Is Matt Roy Gone?

Rog or Reg?

Top Forward
I just got an alert on my phone from an article by The Athletic titled:

"Who is Matt Roy, and why is he set the cash in during NHL free agency?"

It has a pay wall, so I couldn't read it, but that doesn't sound very good.

I'm assuming we're going to lose Roy to free agency? That really sucks ...he was rock solid back there ...I'm going to miss him.
 
Per the article, the kings can probably afford 6 years at 5 million AAV. Problem is with Gustav Forsling and Chris Tanev looking so good, and most other teams top defenseman playing the left side, they may view Roy as a discount number 2 defenseman (instead of number 4 here) and that makes 6 years by 6.2-6.4 seem quite reasonable. Roy would be higher in the lineup, paid more, and potentially "the piece" for a playoff contender. All that in contention, thanks for the years Matt, but I don't see how you turn that down.
 
Spence is potentially the better player a couple of years down the road and he will be dramatically cheaper. He's the better offensive player already. You need players outperforming their contracts if you hope to make any noise in the playoffs. I'd keep Spence, and the cap space which that frees up, between the two of them.

The other option, if they somehow manage to sign Roy, would be to move Gavy and put Spence or Roy at LD, but I don't know how realistic that would be.
 
No news is ......, nevermind. Dont expect Roy or Arvvy back.

Spence, if he can bulk up a bit will have to fill Roys spot.
 
He's as good as gone. Clarke should be ready to take his spot.

Plus thanks to Blake, the Kings don't have the cap space to keep him either even if they wanted to.
TC, Clarke is not ready to take his spot. The physical side of the ice is where Clarke is going to take a huge hit. I just don't see him taking the punishment. A lot of time on the lower body injury list. If he can bulk up in a few years, he should be fine to take the beatings.
 
any chance of a sign and trade?
Possible but not likely. He’s already 29 years old. Not many teams want to hand out a 8 year contract to a player like Roy.

I can see him getting 6 years @ 5MM pretty easily. Maybe even 5.5MM. The salary cap going up will help but the real time cash in will be next offseason. Cap should jump even higher.

If Dallas doesn't re-sign Tanev, Roy is a great alternative.
 
Per the article, the kings can probably afford 6 years at 5 million AAV. Problem is with Gustav Forsling and Chris Tanev looking so good, and most other teams top defenseman playing the left side, they may view Roy as a discount number 2 defenseman (instead of number 4 here) and that makes 6 years by 6.2-6.4 seem quite reasonable. Roy would be higher in the lineup, paid more, and potentially "the piece" for a playoff contender. All that in contention, thanks for the years Matt, but I don't see how you turn that down.
Thanks jammer.

Sometimes I can't help but feel that Blake has painted himself, and the team, into a corner.
 
Possible but not likely. He’s already 29 years old. Not many teams want to hand out a 8 year contract to a player like Roy.

I can see him getting 6 years @ 5MM pretty easily. Maybe even 5.5MM. The salary cap going up will help but the real time cash in will be next offseason. Cap should jump even higher.

If Dallas doesn't re-sign Tanev, Roy is a great alternative.
Tanev is 34 and deserves to cash in, I pity the team that does it though
 
I am totally okay with Matt Qroy leaving. Not worth the money he is gonna get. Let him get it.
I have been fine with Roy. He’s been pretty solid and consistent.
Before the playoff series I was beginning to think it was his swan sing due to free agency. After the series I was firmly convinced that he would move on.
His playoff series performance was not good. And it certainly wasn’t worthy of a long and expensive contract.
He will get some serious offers in dollars and term, well beyond what he is worth. That’s Free Agency.
I would be OK keeping Roy at $4M or so. But he will sign for more than that. And he’s just not worth it.

I don’t think Clarke is ready for anything more than third-pair and PP time. And I don’t think Spence is ready for second-pair yet or perhaps ever.
That’s the conundrum.

Clarke has to start playing in the NHL. It’s gonna be a learning curve for him. But at some point you gotta start the process.

What I think needs to happen is probably a trade or two that sends Spence out and we get a solid righty D for 2-3 years, either via trade or FA. Who that is, I can’t even guess. But this would avoid a stupid payday for Roy, get Clarke in the Kings lineup, and a seat warmer on the second-pair.

Now, I also think there needs to be a move with the third pair …Englund is just not enough. I like that he’s big and mean. But I don’t like that he is slow as molasses and makes some rather dumb decisions. Clarke would need a less erratic partner.
The guy who I would be tempted to pair with Clarke is Martinez. Yep, he’s old and has a ton of mileage. But he could surely be a great mentor. And god knows we could use someone (anyone) who is interested in blocking shots.

That’s my take. While I don’t dislike Roy as a #2 D, I can’t believe he’s vital to the point of overpayment.
 
I have been fine with Roy. He’s been pretty solid and consistent.
Before the playoff series I was beginning to think it was his swan sing due to free agency. After the series I was firmly convinced that he would move on.
His playoff series performance was not good. And it certainly wasn’t worthy of a long and expensive contract.
He will get some serious offers in dollars and term, well beyond what he is worth. That’s Free Agency.
I would be OK keeping Roy at $4M or so. But he will sign for more than that. And he’s just not worth it.

I don’t think Clarke is ready for anything more than third-pair and PP time. And I don’t think Spence is ready for second-pair yet or perhaps ever.
That’s the conundrum.

Clarke has to start playing in the NHL. It’s gonna be a learning curve for him. But at some point you gotta start the process.

What I think needs to happen is probably a trade or two that sends Spence out and we get a solid righty D for 2-3 years, either via trade or FA. Who that is, I can’t even guess. But this would avoid a stupid payday for Roy, get Clarke in the Kings lineup, and a seat warmer on the second-pair.

Now, I also think there needs to be a move with the third pair …Englund is just not enough. I like that he’s big and mean. But I don’t like that he is slow as molasses and makes some rather dumb decisions. Clarke would need a less erratic partner.
The guy who I would be tempted to pair with Clarke is Martinez. Yep, he’s old and has a ton of mileage. But he could surely be a great mentor. And god knows we could use someone (anyone) who is interested in blocking shots.

That’s my take. While I don’t dislike Roy as a #2 D, I can’t believe he’s vital to the point of overpayment.
Roy is as good, or possibly better, than Gavrikov who we signed at $5.875 AAV, so I'm not following the logic of Roy only be worth $4m. I do agree that he will likely get an over payment offer in free agency, however.

Clarke is a tough one as I agree he needs time in the NHL but physically he really isn't yet ready. The alternative, however, is to keep him for another year in the AHL but that really stunts his growth so I really hope the Kings get him a good partner. Totally agree that Martinez would be an ideal fit with him and it would be great for Martinez to retire as a King.

To me in no way should we trade Spence, especially if we lose Roy in the offseason. Spence is a special player who, when he physically matures more and builds experience, will turn out to be a gem despite being a bit undersized.

Also agree that we need to upgrade Englund and/or possibly convert him to a 4th line forward. It'll be interesting to see what our 4th line looks like next season with the possible exits of Grundstrom, Lizzotte and Lewis.
 
The way the Kings are built, the more stay-at-home minded D-men are needed on LD. Matt is a right shot and the Kings have difficulties with breakout passing as is, without moving him to LD.

What he brings to the table is replacable via UFA market on chepaer and shorter contract, considering it would be for 3rd pairing minutes. The important thing is especially toughness and ability to play PK.

The question is whether Rob will be able to sign the right guy, sure, but at the moment the correct decision is to let Roy walk if his demands are north of 4.5 AAV for plenty of years unless Rob trades either Spence or Clarke....which I hope he doesn't.

I've also nit yet given up on Moverare. He still has room to grow.
 
Roy is as good, or possibly better, than Gavrikov who we signed at $5.875 AAV, so I'm not following the logic of Roy only be worth $4m. I do agree that he will likely get an over payment offer in free agency, however.

Clarke is a tough one as I agree he needs time in the NHL but physically he really isn't yet ready. The alternative, however, is to keep him for another year in the AHL but that really stunts his growth so I really hope the Kings get him a good partner. Totally agree that Martinez would be an ideal fit with him and it would be great for Martinez to retire as a King.

To me in no way should we trade Spence, especially if we lose Roy in the offseason. Spence is a special player who, when he physically matures more and builds experience, will turn out to be a gem despite being a bit undersized.

Also agree that we need to upgrade Englund and/or possibly convert him to a 4th line forward. It'll be interesting to see what our 4th line looks like next season with the possible exits of Grundstrom, Lizzotte and Lewis.
Roy is every bit as good as Gavrikov. The Kings problem is Gavrikov is overpaid at 5.875M. Thankfully Blake only signed him to a 2 year contract. If your 2nd highest paid D man is scoring 20 points a season you’re probably not making it out of the 1st round of the playoffs…

Roy is a bit unlucky because this UFA class is pretty deep at defense. There’s 10-15 guys that produce at about his same rate and they’re all within 2-3 years his age. I think this surplus of similar defensemen is going to push his AAV down. But because he’s under 30 he could get more term than several of the other UFA dmen. 4MM X 6 years is on the low end of AAV but it isn’t out of the question assuming it’s a great fit for Roy. Assuming Roy stays healthy and continues his steady play he could be in for another contract at age 35. For reference fellow UFA d-man Chris Tanev is 34.
 
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Roy is as good, or possibly better, than Gavrikov who we signed at $5.875 AAV, so I'm not following the logic of Roy only be worth $4m. I do agree that he will likely get an over payment offer in free agency, however.

Clarke is a tough one as I agree he needs time in the NHL but physically he really isn't yet ready. The alternative, however, is to keep him for another year in the AHL but that really stunts his growth so I really hope the Kings get him a good partner. Totally agree that Martinez would be an ideal fit with him and it would be great for Martinez to retire as a King.

To me in no way should we trade Spence, especially if we lose Roy in the offseason. Spence is a special player who, when he physically matures more and builds experience, will turn out to be a gem despite being a bit undersized.

Also agree that we need to upgrade Englund and/or possibly convert him to a 4th line forward. It'll be interesting to see what our 4th line looks like next season with the possible exits of Grundstrom, Lizzotte and Lewis.
I’m not saying Roy isn’t worth more than $4M. He surely is. I am saying he isn’t staying for that and then it’s a bidding war.
I think we overpaid for Gavrikov. Not by a lot but still.

Spence is a real question mark for me.
Right now he’s undersized and plays small. I absolutely like his ability to skate out of trouble and I like his puck movement. I think he’s good on the PP.
I guess I just am not convinced about where his ceiling is.
He’s young. IF he gets in the weight room and adds some size he CAN be a special player.

Fourth line next year should be interesting.
I can’t imagine Lewis coming back. He had a good career in LA but it’s time to give young guys a chance. Grundstrom is good as gone. He’s had flashes but nothing consistent enough to warrant a contract.
Lizzotte is the interesting one. Love his energy and desire. He’s fine as a fourth line C. Not sure what the price is though. Don’t think Kings are paying a 4C over 2M.
 
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