Prospect Info: Tie-Breaker: Los Angeles Kings Top Prospect Rankings - #2

[Raccoon Jesus]

To me there is more to be said about a guy playing against vs a guy not playing

Fair, but I watched Vilardi absolutely manhandle some AHLers in person too.

If he's healthy, he can step right into the NHL based on what I've seen. Kupari? Not so sure.

 

[YP44]

Fair, but I watched Vilardi absolutely manhandle some AHLers in person too.

If he's healthy, he can step right into the NHL based on what I've seen. Kupari? Not so sure.

If wish and buts were .....

At the end of the day it is a good discussion to have. If Vilardi never returns to 100% I think having Kupari in the system helps to soften that blow.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

If wish and buts were .....

At the end of the day it is a good discussion to have. If Vilardi never returns to 100% I think having Kupari in the system helps to soften that blow.

But they're also wishes and hopes for Kupari as well.

It's this smug certainty that I take issue with, not the criticism of Vilardi's health.

But agreed on the prospect depth. I do think they're totally different types of players though.

 

[YP44]

But they're also wishes and hopes for Kupari as well.

It's this smug certainty that I take issue with, not the criticism of Vilardi's health.

not trying to be smug but everything I have read on Kupari is that he is on the path to be an NHL regular as a top 6 forward. When Vilardi was drafted he was seen as a top 3 forward. Top 3>Top 6 so obviously benefit to Vilardi. However given the crickets on his health I would rather have the guy trending as a top 6 opposed to the guy who could ocme back 100% and return as an eventual top 3, or could be a top 6/9, could constantly have injury issues and not play.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Vilardi doesn’t even exist to me as a Kings prospect until he puts together a full season. Kid hasn’t attended a single f***ing development camp and people are calling him a top prospect? Ffs

 

[lumbergh]

Really excited to see and hear more of Kupari next season. He has gamebreaking talent, skill, and speed, which the Kings have sorely missed for years. But that talent won't translate if he can't play a strong team game on a smaller ice surface.

I'm personally looking forward to a Kupari-Kempe-Wagner line. Boy that would be fun to watch, so long as they can get the puck out of their own zone with speed.

 

[LB]

Vilardi doesn’t even exist to me as a Kings prospect until he puts together a full season. Kid hasn’t attended a single ****ing development camp and people are calling him a top prospect? Ffs

to be fair, he did attend development camp in 2018...but yeah he's not much of a prospect until we know that he can actually play hockey again.

 

[kilowatt]

I guess I’m just more optimistic than everyone else. He was healthy enough to play last season, judging by the fact that he did. He obviously wasn’t 100%, and given that he is one of our top three prospects, it’s clear that his path to recovery is “take some time off to heal”.

It seems like many of you are arguing that because we haven’t heard any news, he may never play again. I’d argue the opposite - there’s no news because there’s nothing to report. He’s taking his time to get healthy. If we’re talking about this next offseason and we haven’t heard anything, we might have a problem. Until then, I think we’ll see him in a Kings/Reign uniform at some point this year and I’m really excited about it.

 

[kings11]

Vilardi doesn’t even exist to me as a Kings prospect until he puts together a full season. Kid hasn’t attended a single ****ing development camp and people are calling him a top prospect? Ffs

You’re funny Richie.. but I give a rats ass about “development camp”, the kid missed half a season then completely destroyed junior season and carried his team to the playoffs... last season was a complete bust yet in the 4 AHL games he was clearly superior to anyone on the ice and was by all reports one of the best at the team Canada camp...
got news for you, he’s absolutely a top prospect and he’s still ranked in many top 100 rankings so I’ll take those opinions over your emphasis on a f***en camp...

 

[SettlementRichie10]

You’re funny Richie.. but I give a rats ass about “development camp”, the kid missed half a season then completely destroyed junior season and carried his team to the playoffs... last season was a complete bust yet in the 4 AHL games he was clearly superior to anyone on the ice and was by all reports one of the best at the team Canada camp...
got news for you, he’s absolutely a top prospect and he’s still ranked in many top 100 rankings so I’ll take those opinions over your emphasis on a ****en camp...

I’m really happy a four game sample size in the AHL is enough for convince you of Vilardi’s future HOF career. A four game sample size is nothing. Justin Azevedo looked like the second coming of Theo Fleury for four game stretches at times.

Look, man, no one wants to magically heal Vilardi’s back more than me. A future one two punch of Vilardi-Turcotte would by itself likely secure a half decade of contention for this franchise. But this team cannot operate under the prayer that he will turn into this amazing top center in the NHL when he hasn’t even sniffed the NHL.

It doesn’t matter where he could be or should be. Eric Lindros COULD have been the best player of a generation. Coulda woulda shoulda.

The reality is Vilardi has missed an entire year of development, which by itself is a huge setback for a prospect, nevermind the fact he clearly has the back strength of a 90lb Russian cosmonaut.