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

[BigKing]

I have ASD, my kids both have ASD. We all like being social, love a concert etc. Two of us find social situations with strangers stressful but once we know people it’s fairly easy. I was the unofficial social secretary in the IT group, but IT wasn’t my ‘special interest’ (hockey is) so I’m not all that nerdy. There are a lot of invalid and over stated stereotypes about ASD and a hell of a lot of misunderstandings.

Yes some have challenges in that area but if they were major I think it’d be blocking hockey development before someone even hit junior. Again, all just opinion.

Apologies for generalizing or tossing a net over an entire group of people, but I only meant it as it relates to Kaliyev and fitting in with a bunch of alpha meatheads. Now I'm tossing a net over professional hockey players--and probably being kind by implying there are a bunch of alphas in the Kings locker room--but I think you get where I'm coming from.

 

[Statto]

Apologies for generalizing or tossing a net over an entire group of people, but I only meant it as it relates to Kaliyev and fitting in with a bunch of alpha meatheads. Now I'm tossing a net over professional hockey players--and probably being kind by implying there are a bunch of alphas in the Kings locker room--but I think you get where I'm coming from.

No need to apologise, I enjoy the discussion.

I’m just sharing my perspective. I can’t talk about any individual because everyone with ASD is so different and there are certainly ASD traits that might be an issue in a sport environment. There are also a whole bunch of co-morbid conditions someone with ASD might have that could be a problem.

A small majority of people with ASD also fit the criteria for ADHD. Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a good one too. It’s a huge subject and I’m far from an expert.

I just know enough to be aware that I know f-all. I still learn stuff about my kids and even myself daily.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

My son suffers from ASD - when he was younger, his anxiety levels were off the charts, as he's gotten older that's subsided a lot, but he's a slow learner.

He's 12 now, and we've had him in hockey last 4-5 years. As the kids get older and the drills get more defined, it's hard for him - and of course the 'kid' coaches aren't trained well enough to know how to adapt to kids like that. At the end of the day, we are just proud of him for doing it and being involved.

I can definitely imagine how difficult it might be for someone like that to be successful at the pro level. It can be a deficiency that you just may never overcome no matter how much support is there. I mean, if you only had one arm, would anyone expect you to have pro athlete success? - and would we be condemning the coaches that they haven't done enough to ensure your success?

(for the record, I have no idea what the whole Kaliyev story is, just chiming in on the ASD topic)

 

[Herby]

Kaliyev is probably just going to end up being another scoring prospect who didn't score enough at the NHL level to overcome his other issues. It certainly didn't help him to come to an organization that prioritizes defense perhaps more than any other in the NHL, but had he been able to score more he would have found a role.

I think the biggest issue for Kaliyev with his actual on-ice play was his inability to find himself in high-scoring areas enough (which is also a big knock on Byfield). Kaliyev had the amazing shot, and it is a world-class shot, not many guys could score the types of goals he had his rookie year in Dallas, but you aren't going to fire 30+ one-timers from distance passed NHL goaltenders, you have to have the sense to get into higher scoring areas, and it seemed like Kaliyev could never do that. Compare him Caufield (same draft, similar world class shot, many here had them as similar prospects) but Caufield is able to end up with the puck on his stick in dangerous scoring areas waaaaay more than Kaliyev ever was able to, and that is why he's 6th in the league in goals and Kaliyev is on waivers, it's kind of a thin line with these types of players. The problem is, you really can't teach game sense, guys either have it or they don't.

Maybe Kaliyev proves me wrong and becomes the modern day Robert Lang, who knows, but right now he looks like he's on a career trajectory towards the KHL, he is not a prospect or a "kid" anymore, he is at a crossroads.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Kaliyev is probably just going to end up being another scoring prospect who didn't score enough at the NHL level to overcome his other issues. It certainly didn't help him to come to an organization that prioritizes defense perhaps more than any other in the NHL, but had he been able to score more he would have found a role.

I think the biggest issue for Kaliyev with his actual on-ice play was his inability to find himself in high-scoring areas enough (which is also a big knock on Byfield). Kaliyev had the amazing shot, and it is a world-class shot, not many guys could score the types of goals he had his rookie year in Dallas, but you aren't going to fire 30+ one-timers from distance passed NHL goaltenders, you have to have the sense to get into higher scoring areas, and it seemed like Kaliyev could never do that. Compare him Caufield (same draft, similar world class shot, many here had them as similar prospects) but Caufield is able to end up with the puck on his stick in dangerous scoring areas waaaaay more than Kaliyev ever was able to, and that is why he's 6th in the league in goals and Kaliyev is on waivers, it's kind of a thin line with these types of players.

Maybe Kaliyev proves me wrong and becomes the modern day Robert Lang, who knows, but right now he looks like he's on a career trajectory towards the KHL, he is not a prospect or a "kid" anymore.

A lot of that is spending primary time with plugs. Caufield wasn't doing shit either when stapled to Pezzetta.

I don't fully disagree because other examples I think have better offensive IQ (Caulfield), but I think he's closer to Cole than he is to say Brandon Pirri.

I guess we'll see pending his usage with NYR.

 

[BigKing]

Kaliyev is probably just going to end up being another scoring prospect who didn't score enough at the NHL level to overcome his other issues. It certainly didn't help him to come to an organization that prioritizes defense perhaps more than any other in the NHL, but had he been able to score more he would have found a role.

I think the biggest issue for Kaliyev with his actual on-ice play was his inability to find himself in high-scoring areas enough (which is also a big knock on Byfield). Kaliyev had the amazing shot, and it is a world-class shot, not many guys could score the types of goals he had his rookie year in Dallas, but you aren't going to fire 30+ one-timers from distance passed NHL goaltenders, you have to have the sense to get into higher scoring areas, and it seemed like Kaliyev could never do that. Compare him Caufield (same draft, similar world class shot, many here had them as similar prospects) but Caufield is able to end up with the puck on his stick in dangerous scoring areas waaaaay more than Kaliyev ever was able to, and that is why he's 6th in the league in goals and Kaliyev is on waivers, it's kind of a thin line with these types of players. The problem is, you really can't teach game sense, guys either have it or they don't.

Maybe Kaliyev proves me wrong and becomes the modern day Robert Lang, who knows, but right now he looks like he's on a career trajectory towards the KHL, he is not a prospect or a "kid" anymore, he is at a crossroads.

I felt he had great chances last season and just kept flubbing them, which led to the rest of his game going downhill as the confidence waned.

Then you've got a coach fighting for his job and then a new one fighting to prove he deserves the job full time. Not going to be a lot of patience for a goal scorer that isn't scoring. The moment he had what they felt was a lazy shift, he was sitting on the bench and then scratched for someone who will also not score but will get dirty.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Full Anze interview is fun, starts around 1:32 if interested (it's clearly labeled).

 

[Bandit]

Did the Kings quit on Kaliyev, or did he consistently fail to respond to the coaching he needed in order to make the changes required to become a NHL player?

I saw a guy who was allergic to the corners and would consistently float to the top of the circles and let his teammates do the dirty work to set him up for the same shot every time. He would get scratched, come back in, battle hard and do exactly what they wanted for his first shift then slide right back into the same type of game they needed him to change.

Kaliyev never progressed. Folks complain about him being miscast as a 4th liner, which would be true if he were a fully developed offensive threat stuck in a bad situation - but it was clear as day that they were trying to get this kid to get more involved in the other 99% of things he needed to do but wasn't. This is a player with an NHL ability without NHL competitiveness. He never changed.

I dunno man, I'd be hard pressed to call anything MacLellan did as"coaching" but whatever, it's all vodka under the bridge now.

 

[Herby]

It's to bad he didn't get claimed on waivers by the Wings, I'd love to hear Todd call him "Kuh-LEE-yev" again.

Excited to listen to the Kopitar interview, I got it downloaded and ready to go as I walk out to catch dinner. We have gotten very few if any of these types of interviews from Kings players over the years. Although I'm not expecting any bombshells or throwing under the bus from Kopitar like some have done on SC, just not his style.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's to bad he didn't get claimed on waivers by the Wings, I'd love to hear Todd call him "Kuh-LEE-yev" again.

Excited to listen to the Kopitar interview, I got it downloaded and ready to go as I walk out to catch dinner. We have gotten very few if any of these types of interviews from Kings players over the years. Although I'm not expecting any bombshells or throwing under the bus from Kopitar like some have done on SC, just not his style.

He gets into some topics we like but of course he's incredibly diplomatic, just an awesome dude.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Full Anze interview is fun, starts around 1:32 if interested (it's clearly labeled).

Man we are so lucky we've been able to watch Kopitar in a Kings jersey for the last ~20 years.

He's a big reason why I fell in love with the game of hockey. World class on and off the ice and one of the most respected players in the entire NHL.

 

[Sol]

Damn he didn’t even mention Frolov. Cool interview though

 

[Vote4Lubo]

Just gonna leave this here

 

[Statto]

I like listening to Hiller’s interviews. When he gets asked good questions, he gives good detailed answers…. not just canned responses.

 

[Herby]

Just gonna leave this here

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I said this when I watched him play for the Gophers, I have never seen a player at the NCAA level who was so good at suppressing offense. I hate the term "Generational", but he was without question a generational player in the defensive zone at that level.

Two things surprise me though

1. How good he was right away, I think only Makar was better right away as far as recent defenseman, both jumped right from college into the playoffs and never missed a beat, even guys like Hughes and Dahlin had some hiccups to fix.

2. The offense at the NHL level, a 45 point pace over his career so far certainly far exceeds what I expected from him offensively. And it's not like he's getting points from being on a loaded offensive team, the Wild were 20th last year and 15th this year in goals. I expected Slavin offensively, but he is more Charlie McAvoy offensively.

This is looking more and more like it is going to end up being a modern day Larry Murphy situation for the Kings.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Middleton too, which is funny, just because he was a Kings draft pick. That's not one I'm mourning or anything but go figure Minnesota's top pairing, shutting down the best in the league, were ours.

I said this when I watched him play for the Gophers, I have never seen a player at the NCAA level who was so good at suppressing offense. I hate the term "Generational", but he was without question a generational player in the defensive zone at that level.

Two things surprise me though

1. How good he was right away, I think only Makar was better right away as far as recent defenseman, both jumped right from college into the playoffs and never missed a beat, even guys like Hughes and Dahlin had some hiccups to fix.

2. The offense at the NHL level, a 45 point pace over his career so far certainly far exceeds what I expected from him offensively. And it's not like he's getting points from being on a loaded offensive team, the Wild were 20th last year and 15th this year in goals. I expected Slavin offensively, but he is more Charlie McAvoy offensively.

This is looking more and more like it is going to end up being a modern day Larry Murphy situation for the Kings.

I wasn't buying immediately but I saw how special he was with the exponential growth at every level, he was a sponge, especially at the Olympics where he just proved his way up more and more.

Spence did basically the same until now, when he's finally hitting some speedbumps and/or a ceiling. But yeah, just no matter what they threw at the guy, he could handle it. And it's not physical tools that are causing his offense but just raw game IQ, it's like ME Vlasic, he's not a traditional PP point man but he's racking up ES points but disarming the opposition and making great plays to get the puck moving up ice or around the zone.