Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[tny760]

i'm probably never going to be happy about losing vilardi but the rest of those pieces are probably non-issues long-term

still no f***in goalie though!

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Let’s break down the possible outcomes of this trade and their motives.

1. Blake is panicking and he feels if he can give Kopitar and Doughty whatever they might need that they can get a cup before they retire but most importantly Blake can save him from himself.

2. Kopitar is indeed retiring and PLD is here to fill a void left by Kopitar but that implies that Byfields expectations are very low.

3. Blake knows Kopitar is not retiring and he wants to put Byfield at his side as a permanent fixture because center is not doable for him.


One thing is clear from this trade though, the kings dont trust byfield. You have to ask yourself why even if you’re a byfield hopeful.

Kings don’t make this trade if they think Byfield is good.

I thought so at first glance, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.

The Kings can still believe (however ridiculous) that Byfield will become a top six C a few more year down the road.

PLD is a more a result of Turcotte busting than Byfield.

If the Kings turn around and sign Matthews to 7x14 next summer, then yeah, they lost faith in Byfield.

 

[BigKing]

Let’s break down the possible outcomes of this trade and their motives.

1. Blake is panicking and he feels if he can give Kopitar and Doughty whatever they might need that they can get a cup before they retire but most importantly Blake can save him from himself.

2. Kopitar is indeed retiring and PLD is here to fill a void left by Kopitar but that implies that Byfields expectations are very low.

3. Blake knows Kopitar is not retiring and he wants to put Byfield at his side as a permanent fixture because center is not doable for him.


One thing is clear from this trade though, the kings dont trust byfield. You have to ask yourself why even if you’re a byfield hopeful.

Kings don’t make this trade if they think Byfield is good.

You know I am not a Rob Blake fan so whenever I say something that seems like I'm supporting the decision, it is more of a "what I believe he is thinking" type thing.

One 63 game season doesn't completely wash away all of the missed time Vilardi has had or the flub of a 2021-22 season. He's sitting here in need of a contract. You might have to dump Iafallo/Arvidsson to make it work and get nothing much in return. Going this route, he gets a proven commodity that has never played less than 70 NHL games in a season and is at a more important position. It hopefully removes some roadblocks in the way of Kaliyev getting more time off of the 4th line.

If the flipside of this is handing out a decent extension to Vilardi while having to give away Iafallo/RV, you can make an argument that it is better value.

Now, all of that ignores the decisions that have been made up to this point. Blake put himself in this corner with his either horrific drafting, development or both. He still doesn't have the heir apparent to Kopitar who is still somehow the 1C in 2023. He's had six years to try and he obviously doesn't think he has it on the roster or in the pipeline.

He might have his heir apparent to Doughty though in Clarke as it relates to a #1 RHD. If Clarke is transcendent, there could be something cooking. Again though, it ignores the biggest problem with this team: toughness, character and f***ing understanding what it takes to win in the playoffs.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Terrible asset management regardless.

Yeah, I don't spend 50 bucks on In and Out just because I CAN. That's basically what happened here. "they're expendable because we have too many" is a failure, not a useful redundancy.

nevertheless, it is what it is. I guess I can be happy with it because we either get a very 'on' PLD, or Blake gets fired. To his credit, he's hitching his tenure to this move, the riskiest thing he's ever done by a long shot.

And he's not done, still have salary, LHD, and goalie concerns...at this point might as well push whatever chips are in because you're either going deep or it's the next GM's problem anyway. So I can appreciate him actually shitting instead of just taking up the bathroom all morning.

Ther'es just so, so many ifs. Which PLD do we get? And for how long? Will he learn to take a faceoff? Will he stick up his teammates, or does he only board people when he gets his stick slashed? Will Vilardi outscore him next season? Does he lay down now that he has a retirement contract? etc

I think the Iafallo move is going to hurt more than people here will admit, you hope Moore fills in that gap effortlessly but I can be happy he's at least going to get the credit he deserves in a spotlight market.

 

[Sol]

I thought so at first glance, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.

The Kings can still believe (however ridiculous) that Byfield will become a top six C a few more year down the road.

PLD is a more a result of Turcotte busting than Byfield.

If the Kings turn around and sign Matthews to 7x14 next summer, then yeah, they lost faith in Byfield.

Here’s the thing. Sign Kopitar for one year, or if not that then just move Danault to 1C and put Byfield at 2C. I think what’s crazy about this trade is that the Kings don’t NEED centers… but they went and acquired one at a ridiculous price. That’s not just a Turcotte issue. That’s a byfield issue massively. You don’t go ahead and get a center if you already have a decent amount. You pay desperate prices for a reason.

You know I am not a Rob Blake fan so whenever I say something that seems like I'm supporting the decision, it is more of a "what I believe he is thinking" type thing.

One 63 game season doesn't completely wash away all of the missed time Vilardi has had or the flub of a 2021-22 season. He's sitting here in need of a contract. You might have to dump Iafallo/Arvidsson to make it work and get nothing much in return. Going this route, he gets a proven commodity that has never played less than 70 NHL games in a season and is at a more important position. It hopefully removes some roadblocks in the way of Kaliyev getting more time off of the 4th line.

If the flipside of this is handing out a decent extension to Vilardi while having to give away Iafallo/RV, you can make an argument that it is better value.

Now, all of that ignores the decisions that have been made up to this point. Blake put himself in this corner with his either horrific drafting, development or both. He still doesn't have the heir apparent to Kopitar who is still somehow the 1C in 2023. He's had six years to try and he obviously doesn't think he has it on the roster or in the pipeline.

He might have his heir apparent to Doughty though in Clarke as it relates to a #1 RHD. If Clarke is transcendent, there could be something cooking. Again though, it ignores the biggest problem with this team: toughness, character and f***ing understanding what it takes to win in the playoffs.

the only way what you say makes sense is if there’s a real issue with Vilardis back that the Kings are very afraid of. That we might never know. But I have a hard time believing the Jets would want that as the main part of the deal if Vilardis health was of true concern.

Yeah there’s no heir apparent for sure. This trade is obviously a potential answer for the Oiler problem. They wanted a douche bag who plays with an edge and has skill. They got that. But at a very steep price. I just have a hard time why they wouldn’t trade Byfield instead. It’s not really up to debate who is the more talented player. Unless behind closed doors there’s a lot of concerns about him being a bust.

 

[funky]

PLD will go down as one of the few King players I hate. This is worse than Lucic trade bad.

Hated Sean Avery but still watched the games. Was not a jersey fan and stuck with them. Hate the coach but I will still cheer. PLD will be the least of my worries in the history of my kings fandom.

Can I just ask why you hate PLD? Is it you hate the way he plays hockey or is it the off the ice stuff?

 

[Sol]

Yeah, I don't spend 50 bucks on In and Out just because I CAN. That's basically what happened here. "they're expendable because we have too many" is a failure, not a useful redundancy.

nevertheless, it is what it is. I guess I can be happy with it because we either get a very 'on' PLD, or Blake gets fired. To his credit, he's hitching his tenure to this move, the riskiest thing he's ever done by a long shot.

And he's not done, still have salary, LHD, and goalie concerns...at this point might as well push whatever chips are in because you're either going deep or it's the next GM's problem anyway. So I can appreciate him actually shitting instead of just taking up the bathroom all morning.

Ther'es just so, so many ifs. Which PLD do we get? And for how long? Will he learn to take a faceoff? Will he stick up his teammates, or does he only board people when he gets his stick slashed? Will Vilardi outscore him next season? etc

I think the Iafallo move is going to hurt more than people here will admit, you hope Moore fills in that gap effortlessly but I can be happy he's at least going to get the credit he deserves in a spotlight market.

Here’s the thing about Iafallo… There wasn’t one other player besides Iafallo and Lizzotte that were getting in the face of the Oilers. Moore is a p***y and he doesn’t do jack shit for his teammates. That’s a big loss that he’s not going to fill.

 

[Schrute farms]

If anything, it's the Kings that should be getting a 2nd round pick in return. Holy desperate GM Batman!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And now I have to root for this guy, ugh. He'd better change my mind quickly. All the talent in the world and physical gifts GMs die for but with the heart and brains of an onion.

To this point, he's Fiala's selfish penalties, Kempe's inconsistency, Kupari's shooting bricks, Durzi's turnovers, Penner's effort, Phaneuf's hitting from behind, and Arvidsson's production all in one oversized Cammalleri's sniveling little bitch package.

Edit: and my faceoffs

 

[riznat]

And now I have to root for this guy, ugh. He'd better change my mind quickly. All the talent in the world and physical gifts GMs die for but with the heart and brains of an onion.

To this point, he's Fiala's selfish penalties, Kempe's inconsistency, Kupari's shooting bricks, Durzi's turnovers, Penner's effort, Phaneuf's hitting from behind, and Arvidsson's production all in one oversized whiny package.

The ultimate King

 

[BigKing]

Yeah, I don't spend 50 bucks on In and Out just because I CAN. That's basically what happened here. "they're expendable because we have too many" is a failure, not a useful redundancy.

nevertheless, it is what it is. I guess I can be happy with it because we either get a very 'on' PLD, or Blake gets fired. To his credit, he's hitching his tenure to this move, the riskiest thing he's ever done by a long shot.

And he's not done, still have salary, LHD, and goalie concerns...at this point might as well push whatever chips are in because you're either going deep or it's the next GM's problem anyway. So I can appreciate him actually shitting instead of just taking up the bathroom all morning.

Ther'es just so, so many ifs. Which PLD do we get? And for how long? Will he learn to take a faceoff? Will he stick up his teammates, or does he only board people when he gets his stick slashed? Will Vilardi outscore him next season? etc

I think the Iafallo move is going to hurt more than people here will admit, you hope Moore fills in that gap effortlessly but I can be happy he's at least going to get the credit he deserves in a spotlight market.

At this point, we at least can't be having anymore "He's dealing with DL's mess so can't judge him yet".

For better or worse, this is Bowlby's deal. Only legacy contract he is dealing with is one more year of Kopitar and Richards cap penalty. He signed Doughty. PLD/Fiala/Danault/Gavrikov.

It's just too bad he couldn't draft center as well as he has RHD.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The ultimate King

like Voltron, but all the bad attributes

 

[unicornpig]

Kings should move roy to get some cap space for a goalie

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

Chevy should have come calling... I would gladly have given him Moore,Roy,Lizotte,Turcotte, along with Yafallo,Kupari and Vilardi

Kings should move roy to get some cap space for a goalie

Yep since Spence or Clarke are not going to happy playing in Ontario! That's especially true for Spence

Can there be another Expansion team so the Kings can off-load another 3-4 players

 

[Schrute farms]

How in the world is PLD signed to an $8.5M 8 year contract worth Vilardi, AI, Kupari & Durzi?!?!? That makes zero sense to me.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

What do the Kings do with Arvidsson? He's a UFA after this upcoming season.

 

[tomd]

With the Kings now in a cap crunch, is it possible that Blake could actually trade Kopitar?

 

[BigKing]

Here’s the thing about Iafallo… There wasn’t one other player besides Iafallo and Lizzotte that were getting in the face of the Oilers. Moore is a p***y and he doesn’t do jack shit for his teammates. That’s a big loss that he’s not going to fill.

Iafallo doesn't do anything like what you are saying. Hard working, honest player but he is not interested in anything before or after the whistle. Don't believe he has a fighting major in his career.

As for Vilardi/Byfield...Byfield still has more trade value. This will be Byfield's age 21 season. Vilardi's age 21 season was the COVID season. 23 points in 54 games. Byfield just did 22 in 53 during his age 20 season, has a higher pedigree and has not been injury prone, freak ankle injury not withstanding.

You also get Byfield at $895k this season. You have to sign Vilardi to an extension right now based on a "breakout" 63 game campaign where he still only averages 14-15 minutes a night. I legitimately don't think he'll ever be a guy that can play big minutes.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

Now with PLD signed LA has to give away some players to able to sign a goaltender...How about Moore for anything! Ditto for Roy,Lizotte for a broken stick and some used hockey tape...

 

[Sol]

Iafallo doesn't do anything like what you are saying. Hard working, honest player but he is not interested in anything before or after the whistle. Don't believe he has a fighting major in his career.

As for Vilardi/Byfield...Byfield still has more trade value. This will be Byfield's age 21 season. Vilardi's age 21 season was the COVID season. 23 points in 54 games. Byfield just did 22 in 53 during his age 20 season, has a higher pedigree and has not been injury prone, freak ankle injury not withstanding.

You also get Byfield at $895k this season. You have to sign Vilardi to an extension right now based on a "breakout" 63 game campaign where he still only averages 14-15 minutes a night. I legitimately don't think he'll ever be a guy that can play big minutes.

Did you watch the playoffs ? I recall vividly the players who were mixing it up after the whistle because it was only Lizzotte and Iafallo

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The ultimate King

Yeah exactly. If any single player exemplifies the identity Blake has built for the Kings, its PLD.

 

[Been around]

I'll say this as well oilers fans are in for a treat if they think that Dubois isn't like that lol they are gonna hate playing against Dubois in the playoffs...as I said, if he's on, hoo boy, he is an agitator on the level of Tkachuk without the stupidity either...(reading a post from the mains lol). you're gonna like him.

 

[YP44]

What do the Kings do with Arvidsson? He's a UFA after this upcoming season.

trade him now for cap room so they can get a goalie?

I'll say this as well oilers fans are in for a treat if they think that Dubois isn't like that lol they are gonna hate playing against Dubois in the playoffs...as I said, if he's on, hoo boy, he is an agitator on the level of Tkachuk without the stupidity either...(reading a post from the mains lol). you're gonna like him.

I may like him, but think he is not worth the cost. Vilardi was becoming an agitator in his own right. Iafallo is very reliable definsively, Kupari I am not hung up, and the 2nd is what it is

 

[Mats26]

I would like to see the new contract for Vilardi. If he's ask is close to 5 per, I can see why they pulled this trade. Vilardi can't play C at the NHL level which did not help his cause.

If I am Byfield, he better not be too comfortable in LA.

 

[BigKing]

Did you watch the playoffs ? I recall vividly the players who were mixing it up after the whistle because it was only Lizzotte and Iafallo

Perfect example of how weak and lame this team has been for years now.

Hey...you just kneed one of our best players! I'm going to skate at you like I'm going to do something because, like, I'm supposed to but I actually really don't want to do anything so please crosscheck me in the face instead.