Around the League 2024-25 season

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On the right side (if going strictly by handedness), Kings had these players play during the regular season before the trade:
Doughty
Roy
Durzi
Spence
Walker
Stecher
Strand

If they wanted to play someone on the left, this was their defensive depth:
Anderson
Edler
Maatta
Bjornfot
Clague
Wolanin
Moverare

He likely wasn't going to get more minutes than Doughty, and maybe Roy considering the Kings' over-reliance on vets. But you're kidding yourself if you think he wouldn't have been able to play himself up the roster pretty quickly.
I think I am being pretty realistic. Clarke to this day doesn't get consistent play. I dont see how Faber would have been pushed up. I think a lot of players potential is given breathing room when they're given some time to play through the ups and downs. Minnesota gave him that immediately. Kings aren't good about that. Especially with young players.
He's already done that for a full season at 25 minutes a game? This is his second season doing so.
There was an article recently about Faber where it went in-depth on his struggles in the second half of the season for 2 seasons straight. It's like conditioning sure, and maybe genetics, but I don't see how he would have taken the mantle for the Kings with Spence and Doughty being ahead of him.

I do believe that a player hits their potential when given rope. Byfield is getting a lot of rope now which is why he's doing so good but it took a miracle for the Kings to give it to him. That wasn't the case in Minnesota.
 
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Dallas looks off this year to me. I think they're in the late stage DeBoer cycle. His teams eventually fall flat.

Oilers look vulnerable too. Winnipeg is a great regular season team but I expect them to bow out early in the playoffs again.

Colorado/Vegas/Edmonton are the favorites coming out the west IMO.

Kings and Oilers still have two head-to-head matchups. That will likely decide P2/P3 positioning. I wish we could catch Vegas, but it seems unlikely.
 
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Skinner also left the game.

Dallas looks off this year to me. I think they're in the late stage DeBoer cycle. His teams eventually fall flat.

Oilers look vulnerable too. Winnipeg is a great regular season team but I expect them to bow out early in the playoffs again.

Colorado is the favorite in the West IMO.
Dallas misses Heiskanen a lot. Oilers picked up Walman who is paired w Nurse and should improve the 2nd pair. I think the Oilers will be formidable. The goaltending has been and still is their main issue. Colorado I agree is the best.. though ive noticed Mackinnon has dropped off a bit lately, could be adjusting to Necas or something.. overall they really patched their holes with some key trades.
 
Those sad Ducks, desperately trying to remain relevant.

I should ask again if Kings fans would want to trade places with them as of this moment.
The Ducks have done everything that LA fans on this board wanted the Kings to do. IMO both teams did what they needed to do. The Kings present looks pretty interesting (for this year anyway) but the Ducks future looks incredibly bright.
 
that hyman injury is why i hate how guys just clamp onto each other nowadays, those awkward falls where someone's latched onto a limb or a stick make nothing plays so dangerous

seems like no one can just "lose" a battle any more, gotta get a piece on the way out

Marchment is low key a giant piece of shit too, I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt on that one

Surprised he didn't throw his hands up and beg for a call on Hyman too
 
The Ducks have done everything that LA fans on this board wanted the Kings to do. IMO both teams did what they needed to do. The Kings present looks pretty interesting (for this year anyway) but the Ducks future looks incredibly bright.
Yah, the Ducks have done everything that LA fans (on this board) have wanted the Kings to do... except....miss the playoffs for 8 years straight. If you think this group of experts would be OK with that, you are nuts.

I've been hearing about the Ducks 'bright future' for years now....call me when they are a playoff team.
 
Yah, the Ducks have done everything that LA fans (on this board) have wanted the Kings to do... except....miss the playoffs for 8 years straight. If you think this group of experts would be OK with that, you are nuts.

I've been hearing about the Ducks 'bright future' for years now....call me when they are a playoff team.
Missing the playoffs is the by-product of a major rebuild. If you are being honest, it is what many Kings fans (on this board) have been advocating for the last several years and many are still incredibly upset that the team did not proceed full bore with the rebuild and jettison 11 and 8 while doing it. The Ducks didn't have an 11 and 8 to allow them to retool so they went full rebuild. I can see the Ducks making a serious run at the playoffs next year. The Kings decided to retool and have made the playoff for the 4th year in a row. Both fan bases should be happy with the approaches their respective teams made. I'm not here to bash either team but I will say that this is a really fun time to be a Ducks fan. Kings fans should be similarly excited but for different reasons. I hope LA makes a nice run this year.
 
Missing the playoffs is the by-product of a major rebuild. If you are being honest, it is what many Kings fans (on this board) have been advocating for the last several years and many are still incredibly upset that the team did not proceed full bore with the rebuild and jettison 11 and 8 while doing it. The Ducks didn't have an 11 and 8 to allow them to retool so they went full rebuild. I can see the Ducks making a serious run at the playoffs next year. The Kings decided to retool and have made the playoff for the 4th year in a row. Both fan bases should be happy with the approaches their respective teams made. I'm not here to bash either team but I will say that this is a really fun time to be a Ducks fan. Kings fans should be similarly excited but for different reasons. I hope LA makes a nice run this year.
Sorry not buying it….if you’ve missed the playoffs 8 straight seasons, you are doing something WRONG. And no way in hell this group of fans would have the patience for it.
 
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I think I am being pretty realistic. Clarke to this day doesn't get consistent play. I dont see how Faber would have been pushed up. I think a lot of players potential is given breathing room when they're given some time to play through the ups and downs. Minnesota gave him that immediately. Kings aren't good about that. Especially with young players.

There was an article recently about Faber where it went in-depth on his struggles in the second half of the season for 2 seasons straight. It's like conditioning sure, and maybe genetics, but I don't see how he would have taken the mantle for the Kings with Spence and Doughty being ahead of him.

I do believe that a player hits their potential when given rope. Byfield is getting a lot of rope now which is why he's doing so good but it took a miracle for the Kings to give it to him. That wasn't the case in Minnesota.
If you can't figure out the similarities between the young players that have gotten playing time right away (Byfield, Laf, Lee, Anderson, Iafallo, Walker, Roy) and the ones that haven't (Clarke, Vilardi, Fagemo, Kaliev) I don't know what to tell you. Doubly so if you can't figure out that Faber fits into one of those groups of players...
 
Sorry not buying it….if you’ve missed the playoffs 8 straight seasons, you are doing something WRONG. And no way in hell this group of fans would have the patience for it.
Yes, this will be the 7th season for the Ducks to miss the playoffs. And I agree things were done wrong...primarily the fault (IMO) lies with the previous GM and his refusal to sell off players earlier and commit to a rebuild sooner. That cost the organization a couple of years stuck in a no man's land of being directionless. Then Verbeek came in and saw the mess he inherited and decided to go full rebuild. This is Verbeek's 4th year of what is obviously a 5 year plan. We'll see what the 5th year brings. But there is no disputing that the Ducks have one of the best (if not the best) under 25 rosters in the league.

Not sure I agree with you that the LA fans on this board would not have supported missing the playoffs for 7 years if it meant a successful rebuild. That's what fans (of all teams) on HF dream about. I do agree that the average fan attending games would not have stood for it though...which is probably why a full rebuild didn't happen.
 
Yah, the Ducks have done everything that LA fans (on this board) have wanted the Kings to do... except....miss the playoffs for 8 years straight. If you think this group of experts would be OK with that, you are nuts.

I've been hearing about the Ducks 'bright future' for years now....call me when they are a playoff team.
I really loved how the Kings missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons (saved from eight by the lockout) worked out.

Let's hope the Ducks don't get the same results.
 
I really loved how the Kings missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons (saved from eight by the lockout) worked out.

Let's hope the Ducks don't get the same results.
We tolerated it in the second half because Lombardi had a vision of how he would build a team and culture.

We were clearly frustrated by the previous administration selling youth for band aids and missing the playoffs.
 

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