely out of curiosity...

have you ever met Jim Fox?

 

[Herby]

purely out of curiosity...

have you ever met Jim Fox?

Yes, at the Honda Center about 15 years ago, but I did not talk to him for a very long time.

I like Jim Fox, I think he's probably a great person, and he's a great analyst, especially when he's calling neutral games in the playoffs (Him and ironically enough John Ahlers). I do think after Bob left he became significantly more homeristic(is that a word) in his analysis of Kings games. I don't know why this is, is it because he took more ownership of the booth when Bob left or was it another reason?

I don't see how this is relevant to the discussion though. When me made the (correct) comments about Turcotte three years ago, it created a decent amount of controversy on this forum and other Kings discussion groups and social media. Because even though it was spot on, it went against what was still being pushed to the public about the player. Isn't that why people asked you to get clarification from him, for comments that really shouldn't have needed any clarification? Had he said "Turcotte is still in line to be the next Jonathan Toews" nobody would have asked for clarification, so why was there any needed for that instance?

Isn't it fair to assume that he is making these comments about Fiala while having some information that none of us are privy to?

BTW, do you follow how teams across all sports deal with their media and media outreach. Do you think the Kings are typical? I have lived in the three largest media markets in the country, briefly worked in the media for one of the biggest brands in college sport and follow sports religiously, and the Kings are quite unique with how they deal with the media, interviews etc.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I just learned that there is a street named after Blake in Simcoe, Ontario. It's called Rob Blake Way and it is a dead end street. No joke.

if we do make the playoffs I'm 100% behind making our avatars your rob blake waste management avatar with the 'ready to sweep' slogan

 

[tbrown33]

I just learned that there is a street named after Blake in Simcoe, Ontario. It's called Rob Blake Way and it is a dead end street. No joke.

It also dead ends into a retirement home.