Je l’admets, j’avais vraiment tort à propos des Kings de Los Angeles avant la saison 2023 lorsque je les ai choisis pour rater les séries éliminatoires. Comment ai-je pu me tromper à ce point ? Il y avait trois raisons principales, des joueurs (et des positions) qui ont largement dépassé mes attentes.
@Kings de Los Angeles
46 Comments
Its really good to be a Kings fan. Ive seen the ups and downs for 50 years. Go Kings go!! We still have Clarke and Turcotte who need spots.
CORRECTION: Talbot has 2 shutouts this season!! GKG!
#1 is goals for #1 goals against, goalie with #2 is S%. 11-0 on the road. “Might be one of the best” 😂
We forgive you. Also gotta give props to coach Todd. He's the man
I remember that take, thinking this guy knows nothing about the NHL. Almost everyone thought the Kings would at least make the playoffs. Look at their roster. I get that the Goaltending is a pleasant surprise, but the Kings are a franchise that would attack the market if they had to.
“wrong side of 35” cries silently
Among the fans who actually follow the Kings and can speak with authority about it, Spence and Byfield are not surprises at all. Lots of Kings fans clamoring last year for Spence to get more playing time, but Durzi was kind of blocking him. You still underrate Anderson and Gavrikov (whose first name is Vladislav, not Victor). The big surprises have been Englund and, to a lesser extent, Talbot. Some Kings fans predicted that he would benefit from a defense that suppresses shots well.
Road Kings
MIGHT BE one of the best teams? 1st in goals, 1st in fewest goals, #1 penalty kill, what do you mean MIGHT BE? lol
Your conclusions in your top 3 is wrong. Byfield: you can’t bust at age 20 when you’re playing on a playoff team’s first line; Spence: it’s all Gavrikov…Spence is often a liability (it’s ok, he’s young and contributing other ways) but it’s because Gav is so good because he’s playing for his next contract; Talbot: he was a decent NHL goaltender but once you put him behind an eager Gav and a highly motivated Doughty, suddenly the whole team looks great because the team has excellent and properly paired defensemen (RHsD and LHsD per pair). Spence gets the least dangerous minutes and Talbot sees one chance and he can make that first save.
This is a textbook example of have a strong top six defense and solid centers down the middle (Kopitar-PLD-Danault-Lizotte) makes a difficult team to beat.
Nice backhanded "apology". Thumbs down.
As a kings fan, I forgive you because I wouldn’t have imagined the season going like this
As a Kings fan, looking at this team on paper. They looked really good. But I wondered if they could bring it on the ice. And they have so far. I also worried about Byfield. But he has shown so much improvement in a lot aspects in his game. I just hope they can keep it up all season.
Talbot had 32 wins and was an All-Star just 2 years ago. he was 17-14 last year on a not so good Ottawa team. his only question was durability.
Byfield JUST turned 21 before the season started, and was showing great progress in driving play near the end of last season at 20. A season he started with a broken ankle.
People that were saying bust are those that don't watch the Kings.
Spence has been a top defenseman in every league he's played in.
And of course you were wrong about Gavrikov you don't even know what his name is. his impact is more than just on the ice, he has helped the locker room gel and is always uplifting and inspiring his teammates.
And yet they still downplay Byfield here. That top line of the Kings with Kempe and Byfield centered by Kopistar may very well be the best line in all of hockey at this minute. Their numbers and stats say as much anyway.
Real question: How many wins do we need, how many shutouts or record breaking stats do we need to upgrade from “Might be one of the best teams” to definitely one of the best teams
Do you watch Kings games? Byfield is more than just above average. Kings fans have heard the bust label for Byfield and how the team missed on Stuzle. We won’t be hearing that anymore. Byfield is going to be an elite player.
Spence has been amazing at every level he has played at. Plus right now we have Brandt Clarke leading the AHL in D man scoring right now as a rookie. Going to be a great offensive threat but still needs to work on his two way game (which is what he is doing right now in the AHL).
Talbot will drop off at some point he may burn out come playoff time
Tell me you haven’t watched the kings without telling me 😂. I knew Q was going to have a breakout season. Along with our D core is one of the leagues best also the leagues most underrated. Honestly I agree with you on Talbot. But With our d core I thought we were going to be ok, did I think cam would be vezna caliber, no lol 😂
Also the kings are doing this without a 30 goal scorer last season in Arvidson. Who should be back in Feb!
Forgive you king
That happens when you become a part of numbers obsessed culture and fail to see everything else, dear "expert".
Should anyone take you seriously?
I give props to Kings management with Byfield. Remember he was injured, he's young and was supposed to play center. They gave him time and he worked the off season, beefed up a bit and gains more and more confidence each game. They could've pressured him but instead were patient and that patience is paying dividends.
bro said viktor gavrikov🤣🤣
Thank you are seeing the light, but how in the world could you say they would miss the playoffs?
Byfield's development in the 2nd half of last season into this season has been nothing short of extraordinary. To the point where I don't blame non-Kings fans for not understanding where he is as a player, as it seems to change daily. Hell, from shift to shift. You have to see it from game to game to understand the rapid progression. At this point, his pre-draft assessments appear to be underselling his projected abilities. His top 5% speed at 6'5" was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. His physicality is still progressing, but compared to this time last season, he is Lindros in his prime. He's able to shed off backcheckers with more and more ease. His passing ability was one of the first strengths to show and has only gotten better. His hands are top-notch. And now it seems he's decided that he'll start putting the puck in the net like it ain't no thing. We will have to wait to see what kind of player he'll end up becoming. But it may certainly be in the elite category. I wouldn't put anything beyond this kid's reach.
Dude, no one saw this coming. We knew about Byfield's potential, but this is way more than we expected. The team was solid if unspectacular, and starting Talbot didn't blow up many skirts in Kings Land. They have gelled so quickly it is fun to see.
Welcome aboard. I'm sure even die hard Kings fans like myself are even a little surprised. They're having and amazing start to the season and hope it continues into the playoffs.
Don't forget we also have Brandt Clarke who leads the entire AHL in scoring amongst defensemen. And is in the Top 10 overall.. He is making Roy expendable. But I don't think L.A moves Roy (Why would they fuck with success this season) I see us riding him out and losing him to FA in the offseason.
It's nice to see the Kings front office put a great lineup together and playing well under McLellan. It's especially nice to see the guys still there from the 2012 & 2014 teams leading the way and still playing at a high level. GKG!
Yes, eat that Kings crow. GKG!
you're forgiven!
Don’t worry all the media is wayyyy too obsessed with the rangers and we get no respect whatsoever
QB has 8 goals and 20 points
You simply have not been paying attention. You should’t comment on teams you obviously know nothing about. Stay in your lane bro.
Glad you mentioned Talbot, he has been a Beast!!
victory lap taken, thanks
Speaking as a 45+ year Kings fan. You are forgiven.
A few years ago, a frustrated Drew Doughty exclaimed, "We need better players!" At the time, the Kings were not making the playoffs, or were being eliminated in the first round. Doughty was surrounded by grinders, guys with hands of stone who frequently missed open nets and who could not dangle for their lives.
Now, the team is loaded with skilled players with soft hands. These guys can skate, shoot and score. Drew must be happy now surrounded by higher caliber NHL players. The team sure is much more fun to watch.
when you have 6 solid defensmen in front of you and a team that knows how to play defense and move the puck its easy to see why talbot is performing above his career numbers this season
the kings have won cups……recently. So why would you sleep on them?
Just wait for this guy to see trevor moore. The beast of the bottom
Appreciate your apology, but you and everyone else who despises west coast hockey can eat bull. If you watched any of byfield last year you would have easily seen his potential. Talbot is having a great year due to his defense in front blocking and swarming the puck. Of course spence is on a career high… its his first season. And your "prediction" wasnt a prediction, you spent and entire video on why you hate a team. Get off my recommended list.
Kinda weird how fast people turned on Qb, his first glimpse of a season was 3rd line with Brown as his winger, his first full season was him having to learn how to play aginst the leagues top lines and definitely got his learning in. We briefly found out too they he had supposedly had the double wrist sprain all season, after already having his plague of injuries/weight losing due to illness. We get our taste of a Healthy Hungry Contract year QB, the guy they wanted to build into the new Kopi.
Vladislav Gavrikov not Viktor , GKG