LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

[SettlementRichie10]

If Turcotte and Byfield were living up to their draft pedigree, the Kings wouldn’t have PLD, Danault, and maybe Fiala, too. And a Kopitar extension would’ve been saved for this summer with the Kings having that much leverage at center.

A successful rebuild would’ve seen #2 and #5 overall picks playing in top six center roles this season with Kopitar at 14 minutes a night.

Obviously a lot of butterfly effects, but there’s no doubt that missing so hard on consecutive top five picks dramatically changed the course of this franchise. Dean missed on #4 but hit huge at #2 and retained value on another #5.

 

[David Lunch]

I know it’s not a popular opinion but Doughty has 3 kids and his wife is leaving him. Even if he’s the one that boned the babysitter, that’s a lot of upheaval. I don’t have a lot of hope for 2023-24 being his best year.

Wait, what? Where did you hear that? Or is that a joke I didn’t get?

Edit - oh wow, just googled it, had no idea they were divorcing and that it’s so recent. Very sad to hear for all involved.

 

[King'sPawn]

If Turcotte and Byfield were living up to their draft pedigree, the Kings wouldn’t have PLD, Danault, and maybe Fiala, too. And a Kopitar extension would’ve been saved for this summer with the Kings having that much leverage at center.

A successful rebuild would’ve seen #2 and #5 overall picks playing in top six center roles this season with Kopitar at 14 minutes a night.

Obviously a lot of butterfly effects, but there’s no doubt that missing so hard on consecutive top five picks dramatically changed the course of this franchise. Dean missed on #4 but hit huge at #2 and retained value on another #5.

Eh, if Turcotte and Byfield were treated like actual top-5 picks, maybe they'd be closer to living up to their expectations.

 

[riznat]

Wait, what? Where did you hear that? Or is that a joke I didn’t get?

crazy.. i completley missed this story too but looked it up: NHL Star Drew Doughty’s Wife Files For Divorce After 5 Years Of Marriage

edit: the article doesnt say anything about a babysitter but still, how did I miss this?

 

[kingsboy11]

We definitely have multiple Jack Johnson-Voynov type deals to be made this year. If Laffy can produce he could absolutely make Arvidsson expendable. We already know that Spence and Clarke can step in to replace Roy, albeit not exactly like for like.

I'm less inclined to trade away Roy simply because him and Gavrikov are a really good pairing, but if you could trade Roy and/or Arvidsson to upgrade in goal I think you do it.

Lizotte could be expendable for Turcotte, but not really sure Turcotte is suited for that role. Lizotte is a perfect 4th line center, he's just really small and can get bodied rather easily.

 

[KingsHockey24]

What'd I miss today?

 

[ibleedkings]

As it stands, Laf has already taken his spot on the 3rd line. The chemistry is undeniable with those three. There was none in the preseason with Kaliyev on that line. Game 2 will tell a lot where he lands.

I guess you missed where Todd said Kaliyev won’t lose his spot. That line was fine in the preseason.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

We are booking seats to moon…

 

[kings11]

Honestly…I might be crazier… I’d trade both Kopitar and Doughty for some first round picks if possible. PLD takes Kopitars spot and Clarke/Spence easily fill in Doughtys

But hey yanno vets and country club bullshit

You could get away with trading Doughty but move Kopitar and you might as well sell off all the vets and rebuild again because this team would be an instant lottery team

 

[kingsfan28]

I guess you missed where Todd said Kaliyev won’t lose his spot. That line was fine in the preseason.

I'm pretty sure it was "spot on the team", not his role on that line. Watch parts of the games they played together, nothing was there. Watching AK trying to keep pace going up the ice wasn't pretty.

 

[Trash Panda]

why is everyone putting Dubois as #2C, this dude can't win faceoffs, is overrated af

he'd be best suited as a winger, I'd be more curious to try Byfield at C again

(incoming "there's more to the C position than just winning faceoffs, buddy!")

to which i say, stfu

I think bland was the first to float the possibility of PLD at wing, and I honestly think there is a very good chance of it happening.

Blake has the market cornered on “center-ish” guys, that’s for sure.

 

[ru4reals]

crazy.. i completley missed this story too but looked it up: NHL Star Drew Doughty’s Wife Files For Divorce After 5 Years Of Marriage

edit: the article doesnt say anything about a babysitter but still, how did I miss this?

Damn divorce sucks period especially when kids are involved just awful. Best of luck to Drew.

 

[KingsFan7824]

If Turcotte and Byfield were living up to their draft pedigree, the Kings wouldn’t have PLD, Danault, and maybe Fiala, too. And a Kopitar extension would’ve been saved for this summer with the Kings having that much leverage at center.

A successful rebuild would’ve seen #2 and #5 overall picks playing in top six center roles this season with Kopitar at 14 minutes a night.

Obviously a lot of butterfly effects, but there’s no doubt that missing so hard on consecutive top five picks dramatically changed the course of this franchise. Dean missed on #4 but hit huge at #2 and retained value on another #5.

They had zero intention of rebuilding in a from the complete bottom up rebuild way, and clearly they were never going to play Kopitar 14min a night.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Are the Kings going to re-sign Roy? Should they? If not, he needs to be traded

 

[SettlementRichie10]

They had zero intention of rebuilding in a from the complete bottom up rebuild way, and clearly they were never going to play Kopitar 14min a night.

Clearly and unfortunately.

 

[Herby]

Eh, if Turcotte and Byfield were treated like actual top-5 picks, maybe they'd be closer to living up to their expectations.

The development decisions and deployment have sucked for sure. But neither guy was likely to live up to the draft capital used on them, even with perfect development.

If Byfield were 6’2 he probably goes 5-8 picks later and Turcotte’s offensive shortcomings were apparent right away. The Big10 isn’t a walk in the park, but 17 straight games without a goal? Tough to blame the Kings for that.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Where would the Kings be if they kept Faber and Vilardi?

 

[Brownie to Pancakes]

The time to trade Roy is either during last offseason or sometime well into the season once teams have evaluated their needs and he's got some value built up. Could even be waiting till the deadline. He's not going anywhere for a while guys

 

[jgs]

This team will be an also-ran until they actually become a team. What is the culture here?

Colorado is one season removed from winning the Cup. You saw the entire team immediately respond to stuff they thought was over the line. The Kings see two of their best players get boarded and they do nothing except for Byfield having a little chat.

How many times does this need to happen before they figure it out? The McDavid hit on Anderson last season is the avatar for how far away this team is from being a contender and we just saw more of it last night.

We can argue about every little thing about this team but none of it matters until this is fixed. Unfortunately, I don't see any cavalry coming to change this. It has to come from the players already on this team but the two legends that remain on this team don't subscribe to this type of hockey, even though they enjoyed their greatest success playing on a team that did.

I have stated the same but then I get response like, retaliation only gets you the penalty box or it is not right to fight back just keep playing the game.

 

[King'sPawn]

The development decisions and deployment have sucked for sure. But neither guy was likely to live up to the draft capital used on them, even with perfect development.

If Byfield were 6’2 he probably goes 5-8 picks later and Turcotte’s offensive shortcomings were apparent right away. The Big10 isn’t a walk in the park, but 17 straight games without a goal? Tough to blame the Kings for that.

McLellan pointed out in the latest Behind the Glass epusode just how confident Byfield became when he started playing alongside Kopitar and Kempe.

Imagine giving confidence to an 18 year-old instead of sending him to the minors or making him "earn it" starting at the bottom-six.

Turcotte had a rough college year with injuries and mono. Who knows how he would have been if he stayed in college and focused on bulking up.

I can't reasonably predict how much better they'd be just as you can't reasonably predict how much better they wouldn't be. The point is that there were questionable development moves - they did a rebuild and wanted to slow-boil the prospects, and they declared the rebuild over and brought in other players because their assets acquired from the rebuild wasn't ready.

The players didn't get a chance to live up to their draft pedigree, because management couldn't even wait for its own slow-boil approach to development. No matter how well Byfield and Turcotte turn out to be in the future, that much is clear.

 

[Schmooley]

Where would the Kings be if they kept Faber and Vilardi?

They would have lost game 1 to Colorado. So theyd be 0-1 on the year.

 

[Random Comment]

The development decisions and deployment have sucked for sure. But neither guy was likely to live up to the draft capital used on them, even with perfect development.

If Byfield were 6’2 he probably goes 5-8 picks later and Turcotte’s offensive shortcomings were apparent right away. The Big10 isn’t a walk in the park, but 17 straight games without a goal? Tough to blame the Kings for that.

Sure, and if Tage Thompson were 6”2 he would be a 2nd line centre.

I don’t get fans and their low expectations of Byfield. The tools are there he just needs confidence. I’m expecting 50-60 points from him this season, and I think he does it.

 

[Moses Doughty]

Got it, be interesting to see who they dress on Saturday, I think Spence deserves it more, wonder if they are looking at Turcotte for that 12th F position

That's what I'm also expecting for the game. Turcotte fills into Arvi's spot, Lewis back to Grundstrom/Lizotte. And Spence in for I assume Tobi who is scratched (and Arty as the 13th on suspension).

Yup. It's a paper transaction.

Blake basically "needed" a serious injury to help bail him out of the cap trouble he caused. Hopefully Arvidsson just has a quick recovery, although he'll still be out for at least the next month.

This just reinforces my belief that he needs to be moved for a goalie, can't trust him to be healthy often enough sadly. But agreed on your cap trouble point. Rob and Luc can't manage their way out of a paper bag. Should've just moved Lizotte from the start and let cheaper but bigger player fill the role.

 

[kingsfan28]

Where would the Kings be if they kept Faber and Vilardi?

Probably missed the playoffs both years and be a blackhole team. The Kings would be without a game breaking 60 plus point scorer, a winger/center still figuring it out and a rookie dman who just played his first game. That is if he made the team and wasn't sent to the AHL . The log jam of RHD would only be deeper too.

 

[kilowatt]

There’s an alternate universe in which we traded Doughty and had a defense consisting of Faber, Clarke, and Spence.