What should LA do at the deadline?

[FrozenKing18]

Andrew Copp seems like a good Dustin Brown replacement for you long term.

How many kids does he have?

 

[kinghock]

If Clarke isn't as good as Chychrun, I'll actually be disappointed.

Clarke is going to be much better than Chychrun

 

[johnjm22]

Danault is a much better 5-on-5 scorer than Kopitar, and 5-on-5 is the strength at which much of the game is played. Kopitar is getting a fair share of points on the power play.

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There's plenty of nights where Kopitar is our 3rd best center.

I love the guy, but aside from an occasional nice dish, or a FO win, he rarely ever creates a scoring chance. He's just not that capable any more.

If Byfield doesn't develop into a top line center in the next few years, Kings are going to be in trouble. You can't expect 36yo Kopitar and 31yo Danault to carry all that weight.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

That's a good one...

It’s a fact…? 16 of Kopitar’s 51 points are from the power play (31%). 1 of Danault’s 33 points are from the power play (3%).

 

[bmr]

There's plenty of nights where Kopitar is our 3rd best center.

I love the guy, but aside from an occasional nice dish, or a FO win, he rarely ever creates a scoring chance. He's just not that capable any more.

If Byfield doesn't develop into a top line center in the next few years, Kings are going to be in trouble. You can't expect 36yo Kopitar and 31yo Danault to carry all that weight.

The only concern I have for Byfield is his desire to be great. The sky's the limit with that kid. If he's willing to dedicate himself night in and night out then there is no reason he can't be a top player in this league with the skillset he has at his size.

 

[No Name The Nameless]

The only concern I have for Byfield is his desire to be great. The sky's the limit with that kid. If he's willing to dedicate himself night in and night out then there is no reason he can't be a top player in this league with the skillset he has at his size.

That’s my concern as well. I want to see some fire and heart in his game. I want to see him want the puck and want to take a game over. I want to hear that he’s working harder than everyone.
He’s young and young players are inconsistent. We can see the skill there and I hope he continues to gain confidence.

 

[johnjm22]

The only concern I have for Byfield is his desire to be great. The sky's the limit with that kid. If he's willing to dedicate himself night in and night out then there is no reason he can't be a top player in this league with the skillset he has at his size.

All this talk about the Kings great prospect center depth, but Vilardi has to be moved to wing. JAD is playing wing also and his upside as a center is probably 3rd line. Turcotte doesn't look any better than JAD. Kupari also looks like a winger. Thomas and Madden are decent but not great prospects.

Now it's starting to look like all that's really left for our future at center (in terms of high potential) is Byfield.

So I sure hope QB pans out, because organizationally we really need him to. It's so hard just to get a great center.

 

[MBH]

Montreal went to the finals last year with less than the Kings have now.
Danault and Kopitar could be monster matchups in a playoff series.
Chychrun would be a huge upgrade on LD for a decade to come.
The Kings have a zillion prospects - but none of the D are real close to being ready and maybe only Clarke has Chychrun's upside - and he's years away from showing it.
Trading for Chychrun is obviously the right move.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

It’s a fact…? 16 of Kopitar’s 51 points are from the power play (31%). 1 of Danault’s 33 points are from the power play (3%).

Yah, I was under the impression that the Kings don't score any PP goals, so I thought you were joking. ;-)

 

[Inner Turbulence]

There's plenty of nights where Kopitar is our 3rd best center.

I love the guy, but aside from an occasional nice dish, or a FO win, he rarely ever creates a scoring chance. He's just not that capable any more.

If Byfield doesn't develop into a top line center in the next few years, Kings are going to be in trouble. You can't expect 36yo Kopitar and 31yo Danault to carry all that weight.

Despite Kempe's 25 goals I haven't really felt that the Kopitar line has really clicked this year. The past several seasons I've been under the impression that Iafallo's play made the Kopitar line play well. He had a real knack for getting the puck on his stick and keeping play alive. That has not been the case this year. There's just something off about Kopi's line this season. I dont know if I think Kopi and Kempe mesh well.

 

[JeanBlanc]

Clarke has Chychrun's upside - and he's years away from showing it.

It doesn't seem to be clear that 2022 Chychrun has 2021 Chychrun's upside.

 

[bland]

Montreal went to the finals last year with less than the Kings have now.
Danault and Kopitar could be monster matchups in a playoff series.
Chychrun would be a huge upgrade on LD for a decade to come.
The Kings have a zillion prospects - but none of the D are real close to being ready and maybe only Clarke has Chychrun's upside - and he's years away from showing it.
Trading for Chychrun is obviously the right move.

Wrong move.

Where is Montreal now?

The benefit of a rebuild is the rare opportunity to build from within with high level prospects throughout the lineup. The path you seem to prefer is the short term "get in and anything can happen" which works well for borderline playoff/black hole teams. That is where the Kings are today, but only because of the recent veteran additions - not the kids and certainly not the old vets.

There is a very real opportunity to build a lasting powerhouse if done correctly. Trading 3 or 4 top young assets for one player now puts you closer to guaranteeing a B-level team when a little patience could see you build an A-level squad.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

It doesn't seem to be clear that 2022 Chychrun has 2021 Chychrun's upside.

Since Feb 1:

GP 13 G 3 A 8 PTS 11 +/- +8

I'd say he's been playing good hockey the last 5 weeks.

Jakob Chychrun Stats and News

 

[MBH]

It doesn't seem to be clear that 2022 Chychrun has 2021 Chychrun's upside.

I would not waste too much time worrying about the stats of a guy on the Coyotes.
Unless there's an injury you don't know about, you should know what Chychrun is.
He's still on a 35-40 point pace.
Doughty had a couple of those after falling back from 60 points early in his career.

 

[JeanBlanc]

Since Feb 1:

GP 13 G 3 A 8 PTS 11 +/- +8

I'd say he's been playing good hockey the last 5 weeks.

Jakob Chychrun Stats and News

I don't think the issue is whether he plays well over 5 week periods. It's whether he warrants the value demanded for 2021 Chychrun.

 

[dman3474]

Up front, I see Iafallo as someone that could (not should but could) be moved. He is 28, on a 4 mil contract for 3 more years. He would be great to keep as depth on a playoff team, but I think he can be replaced from within the org by either Turcotte or JAD. It would not be a seamless transition by any means but could happen. Hes on both PK /PP, wears a letter, and would be a valuable chip. It may be a move this summer but I could see it happening, he isn't a necessity on this team but a complimentary player.

As it is for next season there is only one real spot opening up (Brown) with a few different players trying to come up and no room for them. Something has to give at some point up front.

 

[MBH]

Wrong move.

Where is Montreal now?

The benefit of a rebuild is the rare opportunity to build from within with high level prospects throughout the lineup. The path you seem to prefer is the short term "get in and anything can happen" which works well for borderline playoff/black hole teams. That is where the Kings are today, but only because of the recent veteran additions - not the kids and certainly not the old vets.

There is a very real opportunity to build a lasting powerhouse if done correctly. Trading 3 or 4 top young assets for one player now puts you closer to guaranteeing a B-level team when a little patience could see you build an A-level squad.

No, the path is not short term.
Stop with the binary thinking.

Getting a legit 1LD at 23/24 is also longterm and midterm solution.

 

[Fishhead]

Since Feb 1:

GP 13 G 3 A 8 PTS 11 +/- +8

I'd say he's been playing good hockey the last 5 weeks.

Jakob Chychrun Stats and News

It's really been his last 5 games, he's been on a tear. 8 pts and a +5. Is it a sustainable change or is it just because his team is streaking, scoring 25 goals over that span? Impossible to say, which is why I would never trade a ton for the guy. You only give up prime assets for consistently good play.

 

[Fishhead]

No, the path is not short term.
Stop with the binary thinking.

Getting a legit 1LD at 23/24 is also longterm and midterm solution.

This is absolutely correct. The problem with Chychrun is this isn't him.

 

[MBH]

This is absolutely correct. The problem with Chychrun is this isn't him.

Based on what?

 

[JeanBlanc]

Getting a legit 1LD at 23/24 is also longterm and midterm solution.

This is absolutely correct. The problem with Chychrun is this isn't him.

Based on what?

Well, I'd disagree with the absolute statement, "... this isn't him," I'd point out that the totality of the 2021-2022 season points to him having large season-to-season variability in effectiveness. I think for an "Eichel-esque" deal, or even one involving major assets, a team would want the upside locked in.

If you look at the type of deal Blake made for Arvidsson, a player with some injury history and question marks about whether he could return to historical form, well... that deal was probably on the low end of what could be expected. If Chychrun has second down year in a row, it would be more of an equivalency.

I don't think the Kings should have Chychrun tunnel-vision, especially during the Trade Deadline when teams are expecting overpayment.

 

[Fishhead]

Based on what?

He's had one good season, and hasn't been able to replicate it. He's not good defensively right now, and if you are known for offense you need to be a lot better. He put up 8 points in his last 5 games which brought him up to #69 in points for defensemen. I mean, until a few days ago he had the same amount of points as Durzi, who has played fewer games. #1 guys known for offense are way above that level.

If you take his average points per game and extrapolate that he's a 34 point per season defenseman. He rarely plays against the other teams best players, and with those deployments he's still the worst minus on his team by a large margin. He's a -23 while the next worse is a -6. Yeah, that stat ain't perfect but #1 Defense guys generally don't have those kinds of numbers this far into their careers. With his easy deployments, you would expect his possession metrics to be solid, but they aren't.

He's not a terrible defenseman by any means, but he's not a #1. He's eerily similar to Jack Johnson for me. Good offense, subpar defense. Despite good size only throws the occasional hit. Has a penchant for goals going in while he's on the ice. He's a solid #2, and a great #3. I'm fine with a 1st and a solid prospect for the guy, but not one of our blue-chippers.

 

[MBH]

Well, I'd disagree with the absolute statement, "... this isn't him," I'd point out that the totality of the 2021-2022 season points to him having large season-to-season variability in effectiveness. I think for an "Eichel-esque" deal, or even one involving major assets, a team would want the upside locked in.

If you look at the type of deal Blake made for Arvidsson, a player with some injury history and question marks about whether he could return to historical form, well... that deal was probably on the low end of what could be expected. If Chychrun has second down year in a row, it would be more of an equivalency.

I don't think the Kings should have Chychrun tunnel-vision, especially during the Trade Deadline when teams are expecting overpayment.

I've not yet seen anyone advocate for overpayment.
An NHL defenseman who can score 20 goals and play big minutes, signed for $4.6M, Still only 23/24.
For what? Shots in the dark?
That's not overpayment.

 

[kilowatt]

My biggest concern with Chychrun is that he’s yet to play 70 games in a season. Last season — playing all 56 games — is a significant outlier for him, which makes his scoring output even more concerning.

I’d rather have Roy playing all 82 than Chychrun playing 60.

 

[No Name The Nameless]

It's really been his last 5 games, he's been on a tear. 8 pts and a +5. Is it a sustainable change or is it just because his team is streaking, scoring 25 goals over that span? Impossible to say, which is why I would never trade a ton for the guy. You only give up prime assets for consistently good play.

You do realize that up until the last month Chychrun was shooting 5x lower than his career shooting percentage. The pattern has already been set throughout his career and this is more in line with that.