Rumor: KINGS 2018-19 Season - The Luc and Rob Show

[KINGS17]

It's crazy how for some it does not matter. there is a guy on my hockey team who is high as a kite every game and he plays way better than me sober. I wish I was as good sober as he is high

When you are getting paid $11M a season, preparation matters.

 

[KINGS17]

He’s playing close to 30 minutes a night and is among the ice time leaders every year.

Maybe he should spend more time in the gym like Zach Bogosian does.

There is no question Doughty can chew the minutes and is a great defenseman. Is he reaching his full potential?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

There is no question Doughty can chew the minutes and is a great defenseman. Is he reaching his full potential?

Is anyone on the team reaching their full potential, aside from Kovalchuk?

 

[KINGS17]

Is anyone on the team reaching their full potential, aside from Kovalchuk?

Does that excuse the highest paid player on the roster? Kopitar is also having a fantastic season, right?

When are the players going to be accountable?

Outside of Brown and Quick, Kovalchuk seems to have the most in terms of leadership attributes on this club, and he has only been with the organization a short time. It's easy to see Kovalchuk cares about his performance.

 

[Fishhead]

https://www.tsn.ca/dreger-penguins-f-sprong-on-trade-block-1.1206249

Not sure what the Pens would part with that matches a Kings need. Sprong isn't going to get a roster guy. If the Kings move Muzzin, they are going to want something like Guentzel or Oleksiak in return. I can't see a really good fit. Maybe something around Pearson/Sheahan? They are both struggling but I don't know if I would do that.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He’s playing close to 30 minutes a night and is among the ice time leaders every year.

Maybe he should spend more time in the gym like Zach Bogosian does.

I stopped being concerned about Doughty's level of fitness when I saw him playing 30 minutes a game for nearly a decade while only missing a handful.

Might end up being one of the most understatedly legendary things about his career, while people moan about his point totals, they'll ignore that he's arguably the best defensive d-man in the league for half the game and he's played 98% of his possible regular season games (770 of 786) while banging around and being a target.

But yeah, if only he could be more fit and hit his potential like Bogo.

 

[Little Psycho]

Doughty knows at this point in his career what he needs to work on before training camp. I can't really judge him since he's been playing 25-30 minutes the last few years and doesn't look like it has slowed him down. He's not a fitness buff whatsoever which is pretty amazing seeing the amount of minutes he has played over the years. Keep doing you.

 

[King'sPawn]

Doughty's lack of production isn't from lack of fitness. It's decision making and telegraphing EVERY. SINGLE. SLAPSHOT.

 

[KINGS17]

Fatigue can lead to bad decisions at times. Doughty is obviously a great player. I am old enough to have seen Bobby Orr make end to end rushes two or three times a game. Doughty has this kind of talent. I have to wonder at times if his talent would be enough to make him one of the all-time greats if he was in a little better shape. I don't think Doughty ranks up there with the all-time greats at this time. When I see him do this, I want more of it.

 

[deeshamrock]

Not sure what the Pens would part with that matches a Kings need. Sprong isn't going to get a roster guy. If the Kings move Muzzin, they are going to want something like Guentzel or Oleksiak in return. I can't see a really good fit. Maybe something around Pearson/Sheahan? They are both struggling but I don't know if I would do that.

I think it would be a good match for both teams, Kings have a d to trade and Pens have a few forwards , including Kessel. He says in the interview below, Sprong has not worked out as they hoped. On the other hand, he's played less than 40 games in the NHL and not in the top 6 for the most part. Maybe he's one of those players who need to be in the bright lights (top 6) to shine. Or maybe he's really a bottom line player.

So the Pens dropped their 5th straight last night and are giving up over 3 goals a game (they do miss Justin Schultz)

So Rutherford did a radio interview , where he addressed the teams deficiencies. . He is not one to sit long and I'm guessing is looking to make changes. He did say internally first but not ruling out a trade .

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford rips team, says roster changes may be coming
. Kessel was on the block over the summer, he might be going.
But given Rutherford's history, I don't think he'll wait too much longer. He did bring up a couple kids, and I guess he'll see how that works out.
They do need better secondary scoring. Malkin and Crosby carrying too much of the load.
Also , Murray's been brutal at times.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Fatigue can lead to bad decisions at times. Doughty is obviously a great player. I am old enough to have seen Bobby Orr make end to end rushes two or three times a game. Doughty has this kind of talent. I have to wonder at times if his talent would be enough to make him one of the all-time greats if he was in a little better shape. I don't think Doughty ranks up there with the all-time greats at this time. When I see him do this, I want more of it.

No one is going to see that anymore though if they want a guy to be an all around d-man...not without restricting minutes anyway. Erik Karlsson has the same issue. You dump minutes and all-around situations in Doughty and it's going to stifle his offensive ceiling, just like rolling Kopitar out on the PK and hard defensive minutes year in and year out. It maximizes their skillsets to be sure. In this era, where the 4th liners can skate with anyone, you're not going to see an Orr playing half the game like that.

I mean I get what you're saying and you want to milk every last bit of potential out of the guy oozing talent and natural athleticism. And we've seen him get tired and conserve energy, even making mistakes, never mind lessening his aggressive plays. I just think that even if he were the fittest guy in the NHL that if you want him to play like Ghost or Burns or some other similar dynamic offensive guy you're going to need to soften his minutes because NO ONE is playing 30 min a game like that.

 

[regulate]

When you are getting paid $11M a season, preparation matters.

I'm sure Drew appreciates the $3.35 million dollar raise you just gave him.

 

[BigKing]

I'm sure Drew appreciates the $3.35 million dollar raise you just gave him.

So we should expect an improvement in his fitness next season then, once he starts making more?

 

[KINGS17]

No one is going to see that anymore though if they want a guy to be an all around d-man...not without restricting minutes anyway. Erik Karlsson has the same issue. You dump minutes and all-around situations in Doughty and it's going to stifle his offensive ceiling, just like rolling Kopitar out on the PK and hard defensive minutes year in and year out. It maximizes their skillsets to be sure. In this era, where the 4th liners can skate with anyone, you're not going to see an Orr playing half the game like that.

I mean I get what you're saying and you want to milk every last bit of potential out of the guy oozing talent and natural athleticism. And we've seen him get tired and conserve energy, even making mistakes, never mind lessening his aggressive plays. I just think that even if he were the fittest guy in the NHL that if you want him to play like Ghost or Burns or some other similar dynamic offensive guy you're going to need to soften his minutes because NO ONE is playing 30 min a game like that.

Trust me, Bobby Orr was an all-around defenseman. Best player to ever play the game, bar none.

 

[Little Psycho]

They told Kopi and a few other players last season to drop weight. If fitness was an issue they would have talked to him about it.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

I think it would be a good match for both teams, Kings have a d to trade and Pens have a few forwards , including Kessel. He says in the interview below, Sprong has not worked out as they hoped. On the other hand, he's played less than 40 games in the NHL and not in the top 6 for the most part. Maybe he's one of those players who need to be in the bright lights (top 6) to shine. Or maybe he's really a bottom line player.

So the Pens dropped their 5th straight last night and are giving up over 3 goals a game (they do miss Justin Schultz)

So Rutherford did a radio interview , where he addressed the teams deficiencies. . He is not one to sit long and I'm guessing is looking to make changes. He did say internally first but not ruling out a trade .

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford rips team, says roster changes may be coming
. Kessel was on the block over the summer, he might be going.
But given Rutherford's history, I don't think he'll wait too much longer. He did bring up a couple kids, and I guess he'll see how that works out.
They do need better secondary scoring. Malkin and Crosby carrying too much of the load.
Also , Murray's been brutal at times.

Sprong could be interesting. Scored 32 goals in 65 games in the AHL last year, at the age of 20. Not a ton of 30+ goal scorerers in the AHL at 20.
Yes, he may not put up numbers in Pittsburgh in bottom 6. 65 pts in 65 games to lead the team and next 2 scorers had 50 and 45 pts.
I like it when a player does not get points by being on a great line. Would think the Kings would be more interested in a player under 30
that is producing though. Kessel? 6.8 cap hit for 3 yrs after this yr. Not sure how that could work...unless they took Phaneuf back and we retained some!
Plus more than Phaneuf but don't see that happening. Jack Johnson and Phaneuf battling it out to see if either van get to minus -30

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Trust me, Bobby Orr was an all-around defenseman. Best player to ever play the game, bar none.

Not at all my point.

My point was he played in the mid-60s to the mid-70s. I think you'd agree 50 years is a significant amount of difference in eras in both professional hockey and in fitness development.

Deployment and usage is different. The average player is different. The league is different. Systems are different. Goaltending? lol.

No one is Bobby Orr, not even a top-of-his-fitness Doughty. If that's the only guy who you want to compare him to, he's doing pretty good. I'd lean more towards Ray Bourque, maybe Chris Chelios, tier myself.

 

[KINGS17]

Not at all my point.

My point was he played in the mid-60s to the mid-70s. I think you'd agree 50 years is a significant amount of difference in eras in both professional hockey and in fitness development.

Deployment and usage is different. The average player is different. The league is different. Systems are different. Goaltending? lol.

No one is Bobby Orr, not even a top-of-his-fitness Doughty. If that's the only guy who you want to compare him to, he's doing pretty good. I'd lean more towards Ray Bourque, maybe Chris Chelios, tier myself.

Doughty should be a much better players than Chelios ever dreamed of being in my opinion. The raw talent of Doughty is far greater than that of Chelios.

I think Doughty should be able to rush the puck more often, but he doesn't seem to want to do it.

 

[King'sPawn]

Fatigue can lead to bad decisions at times. Doughty is obviously a great player. I am old enough to have seen Bobby Orr make end to end rushes two or three times a game. Doughty has this kind of talent. I have to wonder at times if his talent would be enough to make him one of the all-time greats if he was in a little better shape. I don't think Doughty ranks up there with the all-time greats at this time. When I see him do this, I want more of it.

I agree. However, when a player continuously plays more than anyone else in the league, is the fatigue due to poor fitness or being reasonably fatigued?

 

[AlphaBravo]

I think it would be a good match for both teams, Kings have a d to trade and Pens have a few forwards , including Kessel. He says in the interview below, Sprong has not worked out as they hoped. On the other hand, he's played less than 40 games in the NHL and not in the top 6 for the most part. Maybe he's one of those players who need to be in the bright lights (top 6) to shine. Or maybe he's really a bottom line player.

So the Pens dropped their 5th straight last night and are giving up over 3 goals a game (they do miss Justin Schultz)

So Rutherford did a radio interview , where he addressed the teams deficiencies. . He is not one to sit long and I'm guessing is looking to make changes. He did say internally first but not ruling out a trade .

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford rips team, says roster changes may be coming
. Kessel was on the block over the summer, he might be going.
But given Rutherford's history, I don't think he'll wait too much longer. He did bring up a couple kids, and I guess he'll see how that works out.
They do need better secondary scoring. Malkin and Crosby carrying too much of the load.
Also , Murray's been brutal at times.

A trade involving Muzzin and Kessel makes a lot of sense. Pens need a top 2-3 defenseman, while the Kings need more scoring. As long as the Kings don't give up picks or any of our young players in that trade (like Vilardi, Kempe, Iafallo, Amadio), that deal works for the Kings.

 

[lexlavender]

Doughty should be a much better players than Chelios ever dreamed of being in my opinion. The raw talent of Doughty is far greater than that of Chelios.

I think Doughty should be able to rush the puck more often, but he doesn't seem to want to do it.

Because Doughty started having to babysit instead of babysitting. Can't rush if you have to cover your partner.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's crazy that we're even talking about that scale already, frankly. "Better than Chelios" is a really f***ing good all-around player. We're pretty blessed to have seen prime Doughty and I'm excited for whatever comes next.

 

[KINGS17]

It's crazy that we're even talking about that scale already, frankly. "Better than Chelios" is a really ****ing good all-around player. We're pretty blessed to have seen prime Doughty and I'm excited for whatever comes next.

Don't mistake my intent here, because I agree that Doughty is a great all-around player. I am simply saying if he was in peak physical condition we might see more end-to-end rushes up the ice. I think the guy has the talent to be one of the best of all-time. I think he is falling a bit short of that mark. The difference from being great, and one of the greatest of all time is pretty thin.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I seem to recall Ray Bourque being a bit on the pudgy side as well.

 

[KINGS17]

Kopitar sure is looking like Mats Sundin out there, right?

Sundin Age 28 - 37

1999-00	28	TOR	NHL	73	32	41	73	16	46	20	10	2	7	31	9	1	184	17.4		1473	20:11								AS-5
2000-01	29	TOR	NHL	82	28	46	74	15	76	19	9	0	6	32	13	1	226	12.4		1587	19:21
2001-02	30	TOR	NHL	82	41	39	80	6	94	29	10	2	9	24	14	1	262	15.6		1585	19:20								AS-2,Hart-8
2002-03	31	TOR	NHL	75	37	35	72	1	58	18	16	3	8	20	13	2	223	16.6		1519	20:15								AS-7,Hart-18,Selke-37
2003-04	32	TOR	NHL	81	31	44	75	11	52	19	11	1	10	23	18	3	226	13.7		1609	19:52								AS-2,Byng-31,Hart-12
2005-06	34	TOR	NHL	70	31	47	78	7	58	13	16	2	2	19	26	2	220	14.1		1399	19:59
2006-07	35	TOR	NHL	75	27	49	76	-2	62	20	6	1	3	21	28	0	321	8.4		1535	20:28
2007-08	36	TOR	NHL	74	32	46	78	17	76	21	10	1	4	27	19	0	259	12.4	447	1485	20:04	945	768	55.2	34	33	21	54	Byng-70,Selke-32
2008-09	37	VAN	NHL	41	9	19	28	-5	28	4	5	0	2	10

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Kopitar Age 27 through today

2014-15	27	LAK	NHL	79	16	48	64	-2	10	10	6	0	4	30	18	0	134	11.9	249	1532	19:23	736	674	52.2	45	104	27	47	Byng-3,Selke-3
2015-16	28	LAK	NHL	81	25	49	74	34	16	19	5	1	8	34	13	2	177	14.1	311	1690	20:52	950	826	53.5	65	78	43	45	AS-3,Byng-1,Hart-8,Selke-1
2016-17	29	LAK	NHL	76	12	40	52	-10	28	7	5	0	0	25	14	1	150	8.0	290	1578	20:46	892	801	52.7	59	78	29	37	Byng-26,Selke-15
2017-18	30	LAK	NHL	82	35	57	92	21	20	28	7	0	6	35	20	2	200	17.5	350	1811	22:05	983	833	54.1	64	50	54	70	AS-3,AS-6,Byng-4,Hart-3,Selke-1
2018-19	31	LAK	NHL	14	4	2	6	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	2	0	35	11.4	59	316	22:36	167	143	53.9	11	15	6	15

[TBODY] [/TBODY]