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Around the league part 2

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YP44 said:
for me the gaping hole is in net.
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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.
 
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.
 
bland said:
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.
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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.
 
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Fishhead said:
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.
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But in doing so they dumped two of the absolute best in Vilardi and Iafallo.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
It probably won't matter much with those skills but Bedard looks tiny. Like smaller than Turcotte. They might have another Kane.
 
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
 
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