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I have always loved the Fiala acquisition.

This is just more evidence that the Kings are not deploying some of their players in the correct manner.

Here is what I would roll out based strictly on players currently under contract at this early stage of the off season

PLD - Kopitar -Kempe
Fiala - Danault - Moore
Ward- Pinelli -Jamsen
Ziemer _ Helenius- Lawrence
Chromiak -

Moverare _DD
Gavrikov - MA
Englund - Clark
Ricketts
 
With the world championships keep the context correct. GB gave Canada a game and we suck. Half this board would have a chance of making the team.

Don’t get me wrong some guys obviously had solid tournaments and the quality shoots up in the knockout rounds. However we aren’t talking close to NHL standard for most of the games.

Gaborik says hello.
I’d say Gaborik was more talented but Fiala is slightly more skilled with better hands. Gaborik was quicker, higher IQ and a better finisher and was hugely clutch in 2014.
 
I am surprised how difficult it is for some people to accept the fact that Fiala is a good player, but also accept the fact that the trade is going to end up being one of the worst Kings trades of the 21st century.

The Kings have a serious lack of skill throughout the lineup but two years later no team would take two Fiala’s over one Faber, and we added a 1st round pick.

Trading for a guy like Fiala is a final piece when you have a core of Faber, Fantilli, Byfield, Gauthier, Clarke. It was another unfortunate consequence of the worst decision a Kings GM has ever made (ending the rebuild in 2021).

And Fiala is well behind Gaborik, I think even 2014 Gaborik. When comparing them in their primes it is no contest. Gaborik in the modern NHL and not playing in Lemaire’s archaic system would have been a 50+ guy every season.
 
I am surprised how difficult it is for some people to accept the fact that Fiala is a good player, but also accept the fact that the trade is going to end up being one of the worst Kings trades of the 21st century.

The Kings have a serious lack of skill throughout the lineup but two years later no team would take two Fiala’s over one Faber, and we added a 1st round pick.

Trading for a guy like Fiala is a final piece when you have a core of Faber, Fantilli, Byfield, Gauthier, Clarke. It was another unfortunate consequence of the worst decision a Kings GM has ever made (ending the rebuild in 2021).

And Fiala is well behind Gaborik, I think even 2014 Gaborik. When comparing them in their primes it is no contest. Gaborik in the modern NHL and not playing in Lemaire’s archaic system would have been a 50+ guy every season.
nailed-it-the-office.gif
 
I am surprised how difficult it is for some people to accept the fact that Fiala is a good player, but also accept the fact that the trade is going to end up being one of the worst Kings trades of the 21st century.

The Kings have a serious lack of skill throughout the lineup but two years later no team would take two Fiala’s over one Faber, and we added a 1st round pick.

Trading for a guy like Fiala is a final piece when you have a core of Faber, Fantilli, Byfield, Gauthier, Clarke. It was another unfortunate consequence of the worst decision a Kings GM has ever made (ending the rebuild in 2021).

And Fiala is well behind Gaborik, I think even 2014 Gaborik. When comparing them in their primes it is no contest. Gaborik in the modern NHL and not playing in Lemaire’s archaic system would have been a 50+ guy every season.

Brandt Faber is a golden God,,,
 
I think I am confused about who Brock Clarke is, and how many player of a tournament awards he has won.

However the Kings may have not even made the playoffs without Fiala and Blake was not going to do any of the rebuild stuff you guys carry on about year
after year, decade after decade, lifetime after lifetime.

So Muzz is Glen Murray I gathered not Jake Muzzin.

Not sure it's still a running joke that I am him but I respect the fact you recognize I have a great hockey mind.

Yzerplan says hi!

Dizzy on the winged wheel.
 
I’d say Gaborik was more talented but Fiala is slightly more skilled with better hands. Gaborik was quicker, higher IQ and a better finisher and was hugely clutch in 2014.
Huh?

No way does he have better hands than Gaborik. Not even close. Marian has some of the softest hands you'll ever see.

Fiala has more of motor than Gaborik, but Marian Gaborik is clearly a tier above as an offensive player.
 
Huh?

No way does he have better hands than Gaborik. Not even close. Marian has some of the softest hands you'll ever see.

Fiala has more of motor than Gaborik, but Marian Gaborik is clearly a tier above as an offensive player.
Fair enough. Probably recency bias (or poor memory) on my part. I completely agree Gaborik over Fiala, every day of the week. That’s no knock on Fiala.
 
Gaborik says hello.
GABORIK LMFAOOOOOOOO. maybe a better shot but my god what the f*** is this revisionist shit. Are we talking about careers or on the Kings because Gaborik wasn't anything close to his prime. He turned it up during the playoffs one year and was gone. That's the basis? Lol. My lord. What has happened to the lot of you?

I think if you want to believe the Fiala trade was "bad" sure. I don't buy that narrative because Faber would be mishandled anyways so whats the point? But that doesn't mean Fiala is a bad player. He's an extremely talented player on a brain dead team. Thats the truth.

Its simply amazing the inability some of you have at looking at random talking points then start weaving a narrative and acting as if its true. The false equivalency goes crazy in here.
 
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I mean if you want to argue that Fiala is more talented than 32-35 year old Gaborik at the tail end of his career, ok. You are on crack if you think he was close on their primes, but tail end, sure.

But the “most talented player since Palffy” takes sure do seem to forget about a certain Hall of Fame Player who was a Hart finalist while playing his entire brilliant career in LA, and another former center who once finished 2nd in the entire league in goals and then came to the Kings while still in the prime of his career and enjoyed many great and impactful seasons.

Kevin Fiala is a good winger, who you could certainly win a cup with as a 2nd liner, with better players doing the heavy lifting, but that’s about as far as I’d go.

He’s probably behind Demitra too, if you want to be totally honest.
 
In primes and overall careers, Gaborik > Fiala. Despite playing in a defensive system, he could still put up over a point-per-game. He just struggled with staying healthy to put up a full season. Whenever he's at least close to a full season, he had some remarkable scoring leads on his teams.

The Kings just got Gaborik near the tail end of his career.
 
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Fair enough. Probably recency bias (or poor memory) on my part. I completely agree Gaborik over Fiala, every day of the week. That’s no knock on Fiala.
Fiala has busier hands and feet for certain. Gaborik was so damn good at remaining in the weeds before anticipating the play and bursting into the right place at the right time with speed and power.
 

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