Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[Brodeur]

Inline skating became a fad, and inline hockey with it, further generating interest in the sport. You also had the Mighty Ducks film 1992 which became a huge hit as a video rental for years. I think this helped make hockey "cool" with kids.

Excuse to post RHI video! Definitely caught some of this as a kid on summer break. Although can't remember any players, but do recall Bobby Hull Jr. being the head coach of the LA Blades.

 

[johnjm22]

That was also a year after Gretzky and LA went to the Finals. More importantly, Jordan retired that year and then you had the combo of a big star in Messier in the biggest market. Cure the SI cover of "NHL Hot, NBA Not".

Then the league decided to squander the only time it was "Hot" by having a lockout. Lose half a season, Jordan comes back before the NBA playoffs, and the Devils ruin everyone's good time.

Not only that, but the NHL product soon started to degrade as the dead puck era started. The Devils began winning with their all defense system. By 96-97 there was only two 100 point scorers in the league. By 1999-00 there was zero 100 point scorers. The NHL became really boring IMO.

I actually had that SI magazine you're referring to.

Lindros was a real big deal as well. Stars matter. For the NHL to be big in the US, the biggest stars need to be in big US markets. McDavid and Matthews playing up north does jack shit for the NHL down here.

I think stars matter, but I don't think the markets matter as much as people think. The 92-93 and the 93-94 finals both featured non-US teams, and the NHL was as big as ever in the US.

 

[johnjm22]

Excuse to post RHI video! Definitely caught some of this as a kid on summer break. Although can't remember any players, but do recall Bobby Hull Jr. being the head coach of the LA Blades.

I love the RHI. Brings back childhood memories. Some of the best years of my life. I was going to bring it up. I feel like no one ever talks about it.

Hockey was so big at that time, that you could get 10K people to watch roller hockey games:

Even in the small desert town I grew up in, you could go to the local Walmart and buy hockey equipment. That's how big hockey was back then. Seemed like everybody was getting into it.

 

[Brodeur]

Not only that, but the NHL product soon started to degrade as the dead puck era started. The Devils began winning with their all defense system. By 96-97 there was only two 100 point scorers in the league. By 1999-00 there was zero 100 point scorers. The NHL became really boring IMO.

We had a good discussion about this on the History of Hockey board a few months back. I understand why the Devils take the brunt of it since teams started trapping as well. Some other factors:

- Early 90's had that one time huge influx of Russian/Czechoslovakian talent. The fall of the USSR kinda broke that pipeline for the next decade. 21 team league with like three drafts worth of talent coming over was probably a high mark for the average skill level.

- Some rough draft classes in 90's, 1992/96/99 in particular were awful. Lack of high end forward talent; Hamrlik-Jovanovski-Berard-Phillips went #1 as D. For whatever reason, the US talent pool was down as was Canada. I vaguely recall something about Sweden losing its top athletes to soccer around this time too. Talent stagnated in the mid-late 90's and the league had expanded from 21 to 24 to 26 to 30 teams.

- Goaltending improved more quickly than goal scoring as butterfly goalies were starting to become the norm. Equipment got better and goalies physically were getting taller while wearing bulkier padding.

That 1992 round of expansion with SJS/TBL/OTT was rough as teams were allowed to protect two goalies. In his autobiography, former Tampa GM Phil Esposito mentioned how pissed he was when the rules were changed and Anaheim/Florida got to choose from a much larger pool of goalies in 1993. Maybe not a total coincidence that scoring was huge in 1992-93 during the TBL/OTT expansion year.

- 1995 CBA introduced unrestricted free agency which caused salaries to diverge. Canadian dollar was in a rough spot which forced Quebec/Winnipeg to relocate. It wasn't apples to apples but in 1992, Teemu Selanne signed a 3 year, 2.7 million dollar offer sheet (including a 1.5 mil signing bonus) that Winnipeg begrudgingly matched. In 1995, Keith Tkachuk signed a 5 year, 17.2 million dollar deal (with 6 million in year 1) that Winnipeg begrudgingly matched.

Overall byproduct was that the small market teams couldn't afford scoring so they tried to compete with defense.

- I get that the Devils get associated with the trap which gets associated with defense only. But it was more about forcing turnovers and going on the counterattack. It was a relatively brief window from 1997-2001, but New Jersey was among the higher scoring teams those years because they had a deep set of forwards.

The Devils ran the trap in 1993-94 but it hadn't been labeled yet. Devils finished #2 in GF and almost made the Stanley Cup Finals. When they won the following year, that's when it started getting its reputation if only because Detroit seemed so much better on paper.

The trap was rough to watch if you had forwards with stone hands (ie the 2003 Devils), but it was quite fun with Arnott-Sykora-Mogilny on the squad.

 

[Sol]

Hockey will never come close to the other big 4. The sooner you guys accept that the sooner you will be happy.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Just left the Metallica concert and ran into Matt Greene, Stoll, Muzzin, Iafallo and Doughty.

 

[Sol]

Just left the Metallica concert and ran into Matt Greene, Stoll, Muzzin, Iafallo and Doughty.

How do you always supposedly bump into Kings players like every other day lol

 

[Johnny Utah]

Because I go to trendy venues and restaurants.

Kinda sad when I saw AI. I talked to him and Muzzin quickly. Both were cool.

 

[BringTheReign]

I’ll miss Iafallo. I could see him coming back—either that or he’ll sign with either Anaheim or Buffalo.

 

[Herby]

Tough to ever feel bad for anyone who makes what those guys do to play hockey, no matter where it is. Iafallo can surf from mid-April (likely) to mid-September and then make $4m to spend the other 7 months playing in Winnipeg.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Love this revisionist bs. Many people called it out at the time. Maybe not on this board, but I'm not the only one that disagreed with protecting Forbort.

McNabb has a skill set that makes him useful on a contender. Was he going to be just a Greene or turn into a Mitchell? Doesn't matter, he contributes to a winning hockey team.

Forbort is the wrong pick today, the wrong pick at the expansion draft & the wrong pick at the draft. He's a 6 foot tall Bambi. Not good enough for top 4 & too soft for the bottom pair. He's got reach though!!!

McNabb also made some mistakes this last playoffs. Couple of flubs with the puck & a bad penalty that lost a game if I remember right. Overall he still has a positive impact on his team for around 3 million.

 

[johnjm22]

I didn't like the Forbort pick since it was made. I did understand why the list was what it was, I just didn't agree with it.

And I certainly was talking about Gaborik and Brown. It would never even enter my mind to protect Forbort over McNabb. I'm a stathead, obviously, and Doughty's stats with McNabb were through the roof. He just won a Norris while being paired with him. Made zero sense to me.

I wouldn't expect you to believe it, though. I wish I could find the old posts.

I didn't love the Forbort pick either. He always seemed like one of those guys that got over drafted because of his height.

And I believe you that you liked McNabb over Forbort, but all I'm saying is that at the time, Forbort was the obvious choice. And I think going back and reading those threads from that time it backs up what I'm saying.

On a side note, I hate the fact that search sucks on this new board. I wish all threads and posts in the history of HF were archived and easily searchable. Is server space really that expensive? It's always interesting to go back and look at old threads. Give each other shit for being wrong.

Love this revisionist bs. Many people called it out at the time. Maybe not on this board, but I'm not the only one that disagreed with protecting Forbort.

Nonsene. You can go back and read the threads yourself. He had been terrible in the season leading up to the expansion draft and most people couldn't wait to get rid of him.

 

[johnjm22]

We had a good discussion about this on the History of Hockey board a few months back. I understand why the Devils take the brunt of it since teams started trapping as well. Some other factors:

- Early 90's had that one time huge influx of Russian/Czechoslovakian talent. The fall of the USSR kinda broke that pipeline for the next decade. 21 team league with like three drafts worth of talent coming over was probably a high mark for the average skill level.

- Some rough draft classes in 90's, 1992/96/99 in particular were awful. Lack of high end forward talent; Hamrlik-Jovanovski-Berard-Phillips went #1 as D. For whatever reason, the US talent pool was down as was Canada. I vaguely recall something about Sweden losing its top athletes to soccer around this time too. Talent stagnated in the mid-late 90's and the league had expanded from 21 to 24 to 26 to 30 teams.

- Goaltending improved more quickly than goal scoring as butterfly goalies were starting to become the norm. Equipment got better and goalies physically were getting taller while wearing bulkier padding.

That 1992 round of expansion with SJS/TBL/OTT was rough as teams were allowed to protect two goalies. In his autobiography, former Tampa GM Phil Esposito mentioned how pissed he was when the rules were changed and Anaheim/Florida got to choose from a much larger pool of goalies in 1993. Maybe not a total coincidence that scoring was huge in 1992-93 during the TBL/OTT expansion year.

- 1995 CBA introduced unrestricted free agency which caused salaries to diverge. Canadian dollar was in a rough spot which forced Quebec/Winnipeg to relocate. It wasn't apples to apples but in 1992, Teemu Selanne signed a 3 year, 2.7 million dollar offer sheet (including a 1.5 mil signing bonus) that Winnipeg begrudgingly matched. In 1995, Keith Tkachuk signed a 5 year, 17.2 million dollar deal (with 6 million in year 1) that Winnipeg begrudgingly matched.

Overall byproduct was that the small market teams couldn't afford scoring so they tried to compete with defense.

- I get that the Devils get associated with the trap which gets associated with defense only. But it was more about forcing turnovers and going on the counterattack. It was a relatively brief window from 1997-2001, but New Jersey was among the higher scoring teams those years because they had a deep set of forwards.

The Devils ran the trap in 1993-94 but it hadn't been labeled yet. Devils finished #2 in GF and almost made the Stanley Cup Finals. When they won the following year, that's when it started getting its reputation if only because Detroit seemed so much better on paper.

The trap was rough to watch if you had forwards with stone hands (ie the 2003 Devils), but it was quite fun with Arnott-Sykora-Mogilny on the squad.

I had a feeling you were going to respond to that comment

I appreciate the context.

 

[Kurrilino]

I’ll miss Iafallo. I could see him coming back—either that or he’ll sign with either Anaheim or Buffalo.

If he would have asked for $2 mill instead of letting his buddy Doughty push for 4, he would still be a King

 

[Trash Panda]

If he would have asked for $2 mill instead of letting his buddy Doughty push for 4, he would still be a King

In what twisted universe does a defensively sound .5ppg winger ever sign for 2M?

 

[Sol]

Never in my life would I expect people to be looking back at McNabb of all players with rose colored glasses. He sucked then and maybe slightly improved now. He still isn’t good.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Never in my life would I expect people to be looking back at McNabb of all players with rose colored glasses. He sucked then and maybe slightly improved now. He still isn’t good.

But you also think Kopitar is a p***y because he doesn't fight.

 

[No Name The Nameless]

Its the McDavid crowd trying to justify scoring over winning, and SO many younger fans are getting lost in the plot that the coverage - broadcast, print and online - is already shifting to fit the new generations grasp of the game. Which I firmly believe is flash over substance, highlights over perseverance. The game is suffering while constantly trying to change to meet fans dumbed-down expectations.

Every generation thinks that the new one is clueless, its just part of aging. The difference here is that there is an electronic trail an equator long of nonsense and folks now are less interested in learning than being supported.

Are you implying that McDavid plays loser hockey? I love how most Kings fans talk shit about him while he’s repeatedly punking our team.
McDavid plays hard, plays with passion, while doing things on the ice that we may never see again.
Lame

 

[Statto]

Are you implying that McDavid plays loser hockey? I love how most Kings fans talk shit about him while he’s repeatedly punking our team.
McDavid plays hard, plays with passion, while doing things on the ice that we may never see again.
Lame

He does punk our team but that just highlights our deficiencies. As soon as he plays against a team at an equal or higher level in the play/offs he does struggle to adapt his game. He doesn’t find something extra and continues to cheat offensively which he doesn’t need to do. It’s not just about points.

I’ve said this for a few years so it’s not sour grapes. He is the best player in the NHL but he sure as hell hasn’t cemented generational status… people throw that term around way too easily. The 1st round exit the Oilers had against a lower seeded Winnipeg is the highlight. He couldn’t lift his team over the hump in a series they should have won.

Not involved in the main debate, or what you replied to, but it irritates me that McDavid gets bestowed with a status he hasn’t earned. His priority is points not wins… I was excited to see him play live last year (April) in MN and I came away very disappointed. Cheating frequently and refusing to go to the hard areas. Kiprosov on the night was easily the best player on the ice. Once he got a point he seemingly quit and only worked on the pp as it was… same with Drai.

As I say, I don’t dispute he’s the best player currently. Anyway…

 

[Sol]

But you also think Kopitar is a p***y because he doesn't fight.

Yeah I do think he’s a p***y. Can anyone dispute that? When has he ever willingly stood up for his team mates? In his entire career?

 

[Trash Panda]

Are you implying that McDavid plays loser hockey? I love how most Kings fans talk shit about him while he’s repeatedly punking our team.
McDavid plays hard, plays with passion, while doing things on the ice that we may never see again.
Lame

Considering that he hasn’t won anything yet, I’d strongly argue that he doesn’t play winning hockey.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I think stars matter, but I don't think the markets matter as much as people think. The 92-93 and the 93-94 finals both featured non-US teams, and the NHL was as big as ever in the US.

The NHL needs Canadian teams to be contenders. That's where the hype comes from. If you have that, you can have a couple US teams in the usual big markets, as an addition. Toronto, Montreal, those are the musts. It's the bread and butter.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Yeah I do think he’s a p***y. Can anyone dispute that? When has he ever willingly stood up for his team mates? In his entire career?

Is Nick Lidstrom also a p***y and a shit captain because he wasn't like that?

 

[Sol]

Is Nick Lidstrom also a p***y and a shit captain because he wasn't like that?

Yeah? I am consistent with that. You can be a p***y and a good captain/player. However the Kings haven’t accomplished anything under Kopitars captaincy, and the team as well has become the softest it’s ever been under Kopitar. He is a p***y, I don’t think he’s a good captain, and he’s a very good player. All those things are true all at once.

You guys are fine to believe that it’s okay but in a contact sport that has fighting in it the person i want for a captain is the guy who’s willing to defend his teammates against all odds. That’s the most important thing for me in a captain. Brown single handedly killed a sedin, made doan lose his shit, and killed Roszival. Brown laid it down on the line and the Kings won from it.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Again you guys amaze me by continuing to put stock in Sol's player evaluations,

He hasn't been right ONCE in his however many years of being here, not once has he been dead on, with a player evaluation.