Who does LA pick #2

[Sol]

FWIW, most scouting reports say QB is good defensively. Great stick, uses his size to kill cycles, good backchecking vs. the rush. From what I've seen of him, he stands around a bit at times and he's going to need some faceoff work to maintain 50% as a pro, but I certainly wouldn't call him soft or average. He's not a bruiser but he uses his size effectively, kind of like Kopitar does.

What's interesting if you look at QB's metrics, they are right there with Laf. You'll notice things like primary points per minute and expected goals are actually higher, which is pretty amazing given he's 10 months younger. What sets Laf apart in my opinion is his ridiculous compete level. He just won't be denied when it comes to making things happen and has elite skills to go along with it.

I'd be fine with either QB or Stützle, but the unique package that QB has puts him slightly ahead for me. There's also the fact that many scouts and coaches emphasize how fast he learns and picks things up. I'm pretty sure the Kings can turn the kid into a monster.

I've read and seen the same stuff you're talking about. He stands around in defensive zone a bit and his compete is questionable according to scouting.


Hopefully he proves doubters wrong, I doubt him a bit. I think we all want the Kings to not get screwed lol. I will be happy with either. I just have a preference I guess of the playstyle.

Byfield has a top 10 shot of the draft. LAF has the top 2 shot interchangeably.


Man... Drysdale has such an insane shot lol

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think it is telling that the Kings were supposedly going to take Dach. Blake also took Vilardi. Big centers.

You can't say "but what if he wasn't that big" just like you can't say "what if so-and-so wasn't so small": if you are a large human being that can not only keep up but thrive in the "new" NHL, you have a great advantage.

I'm not saying that QB is Kopitar or will be as good as him, but having Kopitar as basically a set-and-forget #1C for 15 years makes you realize how nice it is. I think Blake played with the Derek Armstrong #1C Kings so he might even have a better appreciation for it, especially when he sandwiched that with Sakic/Forsberg and Thornton/Marleau.

I don't think they have soured on Turcotte but he has been banged up and it would be hard to fully trust Vilardi's health. Think of it like the Cardinals: they drafted Rosen and then took Kyler Murray the very next draft, wasting the Rosen draft capital. I think the Kings might feel like they are in the same type of situation when it comes to having that dominant #1C in the pipeline: they don't have him yet.

Because the thing with QB is it doesn't matter, his size thus far hasn't been an essential component of his skillset, yet some still talk about him as if he's a Hugh Jessiman.

 

[BigKing]

I've read and seen the same stuff you're talking about. He stands around in defensive zone a bit and his compete is questionable according to scouting.


Hopefully he proves doubters wrong, I doubt him a bit. I think we all want the Kings to not get screwed lol. I will be happy with either. I just have a preference I guess of the playstyle.

Byfield has a top 10 shot of the draft. LAF has the top 2 shot interchangeably.


Man... Drysdale has such an insane shot lol

I love being at #2 but I'd much rather be Ottawa at #3 and #5. Whoever drops to #3 and then adding a Drysale/Raymond/Rossi etc...is pretty silly.

 

[Bandit]

I love being at #2 but I'd much rather be Ottawa at #3 and #5. Whoever drops to #3 and then adding a Drysale/Raymond/Rossi etc...is pretty silly.

Yeah well... not everyone can go full San Jose. Never go full San Jose.

 

[KINGS17]

Because the thing with QB is it doesn't matter, his size thus far hasn't been an essential component of his skillset, yet some still talk about him as if he's a Hugh Jessiman.

I agree. I don't think Byfield to ever be the kind of forward defensemen fear as they fear prime time Dustin Brown bearing down on them on the forecheck. I do expect Byfield to use his superior wing-span, size, speed and agility to severely limit the options of opposing defensemen when he is in on the forecheck.

...and if a defenseman coughs up the puck to Byfield he looks like he knows what to do with it.

 

[Rorschach]

I am stupefied by the amount of support of QB. Having seen him play in person a few times this year and watched adv sc isolated vids of him I think that there is a possibility that he becomes a solid top 6 player but there is also a possibility that he could bust as well. If he grows two more inches witch is very possible based on his past 4 years of growth spurts he would be the only 6'6" forward in NHL history to be a first line center with any actual value. He could stop growing or maybe only grow 1" over the next 4 years and that would cause a ton of concern for his ability to be a highly effective foward. IF we were drafting 4th of 5st I could see taking a flier on him but at 2nd there are 3 truly elite level forwards available who are very likely to become highly effective at their positions.

I believe we should be discussing which of Stutzle, a player that the team is very familiar with and has been following closely for the past two years or Lucas Raymond, a player with explosive skating hands and gifted vision (he also plays a dead solid two way game) and finally Marco Rossi who in comparison to QB has outperformed his rivals in each of the past 3 seasons in both offensive and defensive metrics. Any of those 3 players would give us a ton of needed certainty of drafting a 1st line player with the number two pick. Of course anything can happen with anyone and QB could and should develop into a solid top 6 player but he is a bigger gamble than the other 3 so why make him our target. Take a long look at his metrics and not simply his highlight reals and you will see a big guy with gifted vision who plays a soft game. When pressed to play a two way game he just comes up short. His size makes his reach long enough to get him out of trouble but his two way game is average at best and he plays like he is less than 6' tall. I like him and will love having him on our team if we take him but I will be holding my breath hoping he develops into the player that a few pundits and most here think he will become. I would say that his absolute upside is one of Turcotte or maybe a hybrid of him and Villardi which would be excellent but that is at his best where each of the 3 players mentioned look to have a higher ceiling. Who knows anyway but geez the overwhelming support for QB is simply baffling to me. We haven't sniffed the 2nd overall pick since 08 when we picked up DD. Seems like we drop 3 every year and get good but not great players. I don't want to gamble, I want player certainty but that is just me.

This is my POV as well...the #2 pick is too important to use on a coin flip player when something just as good and seemingly much more certain is available. Plus, this isn't 1990..."undersized" guys routinely rip it up both regular season and playoffs, presently. Stutzle was 6'0", around 180 pounds and scouting reports (probably from his agent) are saying he's gained nearly 15 pounds in muscle since the WJCs. That's not a little dude.

And it's not like we can't win any games or series without a Kopitar-esque player. He's a player I could see playing next year, sheltered on the first line, as Kopitar's LW, maybe with Brown as RW. His playmaking alone would help both those guys score an additional ten to thirty goals combined.

Also, a lot of people here both on this and the main board keep saying that "we're rebuilding". I don't think the front office or ownership agree with that. With over 40 mil tied up in our veteran core (Carter, Quick, Brown, Kopitar and Doughty), I believe we are retooling (a three year plan). We have a 1C, 1D, several vets, a solid RD and a good young goaltender. We're just missing some role players and a young, vet LHD...we're not Ottawa. When we got rid of Kovalchuk, we maybe SHOULD HAVE started a rebuild...but we got super-lucky getting Vilardi to fall to us and then last year's draft was an insane class (hopefully Kupari makes a full recovery). All of the vet role players from Toffoli to Clifford to Muzzin/Martinez have already been dealt. I don't see us "tanking" any further. If this was a full tank job, we would have talked Doughty and Kopitar into accepting trades.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This is my POV as well...the #2 pick is too important to use on a coin flip player when something just as good and seemingly much more certain is available. Plus, this isn't 1990..."undersized" guys routinely rip it up both regular season and playoffs, presently. Stutzle was 6'0", around 180 pounds and scouting reports (probably from his agent) are saying he's gained nearly 15 pounds in muscle since the WJCs. That's not a little dude.

And it's not like we can't win any games or series without a Kopitar-esque player. He's a player I could see playing next year, sheltered on the first line, as Kopitar's LW, maybe with Brown as RW. His playmaking alone would help both those guys score an additional ten to thirty goals combined.

Also, a lot of people here both on this and the main board keep saying that "we're rebuilding". I don't think the front office or ownership agree with that. With over 40 mil tied up in our veteran core (Carter, Quick, Brown, Kopitar and Doughty), I believe we are retooling (a three year plan). We have a 1C, 1D, several vets, a solid RD and a good young goaltender. We're just missing some role players and a young, vet LHD...we're not Ottawa. When we got rid of Kovalchuk, we maybe SHOULD HAVE started a rebuild...but we got super-lucky getting Vilardi to fall to us and then last year's draft was an insane class (hopefully Kupari makes a full recovery). All of the vet role players from Toffoli to Clifford to Muzzin/Martinez have already been dealt. I don't see us "tanking" any further. If this was a full tank job, we would have talked Doughty and Kopitar into accepting trades.

Agreed on Stutzle, he seems like a pretty built dude for his height. I know I keep going back to EP who is a little different body type but he was a beanpole yet a combination of shiftiness and strong edges as well as slipperyness off hits (where sometimes being 6 feet as opposed to 6'4" is good, easier to 'slide off' a check) ensures he isn't constantly getting plowed by NHL defenders. I don't see Stutzle's size as any kind of issue long-term (maybe for the next year or two but even then...). Especially since he's got great work ethic and dude is a buzzsaw like Lizotte but with elite skill.

But again...I take heavy issue with calling Byfield a "coin flip" while Stutzle anything close to a sure thing. That's the stuff I was talking about where people are suggesting one guy is completely flawed while ignoring issues altogether in the other and even though this is all subjective I'd hardly call that a fair take. I really truly agree with @ricardfromage about Rossi and some others but his vision of QB leaves out really anything positive and seems to suggest his size is a problem rather than a possible boon (also even just off the top of my head Jason Arnott was 6'5" and focusing on an inch or two as being the difference between a guy being great or not is as shortsighted as people writing off Rossi for being 5'9" instead of 5"10", ie the kind of stuff where a team lands St. Louis or Gaudreau because everyone else is too myopic)

 

[KINGS17]

This is my POV as well...the #2 pick is too important to use on a coin flip player when something just as good and seemingly much more certain is available. Plus, this isn't 1990..."undersized" guys routinely rip it up both regular season and playoffs, presently. Stutzle was 6'0", around 180 pounds and scouting reports (probably from his agent) are saying he's gained nearly 15 pounds in muscle since the WJCs. That's not a little dude.

And it's not like we can't win any games or series without a Kopitar-esque player. He's a player I could see playing next year, sheltered on the first line, as Kopitar's LW, maybe with Brown as RW. His playmaking alone would help both those guys score an additional ten to thirty goals combined.

Also, a lot of people here both on this and the main board keep saying that "we're rebuilding". I don't think the front office or ownership agree with that. With over 40 mil tied up in our veteran core (Carter, Quick, Brown, Kopitar and Doughty), I believe we are retooling (a three year plan). We have a 1C, 1D, several vets, a solid RD and a good young goaltender. We're just missing some role players and a young, vet LHD...we're not Ottawa. When we got rid of Kovalchuk, we maybe SHOULD HAVE started a rebuild...but we got super-lucky getting Vilardi to fall to us and then last year's draft was an insane class (hopefully Kupari makes a full recovery). All of the vet role players from Toffoli to Clifford to Muzzin/Martinez have already been dealt. I don't see us "tanking" any further. If this was a full tank job, we would have talked Doughty and Kopitar into accepting trades.

I don't think Stutzle is undersized, but I don't understand why you think Byfield is a 50/50 coin flip. I see a player in Byfield who at a minium will be a very good 2C, and has the potential to be a dominant 1C in the NHL. I don't see Stutzle's ceiling as a dominant 1C. I see him with a ceiling of great playmaking 1C, which tops out somewhere around 20-25 goals a season. I think Byfield's ceiling may be more like 30-35 goals a season once he hits his prime.

Not sure what additional evidence you need to convince you the Kings are rebuilding. They aren't getting past the likes of Edmonton, Vancouver, or Vegas in the next couple of seasons.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't think Stutzle is undersized, but I don't understand why you think Byfield is a 50/50 coin flip. I see a player in Byfield who at a minium will be a very good 2C, and has the potential to be a dominant 1C in the NHL. I don't see Stutzle's ceiling as a dominant 1C. I see him with a ceiling of great playmaking 1C, which tops out somewhere around 20-25 goals a season. I think Byfield's ceiling may be more like 30-35 goals a season once he hits his prime.

Not sure what additional evidence you need to convince you the Kings are rebuilding. They aren't getting past the likes of Edmonton, Vancouver, or Vegas in the next couple of seasons.

Was going to comment on that as well but it seems like semantics. I think we're all in general consensus that the org is holding onto Kopitar and Doughty and adding pieces while they're still here without trading out youth as if we're 'going for it,' but that we'll at least be more competitive in the next few years. Obviously we aren't likely to get through the forcefield of generational players that are just entering their primes but I don't see anyone running away with the Pacific anytime soon either, it's a total shitshow of rebuilding teams for the most part and the Sharks are almost certainly in worse shape.

 

[Rorschach]

Agreed on Stutzle, he seems like a pretty built dude for his height. I know I keep going back to EP who is a little different body type but he was a beanpole yet a combination of shiftiness and strong edges as well as slipperyness off hits (where sometimes being 6 feet as opposed to 6'4" is good, easier to 'slide off' a check) ensures he isn't constantly getting plowed by NHL defenders. I don't see Stutzle's size as any kind of issue long-term (maybe for the next year or two but even then...). Especially since he's got great work ethic and dude is a buzzsaw like Lizotte but with elite skill.

But again...I take heavy issue with calling Byfield a "coin flip" while Stutzle anything close to a sure thing. That's the stuff I was talking about where people are suggesting one guy is completely flawed while ignoring issues altogether in the other and even though this is all subjective I'd hardly call that a fair take. I really truly agree with @ricardfromage about Rossi and some others but his vision of QB leaves out really anything positive and seems to suggest his size is a problem rather than a possible boon (also even just off the top of my head Jason Arnott was 6'5" and focusing on an inch or two as being the difference between a guy being great or not is as shortsighted as people writing off Rossi for being 5'9" instead of 5"10", ie the kind of stuff where a team lands St. Louis or Gaudreau because everyone else is too myopic)

I think the extra year for QB is "nearly" a coin flip. Don't get me wrong, even Stutzle could still bust but if he could bust, say, 20% chance, then QB is one year behind AND the same 20% chance...so in my bogus math, let's say that's 40%...which is close to a coin flip to me...and we have to wait a year to find out.

 

[Sol]

I am stupefied by the amount of support of QB. Having seen him play in person a few times this year and watched adv sc isolated vids of him I think that there is a possibility that he becomes a solid top 6 player but there is also a possibility that he could bust as well. If he grows two more inches witch is very possible based on his past 4 years of growth spurts he would be the only 6'6" forward in NHL history to be a first line center with any actual value. He could stop growing or maybe only grow 1" over the next 4 years and that would cause a ton of concern for his ability to be a highly effective foward. IF we were drafting 4th of 5st I could see taking a flier on him but at 2nd there are 3 truly elite level forwards available who are very likely to become highly effective at their positions.

I believe we should be discussing which of Stutzle, a player that the team is very familiar with and has been following closely for the past two years or Lucas Raymond, a player with explosive skating hands and gifted vision (he also plays a dead solid two way game) and finally Marco Rossi who in comparison to QB has outperformed his rivals in each of the past 3 seasons in both offensive and defensive metrics. Any of those 3 players would give us a ton of needed certainty of drafting a 1st line player with the number two pick. Of course anything can happen with anyone and QB could and should develop into a solid top 6 player but he is a bigger gamble than the other 3 so why make him our target. Take a long look at his metrics and not simply his highlight reals and you will see a big guy with gifted vision who plays a soft game. When pressed to play a two way game he just comes up short. His size makes his reach long enough to get him out of trouble but his two way game is average at best and he plays like he is less than 6' tall. I like him and will love having him on our team if we take him but I will be holding my breath hoping he develops into the player that a few pundits and most here think he will become. I would say that his absolute upside is one of Turcotte or maybe a hybrid of him and Villardi which would be excellent but that is at his best where each of the 3 players mentioned look to have a higher ceiling. Who knows anyway but geez the overwhelming support for QB is simply baffling to me. We haven't sniffed the 2nd overall pick since 08 when we picked up DD. Seems like we drop 3 every year and get good but not great players. I don't want to gamble, I want player certainty but that is just me.

I kinda feel this way too. I feel QB has this bust potential for whatever reason. I just have a hard time thinking he will have the compete for the NHL. I hear lots of his compete levels that come into question which makes me doubt him. At the same time the praise Stuzle gets for his compete level is crazy.

I think it's a blessing and a curse to have two players so neck and neck. I wish there was an easy choice at 2 but there isn't. I don't think you can go wrong with either based on resume but there's just something about Byfield that I don't like.

If Stutzle could improve his shot he'd be my easy number 2.

Also, Byfields stats for someone with compete level questionability is insane. If that's him dragging ass at times then a competitive Byfield would be crazy.

At the moment though Stutzle seems like he can make the jump into the NHL next season

 

[Sol]

Kings have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, if not, the best. The Kings are close to being in the mix with playoff teams. There's too much talent to hold them back. Prospects with some of the best vets to mentor them is a good sign for great things.

 

[Rorschach]

I don't think Stutzle is undersized, but I don't understand why you think Byfield is a 50/50 coin flip. I see a player in Byfield who at a minium will be a very good 2C, and has the potential to be a dominant 1C in the NHL. I don't see Stutzle's ceiling as a dominant 1C. I see him with a ceiling of great playmaking 1C, which tops out somewhere around 20-25 goals a season. I think Byfield's ceiling may be more like 30-35 goals a season once he hits his prime.

Not sure what additional evidence you need to convince you the Kings are rebuilding. They aren't getting past the likes of Edmonton, Vancouver, or Vegas in the next couple of seasons.

I replied to RJ for my reasons/guesstimate on QB's risk factor. Quickly summarizing, normal risk of a prospect of this caliber plus a whole additional year (17 to 18) means to me, we're around 40 to 60% risk of busting. (To be really real, this is purely my feeling based on the facts stated above.) And I didn't see him dominate anywhere in key games I've seen so far, which makes me even more antsy.

If LA winds up taking QB, I really, really want him to go back to junior, dominate in the playoffs, then dominate in the Hlinka, WJC and anything else he can get to. I want the team that drafts Lafreniere to second-guess themselves. Otherwise, I'd rather just go with the elite-skating, elite-playmaking Stutzle. I could see Stutzle-Kaliyev be our mini-Hull and Oates and Stutzle-Vilardi-Kaliyev be the top scoring line in the NHL with guys like Turcotte, Madden, Kupari and Thomas controlling the flow of the game in the middle six lines.

That's how I "feel". But I don't feel strongly enough to override any other opinions on QB. It's just weighing question marks...QB has more but that doesn't mean all ??? weigh the same. Maybe Stutzle's lack of good shot is a bigger question mark (defense doesn't respect you if you can't shoot, making playmaking much tougher).

*****

Also, for the second item...lets face it, we thought we were going to pick 7th. We fell out of the top three due to a long winning streak that only got interrupted due to the play stoppage. It's a little slice of 2012...the majority of our season's record does not reflect our actual current team's strength due to the late addition of a key scorer (Carter to Vilardi). I believe we can be a playoff team right now; I know I'm in the minority in that one but you don't win seven games in a row by accident, imo.

 

[Sol]

I replied to RJ for my reasons/guesstimate on QB's risk factor. Quickly summarizing, normal risk of a prospect of this caliber plus a whole additional year (17 to 18) means to me, we're around 40 to 60% risk of busting. (To be really real, this is purely my feeling based on the facts stated above.) And I didn't see him dominate anywhere in key games I've seen so far, which makes me even more antsy.

If LA winds up taking QB, I really, really want him to go back to junior, dominate in the playoffs, then dominate in the Hlinka, WJC and anything else he can get to. I want the team that drafts Lafreniere to second-guess themselves. Otherwise, I'd rather just go with the elite-skating, elite-playmaking Stutzle. I could see Stutzle-Kaliyev be our mini-Hull and Oates and Stutzle-Vilardi-Kaliyev be the top scoring line in the NHL with guys like Turcotte, Madden, Kupari and Thomas controlling the flow of the game in the middle six lines.

That's how I "feel". But I don't feel strongly enough to override any other opinions on QB. It's just weighing question marks...QB has more but that doesn't mean all ??? weigh the same. Maybe Stutzle's lack of good shot is a bigger question mark (defense doesn't respect you if you can't shoot, making playmaking much tougher).

Stutzle feeding Kaliyev would be a creamer for many years. f***.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

Hello all. What a crazee 5 months. Had to sign up again....as did a microsoft update back in Feb and it bascially hijacked my desktop and lost all kinds of things. My Peter James Bond II was a casualty. Even the saved passwords page was gone. I signed up for that one years ago (after losing Peter James Bond in a simialr way) with an outlook email that I got rid of years ago...and it would only send resets to there. Anyway...so I also lost my mom in February and that was horrible. At least I could see from my brother's face time with her - the first Friday in Feb - that she looked near death, from the time I saw her 5 weeks prior at Christmas - when I cameout 5 days and she looked ok...so I got a flight to LA from Denver Sunday and she died at 11 pm Tuesday. So at least I was there. Not only the best mom ever...the best person I ever knew. What a hole in my life...now, 5 months later, my dad is in hospice and has days to weeks and flying out Friday. BUT, I am not here for condolences and well wishes. Everyone goes through life with life altering things. I am just grateful I had the best mom and still have a great dad....please - no need to respond to this post about this....a like would go a long way.

So...LA KINGS HOCKEY and Who to take at #2 is the topic. Man, I waited like you all for ping pong ball night. However, my younger son said, let's take the raft and kayak out on the Colorado River a few weeks before. So, since had not been out on whitewater with the raft in 3 yrs, said H YEAH. So when are we driving up into the mountains? On FRIDAY June 26 at 4 MST pm, of course. Have wi-fi up the mountains and then stop for a quick bite in Silverthorne, just North of Breckendidge...wifi avaialable. But 5:30 pm. (draft 6 pm MST) and got back on the road North, to Kremmling, where we base at. Lose wifi at 6 PM! I am going nutts!!! I text messaged my son, who was in another truck with his friends, about 30 minutes behind me. Surely he has wifi. He's a King fan that is by blood....but
not to the point he has NHL center ice and follows close...but enough to have a Kings decal on his Pilot here, in AVS country, so give him that! So I call him...no signal! So I text him , "hey, NHL lottery now happening...PLEASE if you get this, check NHL.com or Lakingsinsider (tsn.ca may confuse him) So, I get ONE text , "cool, I can check". Then, lose texting! I then tried calling with google voice to my younger brother in LA....also a King fan for life, but not hardcore. Today, he may be able to name 6 or 7 Kings,...so be it. Can't reach him. F !!!

So...an hour later, trying to find camp spot but near Kremmling, picked up wifi for about 3 miles spot! I went on tsn.ca and would not load, but got Sportsnet.ca to load and this is what it said - 'The Sens are drafting 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins the lottery" THAT'S ALL IT SAID!!!!!!!!!! F !!!!!!!! I am now left with a monkey puzzle...I frantically tried other sites, but this was my one shot I had and lost wifi. I had others with me and had to go on to get a camp spot...you cannot reserve the forrest camp spots. So...brain tease "ok, if a placeholder team won...the Kings had to move back one spot...so could be picking 5...OH, but this said Sens are picking 3 and 5...SO...this means, the Kings did not fall one back, (or move up one) but FALL BACK 2 or 3....and picking 6 or 7. OR???? They won the second draw and are picking second. YEAH, RIGHT. No effing way...so I started thinking who would be available at 6 or 7..."hey. maybe Drysdale falls to 6...if not, Kings could get Rossi or Perfetti...or maybe Raymond falls" so, 60 minutes later, my son arrives with his friends (they stopped in Kremmling and I was not real happy, as I was waiting to FIND them, as had no cell service!!) So, I am essentially hanging out roadside turnoff, to tell them NO spots available, we gotta find some overfill sopt off the road! So, I was kinda unhappy, hanging there, waiting and waiting and forgot about the Kings drafting 6 or 7.....and when I found them, we went looking for off road spot and found something...then set up tents, camp, get some firewood. Build a fire. OH, THE LOTTERY.

To my son "Hey, Aaron, did you find what happened in the lottery?" "YES, The Kings are pciking second!" NO EFFING WAY!!!! I screamed. There were about 4 other scattered off road camping groups and I did not care....I fricking screamed. Maybe some audible words, I don't know. One person out there screamed back. Ha. Fair enough.

So. Hardest pick in the draft. #2. Easiest pick in the draft? #1 and #3. I have 'lurked' a few weeks reading all the great posts. Then finally gave in and began PJB III era.
Hey, maybe III times a charm for future Cup 3? Great argumments. Great observations. Some days I am QB and some days I am TS. Wish could draft both...but for 2 hours
on lotto night.....I KNEW the Kings were picking 6 or 7 and was getting used to that. F THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still cannot believe SPortsnet actually posted a short blip 'The Sens pick 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins pick 1" and that was all they stated! Blows me away. And funny, that's all I could get.

 

[Rorschach]

Stutzle feeding Kaliyev would be a creamer for many years. f***.

Stutzle streaking down past the blue line with Fagemo...

Heck I get excited thinking about old man Kopitar scoring 35 goals with Stutzle on wing...a faster and more dynamic Justin Williams. The puck going down the left-side boards, brought in by Stutzle, he stops, passes to Kopitar going down the middle. Time begins to slow as the other team watches while we cut their heart out of their chest while they are still alive.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Hello all. What a crazee 5 months. Had to sign up again....as did a microsoft update back in Feb and it bascially hijacked my desktop and lost all kinds of things. My Peter James Bond II was a casualty. Even the saved passwords page was gone. I signed up for that one years ago (after losing Peter James Bond in a simialr way) with an outlook email that I got rid of years ago...and it would only send resets to there. Anyway...so I also lost my mom in February and that was horrible. At least I could see from my brother's face time with her - the first Friday in Feb - that she looked near death, from the time I saw her 5 weeks prior at Christmas - when I cameout 5 days and she looked ok...so I got a flight to LA from Denver Sunday and she died at 11 pm Tuesday. So at least I was there. Not only the best mom ever...the best person I ever knew. What a hole in my life...now, 5 months later, my dad is in hospice and has days to weeks and flying out Friday. BUT, I am not here for condolences and well wishes. Everyone goes through life with life altering things. I am just grateful I had the best mom and still have a great dad....please - no need to respond to this post about this....a like would go a long way.

So...LA KINGS HOCKEY and Who to take at #2 is the topic. Man, I waited like you all for ping pong ball night. However, my younger son said, let's take the raft and kayak out on the Colorado River a few weeks before. So, since had not been out on whitewater with the raft in 3 yrs, said H YEAH. So when are we driving up into the mountains? On FRIDAY at 4 MST pm, of course. Have wi-fi up the mountains and then stop for a quick bite in Silverthorne, just North of Breckendidge...wifi avaialable. But 5:30 pm. (draft 6 pm MST) and got back on the road North, to Kremmling, where we base at. Lose wifi at 6 PM! I am going nutts!!! I text messaged my son, who was in another truck with his friends, about 30 minutes behind me. Surely he has wifi. He's a King fan that is by blood....but
not to the point he has NHL center ice and follows close...but enough to have a Kings decal on his Pilot here, in AVS country, so give him that! So I call him...no signal! So I text him , "hey, NHL lottery now happening...PLEASE if you get this, check NHL.com or Lakingsinsider (tsn.ca may confuse him) So, I get ONE text , "cool, I can check". Then, lose texting! I then tried calling with google voice to my younger brother in LA....also a King fan for life, but not hardcore. Today, he may be able to name 6 or 7 Kings,...so be it. Can't reach him. F !!!

So...an hour later, trying to find camp spot but near Kremmling, picked up wifi for about 3 miles spot! I went on tsn.ca and would not load, but got Sportsnet.ca to load and this is what it said - 'The Sens are drafting 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins the lottery" THAT'S ALL IT SAID!!!!!!!!!! F !!!!!!!! I am now left with a monkey puzzle...I frantically tried other sites, but this was my one shot I had and lost wifi. I had others with me and had to go on to get a camp spot...you cannot reserve the forrest camp spots. So...brain tease "ok, if a placeholder team won...the Kings had to move back one spot...so could be picking 5...OH, but this said Sens are picking 3 and 5...SO...this means, the Kings did not fall one back, but 2 or 3....and picking 6 or 7. OR????? They won the second draw and are picking second. YEAH, RIGHT. No effing way...so I started thinking who would be available at 6 or 7..."hey. maybe Drysdale falls to 6...if not, Kings could get Rossi...or maybe Raymond falls" so, 60 minutes later, my son arrives with his friends (they stoipped in Kremmiling and I was not real happy, as I was waiting to FIND them, as had no cell service!!) So, I am essentially hanging out roadside turnoff, to tell them NO spots available, we gotta find some overfill sopt off the road! So, I was kinda unhappy, hanging there, waiting and waiting and forgot about the Kings drafting 6 or 7.....and when I found them, we went looking for off road spot and found something...then set up tents, camp, get some firewood. Build a fire. OH, THE LOTTERY.

To my son "Hey, Aaron, did you find what happened in the lottery?" "YES, The Kings are pciking second!" NO EFFING WAY!!!! I screamed. There were about 4 other scattered off road camping groups and I did not care....I fricking screamed. Maybe some audible words, I don't know. One person out there screamed back. Ha. Fair enough.

So. Hardest pick in the draft. #2. Easiest pick in the draft? #1 and #3. I have 'lurked' a few weeks reading all the posts and great posts. Then finally gave in and began PJB III era.
Hey, maybe III times a charm for future Cup 3? Great argumments. Great observations. Some days I am QB and some days I am TS. Wish could draft both...but for 2 hours
on lotto night.....I KNEW the Kings were picking 6 or 7 and was getting used to that. F THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still cannot believe SPortsnet actually posted a short blip 'The Sens pick 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins pick 1" and that was all they stated! Blows me away. And funny, that's all I could get.

Horrible dude.

Take Care.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Stutzle streaking down past the blue line with Fagemo...

Heck I get excited thinking about old man Kopitar scoring 35 goals with Stutzle on wing...a faster and more dynamic Justin Williams. The puck going down the left-side boards, brought in by Stutzle, he stops, passes to Kopitar going down the middle. Time begins to slow as the other team watches while we cut their heart out of their chest while they are still alive.

It's for sure a byproduct and maybe only for a few years, but I love to think of what these talent youngsters can do for the career productivity of those dudes. Doughty getting a boost from Bjornfot et all and the support of tenacious forwards, Kopitar with some puckmoving behind him and kids on the wing. How long have we looked for the perfect fit for Anze? Maybe no one is it since he's so 'team first,' but we can dream. If there is a guy, I'd imagine it's Stutzle. Plays like Iafallo on offensive steroids.

 

[Fishhead]

I think the extra year for QB is "nearly" a coin flip. Don't get me wrong, even Stutzle could still bust but if he could bust, say, 20% chance, then QB is one year behind AND the same 20% chance...so in my bogus math, let's say that's 40%...which is close to a coin flip to me...and we have to wait a year to find out.

I don't think I'd call either a bust unless they fail in the NHL. All things being equal, the odds for QB would be lower because of that extra year, not higher. Usually that extra year of maturity, conditioning, and experience makes it less likely. If he was say, 25 I would agree with you. But since they are young and in the development stage, the younger guy is further from his "ceiling" so to speak.

 

[Crownroyal21]

Long texts. Jesus

 

[KINGS17]

Hello all. What a crazee 5 months. Had to sign up again....as did a microsoft update back in Feb and it bascially hijacked my desktop and lost all kinds of things. My Peter James Bond II was a casualty. Even the saved passwords page was gone. I signed up for that one years ago (after losing Peter James Bond in a simialr way) with an outlook email that I got rid of years ago...and it would only send resets to there. Anyway...so I also lost my mom in February and that was horrible. At least I could see from my brother's face time with her - the first Friday in Feb - that she looked near death, from the time I saw her 5 weeks prior at Christmas - when I cameout 5 days and she looked ok...so I got a flight to LA from Denver Sunday and she died at 11 pm Tuesday. So at least I was there. Not only the best mom ever...the best person I ever knew. What a hole in my life...now, 5 months later, my dad is in hospice and has days to weeks and flying out Friday. BUT, I am not here for condolences and well wishes. Everyone goes through life with life altering things. I am just grateful I had the best mom and still have a great dad....please - no need to respond to this post about this....a like would go a long way.

So...LA KINGS HOCKEY and Who to take at #2 is the topic. Man, I waited like you all for ping pong ball night. However, my younger son said, let's take the raft and kayak out on the Colorado River a few weeks before. So, since had not been out on whitewater with the raft in 3 yrs, said H YEAH. So when are we driving up into the mountains? On FRIDAY June 26 at 4 MST pm, of course. Have wi-fi up the mountains and then stop for a quick bite in Silverthorne, just North of Breckendidge...wifi avaialable. But 5:30 pm. (draft 6 pm MST) and got back on the road North, to Kremmling, where we base at. Lose wifi at 6 PM! I am going nutts!!! I text messaged my son, who was in another truck with his friends, about 30 minutes behind me. Surely he has wifi. He's a King fan that is by blood....but
not to the point he has NHL center ice and follows close...but enough to have a Kings decal on his Pilot here, in AVS country, so give him that! So I call him...no signal! So I text him , "hey, NHL lottery now happening...PLEASE if you get this, check NHL.com or Lakingsinsider (tsn.ca may confuse him) So, I get ONE text , "cool, I can check". Then, lose texting! I then tried calling with google voice to my younger brother in LA....also a King fan for life, but not hardcore. Today, he may be able to name 6 or 7 Kings,...so be it. Can't reach him. F !!!

So...an hour later, trying to find camp spot but near Kremmling, picked up wifi for about 3 miles spot! I went on tsn.ca and would not load, but got Sportsnet.ca to load and this is what it said - 'The Sens are drafting 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins the lottery" THAT'S ALL IT SAID!!!!!!!!!! F !!!!!!!! I am now left with a monkey puzzle...I frantically tried other sites, but this was my one shot I had and lost wifi. I had others with me and had to go on to get a camp spot...you cannot reserve the forrest camp spots. So...brain tease "ok, if a placeholder team won...the Kings had to move back one spot...so could be picking 5...OH, but this said Sens are picking 3 and 5...SO...this means, the Kings did not fall one back, (or move up one) but FALL BACK 2 or 3....and picking 6 or 7. OR???? They won the second draw and are picking second. YEAH, RIGHT. No effing way...so I started thinking who would be available at 6 or 7..."hey. maybe Drysdale falls to 6...if not, Kings could get Rossi or Perfetti...or maybe Raymond falls" so, 60 minutes later, my son arrives with his friends (they stopped in Kremmling and I was not real happy, as I was waiting to FIND them, as had no cell service!!) So, I am essentially hanging out roadside turnoff, to tell them NO spots available, we gotta find some overfill sopt off the road! So, I was kinda unhappy, hanging there, waiting and waiting and forgot about the Kings drafting 6 or 7.....and when I found them, we went looking for off road spot and found something...then set up tents, camp, get some firewood. Build a fire. OH, THE LOTTERY.

To my son "Hey, Aaron, did you find what happened in the lottery?" "YES, The Kings are pciking second!" NO EFFING WAY!!!! I screamed. There were about 4 other scattered off road camping groups and I did not care....I fricking screamed. Maybe some audible words, I don't know. One person out there screamed back. Ha. Fair enough.

So. Hardest pick in the draft. #2. Easiest pick in the draft? #1 and #3. I have 'lurked' a few weeks reading all the great posts. Then finally gave in and began PJB III era.
Hey, maybe III times a charm for future Cup 3? Great argumments. Great observations. Some days I am QB and some days I am TS. Wish could draft both...but for 2 hours
on lotto night.....I KNEW the Kings were picking 6 or 7 and was getting used to that. F THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still cannot believe SPortsnet actually posted a short blip 'The Sens pick 3 and 5 and a placeholder team wins pick 1" and that was all they stated! Blows me away. And funny, that's all I could get.

Yes, we all go through stuff like what you are experiencing. Doesn't mean we can't give you our condolences and best wishes as I am sure well all do. Take care.

 

[KINGS17]

Stutzle streaking down past the blue line with Fagemo...

Heck I get excited thinking about old man Kopitar scoring 35 goals with Stutzle on wing...a faster and more dynamic Justin Williams. The puck going down the left-side boards, brought in by Stutzle, he stops, passes to Kopitar going down the middle. Time begins to slow as the other team watches while we cut their heart out of their chest while they are still alive.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I just bought a Byfield jersey - hope LA picks him or I wasted a lot of $$$!

 

[Fishhead]

I also have concerns about QB's compete. That's something that is easily taught to some players, and others just never seem to get it. I think the team will take a long look at that aspect of his game and it will weigh in their decision.

What concerns me about Stützle is he's primarily a playmaker with an average to above average shot. All things being equal, I'd really want the guy who is more of a scorer over the one that is more of a passer.

I don't think either will bust, there is too much talent in both of them. I trust the Kings will grab the one who they think slots in the best.

 

[psych3man]

I get confused about the "compete" concerns about Byfield. As a 17 year old on a talent challenged team he ended up with one of the best ppg of all time. I saw a stat (can't find it, damn) comparing his team's huge + goal differential when he was on the ice vs huge - differential when he wasn't. He played 20+ min per game in all situations, including PK.
We have all seen his great shot, creative passes, incredible agility, and the guy plays defense too. But the guy has "compete" issues!?! What more could this underaged kid do to "compete"? This kid is and will be an unreal talent.