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

[Chazz Reinhold]

If Athaniseeyou is smart, he calls Fiala and offers him #22 for a Rolex.

Considering AA is a UFA and won't be coming back, seems like a pretty poor trade from Fiala's standpoint.

Seems like a steep price for Fiala, who is coming off his best season. Are we sure he's ever going to reproduce the same numbers ever again? It's a risk. He was in a contract year. How often do we see players have a crazy season in a contract year and never produce again?

Sounds like Faber didn't intend on signing with LA, so including him makes sense. The 19th overall was obsolete as our pool is so steep and adding another mid first round pick who won't make an impact until 3-4 years down the road never made sense.

Just wondering if maybe we could've landed a better/more established player with that package? I'm not sold on Fiala simply because we haven't seen this type of production consistently. It's a risk but I respect risks. Danault was a risk and a lot of money; that turned out fine.

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From even another angle, he's 17th in the league in 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes of ice time the past 3 seasons for players with more than 1500 minutes of ice time. Some pretty good company on that list!

Cheap, but I'm linking back to what I posted above. The dude has been a force at 5 on 5 for 3 straight seasons now. Last season wasn't some total aberration that came out of nowhere.

And even if you want to exclude this past season as an outlier, from 2019-20 and 2020-21 he was still 27th in the league in 5-on-5 P/60 for players with more than 1250 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (which sets the bar at about 100 games played over the course of those 2 seasons). He obviously had a great season this past season, especially once he started playing with Boldy, but it's not like he couldn't score before.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Kopitar wanted to pay with Iafallo all those years Alex was scoring 9, 15, 13 goals...and didn't want to play with Kovalchuk. So now, he's probably all giddy to have Fiala and Kempe on his line.

So...they should do this at camp:

Moore Danualt Arvidsson
Fiala Byfield Kempe
Iafallo Kopitar Kaliyev
Tonka Lizotte Kupari

This way, Anze can still play with Iafallo. Gustl, the Kings comfort dog will be there for him to comfort him,
as his minutes go from 22 to 14.

 

[Trash Panda]

Actually its worse.

All the suffering of delaying then begrudgingly attempting the rebuild is thrown out the window.

Imagine being Kaliyev, now knowing there is little chance at top 6 minutes for years to come.

Imagine being Turcotte, seeing Boldy, Hughes, Zegras and Caufield getting actual top 6 responsibility while being paid 15 times the Target Assistant GM level paycheck you are drawing - and are guarateed to draw again next year - behind TJ Tynan on the 2nd unit.

Imagine being Vilardi and JAD knowing there is literally nowhere for you to play now that you are out of options and just waiting to find out where you are being traded to start proving yourself all over again.

Imagine being Byfield, sitting watching both the Kings and Reign lose winnable series without you, knowing the next mistake will cost you another game or two.

How are these kids supposed to develop the confidence to improve knowing what's in front of them - on a mediocre team? Its not like they are being boxed out of a contender, this is still a 50/50 playoff squad with Fiala.

Kopitar has never played well with a puck carrying winger. Forget about on paper stat stuff, look at the styles of play and see if they match. Anze doesn't do anything offensively away from the puck, and Fiala always dominates it. Its not a complimentary set up. Might help Kempe, though.

Its indicative of the belief that Kopitar, Doughty and Quick are the better bet to succeed instead of grooming high end prospects. Completely disagree with that on principal. Its the wrong bet to take, and its out of hubris and hope, not intelligence. Its just going to limit the high end potential while increasing the likliehood of mediocrity - with the bottom falling out once Kopitar falls off the cliff.

I understand this gripe, up to a point.

There was nobody bulldozing a path for Voynov’s roster spot, he had to force the hand of managment with his play in the AHL & in training camp before we jettisoned JJ. It’s not a terrible way to do business.

I understand how some of these kids could be miffed, but frankly none of them have shown a whole lot in the favorable matchups they have been gifted at both the AHL & NHL level. Flashes of brilliance, but nothing strung together.

It’s on them to force the hand of this management group. Expecting a golden road to the top six isn’t the attitude that a winner brings to the table anyways.

If we wanna talk about deployment of our aging glory years core, I wholeheartedly agree, but that doesn’t affect this being a good hockey trade.

Thank god Brown wanted to retire.

 

[ibleedkings]

Is anything planned today from the kings in regards to the trade? I'd like to hear from Blake.

 

[King'sPawn]

I cant remember when the last time you were excited at all on this board

- Danault, Arvidsson, and Athanasiou acquisitions
- always gave great marks on the drafts. Feel free to look into my pumping of Clarke's and Byfield's tires before the Kings even got them
- after the first game of the season
- acquiring Tkachev and the apparent signalling of going towards a younger core

It's all good though. I'd be more concerned if people actually took the time to audit my mood.

But this recollection I'm just some bitter person who hates all things related to the Kings is patently false.

In fact, the praising of the vet acquisition is for the same reason you're all praising the Fiala acquisition - it's a great opportunity to insulate the prospects AND give them talent to play alongside so they can play a scoring role. And then last year happened, where the prospects were relegated more to a grinding role, had no powerplay time, and they played 8-12 minutes more commonly.

So, no. I have zero reason to think it will be different this year. We already had the org talking about playing in the top 6 after season's end. There were discussions just a few weeks ago how the Kings could "miss the playoffs, but the org would be better as long as the prospects improve". And what happens? Blake trades two future pieces to acquire a talented forward, which solidifies the drive for making the playoffs and takes away a top-six role.

I know it's not even July. Things could change. I could very well like Blake's next move. I just do not like this move at this time.

If you cannot understand my skepticism when I've been fairly consistent as far as my priorities and concerns, then I truly don't know what else to tell you. If you disagree and you're excited for this move, great! I hope I can join in the excitement with his next move.

I'm not even trying to tell people they're wrong for liking this move - you have plenty of reason to. Fiala's a talented forward and no roster players were traded away. In most cases that's 100% a win. But to me, addressing how forwards get developed and integrated continues to be questionable.

I'm looking forward to the draft regardless. I wouldn't write articles for MM for free if I didn't enjoy postulating about the Kings' future.

Hope that helps.

 

[tomd]

- Danault, Arvidsson, and Athanasiou acquisitions
- always gave great marks on the drafts. Feel free to look into my pumping of Clarke's and Byfield's tires before the Kings even got them
- after the first game of the season
- acquiring Tkachev and the apparent signalling of going towards a younger core

It's all good though. I'd be more concerned if people actually took the time to audit my mood.

But this recollection I'm just some bitter person who hates all things related to the Kings is patently false.

In fact, the praising of the vet acquisition is for the same reason you're all praising the Fiala acquisition - it's a great opportunity to insulate the prospects AND give them talent to play alongside so they can play a scoring role. And then last year happened, where the prospects were relegated more to a grinding role, had no powerplay time, and they played 8-12 minutes more commonly.

So, no. I have zero reason to think it will be different this year. We already had the org talking about playing in the top 6 after season's end. There were discussions just a few weeks ago how the Kings could "miss the playoffs, but the org would be better as long as the prospects improve". And what happens? Blake trades two future pieces to acquire a talented forward, which solidifies the drive for making the playoffs and takes away a top-six role.

I know it's not even July. Things could change. I could very well like Blake's next move. I just do not like this move at this time.

If you cannot understand my skepticism when I've been fairly consistent as far as my priorities and concerns, then I truly don't know what else to tell you. If you disagree and you're excited for this move, great! I hope I can join in the excitement with his next move.

I'm not even trying to tell people they're wrong for liking this move - you have plenty of reason to. Fiala's a talented forward and no roster players were traded away. In most cases that's 100% a win. But to me, addressing how forwards get developed and integrated continues to be questionable.

I'm looking forward to the draft regardless. I wouldn't write articles for MM for free if I didn't enjoy postulating about the Kings' future.

Hope that helps.

Respectfully, you need to spend more time in the present and less time in the future. The Kings were never going to do a full rebuild while keeping Kopitar, Doughty, Brown, and Quick. I'm not even sure Blake knew what he was attempting to do when he started the "rebuild". The organization seemed directionless two years ago until Doughty stepped up and said "enough". And he was right. It forced Blake and Luc to move in a different direction and so far Blake has done surprisingly well executing it. Will it produce a SC? I doubt it. But the team will be competitive and make the playoffs. That needs to be good enough for you.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I can't believe everyone has gone back to agreeing with "well the youth just have to outplay the guys in front of them" shit. I guess RIP grundstrom, benched for scoring in three straight games, is a faded memory., amongst a million other evidence-based issues with kid integration.

I LOVE the Fiala move, but the above is a more than fair concern, has a TON of history to back it up, and we just took the last top six roster spot from a blue chip forward. "just be better" is some absolute bunk when you're turning scorers into 10-minute checkers. Soon it will be "oh well we just traded kaliyev for a better bottom sixer because what's the point in having a sniper on the 4th line" if there's no change.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Respectfully,....

That needs to be good enough for you.

Lol

Must have been hard to type that with Rob Blake's boot in your mouth

 

[KingsHockey24]

Ok, here you go ladies.

My first reaction after calling Fiala Tanner Pearson 2.0 was that he was hot. I'm glad others think the same.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

I can't believe everyone has gone back to agreeing with "well the youth just have to outplay the guys in front of them" shit. I guess RIP grundstrom, benched for scoring in three straight games, is a faded memory., amongst a million other evidence-based issues with kid integration.

I LOVE the Fiala move, but the above is a more than fair concern, has a TON of history to back it up, and we just took the last top six roster spot from a blue chip forward. "just be better" is some absolute bunk when you're turning scorers into 10-minute checkers. Soon it will be "oh well we just traded kaliyev for a better bottom sixer because what's the point in having a sniper on the 4th line" if there's no change.

Who? In the bold, exactly WHO are you referring to?

 

[tomd]

Lol

Must have been hard to type that with Rob Blake's boot in your mouth

I've been one of Blake's biggest critics and (as you know) severely criticized the logic of a rebuild while keeping the 5 most expensive players on the team. But he has done a good job charting a new course and I have to give him credit for it. If KP or anyone else wants to be mad at someone, they should be mad at Doughty. He shamed the organization into changing direction and so far it is working.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Who? In the bold, exactly WHO are you referring to?

Basically anyone 23 or under in the bottom six.

Let's use Kaliyev as an example. Blake said we need him to be a top sixer next year. Welp, RIP that opportunity. Now you have a guy who can score 15-20 from the bottom line with PP time and some of the best metrics on the team having the rug swooped out from under him. He CANT perform better until he's given more time and offensive situations.

That's to say nothing of guys like Byfield, Vilardi, etc. who are going to have a hell of a time breaking into the league while watching their compatriots on other teams get force fed offensive situations and PP time up to 18-20 min a game, meanwhile we can't even give them AHL PP time...

If I'm guys like Vilardi, JAD, Turcotte, I'm asking for a trade already, I get wanting to earn it and perform, but you're actively roadblocking NHL success, or at least glass-ceiling-ing it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I've been one of Blake's biggest critics and (as you know) severely criticized the logic of a rebuild while keeping the 5 most expensive players on the team. But he has done a good job charting a new course and I have to give him credit for it. If KP or anyone else wants to be mad at someone, they should be mad at Doughty. He shamed the organization into changing direction and so far it is working.

KP IS giving blake credit for him, he just disagrees with the direction. Saying he HAS to be okay with that is garbage.

I like a ton of what Blake has done, especially with respect to trades, but I'm more than a little bit in disagreement with how the youth is treated and I'm not okay with that.

People are capable of more nuanced opinion, getting pretty tired of a lot of this forum acting like it's all or nothing, and chastising people for holding diversity of opinion rather than discussing the opinion itself. It's cluttering up the forum.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Kevin Fiala finally traded after Wild believe they saw fair value in Kings' offer

“But Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Kings counterpart Rob Blake stepped up to the plate right away. There was no tire kicking, no messing around, no leveraging other teams against each other. Blake made a good offer, one Guerin felt was fair value back.”

I dig the way you do business, Blake-y.

 

[KingsHockey24]

My remaining wish list for the Summer:
- Move Petersen
- Move Iafallo
- Move Walker
- Add a Top 4LHD (Preferably with size/snarl) Chiarot, Zadorov, Cole
- Add size/toughness to the bottom six (Crouse, Deslauriers, KYLE CLIFFORD)

Kevin Fiala finally traded after Wild believe they saw fair value in Kings' offer

“But Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Kings counterpart Rob Blake stepped up to the plate right away. There was no tire kicking, no messing around, no leveraging other teams against each other. Blake made a good offer, one Guerin felt was fair value back.”

I dig the way you do business, Blakie.

It's nice having a GM that knows what he wants. No wishy washy BS.

Target your player; get your player.

 

[tomd]

KP IS giving blake credit for him, he just disagrees with the direction. Saying he HAS to be okay with that is garbage.

I like a ton of what Blake has done, especially with respect to trades, but I'm more than a little bit in disagreement with how the youth is treated and I'm not okay with that.

People are capable of more nuanced opinion, getting pretty tired of a lot of this forum acting like it's all or nothing, and chastising people for holding diversity of opinion rather than discussing the opinion itself. It's cluttering up the forum.

Here's my nuanced opinion...the youth just aren't that good right now and Blake doesn't have the time to wait for them.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I'm getting behind Petersen this year. I think he's got a bum rap after last year. I bet he outperforms Quick this year. I don't want him to, I'm a huge Quick believer, but Cal's issues were beteween the ears, I'm willing to bet it was the spectre of the contract f***ing him up. But he's certainly on a short leash.

My 'dream' LHD add this summer would be Soucy. you know he's on Blake's radar with his metrics/advanced stats. I just doubt Seattle is willing to part with him.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Here's my nuanced opinion...the youth just aren't that good right now and Blake doesn't have the time to wait for them.

And if that's the case Blake may as well sell the farm throughout the year.

Again, completely disagree with it, but I can understand it.

 

[johnjm22]

Purely in terms of asset value, I think Blake did pretty well. Especially if Faber didn't want to sign here.

I don't love the contact though.

The Kings have no real playmaking forwards with vision. Fiala doesn't fix that. This will continue to limit LA's offense, especially on the PP.

The question is, is this a closer-to-the-playoffs, further-away-from-the-SC type move? I suspect it is, but it does make the on ice product much more entertaining in the short term.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Basically anyone 23 or under in the bottom six.

Let's use Kaliyev as an example. Blake said we need him to be a top sixer next year. Welp, RIP that opportunity. Now you have a guy who can score 15-20 from the bottom line with PP time and some of the best metrics on the team having the rug swooped out from under him. He CANT perform better until he's given more time and offensive situations.

That's to say nothing of guys like Byfield, Vilardi, etc. who are going to have a hell of a time breaking into the league while watching their compatriots on other teams get force fed offensive situations and PP time up to 18-20 min a game, meanwhile we can't even give them AHL PP time...

If I'm guys like Vilardi, JAD, Turcotte, I'm asking for a trade already, I get wanting to earn it and perform, but you're actively roadblocking NHL success, or at least glass-ceiling-ing it.

A. you have no idea what opportunity he may have, or have not....

B. You are acting like scoring in juniors, AUTOMATICALLY turns into scoring into the NHL...we both know that's not the case

C. If Vilardi, JAD, Turcotte can't outplay players on the bottom six....to get in there and show what they can do, why are we going to HAND them top six spots?

 

[tomd]

And if that's the case Blake may as well sell the farm throughout the year.

Again, completely disagree with it, but I can understand it.

I don't think he will be trading more youth at this point unless it is someone like Vilardi or JAD to avoid putting them on waivers for nothing. I don't think the Kings will go after Chychrun and I suspect Blake will try to fill the LHD opening through free agency (Chariot anyone?). At that point the team would be close to the cap ceiling and couldn't acquire more veterans for youth even if they wanted to. Until the '23 TDL anyway...

 

[DoktorJeep]

Fiala replaces Iafallo, AA and Brown in the top six. One guy moves down, one moves on and one moves out. And you’re still spending $12M at the end of the day. You get younger, more productive and more balanced.

I think Rob Blake’s methodical approach can solve one problem at a time, but doesn’t provide enough contingency to overcome the risks that are bound to pop up. I see this move in that light overall today. But he’s maintained position to continue to improve with plenty of time remaining. So far so good. Let’s see if Blake can not just prop up the roof, but raise the ceiling.

 

[bmr]

I hate this trade so much.

This almost guarantees Byfield plus every other forward prospect, except maybe Kaliyev, to playing 11-12 minutes a night and to keep playing as the grinders.

And they spent a 1st + a bluechip defensive prospect to further impede the forward prospect development and chase another playoff appearance.

Best players always rise to the top. I don't look at it like that at all. I think the Kings beat Edmonton if Doughty and Arvidsson are healthy. Adding Fiala helps our offense big time.

We don't know what Byfield/Kaliyev/Vilardi's trajectory will be, but guarantee you they will see their ice time increase if they keep putting up meaningful minutes. It also takes a lot of pressure off of them when the coverage is focused on other guys.

 

[Master Yoda]

I see many comments about doing a half assed rebuild. But what constitutes a full-on rebuild?
Do they have to keep tanking until a couple of the draft picks become stars?
How many year do they have to make top 5 picks before they can decide to take the "next step"?
I think the Kings had made enough top picks and accumulated a deep enough prospect pool to start to move out of the rebuild last year.
Sure none of them have turned into stars yet, but most of the guys are still young enough that they still have top 6 fwd or top 4 d potential. And Byfield/Clarke still has that elite upside.

Points about the young vets taking all the ice time are valid, but that's a coaching issue not necessarily a roster management issue.
Guys can still get 15ish minutes with PP time playing on the 3rd line.
The problem last year was that guys like Brown/AA/Iafallo were getting more quality ice time over Byfield/Vilardi/Kupari/Kaliyev.
Brown/AA (probably) will be gone and I wouldn't be surprised to see Iafallo be moved too. So there's still plenty of ice time to be had for the young guys.

 

[YP44]

I see many comments about doing a half assed rebuild. But what constitutes a full-on rebuild?
Do they have to keep tanking until a couple of the draft picks become stars?
How many year do they have to make top 5 picks before they can decide to take the "next step"?
I think the Kings had made enough top picks and accumulated a deep enough prospect pool to start to move out of the rebuild last year.
Sure none of them have turned into stars yet, but most of the guys are still young enough that they still have top 6 fwd or top 4 d potential. And Byfield/Clarke still has that elite upside.

Points about the young vets taking all the ice time are valid, but that's a coaching issue not necessarily a roster management issue.
Guys can still get 15ish minutes with PP time playing on the 3rd line.
The problem last year was that guys like Brown/AA/Iafallo were getting more quality ice time over Byfield/Vilardi/Kupari/Kaliyev.
Brown/AA (probably) will be gone and I wouldn't be surprised to see Iafallo be moved too. So there's still plenty of ice time to be had for the young guys.

my issue was the timing of the rebuild. Wish we would have been bad enough in Bedard's draft class.

Looking at Edmonton, Toronto and Colorado imagine the kings winning the draft in a year where a franchise player is #1!!

I can dream right?

I think LA is going through the rebuild correctly, would be nice if the picks took the steps they are supposed to though.