GDT: 2020-21 season game 42 LA Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights @7:00pm 4/14/21

[kingsfan28]

This is true.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Doughty is the least of this team's problems. Without Doughty this year the Kings would be looking up at the Buffalo Sabres. It would be nice if LA had a GM who could actually field a team around Doughty to allow him to play meaningful games again before his career is over. Wishful thinking I know.

The Kings even tried doing that between 2014 and 2018.

I'm not going to look through 20 rosters and cap hits but at least 5-7 teams could and would trade for Doughty if they had a chance.

Yes. From 20, down to 5-7. If they had the chance. If Doughty would want to go anywhere other than Toronto.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I have a hard time believing Doughty wouldn't waive for Colorado, Vegas, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Washington, or Toronto right now. Shit Boston too.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Or he is a genius like the Vegas GM looks like right now. And please don't see I'm messing around. The incompetence of Blake is on full display to anyone who wants to see it. You - for reasons known only to yourself - don't want to see it.

Just don't use Chandler Stephenson as your example. If you say he would've been good enough, I will not believe you.

 

[tny760]

Vegas picked up Chandler Stephenson at the beginning of 2020 for like a 5th round pick. Now he is their 1st line center. You want a name and I gave you one. Good GM's find players. Bad GM's don't.

team-sponsored PED docs help a bit too :]

but that's neither here nor there

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

At least the Kings looked good losing.

 

[tomd]

Just don't use Chandler Stephenson as your example. If you say he would've been good enough, I will not believe you.

Fine. You'll be the last Blake apologist on this board in about 12 months.

Let me ask you a question...what does Blake need to do this summer to have what you would consider to be a successful offseason?

 

[KingsFan7824]

I have a hard time believing Doughty wouldn't waive for Colorado, Vegas, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Washington, or Toronto right now. Shit Boston too.

All the teams that can't take him on without sending cap out.

Boston might be the most possible one, because they have a decent amount of bigger ticket UFAs this summer. What would you want back?

 

[HookKing]

Not much of a difference really being last without doughty or 3rd to last with doughty. They are closer to buffalo than they are to vegas even with doughty.
Hell i watched buffalo yesterday and they looked better than the kings have the past couple weeks.

You missed the point, Buffalo hasn't been in the playoffs in 10 years.

 

[kingsfan28]

Or he is a genius like the Vegas GM looks like right now. And please don't see I'm messing around. The incompetence of Blake is on full display to anyone who wants to see it. You - for reasons known only to yourself - don't want to see it.

Chandler F-ing Stephenson, really? If you really expect him to carry Vegas second line you're kidding yourself. This guys numbers are the stuff a real 2c puts up in a year, not a career.
career numbers...

gp-245

goals-30

assist-48

points-78

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[BigKing]

Fine. You'll be the last Blake apologist on this board in about 12 months.

Let me ask you a question...what does Blake need to do this summer to have what you would consider to be a successful offseason?

I'm not a Blake fan but I need him to be good.

You're a Ducks fan that doesn't believe in tanking.

Is this a referendum on Blake or on tanking? Blake implemented a tank which is not yet at the point where they are expected to contend. He isn't behind schedule but rather behind your schedule because you believe in going for it every year.

I'll be the first one to roast Robbie but it's premature at this point.

 

[kingsholygrail]

All the teams that can't take him on without sending cap out.

Boston might be the most possible one, because they have a decent amount of bigger ticket UFAs this summer. What would you want back?

Enough that it would never happen really. I'm not one that thinks Doughty is really moveable because of that.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Imagine this current blueline with Doughty removed and MacDermid getting more minutes. Sounds like a recipe for success.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Fine. You'll be the last Blake apologist on this board in about 12 months.

Let me ask you a question...what does Blake need to do this summer to have what you would consider to be a successful offseason?

Bring in a 4C from another team to play 2C here, no question.

Let's see what he does. He's re-signed Walker, Roy, and Iafallo. Retaining talent. Which is a big thing. Had they traded Iafallo, that would've been the Kings being cheap again, right? Maybe they're not the best talent, but you're throwing names like Stephenson out there, so, whatever.

 

[tomd]

I'm not a Blake fan but I need him to be good.

You're a Ducks fan that doesn't believe in tanking.

Is this a referendum on Blake or on tanking? Blake implemented a tank which is not yet at the point where they are expected to contend. He isn't behind schedule but rather behind your schedule because you believe in going for it every year.

I'll be the first one to roast Robbie but it's premature at this point.

Here's what I see. You've got two cornerstone players in Doughty and Kopitar who can have an enormous impact on the success of the rebuild IF they believe they'll be playing meaningful games before their careers are over. If they don't, you'll just get more quotes from Doughty like the ones from the past week and lackluster play from both of them. The organization needs some REAL hope right now...not just the promise that some teenagers are going to be ready to contribute in 3-4 years. They need to be competitive (not even playoff caliber...just competitive) next year or this will start to look like Buffalo or Detroit for real. A losing culture is a real thing and the Kings are about to finish as a bottom 5 team for the third straight year. How is that even possible with Doughty and Kopitar on the team?

 

[tomd]

Bring in a 4C from another team to play 2C here, no question.

Let's see what he does. He's re-signed Walker, Roy, and Iafallo. Retaining talent. Which is a big thing. Had they traded Iafallo, that would've been the Kings being cheap again, right? Maybe they're not the best talent, but you're throwing names like Stephenson out there, so, whatever.

You're just not a serious poster anymore. You forced me to name a name so that you could redirect the conversation. Any name I would have mentioned you would have done the same thing. He resigned two RFA's in Walker and Roy. That's quite an accomplishment. He resigned Iafallo which I think any GM could have (and would have) done. Blake has been GM for 4 years now. Has he added a single player to the team that has made any real difference? I can't think of a single one. What makes you think he's going to start doing so now or in the future?

 

[kilowatt]

I mean come on, let's get real. Blake inherited an aging team with no cupboard. Blake was appointed GM in April 2017. This was our top ten prospects as of February 2017:

LA Kings 2017 Mid-Season Prospect Rankings: Top Two Players Revealed

1. Adrian Kempe
2. Paul LaDue
3. Johnny Brodzinski
4. Kale Clague
5. Michael Amadio
6. Michael Mersch
7. Austin Wagner
8. Justin Auger
9. Kurtis MacDermid
10. Jacob Moverare

To say that management hasn't done anything is pretty f***ing insulting. All that's needed now is time to let our prospects turn into NHL players.

 

[The Butcher]

Hahahaha.

Just think: If the kings had started Petersen they’d only lose 3-2!!!!!!!!

In no way am I trying to imply the Kings season would look much different with Cal starting more games, I just think he's earned it. TM should be going with the best players available to him in any given night and it just seems like that hasn't been the strategy this season. It feels like politics, favors, "showcasing", and protecting certain people have been what is happening. This isn't just the Kings, seems like it happens a lot in pro sports.

 

[Herby]

A losing culture is a real thing and the Kings are about to finish as a bottom 5 team for the third straight year. How is that even possible with Doughty and Kopitar on the team?

It's possible because the organization has added next to nothing as far as impact players since they won the SC in June 2014.

The Lucic trade (assuming Futa is telling the truth) robbed the Kings of Matt Barzal, that is a big loss. You want to imagine how good Barzal would have been for the Kings? He put up 85 points as a 20 year old, could you imagine how hyped we'd be if Turcotte or Kaliyev were to do that next season? He would have been good enough to have helped out the Kopitar/Doughty era and young enough to be the man in the next era, or if the Kings hit the jackpot with Byfield or someone else he'd be one of the best 2nd line centers in the league for 7-8 years. Again, assuming Futa is being truthful in what he said, that trade was one of the worst in the history of the franchise, and that is saying something.

The Kings have had 5 first round picks in the the past 4 drafts. #2, #5, #11, #20 and #22. None of those five have been an immediate homerun for the NHL club. Now I am not saying they all should have been immediate stars or aren't good prospects because they haven't been overnight sensations, but it would have been nice for the product on the ice this season had one of them been.

To use people taken at the same or similar spots in the draft, the Kings season is not nearly as bad if any of these were true.

If Byfield were like Laine, Landeskog or Eichel in his D+1
If Turcotte were like Keller, Tkachuk or Marner in his D+2
If Kupari were like Connor or Boeser in his D+3
If Vilardi were like Rantanen or Barzal in his D+4

It is possible, all these guys are proof of it.

Again, not saying I expected all of these, or even two of these to be reality, but the Kings are a much better team if any one of these were true. I won't include Toby, he has been very solid for the Kings, but he's a defensive minded d-man with a more limited ceiling who isn't going to impact the game like the others would have been if they hit right away, which is fine, the Kings knew that when they took him and he's been pretty good in that role in his D+2.

But if you want to know one of the reasons why the team is as bad as it's been, especially when it comes to putting the puck in the net, the lack of anything offensively (thus far) from first round picks is a big reason.

 

[Steve Zissou]

You're just not a serious poster anymore.

Better to heed your own advice rather than starting off your rebuttal by insulting other members.

Remember that it's just sports which at the end of the day is pretty unimportant

 

[kingsfan28]

Even homer Hoven see a problem...

 

[SFKingshomer]

Blake will be judged this off-season. It’s too early right now because the kids were just drafted and his hands have probably been tied by ownership. Now that they have a better idea of what they have in the system and hopefully some commitment from AEG I think you will see some moves. They did try to improve last offseason but they were really minor moves. No Chandler Stephenson was not the answer as the Kings don’t have a Pacioretty and Stone to carry him.

 

[Mats26]

Even homer Hoven see a problem...

Ya, and it's going to take a Doug Flutie miracle to get him out of the lienup. Expecially with our certain GM that signed him to a 2 year extention

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Don’t want MacD in the lineup? Don’t get injured.

Beyond that we can only wait for player acquisitions to make the defence deeper.

 

[Statto]

Vilardi should be sent down to Ontario.

No longer possible