Speculation: Fire Rob Blake Blow it Up Offseason Thread (update: Robitaille, Blake and Hiller stay)

[Sol]

Nashville playoff stats: 18 games played, 6 points, -4.
Minnesota playoff stats: 17 games played, 9 points, -10.
It's a long-term rep, not just some issue here.



I don't really disagree here, and I even fully agree with Sol that he can and should be used better.

YET--you also cannot use the world championships as an argument for anythign as it's just more evidence that he can beat the snot out of lesser competition. we all know that. We're waiting for him to show up to the playoffs.

I think it's just idiotic to single out Fiala when the entire team didn't show up for the playoffs. I think the dumbest thing to do is single out the guy who was playing on the 4th line with two bums. You can set your sights on Trevor Moore instead who went from 30 goal scoring machine to an absolute p***y in the playoffs while staying on an unchanged line. Even saying "oh yeah Fiala was available for a reason" implies to me that the Kings got him for next to nothing. Either Faber sucked and that means thats how they viewed Fiala as well, dud for dud. Or Fiala was very good and Faber is the only piece they were willing to let him go for.

Im not going to shit on Fiala for his Pred/Minne days when I consider the fact that Minnesota fans still really like Fiala as well from what I've seen. Carter was a bum in the playoffs in his Flyers days until he wasn't. The entire roster didn't show up. Why are we singling out arguably the most misused player from the lineup during the series? Lets not chalk it up to coaching "knowing better" because you know well enough that the coaching was abysmal and brain dead.

I have zero faith in Hiller for this reason. I don't know if Blake or Luc called him on the bench and said "Yo boy put trevor lewis and lizotte out there and run the 1-3-1. I know we're down a couple goals in the last two minutes of regulation, but trust me bro"

You cant fix that kind of stupidity wherever it comes from. The roster has problems but I am going to crucify the management first that did this shit before I start singling out players.

 

[KINGS17]

Collusion has been obvious

Uh, you must be a conspiracy theorist. The kind of shady shit going on between Brisson and Robitaille just never happens in the NHL. Just ask Pacioretty.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think it's just idiotic to single out Fiala when the entire team didn't show up for the playoffs. I think the dumbest thing to do is single out the guy who was playing on the 4th line with two bums. You can set your sights on Trevor Moore instead who went from 30 goal scoring machine to an absolute p***y in the playoffs while staying on an unchanged line. Even saying "oh yeah Fiala was available for a reason" implies to me that the Kings got him for next to nothing. Either Faber sucked and that means thats how they viewed Fiala as well, dud for dud. Or Fiala was very good and Faber is the only piece they were willing to let him go for.

Im not going to shit on Fiala for his Pred/Minne days when I consider the fact that Minnesota fans still really like Fiala as well from what I've seen. Carter was a bum in the playoffs in his Flyers days until he wasn't. The entire roster didn't show up. Why are we singling out arguably the most misused player from the lineup during the series? Lets not chalk it up to coaching "knowing better" because you know well enough that the coaching was abysmal and brain dead.

I have zero faith in Hiller for this reason. I don't know if Blake or Luc called him on the bench and said "Yo boy put trevor lewis and lizotte out there and run the 1-3-1. I know we're down a couple goals in the last two minutes of regulation, but trust me bro"

You cant fix that kind of stupidity wherever it comes from. The roster has problems but I am going to crucify the management first that did this shit before I start singling out players.

It's not singling him out. There's plenty of stupidity to go around in this org.

I'm just not gonna get all uppity about "yeah see how f***ing good Fiala is, he beat up a bunch of kids at the special olympics" when we already knew he could do that...now do it for me in the playoffs. This whole conversation started because you called any detractors 'haters' in direct response to his worlds performance.

No one thinks Fiala sucks, we just want more from him when it matters.

 

[Sol]

It's not singling him out. There's plenty of stupidity to go around in this org.

I'm just not gonna get all uppity about "yeah see how f***ing good Fiala is, he beat up a bunch of kids at the special olympics" when we already knew he could do that...now do it for me in the playoffs. This whole conversation started because you called any detractors 'haters' in direct response to his worlds performance.

No one thinks Fiala sucks, we just want more from him when it matters.

Are you SURE about that?

Yeah, I only pointed it out because it is honestly impressive to me how that fact of him winning the MVP had a negative response. Maybe you're not doing it, but its undeniable that there are many people on these boards for some irrational reason want him to fail.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Theyve had Fiala for 2 years and still cant figure out how to best use him with linemates. They are so engrained in their system, they cant leverage talent. No one that isnt a 2 way guy thrives on the Lucienne Kings... they were so hell bent on pretending to contended they waste another year of Clarke's development in the A and QB playing wing instead of center. Again, talent scares them anything outside their zero results system is anathema to them.

 

[Sol]

Yup, I mean we can use that same line of reasoning with Byfield. Only 4 points in the entire series while playing on the top line? Heavily sheltered under Kopitar and given every chance to produce with Kopitar and Kempe, but only 2 points more than Fiala? This is our second overall player? He only had 2 more points than that bum Fiala who sucks so much and plays on the 4th line? Wow. Honestly, even that bum outscored him in the regular season. Honestly Byfield must suck. 2nd overall? 4 points? Big wow. Kings got hosed. Bum can't even play center. We needed a center and we got a winger in Byfield instead now because he just cant cut it.

Now in actuality I do believe Byfield will make a good center and he should be 1st line center and Kopitar should be a third line center, I do think Byfield will continue to improve if the coaches get their head out of their ass and let him loose. Im just pointing out the same line of reasoning can be used against the prodigal son himself.

 

[Schmooley]

Yup, I mean we can use that same line of reasoning with Byfield. Only 4 points in the entire series while playing on the top line? Heavily sheltered under Kopitar and given every chance to produce with Kopitar and Kempe, but only 2 points more than Fiala? This is our second overall player? He only had 2 more points than that bum Fiala who sucks so much and plays on the 4th line? Wow. Honestly, even that bum outscored him in the regular season. Honestly Byfield must suck. 2nd overall? 4 points? Big wow. Kings got hosed. Bum can't even play center. We needed a center and we got a winger in Byfield instead now because he just cant cut it.

Now in actuality I do believe Byfield will make a good center and he should be 1st line center and Kopitar should be a third line center, I do think Byfield will continue to improve if the coaches get their head out of their ass and let him loose. Im just pointing out the same line of reasoning can be used against the prodigal son himself.

You are the one that brought up Fiala. No one cares about him winning the mvp of a tournament after he sucked in the playoffs and his goal in the series was a flukey floater from the boards.
His 5 vs 5 usage with Lizotte and Lewis was a joke. But dont you think that Moore and Danault said to the coach they like playing with Arvidsson better and Kopitar and Kempe said they like playing with Byfield better?
Also dont forget Fiala played on the first powerplay unit and there were a lot of times they were out nearly the full 2 minutes and didnt get a single goal the whole playoff.
Fiala is good but his impact in big games leaves a lot to be desired. Hed be making 10-11 million if he was the player you think he is.

 

[chris kontos]

It's not singling him out. There's plenty of stupidity to go around in this org.

I'm just not gonna get all uppity about "yeah see how f***ing good Fiala is, he beat up a bunch of kids at the special olympics" when we already knew he could do that...now do it for me in the playoffs. This whole conversation started because you called any detractors 'haters' in direct response to his worlds performance.

No one thinks Fiala sucks, we just want more from him when it matters.

I truly had nothing to comment on about your exellent post. But as i tried to hit the like button so much advertising and outright shit happenened at the same time in the frame of your post it copied it.
Its to the point i can barely make out content.

 

[Trash Panda]

I truly had nothing to comment on about your exellent post. But as i tried to hit the like button so much advertising and outright shit happenened at the same time in the frame of your post it copied it.
Its to the point i can barely make out content.

The Adware on this god damn website is out of control.

 

[unicornpig]

Kevin Fiala:

Regular season: .75 points per game, career +20

Playoffs: .53 points per game -12

This is a guy that did not show up in the playoffs two years in a row. I was watching the Boston - Florida series and David Pastrnak. Both Fiala and Pastrnak have very similar skill sets, Pastrnak is a little bigger, but Fiala skates better. But, Pastrnak has an intangible that makes him a far better player- he really wants it. That's not to say Fiala isn't competitive (although his stats are disappointing in the playoffs), it's just that at the very top level, you need to have that little extra 'want it' to really be a star. Unfortunately, Fiala is a very good player, not a star.

nobody on the knigs showed up the past 2 playoff games....

 

[unicornpig]

It's not singling him out. There's plenty of stupidity to go around in this org.

I'm just not gonna get all uppity about "yeah see how f***ing good Fiala is, he beat up a bunch of kids at the special olympics" when we already knew he could do that...now do it for me in the playoffs. This whole conversation started because you called any detractors 'haters' in direct response to his worlds performance.

No one thinks Fiala sucks, we just want more from him when it matters.

Bland says other wise. you can say that about every kings player in regards to the playoffs. nobody has stepped up their game when playoffs came around.....

 

[Sol]

You are the one that brought up Fiala. No one cares about him winning the mvp of a tournament after he sucked in the playoffs and his goal in the series was a flukey floater from the boards.
His 5 vs 5 usage with Lizotte and Lewis was a joke. But dont you think that Moore and Danault said to the coach they like playing with Arvidsson better and Kopitar and Kempe said they like playing with Byfield better?
Also dont forget Fiala played on the first powerplay unit and there were a lot of times they were out nearly the full 2 minutes and didnt get a single goal the whole playoff.
Fiala is good but his impact in big games leaves a lot to be desired. Hed be making 10-11 million if he was the player you think he is.

What was Moore and Arvidsson doing exactly to warrant them to make that kind of a call? This shit isn't as deep as you think it is. The Kings have been rife and marred by nonstop shitty roster design, management, and execution. When you have your 2nd best producer on the 4th line then I don't give a f*** what player is saying to anyone. The second line did nothing the entire playoffs yet they remained. Kopitar Kempe and Byfield line was good for one game? Where is this deep analysis you're purporting? I'd consider your line of reasoning if there was a distinction between the horseshit hockey we saw but it was everywhere in the line up. And my point is, the horseshit hockey likely had something to do with the line combinations as well as the awful coaching formations.

The same arguments being levied against Fiala can be made about every King during the playoffs which is my point. Im just more lenient when it comes to Fiala since he was f***ing with Lewis and Lizzotte since he was at the biggest disadvantage.


I don't know if you've been paying attention to the playoffs but the Oilers penalty kill has been outstanding. Arvidsson who everyone loves to slobber over choked on how many good oppurtunities? Trevor Moore where was he? Why does the entire second line get a pass for being MIA when arguably the best forward is riding shotgun with the worst linemates nonstop is getting unrelenting shit?

I can make stupid arguments too, its not difficult, Ill do it right now just so you can see how stupid it is to single out players with blind conviction. Here, Byfield is complete ass, 4 points the entire playoffs while being given every chance to produce with Kopitar and Kempe. This bum cant even play center. When Moore and Danault say they want to play with Arvidson they listen to them, but when Byfield says hey I want to take a crack at center, they say "hey you're just not good enough to be center because you suck, you're a 2nd overall yet you aren't even playing center. You're getting outproduced by a thousand yearold center, get gud loser"

See how easy it is to make stupid arguments when you start mind reading?

 

[bland]

Bland says other wise. you can say that about every kings player in regards to the playoffs. nobody has stepped up their game when playoffs came around.....

And I have been saying it since the day he was acquired.

Fiala is a totally irrelevant player. He makes no positive difference regardless of his ridiculous hands and edgework.

And you do know that the Kings were up 2 games to 1 without the injured "6 point" Fiala last year and have gone 1-7 WITH him, right?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Bland says other wise. you can say that about every kings player in regards to the playoffs. nobody has stepped up their game when playoffs came around.....

That's just wrong. Plenty of guys on the Kings have had strong, deep runs before.

Kevin literally never has across three teams.

There's a difference.

Yes, we all want the Kings to collectively pull it together, and very few guys had 'good' playoffs this go-round. In that regard, I agree it's unfair to single him out for performance. When EVERYONE sucks, I think it's pretty fair to blame the coaching/infrastructure. But the point is this type of performance is NOT unusual for Kevin.

 

[Sol]

Then you have people like Bland who blindly hate Fiala and somehow manage to attribute the Kings getting reamed thoroughly by McDavid letting the Oilers to unrelentingly pressure the Kings to the point they can't play offense at all due to the awful formation/coaching. Yet "hurdur here's the stats with Fiala with the oilers"

 

[bland]

You are the one that brought up Fiala. No one cares about him winning the mvp of a tournament after he sucked in the playoffs and his goal in the series was a flukey floater from the boards.
His 5 vs 5 usage with Lizotte and Lewis was a joke. But dont you think that Moore and Danault said to the coach they like playing with Arvidsson better and Kopitar and Kempe said they like playing with Byfield better?
Also dont forget Fiala played on the first powerplay unit and there were a lot of times they were out nearly the full 2 minutes and didnt get a single goal the whole playoff.
Fiala is good but his impact in big games leaves a lot to be desired. Hed be making 10-11 million if he was the player you think he is.

Fiala has no 5x5 chemistry with any skilled player. He doesn't know how to play off the puck effectively and needs players who will defer to him. Put him with skilled players and everybody's contributions are handcuffed. That has been his story since day 1 in Nashville.

Power play is a different story, he is the only player on the roster with any deception to his game. Give him some better options to work with and he may get up to the 90 point mark. But even strength? He needs to learn how to play well with others.

 

[Sol]

That's just wrong. Plenty of guys on the Kings have had strong, deep runs before.

Kevin literally never has across three teams.

There's a difference.

Yes, we all want the Kings to collectively pull it together, and very few guys had 'good' playoffs this go-round. In that regard, I agree it's unfair to single him out for performance. When EVERYONE sucks, I think it's pretty fair to blame the coaching/infrastructure. But the point is this type of performance is NOT unusual for Kevin.

I mean lets go by this logic then. Brown and Williams were the best Kings because ever since they left Hall Of Fame Kopitar has been a complete failure. Kings haven't won a series under Kopitar's captaincy? What a loser.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Even if Kevin, or Pierre, were winners, the core team isn’t a winner with Anze and Drew as the top guys. We all know it’s true.

 

[Sol]

Fiala has no 5x5 chemistry with any skilled player. He doesn't know how to play off the puck effectively and needs players who will defer to him. Put him with skilled players and everybody's contributions are handcuffed. That has been his story since day 1 in Nashville.

Power play is a different story, he is the only player on the roster with any deception to his game. Give him some better options to work with and he may get up to the 90 point mark. But even strength? He needs to learn how to play well with others.

Fiala was gelling well with Danault and Moore. He started poorly, but once that line gelled he propelled into the second highest scoring forward despite having a bad start to the season. Don't know what you're smoking.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I mean lets go by this logic then. Brown and Williams were the best Kings because ever since they left Hall Of Fame Kopitar has been a complete failure. Kings haven't won a series under Kopitar's captaincy? What a loser.

No, your argument doesn't make any sense at all, and now you're spinning yourself into the ground. Kopitar has not one but two conn smythe worthy runs and plenty of other good-to-great runs with and without those guys. A 37 year old Kopitar waning is a far different circumstance than a prime Fiala's playoff production and defense and possession getting cut literally in half in three different markets.

I was trying to be gentle but when you get this obtuse and deliberately ignorant you just get worked up and start blurting out trolly, illogical bullshit, so there's nothing more to say, have fun.

 

[bland]

Even if Kevin, or Pierre, were winners, the core team isn’t a winner with Anze and Drew as the top guys. We all know it’s true.

Of course it's true, but if you are a GM and your goal is to bring in young-ish high level talents that can play now with Kopitar and Doughty AND have them still in their prime when what's left of your young talent enters their prime, you sure ended up sucking hind teet with Fiala and Dubois.

Not singling you out here at all, just using this as an opportunity to ask why so many people keep insisting that every topic of discussion gets tagged with the "biggest problem" line when defended. The big problem is a thoroughly incompetent management team, the issues being discussed are the evidence.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Of course it's true, but if you are a GM and your goal is to bring in young-ish high level talents that can play now with Kopitar and Doughty AND have them still in their prime when what's left of your young talent enters their prime, you sure ended up sucking hind teet with Fiala and Dubois.

Not singling you out here at all, just using this as an opportunity to ask why so many people keep insisting that every topic of discussion gets tagged with the "biggest problem" line when defended. The big problem is a thoroughly incompetent management team, the issues being discussed are the evidence.

Yes, I agree with you in principle. The decisions to make big trades while still rebuilding is the strategic mistake. The biggest problem is the lack of vision.

I just think the vision of this management group and the previous one has been skewed since 2014.

It is the Faustian bargain that has been made by all fans since the end of the glory years.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Kempe-Byfield-Fiala
XXX-Kopitar-PLD
Moore-Danault-Lafreniere
XXX-Turcotte-Thomas

Fagemo, Grundstrum, Lee, UFAs

Anderson-Doughty
Gavrikov-Clarke
XXX-Spence
Moverare, Englund

XXX
Rittich

I think Fagemo could be the 13th forward or back in the AHL. I think they like Grundstrum too much to move him and he is an easy 12th/13th forward. Lee will have a good shot at that 4LW in camp but I think they put him back in the AHL one more year.

No more Lizotte or Lewis. I could see them bringing back Arvidsson on a cheap 1 year deal after an injury shorten season. Anything more than a year or over 3m and it's a bad deal by the Kings. Kempe can either be on Byfield or Kopitar's wing but they need another Top6 winger preferably right handed. PLD has stated that if he plays wing than he like RW (also just played RW in the Worlds with Tavares at Center).

I know they want Roy back but he probably priced himself off the team if the Kings want a legitimate #1 goalie. The Kings can't run Englund as a full time 3LD. He is a 7th Dman that can step in if needed for fighting. I'd go after one of those Vegas Dmen as they will be in a cap crunch (Hague or McNabb). If they are struggling near the TDL than they need to move Gavrikov for as much as they can as they should have with Roy this season. I'd go after Hague for my 3LD this season as he is young enough to be the 2LD option once Gavrikov leaves and hoping Kirsanov can come over as the 3LD the following year.

Goalie will be the hardest spot to fill. There isn't any good goalies available either UFAs or trade. I know Ullmark, Saros, Markstrom and others are available but they are older and very expensive either cap wise or trade wise. I think they will look at the big names early but bargain shop again for another season until Portillo gets more time. I think Lankinen would be a great pickup for a 2 year deal if they bargain shop.

I just see that LA management has backed themselves up in a very bad corner of needing to make bad trades because of the bad moves previously. There are not good free agents to fill out the team to make them better and they won't use their youth to their advantage. I can't see them making good moves to address the teams holes with size and sandpaper. I'd like to see Hague, Bjugstad, Kostin or Kolesar, Duhaime but than you'd have to run Turcotte or Thomas as one of the Top6 wingers. My main hope would be Necas and Hague but that would need someone like Danault, PLD or Moore/Fiala out the door and that's highly unlikely.

 

[Sol]

No, your argument doesn't make any sense at all, and now you're spinning yourself into the ground. Kopitar has not one but two conn smythe worthy runs and plenty of other good-to-great runs with and without those guys. A 37 year old Kopitar waning is a far different circumstance than a prime Fiala's playoff production and defense and possession getting cut literally in half in three different markets.

I was trying to be gentle but when you get this obtuse and deliberately ignorant you just get worked up and start blurting out trolly, illogical bullshit, so there's nothing more to say, have fun.

So, are you making the case that Kopitar isn't a good captain, but under good leadership he excels? Im just saying here we have a really good player in Kopitar that did really well without the C and other good players around him, but now when he was given the reins.. what is there to say about his tenure as captain? I mean there's nothing good you can say realistically with him with the C. Do you think it takes a really good group of players and coaching to make a team successful, or do you think it's fair if I just say, hey Kopitar sucks when he became the top guy. My point is, if you're comfortably making this argument against Fiala, it's easy to do the same for a lot of players.

I think it's stupid and bad faith to be bringing up FIala alone and randomly bringing up teams like Minnesota and Nashville as if there's some implication he's the same guy from years ago. Jeff Carter had a loser reputation until he didn't. It's that simple. The Kings suck as a whole and primarily the suckage comes from up top. Crying about Fiala and insinuating that careers are all one note is arguing in bad faith. I think if we can say Kopitar is a good leader despite his captaincy being unsuccessful due to the fact the teams he's been captain of have relatively sucked then I don't think it should be as hard as it is for you to look with greater depth as to why the Kings suck now rather than "Fiala bad because Nashville and now".


The entire organization is garbage. Singling out players is very easy to do. I can do it for the entire roster. And if i can do it for the entire roster, I am going to look a little deeper as to why I can do that which to me is just this organization is complete trash from GM, Luc, and hiller.

 

[Cook24]

Sign me up for QB at $4.5

Mayor thinks 2-3 years 4-5 million will be the bridge deal if thats the route they take...