LA Kings All Things PLD

[Dexter]

 

[Clif]

Another good interview. Thoughtful guy. Re: his trades, I’m not overly concerned. I don’t love the CLB situation, but WPG is no different than what Tkachuk did. At least they were honest and helped their teams get a haul for them.

Besides, if you had to poll NHL players on where they’d least like to play, WPG and CLB might just rank one and two. Jeff Carter wasn’t too happy about going to CLB. When he got to LA he had a new lease on life and played the most complete hockey of his career.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Another good interview. Thoughtful guy. Re: his trades, I’m not overly concerned. I don’t love the CLB situation, but WPG is no different than what Tkachuk did. At least they were honest and helped their teams get a haul for them.

Besides, if you had to poll NHL players on where they’d least like to play, WPG and CLB might just rank one and two. Jeff Carter wasn’t too happy about going to CLB. When he got to LA he had a new lease on life and played the most complete hockey of his career.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a player being honest about where he does and doesn’t want to play.

On the rare occasion you get guys who want smaller market teams for their own personal reasons.

Fantilli gets wish of getting drafted by Blue Jackets

Adam Fantilli manifested his way to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected him with the No. 3 pick at the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Wednesday. Back in May, the University of Michigan forward told the NHL the team he wanted to go to most was the Blue Jackets.

www.nhl.com

Hell for the majority of LA Kings history the only people who actually wanted to play in LA were bums like Jeremy Roenick who looked at it like semi-retirement.

 

[Dirtweazle]

I do like how Blake the last two seasons found his guy and got it done early with Fiala and PLD. Both of those level of players do not come around often. Act quick or stay on the pot. something like that. But i still think it a bit odd going for a C instead of G and LD like we all figured. Mabey that was the plan but PLD became available and plan C became an A.

I'm thinking their are multi levels with the PLD trade.

1) Gabe was drafted high as an expected 1/2C. IIRC foot speed in the Pros (AHL) was a problem so the switch to wing happened. This was the writing on the wall in my opinion. Kings still needed a 1/2C. Reoccurring Injuries did not help. His slow blooming up until last year was negatively notable. Also I do remember a report early on he had a bit of a silver spoon attitude regarding TOI.

2) Still waiting on Gabes arbitration. What can he ask for? Blake had to have known an idea what he may have wanted. Balance a 4M Gabe + 4M Iafallo >< 8.5M PLD ? I take a 1/2C vs a 2/3W and a 3W all day and twice on game day.

3) By doing this trade this opens up 2ish spots for some young players we all have been wanting to get their chance on the lines they should be in. Kaliyev hopefully is tried in 2RW but can drop back to 3RW. Just keep his talent off the 4th. He needs a high talented C.
Also gives more room for any of the top guys in Ontario to get more than the cup-o-tea.

4) PLD is the 1/2C Kings have tried to draft. But he is this now. Waiting in the AHL is Turcotte for hopefully that 2C.

 

[kingsjohn]

I liked the trade and a like it more each time i see a PLD interview

His Dad being a coach makes me wonder how much his dad was involved in influencing him to get out-of Lumbus and Winnipeg.

You have to figure that Blake talked to Gavrikov and anyone else that knows PLD at length.

How cool is it that the Kings finally have a great reputation among the players WANT to play and WANT to be in the organization because of how well the players are treated and looked after.

 

[Statue4Deano]

I liked the trade and a like it more each time i see a PLD interview

His Dad being a coach makes me wonder how much his dad was involved in influencing him to get out-of Lumbus and Winnipeg.

You have to figure that Blake talked to Gavrikov and anyone else that knows PLD at length.

How cool is it that the Kings finally have a great reputation among the players WANT to play and WANT to be in the organization because of how well the players are treated and looked after.

Great point about his father’s influence. It makes total sense that a guy like PLD would crave the stability of a city/situation where he wants to be long term vs. shorter term deals considering how he was raised.

Being the son of a career minor league pro hockey player/coach gave PLD unique insight into different cities, countries, cultures and lifestyles. He chose LA for reasons beyond money. The reality is he could’ve gotten the same contract from many different teams.

I just hope he continues to grow as a player and learns how to become a champion.

 

[Clif]

I liked the trade and a like it more each time i see a PLD interview

His Dad being a coach makes me wonder how much his dad was involved in influencing him to get out-of Lumbus and Winnipeg.

You have to figure that Blake talked to Gavrikov and anyone else that knows PLD at length.

How cool is it that the Kings finally have a great reputation among the players WANT to play and WANT to be in the organization because of how well the players are treated and looked after.

The maturity level in the PLD interviews contrasted with Gabe’s WPG media scrum post-trade is striking.

 

[kingsjohn]

The maturity level in the PLD interviews contrasted with Gabe’s WPG media scrum post-trade is striking.

Great point.
Your point gave me the idea to google their bdays
PLD isn't that much older than Gabe, but IMO, much more mature.

But to be fair, this is PLD's 3rd team that it was the first time Gabe was traded and he was probably a little butthurt

 

[waynet]

Great point.
Your point gave me the idea to google their bdays
PLD isn't that much older than Gabe, but IMO, much more mature.

But to be fair, this is PLD's 3rd team that it was the first time Gabe was traded and he was probably a little butthurt

Regarding last point, was thinking the same. The trade had to be disappointing for Vilardi, who had finally reached a stable 2/3W position with the Kings. Might be expected that his first public interview wouldn't be sunshine and roses. OTOH, PLD wanted to escape WPG and LA was one target destination, sunshine and roses in abundance.

Will be interesting to see if PLD is part of the #1PP.

 

[DarkLeftHand]

The maturity level in the PLD interviews contrasted with Gabe’s WPG media scrum post-trade is striking.

As a few posters of said above, let’s not lose sight of the fact that one of these guys is escaping the barren frozen wastes of Canada, while the other guy is being shipped there.

On the other hand, while I didn’t necessarily buy into the attitude stuff that was tossed around a year or two ago regarding Vilardi, I did note that he has sort of a smarmy personality. Always has that snide, sarcastic sort of retort when asked a question. Maybe it’s just how he grew up communicating in his family or whatever, but you can detect it if you watch any of his interviews.

 

[hokiecat]

Vilardi signed with Winnipeg for 2 years at 3.44AAV. So much for the speculation that he'd be playing hardball in negotiations.

 

[Bollocks]

Vilardi signed with Winnipeg for 2 years at 3.44AAV. So much for the speculation that he'd be playing hardball in negotiations.

That's a good bridge deal. It seems Rob was hell bent on getting PLD regardless of potential price for Gabe. What can I say...he's willing to risk it for the biscuit. We'll see if there are going to be enough biscuits for us to be happy.

 

[Sultanic]

This is a player with 90 point skill but 60 point effort.

There are an awful lot of people here that are going to chest pumping when he is at a ppg pace until January, followed by a less than .5 ppg pace to close out the year where the others break out their "told you so's".

Dubois is NOT a certainty here, he is still very much a player that needs to make changes to his approach to the game to justify the kind of contract he was given. Based on his career up to this point, he has not even come close to deserving this type of commitment.

Dubois and Fiala are Dave Taylor era acquisitions: diet stars who are made available for a reason that are celebrated as major acquisitions. They aren't needle movers, just talented players and not cornerstones.

This team is weaker than the one that finished the playoffs. Worse in net, worse on the wing, Englund is worse than any of the three defensemen who left, and they contracted themselves into a corner where any non-LTIR injury that comes up will see the team struggling to even be able to ice a full compliment of players.

I could see the argument for this off-season if the Kings were looking from going from the 2nd round into contention, but they cannot even win a round with this group. Its just poor management.

 

[AngelEyes]

This is a player with 90 point skill but 60 point effort.

There are an awful lot of people here that are going to chest pumping when he is at a ppg pace until January, followed by a less than .5 ppg pace to close out the year where the others break out their "told you so's".

Dubois is NOT a certainty here, he is still very much a player that needs to make changes to his approach to the game to justify the kind of contract he was given. Based on his career up to this point, he has not even come close to deserving this type of commitment.

Dubois and Fiala are Dave Taylor era acquisitions: diet stars who are made available for a reason that are celebrated as major acquisitions. They aren't needle movers, just talented players and not cornerstones.

This team is weaker than the one that finished the playoffs. Worse in net, worse on the wing, Englund is worse than any of the three defensemen who left, and they contracted themselves into a corner where any non-LTIR injury that comes up will see the team struggling to even be able to ice a full compliment of players.

I could see the argument for this off-season if the Kings were looking from going from the 2nd round into contention, but they cannot even win a round with this group. Its just poor management.

Fiala is not a needle-mover??? I'm not sure you and I watched the same Fiala last season.

I will agree that Fiala is not a "cornerstone", but in general, "cornerstones" are not found on the wing. There are exceptions of course (Ovi, Guy, The Rocket), but they are uncommon.

 

[Sultanic]

Fiala is not a needle-mover??? I'm not sure you and I watched the same Fiala last season.

I will agree that Fiala is not a "cornerstone", but in general, "cornerstones" are not found on the wing. There are exceptions of course (Ovi, Guy, The Rocket), but they are uncommon.

The Kings actually played better hockey both in the regular season and playoffs without Fiala in the lineup. He is a player whose actual influence on the game is less than the stats he contributes. Minnesota didn't miss a beat without him.

He is a one man band with poor defensive awareness, takes needless hot-headed penalties and dives far, far too often. He is flashy, extremely skilled, has world class side to side movement and outstanding puck skills. But, there are reasons why he doesn't mesh with his teams other best players and does better with lesser talent that defers to him. He is a first line talent that simply cannot play on anybody's actual first line. He is more productive than problematic, but he isn't the kind of player you build around.

Like Dubois, he is in the bottom tier of "star" type players.

 

[Statue4Deano]

This is a player with 90 point skill but 60 point effort.

There are an awful lot of people here that are going to chest pumping when he is at a ppg pace until January, followed by a less than .5 ppg pace to close out the year where the others break out their "told you so's".

Dubois is NOT a certainty here, he is still very much a player that needs to make changes to his approach to the game to justify the kind of contract he was given. Based on his career up to this point, he has not even come close to deserving this type of commitment.

Dubois and Fiala are Dave Taylor era acquisitions: diet stars who are made available for a reason that are celebrated as major acquisitions. They aren't needle movers, just talented players and not cornerstones.

This team is weaker than the one that finished the playoffs. Worse in net, worse on the wing, Englund is worse than any of the three defensemen who left, and they contracted themselves into a corner where any non-LTIR injury that comes up will see the team struggling to even be able to ice a full compliment of players.

I could see the argument for this off-season if the Kings were looking from going from the 2nd round into contention, but they cannot even win a round with this group. Its just poor management.

The Kings have forced the Oilers to play 13 out of a possible 14 playoff games over the last two meetings. Did they get out of the 1st round. No. The Oilers were one of the elite teams in the West both years and the Kings were not steam rolled like everyone expected. The Kings are contenders with a bit of luck from the injury gods.

Disagree with your claim that the roster is weaker on Defense but I can see that argument. However if you’re going to claim the Kings are weaker in net than last year you’re going to have to show your work on that one.

 

[Statue4Deano]

Fiala is not a needle-mover??? I'm not sure you and I watched the same Fiala last season.

I will agree that Fiala is not a "cornerstone", but in general, "cornerstones" are not found on the wing. There are exceptions of course (Ovi, Guy, The Rocket), but they are uncommon.

100% agree. It’s a bit silly to claim Fiala doesn’t move the needle when his offensive production is undeniable and beyond that the eye test says the guy is the one player on the entire roster who is capable of generating high quality offensive chances by himself.

 

[symbology]

100% agree. It’s a bit silly to claim Fiala doesn’t move the needle when his offensive production is undeniable and beyond that the eye test says the guy is the one player on the entire roster who is capable of generating high quality offensive chances by himself.

I think some are longing for the days when the team would surround JQ and just play defense. Try to out muscle the other team and win games 2-1. There is to much speed and skill in the game today. The Kings need Fiala, or a player like him. Is he perfect, no. But in the early part of the season before Kopi and Kempe started to play with QB, Fiala was the guy we needed to generate offense. (Vilardi helped as well).

People complain that last year PLD was a PPG player until he was injured. I do not hear them complain of Kopitar sucking through December.

If Vilardi could have been had for 3.5 mil per, I question this trade even more. Will have to wait and see what PLD brings next year.

 

[DRice]

I think some are longing for the days when the team would surround JQ and just play defense. Try to out muscle the other team and win games 2-1. There is to much speed and skill in the game today. The Kings need Fiala, or a player like him. Is he perfect, no. But in the early part of the season before Kopi and Kempe started to play with QB, Fiala was the guy we needed to generate offense. (Vilardi helped as well).

People complain that last year PLD was a PPG player until he was injured. I do not hear them complain of Kopitar sucking through December.

If Vilardi could have been had for 3.5 mil per, I question this trade even more. Will have to wait and see what PLD brings next year.

After 17 season with Kopitar, we have come to expect the mid-season vanishing act.

 

[kingsjohn]

After 17 season with Kopitar, we have come to expect the mid-season vanishing act.

Indeed

I guess we can only hope that Todd (finally) lowers his ice time this season with PLD in the fold.
Hopefully we run three first lines and he really uses this depth to our advantage *


*note I said hopefully