Speculation: If you could do one drastic change what would it be?

[Captain Mittens*]

One line for each titty.

Lol!

 

[KingsHockey24]

Hmmmm......


Step 1. Trade Dustin Brown for Brent Burns; name Kopitar (C) Greene (A) Richards (A)


Step 2. Trade Robyn Regher for Braydon Coburn

Step 2.5 . Trade Justin Williams for Zach Parise


Step 3. While sleeping hit Muzzin in the head with a baseball bat so he gets a concussion and Martinez takes his place.

Step 4. Waive Dwight King, Colin Fraser

Step 5. Call up Jordan Weal

Parise-Kopitar-Burns
Richards-Carter-Toffoli
Vey-Stoll-Weal
Clifford-Lewis-Nolan

*Carcillo

Doughty-Coburn
Mitchell-Voynov
Greene-Martinez

 

[ibleedkings]

I had a dream last night that Stoll retired from his latest injury. Ill go with that.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Take fewer needless penalties, and kill more PP's. That's all I would do. See if that works first, and then worry about the rest.

The Kings have played 15 games, and they have 9 wins. If they could've lost a few games in OT or SO(by not having a bad run on the PK for example), they'd have even more points.

Sure, compared to the starts of Anaheim, San Jose, or Colorado, the Kings need a drastic change. Obviously those teams won't continue winning at their current clips, since they're all pretty much on a pace to have more wins than every Presidents trophy winning team since 05-06. Breathe and relax.

 

[Scottkmlps]

Take fewer needless penalties, and kill more PP's. That's all I would do. See if that works first, and then worry about the rest.

That right there. The penalty kill has been, for lack of a better term, killing them the last few games.

 

[Whiskeypete]

much more conservative approach, just tinkering

DL stays, come on now

DS stays, but i think he and Deano need to put a plan in place long-term

far less line juggling. this doesn't solve accountability, this just disrupts and F's with guys heads. DS keeps using this to motivate and punish guys, but i think it is having the opposite effect. it is eroding confidence, chemistry and guys play 'tight'.

the team when through this with TMu, Dean needs to step in and bring some type of end to this. otherwise the guys will shut down and not listen to DS

if you want to create and maintain accountability (this has been preached by everyone here for years, so i not saying anything that hasn't been said already), scratch guys. anyone. not the same players over and over. the Fraser, AMart, Muzzin, Clifford, Nolan guys.....anyone and everyone. personally i would have scratched Kopitar once or twice a few weeks back. he is out there to take control of the game and dictate flow, but he has been invisible quite a few games this year. the same could be said for others. you play lazy, you sit.

Sutter needs to let DL have some time to tinker with the existing parts, so he can better understand what he has to work with. this means putting the kids in the line-up, where they belong and for a few games. yes the road will be bumpy, but at some point the kid(s) has to have the opportunity. you can't put TT or Pearson in on the 4th line and get 7-minutes. those aren't the roles these kids are expected to fill down the road, so don't evaluate them under those circumstances.

i like the idea someone else had of sitting RR and putting both Muzz and AMart in.
Muzz - DD
WM - VV
AMart - Greene
play this for 4 games minimum. one of LA's biggest issue is transition - both ways. the breakouts are slow, tedious and the passing is mediocre at best. let's get back to the formula from 2012 of having a PMD on each pairing. at the same time the defensive transition, well everyone knows the problems RR has had through the neutral and defensive zones. the guy's skating ability is causing significant problems. the bonus to this is giving RR time off now, will keep him fresh for spring and the playoffs.

PP - at no time should Greene, RR be out there, or Stoll on the point. i don't care if he had a PP goal last week. that is 1 for the 100's of high shots he misses and rims around the glass. the D on the PP should be Muzz-DD, AMart-VV. if anyone gets inserted into this mix it is Richards on the #1PP unit.

PP - i want to see more back side movement from the winger and weakside D man. the PP is to static and the opposing PK just boxes out. Kopitar/Carter need to move around each
PP. stop playing in 'favorite' spot, keep the PK unit guessing as to where LA's top scorers are going to be.

when it comes to player moves if im DL i entertain offers for Stoll, Clifford, Lewis and AMart.
AMart is ONLY in play for massive overpayment, an offer you can't say no to.

Stoll is a spare part at this point and is blocking the way for a few prospects. great team guy, but massively overpaid for what he contributes. he could fetch a decent return for LA now and closer to the trade deadline. someone like TOR right now could be a partner with the injuries they have down the middle.

Clifford always gains immediate attention from other teams, but right now i think he has plateaued. his skating improved this past summer, but the rest of his game hasn't progressed. we haven't seen any significant improvement in his overall game now in over a year. he has likely reached his full ability at the NHL level.

Lewis while i love his effort and never give up attitude is a tradeable asset. with the addition of Frattin, Lewis became expendable. the experiment of Frattin on the LW hasn't and doesn't appear it will work. his best games have been on the RW. this immediately means he is down into the #3RW spot - Lewis' spot. Frattin is an upgrade imo over Lewis in many ways, most notably offensively. #4RW spot then for Lewis? nope. i like Nolan there, big and physical. Nolan is perfect in the #4RW spot.

i would think the DL could put together a package of Stoll-Clifford and get a defensive upgrade for the immediate help. at minimum he could get a good prospect/pick for the those two to help further down the road.

 

[ShattStar03]

Firing Sutter gets my vote.

 

[Legionnaire]

Win a lot of consecutive games?

 

[Telos]

Firing Sutter gets my vote.

That's a pretty tall order coming off a cup win, conference finals appearance, and being significantly over .500 after a rocky start.

 

[Scottkmlps]

That's a pretty tall order coming off a cup win, conference finals appearance, and being significantly over .500 after a rocky start.

Didn't take long for the 'fire Sutter' posts to start.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

BUCK UP ... PuckerChoo ​

Lmao ty for this it really made me lol

 

[deeshamrock]

i think this team needs a shakeup .. what will it be?....

or i'm just panicking, this team is as dominant as chi, sj, ana, col, phx...it's just the points don't add up

THe middle name of a lot of hockey fans is 'frustration' and you're no different. The season is 82 games long and it's not game 72 and the Kings are treading quicksand. Unless they get hit by a slew of injuries to top line players, I don't see them finishing below 3rd in the division. Sharks played lights out last year early on and faded and the Ducks faded in the stretch as well. Good that they're getting points early on but the season isn't ending next week, they’ll have valleys like any other team, it’s not a season full of peaks. Kings have lost a few close games that they should have won, those potential 4 points would change things for now but like any other team, you have to play the full 82. You can't forecast what 'might' be in APril based on now, it doesn't work that way.

As frustrating as some of the losses have been, there are far more positive things to concentrate on
.
This is a good team, or they wouldn’t have gutted out wins last year in the playoffs and gotten to the WCF despite 2/3rd's of the 1st line being on a milk carton and the third line MIA. They have a solid foundation of an elite goalie (who has hit a few rough patches but I have faith in him because of what he has shown to do, esp being money on the playoffs) 1 Elite D (DD)and 1 in the making (SLava) , top center depth in Carter, Kopi and Richards, and those the three things that historically is where an elite teams strength is, the backbone.

They have a stellar group of leaders on this team , blood and guts guys who have shown despite being down by 2 either in a game or playoff series, they'll do whatever it takes to win. Be grateful of that, because living in Philly, it's pitiful to see a team void of all leadership for over 2 years now. That's not something you can learn, you either have it or you don't and the Kings are blessed that way. Cudos to DL for recognizing guys who have that inside of them and putting so many in one room who respect the hell out of each and will fight for the guy on the bench next to them.

The glaring issues to me are 2nd line LW, transitional game and specialty teams.

I don't like King in the top 6 either, esp since he's not a top 6 player r and never will be but Sutter has a blind spot when it comes to King and RR and right now, he doesn't have a lot LW options. I'm sure DL is working on the LW issue, and if not sooner by the trade deadline will address that.
Specialty teams have to be a lot better; it's costing the team points. PP -I'd keep the top unit together, which Sutter strays from tossing out the 1st and 2nd lines , that I don't like. Kopi, Carter, Brown Richards and DD are the top unit (TT while Carter is out) keep it that way, let them practice together, work together and they'll perform better. Even the players have said that, 'knowing where they are' on the ice at that time makes the other guys comfortable.
PK-has been brutal, something that use to be killer for the Kings, that you could count on isn't there. Mitchell and Greene, who are usually stellar, have made some glaring errors. It could be rust, each being out for most of/all of last year. And be more disciplined, stay out of the box, DD for example, has too many minors and were barely into Nov.

And the transitional game from the Kings end out has to be tighter and more crisp. Those breakout passes are their bread and butter, and when it works, it works well.

TT- Has shown in 1 game (leading the teams SOG with 6) that he belongs here and in the top 6. That will help, he looked very comfortable and confident in all 3 zones and meshed pretty well with Richie, who is usually is a very (patient ) good teacher for young linemates. That will get better with practice and more games.

Moves- I'd move RR, but I don't think DL will, Sutter likes him. I've tried to be objective, allowing for last year going from East to West, no time to learn the system and being injured, but he's just to slow and his reaction time is lacking, he seems out of sync in critical situations. If you could trade him for picks, along with some of the bottom 6 excess, then I'd get Coburn. Granted his salary is a bit steep but I've seen him play enough to know he's a solid vet D in all 3 zones and a guy I've seen stand tall in playoffs, OT, et c. doesn't shrink in pressure. And he's not 30 yet, so they'd have his meat years. Flyers are desperate to clear some excess $$ off of their overpriced (34 mill) D . If not him, somebody comparable by the deadline.

The Kings next 5 games have 3 vs Buff and NJ, which hopefully should net 6 points. This would be a nice time to go on a W run.

 

[Reaper45]

Trade Fraser or keep him as the HS.
Trade Regehr.
Trade Stoll.
Trade Clifford.

Hopefully from those trades we can get enough picks, prospects to acquire a steady parter for Doughty. Coburn maybe?

Keep Vey, Toffoli and Pearson up with the big club.

Brown - Kopi - Williams
Richards - Carter - Toffoli
Pearson - Lewis/Vey - Frattin
King - Vey/Lewis - Nolan
Carcillo

Doughty-Coburn
Voynov-Mitchell
Greene-Martinez
Muzzin

 

[Thrice]

Trade Fraser or keep him as the HS.
Trade Regehr.
Trade Stoll.
Trade Clifford.

Hopefully from those trades we can get enough picks, prospects to acquire a steady parter for Doughty. Coburn maybe?

Keep Vey, Toffoli and Pearson up with the big club.

Brown - Kopi - Williams
Richards - Carter - Toffoli
Pearson - Lewis/Vey - Frattin
King - Vey/Lewis - Nolan
Carcillo

Doughty-Coburn
Voynov-Mitchell
Greene-Martinez
Muzzin

Winner.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Let's not have this many days off for all the chicken little people to dwell on and over analize every little part of everyones games.

 

[sjmay*]

Lewis while i love his effort and never give up attitude is a tradeable asset. with the addition of Frattin, Lewis became expendable. the experiment of Frattin on the LW hasn't and doesn't appear it will work. his best games have been on the RW. this immediately means he is down into the #3RW spot - Lewis' spot. Frattin is an upgrade imo over Lewis in many ways, most notably offensively. #4RW spot then for Lewis? nope. i like Nolan there, big and physical. Nolan is perfect in the #4RW spot.

i would think the DL could put together a package of Stoll-Clifford and get a defensive upgrade for the immediate help. at minimum he could get a good prospect/pick for the those two to help further down the road.

Great post, but instead of trading Lewis, who is a great penalty killer, you move him into C, and Frattin on RW.

If you keep Clifford, you have a line of Clifford - Lewis - Frattin, not a bad energy line there who can pot a few.

If you trade Clifford, you slide in Pearson or Nolan, there and still, not a bad 3rd line.

 

[sjmay*]

I don't like King in the top 6 either, esp since he's not a top 6 player r and never will be but Sutter has a blind spot when it comes to King and RR and right now, he doesn't have a lot LW options. I'm sure DL is working on the LW issue, and if not sooner by the trade deadline will address that.

TT- Has shown in 1 game (leading the teams SOG with 6) that he belongs here and in the top 6. That will help, he looked very comfortable and confident in all 3 zones and meshed pretty well with Richie, who is usually is a very (patient ) good teacher for young linemates. That will get better with practice and more games.

To keep TT in the top six, you would either trade Williams or Brown for a bonafide LW, or you move Brown to LW.

I don't see any situation that Brown gets traded, and I don't think you get what you need by trading Williams, unless you package him with Martinez and a pick, but what LW's are out there ,that would A. be available, and B. fit the sytem and play in a top six,

I don't think many,

 

[theMajor]

its all about execution. i dont know if the players have lost confidence (it seems Brown has for sure), if they're just going through a mini slump or are just rusty, but if i could change one thing it'd be to have them execute. they play a fairly simple, hard-nosed game and they all know what to do in every situation but for whatever reason they just arent getting it done. this team is notorious for having early to mid-season lulls but it never gets any easier for us fans to watch

 

[Captain Mittens*]

its all about execution. i dont know if the players have lost confidence (it seems Brown has for sure)

I think Brown is still hurt

 

[deeshamrock]

To keep TT in the top six, you would either trade Williams or Brown for a bonafide LW, or you move Brown to LW.

I don't see any situation that Brown gets traded, and I don't think you get what you need by trading Williams, unless you package him with Martinez and a pick, but what LW's are out there ,that would A. be available, and B. fit the sytem and play in a top six,

I don't think many,

Neither Brown or Williams needs to be traded.

Brown is a LW and if he's not 100%, there is no problem keeping him on the 3rd line. If that wasn't the reason Sutter moved him, and Sutter moved him back at the end of the last game, he can always play LW on the 2nd line and TT can move to the first line with Kopi and Williams. It's not like Sutter doesn't have options. If the Kings do acquire a LW for the 2nd line, then TT can stay on the top line and Brown and stay on the 3rd.

 

[Fishhead]

I learned my lesson last season about worrying about this team early in the year. Since Sutter has been coach, they've shown that they've learned how to bring it. My only complaint is they don't "bring it" often enough, but it's hardly a major issue. Firing the coach who is actually getting the most out of these guys when it counts is a ridiculous notion.

Another thing I've learned is that this team plays best on the big stage. They made the WCF last year after a horrendous year of injuries, with no Mitchell at all and a rusty Greene. They beat two great teams to get there.

Minor tweaks, maybe. Drastic changes, absolutely not.

 

[Fishhead]

its all about execution. i dont know if the players have lost confidence (it seems Brown has for sure), if they're just going through a mini slump or are just rusty, but if i could change one thing it'd be to have them execute. they play a fairly simple, hard-nosed game and they all know what to do in every situation but for whatever reason they just arent getting it done. this team is notorious for having early to mid-season lulls but it never gets any easier for us fans to watch

I think this is it exactly. Everyone knows this team hasn't set the world on fire out of the gate for years now, but it still really bothers some people. I've just accepted it as a fact of life. This team isn't a speedy team that is going to tear it up in the beginning of the year as a lot of guys are still settling into the routine. This is a team that is built to win when the stakes get high and the games get intense. Here's some perspective.

After 15 games:

2011-2012: 8-4-3 for 19 pts
2012-2013: 8-4-3 for 19 pts
2013-2014: 9-6 for 18 pts

We see these same freak-out threads year in and year out and they all look the same. I stopped giving myself ulcers about season starts a while ago, I have faith that any issues that need to be addressed by DL over the season will be taken care of.

 

[sjmay*]

Neither Brown or Williams needs to be traded.

Brown is a LW and if he's not 100%, there is no problem keeping him on the 3rd line. If that wasn't the reason Sutter moved him, and Sutter moved him back at the end of the last game, he can always play LW on the 2nd line and TT can move to the first line with Kopi and Williams. It's not like Sutter doesn't have options. If the Kings do acquire a LW for the 2nd line, then TT can stay on the top line and Brown and stay on the 3rd.

TT can not play LW, that's been established, he is much much more comfortable on the right side, I don't know about Williams, and Brown can play both.

Like I said, I don't see Brown being traded and Williams you trade in a package for the right LW, all day every day.

Definition of right LW might vary, but not many are available so I don't see that happening.

As it stands, Brown on the 3rd line, then you have DWIGHT KING, Kopitar and Williams, then Richards, Carter, and Toffoli,

The only move you can make is to move King off of the 1st line, and put in Brown, and keep Toffoli on the right side,

IF Williams can play LW, then I would move him, put Toffoli there, and use Richards, Carter and Brown as a line.

 

[CowMix]

Sutter should consider rolling 7 defenseman so Muzzin only plays on the PP and when we really need a goal. Some of the 4th liners are playing less than 5 minutes a night anyway. You could even play Regehr on the 4th line a bit if needed and he can snail around doing his best Zieler impression.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think this is it exactly. Everyone knows this team hasn't set the world on fire out of the gate for years now, but it still really bothers some people. I've just accepted it as a fact of life. This team isn't a speedy team that is going to tear it up in the beginning of the year as a lot of guys are still settling into the routine. This is a team that is built to win when the stakes get high and the games get intense. Here's some perspective.

After 15 games:

2011-2012: 8-4-3 for 19 pts
2012-2013: 8-4-3 for 19 pts
2013-2014: 9-6 for 18 pts

We see these same freak-out threads year in and year out and they all look the same. I stopped giving myself ulcers about season starts a while ago, I have faith that any issues that need to be addressed by DL over the season will be taken care of.

God I love you.

Notice that most of the teams that are doing well right now are speedy teams that capitalize on mistakes in transition. Sharks, Ducks, Lightning, Avalanche, etc--these are all quick-strike offensive teams that pounce and make you pay for mistakes. The season and playoffs get more tight-checking as things move on, and those are the games this team thrives in.

I think the Sharks and Ducks at least are better than in previous years, but their paces, imo, are inflated by the sloppy hockey that is played at the beginning of the year. Avs and Lightning are going to fall to the middle of the pack/first round exit when the grind kicks in.

In contrast, we've mostly beat ourselves. It's not typical of the Kings to make stupid mistakes, take undisciplined penalties, etc.