Drew Doughty

[BigKing]

[NHL2][/NHL2]

I don't disagree with anything you said there about the Kings and their predicament going forward. They have issues. I kinda came into this discussion in the middle, but I just don't think trading away the Kings big contracts is the right thing to do at this point.

When the Pens were down for those years there were many that advocated trading Malkin or even Crosby for the same reasons people here are giving to get rid of Drew or Kopitar. But they stayed the course and are back two years in a row. I realize the argument against the Kings is players like Carter and Gaborik are old and getting older. But the top end talent the Kings have is something that not many do, and if you trade away those guys its all over. The aforementioned contracts the Kings have make doing some sort of retool virtually impossible. The guys with value are the guys the teams needs.

Doughty absolutely has the tools to dominate for another 10 years. Getting rid of a player of his caliber so that we draft top 10 instead of 10-15 the next 3-4 years doesn't make sense to me.

I don't want to part with Doughty either; however, paying him and Kopitar a combined $21MM while Brown/Gaborik and Toffoli's new contract are on the books is going to make it difficult to contend, barring hitting some homers in the draft. Pitt was fortunate to be able to swing Kessel and made some nice trades (Bonino/Hagelin) but the big thing is Sheary/Rust/Guentzel and their combined cap hit of $2.042MM. The leading goal scorer in this year's playoffs is making less money than every Kings player currently under contract except for Dowd and Forbort. Hell, Fantenberg will make more than him if he makes the Kings next season! Those three Pens are two 3rd rounders and an UDFA.

When DL made his big moves (Richards/Carter), he didn't exactly trade away chopped liver. He was able to make these moves though because the Kings had enough talent to cover up for losing Simmonds/Schenn/Johnson and draft picks. Now, the Kings can't add a dynamic player without moving someone that doesn't necessarily have a replacement. The prospects have to produce. The Kings need cheap production in a bad way. Pittsburgh still didn't do anything until they were able to add production from cheap contracts to compliment their star players.

I think Blake is going to re-arrange the deck chairs. Move a defensive contract for a winger which will hurt the defense but hopefully add enough offense to make it worthwhile. Really seems to be moving to get rid of the Brown and/or Gaborik contracts but might have to give up picks/prospects which the Kings desperately need. This is why all of us are so on board with NCAA FA signings, looking at the KHL (Fantenberg) and the Imama move. We need as many lottery tickets as possible.

You're right that it is up to this current core to make it happen because outside help doesn't appear to be coming. It's merely where does your opinion fall: the current core has done it before and can do it again or the current core is not as good as before along with lacking the leadership that Mitchell/Williams/Richards/Greene/Stoll/Regher brought to the table. I'm in the latter camp, obviously, until I see the current iteration of Kopitar and Co. nut up and get it done as the undisputed leaders of this team. Really hope they take a step forward as a leadership group because they were abysmal in this regard last year.

I will say that blowing it all up doesn't guarantee anything so simply going for the tank isn't so cut and dry. So they sit in the black hole and hope for some good fortune with prospects.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I agree RJ, but do you really want to live in the wild card area for the next 5 years, maybe longer, until the inevitable happens.

It's a pretty dull existence if you ask me.

I'm not sure I can answer that confidently. I DO know I'm probably one of the few that subscribes to the idea that you just have to make the playoffs and anything can happen. I also know I love watching Drew Doughty in a Kings uniform and I'd rather be a wild card team with him than a lottery team praying to find another Drew. But one thing we do know is the new admin is not rebuilding yet.

The numbers don't back up my claim, but I think the Kings defense was not very good this last season.

Especially down the stretch, something was not right.

It feels like, they lost a lot of games giving up 3-5 goals.

They were absolutely horrid with Doughty off the ice. Better than the best defensive team in the league with him off the ice, below average with him off. But I truly don't think it was a personnel problem as in 'we don't have the guys,' Muzzin and Martinez are good enough, but their actual performance left a lot to be desired, especially with each other. But we can't tell if that was a one-season oneoff for sure since we haven't figured out who else to put them next to but each other. It's strange.