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

[Statto]

Can we see Akil Thomas in some more games? All he does is win.

I approve this message

 

[King'sPawn]

I am guessing part of the reason behind the Moverare waiving is it being a two-year contract, so teams may just look fordepth elsewhere.

Moverare is a good player, but there are plenty of "good" players.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

I just think, should a middle sixer go down, Studnicka is a more natural replacement than Helenius. Plus Helenius' time will come next year for certain if not sooner.

We all know the person that should be waived. Mr. Stone Hands himself. He is the weakest part of the top 12/13.

 

[Surf Nutz]

Coaches going with experience and CJ edged Movey.

Non two way contract is a big commitment for waiver wire.

We will see.

 

[kingsfan28]

Re Moverare I'll take his IQ/positioning over Englund's scrapping ability.. Also the guy deserves some time with the big club over Englund..but overall its not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Yeah, it may just come down to team toughness over what Mo brings. Mo will never be more than a 6/7 , the league is full of these guys. He will most likely pass through waivers and we may see him a few times next year.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5800306/2024/10/02/los-angeles-kings-2024-25-season-preview-playoff-chances-projected-points-roster-rankings/

The strengths​

We already waxed poetic about Byfield’s upside — this season feels like the one in which the Kings could officially become his team. What makes that prospect especially tantalizing is how the team is setting him up for success — with Fiala riding shotgun on the left side. With Kopitar and Danault soaking up tough minutes, that duo has a real opportunity to feast this season.

They didn’t get much of an opportunity to do that together last season, playing only 63 minutes together, but that time was highly promising, with the pair earning 69 percent of the expected goals. Both players are growing into highly involved players with the puck and should feed off each other well. Foegele on the right side can handle all the dirty work and grades out well as a support second liner. . . .

That’s built from the middle out, a quartet that may lack a true franchise ace but looks quality from top to bottom. The Kings rank seventh in the league at the most important position, which may allow the team to squeeze out more value than projected for here. If the centers drive the bus, the Kings are on the right path.

What really helps is the defensive structure of the top three with Kopitar, Byfield and Danault all projected to have a Defensive Rating of plus-3 or higher. Only one other team — Vegas with Jack Eichel and William Karlsson — has more than one, and only 12 other centers grade out so well. The Kings are loaded with shutdown options down the middle.

The weaknesses​

The Kings have a lot of good players. What they’re missing — as made painfully obvious by three straight playoff defeats at the hands of the Oilers — are truly great players. And losing their best player obviously makes that fact hurt even more.

Franchise cornerstone pieces give a team championship upside. They’re the type of players that raise a team’s ceiling, and the Kings, at the moment anyway, are woefully short.

During the team’s previous championship window, those players included Kopitar and Doughty. In 2024, those players can’t still be Kopitar and Doughty, even if the latter was healthy. Neither has the offensive ability anymore to be leaders at their position, and that puts the Kings behind the best of the West.

It’s likely that Byfield will supplant Kopitar at some point, but the transition to it being his team hasn’t been quick enough to bridge the gap between eras. Clarke will get a massive opportunity this year to be the guy, but that’s a lot of pressure to put on a young player who has yet to prove he’s a full-time NHLer, let alone a difference-maker.

It’s helpful that Kopitar is still as good as he is, but part of the reason that the Kings have been good, but not great, is that no one has stepped up to take the mantle yet. The Kings are still his team, and that’s a problem for a 37-year-old. The clock is ticking on his utility and when it does, the Kings could take a dramatic step back. We’re going to see the risk of that play out on the defensive side over the first few months of the season without Doughty.

Kopitar still rocking out at his age is impressive, but on a contending team, he’s much better suited for a second-line shutdown role. He’s not as involved in the offensive zone or bringing the puck into it, and his ability to create chances ranks really low. He can still win his minutes, but his scoring ability has been steadily second-line caliber in four of the last five seasons. . . .

On top of all that, the other issue is offense. The Kings’ forwards have the fourth-best Defensive Rating in the league, but also the 21st-ranked Offensive Rating at minus-8. That’s made all the more problematic by a lack of offensive utility from the blue line — especially now with Doughty out of the picture. Neither Anderson nor Gavrikov grade out well for their roles, and the presence of both Edmundson and Kyle Burroughs now makes things look painfully dire. That has potential to be one of the league’s worst pairs, a huge black hole.

 

[CarlSneep]

Yeah that sounds about right

 

[Lt Dan]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5800306/2024/10/02/los-angeles-kings-2024-25-season-preview-playoff-chances-projected-points-roster-rankings/

Did they post a prediction about where the Kings would finish the season?

 

[BringTheReign]

Did they post a prediction about where the Kings would finish the season?

I think it's pretty reasonable given Doughty's absence. Him missing half the year could absolutely be the difference between low-90s and missing the playoffs versus high-90s and making it.

This team would've been better off if we'd made zero trades from the Danault signing onward.

 

[Lt Dan]

View attachment 911695

I think it's pretty reasonable given Doughty's absence. Him missing half the year could absolutely be the difference between low-90s and missing the playoffs versus high-90s and making it.

This team would've been better off if we'd made zero trades from the Danault signing onward.

Thank you

As someone who is trying to be more optimistic. I am hoping that Doughty missing time has the same effect on Drew that missing time did on Gretzky in '93. A fresh hungry Drew could really change things in the final months of the season