Happy New Years Fockers

[PuckinUgly57]

Hope everyone had a good NY, happy that hockey coming back in a few weeks. Not much to post about in recent months but we should see an uptick in that coming up.

Gotta scour the roster and see who will be my bitchboy for 2021.

=)~~

 

[davnlaguna]

Gonna cheer them on even though not expecting them to make the post season. Good thing is a hot streak, in a short season, can change everything.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Gonna cheer them on even though not expecting them to make the post season. Good thing is a hot streak, in a short season, can change everything.

That's a given but I'm a little torn between seeing them make the POs and drafting top 10 again because they do not have all the pieces yet. No point in getting into the POs and get blown out in the WCQFs in 5 games and drafting 20th or something vs letting the kids develop and take their bumps, finishing with a shitty record and drafting much better. I think any type of competitive hockey window opening to another Cup for LA is at least 1-2 years away.

Good correlation is my Giants, they finished the season 6-10 and for about 7 hours on Sunday were the NFC East division leaders and the #4 seed in the POs. In that scenario, they were going to draft 19th, but they only would have made it in because the division itself sucks (Washington would win the division in the Sunday night game and took the #4 seed at 7-9) and would have gotten their asses kicked all over the place next weekend no mater who they played because they would have been the worst team in the playoffs. Because they beat Dallas earlier in the day but lost the division they are slotted to pick 11th, and if they had lost to Dallas they would have been picking 6th. Huge range there as you can see, 6th-19th.

It's similar with LA in that sense, why get in if they will get killed and lose out on a decent draft pick when they clearly are not ready to contend? Go out, play the best you can, get the kids some experience, move any veterans you can for draft picks at the deadline (only GIII UFA currently available will be Iafallo. Don't see Brown, Carter or Quick moved yet again. Rest are RFAs but maybe Euthanasia can be flipped if he shits the bed since he's the only one really worth anything. Roy is also an RFA but the Kings love him, he will not be traded and I expect a 4 year deal minimum covering some UFA years since he will be 26 in March) and get another high pick but I don't think it'll be top 5.

I think it is time for LA to start looking 2 years down the road and seeing what they need (a #1 defenseman should be the highest priority at this point whether that is drafting and developing or moving their excess talent and acquiring. The defense pool needs to be shored up) to contend. Blake has mirrored the Dumbo model, load up on prospects and play the Law of Averages but he's focused on forwards and not defense.

It's time to start moving those assets and filling other gaps.

 

[davnlaguna]

I think Blake is looking that the Kings defense has been solid for a while and the offense has struggled for a while. Problem is the defense is getting old. Drew can be the defense forever and that is all they have.
the cap staying flat could help the Kings. They will be one of the few teams with space to make deals.

 

[LAKINGSFAN]

I think Blake is looking that the Kings defense has been solid for a while and the offense has struggled for a while. Problem is the defense is getting old. Drew can be the defense forever and that is all they have.
the cap staying flat could help the Kings. They will be one of the few teams with space to make deals.

To your point, Kovalchuck comes off next year @ $6+mil and Phaneuf hit drops from $4mil to $1mil. That frees up about $10mil.

 

[LAKINGSFAN]

That's a given but I'm a little torn between seeing them make the POs and drafting top 10 again because they do not have all the pieces yet. No point in getting into the POs and get blown out in the WCQFs in 5 games and drafting 20th or something vs letting the kids develop and take their bumps, finishing with a shitty record and drafting much better. I think any type of competitive hockey window opening to another Cup for LA is at least 1-2 years away.

Good correlation is my Giants, they finished the season 6-10 and for about 7 hours on Sunday were the NFC East division leaders and the #4 seed in the POs. In that scenario, they were going to draft 19th, but they only would have made it in because the division itself sucks (Washington would win the division in the Sunday night game and took the #4 seed at 7-9) and would have gotten their asses kicked all over the place next weekend no mater who they played because they would have been the worst team in the playoffs. Because they beat Dallas earlier in the day but lost the division they are slotted to pick 11th, and if they had lost to Dallas they would have been picking 6th. Huge range there as you can see, 6th-19th.

It's similar with LA in that sense, why get in if they will get killed and lose out on a decent draft pick when they clearly are not ready to contend? Go out, play the best you can, get the kids some experience, move any veterans you can for draft picks at the deadline (only GIII UFA currently available will be Iafallo. Don't see Brown, Carter or Quick moved yet again. Rest are RFAs but maybe Euthanasia can be flipped if he shits the bed since he's the only one really worth anything. Roy is also an RFA but the Kings love him, he will not be traded and I expect a 4 year deal minimum covering some UFA years since he will be 26 in March) and get another high pick but I don't think it'll be top 5.

I think it is time for LA to start looking 2 years down the road and seeing what they need (a #1 defenseman should be the highest priority at this point whether that is drafting and developing or moving their excess talent and acquiring. The defense pool needs to be shored up) to contend. Blake has mirrored the Dumbo model, load up on prospects and play the Law of Averages but he's focused on forwards and not defense.

It's time to start moving those assets and filling other gaps.

My wife is a Cowboy fan (which makes me one as well) and I think they whole NFC East should be ashamed of themselves and none of them should make it into the PO's.

 

[Kings4OT]

All the cap coming off next year is key for the new core coming up. The farm has a lot of "potential" but lacking a bit in defense as puck eluded to. Hopefully they are smart with that extra cap and dont fuck the new core with shitty contracts before they get a chance to win

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I think Blake is looking that the Kings defense has been solid for a while and the offense has struggled for a while. Problem is the defense is getting old. Drew can be the defense forever and that is all they have.
the cap staying flat could help the Kings. They will be one of the few teams with space to make deals.

Kings defense fell off the rails 2 seasons ago with 2017-18 a big blip, when they raked 1st, Kopitar was a Hart finalist and Quick won the Jennings shared with Keumper and Campbell but I think mixing the draft up since Blake took over in 2017 would have been a better choice.

Obviously depending on where you are drafting you take the BPA, which likely was mostly forwards, but that's why you have scouts to put a bug in your ear and say "maybe we should pass on the obvious choice and this is why" and take a defender. Blake didn't do that and went with the safe picks; his body of work has been extremely conservative so far overall so while people want to give him super props for assembling a deep pool, he hasn't exactly done anything of importance yet that has panned out.

Kings defense the last 5 seasons:
2015-16: 3rd
2016-17: 6th
2017-18: 1st
2018-19: 22nd
2019-20: 19th

You can see the huge drop off after that 2017-18 season but a lot of things went right for LA defensively that season and guys like Kopitar and Quick had stellar years. In a normal year I think the Kings would have dropped a bit further from 2016-17's 6th so it's been a steady decline for years, even before Blake (which makes sense if you look at the tail end of Dumbo's tenure and the moves he made moving guys like Miller, McKeown and the major "WTF was that all about?" Cernak trade which has absolutely bit LA in the ass; dude just won a Cup as a T4 defender). IMO Blake knew he had to restock the defense - don't forget he was being groomed under Dumbo for several years before he became GM so he knew the pipeline well- but chose to attack the offense first.

OK but now you see the problem? There is a glutton of forwards and they are paper thin on defense prospects. If the Kings had a few potential superstars in the forward ranks I'd feel better about it, but they don't - all they have are higher end prospects who *could* turn out to be T6 players and no one really has shown otherwise.* Byfield is easily their best prospect and while they have picked well, they do not have a single game breaker in the system.

The prospect pool is not balanced and had I been Blake, I would have tried to draft as equally as possible to stock F/D because the risk is when one group will be ready (F) there will be shit on the back end whether that be the current NHL roster being old and/or devoid or the D prospects not being ready. I think Blake really screwed up here with that approach; Dumbo was a heavy hitter and wasn't afraid to make moves or draft questionably (Hickey for example) but that was the key; he wasn't afraid, he gambled and he took almost as many F as he did with D when you look back at his draft history. That is why it all came together in 2012, both groups were ready, in the same age range, there were solid vets in place and the whole lineup was stacked in every position because of how he drafted. Luck played a role too but as they say, you have to be good to be lucky. And Dumbo was good overall.

I haven't looked at the 2021 draft class yet, but of there is a defense heavy presence that would really benefit LA. If not, I think LA should really focus their resources and scouting on defenders and draft D heavy this summer.

*I'm not sure why Kingsters are stroking it over Vilardi after only 10 NHL games (you guys should read The Athletic) but they have him penciled in at the 2C already for years to come. Slow down cobra, the dude is not even close to being esablished and is one big hipcheck away from a bad back yet again.

I'd like to see him over the course of a full season (meaning 82+ games, even this season he won't be exposed to what being a true NHLer is all about being a condensed schedule) minimum before making any type of concrete expectation of him. We have seen way too many players over the years come in and have a solid 10-25 games and then shit the bed and then be out of the organization within a few years.

To your point, Kovalchuck comes off next year @ $6+mil and Phaneuf hit drops from $4mil to $1mil. That frees up about $10mil.

And Kovalchuk is off to Europe yet again. I understand why Blake made the signing, and I supported it at the time, but I also feel there should be some provisions with cap hits for players who are bought out or retire or whatever not due to injury. The Kings are taking a pretty big cap hit for a player who isn't even in the league anymore but playing overseas by his own choice which doesn't seem fair. In a year like now it doesn't matter, but what if it did and the Kings needed a player who may be available but they don't have the cap room?

I can see the pros and cons of it, and how some teams could have backdoor deals in place but I also feel there are enough safeguards in place to deter teams from structuring contracts to where this is a possible scenario (hence the 7 year limits now unlike the initial 15 year one Kovalchuk got from NJ). If the player is retired or playing in NA, cap hit counts. If not, the cap hit should be exempt.

Yet somehow the Hawks dodge another bullet with a "mysterious ailment" player, with Toews being out for the season and his $10.5 million cap hit. Keep in mind Hossa had his "skin condition" that he retired from and his cap hit of $5.275 million was exempt the last 3-4 years.

Seems awful curious to me on both counts.

My wife is a Cowboy fan (which makes me one as well) and I think they whole NFC East should be ashamed of themselves and none of them should make it into the PO's.

And your wife is right, that is easily the worst division in the NFL and has been for years.

It was a running joke all season long - WTF went 7-9, G-Men and Dallas 6-10 and the Eagles 4-11-1. So a combined 23 wins out of a possible 64, that is not even sniffing .500. between all 4 teams combined. I remember a time when the NFC East was brutal and if you wanted a Super Bowl, you had to come through NY a lot of the time. I'm obviously still a fan, but good lord has it been a painful 8 years since they last won the Lombardi.

And the Eagles, with that obvious tank job Sunday night, they should be fined and penalized with draft pick losses. There is a reason pretty much every fan of every sport hates anything out of Philadelphia except their sammiches. Gutless.

All the cap coming off next year is key for the new core coming up. The farm has a lot of "potential" but lacking a bit in defense as puck eluded to. Hopefully they are smart with that extra cap and dont fuck the new core with shitty contracts before they get a chance to win

So far Blake has been pretty solid in the contract department, I haven't seen anything out of whack sans the Kovalchuk contract, but that is what it took to get him and it turned out to be an extra $6 million basically. I am curious though how he handles the big paydays, and there will be some coming up.

I hope he is fair, but I also hope he doesn't hand out retirement contracts like Dumbo did. Blake has always been pro player though going back to himself and his NHLPA days - he's always been all about the money - so it should be interesting to see his stance now that he is on the opposite of that desk.