Around the League 2022-23 season

[lumbergh]

But off-season trades aren't as difficult, and not knowing that this lineup was problematic shouldn't surprise anyone since this was the only guy who thought Phanuef could still play, thought that an ill-fitting 30+ year old who hadn't played in the league for years was worth a 3 year big money deal before hiring a lame duck coach just to waste a season convincing that player to leave, and that a goaltender with very few NHL starts was worth a 3 year $15 million deal, all while screwing up the development of top shelf kids AND only winning 3 playoff games in his entire tenure.

I keep reading this over and over and marveling that this is one sentence.

 

[DoktorJeep]

I keep reading this over and over and marveling that this is one sentence.

On first read, I thought it was GPT-3Chat’s response to the query, “Why is GM Rob Blake a slow moving disaster?”.

 

[YP44]

I keep reading this over and over and marveling that this is one sentence.

I picture it as chevy chase ranting and then right after saying, "holy shit, where's the Tylenol"

 

[LAKings88]

But off-season trades aren't as difficult, and not knowing that this lineup was problematic shouldn't surprise anyone since this was the only guy who thought Phanuef could still play, thought that an ill-fitting 30+ year old who hadn't played in the league for years was worth a 3 year big money deal before hiring a lame duck coach just to waste a season convincing that player to leave, and that a goaltender with very few NHL starts was worth a 3 year $15 million deal, all while screwing up the development of top shelf kids AND only winning 3 playoff games in his entire tenure.

I get what you are saying here but at the time the Phanuef deal basically gave them a warm body on defense. He played ok after the trade for a bit. Gaborik was toast. Many had foresight to know he wouldn’t finish that contract. Blake failed in that sense. The money would have come off the books sooner in any case.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Yes, if only everyone was as rational as you when shrugging and saying a team manager has no options when that's misleading at best.

You keep acting as if trades are the only way to address the roster. And even when you see that Petersen got waived, still act as if underachievers like Walker can't be waived. Or that even if trades are rare, Durzi wouldn't have value.

This is Blake's sixth season as a GM. Why do you keep acting like he hasn't had time to fill holes? Especially since in the offseason, he knew he'd have to hope that a RD would have to play LD? How can a manager worth his salt not plan for that?

I've never said Walker or Petersen can't be waived. I've said it's unlikely to happen due to contracts. Just look at how long it took Petersen to be sent to Ontario. He was given every chance to play half way decently, because of that contract. That's just a reality of the league. When they made the Redden rule, it really cut down on burying contracts. You can think contracts don't matter, but when there are far less than 1 NHL contract in the AHL per team, especially expensive contracts, it's just a thing that is unlikely to happen. So when it doesn't happen, I don't get upset. It sucks, but it's just how it is. If the Kings were the only cheap organization that wasn't doing it, that would be weird. However, in fact, with Wagner banished forever, and now Petersen there, the Kings are well above the league average in 1 way contracts in the AHL.

Let's go back to the offseason, and see which established defensemen were traded. Weber. Obviously LTIRetired. McDonagh for Meyers. McDonagh has a pretty hefty contract, and he's old, while Meyers is aUFA this year. Could Walker have been traded for McDonagh? Maybe? Could TB take on the additional year for Walker? Romanov. Went for a 1st last year, which the Kings had already traded. Nemeth went to Ari for nothing, but he's a lefty, so was Ari looking for a RHD? Car got Burns, and Burns is better than Walker or Durzi. Marino went for Smith, so Pit didn't want cap back. Matheson for Petry. Do you want Matheson? Did Hextall want Petry because he's old and fits with their old roster? I have no idea. Then Weeger, but he was involved in a bigger trade. Then Kulikov, who also is a UFA this year, in a cap dump.

Early season hockey trades are improbable and not impossible. So rationality has nothing to do with it. If you think someone being upset with a GM for not making one of those trades is irrational, you’re saying they are guilty of a logic error. Which is why it’s easy to point out the flaws in your argument with a single piece of evidence.

You’d be better off arguing that being a GM is hard and Blake is an average one, so his actions aren’t going to break the mold. Yet that would make it hard to pull the only sane guy in the room act you seem to cherish.

If you look at the history of the cap era, and over time, early season trades have shown to be on the rare side, and people keep going after any GM for not making more early season trades, yes, that is a bit of a logic error.

It's just a thing that is unlikely to happen, so don't expect it to happen. If it does happen, great. It might happen, ok. But to go day after day, why isn't a trade happening yet, what is the GM doing, well nothing is happening anywhere.

But off-season trades aren't as difficult, and not knowing that this lineup was problematic shouldn't surprise anyone since this was the only guy who thought Phanuef could still play, thought that an ill-fitting 30+ year old who hadn't played in the league for years was worth a 3 year big money deal before hiring a lame duck coach just to waste a season convincing that player to leave, and that a goaltender with very few NHL starts was worth a 3 year $15 million deal, all while screwing up the development of top shelf kids AND only winning 3 playoff games in his entire tenure.

It's not that Phaneuf could play, it was the Gaborik couldn't. It was a desperate attempt to move cap around. I believe even a quality organization like Boston was after Kovalchuk. Petersen was older when he got here, and was set to be a UFA soon, and Quick's stupid 10 year contract has blocked every other goalie from staying or coming here. Petersen was the youngest and last guy in line, and the hope was that you were getting ahead of the curve. If Petersen were to have a great 21-22 season, he'd be even more expensive to re-sign. But then because none of the other 5 goalies picked since 2017 have worked out, it was either Petersen, or some random Copley type free agent.

 

[King'sPawn]

Not NHL, but a junior player:

18 years old and fell to his death. So tragic.

 

[unicornpig]

For better or worse the pacific is terrible

 

[Fishhead]

Man, Vancouver can be really bad. Hilarious that McCann scored the dagger.

Great prospect management there. The Canucks draft him in the first round, put him on the roster at 19 and don't send him back to junior after 9 games. Then they let him play the season, and trade him right after the season for.... Gundbranson? Then after a few seasons of underwhelming play they flip Gundbranson for Tanner Pearson.

They make the Kings look like development wizards.

 

[bland]

I've never said Walker or Petersen can't be waived. I've said it's unlikely to happen due to contracts. Just look at how long it took Petersen to be sent to Ontario. He was given every chance to play half way decently, because of that contract. That's just a reality of the league. When they made the Redden rule, it really cut down on burying contracts. You can think contracts don't matter, but when there are far less than 1 NHL contract in the AHL per team, especially expensive contracts, it's just a thing that is unlikely to happen. So when it doesn't happen, I don't get upset. It sucks, but it's just how it is. If the Kings were the only cheap organization that wasn't doing it, that would be weird. However, in fact, with Wagner banished forever, and now Petersen there, the Kings are well above the league average in 1 way contracts in the AHL.

Let's go back to the offseason, and see which established defensemen were traded. Weber. Obviously LTIRetired. McDonagh for Meyers. McDonagh has a pretty hefty contract, and he's old, while Meyers is aUFA this year. Could Walker have been traded for McDonagh? Maybe? Could TB take on the additional year for Walker? Romanov. Went for a 1st last year, which the Kings had already traded. Nemeth went to Ari for nothing, but he's a lefty, so was Ari looking for a RHD? Car got Burns, and Burns is better than Walker or Durzi. Marino went for Smith, so Pit didn't want cap back. Matheson for Petry. Do you want Matheson? Did Hextall want Petry because he's old and fits with their old roster? I have no idea. Then Weeger, but he was involved in a bigger trade. Then Kulikov, who also is a UFA this year, in a cap dump.



If you look at the history of the cap era, and over time, early season trades have shown to be on the rare side, and people keep going after any GM for not making more early season trades, yes, that is a bit of a logic error.

It's just a thing that is unlikely to happen, so don't expect it to happen. If it does happen, great. It might happen, ok. But to go day after day, why isn't a trade happening yet, what is the GM doing, well nothing is happening anywhere.



It's not that Phaneuf could play, it was the Gaborik couldn't. It was a desperate attempt to move cap around. I believe even a quality organization like Boston was after Kovalchuk. Petersen was older when he got here, and was set to be a UFA soon, and Quick's stupid 10 year contract has blocked every other goalie from staying or coming here. Petersen was the youngest and last guy in line, and the hope was that you were getting ahead of the curve. If Petersen were to have a great 21-22 season, he'd be even more expensive to re-sign. But then because none of the other 5 goalies picked since 2017 have worked out, it was either Petersen, or some random Copley type free agent.

No, everybody and their brother knew Gaborik was putting off a back surgery that would have resulted in LTIR cap space. Phaneuf wasn't just struggling, he had become a joke around the league. Blake WANTED Phaneuf despite all available evidence and promptly had to buy him out at years end. Keeping Gaborik was always the smart move.

And one of the reasons that Kovalchuk chose the Kings was the third year that reportedly was not being offered by anyone else. Then Kovalchuk had just mere cups of coffee with other teams at an attractive minimum salary (since he was paid by the Kings) before everybody realized that some things are best left avoided.

Bottom line is that Blake HOPES things work out well and there are plenty of instances where those decisions aren't in line with the facts available.

 

[KingsFan7824]

No, everybody and their brother knew Gaborik was putting off a back surgery that would have resulted in LTIR cap space. Phaneuf wasn't just struggling, he had become a joke around the league. Blake WANTED Phaneuf despite all available evidence and promptly had to buy him out at years end. Keeping Gaborik was always the smart move.

And one of the reasons that Kovalchuk chose the Kings was the third year that reportedly was not being offered by anyone else. Then Kovalchuk had just mere cups of coffee with other teams at an attractive minimum salary (since he was paid by the Kings) before everybody realized that some things are best left avoided.

Bottom line is that Blake HOPES things work out well and there are plenty of instances where those decisions aren't in line with the facts available.

I don't know that he WANTED Phaneuf, in and of himself. If Ott wouldn't have taken Gaborik, then he doesn't get Phaneuf. Then because a guy like Iafallo ended up on the 1st line, there's fewer places for Gaborik to play, if and when ever healthy. And Phaneuf was bought out a year later at the end of 18-19, not 17-18. Although I'd say buying him out at that point was pointless, because at that point they had already begun their impromptu rebuilding, and who cares if Double Dion in on the ice.

And the only reason Mitchell came here in 2010 was the additional season DL offered him after a concussion that ended his previous season. Because why else sign here instead of Was or SJ back then? It's sort of what you have to do on the west coast.

 

[Bandit]

I keep reading this over and over and marveling that this is one sentence.

Periods are for p***yes.

 

[AbsentMojo]

EDM having a rough year so far.. and then this chirp made the rounds (might be old news for some) Pretty funny

 

[KingsFan7824]

2 trades involving 5 players in the last 24 hours; and the Kings are, again, nowhere to be found. Movin' and shakin' in the league. When Del Zotto is the biggest name dealt, you know things are serious.

 

[YP44]

2 trades involving 5 players in the last 24 hours; and the Kings are, again, nowhere to be found. Movin' and shakin' in the league. When Del Zotto is the biggest name dealt, you know things are serious.

hard to blame LA when there are no game changers being moved, or no one I would want Blake to bring in. I don't feel like LA has missed out on anyone in the last few days.

 

[King'sPawn]

2 trades involving 5 players in the last 24 hours; and the Kings are, again, nowhere to be found. Movin' and shakin' in the league. When Del Zotto is the biggest name dealt, you know things are serious.

Clearly the argument of a rational fan. If only the rest of the forum could be as smart as you.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

2 trades involving 5 players in the last 24 hours; and the Kings are, again, nowhere to be found. Movin' and shakin' in the league. When Del Zotto is the biggest name dealt, you know things are serious.

"proof of absence" isn't saying much.

 

[King'sPawn]

"proof of absence" isn't saying much.

But didn't you hear? They're rare. Why should we expect Blake to have done something before this oh-so-rare circumstance was a factor? Or... what IF there was a way an underperforming player could, say, be relegated to a lesser league, and if there was a better player who could be promoted, and this could have been done earlier than a third into the season?

You're just an irrational, ignorant pleb. His hands are TIED!

 

[KingsFan7824]

Clearly the argument of a rational fan. If only the rest of the forum could be as smart as you.

When I'm accused of being some Blake sycophant, I just like being proven correct in reality.

 

[KingsFan7824]

"proof of absence" isn't saying much.

Better than going nuts on baseless speculation on who we think other teams should absolutely want. Even though we hate them as players. Every GM should want them.

 

[King'sPawn]

When I'm accused of being some Blake sycophant, I just like being proven correct in reality.

Except the only thing you've proven is you'll jump on any logical fallacy to defend Blake's inaction or inability to clean his own mess. Even though literally nobody brought up how Blake missed the boat on the latest trades. Doesn't that sound apologetic or sycophantic?

 

[KingsFan7824]

Except the only thing you've proven is you'll jump on any logical fallacy to defend Blake's inaction or inability to clean his own mess. Even though literally nobody brought up how Blake missed the boat on the latest trades. Doesn't that sound apologetic or sycophantic?

Yeah, because trading Kopitar and Doughty isn't brought up every day. For years, and years, and years. So no, a little hyperbole in this case isn't sycophantic. Just highlighting the kinds of moves made around the league.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Going back to the decision of the Wild to trade Fiala over Dumba, I'd say the reason is pretty clear.

Wilderness Walk: Guerin defends Dumba, rags on Fiala

Your daily dose of Wild news, along with other interesting stories from around the NHL.

www.hockeywilderness.com

On Blake's inability to sort out the D. Fiala became available & Blake jumped on the trade after missing multiple trades for a forward in the past. This ran the team into the salary cap & didn't leave enough to fix the defense. So Edler is back on the cheap.

Blake is also a feel good GM that will try not to screw the players over if possible. Unless his blood sugar gets off & you end up rage traded like Pearson.

So, Björnfot is in the minors "to work on his offense". Even the Mayor could sell that. Björnfot could improve his offense after all.

Edler is on career game 996 right now. They are not going to pull a Babcock. I'm not concerned about Edler, because I don't expect him back next year & his games played may drop towards the end of the year. Although, Todd does love his vets.

Walker is coming off 2 major injuries & for better or worse, Blake/Todd are going to give him a chance to get back.

Durzi/Roy, you might as well see if this pairing works before making trades. Kings have too many RD. Maybe someone can play left? Now we have the answer. The problem now is making a trade. I expect this to be sorted out by soon after free agency starts in the summer at the latest. Hopefully it can be dealt with sooner, but that may not be possible. The list of players you are looking at is probably under 10. How many are available? How many have a reasonable ask? Can Blake go all in on a D with Pheonix as their starting goalie?

If Blake doesn't have the D sorted by this off-season I'll be disappointed, but for now King's are holding onto a playoff spot despite the rough start.

 

[Fishhead]

I can't figure out if Carolina is good or not. There is the 20-6-6 record, but then the goal differential that's worse than the 16-14-2 Sabres. That's an insane record for a +14 differential. Apparently, they win a lot of close ones, and when they lose they do it in style, not unlike the Kings.

 

[YP44]

I can't figure out if Carolina is good or not. There is the 20-6-6 record, but then the goal differential that's worse than the 16-14-2 Sabres. That's an insane record for a +14 differential. Apparently, they win a lot of close ones, and when they lose they do it in style, not unlike the Kings.

I think they are a good team..not sure on their goalies though

 

[DoktorJeep]

When I'm accused of being some Blake sycophant, I just like being proven correct in reality.

You’re a prolific gatekeeper.