Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

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Mattias

The friendly cat.
Feb 15, 2009
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the problem is by the time Blake is fired

we'll be a cap team missing the playoffs with no first round picks for the next three years, Portillo as our only hope for an NHL goaltender, and probably Byfield/Vilardi/Turcotte/Clarke gone for prayers, with PLD walking to MTL in 2025.

We're watching the fire-able damage happen in real time

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and still no playoff rounds won

"We're running out of time" - Drew Doughty. May 14, 2021.

Shortly after the entire team philosophy of acquiring youth and picks gets tossed into the trash for a win everything or bust approach.

2 months after that statement?

Danault gets a 6 year contract.
Arvidsson gets traded to us for picks.

Mandated playoffs. Kids make mistakes to learn in the NHL? Sorry Bjornfot, off to AHL for you. Sorry Vilardi, apologies Byfield and Spence. But we care about you so you can watch Game 7 from the press box while preventing you from playing Game 7 of our AHL affiliate team.

Bounced in the first. No big deal, right? Good job everyone, we made the playoffs! Let's spend more and get over the hump. Will that satisfy the veterans who say they're running out of time?

Trade another first plus our second best RHD prospect for offensive power. Oops, he doesn't 'fit' the system to start and so Fiala is demoted. Those first few games of 7-4 were fun at least.

Oh gosh, we didn't scout Cal Peterson properly and he implodes on us. Our legendary veteran Quickie makes Cloutier look serviceable. But we tried to trade for Wallstread so all is forgiven.

Trade deadline is coming up and Kings look to be in rough shape. Time for another first round pick in an apparently good draft to be used. Columbus is offering us a 2-for-1st special! One is a Russian who is really funny AND we get another Russian Goalie!

Pick em up!

Oops, we're bounced again in the first. Jessie Cohen said on his podcast he firmly believed we would win! The coach had so much belief we would win we ran the patented 1-3-1 when being down a LOT in game 5!

Well Raccoon Jesus, if you have read this fun...it's time to put those chips on the table yet again. Time to trade more budding youth for Drew Doughty, Kopitar, Brown, and Quick to have the last dance. After all, they're running out of time.



I know this has been a ramble. A difficult conversation needed to happen with Doughty and Kopitar to tell them Kings would not be anywhere close to contending in the current market. Blake believed Drew saying Kings should compete for a cup like Lombardi believed Richards saying he would be better.

In a year Blake will be fired.
 

KopitarFAN

Reno Sucks!
Oct 14, 2008
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I think the interesting part is that PLD seems to prefer LA over Montreal, according to Dreger. Everyone assumes he's dying to go to Montreal.
I wonder if he's talked to teammates who've played in Canada and in non-traditional markets, and they're like "it's awesome, nobody knows who you are". For him, obviously both tax situations will suck, but I could see being able to live a relatively normal life as an incentive.
 

KingsFan7824

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Dec 4, 2003
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"We're running out of time" - Drew Doughty. May 14, 2021.

Shortly after the entire team philosophy of acquiring youth and picks gets tossed into the trash for a win everything or bust approach.

There's nothing they did prior to the Muzzin trade that says they had a philosophy of acquiring youth and picks. That they began doing so, because the team was so bad at the beginning of the 18-19 season, was very likely in the service of doing what they're doing now, which is to try and win again(no matter how unlikely) with the big money guys. Which is what they were trying to do, certainly by the 2018 summer, if not during the 17-18 season.

Had they been even an average team by Jan 2019, Pearson isn't traded, Muzzin isnt traded, and they keep trying to win this whole time. Even if they went out in the 1st rd every year.

With the Gavrikov contract, they're definitely trying to win in the next 2 years. After that, who knows what's up with Kopitar, and Doughty will be almost 36 with 2 years left, so he might be easier to trade by then, assuming 50% retention at the 2026 deadline. Maybe he'll want out by then. Got Kempe as a UFA that year too.
 

Cook24

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Oct 14, 2005
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If the deal really is Vilardi and Iafallo for PLD and the Jets are trying to squeeze more out of the Kings, they are dumb. And Blake will look even worse if he adds…
 

JKG33

Leafs & Kings
Oct 31, 2009
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I think the interesting part is that PLD seems to prefer LA over Montreal, according to Dreger. Everyone assumes he's dying to go to Montreal.
This is huge.

If he prefers LA, a 1 yr deal with Winnipeg retaining, followed by an 8 yr extension in January makes sense for all parties involved. Winnipeg likely gets more for retaining, LA's cap situation is cleared up for this season, and Dubois gets paid for 9 years in a place he wants to be.

Hear me out... Quinton Byfield for Shane Wright.
Yes please. Idk why Seattle would do it though
 

KingsHockey24

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Aug 1, 2013
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Why not just change up the structure of the entire deal and do like Moore/Arvidsson + Turcotte for Lowry and Dillon.
 

KingsFan7824

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Can't wait till Todd is putting him on the 4th line LW and wondering why he isn't a good little checker, won't give him PP time

Kovalchuk'd

Is this when we go through the looking glass? Where TM doesn't play the big money veterans enough?

Kovalchuk had the 2nd most forward PPmin/game in the 17 games he played in 19-20.
 

SmytheKing

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Apr 7, 2007
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...and he was 12th in even strength TOI behind luminaries like Martin Frk, Austin Wagner, and Blake Lizotte.
 

bland

Registered User
Jul 1, 2004
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...and he was 12th in even strength TOI behind luminaries like Martin Frk, Austin Wagner, and Blake Lizotte.
Because he was worse than those players.

Kovalchuk screwed the Kings, not vice versa.

It was always the likely outcome and Blake should have known better. Just like Phanuef. Just like Fiala. Just like PLD. The names are interchangeable, but the situation is the same: name players brought in regardless of fit - the plan changes to match the names he can't believe he gets to sign, how they are implemented is figured out on the fly.
 

LAKings88

Formerly KOTR
Dec 4, 2006
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I was gonna be glued to this stuff today but thinking it’s not worth the time.

Getting chychrun vibes all over again.

I know we live in an age of trying to break news and all but lately the rumors have been kinda excruciatingly tedious.

No doubt talks are happening but so much can inhibit a trade from happening.
 
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bland

Registered User
Jul 1, 2004
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To be fair, 11 and 8 couldn't help themselves from trying to set him up on the PP ala Ovechkin for one-timers. Talk about a stale, predictable power play at the time.
And it was only for like his last three games.
 

Sol

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Jun 30, 2017
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Is this when we go through the looking glass? Where TM doesn't play the big money veterans enough?

Kovalchuk had the 2nd most forward PPmin/game in the 17 games he played in 19-20.
You sure seem to forget how they played Kovalchuk lol. They put the most lethal shot from the slot in front of the net doing deflections and puck retrieval
 
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