Not sure what joke I want to make:
- Well, we don't want them to keep practicing what they've been practicing or
- Clearly practice is canceled because they've had too much practice.
If you're trying to figure out what the Kings should do with their roster, for me it takes a lot of anxiety away if I assume the obvious road blocks will be there. If that means the team is crap, then the team is crap. It is what it is.
We all know Petersen has been terrible. Assume nobody else wants him for the same reason. We know not many 1 way contracts, especially significant ones, are in the AHL. That includea all other 31 teams, so its the entire possible sample size to go on. The league even made a rule so that you can't simply bury those types of contracts. Until proven otherwise, always assume a guy in Petersen's current situation isn't going very far. The hard cap is fairly unforgiving if you mess up contracts, so you likely have to live with your mistake, one way or another.
Would they buy him out after the season? Kind of a crappy buyout for next year, but the year after that is pretty sweet.
I know that's a bad way to look at things, and it's better to wake up each day and wonder why the Kings haven't gotten rid of him or Walker yet. If you ask yourself if you would trade for Petersen or Walker, and your own answer is no, then wonder no more.
Here's the thing though - Blake DOES have options. They aren't ideal. But we're arguing it's better than the alternative. Waiving Cal, who has been struggling, should have been done much earlier than after game 25. Granted, only a small percentage of his contract gets buried in the AHL, but the amount that WOULD get buried was enough to cover calling up Pheonix Copley, who had a better preseason.
And yes, people will understandably get frustrated watching a team lose. But you can't say "it is what it is" when a grand total of 4 players from 2017 and later, at most, are playing regularly (Kaliyev, Kupari, Anderson, Vilardi).
The Kraken just had their 2nd overall pick from 2021 come in, play 16 minutes, not look out of place, and score 2 goals. They aren't just leaning on vets to get the job done, and they are doing substantially better than the Kings.
Even if it's not trading away Walker, maybe he should be waived. Or, you know, not playing. Have Spence, Clarke, or someone play in his stead.
The Kings are limited only because they either lack the imagination or fortitude to make a tough decision. And I say this as someone who vehemently talks about how a team/company needs to treat their players like people and not assets. It's extremely shitty to just ship someone out. But that's where communication and empowerment come in. Give them opportunity, but then dial it back if they can't make it.
There are opportunities younger players have earned as of late and they just haven't received it. Prospects have a bad game and it's "see, that's why he doesn't get an opportunity!" Vets have a bad game and it's "Well, he had a bad game. He'll be better next time." Except it's been many next times. And as long as you treat prospects like they can't handle it, they either have to succeed in spite of you, or they will just believe they can't handle it.
This is why I've said ad nauseam the importance of improving the development. And why I was supportive of the Danault/Arvidsson acquisitions IF they were used in conjunction with prospects to put them in a position to succeed and to empower them. But it's also why I was against the Fiala acquisition - he's a more talented and consistent version of Kempe, but it signaled that management cared more about having another go at the playoffs with the vets leading the charge, instead of seeing a philosophical change in deployment or attitude.
