Rumor: Planning Ahead: 2019 Off-Season

[KINGS17]

Even if you hate McLellan there are no other good options available. For me, I wouldn’t mind a year or two of Roy to spark some life and accountability in this team, but I don’t know how effective Roy is in developing some of the younger players.

McLellan is going to be our new Terry Murray. Just a coach for 2-3 years to put some structure back in the team until the team is ready to compete for cup.

Good assessment of the likely outcome. What a waste of money and term the Doughty and Kopitar contracts are going to turn out to be as management failed to do an honest assessment of where this roster was at in terms of being competitive in the NHL.

It's possible Doughty's contract may yield some value if the Kings can manage to get back into contention in 4 0r 5 seasons. Lately, Doughty is not impressing me as the type of player who is going to age well.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Tiger Woods had a disk problem and had surgery to relieve the pressure on a nerve it was affecting. He also underwent PRP (platelet rich plasma) therapy to help heal the disk. It was a long road back for him, but he is swinging pain free again.

Tiger Woods also didn't have the clown show that is the Kings' doctors and trainers.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I'll wait until I see results with McLellan as head coach of the team the Kings put on the ice, after what should be an eventful summer, before I start lambasting the decision to hire him.

The Kings even get used for leverage by coaches.

 

[KINGS17]

The Kings even get used for leverage by coaches.

Which Kings are going to get stuck giving McLellan a ride to the beach for the volleyball games?

 

[Fat Elvis]

Byram, Cozens, Turcotte

I would be excited for any of these three

Would love Caufield, Newhook or Suzuki with the Toronto pick

Probably my preference as well. Though, IF LA is able to bring over Prohkorkin and don't trade Kovy then maybe just maybe Podkolzin changes his tune about playing in the NHL. Something to weigh, not sure I have the "hanging twins" to draft him at #5 with the whole "Russian factor". IF he came over, he'd be a good get at 5.

I'm sure Cozens and Turcotte will be good players as well, But I may draft Byram before those 2. My mind keeps on changing and I'm glad it's not my job.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Our luck with Russians is 0.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Our luck with Russians is 0.

Yeah, I know.

If Byram is there, they best draft him.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Our luck with Russians is 0.

24.

 

[CowMix]

Retool is the way with the current lottery. Trade the #5 pick for more picks to restock the prospect pool, more quantity means more chances of producing quality. For every Pettersson at #5 there's a Kopitar at #11 or a Brown at #13. Clear cap space via trade if possible or buy outs. Sign Panarin and a depth defenseman.

 

[KINGS17]

I have my doubts about the Kings being able to move the 5th overall for another pick in the top 10 overall, and a high 2nd or prospects.

There doesn't seem to be enough difference in say players ranked 4-10 in this draft.

 

[AzKing]

The #5 pick is not some sort of dumpster pick. Taking a terrible season and somehow correlating this pick to it and saying we are screwed doesn't make a lot of sense. If we ended up being Montreal as an example and had a season where we didn't make the playoffs and got the #15 pick then to me, that's Siberia in terms of ROI on the year. That's a wasted year unless it's a team that is on the cusp of being great and just needs seasoning. You either make the playoffs or you don't. I also think it's the wrong approach to trade down or think that outside of Kakko and Hughes, it's a bunch of guys who can't be top talent.

There is a reason why guys get rated highly. They usually have elite skills and fewer flaws. I would rather have a guy who they say needs to just keep getting stronger, maybe shoot more or make work a little more in his own end as "Cons" rather than things like has tools but low Hockey IQ, skating needs work, good but inaccurate shot, doesn't show up enough, good defensively but not a lot on the offensive side, etc. That's what you see between top 5 guys and guys you end up picking later in the first round.

 

[cyclones22]

The #5 pick is not some sort of dumpster pick. Taking a terrible season and somehow correlating this pick to it and saying we are screwed doesn't make a lot of sense. If we ended up being Montreal as an example and had a season where we didn't make the playoffs and got the #15 pick then to me, that's Siberia in terms of ROI on the year. That's a wasted year unless it's a team that is on the cusp of being great and just needs seasoning. You either make the playoffs or you don't. I also think it's the wrong approach to trade down or think that outside of Kakko and Hughes, it's a bunch of guys who can't be top talent.

There is a reason why guys get rated highly. They usually have elite skills and fewer flaws. I would rather have a guy who they say needs to just keep getting stronger, maybe shoot more or make work a little more in his own end as "Cons" rather than things like has tools but low Hockey IQ, skating needs work, good but inaccurate shot, doesn't show up enough, good defensively but not a lot on the offensive side, etc. That's what you see between top 5 guys and guys you end up picking later in the first round.

Agreed. Every draft year, there are players who develop into great players outside of the top 2 picks. It's up to the scouting staff to identify who that is at #5 and the development staff to help that player reach his potential. I'm confident that there are players outside of whoever gets picked 1 through 4 in this draft who will be good enough to play on the first line of an NHL team one day or 1st pairing on defense. Any of the players that are typically mentioned to be available at 5 immediately becomes the Kings top prospect and would be so on many franchises in the league, not just here.

 

[Mats26]

Our #5 pick should be our best prospect next year. 2 other picks in top 33. We may of lost out on Hughes and Kakko but we are adding some real top end talent to our roster pool. Let's see how this develops, we have been drafting better the last few years.

These new draftees will also be part of the future core, so I assume they will look for leadership qualities and not just one dimensional players for these picks.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

In 2008, the Kings drafted Doughty and Voynov. Without those 2, there are no Cups. Obviously, Kopi, Quick, Carter, Stoll, Mitchell (2012) and others had a lot to do with it.
But those 2 on the backend were a big part. The Kings have not added top talent D since then...seemed to hit a homerun with Mikey Anderson in rd 4 in 2017 draft.

I'm thinking best to go with Byram, if he's available at 5. I think the Black Hawks go for a forward, with them having added Jokiharju and Boqvist last 2 drafts
and the Lanche having Makar coming on their D soon, they go forward. But who knows?

I would love to see Byram and Anderson added to the D and be akin to what DD and Voynov were. The Walkers, Roys, MacDs are decent young defensemen,
but it's time to get some TRUE Top 4 D on the team. Let the Walkers, Roys, MacDs, battle for spots.
Durzi seems 2-3 years away, but great upside. Forbort could be dealt and give Drew one of Byram
or Anderson to raise the level of play. You do not draft by 'need', but it seems that Byram, Dach, Cozens, Turcotte, and even Zegras are pretty close.
Unless the Kings clearly are higher on one of those...think Byram could be best for this team. It's easier to get a top forward, than a top D.

I think Byram is CAN'T MISS. The argument is just the ceiling...the floor is high.
The others? I think some of them may not reach their potential.
That may not be fair to say...but I think if you go through this list and ask yourself "of these
5, which is a can't miss?" I would say Byram. The others MUST be solid top 6 forwards, or
they come up short as a top 5 pick.

The Kings want 'speed, youth, exciting hockey...more offense'...I think Byram can add that and one scout called him 'a one man breakout'...he plays well 2 ways, skates well, can score, create offense and seems he could add more to this defense and offense for sure. You gotta wonder how much better Drew could be, with a DYNAMIC partner. I want to see that. Drew talks about "getting better, improving my game, getting my goals up" he said that in the exit interview. I think the best thing for him, would be to give him a new dynamic partner. Drew would excel.

 

[KopitarFAN]

I would hope if Byram is their they take him, but I don't expect it. On the opposite side, if he should go 3 or 4, you're looking at 3 of Cozens/Podkolzin/Turcotte/Dach (people like his upside, and I understand why, but the risk is also greater), that's best case scenario if they are set on a forward.

 

[AlphaBravo]

In 2008, the Kings drafted Doughty and Voynov. Without those 2, there are no Cups. Obviously, Kopi, Quick, Carter, Stoll, Mitchell (2012) and others had a lot to do with it.
But those 2 on the backend were a big part. The Kings have not added top talent D since then...seemed to hit a homerun with Mikey Anderson in rd 4 in 2017 draft.

I'm thinking best to go with Byram, if he's available at 5. I think the Black Hawks go for a forward, with them having added Jokiharju and Boqvist last 2 drafts
and the Lanche having Makar coming on their D soon, they go forward. But who knows?

I would love to see Byram and Anderson added to the D and be akin to what DD and Voynov were. The Walkers, Roys, MacDs are decent young defensemen,
but it's time to get some TRUE Top 4 D on the team. Let the Walkers, Roys, MacDs, battle for spots.
Durzi seems 2-3 years away, but great upside. Forbort could be dealt and give Drew one of Byram
or Anderson to raise the level of play. You do not draft by 'need', but it seems that Byram, Dach, Cozens, Turcotte, and even Zegras are pretty close.
Unless the Kings clearly are higher on one of those...think Byram could be best for this team. It's easier to get a top forward, than a top D.

I think Byram is CAN'T MISS. The argument is just the ceiling...the floor is high.
The others? I think some of them may not reach their potential.
That may not be fair to say...but I think if you go through this list and ask yourself "of these
5, which is a can't miss?" I would say Byram. The others MUST be solid top 6 forwards, or
they come up short as a top 5 pick.

The Kings want 'speed, youth, exciting hockey...more offense'...I think Byram can add that and one scout called him 'a one man breakout'...he plays well 2 ways, skates well, can score, create offense and seems he could add more to this defense and offense for sure. You gotta wonder how much better Drew could be, with a DYNAMIC partner. I want to see that. Drew talks about "getting better, improving my game, getting my goals up" he said that in the exit interview. I think the best thing for him, would be to give him a new dynamic partner. Drew would excel.

Great analysis and I agree with your conclusion. The best way to build a championship team is from the back out. Forbort is not a good long term partner with Doughty. He has a good year in 2017-2018, but his style of D is no longer a good option in the modern NHL. Byram reminds me a lot of Voynov and will be a great option with Doughty and later anchoring the second pair.

As far as forward options are concerned, we have some promising young players coming in next year, and I think we can land skilled forwards with our Toronto pick and the 2nd rounder. We can also pray that Vilardi recovers which will be a miracle.

 

[KINGS17]

 

[Johnny Utah]

Not getting Hughers or Kakko is very disapointing especially since the No. 5 kid won't likely make the team.

So another year of Brown, Kopitar, Carter, Toffoli....Yawn.

Vilardi has a feeble back, Kupari hasn't played in NA, and JAD is only 19 - there is no one that is read to step in and make a impact.

 

[Sol]

Too late.

Also, his team USA thing at the World Cup was icky. I agree that the Kings shouldn't cater to the "flavor of the month" but he was way too rigid in his thinking. Skill is skill regardless of the size of player.

I'll never forget the awful team he created that year. Wow.

 

[Sol]

I'll wait until I see results with McLellan as head coach of the team the Kings put on the ice, after what should be an eventful summer, before I start lambasting the decision to hire him.

Everyone knew Willie D would suck. Sometimes it's pretty obvious.

 

[SFKingshomer]

 

[raswilliam]

Bowen Byram looks pretty sick. How about that play at 5:05? To me Im picking wither the russian or Byram at 5.

 

[fivehole32]

Is Turcotte the son of Darren Turcotte? If so I think you give the son of a former player an extra look just because they have more insight as to how to be a professional. Domi, Tkachucks, Debrusk, etc all seem to thrive as soon as they hit the big show.

 

[BigKing]

I haven't watched any tape of these guys, but if the defenseman is closely rated to the forwards, I'd take him.

Our D pipeline isn't hot. We can complain about scoring but this guy can help that. Team has no QB for the power play. This guy is a LHS so what if he could pair with Doughty in two years?

I'll have to dive more in to these dudes, but I'm leaning Byram from what I have read.

They can't take the risk on the Russian. They already rolled the dice on Vilardi and may have crapped out. Chicago can afford that dice roll, as can the Avs. They have to get, at minimum, a Top 6 forward or a Top 4 defenseman out of this 1st round that will actually play for them. I am totally fine that they took the Vilardi risk due to his talent and where they drafted but I'm not cool with the risk at #5.

 

[KINGS17]

Bowen Byram looks pretty sick. How about that play at 5:05? To me Im picking wither the russian or Byram at 5.

The Kings are pathetic on the blue line. They can't afford to miss on the #5 pick overall. I would usually say take the best player available (not saying that wouldn't be Byram), but picking #5 the Kings are going to get a talented player so maybe they should look at the player most likely to play in the NHL and not the player with the highest ceiling.