Around the league part 2

[YP44]

for me the gaping hole is in net.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

for me the gaping hole is in net.

For you and 200+ NHLers

 

[Herby]

for me the gaping hole is in net.

For sure, it is. But if they were truly set on contending the biggest hole was at C, it just didn't work out nearly as quickly as one would expect from Byfield, and Danault is not a 2C on a team with legit SC aspirations. They also kind of covered themselves with at least getting a player who could play 1C in a pinch should Kopitar fall off or get injured.

Now the big issue is clearly goaltending.

 

[johnjm22]

Doesn't sound like nothingburger.

 

[bland]

The single biggest problem the Kings have isn't centers or goalies, its wingers who can win board battles.

You cannot hope to win in the playoffs if you can't hold leads, and that involves changing, building and maintaining control of the puck. If you can't kill minutes by sustaining forechecks, clearing your zone and wearing down your opponents defensemen, you are screwed whether your goals against or save percentages are good or not.

Adding Dubois created better balance up front, but that was hardly a debilitating issue - it was already a moderate strength. That trade made them a little stronger in that area while severely weakening an already soft spot, all while increasing the cap AND losing total offense and stability. It was a stupid trade to bring in a "name" instead of addressing the actual faults in the club. Totally cosmetic move, perfectly in line with Robitaille's thinking.

 

[Fishhead]

The single biggest problem the Kings have isn't centers or goalies, its wingers who can win board battles.

You cannot hope to win in the playoffs if you can't hold leads, and that involves changing, building and maintaining control of the puck. If you can't kill minutes by sustaining forechecks, clearing your zone and wearing down your opponents defensemen, you are screwed whether your goals against or save percentages are good or not.

Adding Dubois created better balance up front, but that was hardly a debilitating issue - it was already a moderate strength. That trade made them a little stronger in that area while severely weakening an already soft spot, all while increasing the cap AND losing total offense and stability. It was a stupid trade to bring in a "name" instead of addressing the actual faults in the club. Totally cosmetic move, perfectly in line with Robitaille's thinking.

Well, at least they got a center that's good along the boards in Dubois. He can dig pucks really well. But yeah, Fiala, Kaliyev, and Arvidsson are a bit redundant as far as board play. Moore is solid in that aspect but not dominant. Kempe is no slouch on the boards either, but it's not really where you want him.

That's the one area I'd love to see a bunch of growth from Byfield in.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Well, at least they got a center that's good along the boards in Dubois. He can dig pucks really well. But yeah, Fiala, Kaliyev, and Arvidsson are a bit redundant as far as board play. Moore is solid in that aspect but not dominant. Kempe is no slouch on the boards either, but it's not really where you want him.

That's the one area I'd love to see a bunch of growth from Byfield in.

But in doing so they dumped two of the absolute best in Vilardi and Iafallo.

 

[johnjm22]

Losing Iafallo and Vilardi hurts, but ultimately it was the center position holding back LA the most.

This season will be a demonstration of how much more important centers are than wingers.

Byfield will compensate for Iafallo to a degree.

Kings need a middle/bottom 6 RW'er with size and grit who can play D and win board battles. I'd rather be lacking a RW than a C.

 

[Steve Zissou]

 

[King'sPawn]

Cool. Good for him. I was one of the doubters.

 

[kingsholygrail]

The risk paid off.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

My mother is related to Jack’s billet mom back in Michigan. When he got traded to Las Vegas (our hometown) the joke was that he had a new billet family out here already.

I’ve met him in person a couple times and he’s a nice guy.

 

[Vote4Lubo]

Kings are hoping PLD can do that for the org. Might take a few years longer but I think he gets it done.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Cool. Good for him. I was one of the doubters.

I'll eat that one too, thought he'd never be the same or that he'd be a bit of a bitch on a team where he isn't the only option. Quick results, haha.

 

[kingsfan28]

The risk paid off.

Yes it did. But it could've gone the other way. Vegas got lucky once again.

 

[Steve Zissou]

He also had a hat trick today. Kid is one of few in last years draft that is ready for the NHL.

 

[DAkings20]

Bedard's shot is ridiculous

 

[KingsHockey24]

Bedard and Fantilli are already 10x better hockey players than Byfield.

 

[Steve Zissou]

3 goals for Bedard today as well.



With younger players using more whipp-y sticks it allows them to not have their bottom hand so low on the stick, thus being able to keep their hands where they are and hiding the release from the opposing D but more importantly the goaltender.

 

[Fishhead]

It probably won't matter much with those skills but Bedard looks tiny. Like smaller than Turcotte. They might have another Kane.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I've never seen ANY hockey player with the combo of velocity, accuracy, and disguised release as Bedard and that includes Ovy

Might already be the best (modern-style) wrist shot in history

 

[johnjm22]

I usually don't have a strong opinion on draft picks, but I definitely would not have taken Carlsson over Fantilli. For Anaheim's sake, I hope Carlsson being slightly bigger wasn't the main factor in the decision. Drafting for size in the 1st round often comes back to bite you.

 

[Jericho111091]

Am i the only one who sees Yuri (Omar Sharif) from Doctor Zhivago?

View attachment 738679View attachment 738680View attachment 738681View attachment 738682

Could see it

 

[kingsboy11]

https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1703495344523227303?s=20

Babcock resigning

 

[johnjm22]