GDT: Offseason game thread

[Trolfoli]

Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger Apr 27

Multiple NHL teams with continued interest in KHL defenceman Michal Kempny. Could agree to NHL contract as early as next week.


Kempny is 6'0 , 200 lb, who Dreger compared to Zidlicky.

I wonder if the Kings are in that mix?

Is he better then Scuderi?

Then I'm all in.

 

[Quattro]

Wow, I thought we were eating our young around here until I went to look at the Ducks board They are REALLY down on Getzlaf and Perry

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Corsi? Brown is probably the reason that the Kings Corsi numbers don't correlate well with winning. If only we had a math major that could who felt like cranking out some R values. (Damn... I really want to look at the correlation Corsi has to Winning when guys like Lewis/Brown are moved off the team. I have a hunch the numbers will be hillarious.)

Grass is always greener: Really? Lucic replaced the old version of Brown, and is an upgrade. The current suck ass version could literally be replaced by any wing the Kings already have on the roster. Even Nolan would be an upgrade because the savings in cap space could bring in another defender, making the team better overall.

It's like youre picking and choosing what to deliberately misinterpret.

Never did I say anything about the raw value of corsi, only that Brown is fantastic at it, as he's 'coachable' and fits our system. Then you went on to completely ignore everything else.

And yes, grass is always greener. I already did a look at third liners around the league a while back and someone else did it recently, i'm not going to do it again. Like it or not, every 'good' third liner has warts, and most of them are as inconsistent as Brown but unable to play on top lines (when injuries happen) with the added burden of being charmin soft. Most of them are about 3-4 million bucks apiece and many of them are just as maligned by their fanbases. If you don't believe me, hop board to board. And keep in mind we have to pay the cost of losing Brown--whether that be picks, retention, prospects, whatever--AND pay his replacement a likely couple of million (unless we're slapping in Mersch/Brodzinski or something).

None of this, by the way, is meant to really defend brown in general, only to stem the complete blown-top overreactions from the last page or so. Saying Nolan would be an upgrade on Brown is a perfect example. Edit: Actually, look how these boards look when King or Lewis are moved to the top-six--that's kind of how it works around the league. Brown isn't stellar there any more either but I'm pretty sure people feel better about that in general.

 

[Basilisk]

Here we go again, DL thinking with his heart instead of his brain. Same thing that got him into trouble with Richards in 2014 and Stoll in 2012, but atleast those years he could justify the loyalty by saying they were coming off a Stanley Cup.

I don't know if we can trust Lombardi to make rational decisions on guys like Lucic, Brown, Clifford, King etc.

What?! This is the ONLY GM to ever bring the Kings Stanley Cups. And now you don't trust him?!

 

[mbar]

When do they decide next year's cap? Exchange rate is up to .8 dollars for a Canadian dollar. That's the best it's been for a while. Maybe we'll get a higher cap then previously expected.

 

[Trolfoli]

It's like youre picking and choosing what to deliberately misinterpret.

Never did I say anything about the raw value of corsi, only that Brown is fantastic at it, as he's 'coachable' and fits our system. Then you went on to completely ignore everything else.

And yes, grass is always greener. I already did a look at third liners around the league a while back and someone else did it recently, i'm not going to do it again. Like it or not, every 'good' third liner has warts, and most of them are as inconsistent as Brown but unable to play on top lines (when injuries happen) with the added burden of being charmin soft. Most of them are about 3-4 million bucks apiece and many of them are just as maligned by their fanbases. If you don't believe me, hop board to board. And keep in mind we have to pay the cost of losing Brown--whether that be picks, retention, prospects, whatever--AND pay his replacement a likely couple of million (unless we're slapping in Mersch/Brodzinski or something).

None of this, by the way, is meant to really defend brown in general, only to stem the complete blown-top overreactions from the last page or so. Saying Nolan would be an upgrade on Brown is a perfect example. Edit: Actually, look how these boards look when King or Lewis are moved to the top-six--that's kind of how it works around the league. Brown isn't stellar there any more either but I'm pretty sure people feel better about that in general.

Sorry, saw Corsi and got side tracked.

I don't see Brown as a top 6 any more. He's in the same boat with King/Lewis/Pearson. All of those guys can slot into the top 6. I hate Lewis in the top 6, others hate King in the top 6, but neither one is really much different then Brown being played there. If Brown is moved the Kings have plenty of 3rd liners to replace his current role. They can do it internally and don't have to bring in a 3rd liner.

Nolan replacing Brown on the 3rd line @ 0.9M would be an upgrade because most of Brown's 5.875 could be spent on a defender. (minus what has to be retained) Having King/Lewis in the top 6 instead of Brown and Sucderi out of the top 4 makes the team better.

With the cap situation, the Kings can't afford to overpay Brown and address the holes to get them back to winning in the playoffs.

Options
-Move Brown
-Pray expansion team takes him
-Wait for the cap to grow (may be offset with Doughty/Toffoli's increases)
-Give up

 

[DOSKI]

Some of the disrespect and outright abuse Brown gets around here is freaking mind boggling. Calling him "garbage". Outrageous. This is a kid who grew up in our system. He did everything and I mean EVERYTHING the Kings asked. He provided leadership inside and outside the locker room and backed it up with results - ON THE ICE. UNDER PRESSURE.

Hits. Goals. Finals. Cups. Parades.

Forget his salary. He's already earned it. We are just paying it off over time. Consider it a mortgage for the house in Elite Town and Stanleyville. Seriously, whenever you get to drive down LA Memory Lane - ten years or so in the future - in Happy Kingland, just wave to Captain Brown sitting on his porch. Say "Thanks Captain!". And hope he doesn't suffer long term effects from the effort and bruises suffered to actually win something. And entertain.

"... garbage...."

 

[Johnny Utah]

Everyone here can go back and forth, but the bottom line is every media source whether NHL Radio, the Mayor, blogs and articles are speculating Brown and Gaborik moving.

There is too much smoke not to be fire.

If the Kings sign Lucic they have to move one of those two, that's just dollars and cents. Unless they let Enroth and Lewis walk and dealt King or Clifford...even then not much room for a #3 Center, a #3/#4 D man, and a back up goalie.

 

[Kingsfan1]

You dont trade a player of Toffolis caliber when hes home grown; drafted and developed. He will only get better and be a difference maker for us once Kopitar and Carter are on the wrong side of 30 Toffoli will barely be hitting his prime.

I hope Toffoli retires a King and breaks Lucs all time Kings goal scorer record . I love the kid. We need cheap players who contribute not more replacements who probably won't score as much and cost more. Toffoli already took a discount just to help the Kings last year . He loves everything about this organization and i wouldnt be surprised to have him take a discount yet again on his next deal

I think Gravel will be a Willie Mitchell type player and be the perfect fit for our blueline. Our defense isnt that bad because the forwards play D as well. We were top 3 in defense this year. Our problem on defense is not needing another top 4 dman at the cost of Toffoli its getting younger faster D in the lineup who can make breakout passes. We are to slow and old and big. The game has evolved so if we can integrate someone like Gravel and a cheap dman via free agency we are better off . We need Toffoli because we are challenged team scoring goals not playing defense

 

[Kingsfan1]

Everyone here can go back and forth, but the bottom line is every media source whether NHL Radio, the Mayor, blogs and articles are speculating Brown and Gaborik moving.

There is too much smoke not to be fire.

If the Kings sign Lucic they have to move one of those two, that's just dollars and cents. Unless they let Enroth and Lewis walk and dealt King or Clifford...even then not much room for a #3 Center, a #3/#4 D man, and a back up goalie.

I sure as hell hope its Brown because hes washed up. Gaboriks speed and sniping capabilities make him a threat. He had a down year but his game breaking ability is still there and definitely something we need.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Some of the disrespect and outright abuse Brown gets around here is freaking mind boggling. Calling him "garbage". Outrageous. This is a kid who grew up in our system. He did everything and I mean EVERYTHING the Kings asked. He provided leadership inside and outside the locker room and backed it up with results - ON THE ICE. UNDER PRESSURE.

Hits. Goals. Finals. Cups. Parades.

Forget his salary. He's already earned it. We are just paying it off over time. Consider it a mortgage for the house in Elite Town and Stanleyville. Seriously, whenever you get to drive down LA Memory Lane - ten years or so in the future - in Happy Kingland, just wave to Captain Brown sitting on his porch. Say "Thanks Captain!". And hope he doesn't suffer long term effects from the effort and bruises suffered to actually win something. And entertain.

"... garbage...."

That's not how it works.

No one is denying he did great things for this franchise...in the past. He has been a bad player for three straight seasons and is nowhere near worth his salary. Is he a bad person for signing a contract Dean put in front of him? No. But that doesn't mean he's worth it right now, and he is actively hurting the Kings' ability to improve with his albatross of a contract.

Just because he did great things for us in the past does not mean we should forfeit the future for him.

 

[Omni Owl]

At the very least Brown should be stripped of his letter. Its embarrassing when your captain plays the way he has. It worked perfectly for SJ when the team failed under Thornton.

Kempe should at least get a call up next year with the way he's playing for the Reign right now.

 

[Trolfoli]

Some of the disrespect and outright abuse Brown gets around here is freaking mind boggling. Calling him "garbage". Outrageous. This is a kid who grew up in our system. He did everything and I mean EVERYTHING the Kings asked. He provided leadership inside and outside the locker room and backed it up with results - ON THE ICE. UNDER PRESSURE.

Hits. Goals. Finals. Cups. Parades.

Forget his salary. He's already earned it. We are just paying it off over time. Consider it a mortgage for the house in Elite Town and Stanleyville. Seriously, whenever you get to drive down LA Memory Lane - ten years or so in the future - in Happy Kingland, just wave to Captain Brown sitting on his porch. Say "Thanks Captain!". And hope he doesn't suffer long term effects from the effort and bruises suffered to actually win something. And entertain.

"... garbage...."

Good first post. Like the fire and emotion!!!

Brown: It comes down to a choice, choose to head down memory lane and remember the 2 cups, or try and get this team where it might be able to make a run at another cup. I'm not quite ready to pack it in, and about the only way forward is pretty much to move a contract up front. Brown/Gaborik's are about the only contracts that will clear enough space.

Everyone here can go back and forth, but the bottom line is every media source whether NHL Radio, the Mayor, blogs and articles are speculating Brown and Gaborik moving.

There is too much smoke not to be fire.

If the Kings sign Lucic they have to move one of those two, that's just dollars and cents. Unless they let Enroth and Lewis walk and dealt King or Clifford...even then not much room for a #3 Center, a #3/#4 D man, and a back up goalie.

Gaborik doesn't really fit the retool. At this point it's going to take a year/two to hopefully fix the roster. Gaborik probably won't be making much of an impact in 2-3 years.. I still think there's a chance he retires soon though. (year/two)

 

[justonetime]

I know it's been mentioned here somewhere, but how does the captain of the team not speak to the media at all after that first round loss??

 

[Quattro]

At the very least Brown should be stripped of his letter. .

jesus christ

 

[Omni Owl]

jesus christ

He doesn't warrant the position at all, someone far more deserving should be wearing the C, like Doughty or Kopi. Its a joke to have a player who plays like he does be captain.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I know it's been mentioned here somewhere, but how does the captain of the team not speak to the media at all after that first round loss??

I mentioned that for sure. Blows my mind.

 

[Kingspiracy]

He doesn't warrant the position at all, someone far more deserving should be wearing the C, like Doughty or Kopi. Its a joke to have a player who plays like he does be captain.

Just because Brown isn't the biggest goal getter etc, doesn't mean he shouldn't be captain. Who knows what goes on in the room. He captained the team through crap years to two cups. Doughty is too childish/ tantrumish at present to lead and Kopi seems too quiet.

 

[Kingspiracy]

I mentioned that for sure. Blows my mind.

Perhaps he is being shown the door.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Perhaps he is being shown the door.

He'd look fantastic in an Islanders jersey.

 

[tsanuri]

When do they decide next year's cap? Exchange rate is up to .8 dollars for a Canadian dollar. That's the best it's been for a while. Maybe we'll get a higher cap then previously expected.

They don't decide the cap. The cap is set based off what the revenue numbers are from the previous year. So whatever the revenue figures come in at will decide the cap. The only question is will the 5% escalator be used.

 

[Herby]

What?! This is the ONLY GM to ever bring the Kings Stanley Cups. And now you don't trust him?!

I don't trust him to make the proper decisions because he is overly loyal to certain players.

I'm sorry, after the season MR had in 2014 that should have been the easiest decision Dean made since drafting Doughty.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

I don't trust him to make the proper decisions because he is overly loyal to certain players.

I'm sorry, after the season MR had in 2014 that should have been the easiest decision Dean made since drafting Doughty.

This. And rewarding Greene with longterm contract, (was it 4 yrs? shoulda been 2 only max, as he was already borderline to be a 6th guy; slowing down and about 70% of what he was.

Beyond loyalty, not replacing Mitchell, Voynov and Regehr has been devastating. Replacing them with Schultz, McBain, Schenn, Scuderi, is abysmal. Sekera was a risky move and it backfired.

If Lucic isn't signed, it is horribad - could have gotten a good return for Jones and could have drafted Kyle Connor, who would have been the highest impact draftee since Doughty.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger Apr 27

Multiple NHL teams with continued interest in KHL defenceman Michal Kempny. Could agree to NHL contract as early as next week.


Kempny is 6'0 , 200 lb, who Dreger compared to Zidlicky.

I wonder if the Kings are in that mix?

I hope so. So many teams get these Euro players that end up being
impact players. About time the Kings get one. He's a Czech that played well in the Czech league and then had a great year in the KHL and is 25 years old. Over 90 pims 2 yrs ago and 46 in 59 games in KHL this season, so apparently no wilting flower.
Leading defenseman scorer on his team last 2 yrs. Highest plus minus 2 yrs ago and 2nd best this yr on his team. Kings need a Zidlicky type.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=117444

Very difficult to get quality defensemen and the Kings do not have assets to deal. Cannot deal Pearson or Toffoli and would not trade Kempe. Not enough high quality assets to trade and no #1 pick. Only tradeable assets in my mind are King, Forbort, Shore, Gaborik, and that's about it. Not going to get a quality defenseman in return - and the recycled Schenn, Scuderi, Schultz, McBains are dreadful.

I believe Gravel will be a very good defenseman, and should get a spot, but still need 1 good defenseman this off season. Seems like someone like this could be an answer. Risk? Without assets to deal, it is what it is. There are so many no name Euros that come in on other teams and become impact players.

Let Schenn, McBain walk and put Scuderi in the minors to help young D. Or buy him out.

 

[DOSKI]

I hope so. So many teams get these Euro players that end up being impact players. About time the Kings get one....

.... Very difficult to get quality defensemen and the Kings do not have assets to deal....

There seems to be this other Euro guy, whats his name? Kopitar?

How often does one of "these Euro players..." turn out to be a solid long term player? Once every Panarin? Who knows how Panarin will turn out, long term? Especially once teams get more experience covering him defensively.

Should the KINGS do anything major ahead of the expansion draft? It would only complicate options for retaining players. Might be better to sign Lucic and stand pat. Give some prospects some games on the big club. After all, this years crop of UFA's is limited. Maybe the chaos created by the expansion draft will put pressure on other GM's and provide better opportunities for us.