Speculation: LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread part VII

[johnjm22]

The Kings just improved their point percentage from .438 to .584 despite missing Doughty a lot of the year.
I get the frustration over Byfield or Kopitar or whatever.
But to me, when the Kings took 5 of 6 points in western Canada with the playoffs on the line? I had to give McClellan some credit.

Kings are 5th in the league in CF%, 4th in SF%. They play a pretty simple but effective game that tips the ice toward the opposition. They also have lwest 5 on 5 shooting percentage in the league by quite a lot.

Only Calgary and NYR have had improved as much as LA.
McClelllan got the message from the GM: He wants the Kings to make the playoffs.
If you want to blame anyone for the Kings deployment of Kaliyev or Byfield, blame Blake.

I think the main reason for the Kings improvement is the additions of Danault and Arvidisson, along with the improved play of Kempe, Moore, Lizotte and Lemieux.

The problem is, none of it means anything if the org's young players don't pan out.

The Kings "success" this year, isn't sustainable unless we get a big step up from the youth, and we're not seeing much indication that that's going to happen.

 

[cyclones22]

He's getting outscored by another C on this team at even strength and he's getting absolutely walloped by the opponents at 5v5, worst on the team by a significant amount.

Production is smoke and mirrors when you can't outscore your problems and the coach refuses to adjust your deployment accordingly.

And that's the kinda crap we point out with some of these young players on other teams who are racking up points. Yes they're racking up points, but they're allowing more than they actually score. For a young player, that's fine. Let them take their lumps. Hopefully, next season the leash will be longer for them and they'll be allowed to take risks and make mistakes. But for your #1 center who's getting paid $10m a season? That's not acceptable.

Kopi has been laboring all season because he's older. That's why you don't freaking play him massive amounts of minutes night in and night out. He could be more effective with fewer minutes. Fun fact, the player who is often tossed out there in comparison to Kopi is Bergeron. Bergeron since his 3rd season in the league has not reached 20 minutes TOI per game in the following 15 seasons. He's 2 years older than Kopi. Kopi has 1 season of LESS than 20 minutes in his career. 7 times he's played over 21 minutes a season. This season he's at 20:49. Bringing on Danault has shaved 22 seconds off his TOI from last season. It should've shaved 2 minutes. Less workload = more effective for more years.

This season more than any I find myself yelling at my TV for Kopi to get off the ice. He has been so guilty of extending his shifts and getting the team in trouble for it. His linemates will have already changed and his ass is still out there when he could've dumped the puck and jumped over the boards.

 

[kilowatt]

No, but it suggests it's not as a big of a concern as some imply.

He's getting outscored by another C on this team at even strength and he's getting absolutely walloped by the opponents at 5v5, worst on the team by a significant amount.

Production is smoke and mirrors when you can't outscore your problems and the coach refuses to adjust your deployment accordingly.

Kopitar is leading the team in scoring, sure, but he's 60th in the league overall in scoring and 53rd overall among forwards. That's...not very good.

In 2011-12, Kopitar was 16th among forwards with 76 points, and in 2013-14, Kopitar was 15th among forwards with 70 points. Since the 2005 lockout, no team has won the Stanley Cup without a player in the top 50 in scoring.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

No coach is perfect. Hes the coach if the kings so thats who we talk about. I watch every game and go to some games so yea i live with the warts.

Great....what I am saying is, every coach has them, some are just different than others...

 

[kingsfan]

The youth is taking positive steps. There is indications of this. Just because we don't have someone coming in and scoring 50+ points as a rookie people want to take that as a sign the kids aren't advancing. People b!tch about Kaliyev 'only' having 25 points this season. That's 18th in rookie scoring and I believe 10th amongst guys his age or younger. Most teams don't have a kid scoring at that clip at his age.


Again, we're second in games played by rookies, they are being given a lot of opportunity, and were still well into the playoff hunt. Next year should be noticeably between because of so many kids getting their feet wet this year. I hate defending Blake, but he and TMac have actually done a good job of balancing playing the kids and being competitive.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

I think the main reason for the Kings improvement is the additions of Danault and Arvidisson, along with the improved play of Kempe, Moore, Lizotte and Lemieux.

The problem is, none of it means anything if the org's young players don't pan out.

The Kings "success" this year, isn't sustainable unless we get a big step up from the youth, and we're not seeing much indication that that's going to happen.

To a point.....but Kempe is 25-26, 27? Not exactly sure, Moore is 25-26, Lizotte is 23, and I really have no idea why we are counting Lemieux in here...but he's what 24-25,

Danault is having a career year in goals...not points, and Arvidsson is having his normal non-injured year,

If they all played like dogshit, then yea, we wouldnt' be where we are.....but then again,,,that goes for all 32 teams, all 160 teams if you want to count Pro Sports in general.....

If you aren't seeing indication from Kaliyev, Kupari, and Byfield, I don't know what to tell you, Kaliyev has made HUGE strides, he's had a great rookie year.....Kupari was vanilla until he went down, came back and up and you can see....his game has changed....and Byfield, is still figuring out why they glued two sticks together length wise on him,

That's just upfront, not to mention the youth on the back end has been pretty damn stellar....

 

[Johnny Utah]

I would send down Byfield and Vilardi. Kings now have extra forwards in Andersson and Grundstrom and they are more suited for the playoffs than the Vilardi or Byfield.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Kinky

I want the Russian.

 

[kingsfan]

Kopitar is leading the team in scoring, sure, but he's 60th in the league overall in scoring and 53rd overall among forwards. That's...not very good.

In 2011-12, Kopitar was 16th among forwards with 76 points, and in 2013-14, Kopitar was 15th among forwards with 70 points. Since the 2005 lockout, no team has won the Stanley Cup without a player in the top 50 in scoring.

Ok... and?
The comment was about Kopi's skating and the impact on his decline. He had 76 and 70 points those seasons. This year he's on pace for 66. It's not been much of a decline, if at all, considering he also put up less than 66 points in a full 82 game season three times since 2013-2014.

 

[johnjm22]

I would send down Byfield and Vilardi. Kings now have extra forwards in Andersson and Grundstrom and they are more suited for the playoffs than the Vilardi or Byfield.

Andersson isn't suited for any kind of NHL hockey.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Probably the loudest eruption I've ever witnessed at Staples Center. Would be nice to see a crowd like that again.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Regardless of who's in their spots may as well send Vilardi and Byfield down now.

Mgmt has, for better or worse, committed to having a lineup as full of vets as possible with youth on the fringe. Sitting our bluechippers to watch isn't 'getting meaningful games in'. These guys needs minutes and reps and rhythm. One game out, sure. This isn't that.

Let them power Ontario thru the playoffs. Far less impactful than the NHL but at least they'll be skating. That goes for the d-men too--if they're going to sit or relegate Spence or Durzi, let them go lead Ontario.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Probably the loudest eruption I've ever witnessed at Staples Center. Would be nice to see a crowd like that again.

Epic...what a memory.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Probably the loudest eruption I've ever witnessed at Staples Center. Would be nice to see a crowd like that again.

HM to the eruption after the EN goal here

 

[MBH]

I was only messing around a bit. It was a sarcastic over simplification. I keep saying he is a good coach in many ways but has his warts also.

Babcock disciple.
To be expected.

 

[MBH]

Epic...what a memory.

From a wings perspective, that's what sealed Osgood's fate and got him sent away for 5 years, and ushered in Hasek .

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

HM to the eruption after the EN goal here

I was there!

 

[kingsfan]

2001 was such a memorable year. We turned into sellers and dealt Blake for a huge return, then got Potvin because the Canucks were just trying to give him away. We get hot, make the playoffs, come back from 2-0 down against Detroit to win in six, then come back from 3-1 down to Colorado to almost upset Colorado with Blake.

That Colorado series was the same one where Norstrom and Miller -who came over in that Blake trade- beat up Forsberg so bad he had to get his spleen removed. I think he missed the rest of the playoffs cause of it.

That Kings team was sheer determination and grit that post-season. Easily my fav squad from the dark years between 1994-2009

 

[Schrute farms]

The youth is taking positive steps. There is indications of this. Just because we don't have someone coming in and scoring 50+ points as a rookie people want to take that as a sign the kids aren't advancing. People b!tch about Kaliyev 'only' having 25 points this season. That's 18th in rookie scoring and I believe 10th amongst guys his age or younger. Most teams don't have a kid scoring at that clip at his age.


Again, we're second in games played by rookies, they are being given a lot of opportunity, and were still well into the playoff hunt. Next year should be noticeably between because of so many kids getting their feet wet this year. I hate defending Blake, but he and TMac have actually done a good job of balancing playing the kids and being competitive.

Agreed. The hope is that this is the start of something for these young guys long-term. A quick spark and then flame out is not what anyone wants. Building a solid base for a long 5-10+ year successful career with the Kings is what we want. We really won't know what this year means to these guys until after the fact and we look back. In 5-10 years, we can properly say whether this was the start of an epic Kings FO/coaching failure for most of these young guys.......or that this was a great first step (baby step even) for them without a lot of pressure and allowed them to progress properly until they were ready to take the reins over from the vets and run with it -- onto the future SCup win(s).

People/fans nowadays though want immediate results or else throw the baby out with the water. I'm hoping this is like a great stew or BBQ pig.....low & slow until ready and then it's ON!

 

[MBH]

I think the main reason for the Kings improvement is the additions of Danault and Arvidisson, along with the improved play of Kempe, Moore, Lizotte and Lemieux.

The problem is, none of it means anything if the org's young players don't pan out.

The Kings "success" this year, isn't sustainable unless we get a big step up from the youth, and we're not seeing much indication that that's going to happen.

Success is never sustainable without change.
But it doesn't always need to come from "kids."
NYR have watched nothing come of Lias Andersson and Kravtsov and very little come of Lafreniere and Kakko, and yet they had a quick turn around.

The fact that Danault so significantly changed this team's fortunes is telling and I think it sheds realistic light on rebuilds.

Somehow, whether it's Byfield or Turcotte, or some yet-to-be-named trade target or UFA, the Kings are going to need to replace Kopitar in the coming years.

It would be a massive disappointment if it's not Byfield or Turcotte or Vilardi or whoever.
But that doesn't ,mean it's over if those kids fail

 

[cyclones22]

2001 was such a memorable year. We turned into sellers and dealt Blake for a huge return, then got Potvin because the Canucks were just trying to give him away. We get hot, make the playoffs, come back from 2-0 down against Detroit to win in six, then come back from 3-1 down to Colorado to almost upset Colorado with Blake.

That Colorado series was the same one where Norstrom and Miller -who came over in that Blake trade- beat up Forsberg so bad he had to get his spleen removed. I think he missed the rest of the playoffs cause of it.

That Kings team was sheer determination and grit that post-season. Easily my fav squad from the dark years between 1994-2009

That's the Deadmarsh era for me. Such a killer player. Sad that his time with the Kings was short, but more sad how his concussions have impacted his life.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Probably the loudest eruption I've ever witnessed at Staples Center. Would be nice to see a crowd like that again.

I miss Bob.

 

[cyclones22]

Success is never sustainable without change.
But it doesn't always need to come from "kids."
NYR have watched nothing come of Lias Andersson and Kravtsov and very little come of Lafreniere and Kakko, and yet they had a quick turn around.

The fact that Danault so significantly changed this team's fortunes is telling and I think it sheds realistic light on rebuilds.

Somehow, whether it's Byfield or Turcotte, or some yet-to-be-named trade target or UFA, the Kings are going to need to replace Kopitar in the coming years.

It would be a massive disappointment if it's not Byfield or Turcotte or Vilardi or whoever.
But that doesn't ,mean it's over if those kids fail

While I agree to some extent, the Rangers fortunes changed when Panarin, a legit MVP caliber player signed with them. Then one of the best defenseman prospects on the planet decided to play for his hometown and not sign with the Flames and proceeds to win the Norris. They've also got who likely will win the Vezina this season. The Rangers hit a homerun with scouting Shesterkin. They replaced their HOF goaltender with an elite one. That combination of additions is a hell of a lot of fuel for a retool regardless of the prospect pool results. Good luck emulating that.

 

[kilowatt]

Ok... and?
The comment was about Kopi's skating and the impact on his decline. He had 76 and 70 points those seasons. This year he's on pace for 66. It's not been much of a decline, if at all, considering he also put up less than 66 points in a full 82 game season three times since 2013-2014.

Scoring across the league has increased 15% since 2013-14. For him to match his 76 point performance, he'd need to score 88 points. Finishing the year with 66 points is a 25% decrease in production from the cup years. That's not insignificant.

But the issue here isn't even that Kopitar's declining — of course he is, we won our first cup a decade ago, and he was already five years into his career. The issue is that a declining Kopitar is still arguably the best player on the team. We really need someone to be better than him, and soon.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Probably the loudest eruption I've ever witnessed at Staples Center. Would be nice to see a crowd like that again.

I was at this game, with my now ex. section 210 I think.
With about 7 or 8 mins to go, she gets up and was going....and I said "we are not leaving until the horn goes off 4 times" and she laughed and said "just going to the bathroom"
The horn did go off 4 times! Was crazy.