Two Articles

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Pretty good reads.

One on LA specifically.

Can LA Kings still contend for the Stanley Cup? (Trending Topics)

The other on bad contracts per team (more of a list). Saying Brown contract is maybe the poster boy for bad contracts. I don't know about that, but that speaks to it being in the conversation at least. haha

The NHL's worst contracts by team for the 2017-18 season

 

[davnlaguna]

Funny thing about Brown
For the three years prior to his new deal, his contract was rated by many as the best deal in the league. Playing a wrecking ball takes a toll on the body. Also in 2013 Vancouver coaches complained about his diving. He stopped getting calls after that. Refs started to see everything as a dive or a penalty against him. I think he started thinking too much and it ruined his usefulness, as well as getting old. (I was going to say slow but he has never been anything but slow)

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Funny thing about Brown
For the three years prior to his new deal, his contract was rated by many as the best deal in the league. Playing a wrecking ball takes a toll on the body. Also in 2013 Vancouver coaches complained about his diving. He stopped getting calls after that. Refs started to see everything as a dive or a penalty against him. I think he started thinking too much and it ruined his usefulness, as well as getting old. (I was going to say slow but he has never been anything but slow)

Yeah I agree fully with that Power Forward style. You see it in every case that a guy just falls off pretty much the second he turns 30. But that position is so instrumental in Playoff success (At least most of the time). Brown was truly a force in that 2012 Playoff run, and he had identical scoring stats with Kopitar. I fully think that will happen with Lucic in a year or two (He's currently 29 years old). Edmonton had success this year, but I really do believe LA was smart in walking away from a long term Lucic deal (Short term, we sure seemed like we could have used him, but still...). So we'll see if Edmonton is desperate to get away from that deal in the next few years.

The diving was always sort of weak, but I haven't seen it too much the past few years. You might be right in that he doesn't get any calls anymore. It's not like he's wholly ineffective, it's just that it's a bad contract relative to what LA needs right now (Scoring - Which he just doesn't provide).

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Brown's play was trending upward from 2005-2009 and then he plateaued. The next 3 years were mediocre at best even though he was putitng up about his career average to that point (52-55 points) by scoring a lot of his goals against the Coyotes, Flames, BJs of the world. He went over a month without a goal prior to the trade deadline in 2012 when the rumor circulated that he was on the block and then went on a tear the rest of the season and through the SC playoffs to the Cup.

The way I see it, he has distinct stages of his career: 2003-2009 were upward, 2009-2012 stagnant and 2012 - current decline. Dude peaked in 2009 and based on the history of power forwards and how quickly they decline, Dumbo was out of his mind giving him that deal. My jaw dropped the day I saw it and if you guys recall I was immediately stating this is going to kill LA in 5 years. I was actually wrong, it started to kill them the moment it kicked in.

I don't blame the player for taking it, I blame the GM for offering it. It was very clear his game was starting to regress 3-4 years prior to this contract kicking in (he had 2 years left on the 6 year/$19.05 million deal when this monster extension was signed, but this isn't the first time Dumbo has issued contracts and extensions before current deals have ended with a few years left on them, i.e. Cloutier - which also burned him. Gee, whouda thunk?). You have to seriously wonder WTF was going through Dumbo's head when he gave him this deal.

The diving always bugged the hell out of me dating back to 2008 when I really started to see how much he was selling them to get calls. I don't respect any player who does that whether it's the NHL or one of my aged 40+ beer leagues (and I let them know it too when it happens). It's total bush league and disrespects the game, your opponent and more importantly yourself and your team.

Big reason why as accomplished Selanne is, I don't see him in the same light as other HOF players who did what they did without having to flop all over the place. Vancouver was spot on to call him on it - and who would know better than those diving jabronis at that time, right? - and the refs were spot on to not give him the calls anymore.I can only imagine how many nights refs reviewed tapes and saw they were made a fool of by Brown game after game.

His game changed prior to that however, he simply was not doing anything he was doing in the past that made him effective. The hits, the big plays, nothing. There was a great article a few years ago that showed as the years have gone by, his shooting distance has increased going away from the net, which means he has stopped going to the hard areas to score goals. He isn't overly skilled, so a wrist shot from him at 25 feet out is more likely to get stopped than the same shot and location as Jeff Carter for example.

The contract was just bad to begin with any way its painted. I wouldn't be surprised to see a buyout before now and 2022, it's too much money to pay a B6 forward.

 

[Vegas]

Brown's play was trending upward from 2005-2009 and then he plateaued. The next 3 years were mediocre at best even though he was putitng up about his career average to that point (52-55 points) by scoring a lot of his goals against the Coyotes, Flames, BJs of the world. He went over a month without a goal prior to the trade deadline in 2012 when the rumor circulated that he was on the block and then went on a tear the rest of the season and through the SC playoffs to the Cup.

The way I see it, he has distinct stages of his career: 2003-2009 were upward, 2009-2012 stagnant and 2012 - current decline. Dude peaked in 2009 and based on the history of power forwards and how quickly they decline, Dumbo was out of his mind giving him that deal. My jaw dropped the day I saw it and if you guys recall I was immediately stating this is going to kill LA in 5 years. I was actually wrong, it started to kill them the moment it kicked in.

I don't blame the player for taking it, I blame the GM for offering it. It was very clear his game was starting to regress 3-4 years prior to this contract kicking in (he had 2 years left on the 6 year/$19.05 million deal when this monster extension was signed, but this isn't the first time Dumbo has issued contracts and extensions before current deals have ended with a few years left on them, i.e. Cloutier - which also burned him. Gee, whouda thunk?). You have to seriously wonder WTF was going through Dumbo's head when he gave him this deal.

The diving always bugged the hell out of me dating back to 2008 when I really started to see how much he was selling them to get calls. I don't respect any player who does that whether it's the NHL or one of my aged 40+ beer leagues (and I let them know it too when it happens). It's total bush league and disrespects the game, your opponent and more importantly yourself and your team.

Big reason why as accomplished Selanne is, I don't see him in the same light as other HOF players who did what they did without having to flop all over the place. Vancouver was spot on to call him on it - and who would know better than those diving jabronis at that time, right? - and the refs were spot on to not give him the calls anymore.I can only imagine how many nights refs reviewed tapes and saw they were made a fool of by Brown game after game.

His game changed prior to that however, he simply was not doing anything he was doing in the past that made him effective. The hits, the big plays, nothing. There was a great article a few years ago that showed as the years have gone by, his shooting distance has increased going away from the net, which means he has stopped going to the hard areas to score goals. He isn't overly skilled, so a wrist shot from him at 25 feet out is more likely to get stopped than the same shot and location as Jeff Carter for example.

The contract was just bad to begin with any way its painted. I wouldn't be surprised to see a buyout before now and 2022, it's too much money to pay a B6 forward.

I don't agree that Brown doesn't hit anymore. He still gets that done every night.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I don't agree that Brown doesn't hit anymore. He still gets that done every night.

Have to disagree with you my friend - declining every year for 7 straight seasons.

In the lockout season (2012-13) his 146 hits would equal 278 during an 82 game season but the guy is simply not hitting much anymore and they are not having the impact they used to have either. He tied for 1st with Forbert this season for hits at 190. Big drop from last season's 230+ although the same ATOI*.

Dustin Brown Stats, News, Video, Bio, Highlights on TSN

*His ATOI has indeed dropped since 2010-11 but for the first 3 seasons from 2010 hovered around 20 minutes per game, in 2013-14 it dropped to a career low 15 minutes per game and has held steady around 16 minutes per game the last 3 seasons.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Adding a third article here:

Has the Kings’ off-season been foolish or brilliant? | The Hockey News

Interesting read and one I completely agree with. The Kings will either unleash offensively while still holding the defensive structure and win games or they will completely fuck the dog. Should be an interesting season to watch.

Doughty's quote fascinated me, he sent a message to not only the Kings but the NHL as to what he will be looking for when his contract is up in 2 years.

 

[Vegas]

Have to disagree with you my friend - declining every year for 7 straight seasons.

In the lockout season (2012-13) his 146 hits would equal 278 during an 82 game season but the guy is simply not hitting much anymore and they are not having the impact they used to have either. He tied for 1st with Forbert this season for hits at 190. Big drop from last season's 230+ although the same ATOI*.

Dustin Brown Stats, News, Video, Bio, Highlights on TSN

*His ATOI has indeed dropped since 2010-11 but for the first 3 seasons from 2010 hovered around 20 minutes per game, in 2013-14 it dropped to a career low 15 minutes per game and has held steady around 16 minutes per game the last 3 seasons.

190 is a big drop, but I guess I see him as doing the most hitting on the team game after game. It's been that way for a lot of years.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Adding a third article here:

Has the Kings’ off-season been foolish or brilliant? | The Hockey News

Interesting read and one I completely agree with. The Kings will either unleash offensively while still holding the defensive structure and win games or they will completely fuck the dog. Should be an interesting season to watch.

Doughty's quote fascinated me, he sent a message to not only the Kings but the NHL as to what he will be looking for when his contract is up in 2 years.

Solid read for sure. What other teams really try to finish their checks that Doughty would want to potentially go to?

I really am optimistic this year for some reason. I like the top 4 defense, and think it's probably the strongest it has been since Voynov left. I have a feeling Quick is going to drive this team, and his presence will be felt (Just the level of competition that Quick and Doughty are capable of, is what puts them over the top). Coaching changes for sure (Doughty saying that they didn't feel comfortable giving suggestions to Sutter is enough said. Doughty is on pace for a Hall of Fame career, and if he isn't comfortable giving his $.02 to his coach, that seems problematic to say the least).

Also, maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see that many dominant teams in the West or across the league in general. A few, but not many.

 

[Fox4Kings]

I remember Sutter and Doughty butting heads quite a bit when Sutter got here, Doughty seemed frustrated a lot and I feel he found a way to just bite his tongue and deal with it, perhaps that squashed some of his creativity. Looking for a breakout year from Doughty, get some of his offensive flair back.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Was watching some NHL.com videos and saw this one. No idea who this guy is, but he is so down on the Kings you would think they're the Avalanche.

NHL Tonight: LAK Playoff Chances

 

[Psych3man]

No idea who this guy is, but he is so down on the Kings you would think they're the Avalanche.

I would love to see the Kings shove it up this guy's ass this season.

 

[Vegas]

I would love to see the Kings shove it up this guy's ass this season.

 

[LoCal Kings]

I am not sold that the Kings are good enough to make the playoffs. But I figure they'll at least be in the mix heading towards the end of the season. But as Stunner mentioned, this guy makes them sound like last place.

Couple thoughts on other Western Teams mentioned:

EDM: Gonna be great next year. But once McDavid (and re-signing Nurse) contracts kick-in (2018-19), will they be able to afford more than 6 NHL forwards on the roster?

CAL: Real good blueline. Gonna test the theory of how much the Defense can make up for average or below average Goaltending.

Blues, Sharks, & Wild: Did they really get any better?

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Was watching some NHL.com videos and saw this one. No idea who this guy is, but he is so down on the Kings you would think they're the Avalanche.

NHL Tonight: LAK Playoff Chances

Link still there? Doesn't open up for me, also didn't see it at NHL.com.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I am not sold that the Kings are good enough to make the playoffs. But I figure they'll at least be in the mix heading towards the end of the season. But as Stunner mentioned, this guy makes them sound like last place.

I too think the Kings will be in the mix but do not believe they are a lock for the POs barring some massive play from the big guns, kids like Kempe, Brodzinski, LaDue, etc. stepping up and solid health. In a nutshell, a lot of stuff has to go a lot of right to assure them a spot but I think they will be in the 6-8 slots but can also see them missing.

Couple thoughts on other Western Teams mentioned:

EDM: Gonna be great next year. But once McDavid (and re-signing Nurse) contracts kick-in (2018-19), will they be able to afford more than 6 NHL forwards on the roster?

It's already been brought up:

Leon Draisaitl extension: Oilers facing cap crunch, other questions

They will either go on a tear like the 80s Oilers for a few years or get in, not win and start having to pare people off pretty quickly.

With the moves Chiarelli has made, he is in win now mode. If they don't they be in cap hell in less than 3 years and we have seen what that does to a team (Brown/Gaborik).

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Spotted this just now:

Kings executives tell season-ticket holders there are ways to improve scoring

Blake was asked about possibly bringing back former defenseman Slava Voynov. Voynov is under contract in his native Russia, where he returned instead of facing a possible deportation by immigration authorities. Voynov spent two months in a Seal Beach jail in 2015 after entering a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and was suspended by the NHL.

“He has some hurdles he has to get over immigration-wise and legal-wise,” Blake said. “I think it’s a little premature to have him on our depth chart.”

Don't get your hopes up. Not condoning what he did, but IMO the Kings have to really tread lightly with him because of the DV issue and how it was handled, not to mention Ray Rice and how the NFL handled that fiasco.

Strictly from asset management POV, it really sucks to have a T2 defender and not be able to use him.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Interesting reads from that State of the Team meeting Thursday. That Voynov comment was very interesting, and Blake said the NHL honors KHL contracts, to which Voynov still has one year. But that's the most I've seen on them actually considering even the possibility he comes back.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Also thought this was interesting:

"There were interesting analytics used; the Kings ranked last in the league in goals off of pucks being skated to the slot, last in goals off pucks passed to the slot, and second in the league in goals off outside shots that rebounded into the slot, a reflection of the bomb-away-from-distance shot-volume adherence that will be tweaked as the team looks generate a higher proportion of chances from high-danger areas. What other team’s coach uses video and PowerPoint at a fan event to thoroughly break down systems details and analytic focuses?"

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

State of the Franchise multimedia, bullet points - LA Kings Insider

That quote above is from this link.