Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[Lt Dan]

why are you upset?

Hes a gumpy gus. Don't take it personal.

Personally, I really miss our rivalry from about 10 years ago. Hopefully we are both teams that can go deep in the playoffs again soon

 

[BHawk21]

Hes a gumpy gus. Don't take it personal.

Personally, I really miss our rivalry from about 10 years ago. Hopefully we are both teams that can go deep in the playoffs again soon

2014 Western Conference finals one of the best played series I have ever watched.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Guess we can do a draft thread, but not too exciting without a 1st. Picking somewhere in the second half in the 2nd round. Just go BPA and don't try and out think the room.

 

[bland]

you obviously have much more knowledge of your own team but looking in from the outside. LA is very good they just ran into the two best players in the world. If you had some goaltending theres a shot for a long run/cup. Byfield taking a step and Clarke coming in....

LA is in a wayyy better position than most of the league.

That's all surface projections though, because folks that don't follow the team closely don't understand just how poorly the organization develops its prospects, how poorly it manages its cap, how poorly it manages the roster construction, and how reactive they are in a business that rewards proactivity. Its a terribly designed mess that looks good on paper. Look just a bit deeper and you can see the desperation.

They just traded two first round picks and one of, if not THE, best player they have drafted to go literally nowhere. Meanwhile they will have to trade from the only strengths on the roster just to remain the exact same next year. It is going to make them worse just to avoid being even more worse than last year.

There is enough here to beat enough bad teams to qualify for the wildcard - depending on if enough teams in the Pacific have bad years. If Calgary and Vancouver step up next year, LA is the team they will pass.

 

[fivehole32]

Have you gone mad?

This F*** Around Gang couldn't get out of the first round if their jobs depended on it.

Ranking nicknames for King's front office. I think we have a winner.


1. F*** Around Gang
2. Gang That Can't Shoot Straight
3. Apple Dumpling Gang

 

[YP44]

The Sharks may have an opening in net with Reimer likely walking so if the Kings are willing to pony up a 2nd round pick with Petersen and take either a cheap roster player like MacDonald back or take one of our minor league goalies like Mann. I would consider a swap for Simek or Labanc but you guys don't have a lot expiring so I didn't think you'd have any interest there.

if it only costed LA a 2nd to get out of Cal's contract I would do it. Not ideal picking in round 3 as your first pick, but need the space and maybe Roy could get a late first/2nd rounder

 

[NikF]

It is better to have a vision and execute it with mistakes rather than having no vision and avoid mistakes. You can guess which camp this current mgmt group falls into.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

On Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty getting older, yet still having fine seasons. How much do they have left?
They keep showing it. Just look through the top of that lineup. Adrian Kempe was a force all year again. I thought Kopi led the way, he’s always led with us. A year ago with Drew, it was health. That’s the first time he’s really missed games at all with us. I thought he came back and established himself real solid in that lineup to help us. So those guys are big contributors on this team.

translation: Kopitar is still #1C and Doughty is still #1D

On the plan for Cal Petersen:
We’ve got to get Cal to be an NHL goalie. That’s what we signed him to do. It was a tough start to the season and his situation. He was really good about going down and playing games, but this is a big summer for him to come back and compete

translation: ???/Petersen/Copley will be our goaltending trio

On where he ranks ‘solving goaltending’ as a priority this offseason:
Same as all positions.

translation: it will not be resolved

On the backend, do the Kings need more size, do they need to be stiffer:
I don’t know. I thought, overall, our defense and the way they defended, it was good. If you look at the regular season — and the defending numbers and analytics on defense — We were a top team, structure-wise and everything. Those guys play hard on the backend.

translation: you'd think i'd be an expert at assessing defense, but think again

On evaluating Quinton Byfield’s season and is he a center or winger moving forward:
I think he took steps this year to become a prominent player on our team, where he wasn’t last year in the playoffs. So, that’s a step forward. I like him at wing there. Ultimately, we still probably feel that he will be a centerman because he can do both, but his effectiveness — with his length, turning pucks over — I thought when he joined that line, with Kopitar and Kempe, gave us some balance throughout the lineup. That’s a transition piece that, whether it works or not, we were excited that he got into the lineup and became an effective player for us.

translation: Byfield is progressing just fine, my job depends on it

Given that next season will be the final year of McLellan’s five-year contract, is there any interest in talking to him about an extension:
I’ll sit with Todd and understand his desires and where we want to go. I’m very confident in that staff right now. I think they did a tremendous job; real good structure and systems in place, and they get the players to play hard.

translation: expect another 1st round exit

On if Todd McLellan returns next season:
Yes.

translation: we're screwed

 

[Herby]

There's no way you can re-sign Gavrikov without giving something else up to make the cap space.

This is why trading a 1st for him was such a dumbass move. Even if you re-sign him, his roster impact is partially negated by losing someone else.

Or you have to throw your 2024 1st in the trashcan to get someone to take on Petersen's contract.

If you want Gavrikov back at his market value, Roy should be gone. The Kings trade Roy for a 1st round pick and the deal basically becomes Roy for Gavrikov. A lateral move.

We all knew this, Blake's own skin is tied to Todd, he's not getting a 4th coach hire. At this time next season either the Kings get over their playoff hump with Blake and Todd or Blake and Todd are both fired.

If you can ditch Walker and Durzi which is obvious they should (4m)- with JQ former salary off the books (5.8), MacEwen ditched (1m) and 1m in 23/24 cap increase - you have about 12mil to get Gav, Vilardi and a #1 goalie.. thats a pretty tight squeeze but possible.

Even if you dump MacEwen, Walker and Durzi you still have to fill their holes with guys who will cost money. If you dump those 3 guys and replace them with Turcotte, Clarke and Bjornfot (just hypothetical as the cheapest possible route) those guys are going to make a little less than $3m. Vs the 3 guys leaving who would make about $5m (minus whatever they have to retain on Walker).

You can keep this idea on your board.

You already started it there.

LA fans have no interest to trade our 1st round pick for 3 years in the row.

Everyone said the same thing about this years 1st not being available. And then do to the failures of Rob Blake there were massive holes big enough where we traded it for rentals. This is a management team and coaching staff that could very likely be in a win a series or be fired situation going into next season, I think you underestimate just how desperate they may be, and freeing up Cal's cap hit gives them way more freedom to build a roster for next season that might better be able to save all their jobs.

Do you think a GM who traded his 1st in the loaded 2023 draft, a very good to elite prospect in Faber and a 1st in 2022 is worried about the 1st in 2024? If Blake misses the playoffs or loses in round 1 it’s probably someone else making that pick anyways.

It's almost like everyone on here doesn't know how hockey works, how playoffs work, how drafts work, etc.

But you are the guy who criticized me for having the views that the Kings should just handle prospects the way that **everyone else** has handled similar prospects? So in this post you are telling people who want to draft and develop systems that have worked in the past, that they “don't know how it works” and then in other you are defending bizarre decisions that go against things that **have** worked?

You defended many of the weird and unusual decisions Blake has made with young players. You defended the unorthodox handling on QB, the unorthodox handling of Turcotte, you defended having Bjornfot back in the minors to start the year, I am not sure how you felt on Clarke returning to junior but I assume it was supportive of Blake.

This just really confuses me, the wording of your posts.

And on the same topic, in another thread you are saying you refuse to criticize or judge 20-22 year old players. Yet we see dozens of players in this age group, especially ones taken as high as QB and Turcotte making an impact in the NHL (and not just for bad teams). It is indeed a factual statement to say that through 4 and 3 years Turcotte and QB have been two of the worst top 5 picks since the the tie of the century, fair statement? Ok, then what blame for that falls on how the Kings either evaluate or develop players?

As mentioned, you were all on board with the heavy AHL usage for teenagers, do you think now that you were maybe wrong in that view? If not the AHL usage, was it just poor evaluation? Bad luck? It just seems like a stretch to call it bad luck when it's back to back picks, by the same management team, that were both handled strange and both have produced historically bad results.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

On the backend, do the Kings need more size, do they need to be stiffer:
I don’t know.

Ladies and gentleman, a GM with a plan.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

If you want Gavrikov back at his market value, Roy is gone, it's as simple as that. The Kings trade Roy for a 1st round pick and the deal basically becomes Roy for Gavrikov. A lateral move.

I’m actually fine with this, as it would at least show some foresight and creativity from Blake. A lateral move from a position of strength to a position of weakness is technically an improvement overall.

I’ve been advocating for a Roy trade all season. I like the player a lot, but now’s the time to cash in on his value, clear cap, and re-coup an important asset.

Blake doesn’t even want to get rid of Walker and Durzi, though. He’s clueless. Gavrikov will walk and Durzi-Roy will be back in action next year.

 

[bmr]

Might? It would be a public-relations nightmare. He should be nowhere near any hockey team at any level. What happened was not that long ago and should never be forgotten. This isn’t a case of looking at it differently through todays standards and views. It’s was not ok then, it wasn’t ok in 2000, it wasn’t ok in 1980. What he and the staff in Chicago did (or didn’t do) should shame them all forever.

I can say without any hyperbole, that I would stop following the team if he was coach I don’t care if he’s the best coach on the planet. Some things are far more important than Hockey. The message it would give to every Kings fan that has been a victim of some sort of abuse (of which there will be many) is appalling. A complete FU.

Not having a go at you @bmr, more of a general point on the idea.

I didn't take it that way - when I said might, I was kind of being truthful sarcastic. I just would never go there after all that happened.

 

[bland]

The Kings are a PERFECT example of prioritizing analytics over reality.

For the 300,000th time, statistical averages DO NOT MEAN ANYTHING. Collected data avaeraged out does not provide a realistic view of any situation. Nobody plays to their average. You cannot expect an average performance - you cannot plan on an average nor predict anything. Its just a number amassed and divided by number of opportunities. Trends matter, not averages.

 

[bmr]

There's a lot of talk about people being disappointed with QB.

But man, I sure was disappointed with Kupari in the playoffs. A 1st round pick. 23 years old. D5 year. And you can't even handle 4th line duty? His line was damn near unplayable in the playoffs at times.

I don't think he's a center at the NHL level. He should probably be moved to wing next year.

I wish I could transplant Lizotte's head on to Kupari's body.

I just don't think some of these guys are wired for the rigors of NHL playoff hockey. Some may learn to adapt better to it, while others are just not cut out for it when the game is on the line. The goal is to find the Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Philip Danault type players who lay it on the line when it really matters. That's character.

The Kings are a PERFECT example of prioritizing analytics over reality.

For the 300,000th time, statistical averages DO NOT MEAN ANYTHING. Collected data avaeraged out does not provide a realistic view of any situation. Nobody plays to their average. You cannot expect an average performance - you cannot plan on an average nor predict anything. Its just a number amassed and divided by number of opportunities. Trends matter, not averages.

Boston v. Florida is a good example of regular season vs. playoffs. It's a totally different animal.

What would you say if you had the option of winning 10 President's trophies in 10 years and 0 Stanley cups or only making the playoffs 1 time in a 10 year period and winning the Cup?

 

[head eyes]

Guess we can do a draft thread, but not too exciting without a 1st. Picking somewhere in the second half in the 2nd round. Just go BPA and don't try and out think the room.

Do best player available but at the last second change our pick to the second-best player available. That will solve our drafting woes.

 

[Herby]

I’m actually fine with this, as it would at least show some foresight and creativity from Blake. A lateral move from a position of strength to a position of weakness is technically an improvement overall.

I’ve been advocating for a Roy trade all season. I like the player a lot, but now’s the time to cash in on his value, clear cap, and re-coup an important asset.

Blake doesn’t even want to get rid of Walker and Durzi, though. He’s clueless. Gavrikov will walk and Durzi-Roy will be back in action next year.

But the more likely scenario is they try and sign Gavrikov to whatever the market price is, and then they run it back with Roy, while having Clarke get his prerequisite number of AHL games to "pay his dues" and "learn the system". And then at the end of the year they just let Roy walk.

Many people here are under the illusion that the Kings care about anything down the road, they don't. The 2019 and 2020 drafts didn't come close to providing what any reasonable management team would expect, so they pivoted to this 3-4 year window where Kopitar and Doughty had something left. They traded two 1st round picks and a prospect who would have gone in the Top 15 had he been available in this years draft for a player in his prime and rentals.

Trading Roy for a 1st and replacing him with Clarke makes sense to fans in it for the long haul. But not so much for a management team who doesn't think players can be good NHL'ers without a ton of AHL time, and a management team whos jobs may be tied to success next season. They will probably just see Roy as a player on a huge discount for 1 more season which helps them in their tiny championship window and then just move on from him. The 1st they could get for Roy doesn't help Blake's window.

This is black hole hockey.

 

[BigKing]

Don't know if it has been mentioned since the loss on Saturday but I find this following "stat" to be pretty ridiculous: especially since I've been at every one of them.

Since winning Game 5 in 2014, the Kings are 2-9 in home playoff games.

 

[Telos]

Blake has been pretty consistent with his PR answers, to be honest. Clearly, he is not nor has ever been someone like Dean who will expound and give deep insight into his thought process, goals, and expectation. Blake has always given superficial answers designed to diplomatically toe the line.

TMac is in the last year of his deal and obviously, there are some major issues to address. It is a season that is as important for Blake as it is for anyone else in the organization so I would expect to see some strong reactions by him. I doubt he is going to air or express any of that though before the offseason has really even begun.

 

[johnjm22]

The Kings are a PERFECT example of prioritizing analytics over reality.

How so?

 

[Kurrilino]

Why are you guys so obsessed with goalie changes?
Korpisalo is not the answer.

We have a goalie with 24-6 wins, it can't get much better.
Let Copley and Cal do the season and let Portillo shine in the AHL.

Get rid of 2 of Iafallo/Moore/Arvidson
Get rid of either Durzi/Spence

This creates lot's of cap space for Gavrikov and then some.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Guess we can do a draft thread, but not too exciting without a 1st. Picking somewhere in the second half in the 2nd round. Just go BPA and don't try and out think the room.

I honestly don't even care to look at the picks this year, i usually have so much fun with it but it's become kind of depressing knowing the Kings will just f*** aroudn with it anyway

let's be real, we're getting some 5'10" C with intangibles

 

[SmytheKing]

I honestly don't even care to look at the picks this year, i usually have so much fun with it but it's become kind of depressing knowing the Kings will just f*** aroudn with it anyway

let's be real, we're getting some 5'10" C with intangibles

"Needs to work on his skating. Could be captain material in a few years. Tops out as a 3rd line defensive specialist."

 

[Nasti]

Don't know if it has been mentioned since the loss on Saturday but I find this following "stat" to be pretty ridiculous: especially since I've been at every one of them.

Since winning Game 5 in 2014, the Kings are 2-9 in home playoff games.

Do us all a favor and stop going.

 

[bland]

I just don't think some of these guys are wired for the rigors of NHL playoff hockey. Some may learn to adapt better to it, while others are just not cut out for it when the game is on the line. The goal is to find the Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Philip Danault type players who lay it on the line when it really matters. That's character.


Boston v. Florida is a good example of regular season vs. playoffs. It's a totally different animal.

What would you say if you had the option of winning 10 President's trophies in 10 years and 0 Stanley cups or only making the playoffs 1 time in a 10 year period and winning the Cup?

I would say that you are ignoring reality to pose a fantasy question.

 

[bouncesonly]

People keep saying this years draft is deep….outside of the second coming of Jesus, who are these players the Kings are missing out on which they could have drafted?