Official LA Kings Off-Season

Is it too soon for summer wish lists? Draft day trade speculation?
 
My guess is Korpisalo, Gavrikov, Durzi and one (maybe both) of Iafallo or Arvidsson are gone this offseason.
 
I have a feeling this will be the most frustrating summer for Kings fans. The last two have had splashy acquisitions and they've worked. Now, the work is going to be more subtle. There's not a lot of room to make changes here. You try for Gavrikov. I don't know why you would bother with Korpi personally. We saw what he can do. Honestly, looked worn out after three games, so don't know how he ever accomplished that 80 save game. Not blaming him for the whole series, but I've seen what I need to see - saw him in the playoffs and he wasn't great for more than two games. So, I guess that's the one place you can make a big move OR you trust Copley - which clearly they don't. We need toughness, but where does it fit?

The problem is they're not going to give up on Byfield, Kupari etc... and they shouldn't, but that means all the slots are pretty filled up. There's not a lot of room to make moves here, we just need players to improve and as we know from Kempe and Vilardi, there's no guarantee that happens next year. Byfield looks close to me, but I get the frustration. He always seemed to be one second away from making a great play. The mistakes he made seemed to often be sooo close to the right play. If that one second difference happens next year, then we have a whole new team. If he can turn into what he should and center the third line, suddenly this team is scary and you just need to decide what to do with Kaliyev, Kupari etc. who may deserve the ice time, but just aren't typical fourth line players. The way Turcotte has developed, maybe that's what he becomes the 4th line C.

Lots of questions, but mainly I just see a logjam and don't know how they get around it.
 
I am pretty sure the front office knows this team is at a crossroads. Several players have probably played their last games in a Kings uniform. Edler will not be re-signed. Kaliyev, Walker, Durzi, JAD, Kupari, & MacEwan should all have their bags packed this summer.
 
VCRW said:
I am pretty sure the front office knows this team is at a crossroads. Several players have probably played their last games in a Kings uniform. Edler will not be re-signed. Kaliyev, Walker, Durzi, JAD, Kupari, & MacEwan should all have their bags packed this summer.
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I was toying with the idea the other day of packaging JAD and Kupari to try to get a high end fourth liner. No one really in mind at the moment. Just someone with size, some grit and be defensively responsible.

Our main issues are the fourth line and 3rd pairing (and really only the left side of the third pairing). That is with a big assumption that we can re-sign Gavrikov. If we can't there will be salary space to find someone else, but we know Gavrikov is a fit.
 
VCRW said:
I am pretty sure the front office knows this team is at a crossroads. Several players have probably played their last games in a Kings uniform. Edler will not be re-signed. Kaliyev, Walker, Durzi, JAD, Kupari, & MacEwan should all have their bags packed this summer.
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You cannot trade away all your young talent because of the simple fact that they’re cheap and mostly cost controlled.
 
VCRW said:
I am pretty sure the front office knows this team is at a crossroads. Several players have probably played their last games in a Kings uniform. Edler will not be re-signed. Kaliyev, Walker, Durzi, JAD, Kupari, & MacEwan should all have their bags packed this summer.
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Don't think Kupari is done at all. Likely not Kaliyev either. We lost partly because of inexperienced players like this, but Blake is likely to see it as - now they have some experience. Not saying I agree necessarily, just saying I don't see them (Kupari especially) going anywhere.
 
Statue4Deano said:
You cannot trade away all your young talent because of the simple fact that they’re cheap and mostly cost controlled.
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LOL. I didn't say to trade them all. But each should be prepared to re-locate. Change has to happen.
 
Illegal_Stick said:
Don't think Kupari is done at all. Likely not Kaliyev either. We lost partly because of inexperienced players like this, but Blake is likely to see it as - now they have some experience. Not saying I agree necessarily, just saying I don't see them (Kupari especially) going anywhere.
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I hope they can find a way to coax the best out of Kupari and Bjornfot. Kupari has all the tools that a better coach may hone correctly. But Kaliyev will never fit on this team.
 
Bollocks said:
This seems a more fitting thread for a reply to a GDT post:



How is that going to hurt? Because Rob can't trade that 1st and a 3rd for a player anymore or because the Kings can't pick yet another talented prospect who is at least 2, 3 years from making any kind of impact? There is only so much you can do via draft. You can't build a team full of specific players needed for winning the Cup, that's for sure. Draft helps immensely as long as prospects are good and able to make an impact in order to keep the talent level high either by playing them or trading them for what you need. If Rob can keep one of the rentals he traded for at the deadline then that's already a value of a 1st rounder well spent for example. Had he not make this trade, the Kings maybe get swept. You do know that is a severe regression and not the way to improve your young players into winners?

Definition of black hole team is when a clueless GM is trading future for average short term success and no vision. Black hole team would be if Rob immediately started trading future for short term success when he took over and kept doing it on repeat, and signing overpriced UFAs, thus failing to build the depth that the Kings have now, and the cheap talent they have accross their entire team that you can't do without.

The key is that he doesn't overdo trading picks for rentals like Dean did, and that he doesn't forget about recycling surplus/ill-fitting talent for picks.

There are 2 ways to buld a winner: build a loaded superteam from the draft (which rarely works with salary cap anymore and you need to suck pretty badly or be very lucky) or build the *right* kind of team. Which direction will Rob try to go - it's pretty obvious to me. The first option is far too unlikely to succeed and I'd argue it's also too late considering rebuild/retool is over, which means he's going to have to find the right players via UFA and trades.

Oh and btw: in the last 13 years how many different Cup winners have been there? 7. 3 of those teams are still loaded and difficult to win against. We are extremely lucky and spoiled by 2012 and 2014 campaigns. Let's not act like building a winner is a given if you have a capable GM. Lots of chips need to fall in the right places.
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It hurts because we wasted assets for rentals. Don't overthink it.
 
HeadInjury said:
True. But we can and must trade Durzi.
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If you can retain Durzi on an affordable multi-year deal then you should keep him. Yes he’s a flawed player but he’s also 24 years old and he’s a ~40 point d-man playing 3rd pairing minutes. You can’t simply swap out another even younger d-man and expect them to both produce at his level and play equal or better defense.
 
hokiecat said:
It hurts because we wasted assets for rentals. Don't overthink it.
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Blake took a shot. It didn’t work out. I applaud him for not taking the safest route even if it didn’t work out.
 
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