GDT: 2023-24 season game 22 LA Kings vs Columbus Blue Jackets @4:00pm 12/5/23

[KopitarGOAT420]

This team man... DO YOU BELIEVE!??!?!?!?

The Kings are the best team in the NHL right now and it's so fun to watch. The amount of leadership in this locker room is spectacular.

So much confidence throughout the group too - Even when they find themselves down 3-0 you can just tell there's no panic with these guys. That's what happens when you have veteran leadership with championship pedigree combined with a mix of talented young players and players in their primes.

What an absolute wagon

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[tny760]

seriously one of the best twitter accounts on the platform

love that shit

 

[lexlavender]

I'm just hoping it's part of the stupid TM "we use our own language and the system is complicated" thing

When I watch Dubois play, I see that he does seem pretty focused on getting the system right. But also he doesn't seem to trust his linemates and too often tries to do everything himself, which I think is a symptom of frustration.

 

[bland]

PLD is playing the Stoll role well enough.

Not even remotely close. What a ridiculous comparison.

Stoll killed penalties, forechecked and backchecked, won faceoffs, hit and chipped in with timely offense.

Dubois doesn't do any of that. He is just a center and offering nothing on ice that the Kings couldn't have had by signing any number of cheap free agents.

 

[chris kontos]

AND
Stoll now has something resembling flour dust all over his face.
pld doesnt have that

 

[YP44]

Not even remotely close. What a ridiculous comparison.

Stoll killed penalties, forechecked and backchecked, won faceoffs, hit and chipped in with timely offense.

Dubois doesn't do any of that. He is just a center and offering nothing on ice that the Kings couldn't have had by signing any number of cheap free agents.

signing a number of free agents or re-signing vilardi?

I still think it is too early to crap on the deal. Especially while the team is kicking so much ass.

 

[King'sPawn]

Not even remotely close. What a ridiculous comparison.

Stoll killed penalties, forechecked and backchecked, won faceoffs, hit and chipped in with timely offense.

Dubois doesn't do any of that. He is just a center and offering nothing on ice that the Kings couldn't have had by signing any number of cheap free agents.

My issue with Dubois is how quick he is to get frustrated and lose focus on the ice. Sometimes it looks like giving up. Others there's just no first-step urgency.

I know I point out his lack of production, or that Iafallo is outproducing him. But I actually wouldn't care about the lack of production if I liked what my eyes were seeing (it's also why I called out Kempe and Fiala's play earlier despite them putting up points, but I'm seeing improvements).

PLD, isolated, just doesn't show consistent effort. It's not even poor decision-making. He's skilled. Add in there some iffy chemistry at best, and there's a .5 point/game $8.5 million forward.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Not even remotely close. What a ridiculous comparison.

Stoll killed penalties, forechecked and backchecked, won faceoffs, hit and chipped in with timely offense.

Dubois doesn't do any of that. He is just a center and offering nothing on ice that the Kings couldn't have had by signing any number of cheap free agents.

He chews up minutes and it doesn't cost them when he's doing it. He provides the depth. Overpaid depth, but still depth.

 

[Sol]

hopefully the Kings have cleaned up their passes today

 

[johnjm22]

PLD and Fiala are the only players on the team with a negative plus/minus stat.

One thing I learned about Pierre Luc DuLackadaisical from his interviews is that he really likes milkshakes. He looks like he consumed many of them in the offseason.

 

[Sol]

Not even remotely close. What a ridiculous comparison.

Stoll killed penalties, forechecked and backchecked, won faceoffs, hit and chipped in with timely offense.

Dubois doesn't do any of that. He is just a center and offering nothing on ice that the Kings couldn't have had by signing any number of cheap free agents.

The rare time I actually agree with you bland. PLD doesn’t bring nearly enough value for his acquisition price. The fact that Iafallo is out performing him and we lost Vilardi is a hefty cost. Then the Kings signed him max term.

PLD was an extremely expensive acquisition all things considered and he plays like a slightly quicker and weaker defensive version of Handzus.

We can give PLD more time to get better however what he has going against him from prior fanbases is that this laziness has persisted through his entire career. Hes 25 but to have that comment be such a universal opinion… don’t think that’s going to go away.

Think this signing has the potential to make the Cal Petersen contract look like a non problem.

This has the potential to be worse than the day DL didn’t buy out Richards.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

If this is the best Dubois can do against the team that traded him I have zero hope for his future.

trade him to montreal

 

[Bandit]

My issue with Dubois is how quick he is to get frustrated and lose focus on the ice. Sometimes it looks like giving up. Others there's just no first-step urgency.

Yes. This is Pierre Luc Dunothing in a nutshell.

 

[bland]

He chews up minutes and it doesn't cost them when he's doing it. He provides the depth. Overpaid depth, but still depth.

All of which you could have received by signing a Lars Eller type instead of committing $68 million to a non-self starter.

 

[kingsholygrail]

All of which you could have received by signing a Lars Eller type instead of committing $68 million to a non-self starter.

I said he was overpaid. I didn't want him in the first place because I considered the trade a wash. But so far he doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on the lockerroom and they are winning. Production per dollar reminds me of Mike Richards really.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Perhaps its lame but just the face of PLD is enough already to get annoyed.

 

[AbsentMojo]

I'm just hoping it's part of the stupid TM "we use our own language and the system is complicated" thing

Yes Koalese isnt even an indo-European language...have to learn to under stand grunts and chirps

 

[johnjm22]

All of which you could have received by signing a Lars Eller type instead of committing $68 million to a non-self starter.

No replacement level center gives you the upside PLD does. PL has the ability to make this team a contender, Lars Eller doesn't.

 

[Lt Dan]

Yes Koalese isnt even an indo-European language...have to learn to under stand grunts and chirps

 

[Kudelski37]

No replacement level center gives you the upside PLD does. PL has the ability to make this team a contender, Lars Eller doesn't.

Which guy has scored a Stanley Cup clinching goal as a 3c?

PLD has a lower p/60 (1.8) than Lizotte last year (1.9) despite much more power play time and much less ok time. People in favor of trading for PLD said Lizotte can't be the 3c of a contender. If last year's Lizotte wasn't good enough, what is PLD?

PLD needs a meeting with the two Bobs from Office Space.

 

[King'sPawn]

No replacement level center gives you the upside PLD does. PL has the ability to make this team a contender, Lars Eller doesn't.

Would you like a list of centers who are younger, cheaper, and/or performing better than PLD?

Here's a teaser. He's tied for 91st in points per game among centers exclusively with .50 Pt/gm. For reference, people are still ready to jettison Lizotte, who's at .44.

Heck - rookie defenseman Jordan Spence and stay-at-home defenseman Mikey Anderson are behind him by two points. How much "upside" is he bringing when this is basically what he's been for the past 6 seasons?

 

[AbsentMojo]

PLD = performance lacks desire
PLD = paid lazy dude
PLD = painfullly long disaster
PLD = probably luc's decision

 

[ru4reals]

From the interviews he's given, especially how much his wife loves it in the south bay, it' would not surprise me at all if he stays. Especially if they keep winning.

That would be freakin awesome. Love his personality.

 

[Docgonzo]

Still no main board thread about the road record. Let’s keep it that way, folks.

It was nice while it lasted, sadly it was self inflicted.