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

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
Status
Not open for further replies.
That's an easy pass for me. Much rather go after Chychrun who's better, younger, controlled, on a good deal, etc. Gavrikov isn't some physical crease clearing defender, he's kinda just Matt Roy with a bigger frame, who doesn't use it. Definitely not a bad player to have, but I'm not giving premium assets for that
But I'm not giving even more premium assets for Chuchrun.

He is offensive LD with average defense, and is not very physical.

Kings do not need offensive D, they need shutdown physical D.
 
Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


1674572349898.png


And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

1674572556304.png
 
That's an easy pass for me. Much rather go after Chychrun who's better, younger, controlled, on a good deal, etc. Gavrikov isn't some physical crease clearing defender, he's kinda just Matt Roy with a bigger frame, who doesn't use it. Definitely not a bad player to have, but I'm not giving premium assets for that

Ha, actually really like this description. Roy might be meaner.

That being said, if you can flip Roy from RHD to LHD, wouldn't that be pretty ideal? This feels more like an argument FOR Gavrikov than really against, especially at the value differences likely between him and Chychrun (who is another offensive D...we're not hurting for those)


Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


View attachment 640433

And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

View attachment 640434

I've always really liked Ray's calls. I think he's fantastic

Re Kupari vs. JAD, JAD is more of a swiss army knife I think. He's really grown into his most likely scenario, decent all-around bottom sixer. Kupari has better raw tools and a higher ceiling but the inconsistencies are still there. People often compare him to Kempe in terms of taking time to iron it out--maybe another team has that kind of patience. I think he's a great bottom sixer, but if another team wants him or JAD in a trade that improves our team, imo either guy can go.
 
Ha, actually really like this description. Roy might be meaner.

That being said, if you can flip Roy from RHD to LHD, wouldn't that be pretty ideal? This feels more like an argument FOR Gavrikov than really against, especially at the value differences likely between him and Chychrun (who is another offensive D...we're not hurting for those)
But would you give-up a first and third round pick for a pending UFA with Matt Roy's skillset? If I'm giving-up premium assets for a player, I want that player to excel at something. Gavrikov isn't very good at anything really, he's just fine. The idea of paying a first, third, and then top 2nd pairing dollars for fine, doesn't excite me
 
Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


View attachment 640433

And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

View attachment 640434
Kupari has a higher ceiling but JAD seems like more of a sure thing.
Also JAD had time on the top line last year, Danault line this year, and Fiala line.
Kupari has not played with anyone but rookies and grinders really.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Surf Nutz
But would you give-up a first and third round pick for a pending UFA with Matt Roy's skillset? If I'm giving-up premium assets for a player, I want that player to excel at something. Gavrikov isn't very good at anything really, he's just fine. The idea of paying a first, third, and then top 2nd pairing dollars for fine, doesn't excite me

Yeah, he's so unexciting I don't even care to argue haha. I also don't imagine Blake giving up the 1st even if it's late, I remember the prices for things like McNabb and Regehr being 2 2nds. But hey with our org maybe the 2 2nds are better to have in hand...

I also don't think he's a really long-term solution, he's just a very vanilla patch. Personally by this point I'd have given Moverare a really good shot at holding down a spot. Gavrikov is obviously a much better skater but otherwise it's not worth giving up that much without seeing what we had internally first but here we are...
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScoreZeGoals
Kupari has a higher ceiling but JAD seems like more of a sure thing.
Also JAD had time on the top line last year, Danault line this year, and Fiala line.
Kupari has not played with anyone but rookies and grinders really.

Unless you get an offer that you literally can not turn down, you are keeping both, both have very good upside, Kupari is killing penalties already....JAD is a nice tweener......I don't see how you don't keep both....
 
Unless you get an offer that you literally can not turn down, you are keeping both, both have very good upside, Kupari is killing penalties already....JAD is a nice tweener......I don't see how you don't keep both....
Yea I agree both shouldnt be traded.
 
Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


View attachment 640433

And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

View attachment 640434
This.

I see a lot of good things from Kupari, but his mental mistakes really catch me scratching me head at times. I do think his combination of speed and physicality is hard to come by and a good combination to have. I believe he can still be molded into what they need. JAD has been great - hopefully Blake really figures out who is expendable and who isn't, because we are still going to have decisions to make regarding the forwards we keep.
 
Yeah, he's so unexciting I don't even care to argue haha. I also don't imagine Blake giving up the 1st even if it's late, I remember the prices for things like McNabb and Regehr being 2 2nds. But hey with our org maybe the 2 2nds are better to have in hand...

I also don't think he's a really long-term solution, he's just a very vanilla patch. Personally by this point I'd have given Moverare a really good shot at holding down a spot. Gavrikov is obviously a much better skater but otherwise it's not worth giving up that much without seeing what we had internally first but here we are...

The answer at LD seems obvious to me- Olli Maata. He knows the system, played very well in the playoffs last year, has size and is strong positionally. He's a UFA at the end of the year, has a good contract and will cost less to acquire. He's a +5 on a mediocre team and has something to prove. This is a far less risky and costly move for a two time Stanley Cup champion.
 
Ive seen both Kupari and Kempe as draft eligibles. I believed Kempe had top 6 upside, was much less confident in projecting Kupari there. He has the tools but had iffy decision-making throughout and especially a lack of self-knowledge of what kind of player he wants to be. Kempe had his warts but not to the same extent.
 
Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


View attachment 640433

And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

View attachment 640434
Good call. Very Vince Clarke early Depeche Mode/pre-Erasure look on this kid.
 
The answer at LD seems obvious to me- Olli Maata. He knows the system, played very well in the playoffs last year, has size and is strong positionally. He's a UFA at the end of the year, has a good contract and will cost less to acquire. He's a +5 on a mediocre team and has something to prove. This is a far less risky and costly move for a two time Stanley Cup champion.
Does he want to play here again, though?
 
Kupari has a higher ceiling but JAD seems like more of a sure thing.
Also JAD had time on the top line last year, Danault line this year, and Fiala line.
Kupari has not played with anyone but rookies and grinders really.
I think the jury is still out on what type of player JAD can be, whereas with Kupari at minimum is Trevor Lewis 2.0. So the sure thing is that Kupari is a valuable bottom 6 guy with the potential to be another Kempe for us. Mind you, I don’t think he’s gotten the same type of run as Kempe because Todd is here but Kupari has better tools, physicality and I’d say their shot is about even.

Kupari is playing through a learning curve on a playoff team with less than 12min for the last 3 seasons. The kid needs more PT and time to fully grasp the NHL game. The good thing is that he’s already pretty good defensively. Again though, this goes back to putting these kids in the best position to succeed while also making the playoffs. Tough task with the way the Kings are currently constructed.
 
Last edited:
SAH D are the most difficult players to gauge because when they are effective, they are mostly invisible. The talent on offensive types is easy to see with 1 or 2 viewings. You really have to watch a SAH guy night in and night out to get a solid evaluation.

Most people would look at Mikey and say "meh, nothing special", but we see him in control and effective out there night after night. Unless they are on a team you watch regularly, you almost have to go by stats and word of mouth.

Gavrikov was impressive when we played them, but meh in other times I watched him. McCabe is probably the one I've been most impressed with in multiple viewings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: David Lunch
Some random thoughts....

JAD now had 20 points in 84 games.
Kupari has 21 in 94 games.

JAD a year older for sure but given the choice of the two- who you keeping? See lot of love for Kupari but Im still iffy on him as full time pro- some games looks like hes turned the corner other games makes risky/unforced errors that has me shaking my head. Hopefully TMac keeps JAD with Fiala another game- if he can spark JAD scoring consistently going to be some decisions to make.

Watched the BJs/Flames last night....Ray Ferraro is a fantastic color guy. Not afraid to call out players and very enjoyable to listen to. His experience with the game shows.

The Kings 2019 draft shaping up to be a homerun.....looking at 5 NHL caliber players and potentially 6 if Nousianen can take the next step.


View attachment 640433

And note if Nousiainen cant make it as professional hockey player....he is a lock to be the next keyboard player in a depeche mode tribute band.

View attachment 640434
I like JAD, but I think there are too many like him in the organization and if things are close with him and Kupari I would select Kupari every time. Kupari has been developing a little edge to his game, is a superior skater, and has better offensive instincts. Honestly, all of these kids have gone been put in weird spots and stunted because of logjams. Kupari should have been a middle 6-scoring winger from the start instead of a 4th-line center, etc. JAD just simply lost to Lizotte, and in my opinion, is still losing.
 
Kupari has a higher ceiling but JAD seems like more of a sure thing.
Also JAD had time on the top line last year, Danault line this year, and Fiala line.
Kupari has not played with anyone but rookies and grinders really.
This is the most crucial point to me, JAD has looked pretty good the past few games, but he's also been playing with Fiala who can make just about anyone look good. Put Fiala with Kupari for a few games consistently and see what happens.
 
I like JAD, but I think there are too many like him in the organization and if things are close with him and Kupari I would select Kupari every time. Kupari has been developing a little edge to his game, is a superior skater, and has better offensive instincts. Honestly, all of these kids have gone been put in weird spots and stunted because of logjams. Kupari should have been a middle 6-scoring winger from the start instead of a 4th-line center, etc. JAD just simply lost to Lizotte, and in my opinion, is still losing.
Couldn't disagree more - JAD is in the process of becoming a very valuable bottom 6 player. If Fox chose to show his highlights more you would see the appreciation for the boardwork, shot blocking and forechecking grow from the general fanbase. The Kings desperately need more players who simply do the right thing consistently. His trust from the staff has clearly grown faster than the appreciation from the fans.
 
TM does do that to an extent, and it's maddening at times. Especially with Edler, bless his greybeard heart.

But no one forced Bjornfot on him, they could have played others. Lizotte either, he was still only 22 when TM took over. I don't think either of those guys played like vets right off the bat, they just played better than others. He put Mikey Anderson right up on the top pairing at 21 where he got big minutes when he had a perfectly good veteran Maatta to put there.
Aside from Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford, which regular vets did Lizotte get more playing time than? These were all the forwards Lizotte had averaged more ice time than in his rookie season:
Martin Frk
Mike Amadio
Trevor Moore
Gabriel Vilardi
Carl Grundstrom
Nikolai Prokhorkin
Trevor Lewis
Austin Wagner
Kyle Clifford
Matt Luff
Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Tim Schaller

He beat out mostly journeymen and rookies.

And even so, he averaged less than 14 minutes, which is great for a 3rd liner. I'm not going to bemoan how they deployed Lizotte; I only bring up the players he "beat out" to show that it's not like McLellan saw him as something special over a collection of vets. He had his pick of the litter.

Bjornfot played 3 games his rookie season.

Anderson played 6 games. And Doughty has said he wanted to play with him.

I also have not seen any evidence that any of the prospects are frustrated. And while there is an overdone tendency to have prospects take their time, it's not that bad. Young guys are slowly taking roles and potentially jobs. I'm trying to think of prospects where overdoing the AHL thing screwed them up, there aren't many. Clague I would say, although he's not done much in MTL or BUF. I think Andersson for sure, totally mishandled. I don't throw guys like Madden and Fagemo in there because I don't think they've shown they are that good.

You must have missed the interviews (I think it was ATKM who posted it) where McLellan said the players in the AHL are getting frustrated at not getting opportunity.

Some of is the Kings methodology, but some of it is also our impatience as fans. I was beyond frustrated with Kupari because they kept rolling him out on the 3rd line. Surprisingly, putting him on the 4th line was actually putting him in a position to succeed and I never would have fathomed that. I thought they were ruining a perfectly good NHL scorer, but moving him to the 4th brought out parts of Kupari's games he probably didn't even know he had. That was a fantastic move.

I'm completely okay with prospects being put in "lesser roles". I've said time and time again I don't believe in just giving every prospect top-tier ice time.

My issue has been the lack of flexibility in how this gets applied. Not every player has to play on the bottom-six. Some players may adjust well getting more opportunity and trust - if a player struggles, it can always be dialed back. And for some unknown reason, they are completely okay with "pairing" a rookie defenseman with a vet and give them a ton of minutes, but they don't have the same comfort putting a rookie with a responsible player like Kopitar, or Danault. Where the extra time and work with these vets could help elevate their game.

It's why I wasn't worried about Vilardi. He got ice time in the top six when he was finally healthy. Then he struggled. The responsibility was dialed back. This season, he went to new heights. Was it perfect? Well, debatable. Indicators suggest they were ready to healthy scratch him to start the season, and it took injuries and an opportunity for him to show them how much he grew in the preseason.

The thing is, I love what McLellan's doing with the lines right now (although I'm never a fan of a "kid line"). This is what I was calling for them to do last year.

They have a lot of youth who can be rotated out with competent veteran players to see who sticks and who doesn't. They need to balance out using their skill to "compete for the playoffs" while also "building for the future."

And I know the argument is "The NHL isn't a developmental league." But nobody is a finished product when they come into the NHL. The issue is if they are capable of handling the rigors of the NHL, and continuing to build their knowledge, experiences, and skillsets that the current lineup is starting to approach fulfilling now.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: David Lunch
Unless you get an offer that you literally can not turn down, you are keeping both, both have very good upside, Kupari is killing penalties already....JAD is a nice tweener......I don't see how you don't keep both....

Well, you don't keep both when there is a log jam at forward. Going into next season the Kings have Kopitar, Fiala, Danault, Kempe, Arrv, Iafallo, Lizotte, Byfield, Moore, Grundstrom, and Kaliyev signed. That's 11 forwards before factoring in Vilardi likely re-signing and Turcotte hopefully joining the squad. Now we're at 13 forwards with JAD, Fagemo and Kupari not signed yet. The only forwards that will be waiver exempt among that list is QB and Turcotte, so they won't have the luxury of dropping guys to Ontario. They aren't carrying 16 forwards and I can't imagine that Blake wants his blue chip prospects in Ontario, so someone has to be moved or they will be lost to waivers.
 
Well, you don't keep both when there is a log jam at forward. Going into next season the Kings have Kopitar, Fiala, Danault, Kempe, Arrv, Iafallo, Lizotte, Byfield, Moore, Grundstrom, and Kaliyev signed. That's 11 forwards before factoring in Vilardi likely re-signing and Turcotte hopefully joining the squad. Now we're at 13 forwards with JAD, Fagemo and Kupari not signed yet. The only forwards that will be waiver exempt among that list is QB and Turcotte, so they won't have the luxury of dropping guys to Ontario. They aren't carrying 16 forwards and I can't imagine that Blake wants his blue chip prospects in Ontario, so someone has to be moved or they will be lost to waivers.

Some moves are going to get made for sure. I would imagine Grundy is out, kind of unfortunate with the injuries, but he was kind of falling off before-hand. He's definitely been outplayed by Kupari and JAD. The writing is on the wall with Fagemo, I think. He's 2nd tier and is probably not factoring into long term plans barring a breakout. Lemmy is an obvious walk.

That would leave 14, which they might carry. Turcotte's health and recovery will dictate where he starts the season. I can't imagine nothing being done about goalie, so a forward could be going the other way. Judging by history, the most likely scenario is Turcotte goes down at the start and comes up for injuries. After next season Kopitar, Arvy, and Lizotte (RFA) are up, lots of things could happen there. If Kopitar is still bringing it he will return on a reduced contract. Not sure about Arvy, depends on ask, term, play of young players, etc. My gut says he goes elsewhere. Lizotte is RFA, can't see him going unless another team specifically wants him in a trade. Value to cost is too good with him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: crassbonanza
Looks like the oilers remaining schedule is against weak opponents. We are screwed.

Yeah, I think the Oilers are almost definitely going to make the playoffs. 2nd in the league in RW, with a solid goal differential. The team we are going to be battling with for a spot will be Calgary
 
Couldn't disagree more - JAD is in the process of becoming a very valuable bottom 6 player. If Fox chose to show his highlights more you would see the appreciation for the boardwork, shot blocking and forechecking grow from the general fanbase. The Kings desperately need more players who simply do the right thing consistently. His trust from the staff has clearly grown faster than the appreciation from the fans.
Yes and no, Kupari is by far a much superior talent and his skill set is IMO, better than Kempe’s. JAD brings a nice team player mentality and maybe with time some leadership qualities but we don’t need more JAD type forwards.. maybe JAD type Dmen

How they’ve been developed has been a little odd but I’m sticking to the thought that they’re taking the Kaliyev route. Meaning they’re trying to develop their weaknesses in order to get them to be two way players.

When you see Rasmus, he can look like a stud one second and a dud the next. Those are the peaks and valleys a talented player will show when he’s limited in minutes while trying to learn the NHL game. He could be part of the Kings being able to roll out 3 lines and 1 grinding line or the Kings rolling with two top line and two grinders.

Cutting this short because I’m taking a shit lol, but having those two kids will be beneficial to the Kings long term
 
Well, you don't keep both when there is a log jam at forward. Going into next season the Kings have Kopitar, Fiala, Danault, Kempe, Arrv, Iafallo, Lizotte, Byfield, Moore, Grundstrom, and Kaliyev signed. That's 11 forwards before factoring in Vilardi likely re-signing and Turcotte hopefully joining the squad. Now we're at 13 forwards with JAD, Fagemo and Kupari not signed yet. The only forwards that will be waiver exempt among that list is QB and Turcotte, so they won't have the luxury of dropping guys to Ontario. They aren't carrying 16 forwards and I can't imagine that Blake wants his blue chip prospects in Ontario, so someone has to be moved or they will be lost to waivers.

Grundstrom is replaced by a goddamned fire hydrant.....

Vilardi will resign, Turcotte I don't know, I think he bounces up and down in the AHL for a year....yea he looked good the other night....1 game....I think they use him a the 14th forward and recall him up and down.....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad