Game Thread: WCQF G5 Kings @ Oilers 5/1/24

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Kings in a tough spot with moves honestly. Kopitar reduction by $3mil. Arvidsson probably gone at $4mil. Roy? Not sure. Byfield getting a significant bump. Lizzote? I want to like Grundstrom. He bodied Nurse a few years ago and seems more built for playoffs. But he hasn't really shown enough. I'd like to give him another year and give him a little more time.

Goaltending and defense are my honest picks for needing more work than forward group. If we could move a guy for a stud defenseman, I'm listening for that.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Arvidsson is gone, he will be looking for a payday being his last shot essentially especially with his injury history and the Kings cannot afford that. He could get a PBC because he spent 100+ days on LTIR but I doubt he'd take a deal like that. With his injury history he wants guaranteed cash.

Lizotte, replace. Love his heart but he isn't a 4C let alone a 3C and way too small. At least this year some sequoia of a 4C (Bjugstad) didn't abuse the hell out of him. It's time for him to go and get a bigger replacement whether that be from within or outside. Same with Lewis, see ya. Keep Thomas up in LA.

Byfield, I can't see a huge bump. He really faded the last quarter of the season and had some nice moments in this series but he didn't take that step fully that was anticipated. I'd bridge him. He won't be making $3+ million a season unless Bowlby is still here come June because he loves to overpay everyone.

Grundstrom, I'd keep but not much more than what he makes. Nothing overly special about the guy, replacements are available in FA. Long overdue to revamp the fourth line.

Roy is gone if he wants more than $4 5 million, he will get at least $5.5 million on the open market. I've seen some comments saying he should have been traded for a 1st (and he likely would have commanded that) at the TDL but I'm glad LA kept him. He's a solid SAH defender and I'd like to see him back if the price is right. Clarke is not ready for T4 minutes.

Talbot needs to go, keep Rittich and find a legitimate starter. Copley is gone too. Talbot wasn't the main reason this series is over but he certainly didn't help things. Rittich outplayed him in his 2 games.

All in all way too many no shows and passengers this series. Moore, Dunno, Arvidsson, Kopitar, PLD, Byfield, Fiala, Doughty, just way too many key players didn't produce. They make too much money to have delivered performances like this. In fact I think the 2022 team played better than either the 2023 or 2024 team.

Best player in this series was Laferriere in my estimation. He will be a full time player again next season and has proven he belongs. He was making plays, hustling back, physical. I said before, he reminds me a lot of Justin Williams and I see that kind of future for him.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Also move Kaliyev, no need for him in LA. Just not a good player.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

I just have to say, thank god it’s over. I will now put away the Kings hats and put on the Dodgers cap.

 

[Kings4OT]

Laferriere, Cantplay, Kopistar, Spence, Roy, Doughboy and maybe Kevin the Vanisher are About the only players I would like to see back..... Obviously we're going to have almost everybody back, I think other teams are going to improve too much for l a to be that successful next season And for a while Beyond.

 

[Kings4OT]

Anybody know what was said to arvidsson at the end of the game? He was very Clearly saying fuck you To someone multiple times after the game was over

 

[Kings4OT]

Also would like to see Thomas and Moverare

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Oilers trolls in full force on the official LA page and everywhere I've seen. The notion that Canada has the nicest people has always been hilarious to me. They're the most passive-aggressive people on the planet.

Very easy to root against any Edmonton success going forward. Their next matchup they should have a chance against winner of Vancouver-Nash, but if they run up against winner of Dallas-Vegas, and east champ, I can't see them being a favorite. Colorado ended up making light work of Winnipeg, but I don't think they're as strong as years past. Edmonton matched well against Colorado lately.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Anybody know what was said to arvidsson at the end of the game? He was very Clearly saying fuck you To someone multiple times after the game was over

He was pretty livid towards the ref on the missed Ryan stick hold on Kempe, wouldn't be surprised if he redirected towards Ryan himself.

Anyone who has played has those moments and it can get ugly. While officiating didn't determine this game I do believe it unnecessarily influenced things. On NHLT Daneyko highlighted the two calls and in no uncertain terms said he didn't like them so we weren't the only ones who saw them.

All in all though special teams, lack of scoring and inability to steal a game by either goalie did them in. No timely saves, maybe one timely goal.

Not going to win a series with descriptors like that.

 

[davnlaguna]

The Duck loving wife changed her Facebook picture this morning.
as long as the Kings are in the playoffs she had to have a pic wearing a kings jersey ( unless Ducks are still playing)
i Have to show a ducks jersey if they are playing and the Kings aren’t
so far I have got the better of this bet

 

[histkng23]

I used to work with a guy that is tatoo'd over a majority of his body. He's a Ducks fan, and he and I used to have a bet that if the Kings & Ducks met again in the playoffs:

Kings win --> he had to get a tatoo (that was visible) that simply stated "Q > G" (Quick is better than Gibson)
Ducks win --> I would have to wear a Craig Heyward jersey to 3 Kings home games against the Ducks, and when the Ducks score, stand up and cheer loudly!!

Never had a chance to make the bet, obviously...

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I used to work with a guy that is tatoo'd over a majority of his body. He's a Ducks fan, and he and I used to have a bet that if the Kings & Ducks met again in the playoffs:

Kings win --> he had to get a tatoo (that was visible) that simply stated "Q > G" (Quick is better than Gibson)
Ducks win --> I would have to wear a Craig Heyward jersey to 3 Kings home games against the Ducks, and when the Ducks score, stand up and cheer loudly!!

Never had a chance to make the bet, obviously...

Not sure if you guys remember DucksD, used to banter with us on the ESPN boards and maybe now and again here in the early 2010s.

Back when the Kings and Ducks seem to alternate years making the POs we had a bet at the beginning of the season that whichever team made it the other guy had to wear the opposing jersey to a PO game that season. Lucky us, Kings didn't make it in 2003 and the Ducks went on that ridiculous tear to the SCFs so I attended a game against Detroit with him in the WCQFs. Even luckier us it was Detroit so it was a pick your poison game for me. I was screwed either way, that's was Detroit's hayday.

We are surrounded by a sea of red and I was sitting next to this obnoxious female drunk Red Wing fan to my left and DucksD to my right, she got so annoying I was pulling for the Ducks just to shut her up. I think Rucchin scored and I started jumping up and down just to piss her off, and boy did I get under her skin. Pointing at her, laughing at her, the whole bit.

DucksD was a STH so he calls me in the fall busting up and says man your mug is in the Ducks program. I'm like WTF are you talking about and we connect the dots and it was a photo taken during the 2003 playoffs - I didn't know but a Ducks team photographer got a shot of me celebrating that ended up being the backdrop in some 2003-04 game programs.

He has held that thing over my head for 2 decades as blackmail, I still have yet to see it so hopefully there aren't any floating around.

I no longer make bets.

=)~~

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Watching NHLN and they're doing an autopsy on LA, Torchetti mentions how they had only 12 PPs in 5 games and says that means "you have to get a little dirty and competitive here" referring to the low number of PPs.

Couldn't agree more and clearly what we see within the Kings isn't unnoticed.

 

[LAKINGSFAN]

Not sure if you guys remember DucksD, used to banter with us on the ESPN boards and maybe now and again here in the early 2010s.

Back when the Kings and Ducks seem to alternate years making the POs we had a bet at the beginning of the season that whichever team made it the other guy had to wear the opposing jersey to a PO game that season. Lucky us, Kings didn't make it in 2003 and the Ducks went on that ridiculous tear to the SCFs so I attended a game against Detroit with him in the WCQFs. Even luckier us it was Detroit so it was a pick your poison game for me. I was screwed either way, that's was Detroit's hayday.

We are surrounded by a sea of red and I was sitting next to this obnoxious female drunk Red Wing fan to my left and DucksD to my right, she got so annoying I was pulling for the Ducks just to shut her up. I think Rucchin scored and I started jumping up and down just to piss her off, and boy did I get under her skin. Pointing at her, laughing at her, the whole bit.

DucksD was a STH so he calls me in the fall busting up and says man your mug is in the Ducks program. I'm like WTF are you talking about and we connect the dots and it was a photo taken during the 2003 playoffs - I didn't know but a Ducks team photographer got a shot of me celebrating that ended up being the backdrop in some 2003-04 game programs.

He has held that thing over my head for 2 decades as blackmail, I still have yet to see it so hopefully there aren't any floating around.

I no longer make bets.

=)~~

Did he ever send the pic?? If so, you should post it. LOL

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Did he ever send the pic?? If so, you should post it. LOL

Never did, I just know he has it. Me in a Duck jersey jumping for joy. You know how messed up this is?

=)~~

The whole situation is just FUBAR. Like what are the chances.

 

[LAKINGSFAN]

Never did, I just know he has it. Me in a Duck jersey jumping for joy. You know how messed up this is?

=)~~

The whole situation is just FUBAR. Like what are the chances.

Its crazy that everything worked out that way. I would double check with your friend to make sure he didnt call the Dux PR dept and make them aware. LOL

 

[PuckinUgly57]

He's still on my FB but he doesn't post anymore. Miss those days of him, Serg, a few others and us just going toe to toe. Some of the insults were epic from both sides.