Have the Kings found their identity?

[Raccoon Jesus]

Last year the roster wasnt as good and he didnt have as much to work with. But they had this way about them where they were playing not to lose. Also last season theyd let the other team dictate pace too much.
They are more confident this season and have been playing their game mostly regardless of score and opponent.
Tmacs biggest weakness is in game management but youll see fans of every other team complain about the same thing.

And I agree and I think that's one of the biggest steps, that TM has the Kings playing their game regardless of opponent. We're imposing instead of reacting. My biggest issue previously was the passive 1-1-3, that's a white flag. You're letting the game come to you and the opponent play how they want. I get it, due to personnel. This year--I'm glad to see a coach change the formation to mold the identity into high aggression, high pace, sort of comfortable with chaos--i'd say the biggest difference between now and the Cup years is that they aren't JUST a possession, slow the game down, cycle team--they're comfortable pushing the pace and scoring on the rush, too. That keeps teams honest and utilizes some of our best tools (how many years did Doughty just turn the whole play around so we could set up from our zone, for example, where now he'll fire one through if they'll give us a shot).

They're taking big steps under TM right now and it's looking more like the dominant regular season teams he's had elsewhere. That's a huge first step. If they can keep this up, we can worry about the next step--in-game and in-series management/adjustments. That's where his BIG weakness has been in the past and we'll see if he's learned!

 

[BigKing]

I feel like it's the same as last year except better players throughout the lineup and better execution of the system.

They've played their game during this home stand but nobody punched them in the mouth during it. That's when we will really see if they are a team or not: will they play the same when the other team ramps up the physicality.

They are at a point right now though where watching them carries excitement and anticipation v. feeling like a chore. That's a giant step, to be honest.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I feel like it's the same as last year except better players throughout the lineup and better execution of the system.

They've played their game during this home stand but nobody punched them in the mouth during it. That's when we will really see if they are a team or not: will they play the same when the other team ramps up the physicality.

They are at a point right now though where watching them carries excitement and anticipation v. feeling like a chore. That's a giant step, to be honest.

I dunno, I feel like the Nashville game was as physical a regular season game as we've seen around here in a while,e specially if you don't think about the Minnesota games.

And metaphorically when the Pens tied the game at 2 that was a gut check--earlier this year and last year that would have likely been a 3-2 loss but these dudes came roaring out instead.

 

[AbsentMojo]

I think its hard to describe what it is.. you can say, play responsible D, push play and out chance the other team and a big contributing factor is the goal tending. Any one of those 3 falls off, and so will the results. One thing that is different than years past is the breakout.. they used to always get trapped in their own zone and passing was typically very spotty.. now they have a bucket brigade breakout where there are players available for short passes - Koala called it dominoes - where you need to be near the other player with the puck (I assume thats the analogy)

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Besides the great additions of Danault, Arvidsson and Edler, the resurgence of Quick is huge...the emergence of Kempe becoming a #1 RW and sure 30 goal level player, that has been missing forever....the emergence of Lizotte, Lemieux, Bjornfot and Anderson becoming good NHL players has made a difference as well.

The shedding of non-caliber NHL players has helped as well; Amadio, MacDermid, Wagner, Luff. Sorry, but this factors in. You're not a playoff contender with 2-4 players like that dressing every game. Honestly, last years 2nd line was pretty brutal, with little to no chemistry and poor results: Carter, Vilardi, Athanisiou. Compare that to Danault, Moore, Arvidsson. It's night and day.

Identity? A high tempo, hard working, balanced team that is playing for each other, MORE than any team since the 2014 Cup team.

 

[kingsholygrail]

They need to figure out their special teams. It's so glaring now.

 

[kilowatt]

I think the biggest shift in the Kings' identity is that all four lines can and do contribute offensively.

Line 1: 37 goals
Line 2: 21 goals
Line 3: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Line 4: 17 goals

Obviously our third line needs some help, but I think bringing up Byfield and Vilardi could go a long way there. The only problem is that we have an extra forward. I guess you send Kupari and Turcotte down (even though I love Turcotte's game) and roll a third line of Brown - Byfield - Vilardi? Or maybe swap Brown and Lemieux?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Turcotte-Byfield-Brown if you have to but Turcotte-Byfield-Vilardi/Fagemo is my dream. If you're gonna be spending all night in the opposing zone anyway these guys could be deadly.

But gonna give Kupari credit for playing grittier and harder this game than a lot of other players

 

[All The Kings Men]

Turcotte-Byfield-Brown if you have to but Turcotte-Byfield-Vilardi/Fagemo is my dream. If you're gonna be spending all night in the opposing zone anyway these guys could be deadly.

But gonna give Kupari credit for playing grittier and harder this game than a lot of other players

He's also been asked to be the only constant presence on the third line.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He's also been asked to be the only constant presence on the third line.

Agree. And it's sort of chicken-and-egg whether the line lacks identity because of him or because he's the only one constantly there while everyone else in the lineup orbits around him, haha. But for the most part he's been just kind of there, Trevor Lewis-ing along. Not a bad thing, but we're getting to the days where "good" isn't good enough, SOMEONE is coming for his spot.

 

[kilowatt]

Just by sheer numbers, we've got more guys that can play in our top 12 than we have room for.

Iafallo - Kopitar - Kempe
xxx - Danault - Arvidsson
xxx - xxx - Brown
Lemieux - Lizotte - Kaliyev

Moore has looked fantastic lately. Byfield and Vilardi are playing out of their minds in Ontario. Turcotte has looked like he belongs (although I'd like to plug him in on a different line). Kupari hasn't been bad. There's also Grundstrom, Athanasiou, Andersson, Fagemo, and JAD. Is something eventually gonna give?

I'd love to see Turcotte with Danault and Arvidsson and then let Moore play with Byfield and Vilardi, but where does Brown go? Does Kupari get sent down? Have we given up on Andersson and Grundstrom? When do we trade Athanasiou?

Lots of questions, although all this depth isn't a bad thing with COVID running through the team and league.

 

[Riposte!]

To me the biggest blanket addition has been Danault. There hasn't been a player with that kind of effect on allowing the team to start performing efficiently in their roles since Mike Richards. Having that go-to 2C who can lock down other teams and also contribute offensively is something the Kings have been missing since the 2013 season.

 

[RaymondReddington]

Chychrun hasn’t even played a game since Dec 10th.

Is it possible he's not playing so as not to get hurt?? ..to not hurt his trade value?..
I don't have any idea.. just asking.

 

[LAKings88]

Apparently it’s giving up 5 goals to Meier :p

 

[apocalypse]

Besides the great additions of Danault, Arvidsson and Edler, the resurgence of Quick is huge...the emergence of Kempe becoming a #1 RW and sure 30 goal level player, that has been missing forever....the emergence of Lizotte, Lemieux, Bjornfot and Anderson becoming good NHL players has made a difference as well.

The shedding of non-caliber NHL players has helped as well; Amadio, MacDermid, Wagner, Luff. Sorry, but this factors in. You're not a playoff contender with 2-4 players like that dressing every game. Honestly, last years 2nd line was pretty brutal, with little to no chemistry and poor results: Carter, Vilardi, Athanisiou. Compare that to Danault, Moore, Arvidsson. It's night and day.

Identity? A high tempo, hard working, balanced team that is playing for each other, MORE than any team since the 2014 Cup team.

He is actually on pace for 37 goals, but being put into covid protocol will hurt that.

 

[Mats26]

In a nutshell for me:
Team is fragile, small, void of top end talent, stubborn bench boss , special teams are "special", vet dependent.
They got speed though.

 

[Sybil227]

They found their identity. Then it rolled under the couch and they lost it.

If you have it, take a look at SJ in the LA vs SJ series from 2014. That's the type of team Mclellan is trying to build. Fast, north-south, lots of shots, lots of pace, relentless. But, hopefully, without a Joe "Born to Lose" Thornton on the team.

 

[apocalypse]

Just by sheer numbers, we've got more guys that can play in our top 12 than we have room for.

Iafallo - Kopitar - Kempe
xxx - Danault - Arvidsson
xxx - xxx - Brown
Lemieux - Lizotte - Kaliyev

Moore has looked fantastic lately. Byfield and Vilardi are playing out of their minds in Ontario. Turcotte has looked like he belongs (although I'd like to plug him in on a different line). Kupari hasn't been bad. There's also Grundstrom, Athanasiou, Andersson, Fagemo, and JAD. Is something eventually gonna give?

I'd love to see Turcotte with Danault and Arvidsson and then let Moore play with Byfield and Vilardi, but where does Brown go? Does Kupari get sent down? Have we given up on Andersson and Grundstrom? When do we trade Athanasiou?

Lots of questions, although all this depth isn't a bad thing with COVID running through the team and league.

I think you wait and see what we have. We don't know which of Kupari, Byfield, Turcotte, Vilardi are going to be. We have to wait. They'll all probably be excellent NHL players, but patience. It looks like we're going to have a tight checking team that gets by on effort and skill. Where those skill players line up at, I don't know. That's for TMc and Blake to figure out. As for the extras, trade them. JAD, AA, Andersson, trade them. I like Grundstrom for his size and mobility and think we should hold onto him. He could be our bottom six middle weight. We need a physical defenseman. I'd put JAD + 2nd on the block and see if we could fetch any of the SAH dmen out there. Just put a line out, that's all.