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

[SettlementRichie10]

Why would they lose Kupari for less than market value?
Assuming these youngsters can overtake some vets, there are spots to be had.!
That whole fourth line is replaceable and assuming Moore resigns then that probably means Arvy won’t get extended.
So four open spots and possible a 5th if a kid really breaks out and forces a move. Looking at you Adrian Kempe

So of those kids we’ve all been waiting for, whose really looked like they belong? Not the whole, oh they’ve been in the system for years they deserve a shot bs.. who’s forced themselves up? Spence % but then who?
Turcotte - has been injured and concussed
Madden - hasn’t done anything
Dudas - ^^^
Fagemo - is ok, he can shoot but the rest of his game is lacking
Chromiak - is a noob
Ward - is a big body depth guy
Helenius - is our future 4C
Lee - has potential
Grans - still rounding his game
And so on and so on…
Some of these kids will be moved for pieces we desperately need but it’s not because they’ve been slow rolled but because they really haven’t stood out in Ontario.

Clarke, Spence, Bjornfot, and Kupari should all be in the NHL right now. So should Byfield but I’m afraid to even suggest that right now because of how poorly he is utilized by TMac when he’s up. Remember, this is the coach who didn’t start giving Kaliyev major minutes until he literally became our top PP scorer.

Blake should be moving on from players like Walker, Roy, Iafallo, Kempe, etc.

 

[kings11]

Clarke, Spence, Bjornfot, and Kupari should all be in the NHL right now. So should Byfield but I’m afraid to even suggest that right now because of how poorly he is utilized by TMac when he’s up. Remember, this is the coach who didn’t start giving Kaliyev major minutes until he literally became our top PP scorer.

Blake should be moving on from players like Walker, Roy, Iafallo, Kempe, etc.

He should be moving players to accommodate the kids but the fact remains that he’ll likely wait closer to the TDL to maximize the returns…
Let say you move those guys at the TDL and get nothing but picks back.. you’re then looking at the Kings having the ability to trade for just about anyone they want. Mind you, they could package Kempe and Roy and get back a real hood player but we need two things.. a big LHD and a big Goalie

I’d move Durzi for Portillo and a pick if possible and then Spence has a spot right

Now the bigger question, you move said players, who’s the target?? Can’t have 4 kids, a fading star and a nursing home recruit manning the back end??

These things take time and with the division so wide open no team is in a rush to move players

 

[SettlementRichie10]

He should be moving players to accommodate the kids but the fact remains that he’ll likely wait closer to the TDL to maximize the returns…
Let say you move those guys at the TDL and get nothing but picks back.. you’re then looking at the Kings having the ability to trade for just about anyone they want. Mind you, they could package Kempe and Roy and get back a real hood player but we need two things.. a big LHD and a big Goalie

I’d move Durzi for Portillo and a pick if possible and then Spence has a spot right

Now the bigger question, you move said players, who’s the target?? Can’t have 4 kids, a fading star and a nursing home recruit manning the back end??

These things take time and with the division so wide open no team is in a rush to move players

I have an issue with that philosophy. Blake has essentially torpedoed the blueline this year just for the opportunity of getting a 3rd round pick out of Walker/Roy than a 4th. It’s backwards.

 

[AbsentMojo]

I’ve said it elsewhere but I feel strongly about cleaning house. This franchise is still half living under the specter of 2012 and 2014 and Blake and Luc are eternal losers in LA.

Get rid of Blake and Todd. Luc Robitaille should never make a hockey decision for this franchise for the rest of his life.

Trade Kopitar at next year’s deadline and retain. Explore the Doughty market. The franchise simply can’t move forward with these two names still on the marquee. That’s more clear now than ever. In addition, trade all of these awkward bridge players, Kempe, Iafallo, Walker, and Roy.

Identify a small core from these Blake years (Byfield, Clarke, Kaliyev, and Vilardi) and commit to a real rebuild with a real GM who has real vision and identity.

The team is rudderless. It’s very unlikely they make the playoffs this year, and what about next year? The goaltending situation is still an unmitigated disaster. Maybe Byfield starts to break out, but is Byfield alone enough to move the needle? Will Byfield fix the D or give us a system that isn’t outcoached in the matter of 4-5 shifts? Probably not.

This team has roster issues top to bottom. Blake is not the guy. He never has been.

100% - you nailed each of my thoughts about the team as a whole. There is some extreme dysfunction esp between the coach and 11 and 8. Playing them all those needless minutes with the Ewing effect on full display when DD went down last year and the team excelled without him. There is a saying - dont go into business with your friends.. Luc isnt going to fire Blake.. Blake isnt going to fire TMac unless it gets really really ugly... Blake knows he hamstrung the team going into this year with JQ/Peterson and a completely f-ed up d-corps - so he probably would hesitate pulling the trigger on TMac even if wanted to. Overall Blake has had 6 years as GM, how much more rope do u give this guy? Not sure how the Kings mediocrity has impacted AEGs bottom line - they have to be aware that things arent working.

 

[cyclones22]

The Walker contract was a bad decision. It was a signing that reeks of hey we hit on a college UFA signing so let's lock him down to a value contract. But for 4 damn years was a miscalculation. Walker at his best was replacement level who provided some offense. Now he's just blocking better players. Spence is already superior to him and is blocked. Not to mention Clarke being blocked and being jerked around in various leagues and camps while this FO tries to get its head out of its ass because of negative value contracts on the roster.

 

[bmr]

The Walker contract was a bad decision. It was a signing that reeks of hey we hit on a college UFA signing so let's lock him down to a value contract. But for 4 damn years was a miscalculation. Walker at his best was replacement level who provided some offense. Now he's just blocking better players. Spence is already superior to him and is blocked. Not to mention Clarke being blocked and being jerked around in various leagues and camps while this FO tries to get its head out of its ass because of negative value contracts on the roster.

Honestly, I would just waive Walker at this point or look to include him in a trade. Spence and Bjornfot both need to be on this team.

 

[cyclones22]

Honestly, I would just waive Walker at this point or look to include him in a trade. Spence and Bjornfot both need to be on this team.

Agreed 100%. Except the geniuses up top are already paying Cal and Austin Wagner NHL money in Ontario. How many of those can you have before you should be fired for incompetence?

Walker probably has negative trade value. We'd have to add a sweetener to get rid of him.

 

[Nasti]

I take moore over all of them frankly

He's immensely useful even when not scoring

Theoretically as they age Danault-Moore-x are our pkers/stopper line

Plus he’s a Thousand Oaks native.

Moore > Kempe

 

[KingsFan7824]

I have an issue with that philosophy. Blake has essentially torpedoed the blueline this year just for the opportunity of getting a 3rd round pick out of Walker/Roy than a 4th. It’s backwards.

That's a story, you created, to get mad at.

Maybe, since they're so bad, nobody else wants those guys in a trade. Maybe Blake wanted to keep those guys, not trade them.

But the biggest thing, and again, I hate doing it, because it does get boring, is look at the trade market around the league. And I know it's all Blake's fault that he's not doing anything, when nobody else is doing much of anything. It doesn't take two teams to trade. All the Kings have to do is want to trade someone, and he'll be dealt in a matter of hours.

100% - you nailed each of my thoughts about the team as a whole. There is some extreme dysfunction esp between the coach and 11 and 8. Playing them all those needless minutes with the Ewing effect on full display when DD went down last year and the team excelled without him. There is a saying - dont go into business with your friends.. Luc isnt going to fire Blake.. Blake isnt going to fire TMac unless it gets really really ugly... Blake knows he hamstrung the team going into this year with JQ/Peterson and a completely f-ed up d-corps - so he probably would hesitate pulling the trigger on TMac even if wanted to. Overall Blake has had 6 years as GM, how much more rope do u give this guy? Not sure how the Kings mediocrity has impacted AEGs bottom line - they have to be aware that things arent working.

Yes, don't go into business with your friends. Unless it works out, like when a Canadian farm boy saved the ass of a friend in 2011. Then it's a brilliant move.

The Walker contract was a bad decision. It was a signing that reeks of hey we hit on a college UFA signing so let's lock him down to a value contract. But for 4 damn years was a miscalculation. Walker at his best was replacement level who provided some offense. Now he's just blocking better players. Spence is already superior to him and is blocked. Not to mention Clarke being blocked and being jerked around in various leagues and camps while this FO tries to get its head out of its ass because of negative value contracts on the roster.

Walker was signed in Sept 2020. At the time, the Kings had a 7th rd pick Roy just completing his first full NHL season. They had Clague and Anderson with their first full pro season in the AHL. Moverare was still a year away from getting to the AHL. They had just drafted Bjornfot and Spence the year before. And then thanks to the pandemic, they hadn't even yet drafted Grans and Faber in the 2020 draft, which was held a month after Walker re-signed. Then Clarke wasn't even a glint in Blake's eye, because the 2021 draft was still many months away.

Yes, term always hurts, but that's just a byproduct of the cap. Most players end up signing for too long.

 

[Nasti]

Everything I saw out of Spence last year proved that he’s a better player than Durzi, Walker, and Roy. None of this shit makes sense.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Yes, don't go into business with your friends. Unless it works out, like when a Canadian farm boy saved the ass of a friend in 2011. Then it's a brilliant move.

Valid point... Ill rephrase it: there are downsides to going into business with friends 1) its harder to be objective when making a business decision involving your friend, 2) you may destroy the friendship.

 

[AbsentMojo]

But the biggest thing, and again, I hate doing it, because it does get boring, is look at the trade market around the league. And I know it's all Blake's fault that he's not doing anything, when nobody else is doing much of anything. It doesn't take two teams to trade. All the Kings have to do is want to trade someone, and he'll be dealt in a matter of hours.

We dont have insight into what his options were - but going into the season w 2LD looks like a big miss somewhere on the planning side. The defense is demonstrably worse than last year - that is a fact. So why is that and who is responsible?

 

[AbsentMojo]

Agreed 100%. Except the geniuses up top are already paying Cal and Austin Wagner NHL money in Ontario. How many of those can you have before you should be fired for incompetence?

Walker probably has negative trade value. We'd have to add a sweetener to get rid of him.

its obvious Walker has 0 future on the team - he's like 8 on the depth chart and he is blocking a better player in Spence who is improving on a daily basis. You knew Walker was coming back... then you sandwich in Clarke after he impresses and create further roster chaos and have to divvy playing time. All this chaos would be fine if the mindset was a rebuild, where you want to try different guys and evaluate... but they are trying to contend. This is an objective mess.

 

[kilowatt]

You left out Kaliyev

Good point, thanks

 

[kings11]

I have an issue with that philosophy. Blake has essentially torpedoed the blueline this year just for the opportunity of getting a 3rd round pick out of Walker/Roy than a 4th. It’s backwards.

This statement is idiotic .. not calling you an idiot but your value on our players is delusional and that goes for a lot of you guys here.
Matt Roy whether you love him, like him or hate him gets us a 1st rod pick…why you ask, because that’s what defensive Dman go for, especially one with 1.5 years of term at under $4 million.
He’s absolutely comparable to Mackenzie Weegar and Jonas Brodin, and tell me what they would go for at Roy’s age and with that contract.

No idea what the deal with Walker is but I would have traded him for a Dodger dog by now!

 

[Surf Nutz]

Next year will be really interesting regardless because Kupari, Fagemo, Thomas, Madden, Dudas, and Villalta will all require waivers. Those first three are the only ones we likely worry much about, but if Kupari is waived he’ll almost certainly be claimed.

Who do we move to create a roster spot for Kupari though? Moore and Lemieux are the only UFA forwards and I have to think they’ll be re-signed. Edler is the only UFA defenseman, and although he likely goes, that doesn’t open up much.

Here’s a lineup using only forwards who would need to clear waivers for next year, assuming we re-sign Lemieux and Moore:

Iafallo - Kopitar - Kempe
Fiala - Byfield - Vilardi
Moore - Danault - Arvidsson
Lemieux - Lizotte - Grundstrom
Fagemo - Kupari - Thomas
Madden - JAD - Dudas

That’s not even keeping in mind guys like Turcotte, Helenius, Pinelli, and Chromiak, who aren’t that far away.

Something has to give here soon.

I am holding Fagemo and Kupari as extra forwards, they have the offense, need to improve, consistency , strength and D.
Whatever Blake's plan is it has to start with keeping the one line to pass TMac's mustard to this season, Danault. TMoo, Arv.
No way we are giving up Roy, or Lemieux, we need toughness our are players are going to be targeted even more often. Sorry guys I lost my like button. A lot different than twitter but I am learning.

 

[Surf Nutz]

Clarke, Spence, Bjornfot, and Kupari should all be in the NHL right now. So should Byfield but I’m afraid to even suggest that right now because of how poorly he is utilized by TMac when he’s up. Remember, this is the coach who didn’t start giving Kaliyev major minutes until he literally became our top PP scorer.

Blake should be moving on from players like Walker, Roy, Iafallo, Kempe, etc.

These guys are all borderline on a good team. Even Spence got shown up in the playoffs but I think Blake will make space and call him up closer to the TDL. They just don't do the little things right, not turnover the puck, play well on the D side. Kaliyev is proof it works. Tmac forced him to learn those things. He is doing them very well since promoted to Kopi's line and it led to him maintaining possession getting it to KF22 and a pass to Kopi for an important early lead goal last night. I was super impressed and Kopi was tapping his knee on the bench telling him good job. That is Kings hockey and how they need to play to get a higher winning percentage and make the playoffs. I like most of the other comments above.

 

[FSL KINGS]

I keep wondering if they're showcasing Kempe at C for a team like CBJ for Gavrikov or something but it's not much of a showcase lol

The waivers issue is concerning because there's an equally intimidating list the following season, so it's not like this upcoming logjam is all we need to solve.

No wonder dudes are restless, its not that they're demanding an immediate callup, i'ts just that if I'm, say, Madden for example, give me a chance with a different org now instead of running me out for two years with no intention of bringing me into the league before I get passed over by the entire NHL.

Kempe at C is what happens when Lizotte is your 3rd best center & you are tired of Lizotte trying to guard top lines.

The log jam at wing is real. Fiala, Kaliyev, Moore, Arvidsson, Iafallo, Vilardi & that's with Kempe at C & Kupari, Fagemo not in the lineup. Someone will need to move by next year.

Looking at ways of fitting salary for someone like Provorov, Cal is the first player you try to send back. Kempe could also work to clear cap. Arvidsson or Iafallo with Walker works. Vilardi needs a new contract & isn't going to be a cheap option for much longer. He's young, has potential & has yet to establish himself. Vilardi with Cal works salary wise. Vilardi doesn't seem destined for center with the King's & there are other options at wing. A team might bite on a large right handed center with potential.

Vilardi probably has the most value out of Kempe, Iafallo, Arvidsson & is replaceable.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

That's a story, you created, to get mad at.

Maybe, since they're so bad, nobody else wants those guys in a trade. Maybe Blake wanted to keep those guys, not trade them.

But the biggest thing, and again, I hate doing it, because it does get boring, is look at the trade market around the league. And I know it's all Blake's fault that he's not doing anything, when nobody else is doing much of anything. It doesn't take two teams to trade. All the Kings have to do is want to trade someone, and he'll be dealt in a matter of hours.



Yes, don't go into business with your friends. Unless it works out, like when a Canadian farm boy saved the ass of a friend in 2011. Then it's a brilliant move.



Walker was signed in Sept 2020. At the time, the Kings had a 7th rd pick Roy just completing his first full NHL season. They had Clague and Anderson with their first full pro season in the AHL. Moverare was still a year away from getting to the AHL. They had just drafted Bjornfot and Spence the year before. And then thanks to the pandemic, they hadn't even yet drafted Grans and Faber in the 2020 draft, which was held a month after Walker re-signed. Then Clarke wasn't even a glint in Blake's eye, because the 2021 draft was still many months away.

Yes, term always hurts, but that's just a byproduct of the cap. Most players end up signing for too long.

Another night, another shameless strawman. Congrats, you’re on a record setting pace.

Walker and Roy could be waived. If no one wants these players, fine, waive them. This is not complicated.

Neither Walker nor Roy outplayed Clarke in camp and the preseason. Spence is arguable. Bjornfot also didn’t play demonstrably worse than Walker/Roy. But considering Bjornfot’s handedness, that was an easy decision. And we saw real world evidence of this in the game he just played.

As RJ and others have pointed out, Blake/TMac are not making hockey decisions, but rather waiver eligibility/age decisions. That’s the problem.

We understand it takes two teams to complete a trade. This is not groundbreaking information, professor. And it’s not the point of contention.

 

[Fishhead]

Another night, another shameless strawman. Congrats, you’re on a record setting pace.

Walker and Roy could be waived. If no one wants these players, fine, waive them. This is not complicated.

Neither Walker nor Roy outplayed Clarke in camp and the preseason. Spence is arguable. Bjornfot also didn’t play demonstrably worse than Walker/Roy. But considering Bjornfot’s handedness, that was an easy decision. And we saw real world evidence of this in the game he just played.

As RJ and others have pointed out, Blake/TMac are not making hockey decisions, but rather waiver eligibility/age decisions. That’s the problem.

We understand it takes two teams to complete a trade. This is not groundbreaking information, professor. And it’s not the point of contention.

Waiving Walker and Roy isn't really an option. Teams generally don't like to carry a lot of dead cap space and pay $6M+ for guys that are on the roster. I'm not sure what the current buried values are but if they weren't picked up it would have to be over $3M in dead cap. That substantially impacts the amount of cap space a team can bank for the deadline.

I think both should be moved, and I can't imagine there aren't any takers. Walker especially is effective at his cap number. Not really sweating the return on either, one was undrafted and the other a 7th-rounder. But I get the hesitancy of GM's, every one of them wants the smallest edges in cap space saved up. It has really eliminated a lot of in-season trading.

 

[King'sPawn]

Waiving Walker and Roy isn't really an option. Teams generally don't like to carry a lot of dead cap space and pay $6M+ for guys that are on the roster. I'm not sure what the current buried values are but if they weren't picked up it would have to be over $3M in dead cap. That substantially impacts the amount of cap space a team can bank for the deadline.

I think both should be moved, and I can't imagine there aren't any takers. Walker especially is effective at his cap number. Not really sweating the return on either, one was undrafted and the other a 7th-rounder. But I get the hesitancy of GM's, every one of them wants the smallest edges in cap space saved up. It has really eliminated a lot of in-season trading.

A little over $1 million in cap relief would be buried (you can see Cal's "cap hit" in the minors is $3.875 million on CapFriendly).

And any ELC, like Spence, has a base salary lower than the relief.

It's true that businesses don't like burying money like that, but you'd think they dislike losing from overplaying dead weight more.

Edit: here's a link breaking it down further: Minimum NHL Salary & Buried Cap Hit | Puckpedia

 

[Fishhead]

A little over $1 million in cap relief would be buried (you can see Cal's "cap hit" in the minors is $3.875 million on CapFriendly).

And any ELC, like Spence, has a base salary lower than the relief.

It's true that businesses don't like burying money like that, but you'd think they dislike losing from overplaying dead weight more.

Edit: here's a link breaking it down further: Minimum NHL Salary & Buried Cap Hit | Puckpedia

Thanks, it's 1.125M per this year. So there is some savings bringing up a ELC, but on the other side of the coin it tanks a player's value, so you might get stuck with them another year. It's why vets going on waivers to make way for young guys rarely happens.

A trade is definitely preferable, even one with minimal return. Say Roy is traded for a mid-pick and Spence takes his place. That's well over $2M that can go towards banked cap space. Find a taker for Walker and you have close to $4M. All of a sudden it's easy to pull the trigger for someone like a Gavrikov and not worrying about having money to retain them.

It's much more difficult in practice than just typing it out here, but this team has the horses to easily do that. It's the most frustrating thing to me.

 

[King'sPawn]

Thanks, it's 1.125M per this year. So there is some savings bringing up a ELC, but on the other side of the coin it tanks a player's value, so you might get stuck with them another year. It's why vets going on waivers to make way for young guys rarely happens.

A trade is definitely preferable, even one with minimal return. Say Roy is traded for a mid-pick and Spence takes his place. That's well over $2M that can go towards banked cap space. Find a taker for Walker and you have close to $4M. All of a sudden it's easy to pull the trigger for someone like a Gavrikov and not worrying about having money to retain them.

It's much more difficult in practice than just typing it out here, but this team has the horses to easily do that. It's the most frustrating thing to me.

I agree. A trade is definitely preferable. But overall, the narrative that Blake's hands are completely tied needs to go away.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Absolutely time for changes.

 

[mysterman2]

Fun fact....Kings have lost last 4 OT games. Tmac started 8/9/11 & last night 9/11 and Durzi in all of those games.

2 of those OT losses came in the first shift of the game and the other 2 games didnt games didnt get past the half way mark of OT. Yet Tmac rolls the same lines over and over and OT strategy still looks like like there is no strategy to be had.