Game Thread: Los Angeles Kings @ Colorado Avalanche, 1/4 6:00 PM, NBCSN

[pete6835]

I was actually thinking Muffin had been playing decent of late, I am glad I didn't say anything like that.

Muzzin was playing good as of late. It seemed like Colorado was toying and taunting with him, and he looked lost.

Sutter obviously didn't see it or care, more like a subborn/play thru it.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I was actually thinking Muffin had been playing decent of late, I am glad I didn't say anything like that. I would rather see Pearson moved then King, Pearson hasn't played well since his return and really doesn't fit with the rest of the lineup IMO. King is at least a big body and has improved much since he came up, I did not like him much when he would stand around looking like Pencakes, but that time seems to have passed. Erhoff, what a disappointment, but well worth the limited risk...You can tell even Sutter is not happy with the backend play so you know if a move comes it will try to address that.

Muzzin has really limited his boneheaded plays for some time now, but I still think he is being used out of his position whenever he is paired as a T1 with Doughty. The guy is still very risky and makes poor decisions although I have to say this year he has not been as bad as years past but he looked like absolute ass last night.

The guy simply is not a top end defender but the talent drop off is significant after Doughty so what can you do. Voynov was a blend between a T2 and T1, but those guys don't grow on trees and has not been adequately replaced. It's a hole that has been band-aided to buy time.

The more I see Pearson the more he reminds me of Derek Armstrong. Good team guy, plays hard, plays the boards and will do whatever the staff asks him to do up and down the lineup but he doesn't excel in any one role or any one line, he's a jack of all trades master of none. After his torrid start last year he really has really cooled off, he was not scoring even prior to the broken leg.

He's picked up the pace offensively the last little while here but his points have been somewhat meaningless, empty net goals, secondary assists, etc. For a 30th overall pick he should be improving at a ramped up rate but I haven't see that, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him and brings back something the Kings need.

King is a big body and does his job well, but he is that hybrid second/third liner as well. He does look a bit better this season, he is taking shots and chances more from everywhere but he is just so maddening. He teases with some power forward play, some nice hands, maybe a nice shot but he doesn't do it consistently and you just know it's there because we have seen it.

He has been in the league long enough to know what he needs to do to put himself at the next level. He doesn't have wheels but I could see him being a T6 winger if he applied himself. He is cheap, which is good, but Pearson has more upside which is why I could see him being shipped.

Ehrhoff, I'm not overly upset about based on the expectations. He is coming off a serious concussion, and his play was bad in Buffalo prior to him being bought out and only carried over to Pittsburgh before the concussion. We knew we were getting damaged goods and if he just so happened to find his old 40-50 point self it would be a coup. Unfortunately it has not worked out for him or LA, so he will do his best to help LA and move on in July (if not sooner if he is part of any deal as a throw in). It was a very low risk/high reward move both financially at $1.5 million and if he had somehow found his former game but I think the guy is just done.

Long story short...the Kings need a solid defender and I wouldn't be surprised if it'll cost a roster player as a start, not to mention other assets like a solid prospect or two mid-level prospects not to mention more creativity in possible cap retention. Not a fun spot for Dumbo to be in.

 

[smackdown380]

Muzzin has really limited his boneheaded plays for some time now, but I still think he is being used out of his position whenever he is paired as a T1 with Doughty. The guy is still very risky and makes poor decisions although I have to say this year he has not been as bad as years past but he looked like absolute ass last night.

The guy simply is not a top end defender but the talent drop off is significant after Doughty so what can you do. Voynov was a blend between a T2 and T1, but those guys don't grow on trees and has not been adequately replaced. It's a hole that has been band-aided to buy time.

The more I see Pearson the more he reminds me of Derek Armstrong. Good team guy, plays hard, plays the boards and will do whatever the staff asks him to do up and down the lineup but he doesn't excel in any one role or any one line, he's a jack of all trades master of none. After his torrid start last year he really has really cooled off, he was not scoring even prior to the broken leg.

He's picked up the pace offensively the last little while here but his points have been somewhat meaningless, empty net goals, secondary assists, etc. For a 30th overall pick he should be improving at a ramped up rate but I haven't see that, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him and brings back something the Kings need.

King is a big body and does his job well, but he is that hybrid second/third liner as well. He does look a bit better this season, he is taking shots and chances more from everywhere but he is just so maddening. He teases with some power forward play, some nice hands, maybe a nice shot but he doesn't do it consistently and you just know it's there because we have seen it.

He has been in the league long enough to know what he needs to do to put himself at the next level. He doesn't have wheels but I could see him being a T6 winger if he applied himself. He is cheap, which is good, but Pearson has more upside which is why I could see him being shipped.

Ehrhoff, I'm not overly upset about based on the expectations. He is coming off a serious concussion, and his play was bad in Buffalo prior to him being bought out and only carried over to Pittsburgh before the concussion. We knew we were getting damaged goods and if he just so happened to find his old 40-50 point self it would be a coup. Unfortunately it has not worked out for him or LA, so he will do his best to help LA and move on in July (if not sooner if he is part of any deal as a throw in). It was a very low risk/high reward move both financially at $1.5 million and if he had somehow found his former game but I think the guy is just done.

Long story short...the Kings need a solid defender and I wouldn't be surprised if it'll cost a roster player as a start, not to mention other assets like a solid prospect or two mid-level prospects not to mention more creativity in possible cap retention. Not a fun spot for Dumbo to be in.

Do you think we are going to get another top line defender to pair with Doughty (are there any available off hand you know of) or is it going to be another solid 2nd defensive pari. If we are going to move a player + asset I would hope they bring back a defender who can play with Drew and not another band aid.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Do you think we are going to get another top line defender to pair with Doughty (are there any available off hand you know of) or is it going to be another solid 2nd defensive pari. If we are going to move a player + asset I would hope they bring back a defender who can play with Drew and not another band aid.

That's the rub, guys like that are expensive in terms of contract as well as losing assets in a trade.

That's why drafting your own guys is so important, look at Voynov - he developed into that T2 defender in LA and he also was affordable at 6 years/$24 million or whatever. You aren't going to get a T2 defender for roughly $4 million per season, more like in the $5-6 million range. Putting his DV situation aside, the Kings lost a very good player locked in cheap creating the hole they have now.

After the depth move of Schenn, he shores up that bottom pairing but he's just that, a depth defender. The Kings are winning by committee on defense, which is nice, but like I mentioned in another post a few months ago I'm just waiting for something to go wrong because it's going a little TOO perfect, if you know what I mean. On paper the defense should not be as good as they are (not complaining though).

Ideally, a Cup contender will have 4 strong centers, 2 top end defenders and 1 goaltender capable of stealing a game now and then who also makes the routine saves. Look back on both Cup teams for LA and that's the formula the Kings used to win and now need to get back to.

Lecavalier now fits into that 3C slot and the Kings have all the rest except that second defender.

 

[smackdown380]

Didn't Chicago win it with paper thin D last year, if I rem correctly they relied hard on Keith because everyone was injured. But yeah, I was a bit surprised that they went after Schenn for the bottom half. It's going to have to be Doughty that really holds that D together.

 

[Psych3man]

Chicago used their top 4 defensemen throughout most of the playoffs, with bottom 2 getting very few minutes.
I wondered at the time if that would start an NHL-wide trend in the '16 playoffs.
Schenn was picked up to add Green-like toughness to clear the front of net, esp on PK, much needed in my opinion.
And wow, what a skill upgrade with Vinny! Though that may be like saying he's taller than a midget....we'll see but he couldn't be worse than what we had.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Didn't Chicago win it with paper thin D last year, if I rem correctly they relied hard on Keith because everyone was injured. But yeah, I was a bit surprised that they went after Schenn for the bottom half. It's going to have to be Doughty that really holds that D together.

Psych nailed it, they used their top four defenders a ton and gave the bottom pair sheltered minutes. Schenn was brought in to shore up that bottom pairing with Greene gone for the season but he isn't a savior of any sorts. The hole still exists and the Kings are one injury away to being in big trouble. No question Dumbo is looking for T2 help.

I remember Rundblad getting torched because they had no other options, the top four played big minutes almost on a nightly basis.