Friedman: Andrei Kuzmenko to LA

About the power play, I didn’t want to say his success depended on it improving. Because if it didn’t it wouldn’t be his fault more than the 9 players & the coaches already here. But so far it’s slightly been better. We’re 2 for 11 or 18.18%, which is better than our season average of 15.2. Plus it looks better. There’s more movement & it doesn’t lose momentum. And so far not scoring a PP goal hasn’t cost us a game. I don’t know what his future here is. I’d hope they’d go after Marner this offseason. But so far, even without points I think he’s working out well.
 
Dr. Tran said:
About the power play, I didn’t want to say his success depended on it improving. Because if it didn’t it wouldn’t be his fault more than the 9 players & the coaches already here. But so far it’s slightly been better. We’re 2 for 11 or 18.18%, which is better than our season average of 15.2. Plus it looks better. There’s more movement & it doesn’t lose momentum. And so far not scoring a PP goal hasn’t cost us a game. I don’t know what his future here is. I’d hope they’d go after Marner this offseason. But so far, even without points I think he’s working out well.
Click to expand...

I really hope Rob doesn't go after Marner as I just don't see him making the Kings much more of a winning team. Not a scorer, he comes from a team with choker culture, he had 2-3 good playoff performances in 8 PO appearances and he's going to be gruesomely expensive (close to 14 for a team like LA).

After what happened with Rantanen in Carolina, how can anyone say with a straight face that this is the guy to break bank for?

There are a fair number of interesting players like Boeser, Ekblad, Provorov, Ehlers, Bennet...who Rob should go hard after before attempting to break this roster's cap balance with a Marner.

Heck, if he "can't" spend all of the cap in the UFA market, save it for the deadline.
 
Bollocks said:
I really hope Rob doesn't go after Marner as I just don't see him making the Kings much more of a winning team. Not a scorer, he comes from a team with choker culture, he had 2-3 good playoff performances in 8 PO appearances and he's going to be gruesomely expensive (close to 14 for a team like LA).

After what happened with Rantanen in Carolina, how can anyone say with a straight face that this is the guy to break bank for?

There are a fair number of interesting players like Boeser, Ekblad, Provorov, Ehlers, Bennet...who Rob should go hard after before attempting to break this roster's cap balance with a Marner.

Heck, if he "can't" spend all of the cap in the UFA market, save it for the deadline.
Click to expand...
Boeser isn’t quite the scorer he’s made out to be. Usually scores in the low-mid 20’s for the year. Only passed 30 once and it was last year when he got 40, though that whole Canucks team PDO was super high. Anyway, Marner scores as many if not more than Boeser. I’d be pretty psyched if Blake landed him. He’d produce a lot with Byfield and Fiala or with Kempe.

However, i’d think you could get Boeser and Bennet both for around 15M. Kings are going to need another top 6 center. That’s a huge swing. But since no one knows what to expect, may as well say that would be the best possible outcome.
 
Someone remind me the highest scoring forward to sign as an UFA in the Los Angeles market, that actually scored worth a p*ss in the Los Angeles market?
 
Clif said:
Boeser isn’t quite the scorer he’s made out to be. Usually scores in the low-mid 20’s for the year. Only passed 30 once and it was last year when he got 40, though that whole Canucks team PDO was super high. Anyway, Marner scores as many if not more than Boeser. I’d be pretty psyched if Blake landed him. He’d produce a lot with Byfield and Fiala or with Kempe.

However, i’d think you could get Boeser and Bennet both for around 15M. Kings are going to need another top 6 center. That’s a huge swing. But since no one knows what to expect, may as well say that would be the best possible outcome.
Click to expand...
It's a hard one as the Kings really need a premier player, such as Marner (who would be a great fit with Kempe) but if a GM could land both Boeser and Bennet for the same price...it would be hard to pass up.

I've always been a big fan of Boeser but let's be really clear what we get with him - an elite shooter with below average skating and tendency to be injury prone. He's not in the same league as Marner (figuratively speaking), though he is a slightly better shooter (and significantly worse in most other categories). He has shown to be a playoff stud, though, which is a big plus.

Marner's only real drawback is size/physicality but he is one of the top wings in the league. He's an elite shooter and likely a top 5 wing when it comes to passing. He's also a player who relies heavily on his smarts, rather than just physical skills, so he should age well in the league. This guy is the real deal. If he's on the table the Kings would be inept if they fail to take a shot at him.
 
Sam Bennett may be the dark horse signing this off season.
He bounces around a bit with line mates on Panthers but has had his best stats with CARTER VERHAEGHE & MATTHEW TKACHUK this year.
Does LA have players like them for Bennett to have a good year? Yes, IMO.

I have the opposite feeling about Marner. He plays with Matthews.... While I'd love to see QB feeding him, I'd want to see QB shooting more. So someone that can feed QB the puck would be better IMO.

Another one to watch will be Ehlers from Wpg. Like Bennett he's had many line mates. but is very consistent in getting points. Close to 1/2 of which are on the PP. Something Kings sorely need

Most of all I'd like to see Chychrun here next season but the Caps love him and I wouldn't be surprised if he stays there.
 
Last edited:
McSorleyFan said:
Sam Bennett may be the dark horse signing this off season.
He bounces around a bit with line mates on Panthers but has had his best stats with CARTER VERHAEGHE & MATTHEW TKACHUK this year.
Does LA have players like them for Bennett to have a good year? Yes, IMO.

I have the opposite feeling about Marner. He plays with Matthews and Nylander. While I'd love to see QB feeding him, I'd want to see QB shooting more. So someone that can feed QB the puck would be better IMO.

Another one to watch will be Ehlers from Wpg. Like Bennett he's had many line mates. but is very consistent in getting points. Close to 1/2 of which are on the PP. Something Kings sorely need

Most of all I'd like to see Chychrun here next season but the Caps love him and I wouldn't be surprised if he stays there.
Click to expand...
Marner is a better facilitator than shooter, though, so I'm not understanding why you feel Marner would not be a good fit with QB and Kempe. He has shown the ability to generate points regardless of who he is put on a line with, but yes having Matthews on the line is likely inflating his numbers, as well as Matthew's, to a degree. I used to think he was the bigger benifiary of having Matthew's on his line, but have started to think it may be the other way around.

I agree with you on Bennett, he would be a great addition. I do worry a bit about his attitude, though, but it seems to be good since joining the Panthers. He'd be a solid addition that doesn't fade come playoff time.

Ehlers and Chychrun would both be good pickups. The Kings need to take a shot at Chychrun imo, especially considering he has shown the ability to stay healthy (which I believe was the biggest concern when he was with AZ).
 
Clif said:
Boeser isn’t quite the scorer he’s made out to be. Usually scores in the low-mid 20’s for the year. Only passed 30 once and it was last year when he got 40, though that whole Canucks team PDO was super high. Anyway, Marner scores as many if not more than Boeser. I’d be pretty psyched if Blake landed him. He’d produce a lot with Byfield and Fiala or with Kempe.

However, i’d think you could get Boeser and Bennet both for around 15M. Kings are going to need another top 6 center. That’s a huge swing. But since no one knows what to expect, may as well say that would be the best possible outcome.
Click to expand...

14mil vs 7 is quite a big difference. As you said Boeser+Bennet>>>>Marner and makes the Kings instantly a contender barring major injuries.
 
Addition by subtraction. Yes he finally got some points, but the best thing about the getting Kuzmenko is no more 11-7 and no more Trevor Lewis. Coincidence in the record since we got him? I don't think so.
 
tacquarelli57 said:
Addition by subtraction. Yes he finally got some points, but the best thing about the getting Kuzmenko is no more 11-7 and no more Trevor Lewis. Coincidence in the record since we got him? I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Kuzmenko has been a good addition.

That said, it's also not a coincidence that the Kings started playing much better once Helenius was added back to the roster.
 
tacquarelli57 said:
Addition by subtraction. Yes he finally got some points, but the best thing about the getting Kuzmenko is no more 11-7 and no more Trevor Lewis. Coincidence in the record since we got him? I don't think so.
Click to expand...
With the insane schedule coming up (7 games in 11 days), this is absolutely essential, and might be the biggest payoff of this trade.
 
DryKing said:
Kuzmenko has been a good addition.

That said, it's also not a coincidence that the Kings started playing much better once Helenius was added back to the roster.
Click to expand...
Is that also around the same time they started to play 12/6 instead of 11/7?
 
hokiecat said:
And stopped scratching Clarke or playing him for 3 minutes a game. I like Mo's ability to play a simple, straightforward game but playing 4 LD and moving Gavrikov to his off hand side was pretty silly.
Click to expand...

Wasn't that almost necessary while DD was out, and didn't it actually work pretty well for the Kings a fair portion of the season?

I feel like the team needed to readjust back to 12-6 with DD returning, and it caused a bit of a slump. With added Kuzmenko, this team is now much more balanced than it was pre-DD return and adjustment period.
 
hokiecat said:
And stopped scratching Clarke or playing him for 3 minutes a game. I like Mo's ability to play a simple, straightforward game but playing 4 LD and moving Gavrikov to his off hand side was pretty silly.
Click to expand...
Clarke badly needed to reset, he wasn't doing anything positively in the weeks leading to sitting out.

Anderson and Gavrikov were fancy stat darlings together - and carried the team through a difficult stretch.

The 11/7 was a necessary evil. The forwards weren't finding offensive chemistry in more than one line at a time but could keep grinding out low scoring games.

The Kuzmenko deal changed a whole lot. In case nobody has noticed, Kuzmenko plays a VERY similar style to Justin Williams. His goal last night was a vintage Williams far side snipe from one knee in tight. The plays he makes are from the exact areas on the ice where Williams thrived - possession cycling off the wall and short, crisp passes below the dots. The Kings haven't had that in ages, and it is such a benefit to Anze's game.

The 4th line has been magnificent since. They have the proper slotting available for 4 lines and 3 pairs. Less scramble, more certainty. Its a confident team poised to do some damage.

Ultimately, all the pieces are here in the right places, but some are too old and some are too young for a lengthy run - but it's the best Kings team since 2014.
 
Sultanic said:
Ultimately, all the pieces are here in the right places, but some are too old and some are too young for a lengthy run - but it's the best Kings team since 2014.
Click to expand...
There’s no doubt about this. A handful of guys will need to take even one more step to get a deep run but the pieces all finally make sense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Now Chirping

  • No one is chatting at the moment.

Share this page

Back
Top