Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[Chazz Reinhold]

I read it. Bjornfot still sucks and I expect Englund on the 3rd pair.

Solid, in-depth analysis. Unless you’re either Rob Blake or Todd McLellan, I’d be prepared to be disappointed if I were you. Englund is obvious waiver fodder.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Why would they sign Englund to a two year 1 million a year deal?

Lemieux and McEwen signed for way less with their new teams.

Bjornfot signed almost a league minimum and a two year deal. Perfect for the AHL.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Why would they sign Englund to a two year 1 million a year deal?

Lemieux and McEwen signed for way less with their new teams.

Bjornfot signed almost a league minimum and a two year deal. Perfect for the AHL.

So he can pass through waivers and still not count against the cap. The second year at one million is to discourage teams from taking him off waivers.

Bjornfot must pass through waivers and is actually a recent first round pick, not some scrapheap journeyman who sucks at playing hockey. I highly doubt the Kings are going to play the asset management game of risking losing a 22-year-old still-developing defenseman to have a punching bag pylon on the roster. We’ve been down this road before and paid the price for poor asset management of first round picks (Thomas Hickey).

 

[Sol]

Bjornfot must pass through waivers and is actually a recent first round pick, not some scrapheap journeyman who sucks at playing hockey. I highly doubt the Kings are going to play the asset management game of risking losing a 22-year-old still-developing defenseman to have a punching bag pylon on the roster. We’ve been down this road before and paid the price for poor asset management of first round picks (Thomas Hickey).

Don’t you think your point completely hinges on the point that Blake has done good asset management? Because he really has done a poor job.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Solid, in-depth analysis. Unless you’re either Rob Blake or Todd McLellan, I’d be prepared to be disappointed if I were you. Englund is obvious waiver fodder.

What more do you expect from a poster who has been here for 10+ years and not once written anything more in-depth than "need moar fighting unga bunga"?

 

[Johnny Utah]

If Englund doesn't play, who is protecting Clarke, Spence, Fiala, etc...?

 

[Schrute farms]

i think the last couple years roster/lineups prove that Blake/TM are just as likely to do the opposite from what everyone expects. Just because it's obvious to anyone with a pulse that play A is better than player B does not mean it will happen that way. Fool me once...

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

i think the last couple years roster/lineups prove that Blake/TM are just as likely to do the opposite from what everyone expects. Just because it's obvious to anyone with a pulse that play A is better than player B does not mean it will happen that way. Fool me once...

When have they waived a recent first round pick in favor of a depth player?

 

[Johnny Utah]

I am friendly with a former Kings player and hung out a few times recently without another ex NHL'er who is still close with a lot of current players and they both said the Kings without Lemieux are considered soft.

If you click on Blake, Emerson, Robitaille, Murray, and even the coaching staff's hockey database and see who their teammates were over the years - they were protected and surrounded by some of the toughest players of all time.

Fiala and Kempe got ran by Andrew Cogliano of all people this year and no one did anything.

Without Lemieux, McEwen, Durzi and sitting or sending down Englund the Kings are soft as charmin.

 

[Bandit]

What more do you expect from a poster who has been here for 10+ years and not once written anything more in-depth than "need moar fighting unga bunga"?

Oh come on. Don’t sell him short. He’s thrown in “Atouk zug-zug Lana.” once or twice.

 

[Trash Panda]

Bjornfot must pass through waivers and is actually a recent first round pick, not some scrapheap journeyman who sucks at playing hockey. I highly doubt the Kings are going to play the asset management game of risking losing a 22-year-old still-developing defenseman to have a punching bag pylon on the roster. We’ve been down this road before and paid the price for poor asset management of first round picks (Thomas Hickey).

*Confused unga bunga

 

[Schrute farms]

When have they waived a recent first round pick in favor of a depth player?

I didn't say anything about waiving. But we have lots of data regarding young players sitting for very questionable, at best, vets playing.
You could say other weird things that are true. Like when has a 1st round pick won a starting position and played a bunch as a 18-19 year old and then never been back the past could years -- even though his position was sorely needed (so much so that you had a Durzi playing LHD).

 

[DoktorJeep]

Last year at camp, Bjornfot couldn’t beat out Edler or RH Durzi. Both are gone, but now Gavrikov is here. And yet again, Bjornfot isn’t a lock after another full season. If he was even half way decent, the toughness question would be solidly focused on the forwards.

He couldn’t beat out Edler who was ancient and terrible. We love to criticize the coach, but was he wrong here? Is Todd authorized to provide on the job training while the franchise wants to make the playoffs? Clearly no, so jobs must be won outright, which is understandable.

So that’s why Santa Blake slides down England’s chimney and gifts him a poison pill contract out of nowhere. It’s a small move that is made to make up for prospects who are less than one year from expiration.

Worst case scenario, some goon gives you a minor break from the critics who say the team is too soft. But you pour the purple koolaid heavily upfront and sell the idea that the red carpet has been laid out for Toby. If he isn’t up to snuff, that’s too bad, and 100% not on management.

Plus you’ve got an ace up your sleeve with Clarke and Spence as the surprise 3D duo. Which is actually the best thing to do all season. Give them the jobs out of camp and tell Todd they’re are to get 82 games of on the job training prior to round one. If he does that and the Kings make the second round after beating the Oilers, then everyone down to the ushers gets 10 year extensions.

But we know that’s highly unlikely. What’s more likely is that Toby is on the Clague track and with a new org in 2024. It’s no biggie to lose a late second you invested 4+ years in which included some NHL games. As long as the team surprises people it’s swept under the rug because the guy sucks anyways. So it’s not anybody’s fault. Sounds awesome if you value job security and never have to worry about being a champion.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I didn't say anything about waiving. But we have lots of data regarding young players sitting for very questionable, at best, vets playing.
You could say other weird things that are true. Like when has a 1st round pick won a starting position and played a bunch as a 18-19 year old and then never been back the past could years -- even though his position was sorely needed (so much so that you had a Durzi playing LHD).

Other examples of “young players sitting for very questionable, at best, vets playing” are irrelevant to this scenario here where, due to the Kings’ cap crunch, only one of Bjornfot/Englund is likely to start on the roster. Not only is Bjornfot’s cap hit lower, but he is an asset the Kings invested valuable draft capital in. Moreover, it’s fairly common for defensemen to take longer to develop. I don’t think the Kings just re-signed Bjornfot only three seasons after his draft year just to risk losing him on waivers in favor of a plodding AHL defenseman.

If you’ve listened to any of Mark Yannetti’s interviews the past year or so, you’d know that he and others in the organization were stung by losing Hickey for nothing. I doubt this front office wants to run back its own version of that. Nothing in life is guaranteed—injuries during training camp may resolve this issue completely—but I would bet on the Kings not waiving their own prospect they’ve developed the past three seasons and risk losing him for nothing when they can waive a journeyman goon who will likely pass through waivers to start the season.

 

[bland]

Last year at camp, Bjornfot couldn’t beat out Edler or RH Durzi. Both are gone, but now Gavrikov is here. And yet again, Bjornfot isn’t a lock after another full season. If he was even half way decent, the toughness question would be solidly focused on the forwards.

He couldn’t beat out Edler who was ancient and terrible. We love to criticize the coach, but was he wrong here? Is Todd authorized to provide on the job training while the franchise wants to make the playoffs? Clearly no, so jobs must be won outright, which is understandable.

So that’s why Santa Blake slides down England’s chimney and gifts him a poison pill contract out of nowhere. It’s a small move that is made to make up for prospects who are less than one year from expiration.

Worst case scenario, some goon gives you a minor break from the critics who say the team is too soft. But you pour the purple koolaid heavily upfront and sell the idea that the red carpet has been laid out for Toby. If he isn’t up to snuff, that’s too bad, and 100% not on management.

Plus you’ve got an ace up your sleeve with Clarke and Spence as the surprise 3D duo. Which is actually the best thing to do all season. Give them the jobs out of camp and tell Todd they’re are to get 82 games of on the job training prior to round one. If he does that and the Kings make the second round after beating the Oilers, then everyone down to the ushers gets 10 year extensions.

But we know that’s highly unlikely. What’s more likely is that Toby is on the Clague track and with a new org in 2024. It’s no biggie to lose a late second you invested 4+ years in which included some NHL games. As long as the team surprises people it’s swept under the rug because the guy sucks anyways. So it’s not anybody’s fault. Sounds awesome if you value job security and never have to worry about being a champion.

Come on now, Bjornfot was not beaten out by Edler, Walker or Durzi. That decision was contractual and had nothing to do with play. Its the same reason neither Spence or Clarke were given serious looks.

 

[King'sPawn]

Last year at camp, Bjornfot couldn’t beat out Edler or RH Durzi. Both are gone, but now Gavrikov is here. And yet again, Bjornfot isn’t a lock after another full season. If he was even half way decent, the toughness question would be solidly focused on the forwards.

He couldn’t beat out Edler who was ancient and terrible. We love to criticize the coach, but was he wrong here? Is Todd authorized to provide on the job training while the franchise wants to make the playoffs? Clearly no, so jobs must be won outright, which is understandable.

Do you seriously think Walker outplayed Spence and Clarke? That neither could beat him out? Clarke was given 9 games then sent down and Spence was just AHL fodder pretty much all year.

Saying Bjornfot couldn't outplay Edler because management basically guaranteed a vet a spot is pretty faulty logic.

And there was merit to playing Durzi at LD, but he was terrible at it. They kept rotating Dmen around because they couldn't figure it out and refused to trade or waive underachievers. That says more about coaching and management than Bjornfot.

Edit: beaten by bland

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

And these are the reasons why I think the way they've mishandled Bjornfot is going to be detrimental to his development. He's bound to be the next Aki Berg with the way they've treated him.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Come on now, Bjornfot was not beaten out by Edler, Walker or Durzi. That decision was contractual and had nothing to do with play. Its the same reason neither Spence or Clarke were given serious looks.

I forgot about Walker. And you’re right it was a contract based decision at points of the season. But it had something to do with play at other points, especially when Edler was injured and Toby was still well out of the mix. He went from 70 games to 10 games in one season. That’s not all based on contracts and waivers. The player had the track record to be an everyday player on a playoff team, and went massively backwards while the team was pretty much the same.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Enjoying this right now

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The 22/23 blueline was not constructed on meritocracy, otherwise Spence would have easily made the team. Same with Clarke.

 

[tigermask48]

Not that i believe Hoven here 100%; but if anything, i think he's comments make Blake & TM (etc.) look bad wrt Cal. If a guy (esp a goalie) is that weak minded at the top level of sports and hockey, then maybe you shouldn't give that guy $5M/year for multiple years. Especially when you still have the franchise icon goalie there with the opportunity to win that job.

I know he's trying to place blame away from Blake and onto Quick....but imo it makes Blake look more like a complete and utter incompetent fool who isn't ready for the job of ruining an organization.

It's a hilarious excuse and cover for a laughably avoidable situation.

If Cal was that mentally weak then Blake horribly misjudged the player and should not have given him the big contract.

If Quick was the issue then why wasn't he traded in say 2020 ot 2021 when the issues began? Does Blake have that poor of a sense of the locker room? Does he not explain the situations to players?

It's really one of those two things and both make Blake look bad.

 

[JeanBlanc]

If you click on Blake, Emerson, Robitaille, Murray, and even the coaching staff's hockey database and see who their teammates were over the years - they were protected and surrounded by some of the toughest players of all time.

Fiala and Kempe got ran by Andrew Cogliano of all people this year and no one did anything.

Without Lemieux, McEwen, Durzi and sitting or sending down Englund the Kings are soft as charmin.

Blake wouldn't have a team you consider soft because he did it last year and the team was too soft?

 

[Schrute farms]

The point is that they have done some dumb shit the past couple years roster wise. Don’t be surprised when it happens again - in one form or another.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Wait until Clarke gets destroyed into the boards and everyone starts clamoring for someone to stand up for him and there is no one...

 

[KingsHockey24]

Wait until Clarke gets destroyed into the boards and everyone starts clamoring for someone to stand up for him and there is no one...

I'll do it.