Post-Game Talk: Tough Decisions- LA Kings Off-Season

[Ziggy Stardust]

Now here's a defender the Kings could use.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Now here's a defender the Kings could use.

Mikey Anderson + 17th OA for Nikishin.

 

[Statto]

my roster prediction for the start of training camp is


Panarin-Byfield-Kempe
Fiala-unknown UFA*-Laferriere
Turcotte-Laughton-Moore
Wright-Helenius-Armia
Ward/Lee/UFA**

Anderson-Doughty
Edmundson-Clarke
Dumoulin-Ceci
Moverare or replacement level UFA

Kuemper
Forseberg

* probably low excitement level mid tier

"Wait til the trade deadline rolls around... let's give them another 5 months to evaluate before we get upset" says you know who...

I think we will do more, but not much more. I base that on zero knowledge other than assuming “they have to”. I think maybe a D is moved, maybe someone like Moore is moved and/or maybe a goalie is traded. I don’t expect all of those things to happen but given the off season acknowledgment that change is needed, to not do ‘something’ would be starting with a failure of sorts.

That said the buying teams are getting mugged at the moment, so doing nothing (or the bare minimum as you lay out) might be the smartest play.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

They have to get creative then. Someone with upside that has good underlying numbers thats ready for a bigger role. Take a gamble on someone thats had a down year or two. It can be a LHD or RHD. They themselves have traded Walker Spence Durzi for pennies on the dollar to teams that upped their value after. There are people being paid a lot of money to handle this and not run back a horrible losing combination. If you are thinking a younger player how about a guy like Bonk on Philly who they probably know well. Revisit the Korchinski talks from last year. Just saying its too hard and expensive is lazy and unacceptable for a professional franchise in Los Angeles

"But what was Blake supposed to do" going strong since 2017.

So f***ing unacceptable but so many people have gotten ok with it.

f*** Luc and f*** AEG.

There's a better chance of Ken Holland having a bowel movement than any kind of organization movement.

Are we sure about this?

Has anyone seen him since the day before yesterday? He might have fallen asleep in the water closet. Get this guy some prune juice and show him the headlines.

 

[FSL KINGS]

Guys!
Laine, Helenius, Puljujarvi!!!!!

 

[CarlSneep]

Now here's a defender the Kings could use.

The fun thing about every rumor that pops up is that you can imagine what Holland calls and offers and then imagine what Anaheim or San Jose offer immediately afterwards

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Guys!
Laine, Helenius, Puljujarvi!!!!!

A monster season in Switzerland, that's hilarious.

Puljujarvi's agent must be making the rounds to generate interest in his client. The league leader in points was Puljujarvi's linemate, Markus Granlund.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Screw it; Clarke for Nikishin.

Roll

Anderson - Brzustewicz
Nikishin - Doughty
Edmundson - Trouba

 

[Sol]

I don’t think the Kings are gonna be able to land anything that would be better than “good”

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don’t think the Kings are gonna be able to land anything that would be better than “good”

Right. They're all shades of Joel Armia.

Just a whole lot of 'yeah I like that guy good player' and yet also it doesn't move your team out of the black hole. Yawn.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Just move the 17th pick and Kevin Fiala for Jason Robertson and call it a day.

 

[Sol]

Right. They're all shades of Joel Armia.

Just a whole lot of 'yeah I like that guy good player' and yet also it doesn't move your team out of the black hole. Yawn.

And you know what will happen right?

“He’s surprisingly better than people realize, he’s gonna add more value than you think”

And then…. At the end of next season

“He’s essentially victor arvidsson/armia and we still suck” that’s the sentence to close out next season

 

[RumHam]

Right. They're all shades of Joel Armia.

Just a whole lot of 'yeah I like that guy good player' and yet also it doesn't move your team out of the black hole. Yawn.

The thing is they are gonna have to get creative and bring in those status quo players just to stay in the black hole. If the roster stays as Jesse posted it you are looking at that tier below the black hole first round exit and into where Calgary and Seattle have been existing not getting the high pick and also multiple wins from being in a wildcard race.

 

[Choralone]

Greenway is Dwight King

I have been summoned....

 

[Reaper45]

There's a better chance of Ken Holland having a bowel movement than any kind of organization movement.

Into his diaper or on the floor?

 

[FrozenKing18]

Just move the 17th pick and Kevin Fiala for Jason Robertson and call it a day.

As much as I want to see Robo in a Kings jersey, there is no way we pull that off

 

[HockeyEsoterics]

I think we will do more, but not much more. I base that on zero knowledge other than assuming “they have to”. I think maybe a D is moved, maybe someone like Moore is moved and/or maybe a goalie is traded. I don’t expect all of those things to happen but given the off season acknowledgment that change is needed, to not do ‘something’ would be starting with a failure of sorts.

I have zero info on this but...

people keep saying "they have to" and... uh... they don't.

They "have to" if they want to achieve some of the goals that some people imagine they must achieve but the reality is all they "have to do" is pay the people they have contracts with and I'm not ever sure I know what the penalty would be if they DIDN'T do that.

That said the buying teams are getting mugged at the moment, so doing nothing (or the bare minimum as you lay out) might be the smartest play.

I don't think whatever happens will be for lack of effort or desire... I just think sometimes your options are what they are and you just do what you can. In this case I think their options are incredibly limited.

 

[Sol]

The only thing that makes me think the Kings are gonna go all out is just one logical fact which is Robitaille cannot afford to personally sit back and be idle. That would be career suicide. But that’s under the implication that there’s pressure on him to perform.

 

[RumHam]

I have zero info on this but...

people keep saying "they have to" and... uh... they don't.

They "have to" if they want to achieve some of the goals that some people imagine they must achieve but the reality is all they "have to do" is pay the people they have contracts with and I'm not ever sure I know what the penalty would be if they DIDN'T do that.

They “have to” in order to achieve their own stated goal of just making the playoffs and after that anything can happen motto. As it stands now with their current defense under contract and Byfield Turcotte Connors Helenius down the middle they are not making the playoffs even for a first round exit.

 

[KingsHockey24]

We’re getting to a point where it’s looking more and more likely that Scott Laughton just walks.

Sign Kuzmenko; it’s the best we can do at this stage. Any upgrade we’re going to make on this roster will cost us whatever we have left in the farm.

 

[HockeyEsoterics]

The only thing that makes me think the Kings are gonna go all out is just one logical fact which is Robitaille cannot afford to personally sit back and be idle.

Made up "fact"

And what is "all out" at this point?

Like what can they actually do besides trade a parcel of future picks and some goalie prospects?

That would be career suicide. But that’s under the implication that there’s pressure on him to perform.

Even if your assumption were true... he's 60. He's in the Hall of Fame if he's not a complete bumpkin he's managed to leverage his role with AEG over the past 20 years into financial security... Even if AEG did finally remove him from his position what does he actually care? He's still Luc Robitaille. He could probably wake up tomorrow and get himself on any number of boards of governors or consulting positions within sports media companies or hell he could just retire and be Luc Robitaille full time.

 

[riznat]

The only thing that makes me think the Kings are gonna go all out is just one logical fact which is Robitaille cannot afford to personally sit back and be idle. That would be career suicide. But that’s under the implication that there’s pressure on him to perform.

Oh honey

 

[HockeyEsoterics]

I don’t think the Kings are gonna be able to land anything that would be better than “good”

Since when are you an optimist?

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Armia is the comparable to Greenway, not Malott.

Greenway can't stay healthy and has 14 combined points the last two years and 53 combined points in his last four years. He has no value

 

[funky]

I don’t think the Kings are gonna be able to land anything that would be better than “good”

Same feeling