Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[Nasti]

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?

More importantly, how would they not F up their development?

 

[King'sPawn]

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?

Fantilli just had one of the best NCAA freshman seasons, Leo Carlsson has been fantastic for Sweden. Matvei Michkov was getting a lot of type of hype until Russia was removed from international competition because of what's going on with Ukraine. Andrew Cristall just nearly hit 2 points/game in the WHL. Zach Benson almost hit triple digits in 60 WHL games.

Those (along with Bedard) are the 6 I've heard most about.

 

[Herby]

More importantly, how would they not F up their development?

You just hope that management would learn from the past awful mistakes with Turcotte and Byfield and handle any future Top 5 picks differently. You can’t just say “we suck at it, let’s stop doing it”

I lived in Chicago for years and people had the same attitude towards the Bears drafting QB’s. The failures and mistakes had many convinced to just not even try anymore. But that is a poor way of thinking, because much like drafting and developing star players in the NHL is almost always required to win cups, the same is true with drafting QB’s in the NFL and winning Superbowls.

If the Kings hypothetically had the #2 pick in the draft, you would hope they say “we are putting Fantilli in the NHL or telling him to go back to school” or if they had the 3 saying “we are keeping Carlson in Sweden if he’s not ready to play in the league”

Either way, I’d much rather have Top 5 picks this year and last year than have two 1st round losses.

 

[BigKing]

Do us all a favor and stop going.

But I was at all of the playoff games from 2002 until present except for the Game 3 loss to Anaheim in 2014 so my overall record isn't too bad.

Maybe everyone should stop going since it doesn't seem to matter if there is a home crowd or not haha.

2-9. Horrific.

 

[SmytheKing]

Just a quick thing to think about when talking about trading that 1st round pick and Quick. The Kings, before the trade deadline, were on pace for 101.5 points. After the trade deadline, the Kings ended up with 104 points.

Would they have maintained that pace? Obviously impossible to know...but they traded (at worst) the 21st overall pick in this years draft for ~1 win based on that.

 

[AbsentMojo]

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.

With an important distinction: you open spots for the overloaded right side without losing skill on the 2nd pair.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Just a quick thing to think about when talking about trading that 1st round pick and Quick. The Kings, before the trade deadline, were on pace for 101.5 points. After the trade deadline, the Kings ended up with 104 points.

Would they have maintained that pace? Obviously impossible to know...but they traded (at worst) the 21st overall pick in this years draft for ~1 win based on that.

Makes you wonder with the benefit of hindsight if they should have just used the pick to jettison petersen instead.

 

[JTeller97]

The trade with Columbus was always going to live or die with the fact that we needed to resign Gavrikov/Korpisalo. If they both come back it was a win, if only Gavrikov comes back it's fine, if only Korpisalo comes back it's an L, and if neither comes back it's a Sekera level **** up that this team was not ready to attempt.

 

[SmytheKing]

Makes you wonder with the benefit of hindsight if they should have just used the pick to jettison petersen instead.

They shouldn't have traded the pick at all unless it was to put them over the top which this team isn't ready to do.

The 2012 Kings traded their top prospects with a 24 year old Kopitar and a 22 year old Doughty leading the team.

The 2023 Kings traded their top prospects with a 35 year old Kopitar and a 33 year old Doughty leading the team.

It's bad asset management.

 

[bouncesonly]

Fantilli just had one of the best NCAA freshman seasons, Leo Carlsson has been fantastic for Sweden. Matvei Michkov was getting a lot of type of hype until Russia was removed from international competition because of what's going on with Ukraine. Andrew Cristall just nearly hit 2 points/game in the WHL. Zach Benson almost hit triple digits in 60 WHL games.

Those (along with Bedard) are the 6 I've heard most about.

Ok. If the Kings did not trade away their first, are they drafting in the top 8? Cause it seems like this draft class is like any other, top third or so, pretty good and everyone else....yeah...first rounders.

I guess when people say "deep" I immediately think of the 2003 class.

 

[SmytheKing]

The trade with Columbus was always going to live or die with the fact that we needed to resign Gavrikov/Korpisalo. If they both come back it was a win, if only Gavrikov comes back it's fine, if only Korpisalo comes back it's an L, and if neither comes back it's a Sekera level **** up that this team was not ready to attempt.

How is it a win? The team was on pace to be a 1st round loser with or without them. What are they winning by moving closer to the cap, having their youth pushed down further and exposed to waivers, and only getting an extra win or two while losing chances at good prospects?

 

[Kingspiracy]

They shouldn't have traded the pick at all unless it was to put them over the top which this team isn't ready to do.

The 2012 Kings traded their top prospects with a 24 year old Kopitar and a 22 year old Doughty leading the team.

The 2023 Kings traded their top prospects with a 35 year old Kopitar and a 33 year old Doughty leading the team.

It's bad asset management.

Obviously, but if they were going to trade it.

The timelime for that 1st rounder making it is probably ten years off with our dev crew

 

[King'sPawn]

With an important distinction: you open spots for the overloaded right side without losing skill on the 2nd pair.

This is the big issue here; the Kings have got to stop with the "log jam" excuse.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The Kings would’ve been better off just keeping Quick and their 1st and losing to the Oilers in round one all the same.

We would be in the exact same position trying to re-sign Gavrikov on July 1st and running back Peterson in 23/24.

Blake is a dope.

 

[KINGS17]

Do us all a favor and stop going.

The last playoff game I attended was Game 5 against the Rangers in 2014. No, I am not buying a ticket to this mess.

 

[Nasti]

The last playoff game I attended was Game 5 against the Rangers in 2014. No, I am not buying a ticket to this mess.

We need to Clockwork Orange you with the best seats in the house next year.

 

[bmr]

The Kings would’ve been better off just keeping Quick and their 1st and losing to the Oilers in round one all the same.

We would be in the exact same position trying to re-sign Gavrikov on July 1st and running back Peterson in 23/24.

Blake is a dope.

Possibly - but we would have all been singing a different tune if we win that game 5 and the series. Things happen in sports. I think most people were good with the trade after they had a chance to digest it. Korpisalo and Gavrikov made us a lot better. Hindsight is very easy to fall back on.

 

[Cook24]

Marek on 32TP: To me it looks like LA is a team that is poised to make a big move for a goaltender and they have the assets to do it.

 

[SmytheKing]

Obviously, but if they were going to trade it.

The timelime for that 1st rounder making it is probably ten years off with our dev crew

If it was going to take several years for that 1st rounder to make the team, it's still bad asset management to use it to trade Peterson. Peterson's contract isn't the difference between this team being a 1st round exit and a Stanley Cup contender. Their lack of having any prospects leading the team is.

 

[DAkings20]

On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman said he expects TM to receive a contract extension.

 

[SmytheKing]

Possibly - but we would have all been singing a different tune if we win that game 5 and the series. Things happen in sports. I think most people were good with the trade after they had a chance to digest it. Korpisalo and Gavrikov made us a lot better. Hindsight is very easy to fall back on.

Yeah but they didn't. If you told everyone that the result of that trade would be a 1st round exit, no one would think it was worth it. The reason folks didn't mind the trade is because they thought it gave them a chance to do more.

Results matter and now they have to do whatever they can to sign them in the off-season because it looks even worse if they walk. Now, to save face, you're likely having to deal even MORE youth and cheap contracts which will set the team back even further in the next couple of years.

 

[ViD]

Given absolutely incredible Gavrikov’s tenure with the Kings, he will get a king’s ransom in UFA. (No pun intended )

 

[StreetHawk]

If it was going to take several years for that 1st rounder to make the team, it's still bad asset management to use it to trade Peterson. Peterson's contract isn't the difference between this team being a 1st round exit and a Stanley Cup contender. Their lack of having any prospects leading the team is.

If you don't nail the picks, going to pay for it. Rangers, were the targeted destination for Panarin in UFA, plus Fox wanted to go there or he threatened to remain at Harvard and got UFA. Trouba would not sign any ufa years with Winnipeg, and thus he could tell teams asking about him whether he would do term or just go to arbitration. Without these 3 guys, where is NYR after Kravstov, Kakko, and Laf? Probably where LA is. LA dealt Faber and a first to get Fiala.

Are they going to be as lucky to have someone really good want to go to LA to offset the lack of production from those high end picks?

 

[Statto]

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.

I get it… the whole thing just sends me into rant mode.

 

[BigKing]

The trade with Columbus was always going to live or die with the fact that we needed to resign Gavrikov/Korpisalo. If they both come back it was a win, if only Gavrikov comes back it's fine, if only Korpisalo comes back it's an L, and if neither comes back it's a Sekera level **** up that this team was not ready to attempt.

The Sekera trade was made for a team that has just won the Cup and needed to replace Voynov while knowing that they would most likely not be able to re-sign Sekera (still believe DL thought Voynov would be able to play again). Some pundits were picking the Kings to win the whole thing that year even with their bad record at the TDL...that seven game win streak and the team's resume from the last three years earned them that.

This trade was done for a team that went to Game 7 of the 1st round the year before after being one of the worst teams in the league the few years prior. This is more of a Dustin Penner type trade except Penner was still under contract whereas both of the CBJ guys are total UFAs. Gavrikov goes on to play like a total stud and probably ups his value as a UFA while the Kings are still out in less games than the year before.

After the emotion of Quick being shitcanned subsided, it was pretty clear that this was most likely going to be a waste of a 1st round pick. Is it a good trade if they re-sign Gavrikov? Debatable. If you get him at a nice discount because he enjoyed his time here then maybe but it is pretty rough when you think you can trade futures because your prospect pool is so awesome when it turns out it might not be that awesome. Seems like what Lombardi was crucified for at the end but at least he was trying to "win now" for 11 and 8 when they were eight years younger than today.