Loktionov-send him to Manchester and tell him "prove to us you can stay healthy, you do that and next year a spot on the 3rd or 4th line is yours to lose..."
Voinov-gets his tryout if Doughty isn't on the opening night roster. When Doughty signs, he heads to Manchester.
Jones-"prove you can be a starter in the AHL..."
Zatkoff-"prove you can be a starter in the AHL..."
Hickey & Muzzin-"top pairing in Manchester, prove you're leaders..."
Parse-"pull your head out and prove your a better player than Moreau, Hunter, or Fraser..."
Having Loktionov in Manchester to prove health is pointless. We wouldn't send Williams to Manchester to prove that so no need to send Lokti down to do that. Make a spot for him on the 23 man roster.
Penner-Kopitar-Williams
Gagne-Richards-Brown
Clifford-Loktionov-Stoll (Stoll takes faceoffs)
Richardson-Lewis-Westgarth/Moreau/Parse (We might need Parses skill if Gags or Williams go down to injury.)
Fraser on IR to start the year...then conditioning stint with Manch. Unless he gets claimed. If so, whatever.
I like Hunter, I just don't see any room for him unless Parse is waived/traded, or Westgarth is out for an extended time after last nights fight.
And for the defense, until Doughty is signed, should be like this...
They can't just be good enough for the NHL any more, they have to be able to TAKE a job from an established vet. That said, my opening night lines 3/4 would be:
Clifford - Stoll - Moreau
Richardson - Loktionov - Lewis
If only because I think that fourth line could be something different and special.
Also, regarding the defensemen, Hickey and Voynov need a special combination of luck and opportunity to secure spots this year. Tehy need some luck in a veteran going down for a while so they can step in and show they can take over his role. Voynov looks like he has the inside track for the first shot, but both guys could make it. Martinez also has to hold them off.
If they don't make they cut, they don't make the team. What would I do? Send them to the minors for seasoning, it's what you do for prospects who can't beat out the veterans for spots.
Penner-Kopitar-Williams
Gagne-Richards-Brown
Clifford-Loktionov-Stoll (Stoll takes faceoffs)
Richardson-Lewis-Westgarth/Moreau/Parse (We might need Parses skill if Gags or Williams go down to injury.)
Fraser on IR to start the year...then conditioning stint with Manch. Unless he gets claimed. If so, whatever.
I like Hunter, I just don't see any room for him unless Parse is waived/traded, or Westgarth is out for an extended time after last nights fight.
And for the defense, until Doughty is signed, should be like this...
Having Loktionov in Manchester to prove health is pointless. We wouldn't send Williams to Manchester to prove that so no need to send Lokti down to do that. Make a spot for him on the 23 man roster.
True, but what else do you tell him? So yeah... you aren't better that what we have?
Loki isn't better a better player than any of Kopitar, Richards, or Stoll. Richardson, and Lewis are both decent penalty killers and serve other purposes on the roster. Loki brings a high level of skill but the total package just isn't there that makes him a better option than any of the other 5 players the Kings probably keep that can play center. The only position open right now is the 3rd line RW and if the Kings are serious about the Loki at wing experiment being a failure then he isn't even in the running. Lastly scratching him is totally pointless when you have guys like Moreau, Fraser and possibly Hunter that are much better options to scratch on a nightly basis...
There is no room for advancement this year. The only chance any youngsters have within the organization, outside of injury, this year is Voynov and Hickey but that only depends on how long Doughty plays around with his contract. There is no room anywhere for anybody. Next year is an entirely different story.
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"It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79 dollar reading glasses today. 79 bucks. You can literally get them at Costco, three-for-20." - Darryl Sutter's response to going up 2-0 in the series.
There is no room for advancement this year. The only chance any youngsters have within the organization, outside of injury, this year is Voynov and Hickey but that only depends on how long Doughty plays around with his contract. There is no room anywhere for anybody. Next year is an entirely different story.
well, if the coaching staff decides that Parse isn't up to the task, I think that could make things interesting. more likely than not, an already NHL-ready player (moreau, hunter, etc.) would get the 3RW spot, but as some people are arguing for, maybe TM would consider a third line of clifford-loktionov-stoll. I think that's a little unlikely given his past decisions about the lineup, but who knows. and, of course, this is all contingent upon whether Parse steps it up or not.
well, if the coaching staff decides that Parse isn't up to the task, I think that could make things interesting. more likely than not, an already NHL-ready player (moreau, hunter, etc.) would get the 3RW spot, but as some people are arguing for, maybe TM would consider a third line of clifford-loktionov-stoll. I think that's a little unlikely given his past decisions about the lineup, but who knows. and, of course, this is all contingent upon whether Parse steps it up or not.
Which, in my opinion, Parse will not. I think Hunter and Moreau would comprise two thirds of an excellent fourth line. Grit and scoring ability are plentiful on our bottom six with Stoll, Clifford, Lewis, Richardson, Hunter, and Moreau. I just wish we could find room for Loktionov somewhere. Too bad the first line left wing experiment failed.
In all seriousness, I don't see how this is an issue right now. With Drew out, we simply ice the best seven D-men. One of Voinov/Hickey will earn the number 6 role and then TM and DL need to decide who the number seven defenseman is, Voinov/Hickey or Drewiske. If Drewiske needs to be waived, so be it. I doubt he'd get claimed anyways.
Assuming Drew holds out for 5-15 games, that will allow time for Hickey/Voinov to either fly or go back to manchester, essentially like what we did with Muzzin last year.
As for Loktionov, if he's one of the 12 best forwards in camp, keep him. If not, send him down. I know some have said there's no merit to sending him down to prove he can stay healthy, but I feel there is. It's one thing to stay healthy on the 3rd or 4th line playing 5-10 minutes a game, it's another to do it playing in all of the key situations playing 20-25 minutes a night. Williams will get a chance to prove he's health on the top line and PP, Loki in all likelihood won't.
That said, if he's a top 12 forward, keep him up and let him learn at the NHL leave. he's a smart kid who won't pout about seeing little to no ice time at first and will be willing to pay his dues.
They can't just be good enough for the NHL any more, they have to be able to TAKE a job from an established vet. That said, my opening night lines 3/4 would be:
Clifford - Stoll - Moreau
Richardson - Loktionov - Lewis
If only because I think that fourth line could be something different and special.
Also, regarding the defensemen, Hickey and Voynov need a special combination of luck and opportunity to secure spots this year. Tehy need some luck in a veteran going down for a while so they can step in and show they can take over his role. Voynov looks like he has the inside track for the first shot, but both guys could make it. Martinez also has to hold them off.
If they don't make they cut, they don't make the team. What would I do? Send them to the minors for seasoning, it's what you do for prospects who can't beat out the veterans for spots.
that 4th line would get pushed around a lot I think.
