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Kings Article: LA Kings D Prospect Paul LaDue Is Still Turning Heads With AHL Ontario Reign

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Ziggy Stardust said:
Come again?
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Ziggy Stardust said:
Proving a point that he shouldn't talk in absolutes, as if he knows any more than anyone else.
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"When told about what LaDue said about what he needs to improve on, Stothers flatly said, “I agree with him. Everything.â€

“He’s just a kid,†added Stothers, “We need to get that consistency.â€

It was at that point that Stothers, who is known for adding a bit of humor here and there in his comments, went for the joke, even though it was a serious comment.

“One night [LaDue] can look close to a Drew Doughty and some nights he looks like an old Mike Stothers.â€"

What does that guy know, right?

Also, can't speak for Gann, but doubt he's speaking in absolutes, it's a pretty common colloquialism around here that when we say "not ready for the NHL" it's a general statement meaning "not ready for full-time duty," not "he won't even get a callup."

Also kind of funny because you yourself said earlier in this thread that you think he'll be ready next year.

Really just an unnecessary shot.
 
I figured by next season he'd be ready for full-time duty, as pointed out by his age, contract status and the other examples of players around his age or slightly younger who made the jump from college to minors to the pros.

That's where I vehemently disagreed about him "not being ready." I don't expect LaDue to be earning close to 20 minutes a night, but he's close enough to crack the top six. Especially with how awful McNabb has been since returning.
 
Hey you could be right, I mean, Voynov had a similar scouting report, though he was much more consistent defensively. I just think people are going to be enamored too much by the shiny new toy with good puck skills and forget his defense is very much a work in progress, he's probably Jamie McBain right now.
 
The Kings would not take the risky move of waiving Gilbert, just to give LaDue a game or two of cup of coffee. What happens if Gilbert gets picked up off waivers, LaDue plays those two games and gets sent down again? Now we have no 7th defenseman since Greene is injured for what looks like the entire season.

It seems like DL wants LaDue to be up for the remainder of the season.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Hey you could be right, I mean, Voynov had a similar scouting report, though he was much more consistent defensively. I just think people are going to be enamored too much by the shiny new toy with good puck skills and forget his defense is very much a work in progress, he's probably Jamie McBain right now.
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Seriously? You are comparing LaDue to Jamie McBain? I agree that he shouldn't have been called up at this point in the season, but Jamie McBain? That is a bit unfair.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Hey you could be right, I mean, Voynov had a similar scouting report, though he was much more consistent defensively. I just think people are going to be enamored too much by the shiny new toy with good puck skills and forget his defense is very much a work in progress, he's probably Jamie McBain right now.
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He's been progressing on the defensive side of the puck. Definitely making fewer mistakes.
 
https://lakingsinsider.com/2017/02/01/ladue-recall-coming-gilbert-waivers/
LaDue, who signed a one-year entry-level contract in April, 2016, turned heads with a highly pronounced preseason with the parent club this past fall. In returning to Ontario, the rookie has played most of the season as part of a defensive pairing with hard-nosed rearguard Kurtis MacDermid and has been used in all situations by head coach Mike Stothers.

“He’s had some ups and downs, which is to be expected for a first-year guy. But, man, he makes some plays,” Stothers told Reign Insider Lindsay Czarnecki in January. “He escapes coverage and forecheckers with his feet. He makes good outlet passes. He’s mobile and he’s getting the puck through, which is important. He’s changing his point of release, he’s not just blasting it into the shinpads of the opposing players. There’s a lot of composure in that young man. He’s good and he’s only going to get better. He’s one of the guys when I think back to last year, I wish we would have got him sooner. He came out of school and it was a while before he arrived with us. Who knows, who knows. [Brett] Sutter’s healthy, [Jonny] Brodzinski’s healthy and we get LaDue a little earlier, maybe it’s a better challenge against Lake Erie. So, you don’t like to look back, but that kid’s got a hell of a career ahead of him.”
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AlphaBravo said:
Seriously? You are comparing LaDue to Jamie McBain? I agree that he shouldn't have been called up at this point in the season, but Jamie McBain? That is a bit unfair.
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I'm not saying that's his ceiling, I'm saying those should be our expectations right now. But then again, maybe I liked McBain more than most :laugh: Good with the puck, great IQ, but with a propensity to get muscled off the puck and occasional defensive zone lapses.

But it's good to hear from Sam that he's progressing, so I'd be happy to be completely wrong.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
I'm not saying that's his ceiling, I'm saying those should be our expectations right now. But then again, maybe I liked McBain more than most :laugh: Good with the puck, great IQ, but with a propensity to get muscled off the puck and occasional defensive zone lapses.

But it's good to hear from Sam that he's progressing, so I'd be happy to be completely wrong.
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I haven't seen too many Ontario games, but during the preseason LaDue blew my mind away. He was probably the third best defenseman on our team during preseason. Of course, preseason is not the same as the regular season, but he had that IT factor and the composure that appears necessary to reach elite status.
 
AlphaBravo said:
I haven't seen too many Ontario games, but during the preseason LaDue blew my mind away. He was probably the third best defenseman on our team during preseason. Of course, preseason is not the same as the regular season, but he had that IT factor and the composure that appears necessary to reach elite status.
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he does strike me as the kind of guy (like Kempe) who would do better with the flow and structure (and somewhat predictability) of NHL play for sure but every time I've seen him he's been high-event; will wow you with some plays and can certainly be a difference maker, but can also burn you on defense. I do agree he has the innate ability for a high ceiling. I'm just trying not to get overly mesmerized by how a guy 'looks' vs. his actual performance--Jack Johnson used to wow us with his raw tools, but nothing pointed to his actual effectiveness. Damon Severson from Jersey is another one; the guy is so good and smart with the puck that everyone looks past how brutal he can be without it. Or like Karlsson last year, who put up so many points people were failing to realize he was actually costing them points in the standing by virtue of being on the ice for more 5v5 goals against (by 10!) than anyone in the NHL and even having goals against relative to team bottom 7 in the NHL.
 
Will struggle against NHL forwards.

But hey, so do all young Defenders. Forbort did as well for a time.
 
driller1 said:
And Muzzin... And Forbort... And Gravel... McNabb is still struggling...

Doughty and Voynov are the exceptions...
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I don't think Gravel has struggled all that much. As a bottom pair guy, he's been comparable to a lot of other bottom pair regular NHLers.
 
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