NHL 2022-2023: FA July 13th - LET IT BEGIN

[Stadler]

Wow, one period in and I'm out of breath. Jeezus, McDavid is ridiculous. He's a threat every shift. You have to know where he is at all times. And those turbo jets....holy shit!

I watched the game with my stepson, and I literally said the exact same thing:  a player like that you need to know where he is - including on the bench - at every moment.  The local guys - Billy Jaffe and Andrew Raycroft - both said, you  can't stop him, you can only hope to keep him UNDER three points.  And they did that.  I thought they looked really good.  I REALLY love how they spread the scoring across all four lines.  That's going to be key when the season starts (i.e. the playoffs).

I thought the Bruins were solid, but I didn't think they were crisp at all. I thought they were intimidated by the Oilers' speed. Keep in mind, this is the fastest Bruins team I've ever seen.
The ice looked choppy and pucks were bouncing all over the place. Their timing looked off the entire night.

No, you're right; they weren't crisp, and they will have to be in the playoffs.  I just like their game a lot.  Physical without being plodding, and they are very tenacious in the offensive zone. 

[jingle.boy]

Dubas is still wheeling and dealing - Sandin to the Caps for Gustaffson and Boston's 1st Rounder.  Gustaffson is instantly the top defensive point-person on the Leafs.  Not bad for an $800k AAV guy.

[TAC]

Dubas is still wheeling and dealing - Sandin to the Caps for Gustaffson and Boston's 1st Rounder. Gustaffson is instantly the top defensive point-person on the Leafs.  Not bad for an $800k AAV guy.

 


Leafs get Luke Schenn.

[jingle.boy]

There still has to be more to go.  They've got 8 defensemen that were all top-6 as of this morning.  I wouldn't be surprised if TJ Brodie is on the move for a Top 6 forward.  But who, I don't know.  Bertuzzi?

[TheCountOfNYC]

Holy shit. Seriously holy shit. Words cannot even begin to explain my excitement. I was already hyped for Tarasenko, but adding Kane to this team is absolutely insane.

[Anguyen92]

^^ I think you should quell your expectations.  Analytics people has been saying that Kane is actually brings negative value to a team nowadays.  You want him in any defensive zone roles?  I would say your coach is a moron if he put Kane in that role.  That's all right, you still got Igor and that goalie is still good.  He should be able to cover those deficiencies if it flares.

I will say after watching a few Kings/Blackhawks games the last two seasons that Kane is still a very dangerous player when he has the puck.  Still has great play-making abilities.  Aside from McDavid and Kucherov, this guy I'm scared of the most watching when he has the puck against the Kings.

[TAC]

Dammit! Bruins in Calgary tonight and I was counting on looking at those gorgeous red uniforms...but the Flames are wearing their ugly black ones.

I am disappoint. 

[SchecterShredder]

^^ I think you should quell your expectations.  Analytics people has been saying that Kane is actually brings negative value to a team nowadays.  You want him in any defensive zone roles?  I would say your coach is a moron if he put Kane in that role.  That's all right, you still got Igor and that goalie is still good.  He should be able to cover those deficiencies if it flares.

I will say after watching a few Kings/Blackhawks games the last two seasons that Kane is still a very dangerous player when he has the puck.  Still has great play-making abilities.  Aside from McDavid and Kucherov, this guy I'm scared of the most watching when he has the puck against the Kings.

Sums it up well. With a solid finisher on his line, it could be absolutely lethal around the net. Fans will just need to do some wishing and hoping the puck doesn't   go the other direction. Should be interesting to watch down the stretch

[TAC]

Kane should really open up the Rags' PP.

[Anguyen92]

Man, I was really going to lose it if the Kings would have lost that game against the Jets after Kopitar scores 4 goals.  Thank goodness, Vilardi tied it and the Kings get it done in the shootout.

I'm still puzzled on what the Kings should do at the deadline.  Apparently, some rumblings is being made from Darren Dreger about doing a deal with CBJ in getting Gavrikov (a LD) and Korpisalo (a goalie).  I'm not sure if getting a goalie is really going to be a huge upgrade like people think it would be, but gaining any defensive edges right now in a tight West race would be nice.  I just hope it doesn't cost a fortune getting it.  In all fairness, that's really the one thing the Kings do need to really get a deep run going.  Made a deal with CBJ.  They were two for two on trade deadline times with the Blue Jackets.

https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/1630743706667040769

Looks how bunched up everyone is in the West.  Anyone could feasibly get hot and win the conference title.

[Anguyen92]

Oh.  Well then..... the Kings are moving out Quick in that deal....  I hate this, but he's not winning the games he needs to win and sadly, the team isn't doing everything they can to help him win the games when he's in net.  This man is the greatest goalie the franchise ever has.  His long contract ends this season.  Probably do the sign for one day to properly retire as a King and they'll give him the jersey retirement and statue.



https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1630800777785516032

[jingle.boy]

Many thanks to Florida for doing a solid and beating Tampa in regulation.

And b2b stompings by Ottawa on Detroit makes things even MORE crowded for the East WC.  NYI and Pitt hold them for now, but 5 teams within 5 points of the Isles (3 behind the Pens), while Buf/Det/Ott have 4 or 5 games in hand over the Isles.  I do really think the Isles are 'out' of it, and just don't think Florida can pull themselves together in the last 20 games.  Unfortunately*, being in the Atlantic, Buf/Det/Ott have the 2nd, 4th, and 5th (respectively) hardest strength of schedule left.  Fla has the 15th; Pitt the 19th; Isles the 23rd.

Dis gonna be interesting.

*according to tankathon.com; powerrankingsguru.com tells a slightly different story, but still pretty consistent.

[TAC]

Bruins beat the Flames on the back of Linus Ullmark. They were outshot something like 54-20. B's had nothing left. (B2B, 3 in 4, 4 in 6) Managed to go 4-0 on their West Coast trip.
Dmitri Orlov 2G 1A, after 2A the night before.
B's lose Nick Foligno. Not sure what happened, but he looked in pain coming off the ice.

Bruins test will the second round. I really worry about Toronto. Even Tampa, but I think Toronto is the team to beat.


I'm really not chuffed about the Kane move. I think the Rangers' PP just got more lethal, but as  B's fan. I'm not worried about facing them in the Conference Finals, if it comes to that.

[jingle.boy]

Bruins beat the Flames on the back of Linus Ullmark. They were outshot something like 54-20. B's had nothing left. (B2B, 3 in 4, 4 in 6) Managed to go 4-0 on their West Coast trip.
Dmitri Orlov 2G 1A, after 2A the night before.
B's lose Nick Foligno. Not sure what happened, but he looked in pain coming off the ice.

Bruins test will the second round. I really worry about Toronto. Even Tampa, but I think Toronto is the team to beat.


I'm really not chuffed about the Kane move. I think the Rangers' PP just got more lethal, but as  B's fan. I'm not worried about facing them in the Conference Finals, if it comes to that.

Yeah, i saw the stat line this morning, and was  .  And then scoring with 4.3s left.  Wow.  I'm really liking the moves that the Leafs have made, but still think there's another one to come - they've actually got too many D-men (imo), and I can't see the Schenn move being JUST for playoff insurance / resting some bodies down the stretch.  The current roster only has 12 forwards, but people available to be called up that have played in the NHL this year.  But, the Defense picture:

Reilly - not going anywhere
Brodie - ??  $5M AAV, and still has one more year of term.  He's also looked a little shaky and inconsistent lately
Holl - solid defender, and team-mates love him.
Liljegren - young, cheap, dependable, one more year of term, and an RFA after that ... I don't see him going anywhere
Gio - not going anywhere.  $800k AAV, and one more year of term.
Gustaffson - clearly not going anywhere
McCabe - clearly not going anywhere
Schenn - clearly not going anywhere
Benn - been riding the pine for a while.  He's good insurance to keep for the playoffs though (imo).  Strong tough dude too.
Mete - LTIR

Something's gotta give imo.  Could/should be an interesting couple of days.

[Stadler]

Bruins beat the Flames on the back of Linus Ullmark. They were outshot something like 54-20. B's had nothing left. (B2B, 3 in 4, 4 in 6) Managed to go 4-0 on their West Coast trip.
Dmitri Orlov 2G 1A, after 2A the night before.
B's lose Nick Foligno. Not sure what happened, but he looked in pain coming off the ice.

Bruins test will the second round. I really worry about Toronto. Even Tampa, but I think Toronto is the team to beat.


I'm really not chuffed about the Kane move. I think the Rangers' PP just got more lethal, but as  B's fan. I'm not worried about facing them in the Conference Finals, if it comes to that.

That was quite the game.  That was the worst game of the year for about four of their players - McAvoy, Bergeron, Pastrnak, at least - and yet they found a way.  That team DOES. NOT. QUIT.  Besides Ullmark, I think the only one that really played to their capability was Marchand (I don't know Orlov enough to know; he certainly played well early).  He basically single-handed that winning goal with his toughness.

Big Foligno fan, of course, but the question is really Hall (who was back in Boston). We have a surplus of solid, three-way defensemen, but the B's stock in trade is that our 3 and 4 is as good as most teams 2, and with TWO forwards starting to nurse injuries, that's in jeopardy.

Montgomery officially said that Grzlck (whatever), Carlo, Forbert and Clifton are on a rotation for Orlov. He didn't anticipate that McAvoy or Lindholm would be in that rotation, absent bumps and bruises.  if the guys are in on that (and it seems they are) that's a nice little set up come playoff time.

[Nick]

And b2b stompings by Ottawa on Detroit makes things even MORE crowded for the East WC. 

Man, after such a good showing in a loss to Tampa those two games against Ottawa were VERY deflating. While on their heater I really was believing in Detroit's ability to make some sort of run, those two games showed they may not be ready for hard nosed playoff type hockey. Who knows, maybe they still make the playoffs. But at this point if they can get a good return for him, I think the smart move is to trade Bertuzzi and hopefully resign Larkin at the deadline.

The only upside in those two games was if I was going to watch one player absolutely light us up on back to back nights, I'm glad it was Giroux.

[TAC]

Montgomery officially said that Grzlck (whatever), Carlo, Forbert and Clifton are on a rotation for Orlov. He didn't anticipate that McAvoy or Lindholm would be in that rotation, absent bumps and bruises.  if the guys are in on that (and it seems they are) that's a nice little set up come playoff time.

I'd love to see McAvoy and Lindholm get some rest though. Lindholm has been playing at a Norris level all year. He got dinged up last year down the stretch and into the playoffs.

[pg1067]

Oh.  Well then..... the Kings are moving out Quick in that deal....  I hate this, but he's not winning the games he needs to win and sadly, the team isn't doing everything they can to help him win the games when he's in net.  This man is the greatest goalie the franchise ever has.  His long contract ends this season.  Probably do the sign for one day to properly retire as a King and they'll give him the jersey retirement and statue.



https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1630800777785516032

Fuck!

[SchecterShredder]

Oh.  Well then..... the Kings are moving out Quick in that deal....  I hate this, but he's not winning the games he needs to win and sadly, the team isn't doing everything they can to help him win the games when he's in net.  This man is the greatest goalie the franchise ever has.  His long contract ends this season.  Probably do the sign for one day to properly retire as a King and they'll give him the jersey retirement and statue.



https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1630800777785516032

Fuck!

I understand Quick has some playoff pedigree, but Korpisalo is easily the better goalie at this stage of their careers. Have you looked at Quick's stats this year? 3.5 GAA and .87 save pct is as good as a surefire 1st round exit. From an outsider's perspective, this is an upgrade for the Kings.

[KevShmev]

Stats can be misleading, though.  Binnington is at 3.29 and a save percentage of .895, but he has played better than his stats show (not like he's been elite, just not nearly that bad overall).  I remember a game where he mad a ton of great saves, but was left out to dry by the defense and ended up letting in like 5 goals, and his stat line for that game looked bad as a result. 

[Anguyen92]

Kings also got Gavrikov in the deal to round out the Defensemen.  Cost the Kings a 1st (would turn into a 2023 2nd and 2024 2nd if the Kings don't make the playoffs), a 3rd, and Quick.

It sucks that it's a bottom line business.  I know the move looks callous, but I said it before.  He was not winning the games he needed to win, and the team wasn't doing enough, when he's in net, to get him there.  If everyone was able to pull it together when he's in net, he was staying, but that was not the case (especially against teams like Rangers and Bolts).

[gmillerdrake]

Stats can be misleading, though.  Binnington is at 3.29 and a save percentage of .895, but he has played better than his stats show (not like he's been elite, just not nearly that bad overall).  I remember a game where he mad a ton of great saves, but was left out to dry by the defense and ended up letting in like 5 goals, and his stat line for that game looked bad as a result.

Yeah.....there's a lot of truth to this statement don't get me wrong. He's been under an onslaught all season and has made a lot of high danger saves. BUT....even like last night, dude lets a 30 foot wrister go right between his legs. I 'get' that the mental fortitude to stay alert and focused when you're team has pretty much thrown the towel in is probably impossible to maintain....but, for as good as he has played this year (definitely better than the numbers suggest) he's definitely not in this 'unbelievable' realm that the announcers and those that cover the team keep trying to suggest. He's been nothing but average with some dazzling shit sprinkled in there at times along the way.

[jingle.boy]

Misleading or not, Korpisalo has been putting up the numbers he has been for the WORST FUCKING TEAM IN THE LEAGUE.  And when the Kings are (literally, just as of yesterday's game) only at break-even on goal differential - the 16th best playoff-bound team in that respect  ), the defence and goaltending has to be upgraded.  When the checking goes playoff-mode, and goals are not as easy to come by, you can't be a team that routinely eeks out 6-5 victories.

I think the LA fans here all year have been lamenting the play of Peterson and Quick, and I'm not sure that Copley is ready to be the guy that you want to put your chips on for a playoff run.

This is a good move for the Kings.

[pg1067]

Oh.  Well then..... the Kings are moving out Quick in that deal....  I hate this, but he's not winning the games he needs to win and sadly, the team isn't doing everything they can to help him win the games when he's in net.  This man is the greatest goalie the franchise ever has.  His long contract ends this season.  Probably do the sign for one day to properly retire as a King and they'll give him the jersey retirement and statue.



https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1630800777785516032

Fuck!

I understand Quick has some playoff pedigree, but Korpisalo is easily the better goalie at this stage of their careers. Have you looked at Quick's stats this year? 3.5 GAA and .87 save pct is as good as a surefire 1st round exit. From an outsider's perspective, this is an upgrade for the Kings.

No.  I get that.  I know nothing about either of the guys we're getting in return, so I can't really comment on that.  Putting aside the emotional attachment to Quick, I REALLY don't like that we're giving up our first round pick as part of this deal.  I also don't like the potential impact this will have on team chemistry.  The trade also "violates" three things Rob Blake said would be important coming up to the trade deadline:  (1) no rentals; (2) preserve chemistry; and (3) retain first-round draft picks.  Reports are that the team, as a whole, was pretty down after the game last night, despite the win.

Ultimately, changing our #1 guy with 20 games left in the regular season seems like a horrible idea.  Goaltending hasn't been the biggest issue since Copley took over, and it's not like this trade makes us significantly stronger contenders for the Cup.  Unless the d-man we got is the second coming of Ray Borque, I will remain unimpressed until we see the results.

[Stadler]

That was my biggest concern with the Bruins.   Their biggest strength at this point seems to be their chemistry and camaraderie and anything that might disturb that that doesn't put Gretsky back on the ice is IMO a bad idea.  So far, fingers crossed, it's working.

[Anguyen92]

The Bruins added Dmitry Orlov from the Capitals and he seems like, so far, he's immediately gelling with the team from the get go.

[jingle.boy]

No.  I get that.  I know nothing about either of the guys we're getting in return, so I can't really comment on that.  Putting aside the emotional attachment to Quick, I REALLY don't like that we're giving up our first round pick as part of this deal.  I also don't like the potential impact this will have on team chemistry.  The trade also "violates" three things Rob Blake said would be important coming up to the trade deadline:  (1) no rentals; (2) preserve chemistry; and (3) retain first-round draft picks.  Reports are that the team, as a whole, was pretty down after the game last night, despite the win.

Ultimately, changing our #1 guy with 20 games left in the regular season seems like a horrible idea.  Goaltending hasn't been the biggest issue since Copley took over, and it's not like this trade makes us significantly stronger contenders for the Cup.  Unless the d-man we got is the second coming of Ray Borque, I will remain unimpressed until we see the results.

I think that is old-school GM'g.  New school says 'those picks might not even make the NHL ever.'  For every Tage Thompson, there's also a Dennis Cholowski (and if you're asking "who??", my answer is "exactly").  Winning teams go out and get what they need now.  You think Tampa is going to lament over their lack of 1st round picks when they've got 2 cups?  Plus, you can always do what the Blues are doing now ... just 4 years removed from their Cup, and they're recouping those picks by shedding end-of-contract talent.

Quick wasn't going to get them thru the playoffs this year, and he probably wasn't going to be a King next year.  Trade that and a POTENTIAL player 2/3/4/ years from now for something that gives your team a better chance for post-season success - that's what GMs are doing nowadays.

[Anguyen92]

The Kings already traded their 1st, last year, and a prospect that didn't want to sign with the Kings to get Fiala.

There is a sense of if the guys the Kings get does not want to be here next season (or can chase bigger money in free agency) then spending that 1st and 3rd is just a waste for a team that doesn't look as ready yet for the next step.  That said, the Kings have a fair amount of prospects right now that could be NHL players, but their roster right now is just too crowded and all the spots are filled, so I'm not too miffed in spending two picks for two rental players that can contribute now.

[SchecterShredder]

The other consideration for teams like LA, and really all teams in the West that make the dance, is that it's wide open in the West this year. The standings are so close that any team could make a run for the cup final. LA may not be ready to take the 'next step', but this is as good a year to make a run at it as any.

It's not like the East where you're staring down Boston, Toronto, Carolina, NJ, etc. to make it to the conference finals, let alone the cup final. One can only hope they beat each other up badly in the first 3 rounds so there's nothing left in the tank come June.

[Stadler]

The other consideration for teams like LA, and really all teams in the West that make the dance, is that it's wide open in the West this year. The standings are so close that any team could make a run for the cup final. LA may not be ready to take the 'next step', but this is as good a year to make a run at it as any.

It's not like the East where you're staring down Boston, Toronto, Carolina, NJ, etc. to make it to the conference finals, let alone the cup final. One can only hope they beat each other up badly in the first 3 rounds so there's nothing left in the tank come June.

Why would one want to hope for that???

Go Bruins! 

[pg1067]

I'm all for taking a shot with the West being wide open, but here's my thing.  There are three possibilities for what we do with Korpisalo (four if you count a further move as a possibility):

They give Korpisalo the #1 job going forward.  Why?  Copley has been at least above average since he became the #1 guy.  If that's what they're going to do, it's pretty damn bold for a team in the Kings' current position, so it sure as hell better work out.

They have Korpisalo and Copley fight it out over the last 20 games of the season to see who the #1 guy is for the playoffs.  That seems like a hugely unnecessary distraction.

Korpisalo simply takes Quick's place as designated baseball cap wearer.  If that's the plan, that's harmful to chemistry (at least potentially) and doesn't seem to add any value.  I'd much rather have Quick as a sounding board for Copley than a guy with 9 career playoff games under his belt.

That leaves the balance of the trade.  A d-man with a career -23 for a couple draft picks.  Seems like a waste of draft capital.

Maybe there's more to this.  They certainly didn't clear cap space for Korpisalo and Gavrikov.

[SchecterShredder]

I'm all for taking a shot with the West being wide open, but here's my thing.  There are three possibilities for what we do with Korpisalo (four if you count a further move as a possibility):

They give Korpisalo the #1 job going forward.  Why?  Copley has been at least above average since he became the #1 guy.  If that's what they're going to do, it's pretty damn bold for a team in the Kings' current position, so it sure as hell better work out.

They have Korpisalo and Copley fight it out over the last 20 games of the season to see who the #1 guy is for the playoffs.  That seems like a hugely unnecessary distraction.

Korpisalo simply takes Quick's place as designated baseball cap wearer.  If that's the plan, that's harmful to chemistry (at least potentially) and doesn't seem to add any value.  I'd much rather have Quick as a sounding board for Copley than a guy with 9 career playoff games under his belt.

That leaves the balance of the trade.  A d-man with a career -23 for a couple draft picks.  Seems like a waste of draft capital.

Maybe there's more to this.  They certainly didn't clear cap space for Korpisalo and Gavrikov.

LA did clear $1.7M on the trade, so maybe they have something else up their sleeve.

[TAC]

Gostisbehere to the Canes.
Lars Eller to the Avs


I love Lars Eller.

[Anguyen92]

I can see two scenarios come to play and it's not going to be pretty.

It's going to be like 2017 when the Kings got another goalie (Ben Bishop) and that goalie did not do anything to be impactful for the Kings and the stuff they gave to the Bolts resulted in a great defensemen prospect developing with the Bolts (Erik Cernak).

Or it's going to be like 2015-2016 where they traded Martin Jones to the Bruins and then the Bruins traded Jones to the Sharks and the Sharks got the goalie they need to beat the Kings in the playoffs in 2016.

There are sources saying that the Golden Knights may be in on wanting Quick at the deadline from Columbus.  Like if they get Quick and he's the reason why the Golden Knights ends up beating the Kings in a playoff series, I'm sorry, Rob Blake, but you and/or Marc Bergervin is getting out of here.  I guess it would be poetic justice after the Kings let Quick down after his huge efforts in that playoff series in 2018 where they got swept by the Golden Knights.

[Anguyen92]

OMFG.  The Senators got Jacob Chychrun from the Coyotes for only a 1st round pick in 2023, a 2nd in 2024, and a 2nd in 2026.  WTF, Blake?  I would have loved the Kings to pay that.  He had term for two years.  The Sens don't even need to give up a prospect.