Jason Lewis: Los Angeles Kings Top 10 Most NHL Ready Prospects

did it go belly up cuz of a lack of advertising or something else... (hockey's future)...

Derek Forbort can only then go the way of Thomas Hickey and be gone with the waiver wire. He's not even in the top 10 now he can't possibly suit up for the Kings.

Derek Forbort can only then go the way of Thomas Hickey and be gone with the waiver wire. He's not even in the top 10 now he can't possibly suit up for the Kings.
- CRTNLarva_2.0

I didn't count Forbort on this list due to his extended stay with the team last year. Went with a more raw group of prospects and not ones that sat on the roster for the majority of the year.

If I had he'd probably be 2 or 3.

did it go belly up cuz of a lack of advertising or something else... (hockey's future)...
- kaptaan

From my understanding, a larger media group bought the smaller media group that owned HF and started trimming sites

I did not get much information past that.

Geez that is... barren.

Jason Lewis: Los Angeles Kings Top 10 Most NHL Ready Prospects
- Jason_Lewis

Do you know any website that show us all the players a team have in their system, not only whos under contract?

Geez that is... barren.
- BINGO!

Again, this is not an overall top 10.


These are the top 10 guys NHL READY.

If you want a top 10 of talent? That's a very different read.

Clague, Moverare, Lintuniemi, Cernak, Watson, Wagner all could be tossed in. Eyssimont is solid also.

Do you know any website that show us all the players a team have in their system, not only whos under contract?
- nvrsoft

General Fanager is probably the best you can get

Again, this is not an overall top 10.


These are the top 10 guys NHL READY.

If you want a top 10 of talent? That's a very different read.

Clague, Moverare, Lintuniemi, Cernak, Watson, Wagner all could be tossed in. Eyssimont is solid also.
- Jason_Lewis

I know, sir. It's still not good. The Kings have not been doing so great in this department for a few years now.

I know, sir. It's still not good. The Kings have not been doing so great in this department for a few years now.
- BINGO!

Because they keep trading away assists for a cup run. It's worked 2 years out of 4 the last 2 years trade deadline acquisitions were awful!!

I know, sir. It's still not good. The Kings have not been doing so great in this department for a few years now.
- BINGO!

Eh, they have lost a lot of assets a little foolishly, as stated above. Zykov and McKeown most notably. However they still have a lot of really good projectable NHL talent in the system.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com...-to-an-Identity/179/78557

It's mid-tier to me and I explained why in that article if you wanted to give it a look.

General Fanager is probably the best you can get
- Jason_Lewis

Yeah General Fanager is great for contracts but I am looking for players in the system, actually I use www.rosterresource.com/nhl-depth-charts/
but I am not sure if everything is accurate and updated on a regular basis.

Again, this is not an overall top 10.


These are the top 10 guys NHL READY.

If you want a top 10 of talent? That's a very different read.

Clague, Moverare, Lintuniemi, Cernak, Watson, Wagner all could be tossed in. Eyssimont is solid also.
- Jason_Lewis

(frank)ing love Cernak

(frank)ing love Cernak
- AdamFrench

Very very good player

He was fringy on the 10 spot, but I definitely want to get a look at him at the AHL level. Foot speed in particular since that was his knock when drafted. Cresc has a more useful and established skill set of defensive hockey at the pro level. Doesn't mean he is better, just see him as in an emergency situation or depth chart situation Cresc probably is more prepared to take on an NHL game or two at this point.

(frank)ing love Cernak
- AdamFrench

ME TOO! Can't wait for his arrival in LA

Eh, they have lost a lot of assets a little foolishly, as stated above. Zykov and McKeown most notably. However they still have a lot of really good projectable NHL talent in the system.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com...-to-an-Identity/179/78557

It's mid-tier to me and I explained why in that article if you wanted to give it a look.
- Jason_Lewis

Still hate the Mckeown trade. Hated when it happened and still hate it

I didn't count Forbort on this list due to his extended stay with the team last year. Went with a more raw group of prospects and not ones that sat on the roster for the majority of the year.

If I had he'd probably be 2 or 3.
- Jason_Lewis

To me, the most intriguing thing about the upcoming season is whether he will play a top 6 role or not. I figure Forbort will be up in the press box a lot.

Still hate the Mckeown trade. Hated when it happened and still hate it
- KINGS67

I hated it too but really piseed off giving up that #1 in the Lucic deal. I wanted the Kings to draft Kyle Connor so friggin bad and after his stellar NCAA year, it stings even worse.

These are the top 10 guys NHL READY.

If you want a top 10 of talent? That's a very different read.

Clague, Moverare, Lintuniemi, Cernak, Watson, Wagner all could be tossed in. Eyssimont is solid also.
- Jason Lewis

That's the problem: the list of most-NHL-ready players and the list of most-talented players are very different reads. The players who are close to NHL-ready aren't very talented and many of the players who are more talented are liable to not pan out or be traded.

We all remember when the lists of top Kings talent included names like Zykov, Fasching, McKeown, Prokhorkin, Ebert, Deslauriers, Vey and Weal. What good is a top-10 of talent if, just a few years later, most are traded or surpassed by other prospects so that they don't stay on the list or even make the NHL-ready list?

Players who are "talented," but many years away and still very iffy to develop into NHL talent, are nearly a dime a dozen and something that every franchise has plenty of. What I would say separates the top tiers of prospect pools from the bottom tiers is how close the most talented prospects are to being ready, and if you have a most-talented list and a most-ready list with very different names on them, you have a problem.

Still hate the Mckeown trade. Hated when it happened and still hate it
- KINGS67

Mckeown is probably 3rd on the Canes D prospect list now.

It's the Julien Gauthier pick that really turned into a boon for them, I think.

I hated it too but really piseed off giving up that #1 in the Lucic deal. I wanted the Kings to draft Kyle Connor so friggin bad and after his stellar NCAA year, it stings even worse.
- CRTNLarva_2.0

Yeah I was hoping for that kid too if he would have fell to the Kings. Thought lucic was a good pick up but once again DL gave up a lot for a soon to be UFA. Was hoping to see C Miller with the Kings last year but he was in that deal. Turns out it was another HORRIBLE trade. Time to restock the pipeline the next few years

Losing the first round picks and higher-end prospects to trades that resulted in 1 playoff win in 2 years is disappointing. None of the players on this list of NHL ready players jump off the screen at you. That being said, the club isn't in desperate need of retooling at this time so it isn't like the lack of top 6 talent in the pipeline will directly impact the club this year. So long as guys like Gavel and Dowd can contribute, the Kings shouldn't fall off too much.

The bigger concern going forward will be the dead money locked up with Gabi, Brown, and the Richards buyout. If the Kings can't resign guys like Pearson and Toffoli, then the lack of talent in the system will be have a material impact.

The bigger concern going forward will be the dead money locked up with Gabi, Brown, and the Richards buyout. If the Kings can't resign guys like Pearson and Toffoli, then the lack of talent in the system will be have a material impact.
- Only_A_Ladd

call it eternal optimism, but i am warming to the notion that its not totally impossible for LV to take brown in the expansion draft. that alone creates a bit of breathing room to extend toffoli and pearson.

absent that, you're right, the team is in a jam and then some. the short term deals they signed this offseason will give some flexibility, but they need more young players to emerge while the window for a cup is still open, particularly on the back end.

call it eternal optimism, but i am warming to the notion that its not totally impossible for LV to take brown in the expansion draft. that alone creates a bit of breathing room to extend toffoli and pearson.

absent that, you're right, the team is in a jam and then some. the short term deals they signed this offseason will give some flexibility, but they need more young players to emerge while the window for a cup is still open, particularly on the back end.
- hiway39

George McPhee is the GM, so I'm certainly more optimistic now after he was hired than before that Las Vegas will take Brown. Even if we have to throw a pick that way to goose that move for Brown then it would be well worth it.