[Trade] Kings acquire PLD (8x$8.5 mil) for Vilardi, Iafallo, Kupari, and 2nd

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Man Dubois is overrated.

Even with his career best season last year it pro-rates to 30 goals and 70 points. And he's not good defensively. So he's an offensive center, that's below average defensively, but doesn't really even produce offence at an elite clip.

But he wants $9M.

He might get it next year as a UFA if the cap goes up as expected.

it's why players on the cusp of UFA (1 year) are likely making demands that seem unreasonable.

They are negotiating with next years cap numbers.

[dirk diggler]

I feel like the Kings are on the right track with their rebuild/retool. I think going after an overrated PLD is not the best move.

[dino7c]

2 of the Kings best players are still from the old core

[SuperMatt18]

Kings rebuild isn't looking as promising as it once did TBH.

Turcotte busted. Byfield might still be a top 6 center but doesn't look elite.

Vilardi, Kupari, and Kaliyev are great supporting pieces but not sure any are top line players.

They traded their 1sts in 2022 and now 2023.

So really the only piece of the rebuild that still might be a truly elite piece is Clarke.

Honestly it goes to show how hard it can be to get a rebuild right. In 2020/2021 the Kings were applauded for their drafting and had by far the best prospect pool in the NHL.

Now it looks good but not great. And as mentioned the people driving the bust aren't really people drafted during the re-build but pieces they added via trade and UFA, or kept through the re-build (Kopitar, Doughty, Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson, Danault)

[Erick Estrada]

It just goes to show that high draft picks are great and all but you still have to hit on them. Stuetzle would look pretty good in a Kings jersey.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Kings rebuild isn't looking as promising as it once did TBH.

Turcotte busted. Byfield might still be a top 6 center but doesn't look elite.

Vilardi, Kupari, and Kaliyev are great supporting pieces but not sure any are top line players.

They traded their 1sts in 2022 and now 2023.

So really the only piece of the rebuild that still might be a truly elite piece is Clarke.

Honestly it goes to show how hard it can be to get a rebuild right. In 2020/2021 the Kings were applauded for their drafting and had by far the best prospect pool in the NHL.

Now it looks good but not great. And as mentioned the people driving the bust aren't really people drafted during the re-build but pieces they added via trade and UFA, or kept through the re-build (Kopitar, Doughty, Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson, Danault)

Yeah, LAK went short on their rebuild (I imagine in an effort to make use of Kopitar and Doughty for more runs?).

They pulled Byfield and Turcotte in their two highest value picks...and that's not looking great.

Byfield was the pick to make in that spot.

Turcotte looks like a rough pick looking back though.

5: Turcotte
6: Seider
7: Cozens
8: Broberg
9: Zegras

etc.

2019 was a pretty weak draft. The fact they took Turcotte at 5 and Anaheim snaked Zegras at 9 must hurt.

...but probably not as much as Poolparty at 4, Juolevi at 5 and Tkachuk at 6 though

At the end of the day you need a really good scouting staff. I'd argue that LAK's has exposed themselves as not being very good. They haven't hit on ANYTHING.

Kaliyev may be their only find of note and he was a 2nd in 2019.

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Kings rebuild isn't looking as promising as it once did TBH.

Turcotte busted. Byfield might still be a top 6 center but doesn't look elite.

Vilardi, Kupari, and Kaliyev are great supporting pieces but not sure any are top line players.

They traded their 1sts in 2022 and now 2023.

So really the only piece of the rebuild that still might be a truly elite piece is Clarke.

Honestly it goes to show how hard it can be to get a rebuild right. In 2020/2021 the Kings were applauded for their drafting and had by far the best prospect pool in the NHL.

Now it looks good but not great. And as mentioned the people driving the bust aren't really people drafted during the re-build but pieces they added via trade and UFA, or kept through the re-build (Kopitar, Doughty, Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson, Danault)

I don't know how you can say that about Byfield. He is 20 years old and had 15pts in 16 AHL games last year. In the NHL he had 22pts in 53 regular season games and 4pts in 6 playoff games.

When he was 18 he played in the AHL, which is a league of 20 year olds and up, and had 20pts in 32 games. As a 19 year old he had 6pts in 11 AHL games.

The sample size isn't much but he showed he is essentially too good for the AHL by 20 years old and was getting reps on the top line with Kopitar and Kempe.

If you look his stats compare quite well to Tage Thompson who is also big guy that didn't really explode until last season.

The only reason I'm coming at you on this is cause in his draft year, he was literally expected to take a bit longer because he was one of the youngest players in the draft and bigger guys take longer to iron out the kinks and realize what they can do utilizing their size and reach. Byfield also has the speed of a average sized player so the sky is the limit for him IMO.

Not every prospect produces star numbers before they are 21. Just because they don't doesn't mean they can't reach their draft potential, especially when the book literally said Byfield will need time.

Anyways, I agree with you about the rest of your post however and it really is funny how far they have fallen as everyone was praising their prospect pool not too long ago. Just goes to show that it really is difficult to make the show and reach your full potential if you get there.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

At the end of the day you need a really good scouting staff. I'd argue that LAK's has exposed themselves as not being very good. They haven't hit on ANYTHING.

Kaliyev may be their only find of note and he was a 2nd in 2019.

Kempe at 29 OA was a hit.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Kings rebuild isn't looking as promising as it once did TBH.

Turcotte busted. Byfield might still be a top 6 center but doesn't look elite.

Vilardi, Kupari, and Kaliyev are great supporting pieces but not sure any are top line players.

They traded their 1sts in 2022 and now 2023.

So really the only piece of the rebuild that still might be a truly elite piece is Clarke.

Honestly it goes to show how hard it can be to get a rebuild right. In 2020/2021 the Kings were applauded for their drafting and had by far the best prospect pool in the NHL.

Now it looks good but not great. And as mentioned the people driving the bust aren't really people drafted during the re-build but pieces they added via trade and UFA, or kept through the re-build (Kopitar, Doughty, Kempe, Fiala, Arvidsson, Danault)

True, but another way to look at it is you can collect rebuild pieces without going full blown Arizona bad on the current roster.

Maybe LA is the prototype a team like Calgary looks at in collecting young talent with high potential but still keeping some resemblance of NHL players too.
With our contract situation, that's probably the closest thing to a rebuild that can be executed anyway.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Kempe at 29 OA was a hit.

...that was a decade ago.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

I don't know how you can say that about Byfield. He is 20 years old and had 15pts in 16 AHL games last year. In the NHL he had 22pts in 53 regular season games and 4pts in 6 playoff games.

When he was 18 he played in the AHL, which is a league of 20 year olds and up, and had 20pts in 32 games. As a 19 year old he had 6pts in 11 AHL games.

The sample size isn't much but he showed he is essentially too good for the AHL by 20 years old and was getting reps on the top line with Kopitar and Kempe.

If you look his stats compare quite well to Tage Thompson who is also big guy that didn't really explode until last season.

The only reason I'm coming at you on this is cause in his draft year, he was literally expected to take a bit longer because he was one of the youngest players in the draft and bigger guys take longer to iron out the kinks and realize what they can do utilizing their size and reach. Byfield also has the speed of a average sized player so the sky is the limit for him IMO.

Not every prospect produces star numbers before they are 21. Just because they don't doesn't mean they can't reach their draft potential, especially when the book literally said Byfield will need time.

Anyways, I agree with you about the rest of your post however and it really is funny how far they have fallen as everyone was praising their prospect pool not too long ago. Just goes to show that it really is difficult to make the show and reach your full potential if you get there.

I didn't say he was a bust.

And I think he's going to be a top 6 center. But I do think he's going to be in tough to be a truly elite center.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

I don't know how you can say that about Byfield. He is 20 years old and had 15pts in 16 AHL games last year. In the NHL he had 22pts in 53 regular season games and 4pts in 6 playoff games.

When he was 18 he played in the AHL, which is a league of 20 year olds and up, and had 20pts in 32 games. As a 19 year old he had 6pts in 11 AHL games.

The sample size isn't much but he showed he is essentially too good for the AHL by 20 years old and was getting reps on the top line with Kopitar and Kempe.

If you look his stats compare quite well to Tage Thompson who is also big guy that didn't really explode until last season.

The only reason I'm coming at you on this is cause in his draft year, he was literally expected to take a bit longer because he was one of the youngest players in the draft and bigger guys take longer to iron out the kinks and realize what they can do utilizing their size and reach. Byfield also has the speed of a average sized player so the sky is the limit for him IMO.

Not every prospect produces star numbers before they are 21. Just because they don't doesn't mean they can't reach their draft potential, especially when the book literally said Byfield will need time.

Anyways, I agree with you about the rest of your post however and it really is funny how far they have fallen as everyone was praising their prospect pool not too long ago. Just goes to show that it really is difficult to make the show and reach your full potential if you get there.

I think there are a lot of guys that mature at an early age, and as a result get over-rated, because they dominate against their less mature peers. Then they get to the NHL, and they longer have a size or strength advantage, and reality sets in.

I think Byfield might fall into that category. I am not suggesting he's a bust or anything close to that, just that he may not be as elite as some thought.

[SeanCharles]

I'm not saying you guys are wrong per se and Byfield is destined to be an elite player but by that logic every single elite player needs to have made their mark on the NHL by their 20 year old season..?

One recent example of a player not making the NHL until 21 and is now proving to be elite is Jason Robertson.

Age 21 season - 45pts in 51 games
Age 22 season - 79pts in 74 games
Age 23 season - 109pts in 82 games

Byfield doesn't even turn 21 until August.

The fact he has already done what he has done and he is only 20 is actually quite impressive.

It blows me away that instant dominance is expected or else you get deemed a complimentary piece just 3 years after the draft.

[Erick Estrada]

I don't get why teams are infatuated with PLD. He's a good center but not elite, not shown to be much of a difference maker on the teams he's been on and he's not the most disciplined player as he takes a lot of bad penalties.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

I'm not saying you guys are wrong per se and Byfield is destined to be an elite player but by that logic every single elite player needs to have made their mark on the NHL by their 20 year old season..?

One recent example of a player not making the NHL until 21 and is now proving to be elite is Jason Robertson.

Age 21 season - 45pts in 51 games
Age 22 season - 79pts in 74 games
Age 23 season - 109pts in 82 games

Byfield doesn't even turn 21 until August.

The fact he has already done what he has done and he is only 20 is actually quite impressive.

It blows me away that instant dominance is expected or else you get deemed a complimentary piece just 3 years after the draft.

no one said this though

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't get why teams are infatuated with PLD. He's a good center but not elite, not shown to be much of a difference maker on the teams he's been on and he's not the most disciplined player as he takes a lot of bad penalties.

Big centermen are always coveted. And there are times when he can look dominant. Unfortunately, those times are not long or frequent enough.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't get why teams are infatuated with PLD. He's a good center but not elite, not shown to be much of a difference maker on the teams he's been on and he's not the most disciplined player as he takes a lot of bad penalties.

Maybe looking ahead and wanting a Kopitar replacement? I too don't get it. Forces Byfield to remain on the wing while they roll with Kopitar / PLD / Danault

[butterfly]

If they think Dubois is going to be a Kopitar replacement they will be quite disappointed.

[Enoch Root]

I think they want Dubois because they think they need more center depth to get past Edmonton (who has eliminated them the last 2 years)

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

no one said this though

I'm just saying some have decided he will never reach his draft potential but don't really have anything to back their reasoning up outside of the same old rhetoric that he was the big guy and dominated smaller players in lower leagues.

I just don't like seeing how the expectation for top end prospects is instant results.

The original post indicated Clarke is looking like the only elite prospect/young player they have yet he is only 6 months younger than Byfield and doesn't have the AHL and NHL resume Byfield does.

I'm not against personal opinions, as I clearly have one on this front, I'm just saying the logic doesn't add up when you take all the facts into consideration.