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

[GoldenBearHockey]

You do realize the near future success of the Kings is solely on Byfield, right?

If not on Byfield then which prospect is going to fill Kopitar's shoes?

Please for once in your life make a case rather than being a clown whether intentional or not lol.

Does it have to be a prospect in the system now? Or are we allowed to....I dunno.....trade.....

Deleted, somehow I quoted myself. I was winning that argument too!


Matthews to TB makes a ton of sense too. My point is there will be multiple suitors for Matthews, and there are many drawbacks to signing in LA, and signing in TB has many advantages to offer in a couple of seasons.

Meh.....Matthews to pretty much one of 32 teams makes sense......you can't plan on using FA as a building strategy like you can trading....(drafting is obvious etc) but if you draft 13 great Dmen....then you can trade a few of those for offense.....kinda like Fiala deal.....

Is it nice to develop top end offense absolutely, is it absolutely 100% essential.....not in theory.

 

[YP44]

Deleted, somehow I quoted myself. I was winning that argument too!


Matthews to TB makes a ton of sense too. My point is there will be multiple suitors for Matthews, and there are many drawbacks to signing in LA, and signing in TB has many advantages to offer in a couple of seasons.

oh it is definitely putting the cart before the horse. Just a fun pipe dream really

 

[Kudelski37]

Does it have to be a prospect in the system now? Or are we allowed to....I dunno.....trade.....



Meh.....Matthews to pretty much one of 32 teams makes sense......you can't plan on using FA as a building strategy like you can trading....(drafting is obvious etc) but if you draft 13 great Dmen....then you can trade a few of those for offense.....kinda like Fiala deal.....

Is it nice to develop top end offense absolutely, is it absolutely 100% essential.....not in theory.

This is where I am. As long as the Kings keep finding mid round gems on D, the Kings are fine if they cash some in for forwards if needed. I am not hitting panic button about the forward prospects now though.

 

[BigKing]

1C is the tough one to get. We aren't talking about picking up Top 6 forwards: we are talking about a legit 1C.

Fiala was a big use of Blake's capital and a move that we all knew would be done eventually: moving futures for proven assets. He doesn't have a ton of bullets left for these types of deals as it comes to real difference makers.

When I stress the importance of Byfield, I'm talking about being a true contender moving forward. Can the Kings cobble something together and be a middling team if he doesn't pan out? Sure, but the point of bottoming out for top picks is to nab a star-to-superstar player as opposed to whiffing and making all of your best picks in the later rounds anyways.

 

[Herby]

I might be able too comment a little on this.

You can thank Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube; or social media for the superficial posts and quick hot takes. It takes effort and discipline for meaningful posts. Coming up with a hypothesis and backing that with data can take a lot of work. Imagine trying to make up a thoughtful comment about Kings development when distractions are coming all over the place. Currently as I type this up, my partner is watching Ru Pual, a text message about fantasy football news, an Instagram notification, and a cat in my lap demanding pets. It's hard!

Being miserable with low attention span is less resistance than intellectual and taking time to articulate. I like to compare it to cooking. You can either A.) Go to McDonalds for a big mac meal. B.) Buy some fresh ingredients and cook a satiating meal (but you have to prepare and clean up after!). McDonalds will probably give diarrhea, but who likes to spend 45 minutes cooking and 15 minutes cleaning?

Finally, some greatly struggle coming up with material go over in depth. Just who they are and have little desire to change the formula. Just enjoy reading the thoughtful contributions and keep posting what you do best.

I agree 100%.

I am the type of person who has few interests but is very passionate about those interests and love to interact and debate with people who share those same interests. So for me that is Kings hockey, Michigan athletics, gambling and fishing. I was also a history major in school so I am a strong believer in using historical precedent in many parts of life, including how a sports team is managed. That is why I was so vocal about the Turcotte and Byfield things, it just went so against almost all historical precedent in how to handle those players it is just tough to see how an NHL front office completely ignores that part of it.

I have gotten a few people on this forum call me out for making to long posts, that they don't want to read researched stuff, tldr etc. And that is fine, some people are more casual fans and/or have the 40 characters or less type mindset that is so prevalent now. If you want to read one paragraph or less posts and want to avoid reading a mini-research papers that sometimes are negative about the Kings then people should ignore me. I personally enjoy reading posts like that from others on this forum because I love to learn new stuff and be exposed to research that others have taken the time to make to support their case, so my feelings are that there are others who do enjoy that and I am hoping to add to the conversation. But to some other(s) it is "Get a life"

The ridiculous and mocking reply to your well thought out post just kind of proves that point. To people like that they will reply with insults, vulgarity or name calling towards those who disagree with them, which adds nothing to the discussion. And then ofcourse add to it with the "better stuff to do" line and think it applies to everyone, not knowing or even considering for a second that to some people discussing all aspects of the Kings is a very enjoyable thing for them to do.

I appreciate and enjoy the discussions here, there are some extremely knowledgeable and well read people on this forum, there are people I respect whom I disagree with sometimes, and other than a few extremely rare circumstances it always stays civil. This forum and the entire HF community in general has been a wonderful resource in helping me with how I make a living. You learn by visiting and reading team boards and reading the people who always have strong opinions and using that to use in how a team is shaping up or trending.

But with others it can just never stay civil or be a productive discussion. Being told to "Go be a Ducks fan" or "What a horseshit take" just adds so little to a conversation and drains on the whole board, which is unfortunate. But I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

Interesting line

I've had a few people I do business with ask me about the Kings line.

On the surface I would say low and take the over if you really want to bet it, but its a soft-play, honestly probably a pass.

Reasons for optimism
- Added a 1st line forward for nothing off last years roster

- Doughty returns after playing 41 games where he was a Top 10 d-man

- PP is improved, possibly drastically based on how bad it was.

- The return to health of other defenders, especially Matt Roy.

- Progression from Kaliyev and potentially Byfield (but I think AK's will be more likely and more significant)

- Return to normalcy from Iafallo (assuming last year was an injury)

- The Kings were 9-12 in combined OT/SO games. .500 is expected

- Anaheim and San Jose project to be pretty bad the whole year

- Seattle will be better but still pretty bad


Reasons for pessimism
- Continued decline of Kopitar

- Major offensive regression for Danault and Kempe. I have Danault as a top 3 regression in the NHL. Kempe not as much but 35 goals is extremely unlikely. These two combined for 62 goals last year after being anywhere from 10-20 goal scorers their entire careers.

- Kopitar decline + Danault return to normal leaves the Kings in potentially a real bad spot down the middle offensively.

- Regression of Moore and Arvidsson (largely due to Danault)

- 4th line regression. No way do they do what they did last year.

- The Kings were 18-8 in regulation games decided by 1 goal, almost impossible to repeat that

- Vegas being healthy is probably a slightly better roster than the Kings

- Vancouver will be improved from last year as a whole based on their second half. Miller trade looms though.

- Goaltending concerns

 

[funky]

BECAUSE IT DOES. If Byfield doesn't pan out and he hasn't YET and it is very POSSIBLE he DOES NOT.

And if he DOESN'T then the Kings will HAVE to REBUILD.

Here I even bolded it out for you so even you can understand it.

I have no idea if you are actually this dim or if you're just trolling. But the Kings success (Like All Teams) has to come through drafting and development. The players that are going to be the cornerstone of the team always comes from within. Danault is a good second line center. Kings need a Kopitar replacement or someone to fill his shoes even a bit. No one has shown that yet.

Thats the problem. No one has shown to be able to fill Kopitars shoes even a little. You dont understand the importance of knocking out the first round picks. Trades fix issues but it doesn't fix a broken system that the Kings are suffering from. Do you get it? Or are you going to pretend that its not true?

To early to judge Byfield. We can’t predict the future. He could go on to become a perennial Art Ross candidate or could be the next Brian Boyle.

He might not turn out and we might sign Matthew’s as a UFA in a few years.

Our forward prospects may all take that next step and our defense may not develop any farther.

Right now my biggest future worry is the same as my present worry and that is goaltending. In a year from now Quicj may be retired and Peterson may go in a trade package to a team rebuilding that wants to shed a star goalie.

Can’t predict the future but I can say not one individual makes a team. The Oilers proved this by trading the best player in the world for a buttload of cash, a ton of prospects and picks. None of the prospects really panned out to be anything spectacular and the Oilers went on to win the cup 2 years later. It should also be noted they traded one of the best defensemen in the world in Paul coffee the year before they traded Gretzky.

All I’m trying to say is we don’t know what the future holds, we don’t know what Blake and Company have up their sleeves, and we definitely don’t know what a super young, high end prospect in Byfield will become until we see him play a little bit more. Way too early to worry, and there’s always other avenues

 

[Herby]

My favorite lines right now

Chicago U 65.5 - Nothing is going to stop them from having the most Bedard lottery balls.

Minnesota O 101.5 - I get regression, but a dozen point regression in a division with Chicago and Arizona.

Montreal O 71.5 - They aren't this bad. Some young talent that could pop.

Ottawa O 86.5 - Buy the hype, I can't believe their line is this low. They are going to score a ton of goals, Sanderson could be this years Seider and they have the space to make a major addition.

Boston U 94.5 - Wheels fall off a bit this season, Bergeron isn't Tom Brady, coaching downgrade, unhappy star on expiring contract. Rising teams below them.

Columbus O 80.5 - This might be my favorite one of the year. They have all the pieces in place to have a lethal PP.

 

[Sol]

To early to judge Byfield. We can’t predict the future. He could go on to become a perennial Art Ross candidate or could be the next Brian Boyle.

He might not turn out and we might sign Matthew’s as a UFA in a few years.

Our forward prospects may all take that next step and our defense may not develop any farther.

Right now my biggest future worry is the same as my present worry and that is goaltending. In a year from now Quicj may be retired and Peterson may go in a trade package to a team rebuilding that wants to shed a star goalie.

Can’t predict the future but I can say not one individual makes a team. The Oilers proved this by trading the best player in the world for a buttload of cash, a ton of prospects and picks. None of the prospects really panned out to be anything spectacular and the Oilers went on to win the cup 2 years later. It should also be noted they traded one of the best defensemen in the world in Paul coffee the year before they traded Gretzky.

All I’m trying to say is we don’t know what the future holds, we don’t know what Blake and Company have up their sleeves, and we definitely don’t know what a super young, high end prospect in Byfield will become until we see him play a little bit more. Way too early to worry, and there’s always other avenues

I am saying particularly in the near future if Byfield doesn’t pan out which is likely he doesn’t since there’s no real signs of great talent that the Kings will logically be going into another rebuild to get that 1C. The whole Matthews thing is a real cute fanfic idea but there’s many other teams who’d want him too so I don’t think it’s anything to keep in the back of your pocket. Goaltending is the next big issue yeah.

You don’t get anywhere without a good top line center. The only team to get away with it was the Blues in recent history but it’s not a true method

 

[BigKing]

To early to judge Byfield. We can’t predict the future. He could go on to become a perennial Art Ross candidate or could be the next Brian Boyle.

He might not turn out and we might sign Matthew’s as a UFA in a few years.

Our forward prospects may all take that next step and our defense may not develop any farther.

Right now my biggest future worry is the same as my present worry and that is goaltending. In a year from now Quicj may be retired and Peterson may go in a trade package to a team rebuilding that wants to shed a star goalie.

Can’t predict the future but I can say not one individual makes a team. The Oilers proved this by trading the best player in the world for a buttload of cash, a ton of prospects and picks. None of the prospects really panned out to be anything spectacular and the Oilers went on to win the cup 2 years later. It should also be noted they traded one of the best defensemen in the world in Paul coffee the year before they traded Gretzky.

All I’m trying to say is we don’t know what the future holds, we don’t know what Blake and Company have up their sleeves, and we definitely don’t know what a super young, high end prospect in Byfield will become until we see him play a little bit more. Way too early to worry, and there’s always other avenues

The Oilers Cup team in 1990 did have four HHOF'ers in their age 29-30 seasons.

The Kings have potentially three HHOF'ers in their 33, 35 and 37 year old seasons.

We don't know what the future holds but, barring horrible injury luck or Voynov type disasters, the Kings should be in a pretty good situation if Byfield hits. He is the prize of the tank and multiple #3-4 defenseman from Rounds 2-4 won't make up for him not being the 1C this team will need.

It isn't crazy to say either: that's why he was the pick and not Stutzle.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

My favorite lines right now

Chicago U 65.5 - Nothing is going to stop them from having the best chance at Bedard.

Minnesota O 101.5 - I get regression, but a dozen point regression in that division?

Montreal O 71.5 - They aren't this bad. Some young talent that could pop.

Ottawa O 86.5 - Buy the hype, I can't believe their line is this low. They are going to score a ton of goals, Sanderson is legit and they have the space to make a major addition.

Boston U 94.5 - Wheels fall off a bit this season, Bergeron isn't Tom Brady, coaching downgrade, unhappy star on expiring contract. Rising teams below them.

oooooooh....Minnesota at 101.5? As an over? Man, that's a tough sell......did they replace Fiala's production?

Montreal, that's...one I would stay away from, they aren't this bad....but no Price...no goaltending....can they go over....yea, but not sure how much you wanna lay down on Allen and Montembault....

Ottawa, yea, I like that over considering who else is in the East.......

Boston is another one, where....man....yea I can see the allure of the under, and the fact they are missing McAvoy and Marchand to start the season, probably makes it a solid bet....

As far as the LA under....I stay way betting anything LA.....I bet the under, they go over, I bet the over, they go under....I gave up on betting on them a long time ago, maybe sometimes if I see total goals on a game at 6.5-7 I will go under..other than that....no thanks.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I've had a few people I do business with ask me about the Kings line.

On the surface I would say low and take the over if you really want to bet it, but its a soft-play, honestly probably a pass.

Reasons for optimism
- Added a 1st line forward for nothing off last years roster

- Doughty returns after playing 41 games where he was a Top 10 d-man

- PP is improved, possibly drastically based on how bad it was.

- The return to health of other defenders, especially Matt Roy.

- Progression from Kaliyev and potentially Byfield (but I think AK's will be more likely and more significant)

- Return to normalcy from Iafallo (assuming last year was an injury)

- The Kings were 9-12 in combined OT/SO games. .500 is expected

- Anaheim and San Jose project to be pretty bad the whole year

- Seattle will be better but still pretty bad


Reasons for pessimism
- Continued decline of Kopitar

- Major offensive regression for Danault and Kempe. I have Danault as a top 3 regression in the NHL. Kempe not as much but 35 goals is extremely unlikely. These two combined for 62 goals last year after being anywhere from 10-20 goal scorers their entire careers.

- Kopitar decline + Danault return to normal leaves the Kings in potentially a real bad spot down the middle offensively.

- Regression of Moore and Arvidsson (largely due to Danault)

- 4th line regression. No way do they do what they did last year.

- The Kings were 18-8 in regulation games decided by 1 goal, almost impossible to repeat that

- Vegas being healthy is probably a slightly better roster than the Kings

- Vancouver will be improved from last year as a whole based on their second half. Miller trade looms though.

- Goaltending concerns

My favorite lines right now

Chicago U 65.5 - Nothing is going to stop them from having the most Bedard lottery balls.

Minnesota O 101.5 - I get regression, but a dozen point regression in a division with Chicago and Arizona.

Montreal O 71.5 - They aren't this bad. Some young talent that could pop.

Ottawa O 86.5 - Buy the hype, I can't believe their line is this low. They are going to score a ton of goals, Sanderson is legit and they have the space to make a major addition.

Boston U 94.5 - Wheels fall off a bit this season, Bergeron isn't Tom Brady, coaching downgrade, unhappy star on expiring contract. Rising teams below them.

Columbus O 80.5 - This might be my favorite one of the year. They have all the pieces in place to have a lethal PP.

I agree on the Kings' line, I think they really nailed the range honestly.

Chicago agreed, they're gonna be an unmitigated dumpster fire.

Minnesota might take a step back, but they'll still be a relative power.

Montreal is a bit of a wild card, I could see them cratering, I could see them pushing like they did during covid.

Ottawa is a victim of their division imo, and with Talbot and Forsberg in net, and a pretty young D, I don't think they'll outscore their problems.

Boston is interesting too because it appears a lot of the unhappiness was becaus eo fhte coach. Like MTL, i could see them having a renaissance season or bottoming out.

Columbus is the moneymaker here imo

 

[KINGS17]

Meh.....Matthews to pretty much one of 32 teams makes sense......you can't plan on using FA as a building strategy like you can trading....(drafting is obvious etc) but if you draft 13 great Dmen....then you can trade a few of those for offense.....kinda like Fiala deal.....

Is it nice to develop top end offense absolutely, is it absolutely 100% essential.....not in theory.

Matthews to pretty much one of 32 teams makes sense? Not to Matthews it doesn't. I suspect he has a very exclusive list of teams he is willing to sign with when his next contract comes up.

1C is the tough one to get. We aren't talking about picking up Top 6 forwards: we are talking about a legit 1C.

Fiala was a big use of Blake's capital and a move that we all knew would be done eventually: moving futures for proven assets. He doesn't have a ton of bullets left for these types of deals as it comes to real difference makers.

When I stress the importance of Byfield, I'm talking about being a true contender moving forward. Can the Kings cobble something together and be a middling team if he doesn't pan out? Sure, but the point of bottoming out for top picks is to nab a star-to-superstar player as opposed to whiffing and making all of your best picks in the later rounds anyways.

It's a waste of time and assets if Fiala isn't spending a ton of time on Byfield's wing this season and helping Byfield develop his offensive game. They would give up a ton of chances to the other team, but Byfield would learn a lot.

 

[Herby]

oooooooh....Minnesota at 101.5? As an over? Man, that's a tough sell......did they replace Fiala's production?

Montreal, that's...one I would stay away from, they aren't this bad....but no Price...no goaltending....can they go over....yea, but not sure how much you wanna lay down on Allen and Montembault....

Ottawa, yea, I like that over considering who else is in the East.......

Boston is another one, where....man....yea I can see the allure of the under, and the fact they are missing McAvoy and Marchand to start the season, probably makes it a solid bet....

As far as the LA under....I stay way betting anything LA.....I bet the under, they go over, I bet the over, they go under....I gave up on betting on them a long time ago, maybe sometimes if I see total goals on a game at 6.5-7 I will go under..other than that....no thanks.

Minnesota is 105 in my model. And I'll tell you why.

I place a heavy emphasis on division and I think that division across the board is weaker. The SC champ always falls back, the Blues are going to be worse (95.5 total), Nashville is about the same. Arizona and especially Chicago are doormats. Winnipeg is another team that seems to be teetering on the brink of entering a dark stage. Dallas is at best the same.

Another one I put a big emphasis on is road back to backs.

Anaheim
Chicago
Vancouver
San Jose
Toronto
Winnipeg
Arizona

That is one playoff team from last year and multiple doormats. Road back to backs are one of the toughest ways to get points in the NHL but with this schedule, Minnesota will get plenty.

For comparisons sake, this is the Kings road back to backs

Nashville
Dallas
Seattle
Columbus
Chicago
Tampa Bay
Arizona
NY Islanders
Vancouver

 

[Herby]

Tage Thompson 7 for $50m

I think it's a bit rich for a player with basically one good season entering his age 25 season.I don't see him as a high end-talent, I don't think he is as good as Suzuki or Norris who signed pretty similar deals. That shooting percentage returning to career normal could be disastrous. But when you're Buffalo who has struggled to add good pieces the last decade I guess it is something you have to do.

I wonder if Anaheim and Montreal end up committing similar long-term deals to Zegras and Caufield, or if they wait for their ELC's to expire after this season.

 

[johnjm22]

He only had 3 more goals than Kempe, and Kempe got 5.5M.

Still, I think that contract will turn out pretty well for Buffalo.

 

[Herby]

He only had 3 more goals than Kempe, and Kempe got 5.5M.

Still, I think that contract will turn out pretty well for Buffalo.

I think I'd rather have Kempe, and certainly at the difference in hits.

 

[redcard]

Tage Thompson 7 for $50m

I think it's a bit rich for a player with basically one good season entering his age 25 season.I don't see him as a high end-talent, I don't think he is as good as Suzuki or Norris who signed pretty similar deals. That shooting percentage returning to career normal could be disastrous. But when you're Buffalo who has struggled to add good pieces the last decade I guess it is something you have to do.

I wonder if Anaheim and Montreal end up committing similar long-term deals to Zegras and Caufield, or if they wait for their ELC's to expire after this season.

With the mess that Buffalo's been I can't say I'm surprised to see them pay a premium to get a young player to stick around for 7 years. What's the point of cap space if all your draft picks are just counting down the years until they hit UFA?

 

[unicornpig]

Tage Thompson 7 for $50m

I think it's a bit rich for a player with basically one good season entering his age 25 season.I don't see him as a high end-talent, I don't think he is as good as Suzuki or Norris who signed pretty similar deals. That shooting percentage returning to career normal could be disastrous. But when you're Buffalo who has struggled to add good pieces the last decade I guess it is something you have to do.

I wonder if Anaheim and Montreal end up committing similar long-term deals to Zegras and Caufield, or if they wait for their ELC's to expire after this season.

kings paid a goalie 5x3 for no good seasons.

 

[King'sPawn]

I agree 100%.

I am the type of person who has few interests but is very passionate about those interests and love to interact and debate with people who share those same interests. So for me that is Kings hockey, Michigan athletics, gambling and fishing. I was also a history major in school so I am a strong believer in using historical precedent in many parts of life, including how a sports team is managed. That is why I was so vocal about the Turcotte and Byfield things, it just went so against almost all historical precedent in how to handle those players it is just tough to see how an NHL front office completely ignores that part of it.

I have gotten a few people on this forum call me out for making to long posts, that they don't want to read researched stuff, tldr etc. And that is fine, some people are more casual fans and/or have the 40 characters or less type mindset that is so prevalent now. If you want to read one paragraph or less posts and want to avoid reading a mini-research papers that sometimes are negative about the Kings then people should ignore me. I personally enjoy reading posts like that from others on this forum because I love to learn new stuff and be exposed to research that others have taken the time to make to support their case, so my feelings are that there are others who do enjoy that and I am hoping to add to the conversation. But to some other(s) it is "Get a life"

The ridiculous and mocking reply to your well thought out post just kind of proves that point. To people like that they will reply with insults, vulgarity or name calling towards those who disagree with them, which adds nothing to the discussion. And then ofcourse add to it with the "better stuff to do" line and think it applies to everyone, not knowing or even considering for a second that to some people discussing all aspects of the Kings is a very enjoyable thing for them to do.

I appreciate and enjoy the discussions here, there are some extremely knowledgeable and well read people on this forum, there are people I respect whom I disagree with sometimes, and other than a few extremely rare circumstances it always stays civil. This forum and the entire HF community in general has been a wonderful resource in helping me with how I make a living. You learn by visiting and reading team boards and reading the people who always have strong opinions and using that to use in how a team is shaping up or trending.

But with others it can just never stay civil or be a productive discussion. Being told to "Go be a Ducks fan" or "What a horseshit take" just adds so little to a conversation and drains on the whole board, which is unfortunate. But I guess you have to take the good with the bad.



I've had a few people I do business with ask me about the Kings line.

On the surface I would say low and take the over if you really want to bet it, but its a soft-play, honestly probably a pass.

Reasons for optimism
- Added a 1st line forward for nothing off last years roster

- Doughty returns after playing 41 games where he was a Top 10 d-man

- PP is improved, possibly drastically based on how bad it was.

- The return to health of other defenders, especially Matt Roy.

- Progression from Kaliyev and potentially Byfield (but I think AK's will be more likely and more significant)

- Return to normalcy from Iafallo (assuming last year was an injury)

- The Kings were 9-12 in combined OT/SO games. .500 is expected

- Anaheim and San Jose project to be pretty bad the whole year

- Seattle will be better but still pretty bad


Reasons for pessimism
- Continued decline of Kopitar

- Major offensive regression for Danault and Kempe. I have Danault as a top 3 regression in the NHL. Kempe not as much but 35 goals is extremely unlikely. These two combined for 62 goals last year after being anywhere from 10-20 goal scorers their entire careers.

- Kopitar decline + Danault return to normal leaves the Kings in potentially a real bad spot down the middle offensively.

- Regression of Moore and Arvidsson (largely due to Danault)

- 4th line regression. No way do they do what they did last year.

- The Kings were 18-8 in regulation games decided by 1 goal, almost impossible to repeat that

- Vegas being healthy is probably a slightly better roster than the Kings

- Vancouver will be improved from last year as a whole based on their second half. Miller trade looms though.

- Goaltending concerns

I love this post for many reasons. Regarding the first half - yeah. I like to engage in thoughtful, reasonable discussions. I like learning and being challenged to reconsider preconceived notions. Granted, I'm stubborn in some ways, but I've also read thoughts and perspectives of "huh. I never considered that."

Which is why I laugh and roll my eyes at "Just be patient" callouts. I have spent many years patiently and happily watching the prospects grow. Whether or not they become stars, whether or not I agree with what the Kings do, I'm going to love watching the Kings prospects grow.

Which is also why I have ignored people engaging in bad faith arguments, assuming I'm miserable, assuming they understand the world better than I do, etc. I know people like to throw "cancel culture", but they're free to spout what they want - I'm just choosing not to see their content. I already know what they're saying based on responses.

Regarding the second half, I agree. I think the Kings can hit 99 points again fairly confidently. I'm not disputing the Kings' ability to make the playoffs. I am concerned about what happens next when the old guard retires. And EVERY cup-winning team has a history of good trades, free agent signing, drafting AND developing.

Lombardi's team was developed well to fall in his paradigm of a heavy, defensively responsible team. I want to see it with Blake, too, and so far I have yet to see Blake's picks develop in a way to fit his - a team that plays with pace and loves to score.

 

[johnjm22]

I think I'd rather have Kempe, and certainly at the difference in hits.

Perhaps, but Thompson has more upside and is a year younger.

I know size gets players overrated, but a 6'7" 25 year old center that can skate well and has an awesome shot. That's a player worth taking a chance on.

The underlying analytics look pretty good, and there's lots of upside left. I think this will work out well for the Sabres. A 15 percent S% is high, but it's not super high or anything.

He's a little bit like Byfield. QB is a better skater and projects to have a better overall skill set. TT is a better shooter. Hopefully it doesn't take QB until his D5 year to produce.

 

[kings11]

Controversial top prospect list but the Kings get some love still..

The NHL's Top 100 Prospects - Midseason Update - The Hockey Writers Editor's Choice Latest News, Analysis & More

Every team has articles ranking their top prospects. But how do they all compare together? This list takes a look at the top-100 prospects.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[johnjm22]

They have Shane Wright ranked 46th. Damn.

Pinelli is ahead of him.

 

[Cianide]

I agree 100%.

I am the type of person who has few interests but is very passionate about those interests and love to interact and debate with people who share those same interests. So for me that is Kings hockey, Michigan athletics, gambling and fishing. I was also a history major in school so I am a strong believer in using historical precedent in many parts of life, including how a sports team is managed. That is why I was so vocal about the Turcotte and Byfield things, it just went so against almost all historical precedent in how to handle those players it is just tough to see how an NHL front office completely ignores that part of it.

I have gotten a few people on this forum call me out for making to long posts, that they don't want to read researched stuff, tldr etc. And that is fine, some people are more casual fans and/or have the 40 characters or less type mindset that is so prevalent now. If you want to read one paragraph or less posts and want to avoid reading a mini-research papers that sometimes are negative about the Kings then people should ignore me. I personally enjoy reading posts like that from others on this forum because I love to learn new stuff and be exposed to research that others have taken the time to make to support their case, so my feelings are that there are others who do enjoy that and I am hoping to add to the conversation. But to some other(s) it is "Get a life"

The ridiculous and mocking reply to your well thought out post just kind of proves that point. To people like that they will reply with insults, vulgarity or name calling towards those who disagree with them, which adds nothing to the discussion. And then ofcourse add to it with the "better stuff to do" line and think it applies to everyone, not knowing or even considering for a second that to some people discussing all aspects of the Kings is a very enjoyable thing for them to do.

I appreciate and enjoy the discussions here, there are some extremely knowledgeable and well read people on this forum, there are people I respect whom I disagree with sometimes, and other than a few extremely rare circumstances it always stays civil. This forum and the entire HF community in general has been a wonderful resource in helping me with how I make a living. You learn by visiting and reading team boards and reading the people who always have strong opinions and using that to use in how a team is shaping up or trending.

But with others it can just never stay civil or be a productive discussion. Being told to "Go be a Ducks fan" or "What a horseshit take" just adds so little to a conversation and drains on the whole board, which is unfortunate. But I guess you have to take the good with the bad.



I've had a few people I do business with ask me about the Kings line.

On the surface I would say low and take the over if you really want to bet it, but its a soft-play, honestly probably a pass.

Reasons for optimism
- Added a 1st line forward for nothing off last years roster

- Doughty returns after playing 41 games where he was a Top 10 d-man

- PP is improved, possibly drastically based on how bad it was.

- The return to health of other defenders, especially Matt Roy.

- Progression from Kaliyev and potentially Byfield (but I think AK's will be more likely and more significant)

- Return to normalcy from Iafallo (assuming last year was an injury)

- The Kings were 9-12 in combined OT/SO games. .500 is expected

- Anaheim and San Jose project to be pretty bad the whole year

- Seattle will be better but still pretty bad


Reasons for pessimism
- Continued decline of Kopitar

- Major offensive regression for Danault and Kempe. I have Danault as a top 3 regression in the NHL. Kempe not as much but 35 goals is extremely unlikely. These two combined for 62 goals last year after being anywhere from 10-20 goal scorers their entire careers.

- Kopitar decline + Danault return to normal leaves the Kings in potentially a real bad spot down the middle offensively.

- Regression of Moore and Arvidsson (largely due to Danault)

- 4th line regression. No way do they do what they did last year.

- The Kings were 18-8 in regulation games decided by 1 goal, almost impossible to repeat that

- Vegas being healthy is probably a slightly better roster than the Kings

- Vancouver will be improved from last year as a whole based on their second half. Miller trade looms though.

- Goaltending concerns

I think we hit it out of the park this season. Byfield comes out swinging and takes that 1C spot.

 

[King'sPawn]

They have Shane Wright ranked 46th. Damn.

Pinelli is ahead of him.

Nemec, 2nd overall, is ranked 48th. Logan Cooley, 3rd overall, is ranked 53rd.

I wish rankings like this provided more context of *what* they're ranking? Is this based on upside? Expected careers? NHL readiness?

 

[Sol]

I think we hit it out of the park this season. Byfield comes out swinging and takes that 1C spot.

I’d be the happiest person on this board