How Long Can Management Go Without Being Held Accountable?

DryKing said:
Hopefully he addresses that in the offseason as I'd hate to see him give up more picks or players that we can continue to build on for a rental. As you mentioned, Mikey coming back plus Drew getting his form back are probably the best we can hope for this season. No need to waste assets unless what we are getting back is a player that fits with us long term. Blake also doesn't have a great track record when it comes to trades.

The exception would be a player such as Owen Power who Buffalo is allegedly open to moving. I'd also still like to pluck Pickering from Pitts but acquiring him wouldn't do much to help us this season. I still think we cannot do much as long as Doughty's inflated contact remains on the ledger.

It's time for Blake to start keeping his drafts picks and actually focus on building the pipeline as we will need to fill the void through low cost players with high upward potential.
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As we have seen from past years the deadline price is definitely a reason to be wary of any deals.
That said, there are some needs that can hopefully be addressed.
First and foremost, this Kings team ain’t doing anything in the playoffs without a power play.
There are names being tossed around that could help.
Secondly, the Kings (I believe anyway) desperately need at least a middle six right-shot forward.
The right player could help with both of these needs.
Third, I have some serious concerns about our right-shot defenders. I would feel pretty nervous about having both Spence and Clarke at #’s 2-3. I think Spence is not up to second-pair in the playoffs. And I think we have seen that Clarke is just not ready for that either.
The playoffs are a different beast and I just don’t feel either if these guys are ready for it.

While I do think Clarke needs to play and gain experience, that puts him on the third pair. So either the org rolls the dice with Spence, or Spence is part of a package to get a #2 righty defenseman.

To get that righty forward, someone is going, and at this point unless it’s prospects and picks, I have to think that Moore is the chip in any deal.

I do expect a move or two. And I have to hope that Blake can make them wisely. Again, lots of anti-Blake fans here and I honestly have no interest in the continued litigation.

I hope Blake can help the team over the next couple weeks. And I’m anxious to be see what happens.
 
DoubleMinor said:
As we have seen from past years the deadline price is definitely a reason to be wary of any deals.
That said, there are some needs that can hopefully be addressed.
First and foremost, this Kings team ain’t doing anything in the playoffs without a power play.
There are names being tossed around that could help.
Secondly, the Kings (I believe anyway) desperately need at least a middle six right-shot forward.
The right player could help with both of these needs.
Third, I have some serious concerns about our right-shot defenders. I would feel pretty nervous about having both Spence and Clarke at #’s 2-3. I think Spence is not up to second-pair in the playoffs. And I think we have seen that Clarke is just not ready for that either.
The playoffs are a different beast and I just don’t feel either if these guys are ready for it.

While I do think Clarke needs to play and gain experience, that puts him on the third pair. So either the org rolls the dice with Spence, or Spence is part of a package to get a #2 righty defenseman.

To get that righty forward, someone is going, and at this point unless it’s prospects and picks, I have to think that Moore is the chip in any deal.

I do expect a move or two. And I have to hope that Blake can make them wisely. Again, lots of anti-Blake fans here and I honestly have no interest in the continued litigation.

I hope Blake can help the team over the next couple weeks. And I’m anxious to be see what happens.
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The Kings already have a number 2 RH D man.

Mikey DD or Mikey Gavi
Ed DD or Gavi
Mo BC or JS
 
Halfwall said:
The Kings already have a number 2 RH D man.

Mikey DD or Mikey Gavi
Ed DD or Gavi
Mo BC or JS
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Yeah, I neglected to mention that they could go with an all lefty pairing, like they have done with Mikey & Gavi most of this season. Not sure if that was by design or the injury to DD.
But yeah, they could do what you’ve suggested.
 
Well Dobson is supposedly available. Are you willing to give up Kempe to bring him in?
 
Halfwall said:
The Kings already have a number 2 RH D man.

Mikey DD or Mikey Gavi
Ed DD or Gavi
Mo BC or JS
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So, here is a question re the D pairings moving forward. As you noted the Kings to have some options.

While the Mikey-Gavy pairing has been really good and it makes sense to keep them together, I’m not terribly comfortable with the other pairs.

Doughty would have to pair with either Eddie or Mo for at least 25 minutes a night.
Don’t know if Eddie can handle those minutes, and not sure at all about Mo playing that many minutes against one or two top line guys.

So, then you’d have Mo with either Clark or Spence for maybe 12 minutes a night.
Not sure I’d want that third pair in a playoff series on the road where you can’t control matchups.

Almost makes me think there may not be a choice but to break up Mikey and Gavy now that Doughty is back.

I like Mo. He’s been solid even if a bit slow. Spence has been fine, haven’t seen that much improvement in his game. Clarke is better than I feared, has ups and downs as expected. He doesn’t seem to have great instincts, seems like he’s not really learning from mistakes which is concerning. He’s young, has a lot to learn.
Two of these three are going to play.

Kings are entering the toughest and most competitive part of the season when they resume. Then likely playoffs.

I wonder if an established D is a trade target, or if they want to go with what they have.
 
DoubleMinor said:
So, here is a question re the D pairings moving forward. As you noted the Kings to have some options.

While the Mikey-Gavy pairing has been really good and it makes sense to keep them together, I’m not terribly comfortable with the other pairs.

Doughty would have to pair with either Eddie or Mo for at least 25 minutes a night.
Don’t know if Eddie can handle those minutes, and not sure at all about Mo playing that many minutes against one or two top line guys.

So, then you’d have Mo with either Clark or Spence for maybe 12 minutes a night.
Not sure I’d want that third pair in a playoff series on the road where you can’t control matchups.

Almost makes me think there may not be a choice but to break up Mikey and Gavy now that Doughty is back.

I like Mo. He’s been solid even if a bit slow. Spence has been fine, haven’t seen that much improvement in his game. Clarke is better than I feared, has ups and downs as expected. He doesn’t seem to have great instincts, seems like he’s not really learning from mistakes which is concerning. He’s young, has a lot to learn.
Two of these three are going to play.

Kings are entering the toughest and most competitive part of the season when they resume. Then likely playoffs.

I wonder if an established D is a trade target, or if they want to go with what they have.
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If they go for a D man at the deadline it needs to be a lefty with a big shot. If not something like this should work:

Mikey 20 Gavi 20
Ed 20 DD 20
Mo 15 JS/BC 15

Mikey 3 DD 3
Gavi 2 DD 2

Obviously with penalties/the score late in games/OT etc these are just rough targets. The good news is the mix and match that has happened all season will increase flexibility.
 
Halfwall said:
If they go for a D man at the deadline it needs to be a lefty with a big shot. If not something like this should work:

Mikey 20 Gavi 20
Ed 20 DD 20
Mo 15 JS/BC 15

Mikey 3 DD 3
Gavi 2 DD 2

Obviously with penalties/the score late in games/OT etc these are just rough targets. The good news is the mix and match that has happened all season will increase flexibility.
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That would work pretty well. Personally I think the Kings need to trade Gav, and provided a D does not come back in the trade, roll with:

Mikey / Doughty
Ed / BC
Mo / Spence
Burroughs

I am worried about Clarke come playoff time, but he has been able to physically hang in there all season and he provides offense with Edmundson acting as a D zone safety net and protector.

Spence is undersized but he has shown the ability to give and take big hits. His biggest roadblock will be the potential to get muscled off the puck but he is a very good all around defenseman who I do not think the Kings will have an appetite to site during the playoffs. He also looked pretty good in the playoffs last season against a stacked Edmonton team.

Doughty is really going to be the X factor. Hope the 4 Nations tourney helps him re-hone his game post injury and is ready to make a significant positive impact come playoff time. The Kings either need him to find his past All-Star form come playoff time or step aside as the top option for someone else to take the role (potentially Gav if he is still on the team).
 
DryKing said:
That would work pretty well. Personally I think the Kings need to trade Gav, and provided a D does not come back in the trade, roll with:

Mikey / Doughty
Ed / BC
Mo / Spence
Burroughs

I am worried about Clarke come playoff time, but he has been able to physically hang in there all season and he provides offense with Edmundson acting as a D zone safety net and protector.

Spence is undersized but he has shown the ability to give and take big hits. His biggest roadblock will be the potential to get muscled off the puck but he is a very good all around defenseman who I do not think the Kings will have an appetite to site during the playoffs. He also looked pretty good in the playoffs last season against a stacked Edmonton team.

Doughty is really going to be the X factor. Hope the 4 Nations tourney helps him re-hone his game post injury and is ready to make a significant positive impact come playoff time. The Kings either need him to find his past All-Star form come playoff time or step aside as the top option for someone else to take the role (potentially Gav if he is still on the team).
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I agree Spence was actually good in the playoff series last year. He does play a bit bigger than he is. He’s mobile. I think he’s a solid third-pair guy.

Clarke does concern me a bit. I like that he’s trying to be creative and I feel confident he will grow into a bigger offensive threat. The physical stuff hasn’t been a big factor so far.
His defense is still pretty questionable. Young offensive kid and we knew his D was gonna take some time. I just see him having trouble knowing where to be, getting caught out of position. Not really a knock, more just acknowledging his youth.

The Gavy question is worth pondering. He’s had a really good season. I think he’s going to want big money this off-season. I’d rather get something for him, save his money for Chychrun, and a good haul on the trade market. I think you’re right about getting something for him now.

Doughty is a question. Will be interesting to see how he responds. I think he will be fine with 15-20 games under his belt. But that’s not guaranteed. He’s got a lot of miles on him. But he is ultra competitive and has tons of experience, reads plays very well.

Lots of things to be curious about.
 
I am also in the club which would move Gavrikov now to get future assets. The biggest problem with that plan is he has a NMC. Blake may be in a situation where it costs too much to extend him and we can't move him. We'll see what happens.
 
hokiecat said:
I am also in the club which would move Gavrikov now to get future assets. The biggest problem with that plan is he has a NMC. Blake may be in a situation where it costs too much to extend him and we can't move him. We'll see what happens.
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Ugh Blake gives out NMC's way too freely. Given Gav's agent is all about the money I doubt he would want to risk Gav's value potentially declining by moving to a team within which he may not perform or find quality minutes in (especially how well he is doing on the Kings this season).
 
hokiecat said:
I am also in the club which would move Gavrikov now to get future assets. The biggest problem with that plan is he has a NMC. Blake may be in a situation where it costs too much to extend him and we can't move him. We'll see what happens.
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If Blake didn't move Roy last year, he certainly ain't moving Gavy this year. Blake's job is on the line, and the only thing that saves it is winning a playoff round or more. Moving Gavy out does not help that goal.
 
Like last year, Blake's "deadline deals" might be not moving his UFAs instead of trading away players for rentals. I'm not against this. The team doesn't give up assets to get a rental and in the end it only costs nothing. I know GMs and fans hate seeing players "walk for nothing" but Kings did pay him for his services and that services ends at the end of playoffs. Could always trade his neg rights after the playoffs are over and get "something". then see what's out there come July 1 to try to fill holes in the lineup. Either FAs or promoting from within.
 
DryKing said:
Ugh Blake gives out NMC's way too freely. Given Gav's agent is all about the money I doubt he would want to risk Gav's value potentially declining by moving to a team within which he may not perform or find quality minutes in (especially how well he is doing on the Kings this season).
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I don’t know exactly how I feel about the no-trade/movement clauses.
In Gavy’s case it was part of the price to sign him.
If I’m a free agent and am considering accepting an offer I kinda think I’d want certainty that it’s where I’m going to be for the duration of the contract. I don’t necessarily disagree with that.
This “power” isn’t available to young players and it’s something you earn if your career lasts long enough. It goes back to the baseball Curt Flood case decades ago.
Think of Lubo years ago when he signed a long term deal with the Kings only to get traded early in the contract. These clauses are protection from ending up in a place a player would never agree to or have desire to go to.

If I’m Gavy or his agent the ask is “So you want me to be here for two years, then commit to those two years”. Doesn’t seem unreasonable.
That said, Gavy and his agent understand the system, understand what provides power in it, and act upon it. They know he is a hot commodity, will have several offers and are using all the leverage they can. It’s why I think it’s rather unlikely that Gavy plays here beyond this season.

As far as the possibility to trade him with the no-movement clause, the teams interested in acquiring him may have interest beyond this year which provides the opportunity to see if a deal can get done that includes an extension (3- years, 8 million?). Of course, Gavy/agent may have sights set on the FA period thinking that’s where the ultimate money will be and it’s a rental deal that allows Gavy to keep his FA rights. That’s where a deal gets more difficult with the clause.
 
There's still time until the deadline to figure out this team's trajectory - 7 games in fact. If they continue on their upward trajectory in form I see no scenario where Gavy gets traded, especially as he has a NMC (I didn't know that detail).

If they manage to find themselves in another bad slump, Rob should think long and hard about options to trade Gavrikov, Jeannot and perhaps even Rittich. I fear though that even if there's a significant slump that just won't happen and the most realistic hope is that he doesn't trade away assets for a rental.
 
The only issue with any pair with Mikey eating 20+ minutes is that its lacks the offensive firepower that most serious cup contenders are going to put on the blue line in that timeslot:
Avs: Makar
Stars: Heiskanen
Canes: Burns (w/Slavin)

Granted there are some teams with more of a D specialist on their lines
Panthers: Forsling
Jets: Morrisey

The point being that on balance Mikey/Gav doesn't bring near the offensive potential of Mikey/DD as your major minutes team. Vegas successfully shielded Theodore behind Pietrangelo to get back end offense, but still relied on Pietrangelo for quite a bit.

Bringing this up because it needs to be mentioned that your top 4 dmen all as premier shut down men with a rodeo of a third pair would be highly unusual on a cup performing team.
 
Bollocks said:
There's still time until the deadline to figure out this team's trajectory - 7 games in fact. If they continue on their upward trajectory in form I see no scenario where Gavy gets traded, especially as he has a NMC (I didn't know that detail).

If they manage to find themselves in another bad slump, Rob should think long and hard about options to trade Gavrikov, Jeannot and perhaps even Rittich. I fear though that even if there's a significant slump that just won't happen and the most realistic hope is that he doesn't trade away assets for a rental.
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I agree that it is very unlikely that Gavy gets traded. It sends a difficult message.

It is hard to see where this team is or where it is going. Two months ago the fans were happy. A couple hard weeks and fans are unhappy.

The Kings have actually done pretty well against the top tier teams. In games against the top competition the Kings have been competitive and haven’t seemed outclassed generally speaking.

The biggest improvement I have seen this year from years past is that the team is just way more competitive. The Ducks game this past weekend was a good example. The Kings played poor through two periods but were really playing hard in the third. In the past the Kings would have just quit and accepted the loss. This team has way more resilience and drive.

I think you’re correct that a slump in the next set of games changes the strategy but without that the Kings are buyers and not sellers at the deadline.
 
Bollocks said:
There's still time until the deadline to figure out this team's trajectory - 7 games in fact. If they continue on their upward trajectory in form I see no scenario where Gavy gets traded, especially as he has a NMC (I didn't know that detail).

If they manage to find themselves in another bad slump, Rob should think long and hard about options to trade Gavrikov, Jeannot and perhaps even Rittich. I fear though that even if there's a significant slump that just won't happen and the most realistic hope is that he doesn't trade away assets for a rental.
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Good points. I really hope even, if the Kings hit a slump, they keep and extend Jeannot. I don't forsee him re-emerging as a scorer ever again, but there is just a lot about his game to like and he has the skill and size to fill several roles.
 
The Kings need to bring in someone...anyone...who can make a significant improvement to the power play. They're going nowhere with the worst PP in the league.
 
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