Dubois

BigKing

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Coaching and deployment.

With two high end skill guys he is deployed net front and PP1, Jets have good success.

Now he is saddled with a rookie and spare parts with barely a whiff of PP time.

I actually want to see him on the LW with Kopi and Kempe, as I have said for months.

Tell PLD he is being deployed like he was in Peg, net front.

I think it would work but if not I swap PLD with Fiala, as LW L3.

Byfield has hit the wall and most of the goals are coming from Kopi and Kempe doing most of the lifting.

Put Byfield on L3 with Fiala and Laferriere or Kaliyev, try both.

Laferriere has been getting pushed around a lot and may be a weak link in the playoffs at times.

Love Laffys progress and potential but he kind hit a wall too.

I thought Grunny Sack would be back for L4, but starting to wonder what's up.
So then the question is why trade for a 60 point winger with questionable desire and a total lack of defensive play and then turn around and drop this silly contract on him?
 

Surf Nutz

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So then the question is why trade for a 60 point winger with questionable desire and a total lack of defensive play and then turn around and drop this silly contract on him?
I am not defending the PLD trade and signing but holding out hope for an upped performance in the playoffs, if not future seasons.

Blake long coveted PLD and he gets his guy when he can.
Kupari has made no progress, Iafallo is replaceable and Villardi has a long injury history.
Byfield was only on the first stage of his break out and looking less like C material than he did during his zenith this season.
PLD can take Kopi's spot in 3 seasons , on paper, pre trade, anyway.
For now he slots 2c or 3c and only earned 3c this season.

Yes the PLD trade and signing has not worked out to anyone's satisfaction thus far.

But it's obvious some of the thoughts and potential deployments he had in mind.

Still the playoffs and 7 more seasons to see and measure what happens.
 

Statto

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But what’s the difference between what Hiller has done and what Todd was doing?
I don’t know, I’m not in the room, but I will speculate. Several players have commented that they feel looser (I’m paraphrasing) and there are subtle differences in the systems. Sometimes different man management is enough and certainly in the world today you need to be able to treat players as individuals and handle them differently. I get the impression from Hiller that he does that.

He's not a play carrying center. He's at his best when he's a complementary--carried--winger.

I don't give a shit about his points over the last stretch when he visibly loses checks like it's going out of style--and ESPECIALLY with his pillowsoft matchups. What C in the NHL has f***ing KOPITAR AND DUBOIS taking all the tough matchups for him, and he's STILL getting outplayed? Like Athanasiou--this guy will LOSE us a series, not win us a series. Cool if he goes PPG and is still a net minus, its' just the worst version of Erik Karlsson.
He’s shown in this stretch that he can be a positive player overall (despite his obvious flaws) but he has to do it every night. 19 games is not enough.
 
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Statto

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Even at 60ish points on average during his contract, I think it was a bad trade and contract. But at least there are raw numbers that make it feel less horrible. I don't like his general play, but not sure if some of that is driven by bias.
I think if we had this version from the start, we’d be a bit more forgiving of things. I doubt we’d love the trade or the contract but we’d not be as hard on him as we have rightly been. So I do think there is bias … but PLD earned it.
 
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DoktorJeep

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At this point you can’t argue that Pierre isn’t an improvement over Kupari as #3C going into the playoffs. And if you ignore the massive cost for that improvement you’re left hoping that the upgrade gets you to the second round. Big bets, small dreams. That’s the BLuc strategy.
 

jtalton

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15 seconds left in the period, dump it in and get to the locker room
 

DoktorJeep

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Supposedly two things are true at the same time. The Kings are built for game 83. Pierre is acquired for game 83.

If both work, then, props to management. If one or both don’t, then it’s a clearly failed strategy. The question going forward is how do you improve while also tackling hard decisions.

If Pierre isn’t a difference maker in two weeks and the team has cleaned out their lockers, then you have to question management’s core strategy.
 

Lt Dan

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Supposedly two things are true at the same time. The Kings are built for game 83. Pierre is acquired for game 83.

If both work, then, props to management. If one or both don’t, then it’s a clearly failed strategy. The question going forward is how do you improve while also tackling hard decisions.

If Pierre isn’t a difference maker in two weeks and the team has cleaned out their lockers, then you have to question management’s core strategy.
If PLD shows up for game 83. Then he'd float for games 84 -87 , and hopefully try again for game 88
 
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BaileyFan

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I like the Kings and usually root for them. But if the bruins trade for PLD someone here please take me around back and put me out of my misery
But the guy is an ELITE rebound-generator, more per game than Brayden Point (!), and only requires a 7 year commitment instead of the 8 year one we made last summer. Trust me, you want this player.
 

chris kontos

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losing our sweet pierre would be heartbreaking on SO many levels- im just not sure we could go on as a team or an organization. i feel faint at the thought of losing his handsome face and rugged good looks.
 

kilowatt

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15 seconds left in the period, dump it in and get to the locker room

Insane

One of three things will happen in short order. Either we miss the playoffs, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, we lose in the first round, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, or he steps up in a big, big way and single-handedly beats the Oilers en route to a Stanley Cup! In which case I hope we buy out Dubois.

I can’t take another seven years of this guy.
 

Lt Dan

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Insane

One of three things will happen in short order. Either we miss the playoffs, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, we lose in the first round, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, or he steps up in a big, big way and single-handedly beats the Oilers en route to a Stanley Cup! In which case I hope we buy out Dubois.

I can’t take another seven years of this guy.
I like the way you think
 

Statto

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Insane

One of three things will happen in short order. Either we miss the playoffs, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, we lose in the first round, in which case I hope we buy out Dubois, or he steps up in a big, big way and single-handedly beats the Oilers en route to a Stanley Cup! In which case I hope we buy out Dubois.

I can’t take another seven years of this guy.
I think if he delivers on option 3 you’d put up with at least one more year… maybe.
 

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