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Is Vilardi the most expendable prospect?

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lumbergh said:
I don’t think his skating is why he’s struggling. It’s Vilardi’s ability to drive play.
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I would argue that those 2 things are related.

His biggest skill is play making and forcing defenders out of position.
This season his skating got somehow worse and he finds himself always on the wrong side of the defender who just pokes the puck away while he stumbles.
If he can find his confidence again and if they find someone who knows how to fix this skating, he will be elite
 
GV has proven he can play in the NHL. If his back issues are totally a thing of the past, and mentally he wants to give 100% to succeed he can develop to be a top-6 forward for any team in the league. If Kings have to play him as a winger and GV embraces that - I'm with RJ - he has to be given the right players to have the best chance for success. Otherwise, he can be flipped for a young up and coming also RFA SAH dman in the summer.
 
LAKings88 said:
Been chewing on this for awhile? I just don’t see a fit for him going forward. I think he is tremendously skilled but I think he needs playing time with decent wingers.

Kupari is emerging as a solid player. JAD is a great 3rd/4th center option.

Turcotte and Byfield are close.

Fagemo is pushing.

Madden and Thomas are in the mix too.

I can see Vilardi dangled for a dman.

Am I completely off the mark?
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Problem with threads like these, is they don't show up until a player is struggling.
You want to dangle a prospect for a defenseman? Trade him when he's playing great.
 
MBH said:
Problem with threads like these, is they don't show up until a player is struggling.
You want to dangle a prospect for a defenseman? Trade him when he's playing great.
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The problem is if he's playing great why would you trade him?
 
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
 
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Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
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Don't worry. Gabe's not getting traded. Mostly because he doesn't have the value to land the players Blake is looking at right now.

Really want to see Andersson, Byfield, Vilardi on a line.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
Click to expand...

I really think this kid should probably be a winger.
He's got the size/strength to work the wall.
AA and Brown are UFAs after this year. I think both are probably gone.
Kempe could be gone too.
Lemieux and Andersson and Grundstrom aren't sure things.

Next year:

Arvidsson - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Iafallo - Danault - Kempe
Andersson - Byfield - Vilardi
Lemieux - Kupari - Moore

And you still need to find room for Turcotte and JAD and Akili Thomas.

If I was Blake, I'd have TMac let AA fatten those stats up large between now and the deadline.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
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This.

It’s not hard to read the tea leaves here.

I do agree that he hasn’t been placed in a position to succeed. LA has been patient with him all being said but I am interested to see where he slots back in the lineup.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
Click to expand...

It's really mind boggling to me and maybe I just don't get it. Last year he struggled at times, but he also showed really great things. His first call up, he looked really good. This year he looked great in preseason and it feels like the 'uncertainly' issue really picked up steam after his 7 games this year.

And in those 7 games, he looked really frustrated; a young player 'gripping his stick to tight' kind of thing. And in fairness the whole team sucked in that stretch.

After all he's been through with injury and with all the flashes he's shown of why he was highly touted in the span of less than a full NHL season, it's strange to see this kind of stuff being written. But as you said, these guys are connected, so who knows.
 
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TruKingFan said:
GV has proven he can play in the NHL. If his back issues are totally a thing of the past, and mentally he wants to give 100% to succeed he can develop to be a top-6 forward for any team in the league. If Kings have to play him as a winger and GV embraces that - I'm with RJ - he has to be given the right players to have the best chance for success. Otherwise, he can be flipped for a young up and coming also RFA SAH dman in the summer.
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Last I heard he is still doing special exercises\treatment before and after games for it. That was last year I believe. Purely speculative on my part, and maybe the reason the organization is stubborn on trying him full time on wing is that they feel at center he has a better chance of having a career then playing in the corners as a winger and potentially getting his back messed up. I would think it is not the case but who knows what is really going on.

I noticed he is very tentative on physical plays, it also comes off looking lazy. Kinda think he mentally still has the issue in his head or is it still something that is being dealt with? Regardless, and I said this last year too, his body language doesn't seem right, no smiles, no energy, even after he scores. Not the same vibe as what we saw in his first year AHL\NHL stint. All the skills you want in a top 6 though, hope he puts it together.
 
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Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
Click to expand...
The only reason why I see LA not playing him at wing is because if GV plays like crap, then the org has lost and made a grave error with Vilardi. They don't wanna admit defeat. I'd say, put him on the wing and see how he does or send him back down. It's too early to give up on him. I still think he could be a force to be reckoned with. Play the kid at wing. Trade him if he's a bust.
 
I don't think the situation is that complicated.

He doesn't have much trade value, so no real point in moving him.

He's been passed on the depth chart by other players.

Just put him in Ontario. If he develops great, if he doesn't then he's just another prospect that didn't pan out. No big deal. Most of them don't.
 
It's really simple, there is an embarrassment of riches here, all within the same age range. Not everyone is going to stay with the Kings. Vilardi was the first one up, and due to the amount and quality of players literally right behind him, he has to take advantage of his opportunity and claim his spot.

He hasn't. And because of the queue breathing down his neck he won't have the time to ease into a spot being held for him. He has to show a willingness and ability to work on the flaws that have kept him from establishing himself as a NHler, and that probably needs to happen in Ontario.

Nobody is being rushed or ruined, its just the state of affairs when you have more quality than spots.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Reading through some of the most recent Athletic stuff particularly Dillman kind of confirms my thoughts, most of them don't imagine Vilardi on the roster next year and they don't seem interested in trying him at wing, so...I'm just gonna stop talking about him and prepare for the org to make a huge mistake, getting a shit return and watching him put up 60 points elsewhere.

Yeah that's not the org talking at all but the most well connected folks are usually pretty good at taking the general temperature.
Click to expand...

Was pretty bummed reading that too and I'm not sure I understand it. At age 21, Vilardi put up 10 goals and 23 points in 54 games on a bad Kings team. At the same age, Kempe put up 16 goals and 37 points in 81 games (in 17-18, his best season to date). Projecting Vilardi's stats out to a full season, you get 15 goals and 35 points.

If we're giving up on Vilardi after 7 games this season, I don't know what to say. In Kempe's first 10 games in 18-19, he scored 1 goal, no assists, was a -2, had 18 penalty minues, and averaged 12:54. Vilardi through seven games has 1 goal, no assists, a -5, 2 penalty minutes, and is averaging 12:58.

Similar to Kempe, Vilardi probably isn't going to be a center in the NHL. And like Kempe, he deserves a chance to play wing. Vilardi's career faceoff percentage is actually 6% higher than Kempe's. Vilardi has a higher career points per game than Kempe, too!

They're obviously different players, and they will ultimately play very different roles on their respective lines, but I just can't help but think we're making a mistake here.
 
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I think our most likely prospect to be trade is Jad Hes already prove he can be a bottom 6 center. He has 2nd line upside imo Unless we get rid of LIzzotte hes stuck in the ahl
 
kilowatt said:
Was pretty bummed reading that too and I'm not sure I understand it. At age 21, Vilardi put up 10 goals and 23 points in 54 games on a bad Kings team. At the same age, Kempe put up 16 goals and 37 points in 81 games (in 17-18, his best season to date). Projecting Vilardi's stats out to a full season, you get 15 goals and 35 points.

If we're giving up on Vilardi after 7 games this season, I don't know what to say. In Kempe's first 10 games in 18-19, he scored 1 goal, no assists, was a -2, had 18 penalty minues, and averaged 12:54. Vilardi through seven games has 1 goal, no assists, a -5, 2 penalty minutes, and is averaging 12:58.

Similar to Kempe, Vilardi probably isn't going to be a center in the NHL. And like Kempe, he deserves a chance to play wing. Vilardi's career faceoff percentage is actually 6% higher than Kempe's. Vilardi has a higher career points per game than Kempe, too!

They're obviously different players, and they will ultimately play very different roles on their respective lines, but I just can't help but think we're making a mistake here.
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Vilardi has gotten worse every season.

There may be something we don't know.

If he was showing improvement / development the situation would be different. But he's not.
 
So I just listened to Hoven's podcast and they touched on Vilardi.

Basically he feels (and I'm sure his opinion is influenced by people he talks with in the org) that the best thing for Vilardi and the Kings is to do a stint in the AHL. This isn't just based on Vilardi but also roster implications as well.

He also talked about Vilardi on the wing as an option.
 
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I'm fine with giving Vilardi a few games in Ontario to get his confidence back up. Ontario is good this year so he's not going to a tire fire. Just get his legs back under him and build him back up. We probably put too much pressure on him last year and we need to ease him back in. I still firmly believe he's the most talented prospect that we have and I don't want to toss him aside when he's not producing all at once.
 
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