Panarin to Kings

[King of Pentacle5]

*this year.

There is time to improve this team in the offseason. Trade Perry and Kuzmenko at the deadline for two 1sts, trade one of the goalies, DD, one of the goalies not named Carter or George, and Fiala at the draft and that makes it enough assets to trade for Elias and a very solid top 2/4 mobile D-man with a good contract. Find another D-man UFA market and dump Ceci.

Along with a more capable HC this team suddenly becomes much more capable without mortgaging any significant future this team already has in the pipeline/draft pick stockpile.

Panarin-Elias-Kempe
Foegele-QB-Laferriere
Lee-Turcotte-Moore
Ward-Helenius-Armia

Mikey-Clarke
Dumoulin-"New guy trade"
Wooley/Kirsanov/Moverare-"New guy UFA"

Forsberg/Kuemper - Portillo

This is in line with the win-now approach of Ken, but he doesn't have the b***s to do something as radical as this. So we'll probably have to settle for a half-@ssed approach and be happy with a new coach and maybe, if we're lucky, Elias Pettersson at the cost of current assets because Perry will end up walking for nothing (and eventually one or both of the goalies), Kuz getting resigned and Fiala getting to frustrate us for the foreseeable future. But most likely someone without a 1st line pedigree, thus ending up with 2 2nd line centers and same old D-corps. Spinning tires for another year at least...

Neither Perry nor Kuz are worthy of a 1st round pick, and they’re both FAs at the end of the season anyway.

Perry should go, but Kuz should be re-signed, especially with a fellow Russian now joining the team. He plays his ass off every shift and is rarely a defensive liability.

DD should retire a King. He just needs to play less minutes and no more PK. But if he asked out, I would get what I could if I were Holland.

Kings already struggle to score so getting rid of Fiala would be a mistake. Even with his stupid penalties. He needs a good C to play with, not Byfield.

And Turc is a bust. He should be part of a trade package along with QB.

 

[daxx]

Who was it here that said "don't get married to players"? I don't know who this Greentree kid is, but the Kings need to start winning instead of barely getting a point or losing by a goal. Getting Panarin is a good start to go in the winning direction. For the record, I'm fine with blowing up the whole team and doing a full rebuild. The only person who's safe is Kopi because he's gone in a couple months. Everyone else in my mind is tradable.

 

[What party?]

OK, so...Ken did something. Is it a good thing? I don't know.

First impressions:
+ from a win-now perspective (which is the unfortunate reality we live in) this wasn't too bad, he didn't give up a lot for him, and I like the contract extension - 2 years coincides with Ken's contract...I guess we're going all in for 2 more years and then we scrap it up; I guess this also makes sense from Doughty's perspective...which means 1 more year of overplayed DD and no DD trade at the deadline
+ powerplay should be improved
? 3 on 3 probably won't be improved if he's not a great skater?
- he's 34 and is likely on a decline already...Kovalchuk in his first season was around the same age as Panarin will be next season...not sure I like that
? he's not a very fast skater and he's not in any way, shape or form a two-way player...so how does he fit Hiller hockey? Is Ken firing Hiller, too? If so, when?
? he's more of a playmaker, but the Kings need finishers, and he's a right shot LW, so perhaps he'll be utilized as more of a finisher?
- if he wanted to come to LA because his wife/GF is an actress that can't be a great thing
- why the hell didn't he take Gavrikov with him in return for a 1st rounder?
- the Kings still need a center for next season...is Laf going to be the 2nd line center if Ken fails to sign someone at free agency (likelihood of which is very high)?
? Why on earth is Panarin listed as a Center on NHL.com? They might as well change the player positions to F if it's a forward, they have no clue.

To start:
Panarin-Byfield-Kempe
Fiala-Turcotte-Laferriere
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Moore
Armia-Helenius-Perry

Foegele??? Malott, Ward

So...the Kings have improved skill on the offense...and defense is still missing a mobile D-man. More moves incoming if Ken is that serious about competing? We have another winger now...someone has to go. Foegele's trade value is at an all time low ATM but he's the most likely to go IMO from the perspective of improving this team's current chances.

From a perspective of maximizing assets, you trade Kuz and Perry for 2 late 1st round picks (with a late pick added if necessary) and turn that and Ceci/Dumo/Edmundson into someone able to man the PP and able to play 3 on 3...but IMO Ken is too much of an ego to admit his mistake in signing Ceci/Dumo to do something like that and trading Clarke's D-partner might not be a good idea.

To start:
Panarin-Byfield-Kempe
Fiala-Turcotte-Laferriere
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Moore
Armia-Helenius-Perry

Dropping my boi to the third line?

"Does he look like a bitch?"....etc

 

[King of Pentacle5]

Who was it here that said "don't get married to players"? I don't know who this Greentree kid is, but the Kings need to start winning instead of barely getting a point or losing by a goal. Getting Panarin is a good start to go in the winning direction. For the record, I'm fine with blowing up the whole team and doing a full rebuild. The only person who's safe is Kopi because he's gone in a couple months. Everyone else in my mind is tradable.

You would trade Anderson, Clarke, Kempe and Laffy? For who? Or what?

As we can see currently, even the 2nd and 5th overall picks don’t guarantee success.

 

[DryKing]

Yeah that failed experiment in byfield has to go...you know the one...that makes 6 million a year and can't win a face off...or control a puck.. yeah buh...bye....next time let's not choose a player cause he chex a box. Let's pick one cause he can play

Yep - 82 points in 45 games (OHL) the season before being drafted. What were the Kings thinking?

Byfield is neither a failed experiment or a player who should be traded. What he should be is given an opportunity to play with our top forwards (Kempe and now Panarin) and, therein, be given a chance to succeed.

Remember when Steve Rucchin was drafted 2nd overall in the '94 supplementary draft specifically to center the line of Kariya and Selanne? He had a good career (keeping in mind his numbers were inflated by centering two superstars), and was a vital part of their team, but never lived up to fans expectations as he "was taken 2nd overall".

 

[mugs]

Who was it here that said "don't get married to players"? I don't know who this Greentree kid is, but the Kings need to start winning instead of barely getting a point or losing by a goal. Getting Panarin is a good start to go in the winning direction. For the record, I'm fine with blowing up the whole team and doing a full rebuild. The only person who's safe is Kopi because he's gone in a couple months. Everyone else in my mind is tradable.

Birdman

at the draft party a couple of years ago, and under a considerable haze, i heard Birdman yell out the following (about 4 or 5 times, i think) - "don't marry yourselves to players!" he went on to reiterate that idea more than once on the boards, and i believe it to be absolutely sage.

---gescom

 

[Bollocks]

Neither Perry nor Kuz are worthy of a 1st round pick, and they’re both FAs at the end of the season anyway.

Panarin was so affordable because he held Drury by the b*lls and because Drury is a bad GM. Also, expensive to resign. We got lucky, simple as that. Or, well, we'll see about how lucky we got...but anyways, wasn't as bad as I feared, though Greentree could turn out very good and we'll be able to complain later on.

You'd be surprised about Perry. Phil friggin' Danault got us a (then speculated to be high) 2nd rounder. Perry is despite his age above 0,5ppg and is a known playoff performer. Especially this year there's bound to be a team desperate enough to overpay. A young team looking to break into the playoffs after a long while. Say, what about the Ducks?
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder.)

I'm not sure how much of a buddy Kuzmenko is with Panarin, but I don't see how the Kings play him on what would be our 1st line instead of Kempe. Kuzmenko cost us a 3rd rounder last season after being very, very underwhelming. He's also above 0,5ppg.
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder and retain a couple of million.)

There are quite a few teams struggling offensively on the East...Isles, BJs, Panthers, DET, Flyers...all vying for playoffs.

To start:
Panarin-Byfield-Kempe
Fiala-Turcotte-Laferriere
Kuzmenko-Kopitar-Moore
Armia-Helenius-Perry

Dropping my boi to the third line?

It's a 1A-1B-1C situation.

 

[King of Pentacle5]

Panarin was so affordable because he held Drury by the b*lls and because Drury is a bad GM. Also, expensive to resign. We got lucky, simple as that. Or, well, we'll see about how lucky we got...but anyways, wasn't as bad as I feared, though Greentree could turn out very good and we'll be able to complain later on.

You'd be surprised about Perry. Phil friggin' Danault got us a (then speculated to be high) 2nd rounder. Perry is despite his age above 0,5ppg and is a known playoff performer. Especially this year there's bound to be a team desperate enough to overpay. A young team looking to break into the playoffs after a long while. Say, what about the Ducks?
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder.)

I'm not sure how much of a buddy Kuzmenko is with Panarin, but I don't see how the Kings play him on what would be our 1st line instead of Kempe. Kuzmenko cost us a 3rd rounder last season after being very, very underwhelming. He's also above 0,5ppg.
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder and retain a couple of million.)

There are quite a few teams struggling offensively on the East...Isles, BJs, Panthers, DET, Flyers...all vying for playoffs.



It's a 1A-1B-1C situation.

Perry is going to be 41 and (obviously) isn’t the player he once was. Any GM that would pay a 1st round pick for him at this point in his career, even just as a PO rental, is an idiot. That’s something that the Ken Holland prior to February 3, 2026 would do. Edit: Perry also has a NTC, so he’d have to waive it.

I never said Kuz and Bread sh/would be on the same line, only the same team. Right now, Kuz is the only Russian on the Kings squad and he barely speaks English. Having another Russian to talk to and work with will probably be a welcome change for him, imo. I know I’d hate to be the only American on a Russian team.

I’d really like to see Gavrikov back in LA too, but it sounds like he didn’t really want to be here. I wonder how he feels now with the Bread trade?

 

[Clif]

*this year.

There is time to improve this team in the offseason. Trade Perry and Kuzmenko at the deadline for two 1sts, trade one of the goalies, DD, one of the goalies not named Carter or George, and Fiala at the draft and that makes it enough assets to trade for Elias and a very solid top 2/4 mobile D-man with a good contract. Find another D-man UFA market and dump Ceci.

Along with a more capable HC this team suddenly becomes much more capable without mortgaging any significant future this team already has in the pipeline/draft pick stockpile.

Panarin-Elias-Kempe
Foegele-QB-Laferriere
Lee-Turcotte-Moore
Ward-Helenius-Armia

Mikey-Clarke
Dumoulin-"New guy trade"
Wooley/Kirsanov/Moverare-"New guy UFA"

Forsberg/Kuemper - Portillo

This is in line with the win-now approach of Ken, but he doesn't have the b***s to do something as radical as this. So we'll probably have to settle for a half-@ssed approach and be happy with a new coach and maybe, if we're lucky, Elias Pettersson at the cost of current assets because Perry will end up walking for nothing (and eventually one or both of the goalies), Kuz getting resigned and Fiala getting to frustrate us for the foreseeable future. But most likely someone without a 1st line pedigree, thus ending up with 2 2nd line centers and same old D-corps. Spinning tires for another year at least...

I also wanted to see a retool and sell-off to some degree. I didn’t know what direction Holland would take but this clearly shuts a couple doors. Mainly collecting draft picks the next two years and bringing up younger players like Greentree and a defenseman or two early.

Reworking the roster is still doable in different ways, however. They will need to find a center and I can’t see Hiller coming back short of Kings winning the Western Conference. With Panarin wanting to come here only, Holland can’t say no to that. So I don’t know how active he would have been this year if not for an elite player legitimately asking for this trade.

He mentioned specifically on his TNT spot that Foegele had been good last year but has been scratched a few games. He’s going to move at least one forward by trade deadline. Changes will still come this offseason but will not have the bigger picture focus you or I were hoping for.

 

[What party?]

Panarin was so affordable because he held Drury by the b*lls and because Drury is a bad GM. Also, expensive to resign. We got lucky, simple as that. Or, well, we'll see about how lucky we got...but anyways, wasn't as bad as I feared, though Greentree could turn out very good and we'll be able to complain later on.

You'd be surprised about Perry. Phil friggin' Danault got us a (then speculated to be high) 2nd rounder. Perry is despite his age above 0,5ppg and is a known playoff performer. Especially this year there's bound to be a team desperate enough to overpay. A young team looking to break into the playoffs after a long while. Say, what about the Ducks?
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder.)

I'm not sure how much of a buddy Kuzmenko is with Panarin, but I don't see how the Kings play him on what would be our 1st line instead of Kempe. Kuzmenko cost us a 3rd rounder last season after being very, very underwhelming. He's also above 0,5ppg.
(Maybe the Kings need to add a 4th rounder and retain a couple of million.)

There are quite a few teams struggling offensively on the East...Isles, BJs, Panthers, DET, Flyers...all vying for playoffs.



It's a 1A-1B-1C situation.

The guys has spent the last 15 years begging for someone to pass to...with the breadman he could have Sendin twins assist numbers, right? lol. Crystal ball: Koptiars first 100 point season, is his last.

 

[Bollocks]

Perry is going to be 41 and (obviously) isn’t the player he once was. Any GM that would pay a 1st round pick for him at this point in his career, even just as a PO rental, is an idiot. That’s something that the Ken Holland prior to February 3, 2026 would do.

I never said Kuz and Bread sh/would be on the same line, only the same team. Right now, Kuz is the only Russian on the Kings squad and he barely speaks English. Having another Russian to talk to and work with will probably be a welcome change for him, imo. I know I’d hate to be the only American on a Russian team.

I’d really like to see Gavrikov back in LA too, but it sounds like he didn’t really want to be here. I wonder how he feels now with the Bread trade?

Perry is a rental. Late 1st round picks are often traded for rentals. That means it's irrelevant if he's 41. He can still play, is still feisty and is still a playoff presence. He was 22-10-4-14 last season in the playoffs, when he was 40 and not any faster.

What more could the Ducks wish for?

Good point about Kuz. I forgot he's like that. That does make that trade much less likely...(as if it would be likely otherwise).

If neither Perry nor Kuz get traded that means someone else needs to go that would otherwise be "wasted" playing 4th line minutes or warming the bench. Foegele? All time low value, would cost peanuts. Moore?

 

[Bollocks]

The guys has spent the last 15 years begging for someone to pass to...with the breadman he could have Sendin twins assist numbers, right? lol. Crystal ball: Koptiars first 100 point season, is his last.

Well, I definitely am intrigued how a line of Panarin-Kopitar-Kempe would look like, and it is likely we will see that at some point, but I'm afraid our favoride gramps couldn't keep up.

 

[King of Pentacle5]

Perry is a rental. Late 1st round picks are often traded for rentals. That means it's irrelevant if he's 41. He can still play, is still feisty and is still a playoff presence. He was 22-10-4-14 last season in the playoffs, when he was 40 and not any faster.

What more could the Ducks wish for?

Good point about Kuz. I forgot he's like that. That does make that trade much less likely...(as if it would be likely otherwise).

If neither Perry nor Kuz get traded that means someone else needs to go that would otherwise be "wasted" playing 4th line minutes or warming the bench. Foegele? All time low value, would cost peanuts. Moore?

Well, Danault’s value was at an all time low as well. Got the Kings a 2nd rounder! I had high hopes for Foe after last season’s stellar performance. But it’s pretty obvious that he and Hiller DO NOT get along. I’m sure he’d be happy to leave LA at this point.

I would keep TO over Turc. I think he’s overall a more effective player and has a higher ceiling.

 

[King of Pentacle5]

Interesting. I don’t keep up on hockey gossip so I hadn’t heard about Panarin’s conspiracy against Drury.

 

[Halfwall]

What planet are you guys living on? After the break there are only 5 games left before the deadline. Perry isn't going anywhere and Kuz is unlikely because the only teams that would trade for him would have to give up a significant roster player.

 

[DryKing]

Well, Danault’s value was at an all time low as well. Got the Kings a 2nd rounder! I had high hopes for Foe after last season’s stellar performance. But it’s pretty obvious that he and Hiller DO NOT get along. I’m sure he’d be happy to leave LA at this point.

I would keep TO over Turc. I think he’s overall a more effective player and has a higher ceiling.

Totally agree with you on Foegele. He's a good player who clearly is not enjoying the current experience on this team. I think he still holds a good deal of trade value.

I'd definitely keep Turc over TO, largely due to Turc having a comparatively low trade value to TO and a much lower AAV. In my opinion, Turc has a higher ceiling than TO, but TO is currently the superior player. It's uncertain as to whether or not Turc will rise to the level of TO (likely he will if he can stay healthy and avoid further concussions), let alone surpass him, but he is actually more valuable to this team which is short on NHL-level centers and somewhat weak in the faceoff circle. Really Turc and Kopi are the two players who can be relied on to consistently win draws, and Kopi will not be around after this season. Turc is also defensively responsible and more creative in the offensive zone (as a facilitator).

TO is a very good two-way wing with a scoring touch. His main value, currently, however falls within the defensive zone which is an area of strength for the Kings. They could move him for either a goal scoring wing or mobile defenseman, two areas of weakness for the Kings.

 

[What party?]

Well, I definitely am intrigued how a line of Panarin-Kopitar-Kempe would look like, and it is likely we will see that at some point, but I'm afraid our favoride gramps couldn't keep up.

Ha. Much like the Kovy trade, when there were 12 1/2 posts about how Kopitar and Kovy are both puck handlers and would not work on the same line; I offered the same tween diary entry minus the unicorn sticker about him. I'm standing by my statement or... not sure if this show ever reached the UK but there was a guy from the show "Mythbusters" (who ended up being a creep, but going to set that aside to prove my point) who famously said: "I reject your reality and substitute my own."

Me:

February 5th, 2026- I've gone full Hom-- er...Marge for Kopitar.

 

[JasonU]

Panarin hasn't played a game in a while, he wasn't able to get on a plane last night after the trade and fly out to Vegas to meet the team and play in one game tonight? After the game, fly back to NY for the week off? I guess this Vegas game is not that important.

Per Holland they're going to make him fit the system, not make the system fit him. He would be lost in a system that stifles all offense. He has to get in a few practices first to realize he just committed to defense-first.

 

[Hockey53]

 

[DryKing]

View attachment 13876

Wow, if that is true that is extremely surprising. If true it likely comes down to Seattle not having players he desires to play with, or the LA scene (for his wife) which others have commented on. Let's face it, both systems (Seattle and LA) are where offense goes to die.