Line Combos: Which Kings Lineup is Better?

[Sol]

It’s kinda weird that Kopitar is our number one center when he was getting eaten alive by the Oilers. Oh well.

 

[jgs]

Goaltending will cost this team. Tmac has played his cards that he really doesn't believe in Copley. If he did. Copley would have at least one start in last years playoffs but he sat him. Talbot well he has proven that he is a very unstable goaltender. I know a lot of people here have stated that the Kings don't need a great goaltender, they use Vegas as they're proof but the Kings are nowhere near built like Vegas nor coached as good as Vegas. This team needs two things to take that step to becoming Cup contenders. 1) team toughness, won't get pushed around. 2) A solid goaltender.

 

[Surf Nutz]

It’s kinda weird that Kopitar is our number one center when he was getting eaten alive by the Oilers. Oh well.

Was it him or Durzi and Edler?

Sol we need you to be the HF Boards, LA Kings Board hero, ok?
We are putting you on LTIR until April, no appearances here.

And behalf of the entire gang, thank you!

Goaltending will cost this team. Tmac has played his cards that he really doesn't believe in Copley. If he did. Copley would have at least one start in last years playoffs but he sat him. Talbot well he has proven that he is a very unstable goaltender. I know a lot of people here have stated that the Kings don't need a great goaltender, they use Vegas as they're proof but the Kings are nowhere near built like Vegas nor coached as good as Vegas. This team needs two things to take that step to becoming Cup contenders. 1) team toughness, won't get pushed around. 2) A solid goaltender.

Blake knows it, he will trade more high picks at the deadline and try to get guys that are short term and possibly extended long term answer to these weaknesses.

 

[jgs]

Was it him or Durzi and Edler?

Sol we need you to be the HF Boards, LA Kings Board hero, ok?
We are putting you on LTIR until April, no appearances here.

And behalf of the entire gang, thank you!


Blake knows it, he will trade more high picks at the deadline and try to get guys that are short term and possibly extended long term answer to these weaknesses.

Will have to create cap space for that to happen.

 

[Kurrilino]

It’s kinda weird that Kopitar is our number one center when he was getting eaten alive by the Oilers. Oh well.

This is actual issue for years.

Kopitar being our #1 center isn't showing how good Kopitar is, it shows how bad the team is.

 

[bouncesonly]

Kopitar is being dominated by opponent top guys, PLD has also proven that he has not what it takes effort and skill related and Danauld came down to his normal after the first season of over archiving.

Did you even check his stats before posting that?

Regular Season
2021-2022: 0.645 pts/game
2022-2023: 0.658 pts/game

Playoffs
2021-2022: 0.714 pts/game
2022-2023: 0.833 pts/game

 

[lexlavender]

Trevor has basically been averaging 20-25 points a season for years now. You know what you're getting with him. I'm for one excited for it. Also, have a dedicated 4th liner grinder means you can't f***ing put a kid there.

 

[tws38]

There seems to be a number of people that are suggesting the D pairs to be Anderson-Doughty, Gavrikov-Roy and some combination of Bjornfot/Englund-Clarke/Spence. I have a differing opinion on it and would like to possibly hear others’ thoughts (and I also have my doubts about Todd thinking the same).

The results over the past couple years and the moves we made would suggest that we are not merely trying to make the playoffs but be contenders. We shouldn’t (shouldn’t being the key word) be looking to squeak in. We should obviously be playing to win in the regular season too but I feel that it would be in the longer term benefit (not just future years but for this playoff too) to getting some of the younger D more meaningful playing time and letting them make mistakes in the early part of the season. I would explore the possibility of playing the top 4 guys with the younger guys and spreading it out (Clarke and Spence with Anderson or Gavrikov and Bjornfot with Doughty or Roy). It would probably even spread minutes around because if we stack the top 4, we have Englund-Clarke 3rd pair (as an example) and how much is Todd going to play that?

The NHL isn’t a development league but you can only gain experience by playing. We need these guys to be comfortable and contributing come playoff time. We have little cap room and we need them to mature into regulars.

Thoughts?

 

[Brownie to Pancakes]

You know who the coach is right?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

When in doubt, the answer is always "who's the oldest?"

And if the answer to that question results in a player under 25, rest assured he will be played out of position until a trade for a 25+ player can be made.

 

[Kingsfan1]

2023-2024 Kings:
Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe
Fiala-Dubois-Kaliyev
Moore-Danault-Arvidsson
Anderson-Dolan-Lizotte-Grundstrom/Fagemo

Anderson-Doughty
Gavrikov-Clarke/Spence
Bjornfot-Roy

OR

2022-2023 Kings:
Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe
Moore-Danault-Arvidsson
Fiala-Lizotte-Vilardi
Iafallo-Kupari-MacEwen/Grundstrom/Anderson-Dolan

Anderson-Doughty
Gavrikov-Roy
Edler-Durzi/Walker

For once my prediction for a lineup might turn out to be the correct one come opening day . However i do see the lineup different than what you have currently posted.
I believe the lineup will be :

Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe
Fiala-Dubois-Arvidsson
Moore-Danault-Kaliyev
Grundstrom-Lizotte-Lewis
Jad,Fagemo

Anderson-Doughty
Gavrikov-Roy
Bjornfot-Clarke
Englund

Talbot
Copley

And my opinion is this team is better with players slotting into their correct roles

 

[tws38]

You know who the coach is right?

I did mention that I don’t necessarily think Todd would think the same. It was just a thought that I wished to pass it by everyone.

Putting my somber realist hat back on, if we do take Arvidsson off the Danault line, I wouldn’t be surprised if Todd puts Lewis there in his place.

 

[Rorschach]

There seems to be a number of people that are suggesting the D pairs to be Anderson-Doughty, Gavrikov-Roy and some combination of Bjornfot/Englund-Clarke/Spence. I have a differing opinion on it and would like to possibly hear others’ thoughts (and I also have my doubts about Todd thinking the same).

The results over the past couple years and the moves we made would suggest that we are not merely trying to make the playoffs but be contenders. We shouldn’t (shouldn’t being the key word) be looking to squeak in. We should obviously be playing to win in the regular season too but I feel that it would be in the longer term benefit (not just future years but for this playoff too) to getting some of the younger D more meaningful playing time and letting them make mistakes in the early part of the season. I would explore the possibility of playing the top 4 guys with the younger guys and spreading it out (Clarke and Spence with Anderson or Gavrikov and Bjornfot with Doughty or Roy). It would probably even spread minutes around because if we stack the top 4, we have Englund-Clarke 3rd pair (as an example) and how much is Todd going to play that?

The NHL isn’t a development league but you can only gain experience by playing. We need these guys to be comfortable and contributing come playoff time. We have little cap room and we need them to mature into regulars.

Thoughts?

The commonly accepted thought of pairings will result in a possibly horrific 3rd pair. No point in signing Gav if we can’t take advantage of sticking, say, a RHs PMD rookie like Clarke next to him and putting veteran Roy on 3rd pair as a stabilizer with like Spence or Bjornfot.

 

[Lt Dan]

I went through the Kings trades this year and couldn't find a 70 point center.
Did i miss something?

He's from the future.

 

[Kurrilino]

There seems to be a number of people that are suggesting the D pairs to be Anderson-Doughty, Gavrikov-Roy and some combination of Bjornfot/Englund-Clarke/Spence. I have a differing opinion on it and would like to possibly hear others’ thoughts (and I also have my doubts about Todd thinking the same).

The results over the past couple years and the moves we made would suggest that we are not merely trying to make the playoffs but be contenders. We shouldn’t (shouldn’t being the key word) be looking to squeak in. We should obviously be playing to win in the regular season too but I feel that it would be in the longer term benefit (not just future years but for this playoff too) to getting some of the younger D more meaningful playing time and letting them make mistakes in the early part of the season. I would explore the possibility of playing the top 4 guys with the younger guys and spreading it out (Clarke and Spence with Anderson or Gavrikov and Bjornfot with Doughty or Roy). It would probably even spread minutes around because if we stack the top 4, we have Englund-Clarke 3rd pair (as an example) and how much is Todd going to play that?

The NHL isn’t a development league but you can only gain experience by playing. We need these guys to be comfortable and contributing come playoff time. We have little cap room and we need them to mature into regulars.

Thoughts?

As much as i support your thought process, we are living in reality,
where the Kings resigned a 37 year old a signed a 36 year old while trading away a 24 and 23 year old.

Also being a cup contender is pure fan fiction written by Mr. Blake
At this point it doesn't matter at all who we are playing and when.

The next 3 years are gone with Kopitar and Doughty as center pieces and contracts of young guys run out at exactly this time.
They will look for other teams and leave and we are back to square one trying to rebuild without the required high draft picks available since we orbit the black hole of spot #8 in the foreseeable future.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The commonly accepted thought of pairings will result in a possibly horrific 3rd pair. No point in signing Gav if we can’t take advantage of sticking, say, a RHs PMD rookie like Clarke next to him and putting veteran Roy on 3rd pair as a stabilizer with like Spence or Bjornfot.

Sort of agree and in theory you could unite Roy-Gav when it's time to lock it down near the end of the game

but in reality Bjornfot-Roy was a pairing that got pushed around a lot, the problem of having 15 3D printed versions of the same average sized dude

 

[lumbergh]

Sort of agree and in theory you could unite Roy-Gav when it's time to lock it down near the end of the game

but in reality Bjornfot-Roy was a pairing that got pushed around a lot, the problem of having 15 3D printed versions of the same average sized dude

In reality Bjornfot-Roy pushed around the opponent in very limited even strength time last season, with the Kings outshooting their opponents 11-4 in the 18 minutes they had together. Over the past three seasons the Bjornfot-Roy pairing has been okay, kinda treading water, right around 50% in all categories.

Bjornfot-Roy would probably would make a fine 3rd pairing, but the Roy-Gav pairing is way too good to split up.

 

[neelynugs]

beyond fagemo, you guys see anyone giving a legit push for a spot up front? turcotte obviously with the injuries needs
just to play, but any other darkhorse guys?

 

[King'sPawn]

beyond fagemo, you guys see anyone giving a legit push for a spot up front? turcotte obviously with the injuries needs
just to play, but any other darkhorse guys?

Kaliyev has to get more than bottom-6 ice time. Fagemo would be second. Jaret Anderson-Dolan (JAD as we call him) has spent most of his career in the bottom-six. I doubt he'll push for more time up front, but if someone will be moved around, he's a good candidate too.

Along with Turcotte, Akil Thomas needs to get some reps in as well. He's had several injuries the past couple years, including double shoulder surgery.

 

[psych3man]

Along with Turcotte, Akil Thomas needs to get some reps in as well. He's had several injuries the past couple years, including double shoulder surgery.

Does that put him on double secret shoulder probation?

 

[Surf Nutz]

Kaliyev has to get more than bottom-6 ice time. Fagemo would be second. Jaret Anderson-Dolan (JAD as we call him) has spent most of his career in the bottom-six. I doubt he'll push for more time up front, but if someone will be moved around, he's a good candidate too.

Along with Turcotte, Akil Thomas needs to get some reps in as well. He's had several injuries the past couple years, including double shoulder surgery.

L1 n L2 same
Fiala - PBJ - Cali-yev
Grundy - Lizoo- T Lew
JAD

 

[All The Kings Men]

PBJ

no.

 

[Surf Nutz]

no.

Pierre Luc Dudebrah?

 

[chris kontos]

I actually like the Kings moving these young centers a quick look at C.
Then when its obvious they are not ready for that much responsibility , move them to wing.
After they break out you move them to C when one is injured, in poor form or you have an easy matchup.
It's risky though because if a key player is injured a youngster will suddenly be thrust into more minutes and expected to fill some big shoes.

Smoke another joint

 

[johnjm22]

beyond fagemo, you guys see anyone giving a legit push for a spot up front? turcotte obviously with the injuries needs
just to play, but any other darkhorse guys?

Can we have Bussi?