Speculation: LA Kings Offseason Thread

[King'sPawn]

What do you guys think the center TOI breakdown will be for this season? Have to think Lizotte still gets 8-10 mins so do the other 3 just split evenly?

Hard to tell. We've been clamoring for Kopitar's minutes to be reduced for quite some time. Ideally, it will be something like:
Kopitar - ~18 minutes
Danault/PLD - ~17 minutes
PLD/Danault - ~15 minutes
Lizotte - ~10 minutes

With some variability due to special teams.

 

[JTeller97]

Kopitar will end up playing 20 minutes a night somehow, and will be completely gassed by march.

Wouldnt be surprised by that with the koala at the helm but, that would mean that dubois and danault are playing 15 minutes a night.

 

[bland]

Wouldnt be surprised by that with the koala at the helm but, that would mean that dubois and danault are playing 15 minutes a night.

Don't be surprised to see Dubois on the left wing relatively early in the season.

No way in hell will Kopitar average less than 20. He will still be the key matchup, still get the important shifts, and the Kings won't be separated from the pack enough to see his usage relaxed.

Its still a problem. Having your top offensive center also being your top defensive matchup is a terrible tax to put on your team and the Kings have struggled with it for nearly a decade now. It limits his offensive aggressiveness, doesn't force the opposition to scheme to stop him AND it allows them to use their best defensive players against the Kings secondary offensive units. He plays so much in non-offensive situations that he has run out of gas at this advanced mileage and been hampered in all zones by playoff time.

It only worked for the briefest period of time, when the team had unbelievable depth. Without that depth, its a self-imposed speed bump. And it will play out exactly the same this year.

 

[deaderhead28]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Hard to tell. We've been clamoring for Kopitar's minutes to be reduced for quite some time. Ideally, it will be something like:
Kopitar - ~18 minutes
Danault/PLD - ~17 minutes
PLD/Danault - ~15 minutes
Lizotte - ~10 minutes

With some variability due to special teams.

We wish.

Kopitar 22
Danault 18
Lewis 12 running PLD-Lewis-Fiala
Lizotte 8 with whatever under-25s are allowed to touch the NHL jersey

 

[FSL KINGS]

We wish.

Kopitar 22
Danault 18
Lewis 12 running PLD-Lewis-Fiala
Lizotte 8 with whatever under-25s are allowed to touch the NHL jersey

Glad I'm not the only one excited about Lewis!!!

 

[Trash Panda]

Acquiring two centers in Dubois & Danault, only to saddle 36yo Kopitar with all the prime shutdown minutes is about as big of a head scratcher there ever could be.

It was (one of) the downfall of the team the last two playoffs in a row, and it certainly will continue to be until it’s addressed.

 

[Fishhead]

Kopitar was at 20:18 last year without PLD, he's under 20 for sure this year barring injury. He hasn't hit 22 since 18-19.

It's been subtle, but TM has been reducing his time the last three seasons. His ES time was the third lowest of his career last season, I expect he will be in the 19s this year, with more pp and less pk. Barring injuries, of course.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

TM is a moron, but I just can’t imagine Kopitar averaging over 20 minutes a game again with both PLD and Danault in the mix.

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

TM is a moron, but I just can’t imagine Kopitar averaging over 20 minutes a game again with both PLD and Danault in the mix.

Until I see evidence to the contrary I'm going to go on believing these guys are who they've shown us they are over the last few years and mocking them soundly as such.

Like...Kopitar over 20 minutes, Lewis on the third line, no one under 25 on the game day roster plays more than 10 minutes...these all SHOULD be jokes but they've done similar things nonstop.

I remember once upon a time talking with @King'sPawn and several others about what a masterstroke of roster construction Blake had pulled off being able to pair a great vet with a great kid for mentorship only to watch them load up a mid-30s Kopitar with all the hard minutes and wonder why 3 teenagers couldn't score in 8 minutes a game.

Until he shows me otherwise, TM is the worst bench manager in the league...he's inflexible and stops coaching the moment they step out of the room, and he has one move, blame and sacrifice a prospect to load up the top six and play them to death.

Oh, and try the 1-1-3 regardless of being down by 2 vs. McDavid and Co, but at least everyone on earth except the Kings front office agrees that is batshit insanity.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

I predict an injury to one of the top 3 centers for 70 games and we don’t make playoffs lol.

 

[Surf Nutz]

The Whole Australia thing is a cover story for TMac to gain ancient knowledge and insight by reconnecting with his species.

He will continue to play kopitar and Danault lines less and PLD line more when they familiarize and begin an increase in production,

after he activates his Marsupial amygdla...

 

[deaderhead28]

 

[deaderhead28]

 

[Kudelski37]

What do you guys think the center TOI breakdown will be for this season? Have to think Lizotte still gets 8-10 mins so do the other 3 just split evenly?

I would love the top 3 lines to evenly split time, but I don't see it happening. The Kings top PIM guys are PLD, Lizotte, and Danault so Kopi will get lots PK time. Kupari was the Kings second best faceoff center and PLD is much worse, so there will be more faceoffs for Kopitar. I think Kopitar will end up averaging ~2 minutes more ice time per game than any other Kings center like last season.

 

[mysterman2]

Acquiring two centers in Dubois & Danault, only to saddle 36yo Kopitar with all the prime shutdown minutes is about as big of a head scratcher there ever could be.

It was (one of) the downfall of the team the last two playoffs in a row, and it certainly will continue to be until it’s addressed.

Food for thought- with Kopitar possibly retiring in a year or two Kings still have 2 Quality Centers when that happens. I dont see it as some big head scratcher...

 

[Schmooley]

Food for thought- with Kopitar possibly retiring in a year or two Kings still have 2 Quality Centers when that happens. I dont see it as some big head scratcher...

Kopitar has a year left on his deal and already signed an extension for 2 years after. So hes got 3 more years at least.

 

[Trash Panda]

Hopefully it’s minor, and he was held out purely out of precaution.

Shoulders can be tricky devils.

 

[Sol]

Injured player + bad kings medic staff = RIP Clarke.

 

[Bandit]

Hopefully it’s minor, and he was held out purely out of precaution.

Shoulders can be tricky devils.

So it's career ending then. Great.

 

[Trash Panda]

So it's career ending then. Great.

I wouldn’t say that, but I know that if I had to choose between my knee surgery & shoulder surgery to do one again, it damn sure ain’t the shoulder.

Mother f***er, that thing hasn’t ever been the same.

 

[chris kontos]

My experience was torn rotator cuff-surgical repair-11 months intense physical therapy and rehab.
Never the same- weaker with decreased range of motion. Shoulders are complicated mf'ers and not the greatest example of human evolution.
I truly hope the kids injury isnt structural

 

[Bandit]

I wouldn’t say that, but I know that if I had to choose between my knee surgery & shoulder surgery to do one again, it damn sure ain’t the shoulder.

Mother f***er, that thing hasn’t ever been the same.

Just taking into account the ineptness of the Kings medical staff.

 

[Sol]

I don’t know why anyone should be worried we have the FINEST doctors in the whole US of A! He looks reliable and his tools are the bleeding edge… of technology that is…

Our players are in good hands or hand.