GDT: 2021-22 season game 51 LA Kings vs Arizona Coyotes @7:00pm 2/23/22

[Docgonzo]

Yup, boy does it feel like a long-time ago when Vilardi, Lias and Tkachev were looking strong in then pre-season, unfortunately the popcorn started popping and not a single one stuck in the lineup.

The solution to this problem is looking outside the organization, either bringing in someone who can play that role , or bringing in someone to play with AK that lets Iafallo slide down to that 3rd line role. Iafallo will be the best player to play on that line this season, he would stabilize that line and make it better in all facets more than bringing up one of the younger players and hoping they don't struggle again.

Thats my guess on what they do, bring someone in. Bump Iaffalo down to 3rd line and let Brown ride off into the sunset for next season.

 

[kilowatt]

There are a number of top six options here. Forsberg, Boeser, Garland, Miller, Konecny. I'd take literally any of them. Let's assume it's Forsberg.

Forsberg - Kopitar - Kempe
Moore - Danault - Arvidsson
Iafallo - Byfield - Brown
Lemieux - Lizotte - Kaliyev

At least Iafallo and Brown have some chemistry, that'd be huge for Byfield to be able to work with.

 

[Master Yoda]

The best incarinations have almost always included Grundstrom. The other common GOOD factors have been Byfield, Turcotte, even Kupari to a degree (possession if not production, but that goes all around). Brown has been ok, but clearly drags down the numbers of those four, and almost anyone else has been unmitigated garbage.

The problem has been Grundstrom repeatedly getting benched for the flavor of the month, whether it's a not-completely-healthy Andersson, AA, or Brown. When Grundstrom leaves and AA or Andersson or Brown takes over, the line dips, and usually takes a rookie out with it, at which point they add a third element, and then it sucks completely, rinse, repeat.

In theory, Grundstrom-Byfield- X would be a strong third line and the numbers back it up. I'd love to see it as Turcotte-Byfield-Vilardi, but I'm happy with Grundstrom-Byfield-Brown, which is uber-realistic.

If anything I'm really upset for Grundstrom who keeps getting benched for literally nothing. If there's anything merit-based here, he should have a roster spot.

Agree about Grundstrom. He seemed to have made some significant improvements from last year and was good on the forecheck and had decent production for a bottom 6 role.
He's done nothing that justifies him being healthy scratched for this long. Not when you've got a line that's struggled as much as the 3rd line has all year and even more so now.

 

[kilowatt]

I actually think a fourth line of Lemieux / Lizotte / Grundstrom would be one of the best in the league.

 

[Statto]

You can't win with Byfield as a 3C right now.

Yet they are doing so

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Call up Gabe Vilardi. Its so simple.

He got 7 NHL games this season.

Grundstrom is another player who should get playing time.

Byfield is ok but can play in the AHL too.
AA I liked very much last season but is not having it this season.
Brown should retire right now.

 

[Sol]

So much of the rest of the season and playoffs is dependent on the Kings beating the ducks and sharks. Kings won’t get in if they can’t beat them. Essentially 4 point games.

 

[kingsfan28]

I feel like Byfield is constantly trying to catch up to himself...it that makes sense.

Yeah, that a good way to put it. Its like he's trying a bit too hard, thus putting himself out of position.

 

[DoktorJeep]

The Kings are winning consistently and Kopitar isn’t the best player night to night. There is no time better than now to end the game of musical chairs which started with the roster moves in the offseason. Todd sacrificed a goat and has been touched with the gift to wring blood from a stone. The shelf limit is not for long on this found good fortune.

The drop off after Danault, Kempe, Quick, Kopitar and Doughty is too steep to bet on in the playoffs if you’re a bottom seed. Some may throw in RV, but I think he disappears without Danault. Same with Moore. Counting on playoff experience from the existing group is too full of intangibles to really be rational.

No one on the farm is close to a sure bet to step up and perform at crunch time. The odds of Vilardi scoring a playoff goal can’t be good as of today. The true weak links in the roster are AA and Maata. They are the epitome of players who occasionally show why they are paid to be good, but the majority of their actual shifts leave you wishing anyone else was out there in their place. The Kings can’t afford to have these guys as passengers and expect to win a round.

So getting a wing for Kopitar and putting AI with QB makes a ton of sense. Spurlging on a LD is less clear with Edler potentially available in the post season. But Edler, Bjornfot and Anderson as your playoff LD isn’t a massive upgrade over Maata in the Edler spot. It’s replacing a somewhat serviceable piece with a more serviceable steadier version. It’s better to put Edler down as depth if one of the starting six is injured.

One of Bjornfot or Anderson should be used to upgrade on LD. It shouldn’t be a rental. And I think Bjornfot is the higher value chip because he’s younger and retains more offensive upside than Anderson. Plus subtracting Doughty’s partner will create one hole while filling another.

At forward, either Vilardi or Turcotte would be the center pieces. I think Vilardi has higher value because he is older and has shown more signs of being an NHL goal scorer. I think it’s easier to get something great for Vilardi without having to include a first as a sweetener. Especially with his RFA status. I’d be okay with a rental at forward if the D is longer term. JT Miller feels like the only sure fit. And he’s not a pure rental. He’s very similar in profile to RV from an age, contract and overall production perspective. He’s a bit more of a playmaker.

So Vilardi, Bjornfot and Turcotte in a distant third are your big pieces to move. If Blake wants to upgrade, outside of making Byfield, Clarke and Kaliyev available, he’ll need to find a buyer who is in that market with something he wants.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

If they're going to make the playoffs at all, it's important that a guy like Vilardi is in over a guy like AA.

It's about the youth growing, right? Not about random bullshit journeymen trying to squeak out a round?

 

[JeanBlanc]

Maybe you could go have that discussion with all the people on the board criticizing management for not bringing him up faster, along with Turcotte. Search variations of the phrase, "What does our management know about development that every other team in the league doesn't?"

@MBH
For example:
Prospect Info: - Quinton Byfield (2nd Overall 2020 Draft) Discussion part II

 

[HookKing]

Couple things

Great to get 2 points. Arizona played tough, liking Keller.
Chrychrun is ok. He's absolutely not worth 4 nice assets. Definitely better defensemen on his own team.
The Lizotte line is the 3rd line. AK is getting better and I'm loving his compete.
DB-QB-AA is a dumpster fire. Hopefully by the TDL AA is not part of that problem. Hopefully by next season DB is not part of the problem either.
VA-PD-TM line is just so solid game in, game out. Amazing chemistry and dig the work ethic. A+
QB has been talked about and he did have a rough game. That line, no bueno.

You mean he's learned to forecheck and battle on the boards -- that my friend is a HUGE negative. THEY'RE RUINING HIM BY TURNING HIM INTO A GRINDER!

 

[Steve Zissou]

I actually think a fourth line of Lemieux / Lizotte / Grundstrom would be one of the best in the league.

Or with JAD. He's rad.

Lemieux / Lizotte / JAD

 

[Trash Panda]

If they're going to make the playoffs at all, it's important that a guy like Vilardi is in over a guy like AA.

It's about the youth growing, right? Not about random bullshit journeymen trying to squeak out a round?

It absolutely should be, but this current regime really seems to be latched onto the latter.

 

[Sol]

The Kings are winning consistently and Kopitar isn’t the best player night to night. There is no time better than now to end the game of musical chairs which started with the roster moves in the offseason. Todd sacrificed a goat and has been touched with the gift to wring blood from a stone. The shelf limit is not for long on this found good fortune.

The drop off after Danault, Kempe, Quick, Kopitar and Doughty is too steep to bet on in the playoffs if you’re a bottom seed. Some may throw in RV, but I think he disappears without Danault. Same with Moore. Counting on playoff experience from the existing group is too full of intangibles to really be rational.

No one on the farm is close to a sure bet to step up and perform at crunch time. The odds of Vilardi scoring a playoff goal can’t be good as of today. The true weak links in the roster are AA and Maata. They are the epitome of players who occasionally show why they are paid to be good, but the majority of their actual shifts leave you wishing anyone else was out there in their place. The Kings can’t afford to have these guys as passengers and expect to win a round.

So getting a wing for Kopitar and putting AI with QB makes a ton of sense. Spurlging on a LD is less clear with Edler potentially available in the post season. But Edler, Bjornfot and Anderson as your playoff LD isn’t a massive upgrade over Maata in the Edler spot. It’s replacing a somewhat serviceable piece with a more serviceable steadier version. It’s better to put Edler down as depth if one of the starting six is injured.

One of Bjornfot or Anderson should be used to upgrade on LD. It shouldn’t be a rental. And I think Bjornfot is the higher value chip because he’s younger and retains more offensive upside than Anderson. Plus subtracting Doughty’s partner will create one hole while filling another.

At forward, either Vilardi or Turcotte would be the center pieces. I think Vilardi has higher value because he is older and has shown more signs of being an NHL goal scorer. I think it’s easier to get something great for Vilardi without having to include a first as a sweetener. Especially with his RFA status. I’d be okay with a rental at forward if the D is longer term. JT Miller feels like the only sure fit. And he’s not a pure rental. He’s very similar in profile to RV from an age, contract and overall production perspective. He’s a bit more of a playmaker.

So Vilardi, Bjornfot and Turcotte in a distant third are your big pieces to move. If Blake wants to upgrade, outside of making Byfield, Clarke and Kaliyev available, he’ll need to find a buyer who is in that market with something he wants.

Kopitar isn’t the best player most nights

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

You mean he's learned to forecheck and battle on the boards -- that my friend is a HUGE negative. THEY'RE RUINING HIM BY TURNING HIM INTO A GRINDER!

Sarcasm? Asking because I just wanna make sure.....if it's not, oh dear god.

 

[JeanBlanc]

You mean he's learned to forecheck and battle on the boards -- that my friend is a HUGE negative. THEY'RE RUINING HIM BY TURNING HIM INTO A GRINDER!

Sarcasm? Asking because I just wanna make sure.....if it's not, oh dear god.

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Do we encourage the use of irony marks in this forum?

Irony punctuation - Wikipedia

⸮
or
~. (tilde + period = sideways squiggly exclamation point)

 

[King'sPawn]

Meh, nm

 

[Steve Zissou]

7!



C'mon TNT!!!

 

[AbsentMojo]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Do we encourage the use of irony marks in this forum?

Irony punctuation - Wikipedia

⸮
or
~. (tilde + period = sideways squiggly exclamation point)

Interesting that was a thing back in the 1600s.. prob last time it showed up on a keyboard too. i think the usual approach is something like (sarc) .. but really half the fun is making it borderline ambiguous to see who picks up and runs with it no?

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Interesting that was a thing back in the 1600s.. prob last time it showed up on a keyboard too. i think the usual approach is something like (sarc) .. but really half the fun is making it borderline ambiguous to see who picks up and runs with it no?

Dude, I'm turning over a new leaf....otherwise I would have been halfway home with that asinine comment (not yours)......of course that new leafs expires tonight

 

[JeanBlanc]

half the fun is making it borderline ambiguous to see who picks up and runs with it no?

No, that's the definition of trolling.