Kempe Contract Watch Thread

[Illegal_Stick]

Anyone who thinks Byfield is pretty average simply had way too high of expectations. We knew we weren't drafting Crosby or McDavid.

No, not Crosby or McDavid, but how about Stutzle? That should be the only comparable for Byfield and after years of denial (not easy living in Ottawa) I think I have finally accepted we chose very wrong. I like Byfield, I have a Byfield jersey, but Stutzle is an elite scorer and that's who we should have drafted.

 

[Illegal_Stick]

I have tried hard to deny that this franchise is flailing. To go from the best prospect pool to the oldest team in the league in a matter of years is truly shocking. To go scraping the bottom of the barrel for D after giving away Walker, Durzi, Roy, etc. and just putting together what looks like a truly average team has me on the verge, but failing to sign Kempe would be the cherry on top and I almost think it needs to happen, because we (as fans of this team) tolerate way too much stupidity. Something needs to send this over the edge so there is a total house cleaning.

 

[symbology]

If it ends up that Byfield = 2C, Clarke = 3/4, and Turc = 3C, that's less like becoming a superstar and closer to the mean among NHL players. In other words, each of them would not playing up to expectation given their draft position. That is definitely not a bust. Case in point would be Trevor Lewis. He never played up to his first round selection but was invaluable in the 2 Cup wins. But #55 and #92 have infinitely more offensive skill than Lewie but I am sure you get what I'm saying.

Lewis was not predicted to go in the 1st round by anyone, as far as I recall. Using him is a little misleading, IMO. That being said, it ended up being a good use of that draft pick. Especially considering the next years surprise draft of Hickey.

I get what you are saying. However, the original poster said that QB and Clarke were not "the guys". The Kings drafted them (especially QB) to be "the guys". If QB becomes closer to the "mean" among NHL players than that is a bit of a "bust" for the Kings management. If that is the case, then the Kings should have used that pic to draft Stutzle instead. I can only imagine the kind of player Stutzle would be had he come up playing on the wing with Kopitar. Skill would not be any different, but maybe more defensively responsible and less of a diver type.

Again, I get what you are saying, overall these players will not be "busts", but for the Kings retool plan they will be if they are "average". I guess that is more where I am coming from.

 

[symbology]

I'm probably in the opposite camp when it comes to Clarke. I wasn't super excited about the pick, though the players I was hoping the Kings might pick up were already off the board (Johnson and Edvinsson). To me, Clarke seemed too one dimensional and more of a PP specialist than even a middle pairing defenseman given his weaknesses. I also questioned his attitude as he came off, in my opinion, pretty arrogant and immature. Since joining the NHL, though, I have been impressed with how much he has grown and how hard he works for it, and really like that he is able to get under the opposing team's skin. His skating is still a big weakness, but I think he can overcome that with experience and be a solid middle pairing D who excels in critical moments (PP, goalie pulled, shootout). On the flip side, I was super excited about picking up Pinelli in the second round that year who, so far, has been a miss.

Byfield still looks like a future L1 Center to me, and Turcotte looks like a future L2/3 Center with his size/strength playing a key factor. At worst, I can see Byfield becoming a solid 2nd line 2-way center, and Turcotte becoming a 3rd line faceoff specialist (which worked out pretty well for Stoll). I don't consider either of those picks to be misses.

Greentree is another solid prospect with skating concerns. I do agree with you that our prospects seem to all be a bit niche, which isn't optimal but can excel with the proper team composition and strategy.

I would agree with much of this. Especially on Clarke. I honestly feared for the guys health early on. His attitude on the ice was begging for him to become a target. He has finally outgrown that and has survived. I see him as a 2nd pairing D / PP specialist.

For QB, I hope and think he can still develop into a 1C, if not very good 2C center.

 

[VCRW]

I would agree with much of this. Especially on Clarke. I honestly feared for the guys health early on. His attitude on the ice was begging for him to become a target. He has finally outgrown that and has survived. I see him as a 2nd pairing D / PP specialist.

For QB, I hope and think he can still develop into a 1C, if not very good 2C center.

If Q becomes the next Jeff Carter, that's a win!

 

[orpheus]

I don't want to be weird, but I am, lol, but does the fact he is good looking come into play? I mean it is LA so maybe aesthetics come into play.

I mean c'mon.

 

[ICE24]

I'm thinking Holland has a plan. Not signing Kempe so he will eventually be traded for picks and a so-called promising prospect. Kopitar retiring and he will trade about 3-4 more players. The Kings are not fresh, they are stagnant and moldy.

 

[Hockey53]

I'm thinking Holland has a plan. Not signing Kempe so he will eventually be traded for picks and a so-called promising prospect. Kopitar retiring and he will trade about 3-4 more players. The Kings are not fresh, they are stagnant and moldy.

Just heard on Locked on Kings with Eddy Garcia,since most or all of the top forwards resigned with their teams,Kempe might be looking to walk since he would be the big fish forward come free agency next Summer.As you mentioned,maybe Holland does have a plan to not sign Kempe and trade him for picks and/or prospects.If Kempe is not signed be Christmas,I could see him and his agent saying we are going to free agency.The clock is ticking

 

[aragorn]

If Kempe is not signed be Christmas,I could see him and his agent saying we are going to free agency.The clock is ticking

Who knows... his agent could have been asking for the moon and really wants to go to free agency this whole time. We can't see behind the curtain. If he wants the moon, trade him at mid-season or the deadline. We want players that are both hungry and want to be here.

 

[XPantericA]

This has taken a turn.

 

[DryKing]

No, not Crosby or McDavid, but how about Stutzle? That should be the only comparable for Byfield and after years of denial (not easy living in Ottawa) I think I have finally accepted we chose very wrong. I like Byfield, I have a Byfield jersey, but Stutzle is an elite scorer and that's who we should have drafted.

Let's be honest, though. What draft have the Kings partaken in in which a "better" player was not selected beyond their first pick?

That said, while I am a big fan of Stutzle and how hard he has worked to improve beyond what experts even projected him to be (especially on the defensive side of the puck), he is not better than Byfield when you look at the full picture. Byfield is one of the top two-way centers in the league. Sure he doesn't lead the league in scoring, or even come close to doing so, but I could name maybe 5-8 centers in the league with a better overall two-way game. Additionally, Byfield will not truly flourish until Kopitar retires and he is given a legitimate chance to be the L1 center (which includes lining Kempe up on his wing provided the Kings don't blow it by failing to extend him). Line 1 duties were handed to Stutzle, by comparison, on day 1 of his NHL career. Combine that with the fact that Stutzle was already a much more polished player coming into the draft, and yeah...it's not suprising he would suceed earlier in his career. I will note, though, Byfield has been much more successful to this point in his career when it comes to the playoffs.

It really is time for people to stop clinging to what could have been, and focus on what is. Byfield was a good pick who hasn't yet fully develiped into the player the Kings had hoped he could be, but has a ton of potential and has taken a step forward each season. He was, and is, an excellent pick even if he was not the pick some fans wanted.