LA KINGS 2023/4 Regular season discussion

[johnjm22]

 

[Kingfan1967]

Such an LA thing , have a great Home Ice record , but not have Home Ice for the PO's.

 

[Telos]

By far the most topsy turvy team in recent memory. They lack any and all consistency outside of like the PK and then consistently folding to Edmonton or Dallas At this point is it just sitting back and witnessing it all in its full glory no matter what may come, but hopefully that is a regime change this summer, or a miraculous - no one knows what the f*** happened - Stanley Cup win

 

[Reaper45]

Hey what happened to the vato that used to do the playoff odds and magic numbers?

Hans where you at?

 

[bland]

3-3 against playoff teams - 7 games against non-playoff opponents.

But sure, yay numbers.

 

[Little Psycho]

Happy anniversary y’all! Thanks for consistently giving us first round exits. *cries*

 

[Nasti]

3-3 against playoff teams - 7 games against non-playoff opponents.

But sure, yay numbers.

Do these count as advanced stats?

 

[King'sPawn]

Do these count as advanced stats?

Expected Win per 60 aka xW/60

 

[bland]

I think it also needs to be noted that Danault has had a disappointing offensive season as well. Has spent the year playing with a 30 goal scorer yet won't crack the 50 point level. He is only slightly ahead of Dubois, and I think that disaster has saved him from some pretty fair criticism.

 

[kilowatt]

I think it also needs to be noted that Danault has had a disappointing offensive season as well. Has spent the year playing with a 30 goal scorer yet won't crack the 50 point level. He is only slightly ahead of Dubois, and I think that disaster has saved him from some pretty fair criticism.

Only because Dubois didn’t step into the 2C role. Yes he’s been disappointing but Danault has been on the Jarret Stoll trajectory since he got here. Great player, should have been pushed down the lineup. 40+ points from your 3C would be just fine.

 

[Statto]

I think it also needs to be noted that Danault has had a disappointing offensive season as well. Has spent the year playing with a 30 goal scorer yet won't crack the 50 point level. He is only slightly ahead of Dubois, and I think that disaster has saved him from some pretty fair criticism.

I agree. It’s one of the reasons I have advocated moving him now, whilst he still has decent value and a moveable contract. Byfield slides to C with Turcotte and Thomas at least able to play 4C and perhaps further up the lineup (I’d move on from Lizotte also). It may not be as solid through the middle (depending on Byfield’s growth) but would free up cap space for elsewhere.

If they kept one of QB or Byfield on the wing then there will be FA or trade options for 3C… either way it’s time to move on from a player who has served us well.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Also when Danault isn't scoring he's playing hockey, not tiddlywinks

I used to name my fantasy teams 'off in the woods' so you could 'beat off in the woods' when I lost

Pierre is always doing that

 

[Sol]

didn’t the Kings acquire Danault to be a defensive center? Danault has “escaped” criticism because his acquisition wasn’t based upon production. If you want to complain then I nominate Jordan Spence who’s lost on defense but his offense isn’t nearly good enough to make up for his headless chicken moments.

And you know what? f*** Matt Roy. Guaranteed one goal a game where he’s cucked in a corner just watching and covering no one while the offensman has their way with the goalie unimpeded.

 

[Schmooley]

didn’t the Kings acquire Danault to be a defensive center? Danault has “escaped” criticism because his acquisition wasn’t based upon production. If you want to complain then I nominate Jordan Spence who’s lost on defense but his offense isn’t nearly good enough to make up for his headless chicken moments.

And you know what? f*** Matt Roy. Guaranteed one goal a game where he’s cucked in a corner just watching and covering no one while the offensman has their way with the goalie unimpeded.

Roy and Spence have their moments for sure. But if you want to nitpick you can f*** the entire roster pretty much besides Kempe right now.
Kings didnt acquire Danault to be a defensive center. He signed here because he was going to get more offensive opportunity. They blocked the #2 center position from a whole slew of centers from tank year draft picks for Danaults superiority and he isnt scoring goals.

 

[bland]

Only because Dubois didn’t step into the 2C role. Yes he’s been disappointing but Danault has been on the Jarret Stoll trajectory since he got here. Great player, should have been pushed down the lineup. 40+ points from your 3C would be just fine.

It doesn't really matter what is supposed to happen. Danault has been the #2c all year, spent the majority of the time with the team's top goal scorer and the last month plus with Fiala. He has not played well this year and has to be included among the bigger disappointments of the season.

He isn't a checking line center here. If he was playing with Laferriere and Grundstrom, Lewis, etc., sure, then maybe you can look at it from that perspective. But when you have a team with $25 million of top three centers and the grand total of production is this pitiful - AND you keep drafting offensive centers but don't play them in those spots, you aren't going to accomplish anything.

 

[Kudelski37]

I think it also needs to be noted that Danault has had a disappointing offensive season as well. Has spent the year playing with a 30 goal scorer yet won't crack the 50 point level. He is only slightly ahead of Dubois, and I think that disaster has saved him from some pretty fair criticism.

His decrease in points from last year is strictly a decline in power play assists. He has roughly half an hour less pp time this year, a drop of ~20%. Arvidsson's injury, the loss of Vilardi and Durzi, and the addition of PLD all play a part in the struggles for power play assists. It reminds me of baseball players having a drop in RBI when players hitting in front of them stop getting on base.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Oh please.

Danault, despite the 2nd hardest offensive zone starts on the team and 2nd most PK minutes, has the best shot differentials, 2nd best goal differential, and generating AND suppressing high danger chances at the top rates on the team.

Much like Kopitar of old, he's not scoring oodles, but he's blackholing the competition as well and is a net positive and that's despite typically getting the toughest matchups night after night.

We'd like more production, sure, but the guy is an absolute force out there, blackholing the opposition. THAT is his job.

Even mentioning him int he same breath as PLD should get you smote by the hockey gods. PLD is getting smushed in minutes vs AHLers.

 

[tny760]

yeah i'm not with the danault criticism, at all

the guy is nails defensively and drives play consistently on (compared to the rest of the team) the hardest deployments against the best competition. that's fact, not opinion

he's being paid less, worked harder, and continues to do his job. literal definition of a steady eddy. a few secondary assists? who cares when he contributes what he does. and we're not even talking intangibles

His decrease in points from last year is strictly a decline in power play assists. He has roughly half an hour less pp time this year, a drop of ~20%. Arvidsson's injury, the loss of Vilardi and Durzi, and the addition of PLD all play a part in the struggles for power play assists. It reminds me of baseball players having a drop in RBI when players hitting in front of them stop getting on base.

and that's literally as simple as "second unit never get reps". hiller's been totally comfortable letting the first unit play catch for 2 minutes every PP

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

gosh, that chart shows, if anything, the Laf/PLD pairing is the story of the season of unfufilled potential

I mean bless Laf he's a rookie and the effort is there

but if there's any starker chart showing how PLD has us in this mess, i'd be shocked

The theory was sound--go out and get a guy who could crush those minutes since we have 'tough matchup' guys galore

but then....lol

 

[Statto]

Also when Danault isn't scoring he's playing hockey, not tiddlywinks

I used to name my fantasy teams 'off in the woods' so you could 'beat off in the woods' when I lost

Pierre is always doing that

Which I why he is relatively easy to move for a good return. I’m not saying we should move him because he’s poor or anything like that, but we may have had his peak offensive year. So it feels like time to sell high (before his value drops), something we/you/I often complain we do not do.

It’s simply that we need to get some more cap flexibility plus get some assets back, make room for Thomas/Turcotte etc. Something has to give and moving or buying out PLD is highly unlikely. Whereas Danault would return assets and help upgrade us in other areas.

In a vacuum I take Danault over PLD every day, but we aren’t in a vaccine.

 

[johnjm22]

Increasingly likely Edmonton takes the division.

LA would be in a really good spot to take advantage and get Vancouver in round 1 had they not lost that stupid game to Anaheim.

 

[AbsentMojo]

His decrease in points from last year is strictly a decline in power play assists. He has roughly half an hour less pp time this year, a drop of ~20%. Arvidsson's injury, the loss of Vilardi and Durzi, and the addition of PLD all play a part in the struggles for power play assists. It reminds me of baseball players having a drop in RBI when players hitting in front of them stop getting on base.

And to emphasize your point .. I like to look at 5x5 scoring to compare seasons. He's actually doing better this season:

 

[Schrute farms]

If they kept one of QB or Byfield on the wing...

 

[Kingfan1967]

Maybe LA can go with a 2 coach system, Hiller at Home and McLellan on the Road?

 

[johnjm22]

I don't think Danault has played his best hockey. He's capable of playing better IMO. But still solid overall.

He gets the benefit of the doubt. PLD doesn't. Danault has elevated his game significantly in the playoffs as well. He'll need to do that again.