Rumor: Planning Ahead: 2019 Off-Season Part 2

[Primakov!]

He just turned 19 in March. he seems to be growing still...was 5'11 163 2 yrs ago and now listed at 6'1" 188, but I wish we could know what these numbers were at dev camp. Everyone is saying how big he is. He probably will be 6'2" 200 in a year. Going to be a force.

Is that height and weight information pulled from Elite Prospects or a website that uses that as a source?

I ask because that's definitely not what NHL Central Scouting recorded after the 2018 scouting combine. No offense intended, but I trust what they provide as that is way more official and current as of his draft year and they had him listed at 6'2" and 189 pounds.

Link

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Iafallo's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Saturday, July 20.

 

[kilowatt]

Iafallo's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Saturday, July 20.

Any guesses as to what his contract will be like?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Any guesses as to what his contract will be like?

Looking at comparable contracts and players who produce similar numbers, less than $2M per year. I guess it's dependent on the length of the contract (if it extends into UFA years). I imagine they'll settle before the arbitration date.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Any guesses as to what his contract will be like?

i m thinking 2-2.5 millon .Then we trade him

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

That seems a bit high for Iafallo.

And we just got a settlement for a player who had elected for arbitration.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Evolving hockey has Iafallo modeled at 2 years, 2.4 million. Maybe a little high, but if that's what it takes, whatever. When's he a UFA? That has to be a factor as well.

But I'm one of his biggest fans here so I'd say that's fair, too.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Have we re-signed any of our UFAs?

 

[YP44]

2x2

 

[YP44]

Have we re-signed any of our UFAs?

only UFA we had was Johnny B and he is now a Shark


well I guess Dion is a UFA now too.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Have we re-signed any of our UFAs?

Nope, and for good reason.

Group 3 UFAs: Peter Budaj (retired).
Group 6 UFAs: Jonny Brodzinski (signed: SJS), Zack Mitchell.
UFAs: Matheson Iacopelli, Pavel Jenys, Brendan Leipsic (signed: WSH), Alex Lintuniemi (signed: CAR), Nikita Scherbak.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Nope, and for good reason.

Group 3 UFAs: Peter Budaj (retired).
Group 6 UFAs: Jonny Brodzinski (signed: SJS), Zack Mitchell.
UFAs: Matheson Iacopelli, Pavel Jenys, Brendan Leipsic (signed: WSH), Alex Lintuniemi (signed: CAR), Nikita Scherbak.

That's not surprising from that group.

 

[lumbergh]

Evolving hockey has Iafallo modeled at 2 years, 2.4 million. Maybe a little high, but if that's what it takes, whatever. When's he a UFA? That has to be a factor as well.

But I'm one of his biggest fans here so I'd say that's fair, too.

I'm curious, RJ. As one of Iafallo's biggest fan, what's his role on the Kings going forward?

I like him a lot as well, but he has not shown the type of production anyone expects from a first-line winger. He's Trevor Lewis with less physicality and a better shot. Capable of playing on a top line for a short time, but really belongs as a bottom sixer, in my opinion.

I'm thinking that the Kings don't need both Trevor Lewis AND Alex Iafallo. One of these two will eventually get traded, no?

 

[Brodeur]

i don't really care about mcnabb or forbort but that cernak-bishop trade was so monumentally stupid given how little work bishop saw

gave cernak up for what, 3 or 4 games of bishop? cmon bro

Lombardi probably had a reasonable gamble that they could spin Bishop's rights before July 1st. Trading him to Dallas netted a 4th which became Markus Phillips, so LA didn't come out completely empty handed.

Unconventional trade for sure, but it's easy to forget that there weren't a ton of rental wingers that deadline, plus Budaj was faltering down the stretch, nobody was sure how much Quick could handle coming off an injury, and GMs might make short sighted decisions if they know their job is on the line.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I'm curious, RJ. As one of Iafallo's biggest fan, what's his role on the Kings going forward?

I like him a lot as well, but he has not shown the type of production anyone expects from a first-line winger. He's Trevor Lewis with less physicality and a better shot. Capable of playing on a top line for a short time, but really belongs as a bottom sixer, in my opinion.

I'm thinking that the Kings don't need both Trevor Lewis AND Alex Iafallo. One of these two will eventually get traded, no?

Lewis, Clifford, and Toffoli are all players we just need to let go. The more new blood we get on the lineup the better. The team as a whole needs a major shift in culture to more youthful hunger.

Lewis and Clifford are good pros, but they need to move on.

 

[YP44]

Lewis, Clifford, and Toffoli are all players we just need to let go. The more new blood we get on the lineup the better. The team as a whole needs a major shift in culture to more youthful hunger.

Lewis and Clifford are good pros, but they need to move on.

I agree. I wonder what Tolvenen would cost out of Nashville. He is developing slower than they expected and I think would be a nice get for LA.

 

[Legionnaire]

Lewis, Clifford, and Toffoli are all players we just need to let go. The more new blood we get on the lineup the better. The team as a whole needs a major shift in culture to more youthful hunger.

Lewis and Clifford are good pros, but they need to move on.

The fish rots from the head down. Those two are hardly the problem.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The fish rots from the head down. Those two are hardly the problem.

I agree with that, but unfortunately our rotting fish head is immovable. Kopitar, Brown, and Carter will play out their contracts on the Kings because no one wants to take on those contracts.

There would be a market for Doughty even on his huge contract, but it would require taking back salary.

This stupid league really needs to go to 4/5 year max contracts.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I'm curious, RJ. As one of Iafallo's biggest fan, what's his role on the Kings going forward?

I like him a lot as well, but he has not shown the type of production anyone expects from a first-line winger. He's Trevor Lewis with less physicality and a better shot. Capable of playing on a top line for a short time, but really belongs as a bottom sixer, in my opinion.

I'm thinking that the Kings don't need both Trevor Lewis AND Alex Iafallo. One of these two will eventually get traded, no?

No I think you're evaluating him well, but I think he's got a little more scoring upside than he's shown. Lewis will be a UFA at year's end so I imagine he's a deadline trade. On a one-two year deal, you can do worse than a guy who's shown chemistry with Kopitar (not easy to find over the years) and on any line. He's a swiss army knife, an Andrew Cogliano. On a team who is just now working in top end scoring talent, he's a fantastic complementary winger and puck digger for those guys. 15 goals 33 points is decent production, and I think he can do better than that, yet that put him as our 6th leading scorer. That's good value imo.

Everyone is singing Wagner's praises and finding ways to take Iafallo out of the lineup but AI scored at a better pace and was the more generally useful player. And that goes for just about all of our shiny new toys, AI was better. Why are we in such a hurry to dumpster him, especially on a short term deal? He wouldn't be blocking anyone. If he gets outplayed and out of the lineup, so be it.

Don't get me wrong, he's not the long-term top-six solution I don't think, but he's basically Tanner Pearson reincarnate which is a good placeholder for now with an outside chance for better upside.

 

[Reaper45]

Nope, and for good reason.

Group 3 UFAs: Peter Budaj (retired).
Group 6 UFAs: Jonny Brodzinski (signed: SJS), Zack Mitchell.
UFAs: Matheson Iacopelli, Pavel Jenys, Brendan Leipsic (signed: WSH), Alex Lintuniemi (signed: CAR), Nikita Scherbak.

Scherbak and Mitchell officially signed in the KHL. I think Jenys too.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I'm curious, RJ. As one of Iafallo's biggest fan, what's his role on the Kings going forward?

I like him a lot as well, but he has not shown the type of production anyone expects from a first-line winger. He's Trevor Lewis with less physicality and a better shot. Capable of playing on a top line for a short time, but really belongs as a bottom sixer, in my opinion.

I'm thinking that the Kings don't need both Trevor Lewis AND Alex Iafallo. One of these two will eventually get traded, no?

Wait about 8 months, and Lewis will finally be gone. A little longer if they somehow manage to make the playoffs. This time next year, Lewis is gone either way.

 

[Mats26]

Wait about 8 months, and Lewis will finally be gone. A little longer if they somehow manage to make the playoffs. This time next year, Lewis is gone either way.

First team that offers a 3rd he should be gone. Probably get a 4th at the TDL. He will be gone by the TDL regardless of where we are in the standings. He's a UFA and we won't re-sign him.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Lombardi probably had a reasonable gamble that they could spin Bishop's rights before July 1st. Trading him to Dallas netted a 4th which became Markus Phillips, so LA didn't come out completely empty handed.

Unconventional trade for sure, but it's easy to forget that there weren't a ton of rental wingers that deadline, plus Budaj was faltering down the stretch, nobody was sure how much Quick could handle coming off an injury, and GMs might make short sighted decisions if they know their job is on the line.

There’s a lot who believe Lombardi’s intention was to re-sign Bishop to a long term deal and move Quick. But we’ll never know.

As it stands now, yeah, the trade was awful.

 

[KINGS17]

There’s a lot who believe Lombardi’s intention was to re-sign Bishop to a long term deal and move Quick. But we’ll never know.

As it stands now, yeah, the trade was awful.

This is the direction I think Lombardi was heading as well.

 

[KINGS17]

On Kupari...

Gauging Rasmus Kupari as an elite prospect and his timetable...

He has only been available to local reporters in two development camps, and he has come across as humble, polite and unwilling to make grandiose statements about his personal goals.

“I think I’ll just try to enjoy the summer and work hard and then, when I arrive here and it starts, then I’ll think that more,” Kupari said at the 2019 development camp when asked about making the NHL. “But now I feel just I have to work hard and enjoy summer in Finland.”

Alright, I like this. Would have been nice for him to spend the summer in LA, but his head seems to be in the right place. Who knows, maybe he can revive Kopitar's game a little down the line. Maybe there could be a new Kup-a-Loop with Kupari on the receiving end.