lumbergh
It was an idea. I didn't say it was a good idea.
I think I brought up Mikkola along with Chicago’s Jake McCabe in a post maybe a week ago.
Add Walman and Maatta on the Red Wings as potential LHD targets that won’t cost a ton.
Speculation: LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread 2022-23 Season
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Add Walman and Maatta on the Red Wings as potential LHD targets that won’t cost a ton.
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
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Thank you for providing the list. Not sure what his criteria is for prospect, but going off of this list, this is how I would rank the above:
Byfield - I think his growth and tools, in spite of the various circumstances (injury, illness), he's still holding his own on the top line.
Clarke - I felt he was a valid candidate for first overall in the 2021 draft. I was over the moon when the Kings got him. Obviously some components are still a work in progress, but he should be playing in the NHL.
Spence - He showed he belonged in the NHL last year. A couple slips in training camp made it easier to assign him to the AHL at the start, but I feel he is the closest player in the organization who could play a Doughty-like role (solid defensively while providing offense; Clarke is much more offensively gifted, but has less of a shutdown capability)
Bjornfot - He gets punished for not being offensive enough. But he's solid defensively. While he doesn't score often, he's so good at jumping in on the attack but returning to position. He contributes to generating offense even when he doesn't score.
Laferriere - This dude is so easily likeable on the ice. He plays in every circumstance and contributes in all three zones. If you want to look at a player this guy plays like, think Trevor Moore.
Kupari - He has really made his playstyle fit in the NHL; most surprisingly with the penalty kill. His offensive skillset hasn't translated yet, but at this current stage, we probably can't expect too much more of a growth out of his role.
Turcotte - I still like him and don't consider him a bust. He's suffered from a lot of lousy circumstances. However, I think we're past expecting him to play in the top-6, and just hope he has an NHL career.
Fagemo - I'm less high on him than others. I think he scores more from being a volume shooter than having a superior shooting technique. But, he still shows he can play in the NHL.
Pinelli - His speed and offensive ability have grown since he was drafted. But he's still a big fish in a small pond, with many other bigger fishes. Despite being in his D+2, he's not showing any league (or even team) dominance. I'm honestly wondering if he will get sent down to the OHL next year as an overager.
Hughes - He's stagnated a bit since he was drafted last year. Still way too early to call him a bust, but considering he's in his sophomore year, we can't even say it's an adjustment year.
Chromiak - His current streak shows what a prolific scorer he can be. He could grow into a top-six role, or he could be a niche triggerman like Martin Frk. His future and fit is a bit unclear, as he's pretty one-dimensional.
Connors - He has surprised most people with his freshman season in the NCAA. However, Hughes plateauing should serve as a cautionary tale not to jump to conclusions after a strong (or even weak) season. This ranking is more because I need to see more.
Grans - His production has dropped, and his offensive ability is one of the more intriguing aspects of his skillset. Of course, he's only 20, but between the drop in production and drop in the depth chart, he just doesn't have as much value internally.
Simontaival - Like Hughes, he's stagnated a bit. Considering he's also on the smaller side, it's questionable how much he has and will grow. Of course, he can still be an NHL player, but I think he's quickly moving down the depth chart.
Salin - He's on the smallish side, like Spence, but less of an impact when playing against men. Unless you have very strong technique, you're going to struggle as a smaller defenseman. He has time on his side, and he's still 18. But I am currently expecting he'll either stay in Europe or play in the AHL at best.
Surf Nutz
Hockey Remote Viewer With A Frozen Finger
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
A lot of interesting info in this article discussing current value of RHD - isnt the consensus the LD are more rare and more valuable in general?...some interesting stat pertaining to oft discussed issue here "The most obvious issue for defensemen playing on their off side is the ability to receive the puck. In the neutral and offensive zones, pass reception rate drops from 88.1% to 84.2% when defenders play on their off side".. also discusses Durzi specifically
www.sportico.com
Right-Handed Defensemen Are the NHL’s Hot Commodity: Data Viz
There are more left-handed defensemen in the NHL overall, but seven of the top 10 highest-paid defensemen are right-handed shooters.
www.sportico.com
Surf Nutz
Hockey Remote Viewer With A Frozen Finger
Interesting that is the guy up with the Kings who got the most games, out of the youth.
Such a great trade to get Fiala and lock him up for years!
Gave up last years first, better than this year from what I understand.
Thank you
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BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
@Herby Much like the Hickey and Teubert picks, missing on Turcotte isn't going to matter if QB and Clarke hit full potential.
I think my point with these rankings is that the pool was ranked so high because the Kings picked a bunch of times in the first round. When Wheeler ranked them #1 prior to the Byfield draft, this was his Top 5:
Turcotte
Kaliyev
Fagemo
Vilardi
Kupari
Three first rounders, a 1 top-of-the-2nd guy in Kaliyev who never should have dropped that far and then another 2nd rounder that got bumped up way too high because of WJC bias. Regardless, the point was that your prospect pool is going to be ranked very high if you draft higher in the draft and frequently. So many were acting like Blake was some sort of wizard for putting together a top ranked prospect pool after three drafts worth of keeping basically all of his picks while also adding additional picks and prospects via tanking. Like, that was the whole point of tanking.
I think my point with these rankings is that the pool was ranked so high because the Kings picked a bunch of times in the first round. When Wheeler ranked them #1 prior to the Byfield draft, this was his Top 5:
Turcotte
Kaliyev
Fagemo
Vilardi
Kupari
Three first rounders, a 1 top-of-the-2nd guy in Kaliyev who never should have dropped that far and then another 2nd rounder that got bumped up way too high because of WJC bias. Regardless, the point was that your prospect pool is going to be ranked very high if you draft higher in the draft and frequently. So many were acting like Blake was some sort of wizard for putting together a top ranked prospect pool after three drafts worth of keeping basically all of his picks while also adding additional picks and prospects via tanking. Like, that was the whole point of tanking.
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
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Usually RHD is more rare. Though there has been such a rush to get them, that there may actually be more of a shortage with top-tier LHD.A lot of interesting info in this article discussing current value of RHD - isnt the consensus the LD are more rare and more valuable in general?...some interesting stat pertaining to oft discussed issue here "The most obvious issue for defensemen playing on their off side is the ability to receive the puck. In the neutral and offensive zones, pass reception rate drops from 88.1% to 84.2% when defenders play on their off side".. also discusses Durzi specifically
Right-Handed Defensemen Are the NHL’s Hot Commodity: Data Viz
There are more left-handed defensemen in the NHL overall, but seven of the top 10 highest-paid defensemen are right-handed shooters.
So far this season, 123 RHD have played at least one NHL game. Conversely, there have been 172 LHD (per nhl.com - just filter players > defensemen > handedness)
I was looking for the article, but I'm pretty sure Lombardi equated RHD to pitchers - you can never have too many.
BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
Kaliyev has been my favorite prospect since he was drafted so it isn't a surprise to me.
WJC is nowhere near the be-all-end-all when it comes to prospects but I thought his performance at the WJC in his D+1 year was huge and reinforced that the kid can play and wasn't just some lazy oaf with a big shot feasting in the OHL.
- May 9, 2014
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Faber. Herby is higher on him than most, I certainly wouldn’t put him in the Byfield/Clarke Tier as I see him as a second pairing guy. It’s not unreasonable to see him higher than that though… until he plays we won’t really know.
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
I think that is a turn of phrase that RB may be taking too literally
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
Getting Kaliyev eases the current pain surrounding Turcotte in that draft. He has his limitations but has proven himself as a very valuable PP specialist and more than acceptable 5x5 middle 6 winger.
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
@All The Kings Men - any news re Kaliyev, Vilardi and Moore? Are anyone of them due back after the break?
I don't think he is quite at the caliber of QB or Clarke. Because defensive d-man are always going to be a bit less valuable players, even ones who are elite at suppressing offense like Faber is. His offense has picked up a bit this year on a very loaded Gophers squad, but not sure it's going to translate to the NHL. Faber is going to be the type of guy you stick with a Clarke type anyways, so he won't be counted on to score, but to let a guy like Clarke freely play his game.
But he IMO is clearly at a tier above Spence, Turcotte and Laferriere the three players directly after the Kings Big 2.
I think that Faber might be Blake's best value pick as GM. He is the most NHL ready player in college hockey right now, even more than Luke Hughes, IMO.
Is the value of Faber a moot point if he was not going to sign in LA anyway?
bland
Registered User
- Jul 1, 2004
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He compared RHDs to left handed pitchers. For years RHDs could get more mileage out of their careers just due to scarcity.
bland
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I rank Faber just a notch above Clarke. Obviously not in terms of skill, but in value, yeah, he was a unicorn in their prospect pool.
One day in the not too distant future when folks realize just how badly offensive wingers fall off of the cliff after 30 and Faber is shutting down the absolute best players in the world, while wearing a letter on his chest, they will revisit this deal and realize that the Kings had 2 or 3 outstanding offensive players just waiting their turn.
Everybody needs a Faber. The majority of teams already have the production of a Fiala. We can marvel at his skill set, and it was difficult to project Vilardi's arrival, but the timing on this deal was well off. We may get four years of quality numbers out of his deal, but the team is a few years away from the kind of experience needed to contend. Its a short window to maximize the value here, and I am positive it wasn't the right time for that kind of swing.
Nobody knows the truth of the situation, we can all speculate, but there has never been any confirmation. I think many people here thought he just wanted to be geographically close to his family, yet that happened in June and he still didn't sign with the Wild and turn pro, when he certainly could have at the very least been in the AHL.
My guess is he simply preferred to play for the University of Minnesota rather than the Ontario Reign (or Iowa Wild) and that is why he turned down the Kings last spring, even with the promise of getting into an NHL game in the Twin Cities. Not every player wishes to deal with that grind, and some of the other BS that comes with playing at lower levels of pro hockey below the NHL (look at the cheapshots Turcotte has taken for example) and would prefer to try and win a national championship with the team he very likely dreamed of playing for his whole life. It's not like staying in college to long has ever hurt anyones development, where as going to the AHL to soon certainly has, as we all know to well.
If Faber had been gung-ho about never signing with the Kings and waiting for UFA to sign with the Wild he would not have been able to do so until the summer of 2024, his ELC would have taken him to the end of the 2027 season. That would have been a lot of money to give up on to play in a certain spot. If he signs with the Wild (or Kings had he not been traded) in a couple of months, his ELC starts right away this season and ends at the end of the 2025 season and he can get paid with the second contract at 23, and probably doesn't have to ever step foot on AHL ice.
High end NCAA players have more leverage than CHL players if they use it right, and if they want to, can all but avoid any significant time in the AHL and get basically a free year burned off their ELC while developing in the best place for players their age. Look at poor Turcotte as an example, with the awful career advice by his reps and Blake, he ends up not having his ELC expire until after next season despite spending his entire age 19 season struggling and getting physically abused by grown men in the AHL, also hurting his career potential. And then you look at guys like Boldy and Caufield who will be on second contracts next season despite leaving school and turning pro a full year later.
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Seattle King
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- Aug 19, 2022
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Faber's agent has time to stop by and leave his thoughts on the Kings board
Surf Nutz
Hockey Remote Viewer With A Frozen Finger
Turcotte was stymied by multiple injuries, that is different than a miss.
It is more like a foul ball than a swing and a miss for a strike.
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Nothing he said about Faber is outlandish, I think he sells Fiala short, but there is a reason USA hockey chose him for the Olympic team when he was 19.
Surf Nutz
Hockey Remote Viewer With A Frozen Finger
Noooo!
If you are in the choir you need material for a new song bagging on Blake.
The Jedi's are hard for the Empire troops to understand.
Meh, he is being a hit hyperbolic about a kid who has not played a single minute of Pro Hockey, he's projecting the best case possible.......which is it possible sure, is it probable, history says no
You are crazy if you blame it all on injuries. There was some bad luck in that he was the one (out of about 6 guys) who we now know benefitted from who he skated with in his age-17 season and it could just as easily have been any of the other ones. But even a fully healthy Alex Turcotte was not going to be what you'd be expecting from a Top 5 pick, and that was pretty apparent right away.
Also, many of the injury early injury issues were known before the draft and many of the later injuries were a result of prematurely signing a player not physically strong enough to play at a level they put him in as a teenager, those are management things.
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