Speculation: Who Do The Kings Protect In The Expansion Draft

[verbalkint47]

Whatever happens I really hope we don't lose Quick or Brown. Them along with Kopitar and Doughty are the Mt. Rushmore of those cup teams. Maybe I'm old fashioned or being romantic, but I hope all 4 retire as Kings. Would be really special.

 

[HookKing]

Whatever happens I really hope we don't lose Quick or Brown. Them along with Kopitar and Doughty are the Mt. Rushmore of those cup teams. Maybe I'm old fashioned or being romantic, but I hope all 4 retire as Kings. Would be really special.

No way they take a soon to be 37 year old Brown for 1 year. The risk that he would just mail it in is way too high. Likewise, I can't see them taking Quick either, not that he wouldn't give it his all but there should be way too many other options in goal. Besides, why would they help the Kings (a division rival) free up cap space if they think they compete right out of the gate like Vegas.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Whatever happens I really hope we don't lose Quick or Brown. Them along with Kopitar and Doughty are the Mt. Rushmore of those cup teams. Maybe I'm old fashioned or being romantic, but I hope all 4 retire as Kings. Would be really special.

 

[KingsFan7824]

No way they take a soon to be 37 year old Brown for 1 year. The risk that he would just mail it in is way too high. Likewise, I can't see them taking Quick either, not that he wouldn't give it his all but there should be way too many other options in goal. Besides, why would they help the Kings (a division rival) free up cap space if they think they compete right out of the gate like Vegas.

I'd say Quick could be Seattle's Fleury, but MAF was 32 going on 33 with 2 years left when Vegas took him, whereas Quick will be 35 with 2 years left. However, Quick would be cheap in cash, and help Seattle hit the expansion draft cap requirements. If Seattle has the pressure of trying to live up to what Vegas did(and they probably shouldn't try, because who saw it coming?), is a 35 year old Quick, who will turn 36 during the 21-22 season, the way to go? Will the Kings have a better option for Seattle to take in the draft?

 

[HookKing]

I'd say Quick could be Seattle's Fleury, but MAF was 32 going on 33 with 2 years left when Vegas took him, whereas Quick will be 35 with 2 years left. However, Quick would be cheap in cash, and help Seattle hit the expansion draft cap requirements. If Seattle has the pressure of trying to live up to what Vegas did(and they probably shouldn't try, because who saw it coming?), is a 35 year old Quick, who will turn 36 during the 21-22 season, the way to go? Will the Kings have a better option for Seattle to take in the draft?

With nearly every other team out there offering up a goaltender I just don't see it happening. Why not grab a younger goalie with upside for the longer term?

 

[KingsFan7824]

With nearly every other team out there offering up a goaltender I just don't see it happening. Why not grab a younger goalie with upside for the longer term?

It'll all depend on what Seattle is thinking. Maybe other teams will have better players than their goalies available in the draft, so why not take the better skater? If nothing else, down the line, if Seattle doesn't pull a Vegas, they'll have more valuable pieces to trade at the deadline, since goalies don't tend to have a ton of value.

Now that teams have learned something from the Vegas experiment, and with the whole virus thing, who knows what rosters will look like come next whenever the draft takes place. Maybe the Kings add another goalie in the hopes that Seattle takes the Kings younger version of an available goalie. It's all up in the air.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

I'd say Quick could be Seattle's Fleury, but MAF was 32 going on 33 with 2 years left when Vegas took him, whereas Quick will be 35 with 2 years left. However, Quick would be cheap in cash, and help Seattle hit the expansion draft cap requirements. If Seattle has the pressure of trying to live up to what Vegas did(and they probably shouldn't try, because who saw it coming?), is a 35 year old Quick, who will turn 36 during the 21-22 season, the way to go? Will the Kings have a better option for Seattle to take in the draft?

Rumor is that Seattle wants Price to be their MAF

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Looking at this, if they did sign a notable UFA LHD and MacDermid meets the games played requirement to be the exposed defenseman, you could make the case for protecting 5 defenseman.

Yeah there are not a lot of forwards to protect at this moment. I will come down to Lizotte, Wagner, Grundstrum. Maybe if a forward has a big year we might need to protect them or if we get someone from a cap crunched team like a Nylander, Kapanen, Boeser or etc..

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Good point if they don't prorate on shortened seasons. If that means Walker needs to be exposed I'm fine with it. I could even see him being traded if the Kings aren't in the playoff race. He's been a pleasant surprise but not irreplaceable -- I think he was better last year than this year. It would also allow Blake to upgrade forwards by going 7 and 3. Lastly there is always the option of bribing Seattle with picks to take someone else.

Nothing wrong with Sean Walker, thought he was one of our better D-men last year and versatile too which is huge bonus! Kings will protect Walker

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Yeah there are not a lot of forwards to protect at this moment. I will come down to Lizotte, Wagner, Grundstrum. Maybe if a forward has a big year we might need to protect them or if we get someone from a cap crunched team like a Nylander, Kapanen, Boeser or etc..

Kings don't have to protect Lizotte he'll have 2 years in when Seattle starts calling out names for their club(Kraken)!Wags won't be protected unless he scores 20 goals and I don't foresee that happening...no one in their right mind moves a Nylander unless its Alex,Kapanen unless its Sami or Boeser unless the GM is a total bozo!

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Kings don't have to protect Lizotte he'll have 2 years in when Seattle starts calling out names for their club(Kraken)!Wags won't be protected unless he scores 20 goals and I don't foresee that happening...no one in their right mind moves a Nylander unless its Alex,Kapanen unless its Sami or Boeser unless the GM is a total bozo!

With the flat cap for the next 3 years and teams right up to the cap with important players to sign. You'll see names like that moved for sure.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Rumor is that Seattle wants Price to be their MAF

Well that would be even dumber than taking Quick. Good luck to Seattle if they go down that road.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Well that would be even dumber than taking Quick. Good luck to Seattle if they go down that road.

Taking Quick has its benefits...Seattle gets a 2-time former Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe winner and Goaltender x2 awards(Jennings) to his resume. Plus a second team All-star! He's 35 buy the time the Expansion Draft happens,that's a given but a winner and if COVID doesn't happen LA was playing so well they would have reached the 24 team play-ins no problem,no issue. The Kings were the NHL's hottest team the last 10-15...sizzling hot,white hot. McLellan had them poised for the play-offs and Petersen helped in his role but Quicker flashed some of that ol' 32 moves, intensity and desire to win. Besides if Seattle takes him he would be a great prize to the highest bidder come 2021 trade deadline time! And to boot Quicker's contract is not an albatross carrying with it? Numero thirty-two will take home 3.5,3.0 and 2.5 Million in his last years to his next employer if they are willing! LA pays a 5.8 Million cap hit during those 3 years but actually equates to 9 Million in real 2020 "coin"...if I'm Ronnie Francis of the Kraken I'd be entertaining this move long and hard mainly because Quick is a winner,has a contract that's not intrusive and carries value forward for a Stanley Cup contender that just needs that extra boost,confidence and experience to reach the Promised land, the Holy Grail of hockey the Lord Stanley "chalice! And Quicker would be energized and get another shot at a winner to add to his 2,in 2012 and 2014!!!

 

[DaAnimal]

I am slowly coming back to watch the kings again. It's been a long hiatus but can someone keep me up to date what the love is for Alex Iafallo. The guy plays along with Kopi and gets 1st line minutes but yet his numbers are not THAT GREAT.

Does this kid have the potential to be a 30 goal scorer? Whats the scoop on this guy? Thanks guys1

 

[Sparky206]

I am slowly coming back to watch the kings again. It's been a long hiatus but can someone keep me up to date what the love is for Alex Iafallo. The guy plays along with Kopi and gets 1st line minutes but yet his numbers are not THAT GREAT.

Does this kid have the potential to be a 30 goal scorer? Whats the scoop on this guy? Thanks guys1

He plays above his paycheck and improves each season

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Well that would be even dumber than taking Quick. Good luck to Seattle if they go down that road.

Come on, according to Canadian media, he’s still the best goalie in the universe. IMO, he’s not in my top 3 (Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, Rask). MTL is gonna choke on Price’s contract. 6 more years (after this one) @ $10.5! OUCH. Seattle would be crazy to take on that contract.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

He plays above his paycheck and improves each season

Has 1st line work ethic but not 1st line talent or skill!Really a very good 3rd liner like Brownie

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Come on, according to Canadian media, he’s still the best goalie in the universe. IMO, he’s not in my top 3 (Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, Rask). MTL is gonna choke on Price’s contract. 6 more years (after this one) @ $10.5! OUCH. Seattle would be crazy to take on that contract.

Could be that Marc Bergevin the GM of the Canadiens was working on a huge deal to get Price to the Rocky mountains ala P Roy! Maybe Girard was going back to la belle province. Price contract is many more years 6 to be exact and 54 Million during that spread so 9 Million per...I think the heir apparent in Montreal is going to be Cayden Primeau,son of Keith Primeau from Toronto,Ontario,Canada who etched out a 15 year NHL career

 

[ricardfromage]

At Kopitars age and salary I don't see the reason to protect him. Even a building team would have to think twice before taking on $11m in salary on a player who is over 30. I love Kopi and want to see him retire a King if possible but he is a mentor now as we aren't a legit contender just yet. I might rather have the salary cap and move him and if possible Brownie and Carts while the rebuild happens.
We have a bunch of borderline NHLers. Hard decision to make for sure though.

 

[funky]

At Kopitars age and salary I don't see the reason to protect him. Even a building team would have to think twice before taking on $11m in salary on a player who is over 30. I love Kopi and want to see him retire a King if possible but he is a mentor now as we aren't a legit contender just yet. I might rather have the salary cap and move him and if possible Brownie and Carts while the rebuild happens.
We have a bunch of borderline NHLers. Hard decision to make for sure though.

Kopitar has four years left at 10 million.

There is no one on LA at this moment that is even going to come close to having a salary like that. Even if the kids emerge there is 2 to 3 years left on their contracts before they get their next raise. In that time most our salary is off the books. So financially it does not make sense to lose him.

what he does for the team still always and always will our way What happens if we negating him from the team. We cannot throw the pups into the wolves. At this point we do not have one center prospect that should be considered viable for the NHL. At this point we do not even have a true second line center. I love Vilardi more than most but he has 10 games of experience in the NHL and still comes with health risks.

The last few years we could not even find a decent third line center. There is some debate whether JAD can even handle the fourth Line role at this point or if he should be sent back for more seasoning
we can always try and sign someone what every team needs centers and why try and outbid somebody for a 45 to 50 Points Center when we already have one of the premier centers to be a role model and to shelter the kids when they come up.

We are loaded with prospects and there are not many teams that would be able to take on Kopitar’s contract especially with the cap freeze

if dynasties were won by the teams that had the best prospect pools then we should’ve seen Edmonton, Buffalo and those teams that had first overall picks year after year after year with numerous cups already. We can’t just throw kids in the NHL. As much as everybody wants an 18-year-old prospect to be ready for the NHL there are very few that are and those are usually considered elite. We have nothing like that in our system and even after this next draft other that Lafreniere I would not consider putting any of the others directly into the NHL.

Part of building a winning culture in the NHL is having the right pieces in place. That extends right from the board rooms to on ice product.

Kopitar is about the last person I would want to be treated from the team. He does everything that has been asked of him and more. He gets the hardest assignments night and night out and continues to thrive. He has always been in good health and his game is not built on speed. With only four years left on the contract he has shown no signs of slowing down.

You trade Kopitar and you immediately sure the team that they have no hopes in winning. We would have another buffalo situation where our best young player would be getting the Eichel treatment. If anyone on this team deserves to retire a King it is Kopitar

 

[regulate]

Kopitar has four years left at 10 million.

To be precise, his CAP hit is $10 million the next 4 years, his salary is $8 million in 20-21 and 21-22 and $7 million in 22-23 and 23-24. He has a modified NTC for the final 4 seasons of his contract where he can submit a list of 7 teams he is willing to be traded to. And the bottom line is, there is absolutely no chance he will not be protected in the expansion draft. The absolute locks to be protected are Kopitar, Kempe, Doughty, Roy and Petersen. You can add Iafallo if they come to an contract extension agreement during next season, otherwise he is a UFA after the season is over. Everyone else is on the bubble depending on how they do next season and if they are in the Kings long-term plans. If the Kings sign a veteran D man, you can likely add him to the protected list too.

 

[cyclones22]

A complete youth movement almost never works unless you have a generational talent as part of that movement. If you really break down how the Kings won 2 Cups, you'll see how they executed it almost perfectly blending in veteran winning presence with youth. After consecutive 68 and 71 point seasons, they added Stoll, Greene, O'Donnell before the season started and Justin Williams at the trade deadline. Players who either got to the SCF or won the Cup. They improved by 8 points in Doughty's rookie season, then added Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi the following season and jumped to 101 points. Then added Penner then Richards and Carter who had also been deep in the playoffs and the rest is history.

We need to hope that a good number of Vilardi, Turcotte, Byfield/Stutzle, Arty, Madden, Bjornfot, Anderson and a goaltender turn out as frontline players. If they do, then they've already got 2 mentors (or more depending on how quickly they break in w/the big club) with high level experience in winning on the roster already. I think Drew, Kopi, Quick, Brown etc were energized by the young guys and I don't believe they rattle off 7 in a row or 10 of 13 without those vets providing leadership. Young teams without veteran leaders invariably don't know how to hold leads or finish games.

Exhibit A in how to groom a franchise player? Doughty. He had the perfect partners to start his career. Starting with Sean O'Donnell as a former Cup winner and steady vet. Then Rob Scuderi, again a Cup winner and steady vet the season after. What if they paired him with garbage like they have the last 5 years or so at the onset of his career? How would he have developed? It's why I believe that if Bjornfot makes the team out of camp you immediately pair him with Drew. Number 1, because Drew wants him to be his partner. Number 2, Bjornfot can learn from being on the ice with Doughty for 20 minutes a game. If Tobi turns out as a first pairing stay at home puck mover, that becomes a major win. Thinking farther ahead, when Drew's replacement is drafted, you slot him in with Bjornfot who pays it forward.

If things break right, the Kings are well positioned. They're going to have cap space to add Scuderi and Mitchell type players. They're going to have prospects and picks to trade for impact players like Richards and Carter. Hopefully Doughty and Kopitar are still impact players when this happens. Maybe not elite, but at the good to very good tier. If they've done their jobs then these kids will know how to win games. It's why I wasn't broken hearted by the team finishing well and losing lottery odds in the process. It's way more important that Kempe, Roy, Walker, Anderson, Vilardi, Iafallo and Petersen et al know what it's like to be on a team that's rolling rather than having their heads kicked in nightly. The lottery gods smiled on us for once. Well, maybe just a wink since we didn't win #1 overall, but better than a curse!

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

To be precise, his CAP hit is $10 million the next 4 years, his salary is $8 million in 20-21 and 21-22 and $7 million in 22-23 and 23-24. He has a modified NTC for the final 4 seasons of his contract where he can submit a list of 7 teams he is willing to be traded to. And the bottom line is, there is absolutely no chance he will not be protected in the expansion draft. The absolute locks to be protected are Kopitar, Kempe, Doughty, Roy and Petersen. You can add Iafallo if they come to an contract extension agreement during next season, otherwise he is a UFA after the season is over. Everyone else is on the bubble depending on how they do next season and if they are in the Kings long-term plans. If the Kings sign a veteran D man, you can likely add him to the protected list too.

Good points all,well done!

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

A complete youth movement almost never works unless you have a generational talent as part of that movement. If you really break down how the Kings won 2 Cups, you'll see how they executed it almost perfectly blending in veteran winning presence with youth. After consecutive 68 and 71 point seasons, they added Stoll, Greene, O'Donnell before the season started and Justin Williams at the trade deadline. Players who either got to the SCF or won the Cup. They improved by 8 points in Doughty's rookie season, then added Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi the following season and jumped to 101 points. Then added Penner then Richards and Carter who had also been deep in the playoffs and the rest is history.

We need to hope that a good number of Vilardi, Turcotte, Byfield/Stutzle, Arty, Madden, Bjornfot, Anderson and a goaltender turn out as frontline players. If they do, then they've already got 2 mentors (or more depending on how quickly they break in w/the big club) with high level experience in winning on the roster already. I think Drew, Kopi, Quick, Brown etc were energized by the young guys and I don't believe they rattle off 7 in a row or 10 of 13 without those vets providing leadership. Young teams without veteran leaders invariably don't know how to hold leads or finish games.

Exhibit A in how to groom a franchise player? Doughty. He had the perfect partners to start his career. Starting with Sean O'Donnell as a former Cup winner and steady vet. Then Rob Scuderi, again a Cup winner and steady vet the season after. What if they paired him with garbage like they have the last 5 years or so at the onset of his career? How would he have developed? It's why I believe that if Bjornfot makes the team out of camp you immediately pair him with Drew. Number 1, because Drew wants him to be his partner. Number 2, Bjornfot can learn from being on the ice with Doughty for 20 minutes a game. If Tobi turns out as a first pairing stay at home puck mover, that becomes a major win. Thinking farther ahead, when Drew's replacement is drafted, you slot him in with Bjornfot who pays it forward.

If things break right, the Kings are well positioned. They're going to have cap space to add Scuderi and Mitchell type players. They're going to have prospects and picks to trade for impact players like Richards and Carter. Hopefully Doughty and Kopitar are still impact players when this happens. Maybe not elite, but at the good to very good tier. If they've done their jobs then these kids will know how to win games. It's why I wasn't broken hearted by the team finishing well and losing lottery odds in the process. It's way more important that Kempe, Roy, Walker, Anderson, Vilardi, Iafallo and Petersen et al know what it's like to be on a team that's rolling rather than having their heads kicked in nightly. The lottery gods smiled on us for once. Well, maybe just a wink since we didn't win #1 overall, but better than a curse!

Anything is better than the curse

 

[King'sPawn]

At Kopitars age and salary I don't see the reason to protect him. Even a building team would have to think twice before taking on $11m in salary on a player who is over 30. I love Kopi and want to see him retire a King if possible but he is a mentor now as we aren't a legit contender just yet. I might rather have the salary cap and move him and if possible Brownie and Carts while the rebuild happens.
We have a bunch of borderline NHLers. Hard decision to make for sure though.

- Kopitar has an NMC. They have to protect him
- even if LA didn't, Seattle wouldn't think twice about nabbing a bonafide No. 1 center for free. Whether for talent or reaching the cap floor