Yeah the "see i told you he sucked' stuff on Iafallo is garbage, he's been awful for at least a couple of months now but that doesn't rewrite what he's historically been, a 20-goal 50-point pace guy who had been getting better year over year when no one else was and forechecked like a madman. That's a top-six forward on any team in the league.
He's visibly off now, whether it's injury or fatigue or whatever doesn't matter and doesn't excuse it, but he's clearly not being that guy right now...but this is also the first time in his career he's slumped like this. This isn't Dwight King on the top line like some people want to make it.
I said early on that he was a souped up Trevor Lewis and it wasn't an insult. If Trevor Lewis was planted next to Kopitar all season--at the same age as Iafallo has been--and given tons of PP time, he could pace at 20G/50P as well. Now, that means the Kings would be a horrible team which, of course, is what the Kings have been with Iafallo as a first line wing and top PP guy. My concern over locking him up to the contract was that he's been a good player on horrible teams but what happens when the expectations ramp up and opposing teams start to take you seriously?
I don't dislike Iafallo and, like Herby, have mostly been neutral on him except for how I wanted him to be paired with Byfield because I do value Iafallo's responsible play and willingness to be a puck hound. I do wonder if his skillset meshes better on a line with Kopitar when Brown is the other winger as opposed to Kempe. He's going to look more effective when there is more of an offensive zone grind going on v. a rush. That said, he still shouldn't look as bad as he has. While it was never 100% true that Kopitar was carrying him, Iafallo isn't some supreme talent that is going to make things happen for himself. A declining Kopitar is going to hurt him. Regardless, it is insanely lazy coaching to just roll him out on the power play non-stop. It's the kind of coaching that takes you to a 3-0 series lead only to get reverse swept.
To continue with the coaching, the Kopitar stuff is ridiculous. Many of us have been banging the drum on lowering his minutes and now we are seeing the completely expected results: he's gassed. This season is nice for the defensemen side of the prospect pool but it is going to be a real disaster for them to just miss the playoffs--or make it and get housed by COL--on the back of just riding Kopitar in to the ground. While Byfield has disappointed and none of the other 20 highly touted center prospects have shown they can be legit centers at this level, they should be giving Byfield a few more minutes at the expense of Kopitar.
My favorite move yesterday though was scratching Kaliyev. Grundstrom scored so that's nice but, I don't know, you can finally put the Lizotte line back together and Todd galaxy brains it. PP is a mess but we don't need the most dangerous shooter on the team out there.
I've been enjoying the ride when they pull points out of their asses because winning is fun: especially after so much sucking the last few years. Real strong 2018 vibes from this team though in regards to a bit of smoke and mirrors. Riding some career years from guys that have never put it together like this before. That 2018 team rode some career years, a back-from-the-dead Dustin Brown and a 12-1-5 record from its back up goalies. Next season they are in contention for dead last.
We'll see how this season winds up but, again, this off-season is crucial for Byfield and Blake. Byfield needs to live every minute of this summer devoted to being a better NHL player. For Blake, this summer will define his rebuild. Moves will need to be made, prospects will need to be dealt and he needs to identify the right ones to move. He's probably already sat on his hands too long and watched assets depreciate. That said, if Byfield isn't as advertised then this whole production is f***ed.
