Speculation: LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread 2022-23 Season

[Brodeur]

Any indication they’re willing to burn the contract year by playing him in the next game? Even just from a roster standpoint.

I assume he’s going back to juniors as that’s the most logical. Made sense to get his feet wet professionally with 9 games + conditioning stint leading perfectly into the world juniors.

Just was curious to see if there was any possibilities of the brothers playing each other.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Zero issues with Clarke going back to Juniors.....there is zero downside to that

 

[crassbonanza]

Chychrun will not save us. So why bother? He will want 8M AAV in a couple of years. Durzi could be just as good offensively, we dont know how good he is yet.

I mean, of course anything can happen, but it is awfully hard to argue right now that Durzi could be better than Chychrun. They are both 24 years old, so it is not like we are comparing a young prospect to an old vet. Chychrun has been one of the better defensemen in the league offensively, so I think there is an awful lot of hope to expect Durzi to breach that level. Beyond the offensive gap, Chychrun is in another realm possession/defensive wise. Him wanting 8 million in 3 years shouldn't be viewed as a negative, because you have him locked in at 4.6 for this season and 2 more. Trevor Moore is going to be making 4.2 million next season for comparison. That is absolutely fantastic value.

 

[Trash Panda]

Kid probably pocketed $130k after taxes from his nhl stint. I doubt he’s truly pissed about going back to juniors for a few more months after that plus a gold medal.

Great for him, but the primary concern of the organization should be development.

Developing a fat bank account is good for now, but wasting 6 months of his prime developmental years is just a brain dead move by Blake.

It makes the Brayden Schenn saga look damn near intelligent by comparison.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Great for him, but the primary concern of the organization should be development.

Developing a fat bank account is good for now, but wasting 6 months of his prime developmental years is just a brain dead move by Blake.

It makes the Brayden Schenn saga look damn near intelligent by comparison.

How do you figure it WASTED 6 months of "prime development" were you watching the practices, doing the off ice stuff, sitting in meetings etc?

 

[King'sPawn]

Plus, I think the Kings know he's not going to learn a ton in Junior and that staying with the big club probably helps his development more. He had a fantastic tournament overall even though he hadn't played in weeks.

I don't think it will really impact his development in a major way, but that said I think he should still be on the roster and sending him down is a waste of his time.

I know you're agreeing that sending him down is a waste of time, but the bolded is where I'm left wondering wtf the org is thinking. If they don't think he's going to learn a ton in junior, they shouldn't send him down there. That's where having a very high skillset can cause players to learn bad habits. If they thought it was a great place to learn, they would have sent him down there immediately.

This decision is based on not having a contract year kick in early.

 

[bland]

I know you're agreeing that sending him down is a waste of time, but the bolded is where I'm left wondering wtf the org is thinking. If they don't think he's going to learn a ton in junior, they shouldn't send him down there. That's where having a very high skillset can cause players to learn bad habits. If they thought it was a great place to learn, they would have sent him down there immediately.

This decision is based on not having a contract year kick in early.

I don't think the contract is playing into it at this point. Its generous to say there was a plan from the start of the year.

They aren't going to play Clarke in LA while chasing the playoffs, so they are sending him out to play in the only place he can. I don't think that there is any big or small picture control going on here, just a series of snap decisions.

When has Blake planned anything successfully?

 

[Fishhead]

I know you're agreeing that sending him down is a waste of time, but the bolded is where I'm left wondering wtf the org is thinking. If they don't think he's going to learn a ton in junior, they shouldn't send him down there. That's where having a very high skillset can cause players to learn bad habits. If they thought it was a great place to learn, they would have sent him down there immediately.

This decision is based on not having a contract year kick in early.

That's my thoughts exactly. It's highly likely he's traded to a top team that is in contention, but that's nothing close to what he could learn at the NHL level even if he was platooning in and out. The organization is going to know more than I do, but I just can't see what more he can learn down there except for bad habits.

My best guess is that it's not the ELC contract, but pushing UFA eligibility back one year that they are concerned with. It's not like they have a bunch of major RFAs out of the prospect pool that year. The more likely ones to pan out are Spence/Turcotte (RFA the year before) and Pinelli (signed a year later). From an ELC standpoint it might be preferential to burn a year, but I'm no capologist.

 

[lumbergh]

Clarke wasn't demonstrably better than the bottom four D on the Kings in his 9 games. The Kings don't need Brandt Clarke right this season. They have too many defensemen as it is. Brandt Clarke is going to fine wherever he is for the rest of the season. He's gotten tons of time working with the Kings and Reign staff this season. He has things to work on, whichever level he is at.

The Kings value having the Reign as a key part of their development process. The road for Brandt Clarke leads through Ontario. Everyone here is just going to have to be patient. I'm not defending the process, but it's just how the Kings have operated and will likely continue to operate.

 

[LAKings88]

Clarke wasn't demonstrably better than the bottom four D on the Kings in his 9 games. The Kings don't need Brandt Clarke right this season. They have too many defensemen as it is. Brandt Clarke is going to fine wherever he is for the rest of the season. He's gotten tons of time working with the Kings and Reign staff this season. He has things to work on, whichever level he is at.

The Kings value having the Reign as a key part of their development process. The road for Brandt Clarke leads through Ontario. Everyone here is just going to have to be patient. I'm not defending the process, but it's just how the Kings have operated and will likely continue to operate.

Honestly Spence is ahead of him in my mind. Memorial Cup will be a bit higher level hockey and hopefully he gets a good run. After that, maybe some AHL playoff action. None of this is a surprise really. Kings need to clean up the backend and they really don’t need to rush him. He needs to concentrate on getting better and getting stronger. Show up to camp and don’t give the brass an excuse to send him back down.

 

[BigKing]

I don't think the contract is playing into it at this point. Its generous to say there was a plan from the start of the year.

They aren't going to play Clarke in LA while chasing the playoffs, so they are sending him out to play in the only place he can. I don't think that there is any big or small picture control going on here, just a series of snap decisions.

When has Blake planned anything successfully?

Was saying this to my buddy after the game last night bemoaning the current D Corp. If they kept Clarke up here now there is no way T-Mac is playing him during a playoff chase. Only one place he can play so here we are.

I think Blake was counting on injuries to open up spots on the blueline and he hasn't really had any. That was the "plan".

 

[YP44]

Zero issues with Clarke going back to Juniors.....there is zero downside to that

agreed, too many bodies for him to get consistent game time in LA

 

[cyclones22]

What game are you watching? I'm not trying to be antagonistic here, but he's been our least effective defenseman and arguably our least effective player this year (either him or Grundstrom). Beyond just the eye test, he's got the worst statistics among regular defensemen with the least ice time.

View attachment 631137

Who's got The Athletic player cards handy where it shows that Sean Walker and Edler combined are worth like -5 million? The bottom line is the Kings are not icing the best defense available to them. They're icing the defense that they have paid for and aren't willing to swallow the loss for better production.

 

[bland]

Who's got The Athletic player cards handy where it shows that Sean Walker and Edler combined are worth like -5 million? The bottom line is the Kings are not icing the best defense available to them. They're icing the defense that they have paid for and aren't willing to swallow the loss for better production.

That is what is so frustrating here. If they want to go for it now they have better options available. If they want to prioritize the development of a team that has a higher ceiling than the current one, its the EXACT same options.

Spence and Bjornfot are both better that Edler and Walker now AND are the future of the blueline - what exactly is the priority here, because it sure looks like the plan is to try and extract any possible value out of the previous series of poor contractual decisions at the expense of progress.

That's a cynical viewpoint for sure, but its well earned from watching this operation.

 

[YP44]

Anyone feel the $5 million cap hits of Petersen and Quick's $5.8 million cap hit have become big problems in using that cap amount to acquire/sign a top 4 d-man with experience? Both goalies are having a negative impact. Blake should really find a way to move one of the contracts to open up cap space. He should not wait till the trade deadline to do it.

With Cal yes it will be a problem going forward. Specifically with trying to get a starting goalie. Not so much with Quick who is done at the end of the year and still provides a good fallback. I think for LA to have any success this year Quick will be key, Copley is a flash in the pan who has benefited more from the team playing better in front of him then anything else.

 

[King'sPawn]

That is what is so frustrating here. If they want to go for it now they have better options available. If they want to prioritize the development of a team that has a higher ceiling than the current one, its the EXACT same options.

Spence and Bjornfot are both better that Edler and Walker now AND are the future of the blueline - what exactly is the priority here, because it sure looks like the plan is to try and extract any possible value out of the previous series of poor contractual decisions at the expense of progress.

That's a cynical viewpoint for sure, but its well earned from watching this operation.

This is very similar to what I was texting to Hoven* after his latest article about Clarke being sent to the OHL. I don't like the move. Clarke and Spence are better than Walker on RD; they should just waive Walker (or try to trade him), and rotate Spence/Clarke.

It's more tricky with Edler, due to the NMC, but he can also sit out more frequently to play Bjornfot.

*I know people are tempted to take shots at Hoven just by me saying his name. I'm not going to discuss his response or feelings on the matter. I hope people can refrain from derailing the thread.

 

[kilowatt]

Who's got The Athletic player cards handy where it shows that Sean Walker and Edler combined are worth like -5 million? The bottom line is the Kings are not icing the best defense available to them. They're icing the defense that they have paid for and aren't willing to swallow the loss for better production.

It’s not great.

Edler hasn’t been great either, but better than Walker:

 

[cyclones22]

It’s not great.

Edler hasn’t been great either, but better than Walker:

What's crazy is that Quick and Cal are exponentially worse in value to the team. Quick was inherited but Cal is 100% on Blake.

 

[YP44]

This is very similar to what I was texting to Hoven* after his latest article about Clarke being sent to the OHL. I don't like the move. Clarke and Spence are better than Walker on RD; they should just waive Walker (or try to trade him), and rotate Spence/Clarke.

It's more tricky with Edler, due to the NMC, but he can also sit out more frequently to play Bjornfot.

*I know people are tempted to take shots at Hoven just by me saying his name. I'm not going to discuss his response or feelings on the matter. I hope people can refrain from derailing the thread.

I am ok with waiving Walker as I think he clears. I also think he still holds value once fully recooped from missing so much time. Waiving him would provide more ice time to Bjornfot or Spence though not for Clarke.

 

[Fishhead]

It’s not great.

Edler hasn’t been great either, but better than Walker:

According to that, Edler actually has a positive value. His contract is $750K, not 3.5M. That was last year's salary.

Not that he's great, but he's not the tire fire the graphic makes him out to be.

 

[YP44]

According to that, Edler actually has a positive value. His contract is $750K, not 3.5M. That was last year's salary.

Not that he's great, but he's not the tire fire the graphic makes him out to be.

Edler's contract is what is great...not his play haha

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Like I said elsewhere it's pretty clear everyone here has just been abused enough by this org's prospect mishandling that they just now begrudging agree that the best place for Clarke is juniors....but not because he's better off there; rather, it's because TM does a pisspoor job of developing players on the go and Blake does a pisspoor job of managing their development via roster spots.

They painted themselves into this corner and it makes that whole AHL 'conditioning assignment' a complete f***ing joke now.

 

[YP44]

Like I said elsewhere it's pretty clear everyone here has just been abused enough by this org's prospect mishandling that they just now begrudging agree that the best place for Clarke is juniors....but not because he's better off there; rather, it's because TM does a pisspoor job of developing players on the go and Blake does a pisspoor job of managing their development via roster spots.

They painted themselves into this corner and it makes that whole AHL 'conditioning assignment' a complete f***ing joke now.

I don't think LA will be winning anything more this year with Clarke than without. So makes more sense to have him in the OHL.

 

[King'sPawn]

Like I said elsewhere it's pretty clear everyone here has just been abused enough by this org's prospect mishandling that they just now begrudging agree that the best place for Clarke is juniors....but not because he's better off there; rather, it's because TM does a pisspoor job of developing players on the go and Blake does a pisspoor job of managing their development via roster spots.

They painted themselves into this corner and it makes that whole AHL 'conditioning assignment' a complete f***ing joke now.

Yeah, it's akin to, "Well, we let the gangrene set in. So we can either do nothing or cut off your hand."

The inability to be decisive has us accepting a ****ty and preventable outcome, but accept it because continuing to do nothing is worse.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't think LA will be winning anything more this year with Clarke than without. So makes more sense to have him in the OHL.

This is the same org that didn't want Byfield in the AHL because he'd develop bad habits smoking everyone

What is Clarke in the OHL like? What does he get from defending 16 year olds harder? Going coast to coast playing pond hockey more?

This is a guy that needs ot use his brain to figure out systems, pro level puck support, how not to die when men are trying to kill you, NHL schemes, and strength and conditioning. There's nothing in junior for him but to piss away 40 games tooling kids a full tier or 2 below the tournament he just smoked.