PLD Buyout

There are some interesting trade props for PLD out there. If these are true, the kings may not be
"handcuffed" as most believe. Yeah, the Kings will be on the hook for about 1/3 or less. But then again, these proposals are very wishful.
 
Just read Baxter's article on Blake and The State of the Kings.

I think I'm gonna hurl.

So...Rob's masterplan is to build a team around PLD? What the actual f*ck?

Regarding PLD's lack of production this season, Blake said the solution lies with the team, not the player:

“We need to make him better. He’s had a consistent performance over his career and deviated from that this year. So it’s up to us as a staff...coaches and management...to help him become more productive to us.”

That's it...I'm blowing chunks. What a f*ckin joke.

Until major changes are made, I'm not giving AEG my hard-earned money. They can pound dirt. And stick their $22.00 beers where the sun don't shine.
 
DRice said:
He'll do great on a line with players better than him!
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I just thought of something.. maybe Buck Flake begged him to do it and begged the Canadian team to take him. It's a last ditch effort to show that he's "smart" in not buying him out.

With that said though... LOL
 
Some food for thought, since we know PLD is not going anywhere.

PLD was the Kings 3rd line center this year. As far as getting points, looking at the lists of Centers in the NHL we see the following:

Kopi's scoring was below average for a 1st line center.
Danault's scoring was well below average for a 2nd line center.
PLD's scoring was about average for a 3rd line center.

PLD is not the only one that could use to be better next year.

PLD needs to be better all over the ice and take the 2nd line center job from Danault. He needs better wingers and more ice time (If his play is up to that level). He was never really given a chance to do that this year. They wanted to keep the 2nd line together. That had to p*ss PLD off. He agreed to get traded to LA, signs a big deal and is given 3rd line scraps.

Lets hope this year was an anomaly and we are all happy with PLD next year.
 
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DRice said:
He'll do great on a line with players better than him!
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As with all live sporting events, one of the reasons I enjoy seeing hockey games in person is the fact I can watch what I want to watch. When you're at the venue, you are not restricted to seeing what the camera sees.

The last few games I focused on watching PLD skate around the ice.

And that's exactly what I saw: PLD skating around the rink. He appears so aloof at times...almost disconnected from the rest of the team and the flow of the game...it's like he was playing a different game. He seems so emotionally uninvested...I think the best way to describe PLD's style of play is timid. And timidity is not exactly the word you want people to use to define you as a hockey player.

And now Blake puts the blame for his ineffectiveness squarely on the shoulders of the other players and his coaching staff.

Unbelievable, yet somehow not unexpected.
 
symbology said:
Some food for thought, since we know PLD is not going anywhere.

PLD was the Kings 3rd line center this year. As far as getting points, looking at the lists of Centers in the NHL we see the following:

Kopi's scoring was below average for a 1st line center.
Danault's scoring was well below average for a 2nd line center.
PLD's scoring was about average for a 3rd line center.

PLD is not the only one that could use to be better next year.

PLD needs to be better all over the ice and take the 2nd line center job from Danault. He needs better wingers and more ice time (If his play is up to that level). He was never really given a chance to do that this year. They wanted to keep the 2nd line together. That had to p*ss PLD off. He agreed to get traded to LA, signs a big deal and is given 3rd line scraps.

Lets hope this year was an anomaly and we are all happy with PLD next year.
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As opposed to a player like Fiala or Kempe who produces no matter what line they are on and/or with any combination of players. Sorry I just can't get behind PLD failing to produce due to not having elite line mates - if a player needs elite line mates to produce then quite simply, they are not elite.

I can, however, get behind the fact he wasn't given regular PP minutes, finding himself on PP2 which rarely got much of a shot. Last year he had 23 PP points vs 8 this year. Add the difference to his point total this year and he still would have had a slightly down offensive output vs last year, but no where near the slump he appeared to have had this season. Problem is, he needs to earn that PP time which he did not, and the blame of which falls squarely on his shoulders.
 
Rog or Reg? said:
As with all live sporting events, one of the reasons I enjoy seeing hockey games in person is the fact I can watch what I want to watch. When you're at the venue, you are not restricted to seeing what the camera sees.

The last few games I focused on watching PLD skate around the ice.

And that's exactly what I saw: PLD skating around the rink. He appears so aloof at times...almost disconnected from the rest of the team and the flow of the game...it's like he was playing a different game. He seems so emotionally uninvested...I think the best way to describe PLD's style of play is timid. And timidity is not exactly the word you want people to use to define you as a hockey player.

And now Blake puts the blame for his ineffectiveness squarely on the shoulders of the other players and his coaching staff.

Unbelievable, yet somehow not unexpected.
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I saw the exact same thing. Home games, road games, it does not matter. PLD has a great life whether he gives 110% like Moore/Danualt or gives 50%. You see this big strapping forward just coasting around. He's usually the first off the ice near the end of his shift. He's knocked around by smaller defensemen regularly. He loses more board battles than he wins. Every now and then he has a zone entry with a beautiful pass and you'll wish he does that more often. But it is the exception to the rule. I guess Rob and Luc will buy some new sticker books to try and get PLD motivated for 24-25.

Clearly AEG is unwilling to take a chance. The arena is full and we're good for the playoffs so Phil is content with first round exits and making a modest profit.

Odds are the Kings will "fix" PLD like they fixed Mike Richards. Just more lip service from the zero-accountability Kings management team.
 
hokiecat said:
I saw the exact same thing. Home games, road games, it does not matter. PLD has a great life whether he gives 110% like Moore/Danualt or gives 50%. You see this big strapping forward just coasting around. He's usually the first off the ice near the end of his shift. He's knocked around by smaller defensemen regularly. He loses more board battles than he wins. Every now and then he has a zone entry with a beautiful pass and you'll wish he does that more often. But it is the exception to the rule. I guess Rob and Luc will buy some new sticker books to try and get PLD motivated for 24-25.

Clearly AEG is unwilling to take a chance. The arena is full and we're good for the playoffs so Phil is content with first round exits and making a modest profit.

Odds are the Kings will "fix" PLD like they fixed Mike Richards. Just more lip service from the zero-accountability Kings management team.
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I couldn't agree more.

And it's funny too that you also noticed how quickly he's off the ice at the end of his shift. That's one of the first things that stood out to me.

I mean, for lack of a better term, he just appears to be lazy. And lazy has always been one of my biggest pet peeves, and not just with professional athletes, but with any human being in any profession or in any endeavor.

I hate lazy and there's no excuses for laziness.

Then you have players like Blake Lizotte, who gives 110% every shift.

Win or lose, I just want to see our players leave it all out of the ice. With PLD, it seems he just wants to leave the ice.

I'm extremely disappointed with Kings management.
 
DryKing said:
As opposed to a player like Fiala or Kempe who produces no matter what line they are on and/or with any combination of players. Sorry I just can't get behind PLD failing to produce due to not having elite line mates - if a player needs elite line mates to produce then quite simply, they are not elite.

I can, however, get behind the fact he wasn't given regular PP minutes, finding himself on PP2 which rarely got much of a shot. Last year he had 23 PP points vs 8 this year. Add the difference to his point total this year and he still would have had a slightly down offensive output vs last year, but no where near the slump he appeared to have had this season. Problem is, he needs to earn that PP time which he did not, and the blame of which falls squarely on his shoulders.
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Dubois is not elite. He’s a 25-30 goal scorer who ideally cracks 70 points a season. Those aren’t elite stats. Never were. And like it or not 8.5M is not what elite Centers sign for as free agents.

Kempe and Fiala are on team friendly deals. Both are more valuable than Dubois. If both were free agents tomorrow they would get big raises because the cap is rising.

Dubois is paid at market rate with a positional premium factored in. Everybody in the league wants a big bodied Center who can score. Now you can say Blake should’ve let some other team pay the premium but he likes the player and he didn’t see a better alternative available.

I find it pretty funny that Blake and TM weren’t on the same page about his big acquisition. But all things considered it’s not all that surprising about this organization.
 
DryKing said:
As opposed to a player like Fiala or Kempe who produces no matter what line they are on and/or with any combination of players. Sorry I just can't get behind PLD failing to produce due to not having elite line mates - if a player needs elite line mates to produce then quite simply, they are not elite.

I can, however, get behind the fact he wasn't given regular PP minutes, finding himself on PP2 which rarely got much of a shot. Last year he had 23 PP points vs 8 this year. Add the difference to his point total this year and he still would have had a slightly down offensive output vs last year, but no where near the slump he appeared to have had this season. Problem is, he needs to earn that PP time which he did not, and the blame of which falls squarely on his shoulders.
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Not trying to make excuses for the man. Just tyring to add a little perspective.

Now, if you put Kopitar with Grundstrom and Kaliyev/Laf, play him for 15min/game and see what he does. He will not do jack squat. He has proven this time and time again. Heck, last year through the first two months Kopitar and Kempe were garbage offensively until they put QB on that line. Remember when Kopi and Brown could not get anything done until they put Iafallo on that line? All of the sudden Kopi is saying. "I like playing with Iafallo" I want him on my line.

Not everyone is like Fiala and to some extent Kempe/Arvy.

PLD needs to improve offensively, but almost more importantly he needs to improve defensively. Heck, PLD would have a lot more assists this year if Laf could hit the net on more than just an occasion.

A point that can be made is this... While we all know PLD needs to be better and he was a big disappointment this year. Some of the criticisms thrown his way can be thrown at other players on this team as well. Not that PLD does not deserve it, but he may not be the only one.
 
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symbology said:
Not trying to make excuses for the man. Just tyring to add a little perspective.

Now, if you put Kopitar with Grundstrom and Kaliyev/Laf, play him for 15min/game and see what he does. He will not do jack squat. He has proven this time and time again. Heck, last year through the first two months Kopitar and Kempe were garbage offensively until they put QB on that line. Remember when Kopi and Brown could not get anything done until they put Iafallo on that line? All of the sudden Kopi is saying. "I like playing with Iafallo" I want him on my line.

Not everyone is like Fiala and to some extent Kempe/Arvy.

PLD needs to improve offensively, but almost more importantly he needs to improve defensively. Heck, PLD would have a lot more assists this year if Laf could hit the net on more than just an occasion.
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Don’t forget how bad Fiala and Kopitar were together in Fiala’s first season as a King.
 
symbology said:
Not trying to make excuses for the man. Just tyring to add a little perspective.

Now, if you put Kopitar with Grundstrom and Kaliyev/Laf, play him for 15min/game and see what he does. He will not do jack squat. He has proven this time and time again. Heck, last year through the first two months Kopitar and Kempe were garbage offensively until they put QB on that line. Remember when Kopi and Brown could not get anything done until they put Iafallo on that line? All of the sudden Kopi is saying. "I like playing with Iafallo" I want him on my line.

Not everyone is like Fiala and to some extent Kempe/Arvy.

PLD needs to improve offensively, but almost more importantly he needs to improve defensively. Heck, PLD would have a lot more assists this year if Laf could hit the net on more than just an occasion.

A point that can be made is this... While we all know PLD needs to be better and he was a big disappointment this year. Some of the criticisms thrown his way can be thrown at other players on this team as well. Not that PLD does not deserve it, but he may not be the only one.
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Sorry didn't mean it in a negative way, sorry if my comment made it sound like you were making excuses for him.

I agree and you hit the nail on the head - his main need is to improve defensively, especially should he want to remain in the Center position.

I still think when all is said and done, the trade and contract will be good in the end.

For next season I think step 1 is still to move Byfield to center and give him a couple complimentary wings, then focus on doing the same for PLD. Problem is it is going to be hard to do either until one, or both, of them are able to outplay Kopitar unless, perhaps, Danault is moved to the 4th line center (which seems like a waste).
 
DryKing said:
Sorry didn't mean it in a negative way, sorry if my comment made it sound like you were making excuses for him.

I agree and you hit the nail on the head - his main need is to improve defensively, especially should he want to remain in the Center position.

I still think when all is said and done, the trade and contract will be good in the end.

For next season I think step 1 is still to move Byfield to center and give him a couple complimentary wings, then focus on doing the same for PLD. Problem is it is going to be hard to do either until one, or both, of them are able to outplay Kopitar unless, perhaps, Danault is moved to the 4th line center (which seems like a waste).
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No worries, I have just been trying to look at things objectively and have put out a number of posts that may make it look like I am trying to cover for PLD. Your reply just prompted my clarification response. All good.

I think QB will need to stay at the wing for another season, unless their is an injury to one of the other centers. There are already 3 centers, so one of them would need to move to the wing to make room for QB. So, I think step #1 is to get PLD's overall performance up to where it needs to be. Worry about getting QB time at center after that happens.
 
Based on the exit videos, Blake & PLD aren’t going anywhere. That’s probably correct but until 7/1 passes it’s still an open question. If I were Blake I’d use that time to put the fear of God into PL. Let him know he’d better work his ass off this summer or he’s gone. And if he’s still with the team next season he’d better still work his ass off or else he’s gone no matter what they have to do to get it done. PL said in his video that it’s up to him to get better. Let him prove it.

That said, if you’re going to pay him $8.5 million, you need to give him ice time & the best possible linemates. I’d put him with Byfield & Fiala with either him or Byfield as Center. And I’d give him 2nd line minutes. I was looking at the time on ice stats & per game he was 7th among forwards at even strength. That’s got to increase. Not only that but I’d make him a penalty killer. If you say he doesn’t play defense I’d say so what? He’s being paid big bucks so put him out there in all situations. As a subject for another thread I’d ask why are there only 6 forwards on this team who kill penalties? I’d pair everyone up & have everyone kill penalties. And he’d go on the 1st PP unit as well.

Anyway for the 1st 20 games I’d put him on that line & give him tons of ice time with tons of opportunities. If it works great, continue. If not then tinker with his linemates. If we get to 41 games & it’s still not working then they do what they have to do, either cut his ice time, scratch him, or find a way to get rid of him.
 
Dr. Tran said:
Based on the exit videos, Blake & PLD aren’t going anywhere. That’s probably correct but until 7/1 passes it’s still an open question. If I were Blake I’d use that time to put the fear of God into PL. Let him know he’d better work his ass off this summer or he’s gone. And if he’s still with the team next season he’d better still work his ass off or else he’s gone no matter what they have to do to get it done. PL said in his video that it’s up to him to get better. Let him prove it.

That said, if you’re going to pay him $8.5 million, you need to give him ice time & the best possible linemates. I’d put him with Byfield & Fiala with either him or Byfield as Center. And I’d give him 2nd line minutes. I was looking at the time on ice stats & per game he was 7th among forwards at even strength. That’s got to increase. Not only that but I’d make him a penalty killer. If you say he doesn’t play defense I’d say so what? He’s being paid big bucks so put him out there in all situations. As a subject for another thread I’d ask why are there only 6 forwards on this team who kill penalties? I’d pair everyone up & have everyone kill penalties. And he’d go on the 1st PP unit as well.

Anyway for the 1st 20 games I’d put him on that line & give him tons of ice time with tons of opportunities. If it works great, continue. If not then tinker with his linemates. If we get to 41 games & it’s still not working then they do what they have to do, either cut his ice time, scratch him, or find a way to get rid of him.
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Actually, I was saying 7/1 was the date he will no longer be considered an RFA. It is actually his birthday on 6/24, or ?? Heard that on some TSN snippet I saw on the UT.
 
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