SJS 3 : LAK 2 - Game is STILL 60 minutes

[SettlementRichie10]

On if the Kings can draw from being down 3-0 to San Jose in 2014:
Sutter: "No. We’re not down three to nothing, and it’s a different team".

You can read into that in so many ways, but I see Sutter admitting right there that this isn't the 2014 squad, and we're not coming back from anything. He knows.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

Still wouldn't be enough for someone of A-Mart's caliber.

Teams don't trade players like A-Mart. It's why Defenders are always at a premium.

You have to draft em, and develop them.

Best you can do is actually trade Martinez for a righty. I'm sure a team loaded with righties like Winnipeg or Buffalo would do it. But how will that help?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Pete DeBoer getting revenge for 2012. Muahaha.

Revenge is a dish best served EXTREMELY COLD

You can read into that in so many ways, but I see Sutter admitting right there that this isn't the 2014 squad, and we're not coming back from anything. He knows.

I see sutter saying what he has all series and that's that there's nothing to draw from with so much roster turnover.

 

[ru4reals]

We just need to retool. Our top dudes are still in their prime just need to get rid of dead weight and load up again. I know easier said then done but maybe getting bounced will fire these guys up in the next few years. When it's not your year it's not your year. I think the sharks will win it all this year.

 

[damacles1156]

Revenge is a dish best served EXTREMELY COLD



I see sutter saying what he has all series and that's that there's nothing to draw from with so much roster turnover.

Since 2014, it's been quite a bit.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

We just need to retool. Our top dudes are still in their prime just need to get rid of dead weight and load up again. I know easier said then done but maybe getting bounced will fire these guys up in the next few years. When it's not your year it's not your year. I think the sharks will win it all this year.

They're playing great but they aren't winning with 1 line and a dominant PP.

 

[damacles1156]

We just need to retool. Our top dudes are still in their prime just need to get rid of dead weight and load up again. I know easier said then done but maybe getting bounced will fire these guys up in the next few years. When it's not your year it's not your year. I think the sharks will win it all this year.

The Blues will be a problem, for the Sharks. I think the Kings wouldn't even get passed the Blues.

Pretty deep Blues team this year.

 

[Herby]

Who would blow our mind?

Doughty, Quick and Kopitar are going nowhere.

Carter's cap hit is just to low to justify trading him IMO, even if he is taking a step back he is still a bargain.

Muzzin is a bargain

Martinez is a bargain

I would have to guess it would be Toffoli or perhaps Carter if the Kings are worried about the length of his deal.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Another one-goal loss that was decided by special teams play. Yet again you had the big guns for San Jose showing up and where were the Kings' top players? There is only one line that has been able to sustain any pressure at even strength and it's been the Clifford-Lewis-Versteeg line.

Quick showed up today and kept this game within reach but he got zero goal scoring support from his forwards. You have Luke Schenn outperforming Drew Doughty, and it seems like none of these imbeciles have figured out how to get a low shot through without having it get blocked (or shooting it wide).

This year's team wasn't built to go on a long playoff run, it was built to just get by and quality for a playoff spot, that's it. And I'm not being a pessimist when I say that, it's the truth. When your options to replace the likes of Mitchell, Voynov and Regehr (two out of three being your entire second pairing) are McNabb, Schenn and Scuderi, then you really are setting the bar low.

And understand this, it is extremely difficult to find top 4 defensemen. They don't come around too often and are not readily available. They cost a lot to sign as UFAs and cost a lot to acquire in the trade market, as evidenced at this year's trade deadline and with the Sekera trade last year.

Ultimately, this falls on the players earning the big bucks: Kopitar, Doughty, Carter, Brown, Lucic, Toffoli, etc. These guys have done nothing at even strength and have done nothing to offset the offensive production from Pavelski, Thornton, Burns, Couture, etc.

I'm not distraught or disgusted by this team. I'm disappointed. Not only in the players, but in management and in the coaching staff. I'm disappointed in them because they were too stubborn to accept the facts and deal with the reality of where this team stood. Of the fact that you have a coach who has failed to adapt when his team can't sustain any offensive zone attack at even strength and he keeps going back to the same lines that have exhibited zero chemistry.

I expected more from the top players, from the coaches, and from management, and I would hope that these concerns are addressed over the summer. This team still has the talent to compete for the Cup, the core is there, but as evidenced from the past two seasons, they are clearly lacking in certain areas and have a number of holes that will need to be addressed this summer.

They're still capable of winning two games in a row, but I'm not going to set myself up for disappointment. I'm already looking ahead to the summer because we all know that this won't be the same roster that we will be seeing in October.

 

[damacles1156]

Who would blow our mind?

Doughty, Quick and Kopitar are going nowhere.

Carter's cap hit is just to low to justify trading him IMO, even if he is taking a step back he is still a bargain.

Muzzin is a bargain

Martinez is a bargain

I would have to guess it would be Toffoli or perhaps Carter if the Kings are worried about the length of his deal.

Can't trade Carter or Toffoli.

The bottom six could still use a revamp. Nolan/Clifford/Andy/Lewis, it's time to move on from those guys.

 

[Herby]

You can read into that in so many ways, but I see Sutter admitting right there that this isn't the 2014 squad, and we're not coming back from anything. He knows.

I think the lockerroom stuff others have mentioned is overrated. I don't think they miss guys like Stoll and Richards who contributed almost nothing in 2014 and there are plenty of winners in that lockerroom.

What they miss is the on-ice contributions of Voynov, Mitchell and Williams and ofcourse Martinez.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Who would blow our mind?

Doughty, Quick and Kopitar are going nowhere.

Carter's cap hit is just to low to justify trading him IMO, even if he is taking a step back he is still a bargain.

Muzzin is a bargain

Martinez is a bargain

I would have to guess it would be Toffoli or perhaps Carter if the Kings are worried about the length of his deal.

Losing Dwight King, Trevor Lewis and Jordan Nolan would blow our minds. Simply because of how stubborn this team is at hanging on to these types of players.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Who would blow our mind?

Brown, but for different reasons, heh

Another one-goal loss that was decided by special teams play. Yet again you had the big guns for San Jose showing up and where were the Kings' top players? There is only one line that has been able to sustain any pressure at even strength and it's been the Clifford-Lewis-Versteeg line.

Quick showed up today and kept this game within reach but he got zero goal scoring support from his forwards. You have Luke Schenn outperforming Drew Doughty, and it seems like none of these imbeciles have figured out how to get a low shot through without having it get blocked (or shooting it wide).

This year's team wasn't built to go on a long playoff run, it was built to just get by and quality for a playoff spot, that's it. And I'm not being a pessimist when I say that, it's the truth. When your options to replace the likes of Mitchell, Voynov and Regehr (two out of three being your entire second pairing) are McNabb, Schenn and Scuderi, then you really are setting the bar low.

And understand this, it is extremely difficult to find top 4 defensemen. They don't come around too often and are not readily available. They cost a lot to sign as UFAs and cost a lot to acquire in the trade market, as evidenced at this year's trade deadline and with the Sekera trade last year.

Ultimately, this falls on the players earning the big bucks: Kopitar, Doughty, Carter, Brown, Lucic, Toffoli, etc. These guys have done nothing at even strength and have done nothing to offset the offensive production from Pavelski, Thornton, Burns, Couture, etc.

I'm not distraught or disgusted by this team. I'm disappointed. Not only in the players, but in management and in the coaching staff. I'm disappointed in them because they were too stubborn to accept the facts and deal with the reality of where this team stood. Of the fact that you have a coach who has failed to adapt when his team can't sustain any offensive zone attack at even strength and he keeps going back to the same lines that have exhibited zero chemistry.

I expected more from the top players, from the coaches, and from management, and I would hope that these concerns are addressed over the summer. This team still has the talent to compete for the Cup, the core is there, but as evidenced from the past two seasons, they are clearly lacking in certain areas and have a number of holes that will need to be addressed this summer.

They're still capable of winning two games in a row, but I'm not going to set myself up for disappointment. I'm already looking ahead to the summer because we all know that this won't be the same roster that we will be seeing in October.

Great post

But I'm gonna show up on Friday and cheer my ass off because it might be the last Kings hockey I get to see this year.

Like i've said every game this series, try to enjoy it.

Losing hurts, but it's been the best hockey of the first round by a longshot imo.

 

[damacles1156]

Have to remember also, with roster turnover comes growing pains.

Have to accept that.

 

[Herby]

Can't trade Carter or Toffoli.

The bottom six could still use a revamp. Nolan/Clifford/Andy/Lewis, it's time to move on from those guys.

Tough thing with Clifford is you watch a game like tonight and you really see what he is capable of, but then you have to ask yourself where the hell this has been for his entire career.

Clifford has to be one of the most disappointing development situations for the Kings recently, no reason this guy shouldn't be a strong bottom six player.

 

[damacles1156]

Tough thing with Clifford is you watch a game like tonight and you really see what he is capable of, but then you have to ask yourself where the hell this has been for his entire career.

Clifford has to be one of the most disappointing development situations for the Kings recently, no reason this guy shouldn't be a strong bottom six player.

It's what happens when guys skip that crucial AHL rounding out of their game.

Guys like Clifford (not highly skilled)need that AHL time.

Glad the Kings don't make those mistakes anymore. Kempe/Mersch/Amadio will be much better for it.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Have to remember also, with roster turnover comes growing pains.

Have to accept that.

And that right there is a problem. I can deal with growing pains when it is a roster with players who will be sticking around and learning to play at this level, which this team went through with Kopitar, Quick, Doughty, Muzzin, Martinez, Toffoli and Pearson.

However, with the turnover this team has had, we are witnessing pains in players who don't figure in to be long term fixtures as part of the core of this roster. Half of the blueline will be gone this summer, as will quite a number of forwards in the lineup.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I started to type a prospective lineup out but then I realized I'm not ready to talk about next season until the fat Bailey sings.

 

[Trolfoli]

Still wouldn't be enough for someone of A-Mart's caliber.

Teams don't trade players like A-Mart. It's why Defenders are always at a premium.

You have to draft em, and develop them. Schenn may very well be the best Defender on the UFA market come this off-season, what does that tell you ?

Yeah... I've looked at the UFA's. You get a motivated Lombardi this summer and who knows what he'll come up with. There are lots of options out there other then UFA.

 

[ru4reals]

They're playing great but they aren't winning with 1 line and a dominant PP.

I know just trying to jinx them. Even though jinxes are dumb. its not over yet but Friday wont be easy to swallow especially after a pretty decent year. I blame all them experts and EJ Hradek who picked us to win it all this year. Knew that was pretty much the kiss of death right there.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Who would blow our mind?

Doughty, Quick and Kopitar are going nowhere.

Carter's cap hit is just to low to justify trading him IMO, even if he is taking a step back he is still a bargain.

Muzzin is a bargain

Martinez is a bargain

I would have to guess it would be Toffoli or perhaps Carter if the Kings are worried about the length of his deal.

Dustin Brown going would blow my mind because someone took him.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Hate thinking about the summer moves when there's still at least one game to play, but that's how well the Kings have played in this series.

So many questions after the last 2 years, up to this point. You don't want to waste Kopitar/Doughty/Quick(not that they have been with 2 freakin' Cups), but there doesn't seem to be an easy road forward. With a healthy Martinez and Gaborik, maybe Carter too, who knows if things are different at the moment. Too many guys up for contracts, right up against the cap, not a ton of young pieces, what looks to be back to back down years. At a fork in the road.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I think the lockerroom stuff others have mentioned is overrated. I don't think they miss guys like Stoll and Richards who contributed almost nothing in 2014 and there are plenty of winners in that lockerroom.

What they miss is the on-ice contributions of Voynov, Mitchell and Williams and ofcourse Martinez.

Agreed. We are also missing the lockerroom stuff from Mitchell and Williams. Williams in particular was a rock in that room and a man possessed when the chips were down. I've told this story before, but it was Williams who rallied the troops pre-game six in the 2012 SCF. It wasn't Brown or anyone else, but Williams.

Oh, and something I heard that made me think: giving the captaincy and the keys to the franchise to Brown would have been akin to SJ doing the same with Ryan Clowe. Both players had short peak shelf lives, both played a tenacious power forward style, and both are pretty useless these days. Difference is that SJ moved on from Clowe, who was a beloved player there during his peak.

Not saying SJ is the model franchise at all, but it's an interesting comparison. Still believe that Kopitar should have been given the C back in 2008. I think the C vastly overinflates the value of intangible try hard guys like Brown, Callahan, etc. I don't think Lombardi would have given him near the retirement contract if he's wearing an A or less.

Just rambling at this point, though. Maybe I'm wrong with all that.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Agreed. We are also missing the lockerroom stuff from Mitchell and Williams. Williams in particular was a rock in that room and a man possessed when the chips were down. I've told this story before, but it was Williams who rallied the troops pre-game six in the 2012 SCF. It wasn't Brown or anyone else, but Williams.

Oh, and something I heard that made me think: giving the captaincy and the keys to the franchise to Brown would have been akin to SJ doing the same with Ryan Clowe. Both players had short peak shelf lives, both played a tenacious power forward style, and both are pretty useless these days. Difference is that SJ moved on from Clowe, who was a beloved player there during his peak.

Not saying SJ is the model franchise at all, but it's an interesting comparison. Still believe that Kopitar should have been given the C back in 2008. I think the C vastly overinflates the value of intangible try hard guys like Brown, Callahan, etc. I don't think Lombardi would have given him near the retirement contract if he's wearing an A or less.

Just rambling at this point, though. Maybe I'm wrong with all that.

Not even close.

Go back to why Brown got the C in the first place rather than his declining play. It's easy to hate him now, I know, but you would think reading this board that they picked his name for Captain out of a hat in late 2012.

 

[kingsfan28]

i know, consider the source, but

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