Dallas has major signings needed to key young players And the Kings seem to be inline for a major upgrade at both the forward and defence positions highlight my offseason plans for these two teams.
DallasNotable UFA’s: Alex Radulov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Micheal Raffl, John Klingberg, Andrei Sekera, Braden Holtby, Scott Wedgewood
Notable RFA’s: Jason Robertson, Dennis Gurianov, Riley Tufte, Marian Studenic, Nicholas Caamano, Jake Oettinger
Draft Picks: DAL 1RD, DAL 2RD, DAL 3RD, DAL 4RD, DAL 5RD, DAL 6RD, DAL 7RD
Why did they exit the 1RD of the playoffs.
The stars were a bubble team for most of the playoffs and I personally thought they wouldn’t get in but they were able to slip into the playoffs and gave the Flames a run for their money taking that series to a game 7 OT loss but there are a couple reasons why I think the Stars went out in the first round.
First was their inability to score goals in the series as they couldn’t for the life of them keep up offensively with the very gifted offense of the Flames. The Stars were a one line team in the regular season with Pavelski, Robertson and Hintz and they once again produced combining for 14 points but besides the top line only Tyler Seguin had 4 points and all the other players had 3 or less and while Markstrom’s brilliance in the first round was a big factor the fact that the Stars didn’t have any firepower on offense and that is my biggest reason why they are out. Secondly is the fact that they didn’t help Oettinger our at all. Oettinger was probably one of the bright spots in the series and definitely kept Dallas in a lot of the games and if not for him it wouldn’t have gone 7 games but the Stars could have done a better job helping out Oettinger cause it seemed like the Flames could shoot at will as much as they want and quite often Dallas let Oettinger hang out to dry so not helping Oettinger enough is another reason for me. And finally the Stars power play which went dead in the playoffs. The Stars has one of the best penalty kills in the playoffs but they couldn’t get the power play rolling in the playoffs as they only had 2 goals on 24 chances which was 8.3% and the second worst in the playoffs only ahead of Florida so these three factors I think all lead to the fall of the Stars in the first round of the playoffs.
How can they improve in the offseason.
The Stars did amazing to get themselves into the playoffs after being on the bubble for most of the season and were only one goal away from advancing to the second round but did wind up losing in 7 to the Flames and I think this team is built to win in the playoffs and here is how I think they could tweak their lineup to make it back to the playoffs next season.
First I will talk about the goaltending as the Stars have found themselves a really good star in net. Jake Oettinger started in the minors this year but slowly gained confidence and eventually got to the point where he was the unquestioned number 1 net minder in Dallas and was stealing playoff games for the Stars in their 7 game first round series. Now he is a pending RFA this year and I believe will get a big long term extension probably somewhere between 5 and 7 years at somewhere between $5-6.5 Million dollars per year and locking up their number one goalie has to be on the top of their to do list but the back position is a question they need answered. Now they have Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin signed for one more season but Bishop has a career ending injury and Khudobin could miss the beginning of the season and was placed on waivers this year and might not be the backup for Dallas next year and with Wedgewood and Holtby both pending UFA’s the Stars in my opinion will look for a backup goalie who can play with Oettinger next and I even think that Holtby could be brought back or someone will come vid free agency or trade but I think if they can lock up Oettinger on a long term extension and bring in a cheap backup goalie through free agency or via trade would make their goaltending a huge strength for next year.
Next we go to their defence where a veteran defensemen will probably be lost via free agency. After not coming to term on a long term extension with the Stars in season John Klingberg is sounding like he’s as good as gone in Dallas and it might be for the best as Suter, Lindell and Heiskanen take up a lot of money and giving another expensive long term deal might handicap them going forward so I would bet that Klingberg is t back next year. Now I think their defence is actually pretty much set right now as I believe that Lindell and Suter would be the top 2 left side defensemen in Dallas with Heiskanen being one of the top 2 right side defensemen, I think that while Thomas Harley didn’t get into too many games that he showed enough to play consistently on the 3rd pair next year and could be important considering his contract, and I think that Hakanpää who is a big bodied D-Men should play with Harley on the right side and then have either Hanley who is a good depth player and is signed for another year or they could go out and get a depth defensemen to challenge for a 3rd pair spot but I think the biggest question is who will replace Klingberg on the 2nd pair next year. With Klingberg gone they will need another top 4 right shot defensemen and I don’t think the answer is internal so I feel that they will trade for a defensemen who has potential to score and produce maybe not to Klingberg’s extent but well, and I have heard them be linked to San Jose’s Brent Burns and Montreal’s Jeff Petry and with a little salary retention I think one of these players would be a perfect fit for Dallas on the second pair. So to recap I feel that Lindell, Suter and Heiskanen will be three of the four top 4 D next year with Klingberg leaving and then trading for a replacement, then have Harley play with Hakanpää and then have Hanley and maybe a depth signing fight for a roster soit and with these moves I think they would be set up nicely for next year.
And last here is their offence where they will need to sign a few players that need extensions. Now I think that the top line of Hintz, Pavelski and Robertson will remain the top line next year and Pavelski and Hintz still have one year left on their contracts but Robertson is going to need a new deal as he is a pending RFA and with his absolutely amazing play over the past couple years including a 40 goal season this year and will be getting a very good long term extension this year I would say between $6-7 Million at around a 7-8 year deal to keep that brilliant top line together but they will need to rework they’re middle six to help their scoring. I don’t see the Stars bringing back Radulov or Namestnikov who are pending UFA’s this year. Now I think that Seguin and Benn will remain in their middle six but the guys around them will have to change. Now I think that Faksa who had 2 year at $3.25 Million dollars on his current deal will be moved because he is a cap casualty and the Stars could do without him, I think that Gurianov who is a pending RFA did quite well in the middle six this year and produced well so I think he will be signed to a 3-4 year deal at around $3.5 Million to remain a part of that team, now I think that the Stars will sign one or two middle six forwards probably more on the cheaper side to work with Benn and Seguin and the other couple spots that are available give to some of the younger players like Johnson, Dellandrea, Bourque, Stranges, Peterson and Kiviranta. Then sign a couple of cheap depth forwards who can challenge for a fourth line spot with Glendening and maybe one of the younger guys who don’t make the middle six right away. So to recap resign Robertson and keep him on the top line with Hintz and Pavelski, move on from Radulov and Namestnikov while trading Faksa who might be a cap casualty, then have Benn and Seguin in their middle six with Gurianov who is a RFA also and will be resigned, as well as 1 or 2 new middle six forwards who they get in free agency and 1 or 2 of the rookies such as Johnson, Dellandrea, Bourque, Stranges, Peterson and Kiviranta who at least a couple will be ready for full time roles, then have one or two of them fight for a fourth line role with Glendening and maybe a few depth forwards who come in via free agency and I think these moves would boost their offense and with all the moves I said should definitely be in the playoff conversation next year.
Los Angeles Notable UFA’s: Andreas Athanasiou, Alex Edler, Olli Maatta, Troy Stecher, Austin Strand
Notable RFA’s: Adrian Kempe, Lias Andersson, Brendan Lemieux, Carl Grundström, Gabriel Vilardi, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Vladimir Tkachev, Sean Durzi, Micheal Anderson, Jacob Movrare
Draft Picks: LA 1RD, LA 2RD, PIT 3RD, LA 4RD, LA 5RD, LA 6RD
Why did they exit the 1RD of the playoffs.
The Kings were better then many people expected, even me as I thought at the beginning of the season that they would slightly miss but they were able to get a top 3 Pacific spot and were almost too much for Edmonton to handle as it took 7 games for Edmonton to win but I definitely saw some reasons why they wound up exiting so early.
The first was the fact that they just couldn’t shutdown McDavid and that is something that is plaguing any team these playoffs who have faced off against McDavid. Now while McDavid has carried this level of production into the second round he produced multiple point games in 6 of the seven first round games with Edmonton and while I would say the Kings defence was good given what they had to work with and shutting down most of the lineup they couldn’t shut down the Oilers best player and that is the number one reason in my opinion why they lost in seven. Number 2 was the inexperience of the entire group as this team had very little playoff experience. The Kings only group of players from their previous cup wins were Kopitar, Brown, Doughty who was injured and Quick and on top of that 11 different players made their playoff debuts and those inexperienced players can often make mistakes which we saw in this series so while it wasn’t a big reason, I still fell that the inexperience was another reason they went out in the first round. And lastly was the injury factor as a lot of key players missed time in the playoffs. The Kings didn’t have very many players exit the series except for Grundstrom missing one game due to injury but I think that the guys who never got to play in the series were the ones missed most as top defender Drew Doughty, top 6 forward Viktor Arvidsson and great 2nd pair defensemen Sean Walker all missed the series due to injury and shutting the Oilers offense would’ve been easier with Doughty and Walker and getting more goals would’ve been better with Arvidsson on the 2nd line and due to these injuries as well as the reasons I listed above is why I think the Kings left in the 1st round in 7 games.
How can they improve in the offseason.
The Kings did better then a lot of people including myself thought they would and they gave Edmonton a hell of a lot to deal with taking them to 7 games and narrowly being defeated in game 7 but I think the group here is young and has potential and here is how I think they can improve this offseason to make their team more lethal next year.
First their goaltending where a old veteran could become a cap casualty next season. The Kings last offseason signed young goalie Cal Peterson to a 3 year 5 million dollar extension and I feel that even though he did lose the starting job late to Quick this year that he will be the 1A in LA next year as he has potential to be a full time starter and I think that he will get more starts then the backup next year in LA and that brings up the question of who is the Kings backup or 1B next year. The Kings have Quick who is entering the final year of his contract and played really well this year but with Peterson’s new deal kicking in it makes the two goalies combine for almost $11 Million dollars for next year and while it is only for one year it may very well handicap them next year so instead of having so much money tied up in goaltending I think they should and will trade long time goalie Jonathan Quick who has pretty good value and then sign a veteran free agent who can be a backup or 1B to Peterson, and if they can get a good return on Quick I think they would do that. So to recap with Peterson’s new deal kicking in next year he will be the 1A and the Kings move Quick because he becomes a cap casualty and they sign a veteran backup and in doing this I think they can still have goaltending as a strength next year.
Next is the defence where the Kings I think are just one piece away from having a great defence. Now I think that Doughty will remain their top defensemen because he can still play at a high level and that contract is immovable so he should continue playing top pair minutes. Now I think that Roy and Walker are still the top 2 right side Defensemen behind Doughty but with the emergence of Durzi and Brandt Clake not far behind I believe that one of Roy or Walker are now expendable and I wouldn’t be surprised if one was moved. Both players have 2 years left on their contracts with Roy having a $3.15 Million dollar cap hit and Walker’s cap hit at $2.65 and I think that Roy actually proved he is a solid defender this year when Doughty and Walker were injured so if I were to guess I would say Walker will be moved and Roy will be one of the right side defensemen with either Durzi or Clarke having the other right side spot. And on the Left side I think that a big part of the solution is already there as I think Tobias Bjornfot will have one of the spots and I think that after they sign Michael Anderson which i have no doubt they will then he should remain on the top pairing with Doughty as that pairing was pretty good this past year and it should be there next year but while I think that Edler, Stecher and Maatta will all not be back I do believe that they will go out this year and get a top 4 left side defensemen to play on the 2nd line. I believe that LA is one more top 4 piece away from being a great defensive team and I would like to believe they are going to trade for a top 4 left side defensemen because they have a very high amount of prospects (especially Centers) and moving some for a player right now makes a lot of sense and as I have been saying for a while, they should go after Chychrun as I think he would be a great fit in LA and giving up a 1RD pick and a high Center prospect as well as a decent defensive prospect like Durzi then I think they should do that but even if it isn’t Chychrun then trading for a different top 4 defensemen should be high on their list and I feel that if they sign 1 or 2 depth defensemen to fight for a roster spot then this team would be set. So to recap I believe that after signing Michael Anderson to a new deal they will keep him on the top pair with Doughty, have a young defensemen such as Durzi or Clarke play on the 2nd pair with a left side Defensemen who can play on the 2nd pair whether that is Chychrun or a different player, then have Bjornfot play third pair minutes with Roy or Walker, whoever isn’t traded and then sign a few depth Defensemen to challenge for a roster spot and if they did this then I think their defensive game would be taken to the next level.
And lastly with the forward group I think they will make a move to improve their offense. Now I feel that Kopitar and Danault will continue to be the top 2 centers with Danault centering the top line and Kopitar 1C, and after this past year I feel that Arvidsson has been a good winger with Danault on the second line and Adrian Kempe who is a pending RFA and I feel will absolutely be signed and is guaranteed a raise on his last contract which was $2 Million dollars after having a 35 goal season and I wouldn’t be surprised if his next contract was around $6 Million but I think him playing on the top line with Kopitar should continue and in my opinion they will go out and get another top 6 forward. Now I think they would most likely get a top 6 forward in free agency but I could see them using their deep prospect pool to trade for a forward but if they get one more impact forward I feel they will be a very lethal team and I think that like lots of people if he hits free agency Forsberg to LA might happen. The Kings could use a guy like Forsberg, they would have a opening on the second line, and last year Forsberg was upset when Nashville traded Arvidsson who is now in LA so the connections are there but if it’s not Forsberg then I have no doubt they will look hard at another guy who would be able to fit in their top 6 and I would have Iafallo who is still signed for a few years be on the line that the new guy isn’t on in the top 6. Now the bottom 6 will probably be made of their younger guys as I think that Byfield and Lizotte will be the 3C and 4C respectively and I do think that they will remain bottom 6 centers, I feel that with the new player taking a top 6 spot I think that Moore who had a really good year this year will play on the 3rd line with Byfield and giving more depth the LA roster and I think that the Kings will sign a bottom 6 forward who can play on that third line for La. And for the fourth line I feel that any one of RFA’s Lemieux, Grundström, Andersson, also Kupari and Kailyev, as well as rookies Anderson-Dolan, Turcotte, Madden Thomas or maybe even a depth forward who could be signed in free agency but one thing is for sure and that is that the Kings will have a lot of fourth line options for next year. So to recap have Kempe and Kopitar on the top line with Danault and Arvidsson playing on the second line and then sign or trade for a major forward maybe a guy like Forsberg who can play on one of the top 2 lines and then have Iafallo play in the top 6 on the open spot in the line. Now the third line will have young center Byfield Centering a line with Trevor Moore and a bottom 6 signing who would fit in well with the other two and then with Blake Lizotte centering the fourth line with a couple of the nine players I mentioned previously and maybe a depth forward or two brought in to round out this roster and if the Kings do what I have said they should do then I have no doubt they would be back in the playoffs next year and maybe make it to the second round.
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