LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

[Mattias]

They are literally in the worst spot imaginable for a team in any sport. Not good enough to be a true contender, not bad enough to get the type of draft picks to get to that level and spending a fortune to do it.

The Kings are basically the Kirk Cousins of NHL teams.

And the tides are going to turn quick. There is as of now a a better than 1/3 chance that Celebrini ends up in either SJ or Anaheim. You add him to Carlsson and MacTavish or to Will Smith (or even to Bedard in Chicago) and you start to see these teams really having the high-end pieces where you can see the end of the tunnel. You know the same type of tunnel LA could have been getting ready to exit this summer had Blake not driven the bus off the rebuild cliff 3 years to soon.

Top 5 2023 pick
Byfield
Faber
Clarke
Top 5 2022 pick
Massive amounts of cap room

Would look pretty nice right now, but "How could Blake have known" right?

Old. Overpaid. Irrelevant. When the stakes get high just seem to pass it for a short play that ends up doing nowhere.

Pretty good description. Could I add that our drafting and development is about Washington level?

 

[johnjm22]

They are literally in the worst spot imaginable for a team in any sport. Not good enough to be a true contender, not bad enough to get the type of draft picks to get to that level and spending a fortune to do it.

AND have a boat anchor contract that's going to handicap the franchise for the rest of decade.

 

[Herby]

AND have a boat anchor contract that's going to handicap the franchise for the rest of decade.

I'm beginning to think more and more that if there is a regime change that he is going to be bought out and the new GM is just going to choose to eat it and not gamble on a return to previous levels.

I thought for awhile that he'd come out of it, but I think more and more this has a chance to be a Mike Richards/Wade Redden situation where there is no coming back, it's the same Richards song and dance where it's a bunch of miserable games, one game where the puck bounces right and people say "Maybe this is the turnaround" and then he returns to a stretch of miserable games.

 

[chris kontos]

Suffers from a chronic, debillitating torn motivator cuff

 

[johnjm22]

I'm beginning to think more and more that if there is a regime change that he is going to be bought out and the new GM is just going to choose to eat it and not gamble on a return to previous levels.

I thought for awhile that he'd come out of it, but I think more and more this has a chance to be a Mike Richards/Wade Redden situation where there is no coming back, it's the same Richards song and dance where it's a bunch of miserable games, one game where the puck bounces right and people say "Maybe this is the turnaround" and then he returns to a stretch of miserable games.

Guys like Mike Richards, Brad Richards, Redden, Gomez, Phaneuf ect. were all in either their late twenties and or early thirties when they fell off. And in the case of Brad and Mike, they had concussions.

PLD is 25 and hasn't had injuries like Richards.

I see PLD as more of a Nikoli Zherdev or Wojtek Wolski . Natural talents, put up some solid offensive numbers, but completely fell off in their prime years. Guys who don't have the motivation or focus needed.

Difference is, usually those type of guys don't get handed big long term contracts.

 

[Maynard]

Akil Thomas will be called up.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Thank god for Thomas.

 

[kingsboy11]

Akil Thomas will be called up.

Deserved and should've been given a look a long time ago

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Congrats on the callup Akil

I'm sure the popcorn is a little better and it might be fun watching 11-7 from the press box instead of playing a key role on your playoff team

 

[Telos]

Glad for Akil, almost surprised he got the callup, was thinking about typing lines I'd like to see without Danault yesterday, but didn't literally because they included Akil (I would move PLD to wing and roll Kopitar-Byfield-Akil down the middle).

He will probably have to sit for dead weight, but it is nice that he finally gets a cup of coffee. He is like a year younger than PLD... Of course, injuries and the AHL haven't been kind to him, but would have been nice for him to get a taste sooner.

 

[Statto]

Turcotte regardless of how bad his injury is needs to go to LTIR to allow for the recall, I think. It then means they can send the two needed players down when Grundström is ready to go.

I hope Akil gets a proper look. He’s earned it.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Deserved and should've been given a look a long time ago

Now is the perfect time because there is only 9 games and less than 30 days left in the season, so he won't have to hit waivers again this year. He'll get his look at NHL life and will still be back in time for the AHL playoffs without worrying he'd be lost to waivers.

 

[Surf Nutz]

I feel that Akil we be inserted into the lineup.

They need more GF and he has been hot.

Remember the only thing your comments have GM'd is your pubic hair...

 

[Omni Owl]

At least Thomas got called up, they BADLY need some juice in this lineup. Losing Danault f***ing sucks. Once again we get bullied around by the Oilers and big surprise, one of our important players gets injured. Just for once, I'd like to see the reverse happen and have someone on our team f*** them up good, preferably one of their top players.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Turcotte regardless of how bad his injury is needs to go to LTIR to allow for the recall, I think. It then means they can send the two needed players down when Grundström is ready to go.

I hope Akil gets a proper look. He’s earned it.

The headline I read was Turcotte was being put on LTIR.

 

[kingsfan28]

And the tides are going to turn quick. There is as of now a a better than 1/3 chance that Celebrini ends up in either SJ or Anaheim. You add him to Carlsson and MacTavish or to Will Smith (or even to Bedard in Chicago) and you start to see these teams really having the high-end pieces where you can see the end of the tunnel. You know the same type of tunnel LA could have been getting ready to exit this summer had Blake not driven the bus off the rebuild cliff 3 years to soon.

Top 5 2023 pick
Byfield
Faber
Clarke
Top 5 2022 pick
Massive amounts of cap room

Would look pretty nice right now, but "How could Blake have known" right?

Not in the standings. I totally get what you're saying, but that would mean they're battling ANA, or Sj for the bottom spot in the west, and quiet possibly not getting a whiff at the playoffs for another 3-4 years, right? Even longer to be full contenders , depending on the other millions things that make one up . I honestly can't see AEG letting the Kings miss the playoffs for possibly 10 straight years.

 

[kingsfan28]

The headline I read was Turcotte was being put on LTIR.

So the Kings pulled a Vegas? He'll be ready for the playoff after seeing medical advice from Dr.Doan.

 

[kingsholygrail]

So the Kings pulled a Vegas? He'll be ready for the playoff after seeing medical advice from Dr.Doan.

Its Turcotte. For all I know he's in an iron lung now.

 

[kingsfan28]

Its Turcotte. For all I know he's in an iron lung now.

Dude needs a Bacta Tank with all his injuries.

 

[Herby]

Not in the standings. I totally get what you're saying, but that would mean they're battling ANA, or Sj for the bottom spot in the west, and quiet possibly not getting a whiff at the playoffs for another 3-4 years, right? Even longer to be full contenders , depending on the other millions things that make one up . I honestly can't see AEG letting the Kings miss the playoffs for possibly 10 straight years.

If AEG wants to torpedo any chance this team has of winning a championship to get 2 of 3 games of home playoff revenue with perennial playoff losses to properly constructed teams, well we are just doomed to eternal failure.

The fact that they let this team bottom out 17 years ago, and it resulted in the most successful era in team history tells me that they don't have that mindset. This is almost surely on Blake and Robitaille and their own insanely poor evaluation of where the team was, and not from any pressure from AEG. Nobody who covers this team, from honest people like Rosen all the way up to the Mayor of Pravda, nobody has ever said such a thing. It's pure messageboard made up non-sense to excuse the GM for horrible decisions, just like "Faber wasn't signing in LA" was.

 

[Trash Panda]

I'm beginning to think more and more that if there is a regime change that he is going to be bought out and the new GM is just going to choose to eat it and not gamble on a return to previous levels.

I thought for awhile that he'd come out of it, but I think more and more this has a chance to be a Mike Richards/Wade Redden situation where there is no coming back, it's the same Richards song and dance where it's a bunch of miserable games, one game where the puck bounces right and people say "Maybe this is the turnaround" and then he returns to a stretch of miserable games.

Except PL’s best game as a king doesn’t hold a candle to the actual impact that Mike f***ing Richards made on an average night (pre-Bolland concussion).

The PL acquisition so far has the potential to be wade redden 2.0, it’s that bad.

 

[kingsfan28]

If AEG wants to torpedo any chance this team has of winning a championship to get 2 of 3 games of home playoff revenue with perennial playoff losses to properly constructed teams, well we are just doomed to eternal failure.

The fact that they let this team bottom out 17 years ago, and it resulted in the most successful era in team history tells me that they don't have that mindset. This is almost surely on Blake and Robitaille and their own insanely poor evaluation of where the team was, and not from any pressure from AEG. Nobody who covers this team, from honest people like Rosen all the way up to the Mayor of Pravda, nobody has ever said such a thing. It's pure messageboard made up non-sense to excuse the GM for horrible decisions, just like "Faber wasn't signing in LA" was.

Dude, that totally made me laugh!
Rosen pretty much called it like he saw it. Miss his stuff compared to Zoolley water down by the numbers reporting.

 

[Schrute farms]

If AEG wants to torpedo any chance this team has of winning a championship to get 2 of 3 games of home playoff revenue with perennial playoff losses to properly constructed teams, well we are just doomed to eternal failure.

"If"? - i feel like that's exactly what has happened over the course of the last 9-24 months. We're now probably past the point of no return unfortunately.

 

[Herby]

"If"? - i feel like that's exactly what has happened over the course of the last 9-24 months. We're now probably past the point of no return unfortunately.

I believe that AEG made a foolish decision to entrust the franchise to two guys (and their cronies) who have no business running an NHL franchise. I don’t believe for a second they are behind the scenes pushing for a return to the turn of the century Kings. Placing the blame on AEG is just another “Faber wouldn’t sign” excuse to absolve Luc, Blake, Emerson and Surf Nutz of the poor job they have done.

All this talk of “it’s a business” to defend the black hole, yet other teams (including the Kings) have properly rebuilt, sacrificing in the short term for a later financial windfall. So why is it so hard to believe AEG would do that again?

 

[bland]

I believe that AEG made a foolish decision to entrust the franchise to two guys (and their cronies) who have no business running an NHL franchise. I don’t believe for a second they are behind the scenes pushing for a return to the turn of the century Kings. Placing the blame on AEG is just another “Faber wouldn’t sign” excuse to absolve Luc, Blake, Emerson and Surf Nutz of the poor job they have done.

All this talk of “it’s a business” to defend the black hole, yet other teams (including the Kings) have properly rebuilt, sacrificing in the short term for a later financial windfall. So why is it so hard to believe AEG would do that again?

The thing that must be considered is that had their plan worked perfectly, the absolute best they could have achieved is STILL mediocrity.

The Fiala/Dubois acquisitions were never going to move any needles even if they outperformed their previous best levels. The problems here aren't going to be corrected by stats. There is a top to bottom overhaul needed that removes ALL of the Cup core so the next generation of Kings can take ownership of the on-ice team. With a small amount of time you can learn what the real problems are and only then do you spend your gathered assets and cap space to fill what you couldn't draft and develop.

Their entire organizational philosophy is overstuffing the cart they put in front of a dead horse.