LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

[GoldenBearHockey]

You are only basing it of of draft position. Faber was under-drafted, and it was apparent right from the start. Faber was a dominant player for 3 seasons in one of the NHL's best feeder leagues. He was chosen by USA hockey to play in the Olympics, not a best vs. best but still an incredible accomplishment for a player so young. Had it been the old way it used to be when guys aren't drafted out of the NTDP he would gone a lot higher and no way would the Kings have gotten him (and the opposite happens sometimes too, see Turcotte).

Owen Power being able to slide right into the NHL made me pretty confident in thinking Faber was going to be able to do the same, I don't really care where they went in the draft, they were equals on the ice for two seasons in the same league.

Underdrafted, so basically 31 teams passed on him, some twice........no one saw him as good as Power.....not one team....

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

There sure is a lot of stuff said about this player on this forum that just simply isn't true.


Why wasn't it expected he would be this good, this soon?

I think this is where some Kings fans fail to look around the rest of the league and see what guys are doing at a young age, straight from college/junior/europe without any AHL time. Just because its never happening here, doesn't mean it's not happening elsewhere. This guy was a huge star from the moment he stepped on the ice as a freshman, every bit as good as players from the B10 taken much higher in the draft (Power, L Hughes). He was a massive difference maker in the defensive zone and had no potential holes in his game that wouldn't translate to the next level (size or skating specificially). If we saw Quinn Hughes jump right to the NHL and be a star, same with Adam Fox, if we saw Owen Power be this good why was it impossible for Faber to be this good?

Because was a mid 2nd round pick. It is VERY rare that players selected in that range ever end up becoming a top pair defenseman. Let alone at 21 years old.

Adam Fox is an exception to the norm (and a very extreme one at that). Also, Adam Fox also had multiple PPG seasons in college under his belt before making the jump to the NHL (He instantly after being drafted looked like a guy with really high potential). While Faber's defensive game has always been exceptional, he didn't have a ton of offensive upside (and still may not). He had a couple of really good college seasons and was looking like a stud / steal for a 2nd round pick but you still don't expect a 2nd round pick to be a top pair defenseman at 21 years old, period. Can it happen?? Of course. But it's not expected. Hell, even most 1st round picks aren't expected to be top pair D men at 21 years old.

Faber was a dominant player for 3 seasons in one of the NHL's best feeder leagues

And one of these seasons (easily his best season) happened after the Kings traded him. I'm sure if the Kings had seen Faber's D+3 season they would've been a lot more reluctant to trade him. But they had a chance to go get a guy like Fiala and they took it.

If you (and any others) can honestly say you thought Faber was likely going to become a top pairing defenseman at the time he was traded, I'll shut up and give you props.

But in reality, at the time the Kings traded Faber he looked like a good/great prospect who could potentially turn into a good/great top 4 defenseman. Since the trade, he's greatly exceeded expectations. Hell, I'm sure even Wild management would admit that. I was bummed to lose Faber too, and think he's a sick player. But I have a hard time believing anyone who says this was their expectation for Faber 2 years after he was traded.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Oh boy

not even a quarter of the season in and we're f***ing up all the lines to try to get PLD (and Fiala) going. Those acquisitions are looking goooood right now eh

especially since if PLD doesn't go they're going to sacrifice JAD and Kaliyev, not the overpaid underperforming vets.

Well Koala is adjusting for once.. if rumor is true I like the 55 to PP1 and continue keeping PLD and Fiala on different lines.. lets see if PLD being the guy on his line will wake his ass up. We were warned he coasts for stretches.. im just surprised he started off in coast mode on his new team.. that is disappointing as hell. Edit: re JAD - I think its OK to mix. him in though def feel like Laf has more updside.

 

[Herby]

Underdrafted, so basically 31 teams passed on him, some twice........no one saw him as good as Power.....not one team....

Yeah, under-drafted, you think that's not a thing? Are you saying teams don't make mistakes?

Power was drafted out of UM because he was a late birthday. Faber was drafted out of the NTDP, the level of competition that each player played against in their draft year is not even remotely comparable. Sometimes guys at the NTDP look better than they really are, and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle, especially someone who is a defensive stopper like Faber. Had Faber been drafted after his freshman season at Minnesota he would have been drafted significantly higher, probably the top half of the 1st round, so the Kings got lucky in that regard, which made up for the year before where the Kings overdrafted a player who would have gone much lower had he been drafted out of college. Two examples of why the old system was better for everyone.

You act like it's impossible that star players sometimes fall to the 2nd round, and in most of those cases it doesn't take long to see many teams made a mistake. You would agree with that statement when it comes to Sebastien Aho or Alex DeBrincat, why is it impossible in this case?

If they re-did the 2020 draft right now, how many players are going above Faber?

Because was a mid 2nd round pick. It is VERY rare that players selected in that range ever end up becoming a top pair defenseman. Let alone at 21 years old.

Adam Fox is an exception to the norm (and a very extreme one at that). Also, Adam Fox also had multiple PPG seasons in college under his belt before making the jump to the NHL (He instantly after being drafted looked like a guy with really high potential). While Faber's defensive game has always been exceptional, he didn't have a ton of offensive upside (and still may not). He had a couple of really good college seasons and was looking like a stud / steal for a 2nd round pick but you still don't expect a 2nd round pick to be a top pair defenseman at 21 years old, period. Can it happen?? Of course. But it's not expected. Hell, even most 1st round picks aren't expected to be top pair D men at 21 years old.

And one of these seasons (easily his best season) happened after the Kings traded him. I'm sure if the Kings had seen Faber's D+3 season they would've been a lot more reluctant to trade him. But they had a chance to go get a guy like Fiala and they took it.

If you (and any others) can honestly say you thought Faber was likely going to become a top pairing defenseman at the time he was traded, I'll shut up and give you props.

But in reality, at the time the Kings traded Faber he looked like a good/great prospect who could potentially turn into a good/great top 4 defenseman. Since the trade, he's greatly exceeded expectations. Hell, I'm sure even Wild management would admit that. I was bummed to lose Faber too, and think he's a sick player. But I have a hard time believing anyone who says this was their expectation for Faber 2 years after he was traded.

So it's just because of draft position? Yes, at age 17 he was poorly evaluated, it happens both ways.

Faber was a star all three of his seasons at Minnesota, not just the third one. If anything his sophomore season where he won B10 defenseman of the year at age 19, over BOTH Owen Power and Luke Hughes was more impressive than his junior season, where he again won the award, this time with Power in the NHL.

If you have any doubts about how good this kid was in college just listen to interviews or read polls done by players in the conference. He was a huge star, and a lot of times huge stars in that conference jump right into the NHL and never look back, as is the case here.

But again, to say nobody saw this coming isn't the truth. I myself tried to pump the brakes on the "We fleeced Minnesota", "Fiala for pennies on the dollar", "Fiala for a 1st round pick and a 2nd round prospect" nonsense because I figured this kid was going to be pretty damn good, pretty quickly.

Doesn't mean it was a bad trade, I actually thought it was a trade the Kings had to make because we hadn't been able to draft scorers. But it was at the time, at best an even trade as far as actual value.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yeah, under-drafted, you think that's not a thing? Are you saying teams don't make mistakes?

Power was drafted out of UM because he was a late birthday. Faber was drafted out of the NTDP, the level of competition that each player played against in their draft year is not even remotely comparable. Sometimes guys at the NTDP look better than they really are, and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle, especially someone who is a defensive stopper like Faber. Had Faber been drafted after his freshman season at Minnesota he would have been drafted significantly higher, probably the top half of the 1st round, so the Kings got lucky in that regard, which made up for the year before where the Kings overdrafted a player who would have gone much lower had he been drafted out of college. Two examples of why the old system was better for everyone.

You act like it's impossible that star players sometimes fall to the 2nd round, and in most of those cases it doesn't take long to see many teams made a mistake. You would agree with that statement when it comes to Sebastien Aho or Alex DeBrincat, why is it impossible in this case?

If they re-did the 2020 draft right now, how many players are going above Faber?

You asked why it's unexpected, because most 2nd rounders, don't turn into that by 21....

If they re-did 2020 right now, Stutzle, Byfield, Raymond, Sanderson, Drysdale, Quinn, Perfetti, Lundell, Jarvis, MAYBE Askarov? Mercer....

Right about there.....

 

[King'sPawn]

You are only basing it of of draft position. Faber was under-drafted, and it was apparent right from the start. Faber was a dominant player for 3 seasons in one of the NHL's best feeder leagues. He was chosen by USA hockey to play in the Olympics, not a best vs. best but still an incredible accomplishment for a player so young. Had it been the old way it used to be when guys aren't drafted out of the NTDP he would gone a lot higher and no way would the Kings have gotten him (and the opposite happens sometimes too, see Turcotte).

Owen Power being able to slide right into the NHL made me pretty confident in thinking Faber was going to be able to do the same, I don't really care where they went in the draft, they were equals on the ice for two seasons in the same league.

Apparently people forget that Patrice Bergeron came in and played in the NHL right away at the age of 18, despite being a second-round pick.

Draft position means nothing once you're drafted. It can play a part in projections, sure, but it's not unheard of for second rounders to have fast impacts.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

You act like it's impossible that star players sometimes fall to the 2nd round, and in most of those cases it doesn't take long to see many teams made a mistake. You would agree with that statement when it comes to Sebastien Aho or Alex DeBrincat, why is it impossible in this case?

Of course its not impossible.... but it's not likely. You said it yourself 'star players sometimes fall to the 2nd round'. Like yeah sometimes that happens, but does it happen often?? No - There's usually 1-2 players taken in the 2nd round of a draft max that end up becoming star players. Unfortunately, it looks like Faber might end up being one of those examples and that sucks but again, it wasn't likely or expected even after 2 really solid college seasons.

Again, I honestly don't even think this was the Wild's expectation when they traded for him. They likely weren't thinking 'hey we can pencil this guy in on our top pair 2 years from now'. In reality they were thinking 'hey we got a really good defensive prospect we really like, maybe this guy can help out our top 4 in a couple years'.

If they re-did the 2020 draft right now, how many players are going above Faber?

Knowing what we know now...... right??? Which wouldn't that be....... Hinds- you know what nvm.

Apparently people forget that Patrice Bergeron came in and played in the NHL right away at the age of 18, despite being a second-round pick.

Draft position means nothing once you're drafted. It can play a part in projections, sure, but it's not unheard of for second rounders to have fast impacts.

No we don't forget of course it CAN happen but does it happen often no. THATS what we're saying. It happens pretty damn rarely so it's not the expectation for players in the 2nd round to be in the NHL at 18 years old or star players at 21 years old.

So with Faber was it likely that he would be a top pair d man 2 years after we traded him?? No. It wasn't.

That trade has aged particularly poorly for the Kings and yeah, that's a big bummer but they wanted Fiala so they took a calculated risk. Maybe it was worth it, maybe it wasn't. Time will tell.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Apparently people forget that Patrice Bergeron came in and played in the NHL right away at the age of 18, despite being a second-round pick.

Draft position means nothing once you're drafted. It can play a part in projections, sure, but it's not unheard of for second rounders to have fast impacts.

Considering the amount of 2nd rounders, yea, it's not unheard of, but it's not common as well....if we go through 2008 to 2018....random years, there are what, 300 some odd 2nd rounders, out of those, how many came in and had fast impacts?

10%? 5%?

You also have to define impactful, is a 4th stay at home D impactful, how do you measure that?

2008 - Roman Josi, still needed 4 years to become impactful, Derek Stepan you can argue did it,
2009 - ROR took 2 years,
2010 - No one
2011 - Kucherov even took 2-3 years to get going
2012 - No one
2013 - No one
2014 - No one
2015 - Aho, Hintz took 2-3 years,
2016 - DeBincat
2017 - Robertson took a year
2018 - No one

300 picks, you can count on one hand how many became a fast impact ala Faber....

No one is saying it doesn't happen, but it's not a common thing.

 

[Bandit]

Some good QB footage. Edit: my favorite at 1 minute when he chases down McNabb from a big distance and makes perfect pass to Kopi

Still can't believe Kempe missed that wide open setup from Byfield.

 

[King'sPawn]

Of course its not impossible.... but it's not likely. You said it yourself 'star players sometimes fall to
No we don't forget of course it CAN happen but does it happen often no. THATS what we're saying. It happens pretty damn rarely so it's not the expectation for players in the 2nd round to be in the NHL at 18 years old or star players at 21 years old.

So with Faber was it likely that he would be a top pair d man 2 years after we traded him?? No. It wasn't.

That trade has aged particularly poorly for the Kings and yeah, that's a big bummer but they wanted Fiala so they took a calculated risk. Maybe it was worth it, maybe it wasn't. Time will tell.

It doesn't often happen with organizations that slow boil prospects, start their second overall pick on the bottom six for multiple years, and have their top-10 pick play in the AHL because they just don't have room.

JJ Moser from Arizona was a 2nd round pick in 2021. He's already played 140 NHL games. J-J Peterka is a 2nd round pick from 2020 with 95 NHL games. Luke Evangelista is also a second-round pick from 2020 with 39 games. Mattias Maccelli was drafted out of the USHL and was in the NHL in his D+3. He's a fourth-round pick.

Are they all top-line players? No, but they're capable NHLers, which is the least a lot of us said Faber would be very quickly.

Nobody should be saying they "expect" a 19-20 year-old to be a top-line player, because expectations should just be tempered in general. Disqualifying people praising Faber because none of us "expected" him to be a top-pairing defenseman as a 21 year-old is pretty disingenuous.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

It doesn't often happen with organizations that slow boil prospects, start their second overall pick on the bottom six for multiple years, and have their top-10 pick play in the AHL because they just don't have room.

JJ Moser from Arizona was a 2nd round pick in 2021. He's already played 140 NHL games. J-J Peterka is a 2nd round pick from 2020 with 95 NHL games. Luke Evangelista is also a second-round pick from 2020 with 39 games. Mattias Maccelli was drafted out of the USHL and was in the NHL in his D+3. He's a fourth-round pick.

Are they all top-line players? No, but they're capable NHLers, which is the least a lot of us said Faber would be very quickly.

Nobody should be saying they "expect" a 19-20 year-old to be a top-line player, because expectations should just be tempered in general. Disqualifying people praising Faber because none of us "expected" him to be a top-pairing defenseman as a 21 year-old is pretty disingenuous.

I'm not disqualifying people praising Faber.. I'm down to praise the hell out of Faber. I'm disqualifying people who are claiming they knew (or thought it was likely) that Faber would turn out to be this good 2 years after the Kings traded him.

Herby literally asked "Why wasn't it expected he would be this good, this soon?" and myself and GoldenBearHockey answered him by talking about how rare it is for a 2nd round pick to be this good this fast in general.

Y'all are acting like you knew the Kings were giving up a top pair d man when they traded Faber - and are essentially using that as part of your argument that the Kings should've done things differently. When in reality at the time Faber was traded sure, he looked great, but he wasn't exactly screaming 'top pair defenseman in 2 years'. He had upside for sure and I was bummed when I heard he was included in the deal but my point is, when the trade happened it looked like the Kings were giving up a potential top 4 RHD - Something they could afford to do at the time without losing sleep over. The Kings didn't need a 'capable' RHD - Which as you said was the least a lot of Kings fans (myself included by the way) said Faber would be very quickly - They needed a highly skilled offensive winger who could drive offense and put up a lot of points so they used Faber to go out and get that player. Now 2 years later it turns out Faber may be even better than we realized and seems to be a top pairing / potentially star defenseman. That sucks and there was always technically the potential that could happen with a good prospect like Faber but it wasn't super likely (again, at the time the trade happened).

I love Faber's game, and I knew when we traded him he would likely become a pretty damn good NHLer. But I'm not going to sit around and act like I'm not a little bit surprised he's turned out to be this good this fast. Because it is a little bit surprising he's THIS good this fast. But I guess some of you guys saw it all along?? This is going to sound sarcastic but legitimately good for y'all cuz if that's the case you evaluated the player better than most professional scouts.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

By the time of the trade it could have been apparent

I was sold on his upside when he started ascending like a madman at the olympics

That was in Feb, he was traded in June

 

[Trash Panda]

Mark my words, Faber will be the more valuable asset between the two by next season.

Zero doubt in my mind, which is compounded by the way Fiala has failed to rebound from his knee injury.

 

[bland]

Because was a mid 2nd round pick. It is VERY rare that players selected in that range ever end up becoming a top pair defenseman. Let alone at 21 years old.

Adam Fox is an exception to the norm (and a very extreme one at that). Also, Adam Fox also had multiple PPG seasons in college under his belt before making the jump to the NHL (He instantly after being drafted looked like a guy with really high potential). While Faber's defensive game has always been exceptional, he didn't have a ton of offensive upside (and still may not). He had a couple of really good college seasons and was looking like a stud / steal for a 2nd round pick but you still don't expect a 2nd round pick to be a top pair defenseman at 21 years old, period. Can it happen?? Of course. But it's not expected. Hell, even most 1st round picks aren't expected to be top pair D men at 21 years old.

And one of these seasons (easily his best season) happened after the Kings traded him. I'm sure if the Kings had seen Faber's D+3 season they would've been a lot more reluctant to trade him. But they had a chance to go get a guy like Fiala and they took it.

If you (and any others) can honestly say you thought Faber was likely going to become a top pairing defenseman at the time he was traded, I'll shut up and give you props.

But in reality, at the time the Kings traded Faber he looked like a good/great prospect who could potentially turn into a good/great top 4 defenseman. Since the trade, he's greatly exceeded expectations. Hell, I'm sure even Wild management would admit that. I was bummed to lose Faber too, and think he's a sick player. But I have a hard time believing anyone who says this was their expectation for Faber 2 years after he was traded.

No, it isn't the "reality". I would humbly suggest putting in the work and basing your opinions on things you see for yourself and not so much on what the dudes around here say.

If you had watched Faber, and I mean watched Faber and not just the games he played in, you would see world class reads and positioning with the speed and mobility to maximize that intelligence. This was a franchise cornerstone player, the kind of defenseman that can play 25 minutes a night against the oppositions best. You do not trade players like that, regardless if you have other RHDs and need help on other areas. It was a massive mistake.

Now everyone has different ideas and experiences levels, different preferences. That's cool. Personally, I am well past getting excited about following the puck in regular season games. My enjoyment is in focusing on a single player per shift, usually our prospects and especially defensemen, and watching how they read and react to plays, how they influence the game without the puck. It has been readily apparent for years now that Faber was a special player.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Y'all big brain fr then. I respect that.

Maybe it was terrible trade. Guess we'll just have to take the L on that one then.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Y'all big brain fr then. I respect that.

Maybe it was terrible trade. Guess we'll just have to take the L on that one then.

I can only say for me personally that there's a big difference between gluing guys to the wall in college vs. gluing men in the NHL. I was never sold on his ability to be necessarily more than a top 4 guy due to his size and whacking college kids.

Then at the olympics he outplayed everyone and rapidly started doing it vs. pro men and that was it for me. And as he did that kept getting more confident with the puck as well.

Think McDonagh, the guy is unlikely to ever be a big PP guy, but has all the tools to be an all situations top pairing guy.

 

[Herby]

I'm not disqualifying people praising Faber.. I'm down to praise the hell out of Faber. I'm disqualifying people who are claiming they knew (or thought it was likely) that Faber would turn out to be this good 2 years after the Kings traded him.

Herby literally asked "Why wasn't it expected he would be this good, this soon?" and myself and GoldenBearHockey answered him by talking about how rare it is for a 2nd round pick to be this good this fast in general.

Y'all are acting like you knew the Kings were giving up a top pair d man when they traded Faber - and are essentially using that as part of your argument that the Kings should've done things differently. When in reality at the time Faber was traded sure, he looked great, but he wasn't exactly screaming 'top pair defenseman in 2 years'. He had upside for sure and I was bummed when I heard he was included in the deal but my point is, when the trade happened it looked like the Kings were giving up a potential top 4 RHD - Something they could afford to do at the time without losing sleep over. The Kings didn't need a 'capable' RHD - Which as you said was the least a lot of Kings fans (myself included by the way) said Faber would be very quickly - They needed a highly skilled offensive winger who could drive offense and put up a lot of points so they used Faber to go out and get that player. Now 2 years later it turns out Faber may be even better than we realized and seems to be a top pairing / potentially star defenseman. That sucks and there was always technically the potential that could happen with a good prospect like Faber but it wasn't super likely (again, at the time the trade happened).

I love Faber's game, and I knew when we traded him he would likely become a pretty damn good NHLer. But I'm not going to sit around and act like I'm not a little bit surprised he's turned out to be this good this fast. Because it is a little bit surprising he's THIS good this fast. But I guess some of you guys saw it all along?? This is going to sound sarcastic but legitimately good for y'all cuz if that's the case you evaluated the player better than most professional scouts.

I always bring up players around the league jumping straight from college to the NHL without any AHL time. Why would I not think it was not realistic in this case?

If Quinn Hughes, Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Zach Werenski and K'Andre Miller all seamlessly made the jump after 2 years in the same conference , why is it outrageous to think Brock Faber, a player who was every bit as good as all those players in college (except Q Hughes) would be able to do the same after 3 seasons in college?

You can read my posts on the player, going back to the first time I saw him play. No, him being this good this soon is not surprising. This was a home-run pick by the Kings, the guy is going to be a lock down star defender and captain in the league for a long time. Everyone who follows college hockey in this part of the country could see it right away.

And again, it was not something that only happened after his third and final season. At the time the Kings traded him he was coming off a season where he won B10 Defenseman of the Year over Power (#1 OA) and Hughes (#4 OA). Minnesota knew exactly what they were getting, you don't trade a player like Fiala for a middling first round pick and some pretty good 2nd round prospect. Faber was always the key part going back in the deal, way more valuable than the 1st and the reason Minnesota took the Kings offer.

Y'all big brain fr then. I respect that.

Maybe it was terrible trade. Guess we'll just have to take the L on that one then.

I'm not saying it was a terrible trade or asking anyone to take an L.

I was the OG Faber fan on this forum and even I think it was a necessary trade for the Kings to make with the direction they wished to go, due to the inability to draft enough offensive players. My only objection was the comments that were made after the trade about fleecing Minnesota, how it was a steal etc. And ofcourse the continued nonsense about "He wasn't signing here anyway"

It was always a fair value trade that will ultimately be judged by how well the Kings do in the postseason during this 3-4 year contending window they are in.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I would send Laffy down, scratch JAD, call up Turcotte and move PLD to the wing.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

I can only say for me personally that there's a big difference between gluing guys to the wall in college vs. gluing men in the NHL. I was never sold on his ability to be necessarily more than a top 4 guy due to his size and whacking college kids.

Then at the olympics he outplayed everyone and rapidly started doing it vs. pro men and that was it for me. And as he did that kept getting more confident with the puck as well.

Think McDonagh, the guy is unlikely to ever be a big PP guy, but has all the tools to be an all situations top pairing guy.

This makes a lot of sense, especially seeing him preform at a really high level during the Olympics. I wasn't able to watch many of those games but it sounds like that was a pretty clear sign his potential was pretty damn high.

I always bring up players around the league jumping straight from college to the NHL without any AHL time. Why would I not think it was not realistic in this case?

If Quinn Hughes, Owen Power, Luke Hughes, Zach Werenski and K'Andre Miller all seamlessly made the jump after 2 years in the same conference , why is it outrageous to think Brock Faber, a player who was every bit as good as all those players in college (except Q Hughes) would be able to do the same after 3 seasons in college?

You can read my posts on the player, going back to the first time I saw him play. No, him being this good this soon is not surprising. This was a home-run pick by the Kings, the guy is going to be a lock down star defender and captain in the league for a long time. Everyone who follows college hockey in this part of the country could see it right away.

And again, it was not something that only happened after his third and final season. At the time the Kings traded him he was coming off a season where he won B10 Defenseman of the Year over Power (#1 OA) and Hughes (#4 OA). Minnesota knew exactly what they were getting, you don't trade a player like Fiala for a middling first round pick and some pretty good 2nd round prospect. Faber was always the key part going back in the deal, way more valuable than the 1st and the reason Minnesota took the Kings offer.



I'm not saying it was a terrible trade or asking anyone to take an L.

I was the OG Faber fan on this forum and even I think it was a necessary trade for the Kings to make with the direction they wished to go, due to the inability to draft enough offensive players. My only objection was the comments that were made after the trade about fleecing Minnesota, how it was a steal etc. And ofcourse the continued nonsense about "He wasn't signing here anyway"

It was always a fair value trade that will ultimately be judged by how well the Kings do in the postseason during this 3-4 year contending window they are in.

All of this is fair and I don't think it's crazy or unrealistic to think Faber could make the jump from college to the NHL - I just think it's one thing to make the jump and another to make the jump and immediately be a top pair guy. Some of the players you listed were able to do that but many of those guys were high end picks and more offensively gifted players and even then I'm pretty sure the only player who played top pair right away was Q. Hughes - maybe Werenski too? But in any case clearly Faber has been able to do it and clearly he's a pretty exceptional talent.

I also agree with you about the fact that the trade definitely wasn't a fleece in any way/shape/form. Especially since the Wild pretty clearly didn't have the cap space to sign FIala. The trade worked/made sense for both sides and neither got screwed. I also don't really believe the whole 'he was never going to sign here' argument but I'm not really sure where that came from so am not super knowledgeable on it's credibility.

Appreciate the discussion on this and it sounds like I was a little ignorant of the steps forward he took before the trade - I knew he had improved and was looking great but maybe underestimated how much. It sucks not to have him and it's great to have Fiala. Like you said, the next couple years become really important in evaluating 'winners' and 'losers' of the trade. There's also a world in which both sides end up as 'winners' but we'll see.

 

[kingsboy11]

I'm still fine with the Fiala trade btw.

But in the limited games I saw Faber play in you could tell immediately he was quality. Evidence in how fast he shot up the lineup at Minnesota which his play got him called up the join the US at the Olympics. And then he suddenly gets top pairing minutes for the US there. It was very evident if you were paying attention that Faber was very very good after getting drafted.

I still do the deal given the kings depth on RD at the time. Maybe they could've targeted a different player, but the Kings needed another top6 forward and Fiala was available. Kings didn't want to wait on him and took the deal when they had the chance, you never know when an opportunity like that may pop up again.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Hopefully he's right.

 

[Kudelski37]

Hopefully he's right.

I think he is right. The alternative is that PLD broke his femur but was able to put weight on it while getting himself up off the ice. That was not possible when I broke my femur so I don't think that is likely.

 

[Bandit]

So he's got a bruise. Rub some dirt on it and get back out there.

 

[head eyes]

It really didn't look that bad. I'd be very surprised if he's out more than a game or two.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

Canadiens: Pierre-Luc Dubois A Potential Dodged Bullet

Pierre-Luc Dubois has been linked to the Canadiens for quite some time, but he ended up in Los Angeles, where he's already drawing the Ire of the LA Media.

awinninghabit.com