Kings News: Fiala to for 2022 first-round pick and Brock Faber

[Matt13]

It's becoming increasingly obvious each passing day that there's a handful of posters on this board who have no f***ing clue how sports works, especially PRO sports.....it's actually mind boggling, that someone can look at this trade and go....WTF...this is horrible....we traded a draft pick, literally...an unknown....and a prospect who is leaning towards not signing and we can lose for nothing....for an 85 point player last year, who is 25 f***ing years old and going...OMG we are so f***ed.....

How? Can anyone explain that thought process to me........

HF.....Hockey's Future where its only think about the future, not today.

 

[Sol]

I say this in complete jest. I knew three things for certain would happen with the announcing of this trade.

@Sol would hate it. @Johnny Utah would still think we were soft as F and @Herby would still state Turcotte's development was mismanaged.

Again...I say this in jest folks, as I know all three of you love the Kings.

I actually don’t hate it. I like it now knowing Faber wasn’t sold on making the Kings.

I do think this also kinda shows that the Kings are looking externally to secure the team since the forward prospects have been extremely underwhelming. So the move makes sense overall

 

[FSL KINGS]

didn't fiala wreck Walkers knee?

Think it was Perron. Fiala hit Roy.

Yeah and I'm not even necessarily saying they have to do anything elese, either, just that it's a possibility. And it seems like quite a few people in the know are saying "LA isn't done."

Don't think they are done just limited cap. Anything big at this point needs cap going out. Iafallo, Cal were just signed. Roy could be moved, but don't see how trading Roy makes the team better. Maybe Kempe is moved out with Walker for an upgrade. Cutting cap now is going to mean actual roster players.

Is This Blake's first big trade? He traded players away. Made offers on some big names. Think this is the biggest trade he's landed so far.

 

[King'sPawn]

Are we forgetting that Clarke exists? Faber probably saw the writing on the wall with a stacked right side. You can’t keep every prospect in the fold forever, and in this case, they dealt from a position of strength and got better now and this could benefit the younger players in the long run.

The dislike bland and I have for the trade has nothing to do with Fiala, Faber, or the first. Fiala's a very good player. Faber, in my opinion, will be a very good player. The first could be a very good player.

But here's where we are.

The Kings traded for Fiala, who scored 85 points on a team that scored 310 goals. On a team that scored 237 goals last year, like the Kings, that translates to about 65 points.

Anyone who expects Fiala to score 85 points in the near future in LA has unrealistic expectations.

There was zero rush to trade Faber. Even if there was a rush to trade a right-handed defenseman because of the depth, there was a bigger need on LD and goaltending than another winger.

There is not a clear long-term plan aside from "chase the playoffs and hope the prospects develop well enough to take over when the vets can't anymore." THIS is the problem. It's carrying over from last season and into this one.

 

[Matt13]

Do you really want this guy on the team?

At least get rid of the glasses. I cant think of another man in the department who wears them.

 

[Schrute farms]

i didn't realize a soon-to-be 26 year old is only a trade for now.....and not the future. I always thought the best professional athlete years were 26-32. I'm learning something new today

 

[Sol]

Becoming increasingly obvious that they never wanted to rebuild. Faber is going to be a 22 minute stud defender very quickly.

See what I mean about racing to the middle? Here comes another season of 20+ minutes a night for Kopitar with another mismatched winger who won't know how to or enjoy playing with him.

Guessing we will now see Vilardi, Turcotte, Bjornfot, Spence and Iafallo dealt for Crouse and Chychrun.

Sad to see so many fans here thinking this is the right way to do business.

I don’t think this trade happens if Byfield, Turcotte, and Vilardi shown some form of star power.

Fiala is a very good addition but it’s also telling how poor the Kings have developed forwards that it always seems to be that the Kings need external help from forward and never internal forward progression into that role. Guarantee you if Vilardi, Turcotte, and Byfield showed consistent top 6 material, we wouldn’t be seeing this trade.

The Kings wouldn’t be building the top 6 externally if they are planning to promote the players.

They did need a winger though anyways

 

[KINGS17]

Give it a year and he will be....2023-2024 season+

Why waste a year?

 

[Matt13]

There was zero rush to trade Faber. Even if there was a rush to trade a right-handed defenseman because of the depth, there was a bigger need on LD and goaltending than another winger.

There is not a clear long-term plan aside from "chase the playoffs and hope the prospects develop well enough to take over when the vets can't anymore." THIS is the problem. It's carrying over from last season and into this one.

There is also zero reason to keep him. He is not going to be playing for the Kings anytime soon, and based on the depth chart currently, he wont make that big of an impact for at least 4 years if he passes all the depth.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Yeah and I'm not even necessarily saying they have to do anything elese, either, just that it's a possibility. And it seems like quite a few people in the know are saying "LA isn't done."

True.
With Doughty, Arvidsson and Fiala, would have beat the Oilers...and probably beat Calgary...and then lose to the AVS, 4-2. This team is going in the right direction.

It's not like there's lost futures (losing #1 and Faber and Fiala turns 26 in July; not like they were dealt for older veteran) There's: Byfield, Kaliyev, Kupari, Chromiak, Clarke, Turcotte, Vilardi, Pinelli, Thomas...Grans, Spence.

 

[cyclones22]

Even with Fiala and potentially someone else being added at LHD, this team doesn't become a contender unless Byfield and Clarke can be 1st line/1st pair players in the next couple of years. Fiala is 9 years younger than Kopitar and as we've seen, Kopitar doesn't elevate everyone he plays with anymore and isn't always a fit with any player brought in. Arvidsson was penciled into Kopi's wing and that didn't work out. Danault is the one who seems to elevate all his linemates. I just hope that this signals that QB will have a solid vet wing with some offense on his line for the season, not for a few periods of even games.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I'm sorry for calling him Tanner Pearson.

I'm starting to warm up to Kevin. He's pretty handsome.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Want to see in OT:

Fiala, Kempe, Drew. Will close some of these out, with a win.

NOT: Kopi to start.

 

[Sol]

The dislike bland and I have for the trade has nothing to do with Fiala, Faber, or the first. Fiala's a very good player. Faber, in my opinion, will be a very good player. The first could be a very good player.

But here's where we are.

The Kings traded for Fiala, who scored 85 points on a team that scored 310 goals. On a team that scored 237 goals last year, like the Kings, that translates to about 65 points.

Anyone who expects Fiala to score 85 points in the near future in LA has unrealistic expectations.

There was zero rush to trade Faber. Even if there was a rush to trade a right-handed defenseman because of the depth, there was a bigger need on LD and goaltending than another winger.

There is not a clear long-term plan aside from "chase the playoffs and hope the prospects develop well enough to take over when the vets can't anymore." THIS is the problem. It's carrying over from last season and into this one.

Shouldn’t that tell you how forward development is going in their eyes that they’re making these kind of additions since last year ? It seems they are less hopeful on the forward prospects. They’ve been managed poorly but they have been ass too for the most part. Really bad circumstances

 

[King'sPawn]

i didn't realize a soon-to-be 26 year old is only a trade for now.....and not the future. I always thought the best professional athlete years were 26-32. I'm learning something new today

It's okay. Glad you're catching up. Especially since you're ignoring the rest of the context to the criticism.

But hey, ignoring context to take weak potshots at people discussing opposing viewpoints is the tool of choice for the Gatekeepers of Fandom. You've probably made great friends with a few of them now.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

No, but you don't have to trade them to improve the now when your best chance at success is still years down the road.

This is impatience, trying to maximize the past. Fiala is a good player, I will enjoy watching him, but he just isn't a needle mover and it only further limits the upward mobility of some very talented COST CONTROLLED players.

They aren't winning anything with this roster, its just depressing to see such possibility limited to get a little bit better now.

Amazing to think that was once the best set of prospects in the league might yield just one or two 4th liners and STILL be 50/50 just to get into the playoffs.

Lombardi traded Patrick O'Sullivan after only three seasons with the Kings, and a season removed from him scoring 22 goals and 53 points as a 22-year-old, for a 27-year-old Justin Williams. There were tons of fans pissed off about that trade because O'Sullivan was supposed to be one of the pillars of youth this team was supposed to build on. The Kings also weren't a playoff team when that deal went down.

After sniffing the playoffs in 2010, they then started to trade first round picks and youth beginning with the Dustin Penner trade in 2011, followed by the trades for Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Robyn Regehr, Marian Gaborik, Andrej Sekera, Milan Lucic, Kris Versteeg, and Ben Bishop. A few of those worked out quite well, and a few of those were complete wastes.

This is the first of those types of moves that Blake has made. He dealt a 2nd and a 3rd for Arvidsson which was a huge get, and he just acquired his most lethal weapon on offense with this trade, and they still have a bunch of highly touted prospects in the pipeline with Byfield, Turcotte, Vilardi, Kupari, Thomas, Madden, Fagemo, Anderson-Dolan, Pinelli, Chromiak, Helenius up front, and then on the blueline you have Anderson who is still 23, Bjornfot who is 21, and add Clarke, Spence, Durzi, Grans, Nousiainen, and I'm not even getting to the unsigned prospects like Kirsanov, Laferriere, Jamsen, Simontaival.

Do you expect every single one of those names to be the ones who are going to lead the Kings to another Cup run? How else is the team going to get better now and down the road? We don't know what the lineup is going to look like on opening night, but what if Fiala helps Kaliyev and/or Byfield breakout offensively? Is that still considered being shortsighted?

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

Fiala is what Turcotte’s ceiling was this is a no brainer.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Even with Fiala and potentially someone else being added at LHD, this team doesn't become a contender unless Byfield and Clarke can be 1st line/1st pair players in the next couple of years. Fiala is 9 years younger than Kopitar and as we've seen, Kopitar doesn't elevate everyone he plays with anymore and isn't always a fit with any player brought in. Arvidsson was penciled into Kopi's wing and that didn't work out. Danault is the one who seems to elevate all his linemates. I just hope that this signals that QB will have a solid vet wing with some offense on his line for the season, not for a few periods of even games.

Hmmmmm....Kempe before Kopitar - 14 goals......Kempe with Kopitar......35 goals....

Yea, definitely doesn't elevate anyone....

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

I don’t think this trade happens if Byfield, Turcotte, and Vilardi shown some form of star power.

Fiala is a very good addition but it’s also telling how poor the Kings have developed forwards that it always seems to be that the Kings need external help from forward and never internal forward progression into that role. Guarantee you if Vilardi, Turcotte, and Byfield showed consistent top 6 material, we wouldn’t be seeing this trade.

The Kings wouldn’t be building the top 6 externally if they are planning to promote the players.

They did need a winger though anyways

Byfield, Turcotte, and until recently Vilardi are all centers. I'm not entirely sure how them breaking out helps the huge hole on left wing. People love to just throw around "just draft a center and move them to wing if things don't work out", as if it's that simple. Fiala IMO is more a result of Iafallo turning into a dumpster fire

 

[Schrute farms]

Why waste a year?

We agree -- Todd on the other hand...

 

[kingsfan28]

I'm sorry for calling him Tanner Pearson.

I'm starting to warm up to Kevin. He's pretty handsome.

You shut your trailer trash mouth!

 

[SettlementRichie10]

This is a perfectly fine trade. Could turn out bad if the 1st round hits, and Faber becomes a stud RHD, and Fialla never passes 50 points again. But that’s the risk you take with any trade.

We need scoring. Period. The Kings offensive production is embarrassing. Even if Fiala’s 85 points translates to 65 in LA, that would still make him one our top scorers (second top scorer I think). I typically don’t like to see a GM go hard after wingers, but it appears Blake still thinks one of the Disappointment Triad will hit at C. So here we are.

 

[Docgonzo]

Anybody see that picture of Brock in the stands cheering after Kaprizov scored a goal, was he a Kings propect at that time?

 

[Steve Zissou]

Fiala getting on the phone to invite Matt Roy out for a steak dinner is now all but guaranteed.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This is a perfectly fine trade. Could turn out bad if the 1st round hits, and Faber becomes a stud RHD, and Fialla never passes 50 points again. But that’s the risk you take with any trade.

We need scoring. Period. The Kings offensive production is embarrassing. Even if Fiala’s 85 points translates to 65 in LA, that would still make him one our top scorers (second top scorer I think). I typically don’t like to see a GM go hard after wingers, but it appears Blake still thinks one of the Disappointment Triad will hit at C. So here we are.

Yep, and you saw it translate a bit when Arvidsson and Moore and Danault were our top 5v5 scorers.