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LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

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The best wingers on the team are Kempe and Byfield. The third best is Arvidsson.

You can set and forget the Danault line when Arvidsson is in the lineup but Hiller is now back to trying to have to figure it all out.

You can't take Byfield away from PLD since you don't want to screw up signs of life from Dubois. To me, that line looks best with Laf on it but I also understand why he's tried Laf with the Kopitar line.

Lizotte is not the answer at wing and, again, is best used as the bottom line center until you get to the playoffs when it is obvious he can't hang. Until then, he is useful in that role but this team is not a rolling line threat as envisioned if he is the winger on the Kopitar or PLD lines. I actually liked the little bit of Turcotte that we saw with PLD/Byfield last night.

That's not a knock on Lizotte: it just is what it is. As Bland mentioned, it's not the role players fault if/when the best guys aren't the best guys. Two goals in two games, sure, but Fiala has been absolute garbage. Is Trevor Moore a no goals in 11 straight games guy? I wouldn't say that's normal but it's also not normal for him to score on every low percentage short-side snipe either and it felt like that's what was happening with him.

78/11/9
34/24/12
38/80/55
22/46/61

If I have guys on the left that should be on the right, just know the main point is the three guys on the line. Swap them if I have it wrong.

I'd actually be interested in Turcotte on the Kopitar line and keeping Laf with 55/80. Seemed to help Byfield being on that line last year and they could use a puck hound on that line.
 
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BigKing said:
[..]
Lizotte is not the answer at wing and, again, is best used as the bottom line center until you get to the playoffs when it is obvious he can't hang.
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So what good is he if he cant be your starting 4C in the playoffs? Blake seems to have not learned a thing from the cup teams that the second season is completely different and you have to build for it at maybe the detriment of your regular season results. Its why they kept guys like Stoll on the 3rd line when he was scoring like 7 goals in the season. He knew how to win faceoffs and play hard nosed defensive playoff hockey.
 
Wish they would go with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for a few games to get Spence some time (though it looks like he will if Anderson is out). Double-shift Byfield. He's young. He can take it.
 
AbsentMojo said:
So what good is he if he cant be your starting 4C in the playoffs? Blake seems to have not learned a thing from the cup teams that the second season is completely different and you have to build for it at maybe the detriment of your regular season results. Its why they kept guys like Stoll on the 3rd line when he was scoring like 7 goals in the season. He knew how to win faceoffs and play hard nosed defensive playoff hockey.
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Well, I've been on the record that Lizotte is not a 4C on a cup contender. He's proven it with his playoff track record so far. It's abysmal.

What good is he? He helped the team win regular season games last season and you have to win a certain amount of those to then fail in the playoffs. He's not a bad player but his size is a major liability when the going gets tough. Great motor though and he busts his ass.

This was discussed at great length last year heading into the playoffs where Bjugstad then proceeded to dominate us and Lizotte was MIA, as predicted.
 
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BigKing said:
Well, I've been on the record that Lizotte is not a 4C on a cup contender. He's proven it with his playoff track record so far. It's abysmal.

What good is he? He helped the team win regular season games last season and you have to win a certain amount of those to then fail in the playoffs. He's not a bad player but his size is a major liability when the going gets tough. Great motor though and he busts his ass.

This was discussed at great length last year heading into the playoffs where Bjugstad then proceeded to dominate us and Lizotte was MIA, as predicted.
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Yep, i wanted to pick up Bjugstadt at the deadline. Re 'what good is he': i dont mean to put him down as a player, im speaking from the GM perspective. Most criticisms of Lizotte indirectly criticisms of Blake. So say he helps you get to the post season.. then you are stuck having to make a move to find someone playoff worthy. Thats why i say what good is he if he doesnt solve your postseason 4C.
 
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AbsentMojo said:
Yep, i wanted to pick up Bjugstadt at the deadline. Re 'what good is he': i dont mean to put him down as a player, im speaking from the GM perspective. Most criticisms of Lizotte indirectly criticisms of Blake. So say he helps you get to the post season.. then you are stuck having to make a move to find someone playoff worthy. Thats why i say what good is he if he doesnt solve your postseason 4C.
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I think we all agree on that

It's very much the criticism right now that moves all have to be made in the lens of 'does this get the team past the first round and/or better in the future' which is why the youth dicking around is stupid as are the things that 'solidify' the wild card spot like Lewis and JAD instead of guys like Turcotte.
 
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Raccoon Jesus said:
I think we all agree on that
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if by 'all' you mean (me you and bigking) yes.. but if you mean the general consensus, I read a lot of Lizotte defenders here.
Raccoon Jesus said:
It's very much the criticism right now that moves all have to be made in the lens of 'does this get the team past the first round and/or better in the future' which is why the youth dicking around is stupid as are the things that 'solidify' the wild card spot like Lewis and JAD instead of guys like Turcotte.
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They draft the kid 5OA and for whatever reasons, without emperical NHL evidence, he is treated as an afterthought.. like you said lower down the pecking order than JAD and Lewis. What was their big fear, that JAD would be claimed on waivers? Makes no sense to me.
 
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regulate said:
3 goals and 0 assists in 6 games leads the entire AHL in scoring since February 2nd (when he was sent down)? Seems unlikely.
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I meant since being reclaimed by LA. He's neck and neck with Stankoven on a points per game basis (who does lead the league in scoring). At that, I was sort of being facetious
 
Bandit said:
Not saying Fagemo doesn’t deserve a look, but Derek Armstrong once won the AHL scoring title.
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I'd love to see this Kings team give a third of the chances Army got in his career to any of Turcotte, Fagemo, Clarke, Moverare, Thomas, Spence or Kaliev.

Also Derek Armstrong had a 0.46 PPG average at the NHL level, and PLD is currently sitting at 0.47 PPG this year. Now that's comedy.

Edit: not you, but people act like Armstrong wasn't a perfectly serviceable NHL player that part of some awful awful Kings teams.
 
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tigermask48 said:
I'd love to see this Kings team give a third of the chances Army got in his career to any of Turcotte, Fagemo, Clarke, Moverare, Thomas, Spence or Kaliev.

Also Derek Armstrong had a 0.46 PPG average at the NHL level, and PLD is currently sitting at 0.47 PPG this year. Now that's comedy.

Edit: not you, but people act like Armstrong wasn't a perfectly serviceable NHL player that part of some awful awful Kings teams.
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Perfectly serviceable but Army got those chances at age 29 after looking like a career AHL'er so there is plenty of time for the Kings to slow cook these guys.

Also says a lot about the quality of the team when looking at his HockeyReference page. Basically nothing, then becomes a regular on the Kings at age 29. Jumps in and immediately gets almost 16 minutes of ice after playing a combined 16 NHL games the previous five seasons while averaging under 10 minutes of ice time.

Joined the Kings the first season they missed the playoffs after making it three straight seasons and his final season was the last time the Kings missed the playoffs for the next five seasons.

When did Army join the broadcast team? This guy might actually be the curse.
 
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