The Los Angeles Kings - For Real or a Mirage?

[McHelpus]

Yeah, the Jets would be a bad matchup for the Oilers if they played in the post-season. I had a feeling that if the Jets somehow defeated Vegas in 2023, they'd have made it to the Cup Finals.

A Canadian team winning? That's possible?

 

[Ghetty Green]

It’s temporary but it has been surprising where they are in the standings without Doughty and their 99 goalie problems. It’s inevitable that they’ll crash back down. They are on a 6 game winning streak and the GDTs are barely active because us kings fans know what’s to come.

The GDT being less active has more to do with the low quality posting.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Make the playoffs and first round out like most years these days. Some quality pieces, but a few tiers below the big dogs at this point.. but if you make the dance anything can happen.

 

[Statto]

It’s temporary but it has been surprising where they are in the standings without Doughty and their 99 goalie problems. It’s inevitable that they’ll crash back down. They are on a 6 game winning streak and the GDTs are barely active because us kings fans know what’s to come.

That’s because everyone likes to complain and there is not much to complain about. Normally the GDT is just a bitchfest.

 

[MessierII]

Kings are good. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league and have been for years. People discount them because they face the oilers every year. If they played anyone else round 1 they probably win. Frustrating team to face.

 

[Machinehead]

They're a good team. I think running into the Oilers early has been a harsh fate.

 

[BaileyFan]

Kings are good. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league and have been for years. People discount them because they face the oilers every year. If they played anyone else round 1 they probably win. Frustrating team to face.

This sounds like the exact sort of thing that Blake and Luc tell each other in the front office to convince themselves to do stuff like pull the plug on a rebuild after 2 years and trade promising young players and futures for the likes of Fiala and Dubois. This is the sort of talk that leads to both of them somehow not getting fired after one of the most fireable seasons in recent memory.

The Oilers were immediately buried by the first good contender they played in 22 and 23. No Kings fan at this point is delusional enough to think we would’ve done any better against any of those teams.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Easy to feel good about them in the middle of a winning streak, but they have been lights out at home this year and middling on the road. The current road trip is a good test. They play the Devils tomorrow.

 

[Regal]

This sounds like the exact sort of thing that Blake and Luc tell each other in the front office to convince themselves to do stuff like pull the plug on a rebuild after 2 years and trade promising young players and futures for the likes of Fiala and Dubois. This is the sort of talk that leads to both of them somehow not getting fired after one of the most fireable seasons in recent memory.

The Oilers were immediately buried by the first good contender they played in 22 and 23. No Kings fan at this point is delusional enough to think we would’ve done any better against any of those teams.

I guess it depends on what constitutes good. Kings are definitely a good team and have been a 100 point team for awhile now, but I don’t think they have the horses to be a real contender.

 

[Soul Assumption]

It also means that they are full of young players that are just now making a name for themselves as opposed to old geezers whom people expect to be good like Nashville, Pittsburgh, Boston, or Rangers are experiencing. Washington is very similar story in the East in that regard.

"full of young players" sounds like an exaggeration, they have maybe 4-5 young players and only 2 of them are high picks and one of those players (Byfield) doesn't look good

 

[bland]

The way Kings fans talk about their team, I always expect them to be at the bottom of the standings.

Nobody thinks they are a bad team, we are upset that Blake blew the possibility of really turning the franchise around via a rebuild in favor of quick fixes to get the ancient Cup core another run. It clearly wasn't going to work, and it cost Vilardi, Faber and a couple of what would have been high 1st round picks.

They traded potential to cement mediocrity, and everyone saw it coming except for management.

 

[SoundAndFury]

"full of young players" sounds like an exaggeration, they have maybe 4-5 young players and only 2 of them are high picks and one of those players (Byfield) doesn't look good

Again, same applies to Washington. You can make a point Ovechkin is still their best F, Carlson still their best D but young blood energizes the lineup, it doesn't have to be all Stutzles and Bedards.

Now, down to numbers, Anderson, Clarke, Spence, Byfield, and Laferriere (who is 3rd on the team in scoring, high pick or not) are all 25 or less. Maybe you could add Turcotte to that list as well. In which case it would make it 3 high picks although again, not sure if that's relevant.

Out of the impact skaters, only Kopitar and Dannault are over 30. Now "full of young players" might have been and overstatement but the team basically doesn't have big names that are past their prime unlike so many other struggling team people expected to be better.

 

[Captain Controversy]

Doughty should be well rested for the playoffs. Gotta see what happens with Kopitar. They have a good goalie now.

 

[Soul Assumption]

but the team basically doesn't have big names that are past their prime

They don't have any big names at all, that's the point. You call Rangers old but they also have a bunch of young players: Miller, Cuylle, Chytil, Lafreniere, Kakko

 

[Jericho111091]

The Kings are probably a playoff team, but whether or not they make any noise once there is another question altogether.

 

[SoundAndFury]

They don't have any big names at all, that's the point. You call Rangers old but they also have a bunch of young players: Miller, Cuylle, Chytil, Lafreniere, Kakko

5 out of 6 guys in the Rangers top-6 tonight are 31 or older. Why are you acting like it's so hard to understand what I am saying?

Yes, they don't have big names who are overpaid because they have been this and that at some point of their career (well they have one but he isn't playing this season). That's exactly the point I'm making. If you look at the other "surprise" teams across the league (Washington, Minnesota) that's the thing they share. And overpaid veterans is the thing teams that people are surprised to see struggling the most share.

 

[Soul Assumption]

Yes, they don't have big names who are overpaid because they have been this and that at some point of their career (well they have one but he isn't playing this season). That's exactly the point I'm making. If you look at the other "surprise" teams across the league (Washington, Minnesota) that's the thing they share. And overpaid veterans is the thing teams that people are surprised to see struggling the most share.

ok bro i think all these teams (LA, Minnesota, Washington) are well coached with a good defensive structure but they overachieved and are not a threat in the playoffs because you can't win a cup when your best player is Kopitar or Ovechkin because it isn't 2012 or even 2018

 

[SoundAndFury]

ok bro i think all these teams (LA, Minnesota, Washington) are well coached with a good defensive structure but they overachieved and are not a threat in the playoffs because you can't win a cup when your best player is Kopitar or Ovechkin because it isn't 2012 or even 2018

I don't believe they are a threat to win the Cup either but stop moving the goalposts. This whole discussion of ours was prompted by you saying "they are barely a playoff team". Now you are talking about winning the Cup.

 

[HockeyWooot]

They’ve been a good team for a while that shouldn’t be in dispute, losing 3 years in a row to an Oilers group that would get within a game of winning the cup seems to have skewed perception.

Whether they are able to take another step forward or not, is a completely different question. Doesn’t change the fact they are a good team.

 

[Soul Assumption]

I don't believe they are a threat to win the Cup either but stop moving the goalposts. This whole discussion of ours was prompted by you saying "they are barely a playoff team". Now you are talking about winning the Cup.

Because they are all barely playoff teams on paper and everyone thought they would be barely playoff teams. Minnesota missed the playoffs last season, Washington is the 2nd WC, LA is a little better but still a mediocre team, and now you act like their performance is not overachieving and you totally expected it.

 

[Trash Panda]

Nobody thinks they are a bad team, we are upset that Blake blew the possibility of really turning the franchise around via a rebuild in favor of quick fixes to get the ancient Cup core another run. It clearly wasn't going to work, and it cost Vilardi, Faber and a couple of what would have been high 1st round picks.

They traded potential to cement mediocrity, and everyone saw it coming except for management.

This isn’t a response that is going to resonate with the main board, but it’s absolutely correct.

Could have been great, but instead it’s turned into assured “good but not good enough”

 

[Paper]

The fact the title of this thread isn't "The Los Angeles Kings - For real or Pretenders" should get the OP banned.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

This sounds like the exact sort of thing that Blake and Luc tell each other in the front office to convince themselves to do stuff like pull the plug on a rebuild after 2 years and trade promising young players and futures for the likes of Fiala and Dubois. This is the sort of talk that leads to both of them somehow not getting fired after one of the most fireable seasons in recent memory.

The Oilers were immediately buried by the first good contender they played in 22 and 23. No Kings fan at this point is delusional enough to think we would’ve done any better against any of those teams.

Heck even though the Oilers won in 5 games against the Flames in 2022, I think the Flames system would have had no issue defeating the Kings had the Kings advanced.

 

[Czechboy]

3 pages and not one rittich mention?

10th in gaa with 2.45
12th in wins with 10

Sure. The save percentage is bad but he's getting it done. More wins than the other 3 goalies combined. I get kuemper is the starter but that is some great work from the backup.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

3 pages and not one rittich mention?

10th in gaa with 2.45
12th in wins with 10

Sure. The save percentage is bad but he's getting it done. More wins than the other 3 goalies combined. I get kuemper is the starter but that is some great work from the backup.

he's had moments but much like the rest of the Kings...would you expect him to be better than his opposition in a playoff series? And it's hard to call him a backup when it's a platoon, especially when Darcy gets hurt once a week.

So many of these guys are great players, but not great enough.

That's our real problem with these guys. We're not just pessimists. We've seen a championship team and recently and we know these guys just don't have "it" and Blake sold out the long term for a short term lottery ticket that was an immediate failure. In this league, if you aren't getting better and/or younger youre likely just getting worse and that's where they've landed--not good enough to overtake teh true contenders but starting to get caught by younger teams while leveraging/selling off almost all the younger better assets they've stockpiled

Gentle reminder of the trade tree that brought us here

Outgoing
Vilardi
Faber
Iafallo
Kupari
MTL 2nd
Durzi
Walker
Grans
Petersen
LA 1st
LA 2nd
PLD

Incoming
2 million+ of Provorov's salary
Hayden Hodgson
Kevin Connauton
Kevin Fiala

AND Kuemper the goalie you traded to start the cycle above