tkecanuck341

Member Since
May 2, 2016
Favourite Team
Los Angeles Kings
Location
Irvine, CA
Forum Posts
3252
Posts per Day
2.13
Forum Threads
83
Biography
Kings fan since 1986. Season ticket holder since 2011.
Forum: Armchair-GM12 hours ago
Thread: Keep adding more depth to the roster
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>KakkoForMauriceRichardAward</b></div><div>But why would you guys need a guy like Staal/Hjalmarsson/Russell? Ps I only did the KR trade here because I've heard LA fans saying they'd be interested in a veteran d-man

I thought the goal for you was to give NHL minutes to Clague and Bjornfot...</div></div>

The Kings don't want just any veteran defenseman. They want a solid defensive defenseman that can play big minutes on the first pairing next to Drew Doughty. Prior leadership and championship experience are both bonuses. Someone that used to be a top-paring defensemen in decline would be best.

Two years remaining on their deal would be ideal, as the Kings need someone to satisfy the exposure requirements for the expansion draft in 2021. They need to expose at least one defenseman that played 40+ games in 2020-21 or 70+ games in 2019-20 and 2020-21 combined. Kurtis MacDermid is currently on track to satisfy that requirement if he plays 25+ games next season, but if he goes down with a season-ending injury, then the Kings will have to expose a NHL defenseman that they would have otherwise protected (I.e. Roy or Walker).

Russell checks the veteran box, but none of the others, as he was never a 1st pairing defenseman, has never held a leadership role, never won a Cup, and only has one year remaining on his contract. He's not really capable of playing top pairing minutes either.

Kings pass.
Forum: Armchair-GM13 hours ago
Thread: The career of Mike Richards
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>KakkoForMauriceRichardAward</b></div><div>Right, they're indeed were an elite possession team until 15-16 if I remember correctly but such a thing was allowed because of a defensive structure that was so strong, their d-men (DD, Voynov, Martinez and Muzzin) did most of the work (talking about position players here.

Also the last bit is 100% true, but that's on Sutter outcoaching AV, a bit like what happened in 2016, Sullivan outcoached Deboer big time...</div></div>

Kings were solid because of their team defense, not because of their defensemen. It certainly helped that they had a squad of six quality defensemen, but guys like Dwight King, Jordan Nolan, and Jarret Stoll were the reason why that team was so good. I would argue that those three guys were more important than Toffoli, Pearson, and Brown that year. It also helps that they had the best two-way forward in the league in Anze Kopitar.
Forum: Armchair-GM13 hours ago
Thread: The career of Mike Richards
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>KakkoForMauriceRichardAward</b></div><div>No, you got me wrong, the 2012 LA team was underrated, or not seen has it would've deserved to be seen. The 2014 one was kinda overrated IMO because of their style of play. Like the next season you guys fll off a pretty big cliff which was a big surprise to pretty much everyone. Don't get me wrong, you were elite, but when I look at that team I see:
-an amazing goalie, probably top 4-5 in the league (Price, Hank, Lunongo, Quick and Rinne)
-an amazing one two punch at D
-some younger d-men... Martinez (gulp) and Muzzin
-a few good forwards
But overall a team that was 100% built on its defense, nothing much besides that. They really were a one dimensional team... it did work for them tho</div></div>

I don't agree with that assessment. While they were a solid defensive team, that's not what defined the team. It was their elite possession game and heavy forecheck that punished the other teams defense. If they were solely defensive, you would see them getting outshot every game. Here are the SOG totals for each of the games that series:

Game 1: LA 43, NY 27
Game 2: LA 44, NY 38
Game 3: LA 15, NY 32 (Thanks Quick!)
Game 4: LA 41, NY 19 (Lundqvist stole this one)
Game 5: LA 51, NY 30

After ousting the Ducks in 7 games, Anaheim went out to acquire some heavier players specifically to handle LA in the playoffs, because they felt like they got pushed around in the series and couldn't keep up.

Not trying to be a jerk, but the Rangers were actually the easiest of the opponents the Kings had to face in the postseason that year. They had tougher challenges from each of the Western Conference teams they played against, since Western teams generally relied more on size and strength than speed and skill.
Forum: Armchair-GM14 hours ago
Thread: Few New Ideas Feedback Appreciated
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Stanley_Cup_To_Manhattan</b></div><div>Oh for sure! I just feel like Staal Is a good short term option to shelter guys like Bjornfot before throwing them in the fire and Leddy seems to be on the decline so idk if you want his longer term deal over an expiring Staal.</div></div>

Well the Kings would want the 2nd year for the expansion draft exposure requirement since at least one defenseman has to be under contract that played 40+ games the season prior or 70+ games in the two seasons prior. MacDermid currently satisfies that requirement, but he's a poor training camp or season-ending injury away from the Kings being screwed and having to expose a defenseman they otherwise wouldn't want to (i.e. Walker or Roy).
Forum: Armchair-GMTue at 1:06 am