Line Combos: It's Shuffling Time!

[Rusty Batch]

I am all for it, I simply have realistic expectations, cause I watch a lot these guys in Manchester.


It won't surprise me when they fail to produce at the NHL level in their first 50+ games or so.

Neither Vey/Pearson are as skilled as Toffoli.

I will say, Vey/Pearson will add so much needed energy and fresh legs in the lineup though.

I wouldn't be surprised if pearson doesn't produce, because he hasn't looked good for the kings when he has gotten his chances. But ive thought Vey has looked good in his limited time.

More then willing to give those guys another chance to see what they can do.

I like reuniting williams and kopitar, since williams completely dissapeared once he was removed from kopi's line and Carter didn't improve much by playing with kopi vs richards. So that seems like a positive change as well.

Happy to see toffoli with kopi since those 2 seemed to click in their limited time together and at this point is probably our second best offensive winger.

All in all I'm excited to see this lineup, but I do think doughty getting an improved d partner is our biggest hole on the roster.

 

[NiceGuyDrP]

I really don't think contending teams in a horrible slump looking to secure a playoff spot is gonna ice anything but the lineup they think gives them their best chance to win on a given night. Showcasing is for teams in very strong, safe positions or out of the playoffs completely.

Not necessarily... Maybe if it was not very close to the deadline.

But given that showcasing a player for 2 - 3 games (max) could potentially draw a bigger asset from a trade than what could be traded for without showcasing that player..... Then it might actually be in a team's best interest to showcase the player for those games. Especially considering that their opponents in those games (COL, CGY, CAR) are not exactly top tier (minus maybe COL). This is of course assuming that the long-term gain from getting a better asset from a trade is worth more than the sacrifice of putting the showcased player out against weaker teams for 2-3 games.

With that being said, odds are that he doesn't get traded, but I have definitely seen this go the other way all too many times.

 

[CNS]

He stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I'm pretty sure nothing in my post implied that I think that I am an expert.

All I know is that this happens every year right before the trade deadline - impending UFAs or mid to high-tier prospects are showcased on lines they have absolutely no business being on, in order to boost their trade value.

Do you think that it is just a coincidence that a week before the deadline Pearson is slated to play on a line with arguably the best two forwards on the team (minus Richards' recent decline) who have shown chemistry throughout their entire career with almost anybody who is put on their line?

First off, BOTH of you missed the most obvious hockey reference ever:



Second, I think this is very clear - Dean wants to see what he has to work with. Maybe the kids are ready after tastes earlier in the year. If Pearson is ready and can be effective now, Dean won't necessarily HAVE to go out and spend big on a rental. I can tell you that I don't think Pearson is being traded. I don't have any info behind that, and even if I did, I wouldn't post it here. But the Kings obviously think highly of him. Pure speculation but the only way they move him is for a LWer with term left on their contract who will help the team for years to come, not just this year. And Dean is focused on D. So that won't happen.

 

[NiceGuyDrP]

First off, BOTH of you missed the most obvious hockey reference ever:



Second, I think this is very clear - Dean wants to see what he has to work with. Maybe the kids are ready after tastes earlier in the year. If Pearson is ready and can be effective now, Dean won't necessarily HAVE to go out and spend big on a rental. I can tell you that I don't think Pearson is being traded. I don't have any info behind that, and even if I did, I wouldn't post it here. But the Kings obviously think highly of him. Pure speculation but the only way they move him is for a LWer with term left on their contract who will help the team for years to come, not just this year. And Dean is focused on D. So that won't happen.

HA! As funny as this "obvious" reference is, I don't think an obscure media scrum from 2010 is that obvious. But thank you for that - good stuff.