Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
Yep, i'ts pretty f***ing sweet watching this organization tank it's own value. Can't wait till Turcotte Vilardi JAD and co are traded for pennies on the dollar.
He isn't going to be a 2C in LA. They have Byfield as the future 1C, Danault signed for 5 more seasons after this one and Kopitar for another two seasons after this one. Lizotte is going to be locked in as a valuable 4C. There just aren't enough opportunities for a center to break in. That is probably why they have been trying him at LW and Vilardi at RW. Which is btw lessens the value of each player (taken #5 and #11 OA).
4 centers in a row drafted in round 1 between 2017-2020, Danault signed to a 6 year contract from 2022-2027 and Kopitar under contract at $10m a season through 2024 and now we have one of the best 4th line centers in the league.
Yep, i'ts pretty f***ing sweet watching this organization tank it's own value. Can't wait till Turcotte Vilardi JAD and co are traded for pennies on the dollar.
Time for other teams to ante up...
Yep, i'ts pretty f***ing sweet watching this organization tank it's own value. Can't wait till Turcotte Vilardi JAD and co are traded for pennies on the dollar.
I don't see the issue. Slide Turcotte to wing until there's an injury or Kopi's contract runs out. Problem solved.But what did people expect to happen?
Go back and look at the posts from this board for every one of the draft picks as well as the Danault signing, the reaction to each one was overwhelmingly positive, so it’s not fair to “Monday Morning” Blake here.
They obviously should have drafted atleast one defenseman or winger or spent the FA money on something other than a center but Rob Blake did his best Matt Millen impression loading up on 1 position and here we are.
I don't see the issue. Slide Turcotte to wing until there's an injury or Kopi's contract runs out. Problem solved.
King's got a D last year. Byram would have been nice, but AVS snagged him at 4. When drafting Turcotte they had no idea they'd win the lotto & get Byfield. Load up then even things out with trades.
Danault is a monster signing especially with Kopi starting to slip.
I think you bring him up and find a fit for him. Wait until he gets hot in Ontario. You gotta bring players up at just the right time, I think this current regime knows nothing about.I agree with you. Kopitar is still here for 2 more seasons and Danault for 5. Byfield is ahead of him on the depth chart. That leaves 4th line center which is a role for Lizotte/JAD/Helenius. You think leave him on the Reign for two more seasons after this one?
Danault is the ideal third line center, as are his wingers. I think Turcotte is going to be better than Danault. The org should wait and see about Turcotte. Give him some good linemates to play with.He isn't going to be a 2C in LA. They have Byfield as the future 1C, Danault signed for 5 more seasons after this one and Kopitar for another two seasons after this one. Lizotte is going to be locked in as a valuable 4C. There just aren't enough opportunities for a center to break in. That is probably why they have been trying him at LW and Vilardi at RW. Which is btw lessens the value of each player (taken #5 and #11 OA).
4 centers in a row drafted in round 1 between 2017-2020, Danault signed to a 6 year contract from 2022-2027 and Kopitar under contract at $10m a season through 2024 and now we have one of the best 4th line centers in the league.
The Kings didn't use 4 consecutive first round picks on center. Bjornfot is a first round pick between Turcotte and Byfield.I agree that Danault has been a great player for the Kings this season, so it’s hard to criticize that one. He has been a better transaction than any of the picks this far.
As I’ve said before it’s easier said than done with “just play them at the wing”, I think it’s a lazy take and one that historically in the NHL has not been an automatic thing by any stretch. If you take centers with #5 and #11 picks and move them to the wing those picks are likely going to be viewed as mistakes.
No team should should ever use four consecutive first round picks on one position. It just makes it to difficult to construct a complete and balanced roster.
The Kings didn't use 4 consecutive first round picks on center. Bjornfot is a first round pick between Turcotte and Byfield.
Turcotte is more than capable of success on the wing since he is good at coming out with the puck in board battles.
i can't blame them for picking a center 4 straight years. the 4th year was Byfield -- you don't pass that up. In hindsight, sure Turc gets changed....but you can't do that unless you have a Delaurian and an old friend with big crazy white hair. why do people keep saying this 4 year C crap?!? Are you suggesting we don't pick Byfield? Because he's THE franchise for the rest of the decade.
Yes Danault made that situation worse. But i'm not passing up Danualt if he wants to come. We need a young, big LHD. We need a young Goalie. Those can be traded for with the young. cheap, good Center prospects. You pick the best play when rebuilding and adjust accordingly.
I still think Turc will be a great 2nd center. Give him more time in the AHL in a scoring role and let him thrive. In other news, I think Byfield should be sent back down after this road trip.You are correct, I forgot about Bjornfot. But still 4 centers over 4 years is excessive. Especially when you had a $10m a year center signed
As for the 2nd part, less than 3 years after taking him as a Top 5 pick center we are moving him to wing for his abilities to win board battles? It just seems like the Kings have done everything in their power to make sure this kid isn't a scorer in the NHL, a good little checker (the Kings way). Rushed up to soon from multiple levels, position change, not being given prime scoring opportunities in the AHL, 4th line in the NHL and now healthy scratch (wtf?) in the NHL. Now the expectation is to convert a player who hasn't exactly set the world on fire as a scorer at levels above the USHL is going to switch positions and somehow be a top 6 winger in the NHL? Turcotte's intangibles are also lessened in a role as winger, which was one of the appealing parts about drafting him that high. People think I hate Turcotte, I don't, I just hate that an organization that has had a hell of a time finding scorers for the past 15 years used a Top 5 pick on someone without a 1st line ceiling and then proceeded to make the ceiling even lower with completely inept development decisions by the good old boys Blakey, Nelly and Muzz. I don't believe this player will ever live up to the spot where he was drafted, but it doesn't mean he couldn't have been a valuable 2nd or 3rd line asset starting this year or next had he been developed properly as a center. I'll keep beating the dead horse but imagine Turcotte coming into camp this season coming off a dominant offensive season and much bigger and stronger from living in the weight room.
Vilardi I kind of get a bit more, his skating is to much of a liability to play center, he doesn't possess the intangibles and all-around game of Turcotte but is more skilled and probably has a better chance to be a top 6 winger than Turcotte but also has zero upside to be a bottom six center. But it seems that the Kings organization has soured on Gabe and he himself doesn't seem to excited about the position change.
And no, it doesn't mean you pass on Byfield but it also doesn't mean you hold onto all these guys and let their potential as players or as trade assets get lessened by having so much of one thing to the point where it limits playing opportunities for guys you used significant draft capital on.
Danault has been a great player for the Kings this year, his signing has been fine but the GM should have reacted to what it did to his roster. Same thing with the QB pick.You say that trading for goaltending, defense or wing assets can be done by trading for center prospects. I don't disagree, but why hasn't Blake done it yet? When they took QB they could have made one of these trades, yet they chose not to. QB was drafted 16 months ago, the Kings found out they were getting the #2 pick and presumably QB 18 months ago. Has the trade value of Vilardi, Turcotte and JAD gone up or down in that time-frame? It's gone down for all of them, and that is a mistake by the GM in not trading surplus assets for needed ones. You could do the same thing with Danault, who was signed 6 months ago, why in 6 months have no moves been made to address the holes on the roster and instead we are having guys switch positions and lose trade value?
Maybe this is corrected with a trade with the Coyotes and our young lineup is more balanced, I don't know but as of now it seems stupid that over the past 18 months they didn't offer up atleast one of Turcotte, Vilardi or Kupari for a comparable player that filled a need on the team, either at the NHL level or in the prospect pool. And I didn't even mention the forgotten man, JAD. This is another guy they used a pretty good pick on, not #5 or #11 but still a 2nd round pick that should probably be up playing in the league but the Kings have no room because of center depth, while at the same time Olli Maata, Craig Wolanin, Martin Frk, Lias Anderson, TJ Tynan and Austin Strand have all played games at D or wing for a team that is trying to make the playoffs.
I still think Turc will be a great 2nd center. Give him more time in the AHL in a scoring role and let him thrive. In other news, I think Byfield should be sent back down after this road trip.
I don't believe there is any kind of a development track. I think if you pressure a prospect at the NHL level, they will hit their floor and not top out. We are looking for Byfield to top out and become a big skill guy. He can only do that if he plays in a minimal pressure farm team system. If you keep him up with the Kings, he will get discouraged and shrink away. Give them a taste of the big leagues and let them go and figure it out in Ontario. That's what it should be. This regime has proven that they're having trouble developing players. Kempe is an exception, but I really don't trust the regime with our big prospects. Let them play in Ontario.Byfield going back to the AHL puts him way behind schedule on development for a player of his ability. There are some things he is going to need to fight through at the NHL level and Blake and TMac are going to have to give him that chance, not play him 8 minutes a night. Because if they do send him back, whenever he returns, whether it's this season or next those obstacles are still going to be there. He needs to be around players like Kopitar and Danault to learn how to be a great NHL center, not with AAAA players like Martin Frk and TJ Tynan. Not to mention he is probably the second most purely talented player on the roster for a team that is once again struggling to score goals. He needs to be up for good.
As for Turcotte, there are just no spots, and even if there were, his play since being drafted does not scream 2nd line center, wonderful character player, lots of grit, runs through walls for his teammates, great defensive zone game sense (needs to get stronger though), will probably wear a letter in the league but if a 2nd line center is going to be a reality there has to start being some offensive production. I know people will accuse me of being a "stats watcher" but if he's going to be a 2nd line center there has to be a point where he starts producing offensively for the teams he is playing for. Most of the guys who are 2nd line centers in the NHL showed more offense in their age 18, 19 and 20 seasons. Not all of it his fault, some very questionable decisions from the organization, but at this point I think he projects more as a quality energy player who can definitely chip in some offense rather than a guy who is counted on for it in a 2nd line role. But I know my opinion is in the minority here, and has been for the 2 years since I first saw him play, I hope I am wrong but we will see.
I don't believe there is any kind of a development track. I think if you pressure a prospect at the NHL level, they will hit their floor and not top out. We are looking for Byfield to top out and become a big skill guy. He can only do that if he plays in a minimal pressure farm team system. If you keep him up with the Kings, he will get discouraged and shrink away. Give them a taste of the big leagues and let them go and figure it out in Ontario. That's what it should be. This regime has proven that they're having trouble developing players. Kempe is an exception, but I really don't trust the regime with our big prospects. Let them play in Ontario.