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Ice24
Lurker
1/2 of the season to go, there is plenty of time to pull the plug.
Bollocks
Top Forward
Things are looking up, though.
I get a feeling many people here are STILL pissed about Rob's betrayal decades ago and are just waiting to bash him any chance they get...
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cokingsfan
Lurker
50 points halfway through, sinking ship? Nothing ever changes here does it.
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LAKingSteve
Lurker
Rob gets fired IF Turcotte, Byfield and Clarke don't pan out meaning his scouts aren't nearly as good at everyone thought they were. This team could have had Stutzle, Zegras and McTavish...all making an impact on their teams TODAY. I really haven't played that card so far but I'm definitely starting to get concerned about 2 of those picks.
I'm still hopeful for Byfield, very optimistic about Clarke but Turcotte is likely a lost cause (no fault of his own).
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DryKing
Power Forward
Valid point minus McTavish who was selected 3rd overall (we had the 7th pick that year), however I will counter you with this: 2019: Bjornfot (1st round), Kaliyev (2nd round), Spence (4th round) all have made impacts in the NHL to this point. Additionally 2020 Faber (2nd round) led to us acquiring our top forward this season, so that is also a sizable impact. Scouting was not the reason behind the struggles Turcotte has had as no scout can predict injures. Turcotte was the right choice at the time, whether or not he pans out. As good as Stutzle is he will not compare to Byfield if Byfield realizes his full potential - whether or not that happens is yet to be seen, but again scouting was solid and knew they were getting a project with the potential of being a huge home run or a strike out. It's like they say, you can't win the lottery without playing and each franchise needs to roll the dice to get a big impact player like Byfield could turn out to be. Neither draft choice, even if both flame out, get Blake fired.
Reality is Blake has done a very good job of building our roster from the trash bin it was to the high talent unit it is now. There are still holes to fill and maturity needed, but Blake has the assets to make a deal and fill the holes when the right deal comes around or he is ready to pull the trigger.
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LAKingSteve
Lurker
Yeah, agree with your points as well and forgot about McTavish. I still want to see how the guys you mentioned pan out. My concern is that they will all be "good" players but given all of the draft picks, did we get any superstars. Time will tell.
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JayWells24
Lurker
Yes, I am still upset about him turning down the Kings offer and then signing with Colorado in the off season for less money. Only thing that will erase that is if he brings a Cup to LA as GM!
Go Kings Go!!
This.
I will say that zegras was one of those evaluations that had they done it, they would have been on track faster but not necessarily progressed. The big moment for me was toby over kaliyev, i would still bet dollars to pesos that kaliyev gets drafted first, but it was important to the culture that it happened the other way and thats what chaps my ass
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DarkLeftHand
Lurker
Honestly, I am not so sure about Zegras, as he seems like style over substance, but Cozens and Boldy in particular seem like players who have the skill, and will also provide that substance come playoff time after they fully develop.
DryKing
Power Forward
Yeah Cozens burns especially as he was the player I thought the Kings were going to draft originally (and at least at some point had interest in) - but I don't think anyone really expected Turcotte to be available at 5.
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emsomaso
Lurker
Personally, I would take a huge center that takes 3-5 years to develop over a small sized winger that develops faster EVERY day of the week!!! Small and skilled wingers can be had via trades (see Fiala), big talented centers very, very rarely gets traded.
Would I have liked Byfield to put up more points at this moment of his development curve, yes of course! But he has had his struggles with injuries, so it isn’t the least surprising that it takes longer for him to arrive. And I have really liked with I’ve seen since he got promoted to Kopitar and Kempes’s line. Even if that is as a wing, I’m sure Kings see him as a center in the long run.
If Byfield still hasn’t taken the steps after this and the next season, then I will be worried. But not today, just see Tage Thompson as an exemple of how long it takes to develop huge centers. It is difficult for sure, but the rewards when they arrive are way bigger that what you get from drafting small wingers!
Would I have liked Byfield to put up more points at this moment of his development curve, yes of course! But he has had his struggles with injuries, so it isn’t the least surprising that it takes longer for him to arrive. And I have really liked with I’ve seen since he got promoted to Kopitar and Kempes’s line. Even if that is as a wing, I’m sure Kings see him as a center in the long run.
If Byfield still hasn’t taken the steps after this and the next season, then I will be worried. But not today, just see Tage Thompson as an exemple of how long it takes to develop huge centers. It is difficult for sure, but the rewards when they arrive are way bigger that what you get from drafting small wingers!
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emsomaso
Lurker
Cozens is another big center whose development makes me less worried about Byfield. Cozens is a year older than Byfield and this is his breakout season. I read several threads early last season where Buffalo fans called him a bust and talked about how they should have drafted other players. Fast forward a year and these comments looks pretty stupid today.
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Illegal_Stick
Lurker
On the one hand, I always thought Byfield was the right pick. On the other, even though we had heard Stutzle would be ready faster, I don’t think anyone thought he would be THIS good. And if you haven’t watched him, he doesn’t dog it on D either. Overall, you are right, you go for the big Center, but if it continues to go this way - almost showing signs - then Byfield will be a winger himself permanently.
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emsomaso
Lurker
Fair points. And I agree, Stutzle seems to be one heck of a player. I just haven’t given up hope that down the road Byfield will be even better all things considered!
santiclaws
I was in the pool!!
Why do people keep saying Stutzle is small? He's 6', 187lbs. He'll probably be around 200 by his mid-twenties. Right around the size of Dustin Brown. Was he a small fast winger? He's a very, very special player. Byfield is a very big player but I've yet to see obvious signs that he's a very special one. I thought the Kings should have taken Stutzle because he's always looked special. I hope I'm wrong, but I think they may have made a big mistake.
And then there's the case of Gabriel Vilardi, drafted in 2017, and only now, SIX, years later, blossoming. Yes, he had serious injury issues too, but sometimes it just takes a while for players to hit their stride.
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emsomaso
Lurker
Okay, he isn’t tiny. But he is still smaller than the average size of an NHL player which is 6'1 and 199lbs. And I was also comparing to other smaller players like Lucas Raymond, Cole Perfetti and Seth Jarvis who I have seen mentioned in talks about who Kings should have drafted instead of Byfield.
But I fully agree regarding Stutzle, he will be a special player. I just think Byfield can become even more special!
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Now Chirping
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