Value of: Brandt Clarke

[WPGDEVILS]

Ehlers+?

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Ehlers+?

That's funny. Blake is so dumb that he'd probably move Clarke + 1st for Kupari lol

Edit: LA shouldn't move Clarke but the recent trades say otherwise. Signed a pissed off Kings fan

 

[FSL KINGS]

That's funny. Blake is so dumb that he'd probably move Clarke + 1st for Kupari lol

Edit: LA shouldn't move Clarke but the recent trades say otherwise. Signed a pissed off Kings fan

They chose Burroughs as the 7th D tonight. Clarke should change to the meanest agent out there & immediately request a trade. The organization isn't capable of developing an offensive defenseman. Get him as far away from the rot as possible.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Seems like Ryan Graves is just what the Kings want.

Finish your juice box and make it happen Kyle.

 

[DRAGO 18]

We will gladly take him off your hands for Rakell

 

[OtherThingsILike]

Make your best and final offers before the deadline.

Rakell for Clarke + 2026 1st.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Something centered around Chris Kreider or Artemi Panarin

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Something centered around Chris Kreider or Artemi Panarin

There's vastly different values there.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Risto and late 1st for Clarke

 

[funky]

If he is moved hopefully it is for someone like Cozens who is still young enough to survive the rebuild that will come once Luc, Blake and Bargainbin have been jettisoned from Lala land and the new GM figures out it’s not about building around two Legacy players that Fathertime is quickly catching.

 

[Flan the incredible]

What are the Kings needs? Also it look like they have minimal cap space so do they have cap dumps? Jeannot is the only one I could maybe see as he makes 3 mill and hasn't scored much all year. Dont think he is worth his contract.

 

[Kudelski37]

What are the Kings needs?

New front office and coaches, so probably new ownership.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I keep saying this, but Rakell and the NYR 1st for Clarke and Moore makes a ton of sense on paper. Kings fans may not like it but I think the value there is very good for both sides.

It breaks down into Rakell for Moore and a 1st and 2 1sts for Clarke.

 

[bernmeister]

Something centered around Chris Kreider or Artemi Panarin

no, a healthy Kreider, if made available, would command much league wide
ck has back issues demand way down, not worth trading
don't drink the kool aid some are giving you

as to bread, he's a match talent wise/as scoring W, but not the best style fit, that is better for DAL
------------------
I still think a larger package incl Shesty + Byfield has merit, but I think taking them out to a smaller 3 for 5 package is doable, works for each

Clarke, Dvorak, Helenius
for
Trochek, Sykora, Parssinen, Jones, Robertson

rationale
premise
- K's want a now push for some futures but also a hedge if Kopitar falls off a cliff overnight
- Rs want quality youth and need D depth

Tro is faceoff % king. very good add for at least 3 yrs, maybe longer as immediate 2C level who can spell 1C
Clarke, OP explores if he can/should go now
Dvorak, not helping team now
-- Ks have to replace if dealt, but they have time for that
Helenius = nice project in lower six but expendable
- Sykora = high energy replacement who is read soon
and Pars at 6'3 w/'nuf speed/experience is fine stopgap now, possibly more

Rs need to add big D who can skate
Clarke (rd) and Dvorak (ld) are that, even if not fully ready for prime time this very second
Helenius w/Rempe + Edstrom is a line I wanna see

thoughts?

 

[LemonSauceD]

I keep saying this, but Rakell and the NYR 1st for Clarke and Moore makes a ton of sense on paper. Kings fans may not like it but I think the value there is very good for both sides.

It breaks down into Rakell for Moore and a 1st and 2 1sts for Clarke.

This is beyond terrible for the Kings. Change the 1st to your own and unprotected or top 5 protected.

 

[Empoleon8771]

This is beyond terrible for the Kings. Change the 1st to your own and unprotected or top 5 protected.

So the trade is terrible because it’s the Rangers 1st at like #14 overall rather than the Penguins 1st at like #6 overall?

Calling it terrible based on that seems silly.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

LA is poorly run. Keep and play the extremely talented youngster lmao.

 

[Empoleon8771]

LA is poorly run. Keep and play the extremely talented youngster lmao.

The part that doesn't make sense to me is why don't they consider trading Spence instead? You can keep Gavrikov and Doughty as your top-4 RD, I get that, but why play Spence over Clarke?

You could likely get a pretty solid middle-6 scorer for Spence, swap him for a similarly aged righty goal scorer and just promote Clarke to his spot.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

To
C/W Ryan Donato
D Wyatt Kaiser

To
D Brandt Clarke

Kings gear up for playoff race with Donato addition and add a young LD

Hawks get another high potential young NHL'er

Put Del Mastro and Clarke together on 2nd pair to finish out season

Not gonna happen but hey Rob Blake at least provides potential of such a thing

 

[FSL KINGS]

The part that doesn't make sense to me is why don't they consider trading Spence instead? You can keep Gavrikov and Doughty as your top-4 RD, I get that, but why play Spence over Clarke?

You could likely get a pretty solid middle-6 scorer for Spence, swap him for a similarly aged righty goal scorer and just promote Clarke to his spot.

It isn't Spence over Clarke. King's have been running 11/7 & icing Burroughs (-42 last year) 3-5 minutes a game instead of icing Clarke.

 

[tomd]

The BDS in this thread is strong but isn't Hiller the one who is choosing not to play Clarke or is he being directed not to play Clarke by Blake?

 

[FSL KINGS]

The BDS in this thread is strong but isn't Hiller the one who is choosing not to play Clarke or is he being directed not to play Clarke by Blake?

Sitting out for a trade?

 

[Petes2424]

When he’s getting scratched vs the Hawks, and they still dress 7? That’s an issue.

There’s lots of buzz on Clarke right now, and even though some is just random speculation, there’s also some legit people starting to talk about how the Kings may have come to the conclusion after almost 2 years in house now, that they’ll never be able to fix his feet defensively. Which is going to keep him from ever being an elite type Dman.

It was a big concern for many teams during the 2021 draft, but offensive abilities cloud judgment. Especially with Dmen. By 17-18 years old, your footwork is muscle memory by then. That’s not an easy fix, because it’s a repetitive, thought provoking thing. You’re not just reacting. You’re thinking about how to react and the higher the level of play, the less you have time to think. That’s why AHL time is such an important thing. For Dmen especially…. Brandt Clarke knows what to do. His body just doesn’t react naturally to it yet.

Is it fixable? 100%. Because skating is muscle memory, reps over and over and over and over again, is what fixes it. That doesn’t happen stapled to the bench in the NHL, or even playing in the NHL.

Like it or not, he was hurt by being in the OHL after being drafted. CHL teams don’t have time to fix something that’s not broken for their purpose. His footwork wasn’t a detriment at that level.

That’s why there’s NHL teams who prefer drafting European or Non-CHL dmen these days, who have any skating issues. They know they’ll have more immediate control over the player’s development.

They’ve now had him for almost 2 seasons to work on his feet, and they’re the same as they were the day he was drafted. So now 4 years since his draft, they have an extremely gifted 22 year old offensive player, who’s a defensive liability, as a Top 4 dman. If footwork isn’t fixed by 22, there’s a good bet it never will be.

Doesn’t mean he can’t still have a good NHL career. It means he’ll likely never be what people thought he could be.

So if they have determined that’s the case, ala when Colorado knew early-on Barron wouldn’t develop, they might be in the process of cutting bait before everyone else knows they’ve given up on him being elite.

The fact he’s not being sent down, leads people to believe the Kings do think he’s a finished product from a skating perspective. If they’re really trying to move him, sending him down at 22 would send a message to other teams that something ain’t right.

Look, he’s proven he can play in the NHL, and at 22 his natural development with maturity and experience will still see him progress as a player. It becomes a ceiling issue.

We’ll see what happens by Friday but if they are trying to move him, it does make sense not to play him leading up to the deadline. Why create more tape for other managers to question the return?

If he’s moved, and if this is who he’s ever going to be from a defensive perspective, the Kings will have clearly botched his development.

It’ll also be real interesting how he’s used with his new team. Whether they send him down and/or put him on a program this summer, we’ll have to wait and see. It’ll also be interesting who will trade for him. That will be telling. If it’s a team who develops really well, it’ll be saying they think he can be fixed. If it’s a team who tends to throw young Dmen into the fire, hoping they grow by experience more, then he probably does end up just another Tyson Barrie.

Feel horrible for the kid because the Kings really have made mistakes with him, and he’s paying for it. They should’ve kept him in the NHL that one year. Putting him on a strategic skating program, and barely playing him. Maybe 15-20 games and conditioning stints in the AHL. He got nothing but a wasted year, by returning to juniors. That’s all in hindsight now though.

Bottom line, if he wants to be an elite player, he’s going to have to become very proactive each summer, working on his footwork, regardless of who he’s playing for. It’s time for a full-time skating coach. If he does that each summer for the next 4-5 years, he may still end up elite. Just might not be until he’s 26-27….. and that obviously won’t be in LA.

 

[tomd]

When he’s getting scratched vs the Hawks, and they still dress 7? That’s an issue.

There’s lots of buzz on Clarke right now, and even though some is just random speculation, there’s also some legit people starting to talk about how the Kings may have come to the conclusion after almost 2 years in house now, that they’ll never be able to fix his feet defensively. Which is going to keep him from ever being an elite type Dman.

It was a big concern for many teams during the 2021 draft, but offensive abilities cloud judgment. Especially with Dmen. By 17-18 years old, your footwork is muscle memory by then. That’s not an easy fix, because it’s a repetitive, thought provoking thing. You’re not just reacting. You’re thinking about how to react and the higher the level of play, the less you have time to think. That’s why AHL time is such an important thing. For Dmen especially…. Brandt Clarke knows what to do. His body just doesn’t react naturally to it yet.

Is it fixable? 100%. Because skating is muscle memory, reps over and over and over and over again, is what fixes it. That doesn’t happen stapled to the bench in the NHL, or even playing in the NHL.

Like it or not, he was hurt by being in the OHL after being drafted. CHL teams don’t have time to fix something that’s not broken for their purpose. His footwork wasn’t a detriment at that level.

That’s why there’s NHL teams who prefer drafting European or Non-CHL dmen these days, who have any skating issues. They know they’ll have more immediate control over the player’s development.

They’ve now had him for almost 2 seasons to work on his feet, and they’re the same as they were the day he was drafted. So now 4 years since his draft, they have an extremely gifted 22 year old offensive player, who’s a defensive liability, as a Top 4 dman. If footwork isn’t fixed by 22, there’s a good bet it never will be.

Doesn’t mean he can’t still have a good NHL career. It means he’ll likely never be what people thought he could be.

So if they have determined that’s the case, ala when Colorado knew early-on Barron wouldn’t develop, they might be in the process of cutting bait before everyone else knows they’ve given up on him being elite.

The fact he’s not being sent down, leads people to believe the Kings do think he’s a finished product from a skating perspective. If they’re really trying to move him, sending him down at 22 would send a message to other teams that something ain’t right.

Look, he’s proven he can play in the NHL, and at 22 his natural development with maturity and experience will still see him progress as a player. It becomes a ceiling issue.

We’ll see what happens by Friday but if they are trying to move him, it does make sense not to play him leading up to the deadline. Why create more tape for other managers to question the return?

If he’s moved, and if this is who he’s ever going to be from a defensive perspective, the Kings will have clearly botched his development.

It’ll also be real interesting how he’s used with his new team. Whether they send him down and/or put him on a program this summer, we’ll have to wait and see. It’ll also be interesting who will trade for him. That will be telling. If it’s a team who develops really well, it’ll be saying they think he can be fixed. If it’s a team who tends to throw young Dmen into the fire, hoping they grow by experience more, then he probably does end up just another Tyson Barrie.

Feel horrible for the kid because the Kings really have made mistakes with him, and he’s paying for it. They should’ve kept him in the NHL that one year. Putting him on a strategic skating program, and barely playing him. Maybe 15-20 games and conditioning stints in the AHL. He got nothing but a wasted year, by returning to juniors. That’s all in hindsight now though.

Bottom line, if he wants to be an elite player, he’s going to have to become very proactive each summer, working on his footwork, regardless of who he’s playing for. It’s time for a full-time skating coach. If he does that each summer for the next 4-5 years, he may still end up elite. Just might not be until he’s 26-27….. and that obviously won’t be in LA.

The Pre-draft comparison to klingberg looks pretty accurate at this point.

 

[bland]

What side of defense is his preferred spot? Is he changeable?

His preferred spot is on the offensive side of the blueline.

Everywhere else is dicey.

This is a player who came in this year and put up a bunch of points in a very unorthodox and ultra risky style. He was challenged by his coach publicly (likely after privately) to play professional defense FIRST then acclimate his skill without being the liability he most definitely was at the time. He has struggled since - his numbers dropped, his PP production was non-existent, and his defense only marginally improved.

Nobody knows how this went over with him off the ice, but his confidence sank like a stone after, gasp, being asked to be reliable. A whole lot of shell-shocked fellow Kings fans seem to think that the team is going to trade him instead of working through the natural acclimation difficulties because we have seen them make disaster trades with our other top prospects. I have said this many times, Clarke is the defensive version of Trevor Zegras, only on a team that wants immediate success and doesn't want to afford him what are increasingly looking like lengthy growing pains.

The fans aren't wrong. But, Clarke has in fact been the team's 7th best defenseman since the turn of the year and badly needs a break to build his confidence back up. A team stupidly chasing another first round exit (if they even make it) cannot afford to let Clarke play awful defense while not contributing offensively. He should be kept and sent to Ontario to regain some swagger.