LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

[Herby]

Frankly, I think this team is absolutely and thoroughly screwed for the next several years regardless of what they do. Too many bad veteran players on long expensive deals.

I don’t think the Kings will be ready to compete until PLD’s contract in particular is off the books.

This is the most devastating part about what Blake has done with this team, there is very little to look forward to for the future, and that is what happens when you fail spectacularly at building a championship roster around players in their mid 30's. You can't do it without trading youth and 1st rounders for quick fixes, and the long-term results are bad. It's fine if you have a SC banner or even a couple of deep runs , but to make all these quick-fix trades and not even have a playoff series win, it truly does make Blake the worst GM in team history.

When Lombardi took over he inherited a plug and play future Hall of Fame center, a future Hall of Fame goaltender with off-the-charts athleticism and compete level and the teams future heart and soul captain, who were all under 22. They needed one home-run pick to finish the core part of it, and they got that in 2008. It's going to take more than one home-run pick, probably 2 or 3 to get a young core that compares to that one, or the ones that have won championships around the league in places like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Tampa and Colorado. There are going to be no Kopitar, Quick or Doughty type players when the new GM (God willing) takes over this summer.

I think the best we can hope for is Fiala (28) is traded (for much less than we gave up), Danault (31) is flipped to a contender, Kempe's (28) contract will make him very valuable, Moore (29) coming off a career year and a great contract would bring in something good. Gavrikov (28) with one year left is another one. Doughty turns 35 this year and the ball will be in his court on whether he wants to leave or not, the Kings would certainly have to retain because DD isn't a $11m a year guy anymore, but it won't matter a ton since the Kings won't be a cap team for probably 4-5 years at the soonest. None of these guys ages fits in with a rebuild and their values will never be higher than they will be this summer.

For those of you who wanted a younger lineup next season, I expect you will get your wish. Young players complimented by solid citizen older and cheaper veterans signed for 1-3 years who will be a good presence in the room but won't prevent the team from finishing in the bottom 5 of the league next season. Next season should be a lot like 2006-2007 was, for anyone who was around then.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I’m as negative as the next but let’s not forget Byfield, Spence, Clarke and Portillo.

That’s four solid players right there to build around. Add in Turcotte and Helenius also.

Kings do need a dynamic winger in the system - all we have is Fagemo and Chromiak.

 

[chris kontos]

Hockey siberia joke by history
Lombardi and becoming respectable
Champions!
Blake and luc nhl siberia once again

 

[Sol]

I’m as negative as the next but let’s not forget Byfield, Spence, Clarke and Portillo.

That’s four solid players right there to build around. Add in Turcotte and Helenius also.

Kings do need a dynamic winger in the system - all we have is Fagemo and Chromiak.

Really… Portillo..

 

[SimpleJack]

From what I’m reading it seems many Kings fans think that toughness/physical presence is needed. That the team is too “soft”, and that’s why this slump has snowballed seemingly out of control…

Now that very well could be, and I don’t watch enough Kings games to know….but IMO just looking at the lineups/line combos it seems what’s missing is top-end scoring firepower. I think the LAK goal scoring #s over the past month or so back this up. The offense has almost completely disappeared, from what was one of the leagues highest scoring teams early on.

You’ve got the Dubois situation getting most of the attention deservedly so…..but I think you’ve also got a problem with Kopitar/Kempe/Byfield slowing down quite a bit(and being broken up as I believe I saw Byfield was centering his own line the other night??), Fiala not necessarily scoring enough goals as you’d hope, and an overall lack of scoring punch in the top 6. A line anchored by Moore/Danault is excellent if it’s your 3rd line which I believe was the initial idea when Dubois was acquired. But they’ve been pretty much your 2nd scoring line….and that’s not good enough.

Look at the top end firepower on teams like COL, EDM, and VGK….there’s a noticeable gap between those teams and what the Kings have in their top 6. And that is at least IMO why the Kings have struggled. I actually like the depth pieces on the roster. Maybe could use another depth defenseman. But none of it will matter unless Dubois can realize his potential and/or the team can upgrade its top 6 somehow.

 

[Sol]

Frankly, I think this team is absolutely and thoroughly screwed for the next several years regardless of what they do. Too many bad veteran players on long expensive deals.

I don’t think the Kings will be ready to compete until PLD’s contract in particular is off the books.

What I envision what will happen is once Kopitar and Doughty are done, and the Kings start becoming a lottery team again, they will sell Byfield and Clarke for high firsts. So in the next 7-8 years the Kings will be a good team again.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Really… Portillo..

I've got a tighter five hole than him.

 

[BaileyFan]

This is the most devastating part about what Blake has done with this team, there is very little to look forward to for the future, and that is what happens when you fail spectacularly at building a championship roster around players in their mid 30's. You can't do it without trading youth and 1st rounders for quick fixes, and the long-term results are bad. It's fine if you have a SC banner or even a couple of deep runs , but to make all these quick-fix trades and not even have a playoff series win, it truly does make Blake the worst GM in team history.

When Lombardi took over he inherited a plug and play future Hall of Fame center, a future Hall of Fame goaltender with off-the-charts athleticism and compete level and the teams future heart and soul captain, who were all under 22. They needed one home-run pick to finish the core part of it, and they got that in 2008. It's going to take more than one home-run pick, probably 2 or 3 to get a young core that compares to that one, or the ones that have won championships around the league in places like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Tampa and Colorado.

There are going to be no Kopitar, Quick or Doughty type players when the new GM (God willing) takes over this summer. I think the best we can hope for is Fiala (28) is traded (for much less than we gave up), Danault (31) is flipped to a contender, Kempe's (28) contract will make him very valuable, Moore (29) coming off a career year and a great contract would bring in something good. Gavrikov (28) with one year left is another one. Doughty turns 35 this year and the ball will be in his court on whether he wants to leave or not, the Kings would certainly have to retain because DD isn't a $11m a year guy anymore, but it won't matter a ton since the Kings won't be a cap team for probably 4-5 years at the soonest. None of these guys ages fits in with a rebuild and their values will never be higher than they will be this summer.

For those of you who wanted a younger lineup next season, I expect you will get your wish. Young players complimented by solid citizen older and cheaper veterans signed for 1-3 years who will be a good presence in the room but won't prevent the team from finishing in the bottom 5 of the league next season. Next season should be a lot like 2006-2007 was, for anyone who was around then.

This is what should happen but I doubt AEG pays enough attention or cares enough about the Kings to go into another rebuild when the team as constructed is good enough to be a bubble team and get that playoff gate.

In our timeline, I expect they’ll turn this season around enough to sneak into a wildcard. It’ll be another quick exit but Luc will spin some BS about how they “righted the ship” and if they had just a little more consistency and didn’t run into a bad first round draw then they’d have done some damage.

This summer, Blake will overpay to resign Roy then trade Spence if he hasn’t already. We’ll see a return of the 4th line being a hodgepodge of whichever prospects happened to age out of waiver exemptions. The rest of the roster will remain more or less the same. Luc and Blake both declare that the 2024-25 Kings are contenders.

 

[Herby]

I’m as negative as the next but let’s not forget Byfield, Spence, Clarke and Portillo.

That’s four solid players right there to build around. Add in Turcotte and Helenius also.

Kings do need a dynamic winger in the system - all we have is Fagemo and Chromiak.

This is what I said.

There are going to be no Kopitar, Quick or Doughty type players when the new GM (God willing) takes over this summer.

You really think any of those players compare to the players mentioned?

Portillo, Turcotte and Helenius as players to build around? Come on man, those are two 4th liners and a backup goaltender on a championship team.

Fagemo and Chromiak?

You need superstar players to win championships, all but one team to win in a cap league has had at least a couple of them. Our Kings had three of them, Chicago had three, Pittsburgh had three, Tampa has maybe even more, Colorado ditto.

The Kings have some secondary pieces, Byfield could be a Patrick Sharp caliber player on a contender, Clarke could be a Seabrooke (Both not in style but of organizational value), I just don't see a Doughty game-changer.

We really needed to be picking in the Top 5 in last years and this years draft.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I’m as negative as the next but let’s not forget Byfield, Spence, Clarke and Portillo.

That’s four solid players right there to build around. Add in Turcotte and Helenius also.

Kings do need a dynamic winger in the system - all we have is Fagemo and Chromiak.

The development of all of these players has been so bungled it’s difficult to tell what we have.

Moreover, even if we luck out and Byfield and Clarke both become #1 C and D, our cap situation is torched for the next three years bare minimum with Kopitar, Fiala, Doughty, and PLD taking up $30+ million in space.

Call me a negative Nancy, but I don’t see much to look forward to for the next half decade. I said that at the end of 2019 when it was obvious Blake had no vision nor clue, and I’m saying it again now.

It would take:

- a total overhaul to hockey ops, with Luc, Blake, Bergevin, and everyone else in their inner circle fired
- a new GM with a clear vision and the savvy to execute it
- getting out from under the PLD contract scot free
- finding some hidden gem prospect buried in the later rounds, ala Quick

If all of those things don’t happen SOON, I don’t see this team seriously contending for a championship until 2030 at the absolute earliest.

 

[Sol]

Kings really need dynamic players. The player with that ceiling is Clarke, but I don’t think he’s even that dynamic considering his subpar skating and Byfield might top out at Jeff Carter is the highest ceiling he has IMO and he might not even reach it.

Once Kopitar and Doughty are done the Kings need to trade Byfield and Clarke for high first round picks and go heavy into a rebuild. They’re not going to get anywhere worth while with Byfield and Clarke imo. They need Kopitar Doughty caliber players and they are far from it.

 

[chris kontos]

I’m as negative as the next but let’s not forget Byfield, Spence, Clarke and Portillo.

That’s four solid players right there to build around. Add in Turcotte and Helenius also.

Kings do need a dynamic winger in the system - all we have is Fagemo and Chromiak.

WE HAVE A GD DYNAMIC WINGER IN THE PRESS BOX and they wont deploy him correctly
20goals+ byhistory. And he doesnt fit into todds stone age trap popularity contest

 

[Herby]

Look at the top end firepower on teams like COL, EDM, and VGK….there’s a noticeable gap between those teams and what the Kings have in their top 6. And that is at least IMO why the Kings have struggled. I actually like the depth pieces on the roster. Maybe could use another depth defenseman. But none of it will matter unless Dubois can realize his potential and/or the team can upgrade its top 6 somehow.

Yup, the Kings lack high-end talent because they haven't been able to draft enough high-end talent. Mostly because the GM ended the process of accumulating those types of players to foolishly try and chase a championship in a way that has never been tried. I'm not even talking about superstar guys to build around like Kopitar and Doughty were, I'm talking about just first line forwards and first pairing defenders.

Kings really need dynamic players. The player with that ceiling is Clarke, but I don’t think he’s even that dynamic considering his subpar skating and Byfield might top out at Jeff Carter is the highest ceiling he has IMO and he might not even reach it.

Once Kopitar and Doughty are done the Kings need to trade Byfield and Clarke for high first round picks and go heavy into a rebuild. They’re not going to get anywhere worth while with Byfield and Clarke imo. They need Kopitar Doughty caliber players and they are far from it.

People were saying this in 2021 as many others were cheering on the one-way trip the black hole that the Danault and Arvidsson deals ushered in which were further compounded by other deals.

Keeping Faber would have given you two #1 caliber defenseman with complimentary styles.
Drafting near the top of the draft in 22, 23, 24 probably would have given us some dynamic talent.

But there wasn't enough patience from anybody in hockey ops to do a proper rebuild.

 

[AbsentMojo]

From what I’m reading it seems many Kings fans think that toughness/physical presence is needed. That the team is too “soft”, and that’s why this slump has snowballed seemingly out of control…

Now that very well could be, and I don’t watch enough Kings games to know….but IMO just looking at the lineups/line combos it seems what’s missing is top-end scoring firepower. I think the LAK goal scoring #s over the past month or so back this up. The offense has almost completely disappeared, from what was one of the leagues highest scoring teams early on.

You’ve got the Dubois situation getting most of the attention deservedly so…..but I think you’ve also got a problem with Kopitar/Kempe/Byfield slowing down quite a bit(and being broken up as I believe I saw Byfield was centering his own line the other night??), Fiala not necessarily scoring enough goals as you’d hope, and an overall lack of scoring punch in the top 6. A line anchored by Moore/Danault is excellent if it’s your 3rd line which I believe was the initial idea when Dubois was acquired. But they’ve been pretty much your 2nd scoring line….and that’s not good enough.

Look at the top end firepower on teams like COL, EDM, and VGK….there’s a noticeable gap between those teams and what the Kings have in their top 6. And that is at least IMO why the Kings have struggled. I actually like the depth pieces on the roster. Maybe could use another depth defenseman. But none of it will matter unless Dubois can realize his potential and/or the team can upgrade its top 6 somehow.

There are so many issues with this team its hard to know where to start. I think it comes down to value on contracts. Look at DD 7th highest salary in the league and playing at 2nd pairing level. You have Kopi at 12th highest salary in the league and playing at about 2C probably lower. You have PLD 8.5m contract and playing below 3C. Team top scorer Kempe is 50th in the league. So your diagnosis is pretty good - team lacks top end talent due to the lack of value in its highest paid players. Then you look at how the cap was managed. Blake shot his 23-24 cap on the PLD trade which left 4.5m to sign 1G, 2G and 3LD. Those weak spots are starting to show themselves. None of the top 4 D are creative offensively. The 4th line has 1 checker on it. The team does not have the ability to change momentum with the body... there are basically no guys that score and hit and the afformentioned 4th line is more an energy line.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

WE HAVE A GD DYNAMIC WINGER IN THE PRESS BOX and they wont deploy him correctly
20goals+ byhistory. And he doesnt fit into todds stone age trap popularity contest

Kaliyev is not a f***ing dynamic winger by any stretch of the imagination

 

[LAKings88]

From what I’m reading it seems many Kings fans think that toughness/physical presence is needed. That the team is too “soft”, and that’s why this slump has snowballed seemingly out of control…

Now that very well could be, and I don’t watch enough Kings games to know….but IMO just looking at the lineups/line combos it seems what’s missing is top-end scoring firepower. I think the LAK goal scoring #s over the past month or so back this up. The offense has almost completely disappeared, from what was one of the leagues highest scoring teams early on.

You’ve got the Dubois situation getting most of the attention deservedly so…..but I think you’ve also got a problem with Kopitar/Kempe/Byfield slowing down quite a bit(and being broken up as I believe I saw Byfield was centering his own line the other night??), Fiala not necessarily scoring enough goals as you’d hope, and an overall lack of scoring punch in the top 6. A line anchored by Moore/Danault is excellent if it’s your 3rd line which I believe was the initial idea when Dubois was acquired. But they’ve been pretty much your 2nd scoring line….and that’s not good enough.

Look at the top end firepower on teams like COL, EDM, and VGK….there’s a noticeable gap between those teams and what the Kings have in their top 6. And that is at least IMO why the Kings have struggled. I actually like the depth pieces on the roster. Maybe could use another depth defenseman. But none of it will matter unless Dubois can realize his potential and/or the team can upgrade its top 6 somehow.

Kings can’t compete with the top echelon teams that have 100 point game breakers. Not a cup team.

 

[Mooselum]

I think Byfield and Clarke have the ability to outperform Kopitar/Doughty in terms of points/game breaking as individuals based on their skillsets. Unfortunately, I think this system / lineup management is held back by catering to the skillset of a select few vets.

Kopitar benefits from this trap system, though I'd argue no one else does.

If you sign Dubois for that kind of money, he should probably be playing 1C/2C for an extended period of time and be given the tools to succeed - altering the style of game that we play.

Management created a weird situation where they won't let the youth take the reigns and develop - and don't want the negative implications of moving Kopitar down the lineup for legacy (which I get). He has earned the top line, but this MUST come at the expense of others. Similar frustration with Turc. I don't need him to get reps in the NHL just for the sake of it, I need him to get reps of his eventual (hopefully) role (top 9 WITH some offensive talent).

Is anyone really trying to say that if Dubois was planted on the top line, he wouldn't at least match Kopitar's offensive numbers? I find it hard to believe that Kopitar would succeed if the situation were reversed - and that isn't a knock on him.

55/80/9 would be such a fun forechecking/banging line. 22/80/12 such a fun protection line. One day, maybe.

If you couldn't tell, I'm hoping for a drastic coaching change.

GKG!

 

[Nasti]

I agree with the idea that the team probably won’t contend again for a long time, but I don’t see how Byfield is still being underrated by some of you. Will he be a HOF center? Who knows? But man, you guys are underselling his progress.

 

[AbsentMojo]

I agree with the idea that the team probably won’t contend again for a long time, but I don’t see how Byfield is still being underrated by some of you. Will he be a HOF center? Who knows? But man, you guys are underselling his progress.

I agree. He keeps taking steps. For example, he was really physical vs Buffalo rag-dolled Tuch in the corner showed how strong he was... and he mixes it up in the scrums. Thats a dimension Kopi doesnt have and bodes well for QB in the future as a leader. I think he has 1C upside for sure.

 

[Nasti]

I agree. He keeps taking steps. For example, he was really physical vs Buffalo rag-dolled Tuch in the corner showed how strong he was... and he mixes it up in the scrums. Thats a dimension Kopi doesnt have and bodes well for QB in the future as a leader. I think he has 1C upside for sure.

What is overlooked too is that Kopitar’s coach in his first two seasons was Marc Crawford and his all out offensive approach. The better measure is how Byfield is doing compared with the rest of the forward group and I don’t think there can be any denying that he’s consistently been the best forward on the team this year. At age 21.

 

[AbsentMojo]

What is overlooked too is that Kopitar’s coach in his first two seasons was Marc Crawford and his all out offensive approach. The better measure is how Byfield is doing compared with the rest of the forward group and I don’t think there can be any denying that he’s consistently been the best forward on the team this year. At age 21.

He has been the best forward. He wins most 50/50 puck battles. He carries the puck with authority thru the neutral zone - something he could barely do last season. His d-zone hygiene is almost perfect - where last year it was so so. He seems a step faster this season also. I was calling him a passenger and too deferential even at the beginning of this season... but after a couple of weeks it was blatantly obvious his balls had dropped. I think they should move him to center and let him grow into the 2C.. esp since PLD is clearly a disaster.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Kings can’t compete with the top echelon teams that have 100 point game breakers. Not a cup team.

This is something that no one in the entire franchise has seemed willing to accept.

The Kings do not have a 100pt nuke to double shift when they need a goal. Kopitar and Doughty are far past their prime.

The team’s strength these last couple of years was their depth. And Blake gutted that because he’s f***ing clueless.

 

[kilowatt]

I think Byfield and Clarke have the ability to outperform Kopitar/Doughty in terms of points/game breaking as individuals based on their skillsets. Unfortunately, I think this system / lineup management is held back by catering to the skillset of a select few vets.

Kopitar benefits from this trap system, though I'd argue no one else does.

If you sign Dubois for that kind of money, he should probably be playing 1C/2C for an extended period of time and be given the tools to succeed - altering the style of game that we play.

Management created a weird situation where they won't let the youth take the reigns and develop - and don't want the negative implications of moving Kopitar down the lineup for legacy (which I get). He has earned the top line, but this MUST come at the expense of others. Similar frustration with Turc. I don't need him to get reps in the NHL just for the sake of it, I need him to get reps of his eventual (hopefully) role (top 9 WITH some offensive talent).

Is anyone really trying to say that if Dubois was planted on the top line, he wouldn't at least match Kopitar's offensive numbers? I find it hard to believe that Kopitar would succeed if the situation were reversed - and that isn't a knock on him.

55/80/9 would be such a fun forechecking/banging line. 22/80/12 such a fun protection line. One day, maybe.

If you couldn't tell, I'm hoping for a drastic coaching change.

GKG!

Byfield and Clarke might outperform Kopitar and Doughty today, but can they outperform Kopitar and Doughty from 2012? Because that's what it takes to win. I would feel a lot better about this team if they had Faber right now, an all-situations 1D. He's basically what Doughty was in 2010. I'm not sure Clarke has that defensive prowess. That's not to say that Byfield and Clarke aren't going to become 1C and 1D guys soon, though.

For once, I'm excited to see Dom's worst contracts in the league. We might actually deserve the top spot this year! And we might have a couple in the top 10 to boot.

 

[Telos]

Even if there is a regime change, I can't imagine ownership would greenlight a scorched earth rebuild. Moves will be made, but I think they would be more conservative than most imagine which adds a little bit to the bleakness of the franchise future outside of huge developments and steps forward amongst the players themselves.

 

[Johnny Utah]

A lot of media and former players are saying that the chemistry has been ruined by adding a slug like PLD and the departure of players like Durzi, Iafallo, etc.