Early Season Thoughts

[Bandit]

Yeah, its got to be the most annoying discussion topics. I get it if fans want to talk about these trades over and over and over again if its the offseason, but there are more important things to talk about when the season starts. I am not one to complaint because I just ignore those posts. I just feel sorry for people who love to relive and redebate moot points. The trades happened. Its over. DL is gone. Nothing to see here.

Yeah, but if the Kings just listened to ME and did what I said they should have done YEARS ago we would have won eleventy billion moar cups. LOOK HOW SMART I AM.

 

[Herby]

Yeah, but if the Kings just listened to ME and did what I said they should have done YEARS ago we would have won eleventy billion moar cups. LOOK HOW SMART I AM.

Wrong, no one is doing that or typing like that, people make valid arguments from both sides, so please enough with the hyperbolic nonsense.

The fact is the Kings are in the spot they are in today most because of terrible drafting and handling of draft picks. If that bothers you guys or you don't want to hear about it you don't have to participate in the discussions rather than mocking it or calling people stupid.

And there is plenty of blame being placed on Blake and Stevens (he has his own thread where basically everyone wants him fired except one guy). But when you go a decade without drafting or developing a star player that is the biggest reason for the spot the team is currently in, the Kings just don't have a good roster and that's because the system rewards great drafting and the Kings drafted like complete crap for 8-9 years, and yes, the Lucic trade stings and will sting for years because the Kings were in a clear position to draft an impact forward and chose to trade for a rental.

Pearson and Toffoli appear to be struggling to even be considered 2nd line players at this point and they are the best players the Kings have drafted and developed since Doughty, I mean how can you expect people not to discuss past mistakes as the biggest factor for why we are in this spot?

 

[Bandit]

Wrong, no one is doing that or typing like that, people make valid arguments from both sides, so please enough with the hyperbolic nonsense.

The fact is the Kings are in the spot they are in today most because of terrible drafting and handling of draft picks. If that bothers you guys or you don't want to hear about it you don't have to participate in the discussions rather than mocking it or calling people stupid.

And there is plenty of blame being placed on Blake and Stevens (he has his own thread where basically everyone wants him fired except one guy). But when you go a decade without drafting or developing a star player that is the biggest reason for the spot the team is currently in, the Kings just don't have a good roster and that's because the system rewards great drafting and the Kings drafted like complete crap for 8-9 years, and yes, the Lucic trade stings and will sting for years because the Kings were in a clear position to draft an impact forward and chose to trade for a rental.

Pearson and Toffoli appear to be struggling to even be considered 2nd line players at this point and they are the best players the Kings have drafted and developed since Doughty, I mean how can you expect people not to discuss past mistakes as the biggest factor for why we are in this spot?

Sure thing. Definitely no holier than though armchair GMs that win championships every season in their minds in here...

 

[Herby]

Sure thing. Definitely no holier than though armchair GMs that win championships every season in their minds in here...

I don't know, I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

I mean I hate Stevens as much as everyone else, but the roster is still the way bigger problem than the coach.

 

[damacles1156]

Can I ask why most of you love to constantly debate DL and The Lucic / Sekera trades in various threads? Change the ****ing record.

Also while ignoring that Mike Futa is also to blame for poor drafting/development over the past couple years.

Futa somehow manages to escape any criticism, it's always the Lucic trade.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Also while ignoring that Mike Futa is also to blame for poor drafting/development over the past couple years.

Futa somehow manages to escape any criticism, it's always the Lucic trade.

Truly. Some very lean years drafting. However, he was without several #1 and #2 picks.

Have high hopes for the last 5 top picks - Clague (give him 2 yrs in the AHL...Voynov played THREE years in Manchester) Jad, Vilardi, Thomas, Kupari. All 5 of these can become impact players. JAD was not supposed to make the Kings and has a good future. Vilardi was the best player in the entire CHL last year and Akil Thomas is 4th in OHL scoring. 6 goals, 14 assists, 20 pts in 12 games. He's never really worked out hard and now on a good training regimen. He oozes skill and has top speed. He;s going to be good. Kupari had a 3 pt game and has 8 pts in 11 games in Karpat. He's 18. He does not turn 19 until March 15.
He has elite speed and close to elite skill. Good size and growing. Do not give up on Kempe, for that matter. He will never be elite, but consider he only played 1 year in the AHL. Some Swedes take longer to reach their peak. Rickard Rakell played 3 years in the AHL...Viktor Arvidsson had an 8 goal year, before hitting 30. William Karlsson had 9 goals and 6 goals (in full 80 game seasons in Columbus)
before scoring 43. Not saying Kempe is akin to them, but he will get better. He's playing determined and has speed and skill. Those 5 ; Vilardi, JAD, Clague, Thomas and Kupari
have legit skill and all have speed, except for Vilardi. But he can be an elite power forward. Hard to know the projections and eventual impacts of: Brickley, Strand, Rempal, Luff, and Petersen,
but there's good potential...and Wagner was not supposed to make the team and he's elite speed and will be a good 4th liner. Will be better than the Andreoff's Shores, Cliffords. And the Kings have
all their high picks still. I still believe Ladue is good and has made strides....get him in there and leave him. Play him over Fantenberg. Trying to inject some positive vibes back here.

 

[Herby]

Also while ignoring that Mike Futa is also to blame for poor drafting/development over the past couple years.

Futa somehow manages to escape any criticism, it's always the Lucic trade.

I'm right there with you, I never quite understood the obsession with Futa. I get it people who are on the staff of cup winners are always considered for promotions with other clubs but he was the director of amateur scouting for a team that hasn't really drafted well for this entire decade.

And I know we will never find out but for all we know Dean could have gone to Futa and said "I have a potential deal for Lucic for our pick, what do you think of the talent around our spot" and who knows, maybe Futa told him that it was a weak draft and to do it (which was obviously really wrong in hindsight). But yeah as director of amateur scouting he certainly deserves his share of the blame for the lack of drafting and development.