Game Thread: VS Flames

[pete6835]

We can go on and on about what the Kings need to do, or what went wrong.
The last 5-6 years have been amazing, and we've made a lot of enemies. Teams remember the Kings embarrassing them in the playoffs. How many teams learned the Kings boring style and probably built their teams to match the Kings. Teams just got better.

Like some of us said, Sutter isn't really good with youngsters, but that's what we got. Looking forward to see what Brodzinski looks like. I just hate to have Kopitar or Quick with trying to rebuild.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I think you very very rarely if ever "call off the dogs". When someone takes a run or dirty hit to one of your top players you deal with it right then, maybe when its game 7 and everything on the line you don't risk it.....but as we saw the Kings came out gave up 2 quick goals and never recovered. Maybe I'm too old, but you just never let a team get away with that...it demoralizes your team, Kings didn't even "take it to them" with big hits or anything....just bent over took it and let the speed, skill and cockiness bury them. I mentioned quite a long time ago the window was about gone and it basically is. It is difficult to build a winner and even more difficult to keep it. I know everyone wants to be loyal, but you just cant be to everyone and keep winning unless they take a huge pay cut for each other.....which none of them really have so where is their loyalty? A GM needs to identify the key pieces and continue to build around those....Kings are not good at this nor can they adapt to another style of play. Hopefully a miracle happens and we lose a contract, but realistically this is the team we will see next season as well

I completely agree with you, if you look at the thread I said have those guys hammer Gaudreau. But there is also a time and a place, and that game was not the game to do it. I can live with not going after their star players based on how important that game was, and the Kings are not a fighting team anyway so I wasn't expecting shenanigans.

What I was expecting however was exactly what you said, a response. There was nothing. OK, maybe a physical one won't fit the bill based on the magnitude of the game, so in that case go out and lay some good hard hits, play some hockey and score some goals. They did none of that and promptly gave up 2 quick ones and essentially the game, as you mentioned.

I think Dumbo has done a good job of identifying the core members of the franchise the last 10 years; where he has failed is being too loyal and giving them too much money that became a direct factor in not being able to field a better team this season.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Should be all good. Just a disappointing little 3 year run this team is on. I don't take the past few years for granted at all, and in many ways the team is fortunate to have won it twice. You just start to see how many levels you have to have in order to win the whole thing, and it was all a good run. It was even better because it was progressive and homegrown in a lot of ways. Struggle, rebuild through the draft, taste the Playoffs, change expectations, setback (Kopitar breaks his leg), then win it all and go on a crazy 3 year run, winning 10 of 11 Playoff series'.

Overall, I get it, and like I said, this is year 1 of 8 (I think 8) for Kopitar, so it's early. A lot of what will be judged will be how this next crop of guys is groomed, and if this team can retool on the fly and enter a new window in a few years. I just wanted more in his first year (Some sort of emotion would be nice as well). DL said the only time he ever saw Kopitar mad was 2015 when the Kings were defending champs and they lost late in the year to Calgary to be eliminated. It just drives me crazy because he can be so dominant. Again, watching the cup runs and you see monster goals from Kopitar that leave you in awe. In 2012, Game 2 against Vancouver late in the first, Kopitar did it all, and Brown ended up scoring it. Game 2 against the Blues with the nicest goal of maybe his career on Eliot. Game 1 Stanley Cup Finals in OT against Brodeur. Jump to 2014, Game 7 against the Sharks in the 2nd period. He took that feed from Williams and used such patience to burn Niemi. Just hoping to tap into that guy again.

Down for Toffoli at $4mil/year if that's correct. Higher than that, you really have to question. Pearson I do like more, just because of his speed and size, but I would use the same guarded approach with regards to how much he'll cost.

I had higher hopes for Gaborik and hoping he makes a rebound next year. But he and Brown together are monster issues, and one will probably have to go (No idea how that will happen).

Muzzin and Brown trade for a top forward seems reasonable for a developing team that wants to take that next step. That might solve all of our issues in one fell swoop.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I definitely do not take for granted what the last 5 years has meant to me and LA Kings fans, we endured some pretty nasty times. The Kings were a joke prior to 2011, and rightfully so – it was like a damn carnival in the front office. To see this franchise win not one but two Cups is amazing and I’m with you, seeing them gut the franchise, build from almost scratch and then win two Cups with that team is something to really admire. The journey was almost as enjoyable as the end result.

I watched the Anaheim special over the weekend, it is the 10 year anniversary of their Cup win. Here they are prancing around celebrating a win a decade ago but we as Kings fans got to experience it twice in a 24 month span not that long ago. The Ducks have not sniffed it since and I am hoping the Kings are not going to go back down that road. It sucked for many of us, some of us long term (Ox for example, me for 26 years). After experiencing what kind of a powerhouse LA became anything less than being a legitimate threat most years would be a step back but that is where I am seeing this team headed currently.

Kopitar in those years was nothing short of a beast, I think he led the league in scoring too in 2012. Last year he was outplayed by Pavelski for certain, and then this year he has not played up to par so I see your concern. Hopefully this is a blip, otherwise there is another huge contract LA will have to deal with. The good news is Kopitar is only 29 so he has a lot of good hockey left in him – at least he didn’t get this contract at age 32 (like Gaborik did for example).

I think we will see him rebound next season, he expects more out of himself and goes out and proves it almost every year. Just so happens his most craptastic year was year 1 of the 8 year deal.

Down for Toffoli at $4mil/year if that's correct. Higher than that, you really have to question. Pearson I do like more, just because of his speed and size, but I would use the same guarded approach with regards to how much he'll cost.

I had higher hopes for Gaborik and hoping he makes a rebound next year. But he and Brown together are monster issues, and one will probably have to go (No idea how that will happen).

Muzzin and Brown trade for a top forward seems reasonable for a developing team that wants to take that next step. That might solve all of our issues in one fell swoop.

Quickly:

Toffoli – I am not comfortable with more than $4.5 million tops. He has not earned more IMO. I don’t think he will take that amount however so I am expecting a long negotiation this summer, possibly arbitration. Kings are in a better position to get that out of Pearson because he hasn't hit 30 goals in his career yet.

Gaborik – really needs to work on his play and skills this summer. Too injury prone. Has bounced back well after injuries in LA except this time after the broken foot. I am hoping that is a blip too and not the beginning of him being washed up.

Brown – big improvement over last season. Still an albatross contract, his best play in 5 years is worth $1.5 million tops. Unfortunately contracts cannot be restructured in the NHL so he needs to go. He is not going to get any better, only worse. Worst contract dished out by Dumbo ever in his NHL career as an executive no matter where he has been.

Brown/Muzzin – would love that idea, but that’s a combined $9.875 million in salary headed out. Very few teams would be willing to take that amount on, there will be salary retention because of the dollars and term of Brown vs usefulness left and there will be significant salary coming back. This would be a blockbuster deal no matter where it happened because of finances alone.

At this point I am offering Vegas Muzzin and the 2017 1st to take one of Brown or Gaborik in the ED and lose the contract altogether.