Projecting the Kings lineup

15 comments

1. My lines and the reasons why:

   To start, my philosophy about teams is this: they are called hockey "clubs" for a reason. Like other clubs and groups in society, that would imply there is a limit to how many members can join said club. Although NHL teams can carry up to 23 players, my view of how many people are actually in the "club" is 11 — 7 Forwards, 3 Defensemen, 1 Goaltender. Using this formula as the template, my top-7 Forwards would be:

   X – Kopitar – Kempe
   Fiala – Danault – Moore
   Turcotte – Byfield – X

   While it's rumored that Byfield may be paired with Fiala, I like to stick with stability at the 2F spot and Fiala, Danault, and Moore have proven to be a strong trio. Kopitar and Kempe are strong with one another, and I believe Turcotte and Byfield are skilled and adaptable enough that they could lead a 3F "kid" line.

   So now we plug in the Xs…

   Foegele – Kopitar – Kempe

   Foegele's #1 attribute is his speed. Having played in Edmonton, he's also likely adopted the habit of playing to his spot and letting superstars like McDavid and Draisaitl find him. It's no secret that Kopitar likes playing with guys who get to their spot and, to quote 90's Hip-Hop trio TLC, "don't go chasing waterfalls." Foegele's speed would be a nice complimentary piece for Kempe who we know can certainly fly. Their rushes, with Kopitar as the trailer, could provide LA with a speedy 1F.

   Turcotte – Byfield – Jeannot, Laferriere, or Thomas

   If this is truly a "kid" line, then Laferriere probably gets the nod. Both he and Thomas are right-shot Forwards and, with QB a lefty, could easily cradle a pass from Byfield on their forehands before redistributing the puck back to Byfield and Turcotte. Laferriere may still have some growing pains heading into his second full NHL season but, if he's seen as the third man on that line, some of that added weight and responsibility could be lifted off his shoulders. He's shown good tenacity and physical play coupled with some offensive input that could be beneficial to giving that line some toughness. Thomas is speedy and offensively creative and could really make that line a threat simply just forcing the opposition to have to skate and keep up with them. Even if that line didn't contribute much to the score sheet, their minutes alone could certainly force other teams to have to roll four lines simply to keep up with the pace of play. However, the first person I mentioned, Jeannot, likely is the third man because he has toughness and finishing ability that that line could really use (more on this in a moment).

   The 4F would likely then see a mix of: Thomas, Lewis, Fagemo, Lee maybe. For these purposes, I'll be blunt, I don't have a set 4F in mind so I won't touch that.

   Now for the Defense…

   Anderson – Doughty

   We know what they can do. Doughty and Kopitar have too much chemistry to go breaking up that group, so, I'll go with:

   Foegele – Kopitar – Kempe
   Anderson – Doughty

   Gavrikov – Clarke

   Gavy has shown he can be a solid stay at home style Defenseman but he also can jump up into the play and has a really good shot from outside the dots. Because Clarke is more of a passing Offensive Defenseman, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities to see them becoming the offensive focal points on their 5-man unit. Clarke and Fiala have magic together and Danault assisted on Clarke's 1st NHL goal. Therefore, I'm putting together the unit of:

   Fiala – Danault – Moore
   Gavrikov – Clarke

   Edmundson – Spence

   That would leave the "kid" line to be paired with Edmundson and Spence. Because both Turcotte and Spence are offensive dynamos who (and I don't mean this insultingly) lack size and physicality, they're gonna need some guys to watch their backs. This is where Jeannot's enforcer mentality coupled with Edmundson's take no prisoners style of play are key to this unit's success. Byfield has great size and has shown he can throw his weight around; so he can be a hybrid tough guy with Edmundson and Jeannot while using his offensive skills to run with Spence and Turcotte.

   Turcotte – Byfield – Jeannot
   Edmundson – Spence

   That leaves the Goaltending and, honestly, I would go with Kuemper and Portillo; with Rittich and Copley (in that order) as my insurance policies.

   My 11 "club" members:

   Kopitar, Kempe, Fiala, Danault, Moore, Turcotte, Byfield, Doughty, Anderson, Clarke, Portillo

2. My top 9F:
   Fiala-Kopi-Kempe
   Jeannot-QB-Foeg
   Moore-Dan-Laff

   Top 6D:
   Mikey-Doughty
   Gavi-Clarke
   Edmus-Burr/Spence/Englund

3. It doesn't matter borderline playoff team regardless of the lines which is why it doesn't matter

4. Trevor Lewis is going to play so…

5. Great show Eddie. Thanks

6. Is Rittich that much better than Copley? I honestly don't know. Convince me.

7. That’s what I have as well.

8. Playing Moore in the third line will be the worst thing this offense-lacking team can do.

9. Top 9:
   KEMPE-KOPITAR-FIALA
   MOORE-DANAULT-FOUGLE
   LAFF-BYFIELD-THOMAS

10. Disagree entirely, you gotta do Fiala kopitar kempe and Moore denault foegel/byfield , better to just score every game a few times and anything the 3rd and 4th line is a bonus

11. we always wanted that righthand shot on PP1 right, why not try Clark and doughty. we don't have to play 4 forwards. Fiala, Kopi, Kempe up top and clark and doughty. Clark being the quarterback and doughty teeing up his one timers on the left. easy fix and it allows Spence to quarterback PP 2 still.

12. worth a try

13. Turcotte kopi Kempe let turcotte get the same mentoring Qb got from kopi

    2nd line
    Fíala Byfield foegele

    3rd line
    Laffy dano Moore

    4th line
    Jeannot Lewis Thomas

    Spence doughty
    Gavrikov –
    Clarke Edmundson

14. Great show Eddie! New listener and I will be following you all year long.

15. I think what people don't realize is that Hiller is gonna go with what works. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see QB play down the middle for 2 periods and then top line winger for the 3rd with Thomas or turc taking over his center spot.