to be fair copley didnt get a real shot in the playoffs ... i mean i still want someone better for our backup role .. 28 minutes in a game he didnt start. (the info i could find, my old brain doesnt remember that far back haha)
LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion
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FWIW I don't see this team playing down this year. It's very similar to what we saw when Carter was acquired, Voynov came up, and everyone dropped into perfect "slots". You see it league-wide, when a team is balanced no one tries to play over their head, everyone just does their jobs. This team is talented but more importantly they aren't regularly trying anything outside of their wheelhouse.Kind of unrelatedly as @lumbergh pointed out in Around the League last night Canucks, Oilers, VGK all lost. Finally had a good standings night.
But then you look at schedules and it's like good grief, we have played almost nothing but playoff teams/division leaders and mostly when they're on hot streaks, it's crazy.
I REALLY hope that with the schedule softening up these guys don't play down a level. We all know the Oilers and Sharks et. al. will not be as bad as they were early in the season and that might help but it all adds up to the Kings might end up with the hardest strength of schedule we've ever seenI'ts impressive what they've done so far and righting the ship at home was vital. Now to either jumpstart Copley or pull up Rittich, and find Turcotte some playing time.
If you catch any of the other team's post-game scrums you'll hear a lot of them describe the Kings using terms such as tight, structured, stingy, well-coached, no gaps, and so on. You almost never hear them mention individual players, like "their goalie played well" or forwards they had a hard time with. That indicates everyone is on the same page and playing as a unit, and while they are built differently we heard a lot of the same from other teams in 2011-2015.
KOPITARRULEZ11
Registered User
Movie is a trip first hour is the funniest thing I've ever seen
Eagle Fang
Less Defending, More Offending
- Oct 12, 2005
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He played better, but as others have said, there's aspects of his game I think would be better served working on in ONT. He's shown even with very little pro experience, he can play in the NHL. However, a top 6 role in the AHL would help him to refine and improve those areas.
The other part of that though has to do with Turcotte. He's doing well in ONT and is arguably a bigger piece of LAs future. He has chemistry with Kaliyev from both the WJC and AHL. With PLD as the line's center it puts him into an offensive situation without the 'burden' of a top 6 role. In addition to that, Turcotte has more offensive skill than Laferriere while still bringing the board work and puck battle.
I just think a move like this would help both players and the Kings.
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
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It rewards very close attention.
Even the graffiti on the walls changes from scene to scene. There's a brief moment very late where the camera pans past several framed pictures which reveal pretty much everything you need to know.
Agreed. He needs some seasoning in the A. I'm hoping he can turn into our Alex Tuch.
DAkings20
Kings can't score
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
- Jul 1, 2003
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Much like with Byfield, I think Laferriere is making good decisions - chances just aren't being buried as a result of his work.
If the idea is to give Laferriere some top-six time in the AHL and give Turcotte or someone else a chance to apply what they've learned in the AHL,
If the idea is to give Laferriere some top-six time in the AHL and give Turcotte or someone else a chance to apply what they've learned in the AHL,
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
Exactly
i'm not saying to bury him by any means
but it's clear part of his growth isn't learning to check or drive play but to build scoring confidence. That's EXACTLY the kind of guy you want temporarily in the AHL. Think Alec Martinez and his first callup.
And then you get Turcotte et. al. (Thomas? Fagemo?) some experience before maybe rotating them.
Neither guy has played 82 games, manage their workload and development. It's not a 'punishment'. Hell just down the road the ducks have an absolute stud that they're managing workload. Different teams/times in the build of course, not discounting that. But the last thing I want is another situation like two years ago vs. the oilers where the '4th line' was a bunch of kids who weren't ready because we didn't let them be ready.
tny760
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bmr
Registered User
- Jan 23, 2013
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Don't look now but Englund is a +7.
usahockey22flyers
2 years away from being 2 years away
Hi all - I come in peace. Just wanted to say Sean Walker has been great this season. I totally believed he was terrible and we all viewed him as a salary dump. Was anyone upset when he was moved?
Brownie to Pancakes
Registered User
He was fine but he was totally redundant
tny760
Registered User
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redundant is a fair way to put it. spence and clarke waiting in the wings to replace him.. younger, cheaper, more dynamic
he's not a bad player by any means, just a necessary casualty at the time
he's not a bad player by any means, just a necessary casualty at the time
ZJames
Registered User
Sean Walker was/is a good defensemen, but unfortunately he was a casualty of the numbers game. Signing him and Roy would have put us in a cap crunch, especially after trading for Gavrikov, who is the better player between the two. Also, if I am remembering correctly, he had 2 years in a row where he missed time with significant injuries. All those factors put together, combined with the emergence of Jordan Spence and the slow marinating of Brandt Clarke, resulted in Walker being seen as expendable. I'm glad he is doing well in Philly, I always liked Walker.
Sean Walker is not the RHD that we miss - it's Sean Durzi and I'm sure it's mixed among fans.
Doesn't matter either way - Kings have too many RHD - even now with Spence on the bottom pair, leaves no room for our top pick Clarke.
Doesn't matter either way - Kings have too many RHD - even now with Spence on the bottom pair, leaves no room for our top pick Clarke.
I was one of his few fans on here. He has a great skill set and is more than capable of quarterback ing a top unit pp
FSL KINGS
Registered User
- May 10, 2021
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Good to hear Walker has turned things around. Got derailed by a couple big injuries. He was a decent defender before that.
It wasn’t just Walker but also Durzi.
Kings had a glutton of too similar types of players.
Englund has been a low key good signing for them. More physical with less offensive flair but exactly what they needed for better balance.
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
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he helped us move Cal Petersen -- enough said. He's the MVP of the offseason.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
I absolutely loved Walker, very good skater, capable with upside, smart, smooth, great at getting pucks thru. Not a gambler, good reads/low risk there, can eat minutes on a rebuilding/young team no problem. What he had working against him was size and risk of injury recovery. I don't think anyone here would say a bad word about him--he was a good soldier and good player during some ugly years.
But when your right side, aside from Walker, is Doughty-Roy-Durzi-Clarke-Spence-Faber-Grans, Walker is relatively old, risky, and higher salary. It makes sense he went in the trade--i don't view him as a 'cap dump' as much as others do--he was the most expendable yet-potentially-useful part.
I WAS surprised the org was dead set on square pegging DURZI onto the left side but not Walker, who actually had a good stint on the top pairing to the left of Doughty for a bit, but that's water under the bridge now.
bmr
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- Jan 23, 2013
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What makes you think Turcotte has more offensive skill than Laferriere? I'm not so sure I would agree with that until I see them both over a longer period of time. We haven't seen enough of Turcotte to know how it will translate at the NHL level.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
Laferriere has 3 points in 15 games with Fiala and Pierre Luc Dubois
Turcotte has 0 points in 12 games with Athanasiou and Brown's corpse, a younger Byfield, and whatever else they glued to him
Laferriere has acquitted himself well and has a bright future but people constantly praise Laf and shit on Turcotte and I just don't get it. I don't think either guy has 'proven' anything but the views of both players are night and day. Both guys have a useful 'pro floor' and neither has demonstrated capacity for NHL production yet. I don't see why people would be so resistant to swapping them for a bit.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
- Jul 1, 2003
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They are completely different players with differing skillsets.
Laferriere's aggression and angles of approach make him a very dangerous forechecker. His shot is good, but he benefits more from open ice. He can also take hits better (I know it sounds silly, but durability through violence is a skill. Kopitar endures a lot and Lizotte typically springs right back up after many big hits).
Turcotte, to me, is better in smaller areas. He's not as good of a skater, but can handle the puck and distribute it better. He also plays an aggressive game, but he also has suffered many injuries along the way.
I'd like to see Turcotte get some NHL time so they can try to trade him for value if they don't see a future with him in the org. Next year he's waiver-eligible, and I'd hate to see a top-5 pick be lost for nothing.
