Around the League XXI - Watching from the outside, but not all creepy like a voyeur

[KINGS17]

It's the league minimum that is saved. Right?

I believe that is correct, just under $1M. I think the Kings still had slightly over $4.5M in really DEAD cap space with Richards in the AHL.

If he can't be traded before the buy out period expires (I think June 30) the course of action is obvious. Dean can't afford to wait around again and hope Richards is good enough to earn a spot on the Kings' roster next season.

 

[KINGS17]

Williams is gonna cash in on a multi-year deal back East. Wouldn't be shocked if someone like New Jersey threw him 4 year/16 million.

Sekera will be re-signed. My guess is 7 year/33.25 million.

Toffoli of course will be re-signed. All details at this juncture. Bridge or long term? Either one has its pros and cons.

Wouldn't be shocked to see Dean acquire a 3C at the draft.

I'm on board with all of this.

 

[YP44]

I believe that is correct, just under $1M. I think the Kings still had slightly over $4.5M in really DEAD cap space with Richards in the AHL.

If he can't be traded before the buy out period expires (I think June 30) the course of action is obvious. Dean can't afford to wait around again and hope Richards is good enough to earn a spot on the Kings' roster next season.

If they buy him out the savings would than be what $3.1M this next season? (the 4.5 you have less his cap hit on buy out of $1.4)

3.1M gets a damn good 3rd line centre but I still fear the 10 year cap penalty, and hope that if no trade is found that he is remains a king for at least one more year, till kopitar's contract kicks in.

 

[deeshamrock]

If they buy him out the savings would than be what $3.1M this next season? (the 4.5 you have less his cap hit on buy out of $1.4)

3.1M gets a damn good 3rd line centre but I still fear the 10 year cap penalty, and hope that if no trade is found that he is remains a king for at least one more year, till kopitar's contract kicks in.

and who of Toffoli, Sekera, Jones or Shore doesn't get signed? Even with that money from a buyout, they don't haven money for a center.
right now, they have less than 4M to spend on those 4 contracts.

Shore is the 3rd line center, he'll be under 1M which is about all they'll have

 

[YP44]

and who of Toffoli, Sekera, Jones or Shore doesn't get signed? Even with that money from a buyout, they don't haven money for a center.
right now, they have less than 4M to spend on those 4 contracts.

Shore is the 3rd line center, he'll be under 1M which is about all they'll have

My post was pretty wishy washy. Was saying I don't like the buy out route for Richards.
I am still hopeful that money comes via a Richards trade.

 

[funky]

You may have heard or seen this already but I love seeing stories like this.

Good on Duncan Keith and the Hawks.

http://www.nhlpa.com/news/duncan-keith-makes-a-young-girls-dream-come-true

That was awesome. Makes some of our problems seem pretty minor. This is the side of players more people have to see. Good on Duncan to take the time to make a little girls day.

 

[KINGS17]

My post was pretty wishy washy. Was saying I don't like the buy out route for Richards.
I am still hopeful that money comes via a Richards trade.

You're an optimist, and I hope you're right. I think Dean is going to need Plan B though.

 

[YP44]

You're an optimist, and I hope you're right. I think Dean is going to need Plan B though.

Agreed, although I think buy out this summer is plan C (optimist in me)
Plan A) Trade Richards (with retention or sweetener)
Plan B) Keep Richards and either re-explore trad emid seaosn, next off seaosn or buy out next off season
Plan C) buy out Richards this year.

The difference between Plan B and C is if Dean can get a deal with Sekera and what Toffoli's deal looks like.

 

[HansH]

Swept by our biggest rivals, no less. What a huge ****ing insult that is. But according to the main boards, we fully deserve that kind of slap in the face for our 2 "classy" Cup runs, right?

Forget the Cup runs. They're in the past.

This year's Kings team "deserves" exactly what they got, with the effort and performance they displayed. It may hurt us as fans to admit that, since we've totemically invested some of our "selves" in these players and this team, but it can't be denied.

If the Kings don't like the way the playoffs have gone, they can't really complain -- as the only way to truly control how the playoffs go is to BE IN THEM YOURSELVES. I don't want to see the junior team get another Cup, but hey, yes, the Kings deserve ANY outcome that comes from not showing up to the dance.

 

[kenito7]

They never did groom him for any bottom six role, they claimed they just wanted to monitor his conditioning or run tests on him to see where he's at during the course of the season. The problem was production, not being in shape. Of course the expectation was high once DL went to visit him, and the expectation was he'd be ready for training camp in shape of which he was.

It was a mistake (one of many) to send him to Manchester or hope he would get picked up through waivers. It didn't provide any jolt to the team, it did the opposite.

Richie10 is right, if Richards is being bought out, then it's a full-scale rebuild. Which is hard to fathom since DL places a lot of importance on loyalty and team sticking together. Can't help but wonder if the off-ice crap that's been going on for the past year has DL shaken on loyalty and keeping this team together.

It actually means the exact opposite. Buyout Richards is great for next year but a possible disaster down the road. Buyout Richards means the future is now and only now.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Full rebuild? Wat?

 

[kovacro]

Full rebuild? Wat?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I guess the Hawks went through a complete rebuild as well when they lost Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien and Troy Brouwer and Brian Campbell and Antti Niemi and Adam Burish and Brent Sopel and Ben Eager and so on and so on.

Look at the roster turnover between the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks. The Kings losing the likes of Richards, Stoll and Williams isn't going to lead to a rebuild.

Lombardi will retool the roster and retain the core guys who will have another crack at a Stanley Cup next year and the year after and so on and so forth.

 

[YP44]

I guess the Hawks went through a complete rebuild as well when they lost Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien and Troy Brouwer and Brian Campbell and Antti Niemi and Adam Burish and Brent Sopel and Ben Eager and so on and so on.

Look at the roster turnover between the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks. The Kings losing the likes of Richards, Stoll and Williams isn't going to lead to a rebuild.

Lombardi will retool the roster and retain the core guys who will have another crack at a Stanley Cup next year and the year after and so on and so forth.

Everyone needs to get the term rebuild out of their vocabulary when talking about LA. Maybe a little retool but to me a rebuild would mean stripping things down and going for high draft picks.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I guess the Hawks went through a complete rebuild as well when they lost Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien and Troy Brouwer and Brian Campbell and Antti Niemi and Adam Burish and Brent Sopel and Ben Eager and so on and so on.

Look at the roster turnover between the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks. The Kings losing the likes of Richards, Stoll and Williams isn't going to lead to a rebuild.

Lombardi will retool the roster and retain the core guys who will have another crack at a Stanley Cup next year and the year after and so on and so forth.

It was a little different though. In 2010, Kane and Toews, early 20's. Keith, Seabrook, Sharp, mid to late 20's. Only Hossa was 30. Now, Gaborik, Carter, Brown, early 30's. Kopitar, Quick, late 20's. Doughty, mid 20's.

Chicago had a little bit more time to recover. They went out in the 1st round in the two years after winning in 2010. Then in 2013, they were sort of where the Kings are now in terms of the ages of their top players. I'd say the Kings don't have quite as much time to replenish the roster. If they miss next year, or go out in the 1st round, what does it look like come the 2017 playoffs?

 

[Reclamation Project]

Trading Kopitar and Carter on the same day would start a full rebuild. And even then, maybe not.

 

[Herby]

They never did groom him for any bottom six role, they claimed they just wanted to monitor his conditioning or run tests on him to see where he's at during the course of the season. The problem was production, not being in shape. Of course the expectation was high once DL went to visit him, and the expectation was he'd be ready for training camp in shape of which he was.

It was a mistake (one of many) to send him to Manchester or hope he would get picked up through waivers. It didn't provide any jolt to the team, it did the opposite.

Richie10 is right, if Richards is being bought out, then it's a full-scale rebuild. Which is hard to fathom since DL places a lot of importance on loyalty and team sticking together. Can't help but wonder if the off-ice crap that's been going on for the past year has DL shaken on loyalty and keeping this team together.

The Kings were 14-10 in the games Richards didn't play, including an 8 game winning streak that basically got them back into contention. Obviously not saying they did that all because he was off the team, but how can you say it provided the team the opposite of a jolt?

And how is a buyout of your fourth line center (who spent time in the minors) the sign of a full scale rebuild? The Kings probably have another three years to contend until Carter, Quick and Kopitar start to slow down. If they buyout MR they get about $4m per season in cap space for those three years. I would personally rather have a couple of years of a 4m buyout penalty four years from now than having the $5.75m cap penalty struggling to even make the roster.

 

[KINGS17]

Trading Kopitar and Carter on the same day would start a full rebuild. And even then, maybe not.

Some people really underestimate the importance of Drew Doughty, and forget that the Kings are built from the net out.

 

[Tadite]

Some people really underestimate the importance of Drew Doughty, and forget that the Kings are built from the net out.

It's Net --- Defense --- Centers --- Wingers

No true contending team doesn't have a legit first line center and someone else who can fill in as if needed. More to the point though it's not even the whole group really its:

Goalie
1st D-man
1st Center

...

everyone else.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It was a little different though. In 2010, Kane and Toews, early 20's. Keith, Seabrook, Sharp, mid to late 20's. Only Hossa was 30. Now, Gaborik, Carter, Brown, early 30's. Kopitar, Quick, late 20's. Doughty, mid 20's.

Chicago had a little bit more time to recover. They went out in the 1st round in the two years after winning in 2010. Then in 2013, they were sort of where the Kings are now in terms of the ages of their top players. I'd say the Kings don't have quite as much time to replenish the roster. If they miss next year, or go out in the 1st round, what does it look like come the 2017 playoffs?

Let's breakdown the Kings in age brackets.

24 and under (6):
Clifford, McNabb, Andreoff, Pearson, Shore, Toffoli

25-28 (10):
Lewis, Sekera, Kopitar, Martinez, Doughty, Jones, King, Muzzin, Nolan, Voynov

29-32 (6):
Gaborik, Greene, Brown, Carter, Quick, Richards

The guys in the youngest age bracket have anywhere from 6 to 10 more years of productive hockey left in their careers.

Those guys in the middle bracket have anywhere from 5 to 8 more years (roughly) of productive hockey ahead of them.

The oldest age bracket has a 3 to 5 year window left, give or take a year.

Not everyone is going to peak, regress or progress at the same pace, but the Kings' window for competing for another Stanley Cup is still wide open.

Of course they will need to transition and get some younger guys to develop into NHLers. Once the guys in the youngest age bracket move up to the middle bracket, you replenish the lineup other with an injection of youth and exuberance like we saw them do with Pearson and Toffoli, adding in guys who will be long term fixtures on the roster.

Along the way, trades and free agent signings will take place, but given the current cap situation, there isn't going to be too much flexibility for the Kings to be big spenders.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Is it possible to have NBC but not CNBC? Or am I just ******** and can't find the CNBC channel.

 

[scramble91]

Is it possible to have NBC but not CNBC? Or am I just ******** and can't find the CNBC channel.

It should be there if you have a basic package

 

[Reclamation Project]

Some people really underestimate the importance of Drew Doughty, and forget that the Kings are built from the net out.

I agree. The Kings aren't a playoff team without those two, but any team that has Quick and Doughty won't be a bottom dweller either.

 

[kenito7]

Let's breakdown the Kings in age brackets.

24 and under (6):
Clifford, McNabb, Andreoff, Pearson, Shore, Toffoli

25-28 (10):
Lewis, Sekera, Kopitar, Martinez, Doughty, Jones, King, Muzzin, Nolan, Voynov

29-32 (6):
Gaborik, Greene, Brown, Carter, Quick, Richards

The guys in the youngest age bracket have anywhere from 6 to 10 more years of productive hockey left in their careers.

Those guys in the middle bracket have anywhere from 5 to 8 more years (roughly) of productive hockey ahead of them.

The oldest age bracket has a 3 to 5 year window left, give or take a year.

Not everyone is going to peak, regress or progress at the same pace, but the Kings' window for competing for another Stanley Cup is still wide open.

Of course they will need to transition and get some younger guys to develop into NHLers. Once the guys in the youngest age bracket move up to the middle bracket, you replenish the lineup other with an injection of youth and exuberance like we saw them do with Pearson and Toffoli, adding in guys who will be long term fixtures on the roster.

Along the way, trades and free agent signings will take place, but given the current cap situation, there isn't going to be too much flexibility for the Kings to be big spenders.

Good break down but for the window to remain open many good things need to happen. You include Sekera and Voynov but neither is sure to be on next years roster. At least one of those guys needs to be with the Kings, probably both. Having both allows the Kings the flexibility to make a trade for other needs such as a 3c and a scoring winger. Without that the Kings maybe a playoff contender but maybe not a real Stanley Cup contender.

 

[Bee Sheriff]

Kuznetsov looked amazing in that period, especially in the sequence where he held the puck for like 20 seconds