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

[SaltyElkHunter]

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

If my grandma had handlebars she’d be a bike.

 

[DoktorJeep]

With Kopitar and Doughty leading the way, the ceiling on this team is first round exit in any division of hockey except the pacific. And even coming off a 99 point season, no one will be completely shocked if they miss the cutoff next year if a couple things don’t go their way for whatever reason. See Quick being injured and Petersen splitting time with Vilalta/Hrenak.

Even the most slavish homers will find nuggets to hold up as signs of progress towards a championship. But we all know Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille have never come within 100 miles of building a champion at any level of hockey professional or amateur.

The Kings could sell the farm tomorrow but can’t afford any more good players. So what are we talking about here as far as the ceiling being anything more than also ran wanna be competitor. Not champion. Kopitar isn’t outplaying any of the top 10 centers in the league over 16 games anymore. Doughty isn’t beating Makar, Fox, Hedman head to head in a series ever moving forward.

So eff it, I’ll take a talented malcontent like Fiala coming in and forcing the hack coach to play him. Especially for an overrated project who doesn’t project to score 25 nhl points anytime in the next 10 years. And the beauty of the Fiala deal is that no way $4M Iafallo supplants and $8M guy just because Kopi loves playing with Al doing the dirty work. Blake was forced to blow his cap wad because the top priority was goals and Fiala is what he could swing.

It’s likely just another half measure, but at least this time it’s a guy who should be able to stand out despite the system that is built around Kopitar and Doughty.

 

[bmr]

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.

I don't think they're saying 'you're not ready' to the players. It's just that some of these guys need to be more opportunistic when their chance comes. How long did it take Alec Martinez or Voynov to crack the lineup? Durzi and Spence had a much quicker development path, injuries or not. An opportunity is an opportunity, regardless of what form it takes. Look at what Tonka did in the playoffs. I think that effort earned him a spot in next year's lineup. A lot of these guys are on the cusp, but you're not gonna see a ton of 20-25 year olds in the Stanley Cup playoffs unless your name is McDavid or Makar.

How can we not be happy adding a guy like Fiala and having all the other forwards with another year under their belt? I think it benefits the young core to learn from pros and then slowly start inserting them into more meaningful roles. There is no way we make the playoffs this past year without the Blake additions. Even if you wanna say, fine, let's put all the young guys in and we wait another couple years before making it. That is not even a guarantee.

I would be more upset if Blake was gutting the team's prospect pool to add these new guys. He's been smart with asset management.

 

[bmr]

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.

This. Thank you.

 

[SmytheKing]

I don't think they're saying 'you're not ready' to the players. It's just that some of these guys need to be more opportunistic when their chance comes. How long did it take Alec Martinez or Voynov to crack the lineup? Durzi and Spence had a much quicker development path, injuries or not. An opportunity is an opportunity, regardless of what form it takes. Look at what Tonka did in the playoffs. I think that effort earned him a spot in next year's lineup. A lot of these guys are on the cusp, but you're not gonna see a ton of 20-25 year olds in the Stanley Cup playoffs unless your name is McDavid or Makar.

How can we not be happy adding a guy like Fiala and having all the other forwards with another year under their belt? I think it benefits the young core to learn from pros and then slowly start inserting them into more meaningful roles. There is no way we make the playoffs this past year without the Blake additions. Even if you wanna say, fine, let's put all the young guys in and we wait another couple years before making it. That is not even a guarantee.

I would be more upset if Blake was gutting the team's prospect pool to add these new guys. He's been smart with asset management.

When the Kings won in 2012, here were the players in that age range:

Drew Doughty
Anze Kopitar
Dwight King
Kyle Clifford
Jordan Nolan
Alec Martinez
Slava Voynov
Trevor Lewis

The following guys were 26:
Jonathan Quick
Mike Richards
Brad Richardson

The average age of the team was about 26.5 years old.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Yesterday, Zach Dooley wrote that Blake would have comments today....and crickets...he must be in the middle of stuff.
Which I approve of and can wait!

Maybe Fiala comes out and does a presser? Unless he's in Sweden or Switzerland. I saw a video in which he says he lives in Sweden.

 

[Herby]

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.

Fair enough.

Byfield is certainly not at the level of disappointing that Vilardi and Turcotte are, I wasn’t trying to imply that in my post, he did establish himself more last year than those two have while being younger. But I also think it’s fair to say that there are questions with QB that in an ideal world you don’t want to have from someone taken that high, and when it comes to roster for construction they can’t view him as a sure fire future star like they probably did on draft night. He still could be and if he takes a big step the Kings could contend, but Blake has to cover his bases in the event he doesn’t.

QB has to be an effective top 9 forward this year or it’s entering territory you don’t want to be in. If he is effectively centering a third scoring line that teams are trying to all have now you can live with it. Last year he just wasn’t able to do that so there are certainly questions entering the year.

 

[bmr]

When the Kings won in 2012, here were the players in that age range:

Drew Doughty
Anze Kopitar
Dwight King
Kyle Clifford
Jordan Nolan
Alec Martinez
Slava Voynov
Trevor Lewis

The following guys were 26:
Jonathan Quick
Mike Richards
Brad Richardson

The average age of the team was about 26.5 years old.

I meant on the younger side of 20-25. I just went to 25 because that is McDavid's age.

We are a young team with the exception of Kopi/Quick/Edler. Doughty is 31 and everyone else is under 30. I call that pretty young. Byfield still only 19, Kaliyev is 20, Spence is 20, Kupari is 21 and Vilardi is 22. I'm just saying the young guys will be much better in the next year or two.

 

[Cianide]

Can we agree that Blake, instead of a rebuild, has done a retool?

 

[Mats26]

Can we agree that Blake, instead of a rebuild, has done a retool?

He retooled the roster while rebuilding the prospect pool.

 

[AbsentMojo]

If Blake wanted to do the rebuild "properly" (meaning all in) - he wouldve moved Kopi, Brown and DD - which was an impossibilty. Their presence / influence prevented a proper rebuild for many reasons (e.g. coach isnt going to play kids over cup winner vets, DD wants to win now, Kopi is legend, cant demote him etc.). Bringing in Danault and Arvidsson also made it so they were not going to be a lottery team - so the tone was set. What you had in the end was a half baked rebuild - with a senior/retread coach who by nature will opt for vets over kids (like all retread coaches would). I believe at the beginning of the season the plan was to slot in as much youth as possible.. but when the Kings started to contented that plan was out the door and it was about making the playoffs. Given that, Fiala is a very solid acquisition for what Blake is trying to pull off..its clear Blake's strength is doing deals - and not building from the ground up with a vision as DL did.

 

[BringTheReign]

Retools don’t miss the playoffs three years in a row and trade all but four players from the previous roster. This was a rebuild, it just wasn’t a scorched earth rebuild because you don’t typically do that when you have a Cup-winning core (e.g. Penguins, Bruins, Kings, Caps).

There’s more to sports than the most ruthlessly efficient way of doing things. We follow this team so closely because of a mix of emotions, loyalty, nostalgia, etc. I’d rather see Brown, Kopitar, Quick, and Doughty retire as lifelong Kings than flip them for magic beans after 2018. If we had never won and they were chasing Cups, sure, do the right thing and send them somewhere they can win, but that’s not our deal.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Sure, it's a retool, with no intention of playing anyone under 26 regularly unless there are injuries.

That sure makes more sense than saying we're actually rebuilding because actions speak louder than words, and it also makes everything under the top-six and Doughty basically expendable.

Don't be surprised when they flip Clarke for some help at the deadline at this rate. Dave Taylor is gonna be proud.

 

[Choralone]

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 the smoke about wanting to be in Minnesota is very likely fire. 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.

One thing Blake has shown us consistently is that he does not make the mistake of the sunk cost fallacy. If he thinks he made a mistake, he will cut bait ASAP - he seems to have no ego there. I think you are right, Herby. Whatever the reason, he feels key prospects aren't panning out, need more insulation, or something, and is already moving on.

 

[BringTheReign]

If Blake wanted to do the rebuild "properly" (meaning all in) - he wouldve moved Kopi, Brown and DD - which was an impossibilty. Their presence / influence prevented a proper rebuild for many reasons (e.g. coach isnt going to play kids over cup winner vets, DD wants to win now, Kopi is legend, cant demote him etc.). Bringing in Danault and Arvidsson also made it so they were not going to be a lottery team - so the tone was set. What you had in the end was a half baked rebuild - with a senior/retread coach who by nature will opt for vets over kids (like all retread coaches would). I believe at the beginning of the season the plan was to slot in as much youth as possible.. but when the Kings started to contented that plan was out the door and it was about making the playoffs. Given that, Fiala is a very solid acquisition for what Blake is trying to pull off..its clear Blake's strength is doing deals - and not building from the ground up with a vision as DL did.

We don’t win the Cups without the Richards, Carter, Stoll/Greene, and Williams deals. DL also didn’t draft Kopitar, Brown, or Quick. We don’t win in 2014 without the Gaborik deal.

DL had a solid draft record, but you’re miscasting what he did versus what Blake is doing. Blake is following a similar blueprint in my mind, and doing so pretty well thus far. If Byfield and Clarke hit in fact, it’s basically the same playbook DL used except Blake will actually get to take credit for drafting those cornerstones. Those are obviously huge “ifs,” but DL arrived with those pieces in place already so you can’t give him credit for those teams’ cores either.

I’ll also add that we all know that DL tried to sign UFAs like Chara, Brad Richards, Kovalchuk, Parise, etc. Blake has arguably just been better at getting them to come, likely because of our past success which DL didn’t have the track record to lean back on.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

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.

I stand by my last paragraph.

Belaboring the Spence thing as some sort of gotcha to ignore the f***ing mountain of evidence is just being obtuse and argumentative for the sake of it.

I don't think they're saying 'you're not ready' to the players. It's just that some of these guys need to be more opportunistic when their chance comes. How long did it take Alec Martinez or Voynov to crack the lineup? Durzi and Spence had a much quicker development path, injuries or not. An opportunity is an opportunity, regardless of what form it takes. Look at what Tonka did in the playoffs. I think that effort earned him a spot in next year's lineup. A lot of these guys are on the cusp, but you're not gonna see a ton of 20-25 year olds in the Stanley Cup playoffs unless your name is McDavid or Makar.

How can we not be happy adding a guy like Fiala and having all the other forwards with another year under their belt? I think it benefits the young core to learn from pros and then slowly start inserting them into more meaningful roles. There is no way we make the playoffs this past year without the Blake additions. Even if you wanna say, fine, let's put all the young guys in and we wait another couple years before making it. That is not even a guarantee.

I would be more upset if Blake was gutting the team's prospect pool to add these new guys. He's been smart with asset management.

I wish that were true.

Think Spence is in the lineup to start the year? Grundstrom?

I'd be pleasantly surprised.

And again, I say that as a guy really happy to land Fiala for what we did. I just will absolutely not be able to bear another year with minute spreads of Kopitar 22, Danault 20, Lizotte 10, Byfield 8. I'm cautiously optimistic that this is a 'step forward' year with respect to coaching deployment of the youth but I thought last year would be a 'scaffolding' of kids with vets and instead, once the playoffs were a possibility, the kids were discarded.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

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.

It's just so weird that better teams with better top sixes that have killer offense have no problem integrating their blue chippers with 15-18 minutes but the Kings, with one scorer over 60 points, cannot.

People want to keep saying it's the kids' fault but no one is going to outscore a 20 minute player in 10 minutes of icetime.

It's so weird to me that it's so difficult for coaching to imagine a lineup with two vets and one kid per line for more than a period at a time.

 

[Kingfan1967]

I was at taco bell the other day and I overheard someone say Fiala doesn't eat pancakes in the morning. I already hate this trade.

He Swiss so Crepe's are his Breakfast Du Jour ,

 

[Rick Knickleback]

What draft pick is better than anyone in our top 6?

Kopitar
Danault
Arvidson
Fiala
Kempe
Moore

I’ll wait…

Meh, I don't find that list that compelling:
Kopitar: obviously on the downside of a stellar career. Was totally outclassed against EDM after Game 1. Looked like a (good) 3rd line center for much of last year.
Danault: career year. Repeatable? We'll see.
Arvidsson: missed significant time. Hasn't that been an issue in his career?
Fiala: Possible stud and likely our best winger, which we got for a prospect and pick in a bad draft.
Kempe and Moore: See Danault, above.

Love all those guys for various reasons, but our top 6 is not "stacked." I think Moore and Anze are better suited for 3rd line work anyway. AK, RK, and QB could very easily make some noise next year within the roster as currently constructed. QB is a real linchpin here. If he pops with Fiala and/or Kempe beside him, look out.

It's a good trade. Any GM makes it. I see how it's a gamble but I don't think adding Kevin Fiala all of sudden crowds out half a dozen prospects at D+5 or less.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

It's just so weird that better teams with better top sixes that have killer offense have no problem integrating their blue chippers with 15-18 minutes but the Kings, with one scorer over 60 points, cannot.

People want to keep saying it's the kids' fault but no one is going to outscore a 20 minute player in 10 minutes of icetime.

It's so weird to me that it's so difficult for coaching to imagine a lineup with two vets and one kid per line for more than a period at a time.

I feel ya. Wasn’t attacking ya. It is what it is though. It’s got to be a development issue since the goalies and defenseman shine. I honestly think it’s the Kopitar thing. He’s the rock they all break themselves against. He’s just a paradox. We have had decent luck breaking guys on the 2nd line and I can’t remember a player that didn’t play well with PD last year.

Meh, I don't find that list that compelling:
Kopitar: obviously on the downside of a stellar career. Was totally outclassed against EDM after Game 1. Looked like a (good) 3rd line center for much of last year.
Danault: career year. Repeatable? We'll see.
Arvidsson: missed significant time. Hasn't that been an issue in his career?
Fiala: Possible stud and likely our best winger, which we got for a prospect and pick in a bad draft.
Kempe and Moore: See Danault, above.

Love all those guys for various reasons, but our top 6 is not "stacked." I think Moore and Anze are better suited for 3rd line work anyway. AK, RK, and QB could very easily make some noise next year within the roster as currently constructed. QB is a real linchpin here. If he pops with Fiala and/or Kempe beside him, look out.

It's a good trade. Any GM makes it. I see how it's a gamble but I don't think adding Kevin Fiala all of sudden crowds out half a dozen prospects at D+5 or less.

Your answering the wrong question though. None of the kids were better than those guys last year.

 

[Fishhead]

If Gagne doesn't get hurt, and if Penner had done what he was brought in to do, there's no Carter. There wasn't even a spot down the middle for him either.

That article is from May 2012. That's half way through the run or whatever. There was no plan to fire Murray, and there was no plan to move Johnson for Carter. Both moves were made in desperation because the actual plan wasn't working. They were supposed to be a contender with Richards, but all they were doing was staying in the playoff race. Johnson became expendable because of Voynov, and Drewiske as the 7th D was a risk they were willing to take to get any kind of scoring depth. If one or two of those top 6 D get hurt though, like they did in 2013 and 2014, who knows what happens.

I'm not so sure there wouldn't be Carter. Regardless of how the forwards were going, I think the allure of bringing in another Philly boy would have been too much for DL to resist. Especially for what the price was.

I don't think DL was desperate at all, that dude patiently (almost too much) stuck to his plan and didn't make panic moves until after they won cups. I think he saw an opportunity at a good price and took it. Same thing with Murray. It's not like DL's job was on the line or anything, there wasn't a whole lot of pressure.

 

[funky]

Fiala was brought in to play with both a Kopitar and Byfield as ones role starts to diminish and the others starts to grow. Fiala is a line driver, wants the puck in his stick and is one of the top players in the NHL at getting the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone.

We should have a wicked top 9 if the rookies start to take off

Kempe - Kopitar - Fiala
Moore - Danault - Arvidsson
Iafallo - Byfield - Kaliyev

Fiala played 18 mins a night last year w little PP time. Give him an extr minute and drop Kopitars by 2. This has to be the year to Drop Kopitars time. Do it by limiting his time on special teams. The poor dude is gonna have to skate his ass of to keep up with Fiala and Kempe.

I would love to see 2 PP lineups used equal. The old and the new. If one gets hot lean on them a bit more.

Kempe - Kopi - Arvidsson- * - Doughty

Fiala - Byfield - Kaliyev - * - Chychrun (yes, still think it’s happening).

* - player to be determined.

Our Pen Kill can be highlighted by Danault and Moore. Kopi can start PP2 with Kempe.

My free agent move is Nic Desjarlais. Addresses size and toughness up front.

I will get flamed for wanting Chychrun but the kid has size and skill and can put pucks in the net. His contract allows is to spend a bit extra elsewhere.

He pairs perfect with Roy leaving the Doughty Anderson pairing together and it clears up a glut of forwards.

If that is the lineup the only upgrade I see is Moore and possible Iafallo. Moore has a year left cheap and I am hoping Turcotte can step into that role.

As for defense I am attached to no one other than Doughty and have huge hopes for Clarke. Need to get a PP QB and need to get a crease clearer

Goaltending I am a bit worried about.

All I know is the ink hasn’t dried on last season and Blake has come out firing for not only next year but the next half dozen with the Fiala trade. We have a boatload if overstock, prospects and still have a bunch of picks. Think Blake has more moves coming.

 

[FSL KINGS]

He Swiss so Crepe's are his Breakfast Du Jour ,

Pretty sure he's not French. Cholermüs maybe? Those also may not be breakfast food. We may need to track down some Swiss people for answers.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

ESPN+'s take on the trade (for those without access: their analyst gives the Kings an 'A-'):

Trade grades: Kings deal from position of strength, land Fiala

 

[yankeeking]

If my grandma had handlebars she’d be a bike.

ok so translate this......... either one of us or both is an idiot or everyone rode your grandma without holding on WTF