cyclones22
Registered User
Another baffling move. Sturm has proven nothing other than he was a good teammate on teams he played for. I don't want to hear crap like he's a good communicator. How about he's a good tactician instead? Ugh.
Kings News: Fiala to for 2022 first-round pick and Brock Faber
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Another baffling move. Sturm has proven nothing other than he was a good teammate on teams he played for. I don't want to hear crap like he's a good communicator. How about he's a good tactician instead? Ugh.
Sol
Smile
- Jun 30, 2017
- 25,052
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Keeping his job would suggest he’s making some armchair gms happy. There’s definitely truth to what I said. I know it’s hard for you to not be condescending but it’s legitimate to ask yourself with the evidence present in which way are the kings trying to be competitive.
I think you can argue pretty well that the path Blake seems to be taking is the path of ensuring the team is somewhat competitive but at the cost of forward prospects not seeing ice time or expanded responsibilities. You can argue whether or not they deserve it but at the end of the day they need to be given a real shot. However it’s possible they don’t see much in the forwards as it is so they are looking outwards for a reason.
But to many I think theyd rather have the kings tank for the simple reason that you can never build a successful team externally. So if this is the path the Kings are going on then the grand prize isn’t really going to be there. Kopitar is getting old and no one is going to be able to replace him. Kings aren’t going to get far regardless of how much cap they take on.
bmr
Registered User
- Jan 23, 2013
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Really, guys? Is this really a fair take? I'll tell you what I've seen over the past few years:
When Blake first started as GM, I was as skeptical as anyone else. I've been a Kings fan since the 80s, so I understand years of disappointment, throwing draft picks away for nothing and the sting of big name players not wanting to play for this team.
I truly feel that Blake is starting to redeem himself in the eyes of many Kings fans. Is he perfect, no? But neither is any other GM. He has gotten us Danault, Arvidsson, Edler and now Fiala; all of this without depleting our prospect base. We exceeded expectations last year to make the playoffs and pushed the Oil to 7 without Arvy and Doughty. We are in a much better position next year to make even more noise.
Now the thing that really gets me fired up is all this mumbo jumbo about the kids not getting a chance and the fact that they have to prove themselves in a 10-minute checker role. I don't know about you, but i'm not seeing the same game. How in the world did Durzi get so involved with the team last year? He busted his ass and EARNED it. How did Spence get to the NHL so quickly? He busted his ass and EARNED it. I would argue that even Kaliyev took some measurable steps to improving himself for a larger role. Why aren't Vilardi, Byfield and others getting ice time on the first two lines? They were given a taste of that, but i'm not seeing the persistent commitment yet.
We're no different than other teams. Everyone pays their dues. Some players will get more of a chance if the team isn't as deep. Not everyone is on the same trajectory. Look how long it took Kempe to break out. Trevor Moore wasn't that great last year until he seized his opportunity and ran with it. Never looked back. What if we score over 100 points in the regular season next year and get past the first round of the playoffs. Are we still an operational albatross?
Blake is doing all this to make AEG happy and keep his job? What I see is a guy who wants to win and has shown the ability to put the right pieces in place to give us a better chance of us raising another Cup.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
No, everyone else busted their body parts giving Spence and Durzi a path. We nearly used an NHL-record 16 d-men last year, that's the only clear reason either guy got playing time, and that was plenty clear when Blake traded for f***ing Stetcher and immediately benched Spence a guy who was excelling while playing absolutely huge minutes.
bmr
Registered User
- Jan 23, 2013
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The forwards will get the same path opportunities when there are injuries, hence paying your dues. Stecher was acquired because of his history with Edler and the fact he was more seasoned. I love Spence, but he wasn't ready for those playoff minutes yet.
You sure about that? Acquired between games on the 19th and 22nd,
Spence, played on the 22nd, 24th, 26th and 28th, 30th, 31st etc......
Hmmm......
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
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That is a simplistic view that is just not how things are done.
Top picks are investments that need to be nurtured along the way to maximize their value. Prospect development isn't a linear path - and a team coming out of a rebuild needs to be willing to make sacrifices to immediate results in order to provide the best chance at growth.
You don't need results from these kids, you need progress. It is a complete disservice to ask a 19-21 year old who has been given very, very little time to acclimate to the league and challenge a veteran for a spot on a team trying to make the playoffs. Next to none of them can do so, only the very special players make that jump out of the gate. Maybe Clarke can do it, but everybody knew that Byfield was going to take more time than the usual top pick.
Offensive players think differently. They rely on confidence and positivity to succeed. They have to believe that their shot will go through, that their teammates pass will reach their stick, that they can take that guy wide. You need to let them play to their strengths because even those aren't NHL ready yet.
Instead the Kings are developing their forwards to think defensively, that the play WILL break down and that they need to be in pessimistic positions to play it safe. It neuters creativity, and more importantly, they know that if they make a mistakes they sit for a few games while the next kid gets the same half chance at carving out a role that they were not drafted for and are not suited to fulfill.
The best way to develop skilled forwards is to let them run like wild horses and reign them in later. Let them work on their primary strengths to maximize their skills before asking them to dial it back in to "win". If any example of the new champs is to be followed, thats it. Colorado let all their kids go nuts before demanding sacrifices.
Spence played every regular season game once he debuted. He debuted in game 59 and played 24 regular season games. 58+24=82.
Herby
How could Blake have known?
Another Kings trade where I was flying back to CA and got off the plane to texts about the trade, same thing as Richards 11 years ago.
I like the trade, something just had to be done with getting scoring into the lineup and it just has been a complete disaster internally, so they go the external route (again). Didn't Hoven or DB claim that the Kings weren't going to be active this off-season as far as big game hunting, well that was wrong.
I know many people here are heavily invested in youth, and I feel bad for people who wished to go that route (and I was initially one of them) but lets call a spade a spade, the Kings rebuild is over and the results have been disappointing. You don't bring in three different top 6 forwards under 30 in a 12 month period if you have any faith whatsoever in most of the players you drafted. I think it's quite obvious that long ago they lost faith in Vilardi and Turcotte, and even QB you are now looking at two disappointing years right out the gate and more questions than answers. Players drafted high have almost all struggled to make an impact at the NHL level. Whether you want to blame injuries, poor development, poor deployment, whatever. But there was an expectation for many of these players, and they have just fallen way behind and Blake feels they can't be counted on to be anything of significance this season and maybe in many cases ever.
I think Blake's initial strategy was to try and hit on many of these high picks and get them to be impact players in their early primes (20-24) to go a long with Doughty and Kopitar as they ended their useful life and hope to have a 2-4 year window. And that was reasonable. When you draft three forwards with top 11 picks over a four year period the expectation should be that 3-5 years later you have alteast 1 big star, and probably 1 2nd liner, we have nothing close to that. Because of that Blake has had to change that on the fly, and instead shifted his focus to acquiring players in their stone primes (Danault, Fiala, Arvidsson) to go along with Doughty and Kopitar and have that same 2-4 year window. And as critical as I have been about some of his decisions, I think this is the correct one. Going this route gives the Kings a better chance of winning a SC in the next 4-5 years than hoping that these disappointing young forwards are going to suddenly figure it out.
Sad to see Faber go but this was win/win for both sides, Faber can join the Wild at the end of this coming season, play where he wants and get paid that 2nd contract sooner and the Kings get a 1st line player. I think, as has been the case for much of his time with the Kings that Faber is ridiculously underrated on this board and is being underrated even more now that he is gone. People can say "well he was only a #45 pick" but a lot changes in 2 drafts, had he been eligible either in 2021 or 2022 he would have gone much much higher. This is a player with an off the charts defensive game sense who is going to enter the NHL probably seamlessly at the end of this season and be an excellent defensive stopper in the league for a long time. I think this trade validates just how highly he is thought of around the league, but you have to give to get a player like Fiala, we weren't getting Fiala for Vilardi or Turcotte and a 1st, we had to include a blue chip prospect.
I like the trade, something just had to be done with getting scoring into the lineup and it just has been a complete disaster internally, so they go the external route (again). Didn't Hoven or DB claim that the Kings weren't going to be active this off-season as far as big game hunting, well that was wrong.
I know many people here are heavily invested in youth, and I feel bad for people who wished to go that route (and I was initially one of them) but lets call a spade a spade, the Kings rebuild is over and the results have been disappointing. You don't bring in three different top 6 forwards under 30 in a 12 month period if you have any faith whatsoever in most of the players you drafted. I think it's quite obvious that long ago they lost faith in Vilardi and Turcotte, and even QB you are now looking at two disappointing years right out the gate and more questions than answers. Players drafted high have almost all struggled to make an impact at the NHL level. Whether you want to blame injuries, poor development, poor deployment, whatever. But there was an expectation for many of these players, and they have just fallen way behind and Blake feels they can't be counted on to be anything of significance this season and maybe in many cases ever.
I think Blake's initial strategy was to try and hit on many of these high picks and get them to be impact players in their early primes (20-24) to go a long with Doughty and Kopitar as they ended their useful life and hope to have a 2-4 year window. And that was reasonable. When you draft three forwards with top 11 picks over a four year period the expectation should be that 3-5 years later you have alteast 1 big star, and probably 1 2nd liner, we have nothing close to that. Because of that Blake has had to change that on the fly, and instead shifted his focus to acquiring players in their stone primes (Danault, Fiala, Arvidsson) to go along with Doughty and Kopitar and have that same 2-4 year window. And as critical as I have been about some of his decisions, I think this is the correct one. Going this route gives the Kings a better chance of winning a SC in the next 4-5 years than hoping that these disappointing young forwards are going to suddenly figure it out.
Sad to see Faber go but this was win/win for both sides, Faber can join the Wild at the end of this coming season, play where he wants and get paid that 2nd contract sooner and the Kings get a 1st line player. I think, as has been the case for much of his time with the Kings that Faber is ridiculously underrated on this board and is being underrated even more now that he is gone. People can say "well he was only a #45 pick" but a lot changes in 2 drafts, had he been eligible either in 2021 or 2022 he would have gone much much higher. This is a player with an off the charts defensive game sense who is going to enter the NHL probably seamlessly at the end of this season and be an excellent defensive stopper in the league for a long time. I think this trade validates just how highly he is thought of around the league, but you have to give to get a player like Fiala, we weren't getting Fiala for Vilardi or Turcotte and a 1st, we had to include a blue chip prospect.
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Hell, you can just look at the Kings before Terry Murray took over for that same thing. They let Kopitar and Brown and O'Sullivan and others do whatever they wanted.
lexlavender
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2013
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I just feel like it's weird to loop Byfield in to this narrative with Turcotte and Vilardi. Byfield is only just 19, 2-3 years younger than the other two. Obviously more was expected about the latter and that failed (at least on the metric of being high end pros), but none of the moves made suggest that hope has been given up on Byfield.
To me the acquisition of a 25 year old first line winger, a 29 year old defensively responsible center, and a 29 year old all can still support Byfield eventually being the one to take the reigns. Lets say Byfield blossoms and becomes a top center in the league in 3 years. A 28 year old winger and 32 year old tool box players can still support that idea.
To add, the legitimate question is about Ice time. When will they allow Kopitar and the other centers to share minutes? Good question.
To me the acquisition of a 25 year old first line winger, a 29 year old defensively responsible center, and a 29 year old all can still support Byfield eventually being the one to take the reigns. Lets say Byfield blossoms and becomes a top center in the league in 3 years. A 28 year old winger and 32 year old tool box players can still support that idea.
To add, the legitimate question is about Ice time. When will they allow Kopitar and the other centers to share minutes? Good question.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
So the development plan is 'wait for injuries?' And 'even with injuries, you're not ready, so we're going to make a trade?'
I'm not sure that's better.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
My bad, you're right, that's when they were rotating guys to rest since there were all the injuries.
It was just the important playoff games we were using the UFA merc instead.
And really talk about missing the forest for the trees, the whole point was the only reason the youth were playing was because everyone else was dead. If you're choosing to belabor "well actually spence played in game 66" you're deliberately being obtuse.
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
If the Danault line remains intact, I think Fiala or Kempe will end up on Byfield's line before Thanksgiving. I think Fiala and Kempe do similar things so playing together wouldn't work as well as simply adding their stats together. This would hopefully result in the top 3 lines getting similar minutes.
Deen
Registered User
- Feb 19, 2010
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Does Keanu Reeves take the bus?
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
- 5,343
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With the garbage you spew across this board, you deserve nothing less than a condescending response.
Another hot, horrible take. The Kings are obviously working to have a successful team that provides a perfect mix of homegrown talent and impact players they were able to acquire with the abundnace of prospects/picks they have accumulated over the last few years. Kind of just like this team called the Colorado Avalance has been doing...
Spence was benched only after playing the first 3 playoff games. So he played 27 straight games. Stretcher had back to back 1g-1a games in King wins immediately after Spence was benched. Seems like a good decision for the team.
TMac made some dumb decisions. You don't have to make @#$$ up to make your point though. The kids need to play more.
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
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2nd time in two days this accusation has been made and it's not true. The most recent interview with Hoven (before the trade), he claimed the Kings were looking for a top-6 winger to play with Kopitar and mentioned Fiala by name as a possible target.
Schrute farms
LA Kings: new GM wanted -- inquire within
- Jul 7, 2020
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I don't like Todd -- at all. But trying to be optimistic, maybe i give him a break working Kopi way too hard and not playing kids enough because he wanted/needed to make the playoffs. Right or wrong -- i can accept that for 2021-2022.
Now for 2022-2023, we have: with Byfield, AK34,. etc. a year older and Kopi older and Fiala added. There absolutely needs to be a changing of the guard and a more even spread of time between 1-3 top lines. There is no excuse. Same with the PP -- needs to be changes. I am idiotically going to assume there will be....until i see differently.
SaltyElkHunter
I …. am…. The LA Kings!
What draft pick is better than anyone in our top 6?
Kopitar
Danault
Arvidson
Fiala
Kempe
Moore
I’ll wait…
Turcotte is healthy as much as a broken clock tells the correct time.
Arty is up and coming but he isn’t better than any of the aforementioned forwards except maybe Moore but with the season he had last season you would have to be higher than snoop at b-reals birthday party to believe that.
Byfield couldn’t hang AK or PD jock on the clothesline at this point in his career even if you have him joe rogans HGH and robot legs.
Kupari looked awesome at the end of the season but to be honest he belongs with the 2 previous guys on the 3rd line based on current output and performance.
The guys are slotting this season to be end up where they have earned and should be projected. If any of them miraculously hit that high gear than do you honestly think Rob Blake wouldn’t make room for them to play?
Iafollo being given way more ice time than he deserved at the moment last season was frustrating but for 2 years previous and the first 20 games of the season he was the proven commodity. The young guys could have shit the bed just as easy and did in some cases.
When Kopitar retires in 2 years and Quick is gone we are gonna need some layers.
Kopitar
Danault
Arvidson
Fiala
Kempe
Moore
I’ll wait…
Turcotte is healthy as much as a broken clock tells the correct time.
Arty is up and coming but he isn’t better than any of the aforementioned forwards except maybe Moore but with the season he had last season you would have to be higher than snoop at b-reals birthday party to believe that.
Byfield couldn’t hang AK or PD jock on the clothesline at this point in his career even if you have him joe rogans HGH and robot legs.
Kupari looked awesome at the end of the season but to be honest he belongs with the 2 previous guys on the 3rd line based on current output and performance.
The guys are slotting this season to be end up where they have earned and should be projected. If any of them miraculously hit that high gear than do you honestly think Rob Blake wouldn’t make room for them to play?
Iafollo being given way more ice time than he deserved at the moment last season was frustrating but for 2 years previous and the first 20 games of the season he was the proven commodity. The young guys could have shit the bed just as easy and did in some cases.
When Kopitar retires in 2 years and Quick is gone we are gonna need some layers.
Cheech89
Registered User
- Jan 28, 2021
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That’s one way to look at it.. I just disagree. I don’t think you need to sacrifice defense and let the kids « go wild » for successful development.
Kempe has developed into a 30 goal scorer, I’m happy with Kaliyev’s development.
Even Lizzo has developed offense and defense since he’s been here at a rate I’m happy with.
Yes the Avs won the cup but their way is not the only way.
Im not very familiar with the intricacies of their development of talent, but Makar and McKinnon are a different crop of player. Not sure development has anything to do with that.
yankeeking
Registered User
this may be naive but having someone who can drive play, score goals and who is built for the long run,played all 82 game last year, should help take the pressure off the young guys for at least the start of the season. If QB isn't hurt last preseason he would have started the season with the team and had time to build up confidence instead of coming in at midseason where the playoffs were already being a possibility and the learning curve was pressure filled and the being forced fed 22/24 as wingers and expected to score because the team was goal challenged didn't bolster confidence. Starting out with better puck movement from the Dmen and having someone of the ability of fiala should create more offence and allow the QB;s, Kupari's, AK's, ,Villardi's, and even Turcotte to relax and play their games ........i think AV 's contract is up in summer 23 and moore would probably be a 3rd liner on a contender so there is room in the top six . we wil know more by the TDL on how the kids are doing , or how the coaches and GM are doing building the team for a run or for the black hole , here's praying for at least one more glorious June night
