TSN: Pearson traded to Pittsburgh

[KingsFan7824]

From what I understand it’s a ******ed trade that gives us cap space for next year but also Pearson was about to enter his prime and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him hit 50+ in the Burgh next year . Hagelin is a 4th liner . I’m shocked he couldn’t get Sprong honestly that would give us cap space too and at least a player who has potential

On average, the offensive prime for a forward is early to mid 20's. Possible his best year was 16-17, and Lombardi should've traded him at the 2017 deadline.

 

[crassbonanza]

DL didn't really buy in 2017, either. Blake got Carter back as his deadline deal last season and then used this all-of-a-sudden-precious cap space on Kovy. Honestly though, I don't know how much Patches/Kovy was Blake. He seemed like he wanted to just stay the course, not use cap space and then bam, goes deep on a $6MM a year hit. He's the GM though so he is the one with his neck out.

I'm not ragging on the return since Pearson has never had lower value. The point is that we are now this deep in to Blake's tenure and now it is sell-off time. It should have been right when he took over.

RJ -

Nobody expected them to be this bad but most of us expected them to bad last season. Fluke outlier performances fooled everyone. Now they seem to have fluked the other way so they are probably somewhere in between; however, that in between is the black hole and is utterly pointless.

It's been a constant argument on here for years now. Now that its apparent it needs to be done, many more on board with it yet they still argue that it shouldn't have been done earlier? Fascinating.

There isn't any back-patting from me. I thoroughly enjoyed the start to last year and even thought they could beat Vegas because I think their team is total **** and we had Quick in net. I have to cheer for them to win even if I don't agree with the direction of the franchise. I want Blake to be great but he's failed so far: simply not doing the one thing that his predecessor did too much of--trading 1st round picks--doesn't mean he's doing a great job. It's like watching someone jump off a cliff, die, and then not jumping behind them. Bravo, genius.

At the end of the day, Blake is the GM of this team. He didn't inherit the team two months ago. I have no issue with the Sekera trade but it wound up being a giant mistake. I can give the reasoning behind many of DL's ill-fated moves and can totally understand why he did them just as I can understand why Blake has done what he has so far: doesn't mean that mistakes aren't mistakes.

DL did buy in 2017 though, he traded a recently drafted 2nd round pick and a 5th for Bishop. You keep chastising Blake for moves that either didn't happen or didn't cost us anything. There doesn't seem to be any tangible mistake he made, even him guessing the team might actually be successful hasn't hurt us because he retained his draft picks. You have to give a guy more than 1 season before declaring him a failure, especially when his hands have been tied by the previous regime. Lastly, I don't believe that you can't understand any of the decisions Blake has made. They have all made perfectly good sense, a lot more sense then trading the 13th overall, Martin Jones(2016 1st round pick) and Colin Miller for one season of Lucic.

 

[Jason Squirties]

Which--again--is fine, but anyone saying they were predicting a drop from a 98-point team to a 50-point team is absolutely full of crap, and you might call it splitting hairs (25th overall isn't a bubble team, btw, you're being dishonest to make a point, which is my beef), but it's important and relevant to both player value and team construction as that affects trades and draft picks and strategy altogether.

I'm digging in on this point because for some reason a few posters want to slap this board in the face with "SEE?" and I think it's road apples because 1. as mentioned above no one predicted this; 2. even the biggest optimists here thinking a team would be this bad would be on board with different philosophies; 3. calling it a 'bad team' and stamping around proclaiming "I WAS RIGHT" for predicting they'd finish anywhere between 16 and 32 is hardly a bold take worthy of the ****ing finger wagging coming from the peanut gallery; and 4. posters are taking some great pleasure in chest thumping that they were right despite the aforementioned fallacies when we're all sunbathing on the Titanic together. Everyone needs to chill the **** out with the "you people" stuff.

Damn, coming through with a wrecking ball. Well said, chap.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

To be fair, I have always said this is a black hole team. Their lack of work ethic and identity makes the Kings last in the NHL for now. There is still time for them to climb out of last and into the black hole this season, which would be a tragedy for the franchise at this point in time.

This, I agree with, but if they get that back with this team, and forge an identity, they can be an upper echeleon team....

Chances of that happening are slim and none, I get that, but that's hugely different than saying it's not there or never was there

 

[LAKings88]

I do not understand this trade.

No one wanted to give anything for Pearson. Kings got out from under his contract. Hagelin likely traded at the deadline. The end.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

the best part is that we got older

 

[deaderhead28]

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Which--again--is fine, but anyone saying they were predicting a drop from a 98-point team to a 50-point team is absolutely full of crap, and you might call it splitting hairs (25th overall isn't a bubble team, btw, you're being dishonest to make a point, which is my beef), but it's important and relevant to both player value and team construction as that affects trades and draft picks and strategy altogether.

I'm digging in on this point because for some reason a few posters want to slap this board in the face with "SEE?" and I think it's road apples because 1. as mentioned above no one predicted this; 2. even the biggest optimists here thinking a team would be this bad would be on board with different philosophies; 3. calling it a 'bad team' and stamping around proclaiming "I WAS RIGHT" for predicting they'd finish anywhere between 16 and 32 is hardly a bold take worthy of the ****ing finger wagging coming from the peanut gallery; and 4. posters are taking some great pleasure in chest thumping that they were right despite the aforementioned fallacies when we're all sunbathing on the Titanic together. Everyone needs to chill the **** out with the "you people" stuff.

I’m sorry, RJ, but this reads like one giant pivot toward bickering over ad hominems. In a nutshell, you’re just mad at posters, not posts. I really can’t offer anything substantive there other than a personal apology.

I don’t understand why anyone is smug or angry or upset about any of this. It’s just a reality. Our team is bad. We need to rebuild. I have no problem sunbathing on the Titanic with anyone here, nor was my intention ever to rub anything in anyone’s face.

I simply take issue with the delusion that this is a good team playing bad, which is Luc Robitaille territory. This is simply a bad team playing very bad.

 

[AlphaBravo]

Look at the downside of not trading Pearson. He continues to not score, may end up with 10 goals by end of the year (if even that). Then what? Absolutely no team will take a chance on his $4 million cap hit. He suddenly becomes another Brown or Phaneuf. We can't have more negative value players on this team. I think Blake made the right move. Sometimes you need to know when to pull the plug.

 

[Sol]

Pearson has hit his ceiling already. Pearson STOPPED being the same player the day he snapped his leg. It's a sad fact but he lost 60% of his top end speed. Anyone who thinks he's gonna do insanely well in pittsburgh is dreaming.


What made pearson so good was his great speed and forechecking that came From it.

 

[deaderhead28]

This was a idiotic trade by Blake.

 

[KINGS17]

This, I agree with, but if they get that back with this team, and forge an identity, they can be an upper echeleon team....

Chances of that happening are slim and none, I get that, but that's hugely different than saying it's not there or never was there

Sorry, but you're dreaming. Quick is breaking down, Kopitar plays every other season when he feels like it, Doughty is talented but not a leader, and the rest of the defense is mediocre at best.

Our young saviors at the forward position are not top six material. Sure Amadio, Kempe, etc. are the Kings best prospects, but they are mid-level NHL prospects. Who knows if Vilardi will ever get healthy enough to be in the lineup on a consistent basis, and we don't know what we have in the forwards drafted last summer, other than they are not projected to be top line talent.

No, it's lose for Hughes or bust, and if that happens Blake should move a ton more dead weight off this roster, because it will mean these players just quit on him.

 

[KingsHockey24]

This was a idiotic trade by Blake.

Saves cap space, provides speed, a 3rd rounder come deadline, and hopefully wakes up the locker room.

What don't you understand?

 

[Kingsfan1]

What does Kupari project as at the NHL level

 

[KingsHockey24]

Wonder how heart broken Toffoli is.

 

[KINGS17]

I don't think many teams would have put in a claim for Pearson if he were on waivers.

Disagree with this, Tanner Pearson is an NHL player. I think he will rediscover his game in Pittsburgh. He will have to adapt somewhat to be a net-front presence at all times, because I think he has lost a step, but there is a lot of garbage to be collected around the net when you play with Crosby or Malkin.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I’m a bit sad to see Hagelin leave my Pens. He struggles to finish plays At times but one of the best fore/backcheckers going around. Fast as hell too. Enjoy the flow.....

 

[deaderhead28]

Saves cap space, provides speed, a 3rd rounder come deadline, and hopefully wakes up the locker room.

What don't you understand?

You dont trade a asset like Pearson for a UFA,you get a draft pick and or prospect.This makes no sense unless Blake is flipping Haglin with a bigger package.Terrible trade as of now.We should be getting younger not older.
What dont you understand?

 

[KINGS17]

Honey, this team is playing to potential.

Their potential is old and slow and unmotivated. You can't analyze potential raw skill in a vacuum divorced from every other factor. Yes, Doughty, Kopitar, Carter, Kovalchuk, etc. are skilled players. But most of those players are declining with age, or playing outright unmotivated. Potential doesn't mean a damn thing. The Canucks had potential in 2012. And how does history remember them?

I said it last season: 17/18 will go down as Kopitar's career capstone year. That was as good as he will ever be. The only player we have with their career season arguably yet to come is Doughty.

The team is not good. Full stop. They're not good on the ice, and they're not good on paper. On paper, they're far too reliant on regressing vets. They have major holes at their top six wings, 3C, and top four RHD. They're just not good. There were MANY posters saying just that over the summer. Tons of question marks on paper. Tons of holes on paper. None of that had the benefit of hindsight, as you claim.

And I would take Edmonton's roster in a heartbeat, because you at least have a young, hungry core who can be built around. Are you seriously suggesting you'd rather have a core of Kopitar and co. than McDavid and Drai?

I think most neglect to account for asset depreciation when assessing this team on paper. That's a mistake.

 

[bouncesonly]

This was a idiotic trade by Blake.

What would have been a better trade? Pearson for Kessel?

 

[deeshamrock]

People think of Pearson as an asset? The numbers make him out to be more of a detriment.

The 'numbers' in LA, in a defensive mired system. That won't happen in Pitts, he'll be in faster system and in the top 6.
And who on the Kings this year has 'good' numbers?
The team with the better asset wins the trade, and that is the Pens. Haglin is a 30 yr old bottom sixer. If this was about $$ or the cap, the trade could have waited until the draft , summer when they would need the money. It wasn't about that. And it wasn't a good trade for the Kings, or Blake would have gotten a draft pick or prospect, a real asset that would benefit the team.
Yes, Pearson is a good , young , 26 yr old asset.

 

[Fishhead]

I predict mean hair contests with Kempe.

 

[deaderhead28]

What would have been a better trade? Pearson for Kessel?

Again I will post this.

You dont trade a asset like Pearson for a UFA,you get a draft pick and or prospect.This makes no sense unless Blake is flipping Haglin with a bigger package.Terrible trade as of now.We should be getting younger not older.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Anyone know what other teams were offering for a player earning $3,750,000 until 2021 and has zero goals and one assist on the season?

I’m going to assume there may not have been a long lineup of GMs calling for such a player.

 

[Fishhead]

To be fair, it's kind of difficult to judge this trade on it's own until I see what happens the next few weeks. I'm not saying something else is for sure going to happen, but what if the Kings are working on something with another player which would require cap space next year? If this was only to gain some cap space after this season, yeah it's not ideal. After that shitshow against Toronto, I would expect more moves shortly.