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

Coincidence: Another high stick challenge for Toronto but this one denied and the stick was lower than yesterday

 
A curiosity I have and its a bit too late for it to directly apply to Salin

BUT

In conversations with Blake and McLellan over the years it was confirmed that the Kings did select players ideally suited to play the "style" the team wanted.

Specifically the 1-3-1

Generally speaking the RHD the organization collected over the years fit a certain profile.

RHD - offensive/puck moving/skating/slighter of build
LHD - defensive/physical/"less mobile"/larger

RHD - Doughty, Walker, Durzi, Clarke, Spence, Salin, Mania, Grans
LHD - Anderson, Edler, Edmundson,


There were guys that straddled the line...

Roy, Gavrikov, Faber(?), Bjornfot(?), Maatta(?)

or outright exceptions
Sparkes, Nousianen

but generally speaking that's the pattern so not that they've abandoned the 1-3-1 but maintained a strong defensive identity will it be tougher or easier for players that fit the profile that cleanly to find a spot or will it matter at all?
 
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All The Kings Men said:
A curiosity I have and its a bit too late for it to directly apply to Salin

BUT

In conversations with Blake and McLellan over the years it was confirmed that the Kings did select players ideally suited to play the "style" the team wanted.

Specifically the 1-3-1

Generally speaking the RHD the organization collected over the years fit a certain profile.

RHD - offensive/puck moving/skating/slighter of build
LHD - defensive/physical/"less mobile"/larger

RHD - Doughty, Walker, Durzi, Clarke, Spence, Salin, Mania, Grans
LHD - Anderson, Edler, Edmundson,


There were guys that straddled the line...

Roy, Gavrikov, Faber(?), Bjornfot(?), Maatta(?)

or outright exceptions
Sparkes, Nousianen

but generally speaking that's the pattern so not that they've abandoned the 1-3-1 but maintained a strong defensive identity will it be tougher or easier for players that fit the profile that cleanly to find a spot or will it matter at all?
Click to expand...
I'm guessing it will work in the favor of players who fit the identity, though I *really* hope the Kings deviate from that a bit - like having an offensive minded LHD and a stay at home RHD.

They need to expand on the profile of players just to have threats and defenses from other angles.

And it would be helpful to have a RHD and LHD on the same powerplay unit. While forwards are capable of playing the point or moving around, they just see the ice differently.
 
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All The Kings Men said:
A curiosity I have and its a bit too late for it to directly apply to Salin

BUT

In conversations with Blake and McLellan over the years it was confirmed that the Kings did select players ideally suited to play the "style" the team wanted.

Specifically the 1-3-1

Generally speaking the RHD the organization collected over the years fit a certain profile.

RHD - offensive/puck moving/skating/slighter of build
LHD - defensive/physical/"less mobile"/larger

RHD - Doughty, Walker, Durzi, Clarke, Spence, Salin, Mania, Grans
LHD - Anderson, Edler, Edmundson,


There were guys that straddled the line...

Roy, Gavrikov, Faber(?), Bjornfot(?), Maatta(?)

or outright exceptions
Sparkes, Nousianen

but generally speaking that's the pattern so not that they've abandoned the 1-3-1 but maintained a strong defensive identity will it be tougher or easier for players that fit the profile that cleanly to find a spot or will it matter at all?
Click to expand...

Not surprising that the Kings draft players for a system, and not the best players available. Even their highest draft picks were developed so drastically different from other players around the league, it's easy to see just how much they value system players.

What is funny is had they taken a chance on Hutson it means arguably the two best players they would have drafted would have been the opposite of what they were looking for in a system defenseman. I don't have an issue with evaluating a player and not believing in said player, but completely ignoring certain types of players because those players don't fit into a pre-determined box is a poor strategy (and then years later not having the types of players who were ignored).
 
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Herby said:
Not surprising that the Kings draft players for a system, and not the best players available. Even their highest draft picks were developed so drastically different from other players around the league, it's easy to see just how much they value system players.
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I don't think there's anything wrong with drafting players to match an identity. Organizations which can bring the best out of players to get maximum value should target players that fit.

Which is why the Vilardi, Kupari, Fagemo, Kaliyev, and even Byfield picks in particular are confusing. If the player doesn't fit, you're either going to have them NEVER fit or they will take longer to actually fit in the system.

So the Kings really should make adjustments to their identity and let the players play their way, or they need to stick to players who fit their way of play from the get go.
 
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Axl Rhoadz said:
Turcotte gets sidelined a few games and he’s suddenly a bust again? Neat.
Click to expand...

The guy was a #5 overall pick who was projected to be the next Mike Richards, and he's a 4th line winger at age 24. So yes, the point of my reply is true, if the Kings are seeking that type of player with high draft picks as they have done multiple times, and the results have been horrible, maybe they should try and trade for another MR instead?

But you were totally right when you said Mike Richards was a Richards/Toews player and I was wrong when I said he'd be a Copp/Cogliano type. I wish my evaluation was as good as yours.
 
Herby said:
The guy was a #5 overall pick who was projected to be the next Mike Richards, and he's a 4th line winger at age 24. So yes, the point of my reply is true, if the Kings are seeking that type of player with high draft picks as they have done multiple times, and the results have been horrible, maybe they should try and trade for another MR instead?

But you were totally right when you said Mike Richards was a Richards/Toews player and I was wrong when I said he'd be a Copp/Cogliano type. I wish my evaluation was as good as yours.
Click to expand...
Mike Richards was part of that 2014 team as a 4th line center. I don't think that's the Mike Richards the Kings envisioned when they drafted Turcotte, though. Right now Turcotte is a great 4th line center, and winning teams need guys like Turcotte, but it's still a big disappointment for a #5 overall pick to develop into a 4th line center.
 
Herby said:
The guy was a #5 overall pick who was projected to be the next Mike Richards, and he's a 4th line winger at age 24. So yes, the point of my reply is true, if the Kings are seeking that type of player with high draft picks as they have done multiple times, and the results have been horrible, maybe they should try and trade for another MR instead?

But you were totally right when you said Mike Richards was a Richards/Toews player and I was wrong when I said he'd be a Copp/Cogliano type. I wish my evaluation was as good as yours.
Click to expand...
And how many games this season what he playing on the 1st line....
 
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Turcotte definitely plays like Mike Richards. Sticks to the basics and wills his way to winning every shift. Hes been hitting lately also but not with the nastiness and semi intent to injure like Richards did.
The problem is Turcotte got too many concussions at 20-23 years old and Richards was able to protect himself for longer and got his later.
 
Schmooley said:
Turcotte definitely plays like Mike Richards. Sticks to the basics and wills his way to winning every shift. Hes been hitting lately also but not with the nastiness and semi intent to injure like Richards did.
The problem is Turcotte got too many concussions at 20-23 years old and Richards was able to protect himself for longer and got his later.
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Richards was a high-end offensive player and Turcotte is an offensive black hole, I know nobody wants to acknowledge it, but look at what Kopitar and Kempe have done post trade. There are similarities for sure in motor and compete, but when Turcotte was drafted the expectation was that he was going to produce at least somewhat close to the numbers MR did in his prime, that is why he was drafted with a top 5 pick.

In his age 23/24 season Richards had 30 goals and 80 points, and the season after that he made Team Canada in a best vs. best at 24.

MR was a dominant star player over the whole 200 feet when he was this age.
 
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Herby said:
Richards was a high-end offensive player and Turcotte is an offensive black hole, I know nobody wants to acknowledge it, but look at what Kopitar and Kempe have done post trade. There are similarities for sure in motor and compete, but when Turcotte was drafted the expectation was that he was going to produce at least somewhat close to the numbers MR did in his prime, that is why he was drafted with a top 5 pick.

In his age 23/24 season Richards had 30 goals and 80 points, and the season after that he made Team Canada in a best vs. best at 24.

MR was a dominant star player over the whole 200 feet when he was this age.
Click to expand...
Yea Turcottes offensive instincts havent developed much since college. Thats the problem in relation to his draft position.
He produced on the top line at first but fizzled. Hes like Richards in the sense that works hard and whatever line hes on tilts the ice for his team.
The 4th line was producing until him and Jeannot got hurt.
When him Foegele and Laf were a line they were producing.
I still do wonder if they move him eventually in a package because of the injury risk like they did with Vilardi.
 
I saw Turcotte more like Toews. Not as strong defensively or as aggressive as Richards, but a very good all-around player who can elevate his game as the stakes increase.

I still think he had several health setbacks that affected him negatively.
 
I don't think it's fair to call him a 4C simply because that's where they're playing him right now any more than it's fair to call him a top line winger because of his time up the lineup.

He was scoring at a 20g 50p pace when moved up the lineup before going dark again. There's upside there even if it's not a full on Mike Richards/Toews upside.

Edit: apparently I made this post Jan 17th

"
6 g 14 p in last 22 games (when he got moved up in lineup)

That's a 22 goal 52 point pace to go with his elite off-puck play and the pace increases monthly, i'ts no longer a stretch to think he could be a 60-70 point guy in the Diet Mike richards/Jonathan toews mold (with obvious change in scoring era to be fair) and pairing that with his astounding analytics means he's super valuable in our lineup."
 
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If full healthy, and had it not been for the concussions, I do think he could've been a 50 point player. I doubt that will ever happen now.

I think the fact that we was willing to sign that contract tells you what he thinks about his own ability to stay healthy.

Penciling him into an important roster spot would be irresponsible IMO.
 
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