Not seeing or reading too much news coming out of the Kingdom lately, but I did tune into the latest episode of
All The Kings Men podcast where Jesse Cohen talks about some of the rumors bouncing around LA.
One of the big discussions was the rumor of a potential Phaneuf buyout. I loved that the guest on his show was his dad, and funny enough, it was solid analysis. But getting back to #3...I can see both sides of the argument...
I think a lot depends on what the overall offseason game plan is for the Kings and the moves they actually make, not what they're planning on making.
On one hand, buying him out opens up a spot for a young guy(s) to gain experience. If the next couple years are projected to be "rough," why not play the kids and see what you have in them? If you go this route, who gets the call up? Do you risk stunting their development if they're call up too soon?
Maybe, but maybe not.
On the other hand, if they're nervous about the young guns not being ready yet, perhaps you keep Phaneuf around and let those prospects marinate a bit more in the AHL and other respective leagues?
According to Nick Kypreos,
"He's got two years left at $12 million. That would get him $8 million over the next four years and a chance to get back into unrestricted free agency on July 1."
Piggybacking off the above statement, maybe Phaneuf would be interested in a buyout in order to become an UFA again and go somewhere else. That might be his best option at this point, because I'm not sure too many teams would be looking to trade for him, unless he was thrown in as part of some kind of package.
Whatever happens, for a guy who posted six points in 67 in '18-'19 and was press-boxed often towards the end of the season, it'll be an interesting to see what LA does with Phaneuf going forward.
FYI - the episode from 5-16-19 titled
"Prospect Update" is a nice listen, too. It's a quick, concise discussion at 26 minutes that offers insight on Durzi/Phillips/Anderson.
Do You Move Quick?
With all the rebuild chatter, I wanted to get your guys opinions on the idea of moving Quick.
It's something I've thought about a number of times (and was touched on briefly during the podcast) and I know it's something others have discussed quite a bit...but heading into this transition period for the organization, is it time to move him before it's too late?
I personally really like JQ and think he still possess high value - though, that value will diminish as he continues to age. He's currently 33. I thought Campbell played well this year and I really liked the glimpse we saw into Cal Petersen's game. Could those two guys realistically survive a full NHL season if you moved on from Quick and there wasn't a goalie coming back in the deal to fill the gap?
Or, do you hang onto Quick a bit longer and let him and Campbell platoon the crease again to buy more time for Petersen to develop with Ontario?
If Quick were to be moved, I'd (selfishly) like to see him go to Chicago or Florida - as those are my two other favorite teams.
Now, I know a deal with either of those teams is probably not going to happen, but in the spirit of all the speculation this time of year, I just want to have some fun thinking about it. Haha.
To me, Crawford's concussion issues are a major concern for his health and Chicago's goaltending future. When he's healthy, he can be incredible, but multiple concussions have taken their toll. Watching games gives you anxiety that a shot, redirect or collision of any kind could knock him to the IR, or, realistically at this point, cause him to hang 'em up. Things just seem sort of touch-and-go in the Windy City crease for me.
Hypothesizing that the Hawks moved on from Crow, I think a combo of Quick and Colin Delia would be great in Chicago. Delia could play the backup role a bit longer, while learning from another great goalie in JQ.
If such a deal happened, I would love to see John Hayden as piece going to LA. He's a young, big frame winger who throws the body and is pretty tough. As a fan, he's someone I believe has a lot of potential to unlock. Throughout his time with the Hawks, he's played up and down lineup. He's a hard working player that I think is best suited working in the corners/along the boards and going to the front of the net - as he has some hands that can make him dangerous in that area.
Florida is another option to me because they desperately need a goalie, as the combo of Reimer and Luongo didn't quite pan out the way some were hoping. Lu did his best dealing with injuries and being called on a lot, and he was solid for a 39-year old. Their future lies in Sam Montembeault right now, and while he played well in his appearances, he's probably a little ways away from becoming an NHL regular and could probably benefit from a bit more AHL seasoning.
The other reason I think Florida makes sense is because I'm not convinced the rumors of Bob signing with the Panthers is a "done deal" like a lot of folks are saying. I'm just always skeptical of hockey rumors until there are some significant folks reporting it, or it's a done deal.
It's fun to think about trading Quick to South Florida because the Panthers have a very young and very talented roster upfront. The Panthers major weaknesses is on the backend with their defense.
Since LA is hinting at getting younger and faster, and Florida needs an upgrade in the blue paint (and on the blue line), I could see the two possibly benefiting from each other.
Everything considered, I'm looking forward to the dominos to start falling soon with teams starting to make moves and kicking everything off!
All for now.
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