The kings didn't move any firsts for PLD. They moved three players and a second. players aren't draft picks. draft picks are draft picks.


None of that stuff matters though. past value doesn't impact future value. Go back to the stock example. If I buy apple at $200 a share, and it dips to $170 a share where it is now, and someone offers me $190 a share....it's a good deal. In a vacuum, you can think, "oh, I'll just wait for the value to go back up," but the NHL isn't a vacuum. It's a market.

in one season Blake has paid assets to move a contract he signed in Cal Petersen, fired one of the highest paid coaches in the NHL (who still gets paid), traded a breakout player with injury history for a chance to get a top-6 center.

Each of these can be considered a failure except PLD. Once the Kings give up on PLD it cements Blake’s legacy of too many mistakes in succession, which historically means you get fired. Stock market examples are understood, but this is also someone who is failing at his job.

sometimes good trades don't work out. sometimes bad trades do work out. owners aren't stupid. they understand this. admitting a mistake and making the best of it is far better than trying to save face when you're managing the assets that belong to other people. what would get a GM fired is holding onto a negative value asset because he wants to save face.

If PLD can end this season as a 20 goal scorer and improved defensive game, Blake likely gets a better chance at keeping his job. If Blake paid to move PLD at the deadline I genuinely think he’d be fired, which is my opinion.

Seems like it was more than that or many of the national pundits overstated what Ullmark did with regards to blocking a deal. It takes 10 seconds for either Ullmark or Sweeney to say he has a list of teams he can be traded to and there was nothing of interest from them.

I can’t see Boston trading Ullmark with futures and retention this year, which your scenario is based on.

Probably only one who would work is Arvidsson, but that starts to trend the wrong way. PLD needs an improvement on his wing and we are hoping that comes from Arvidsson returning.

The irony is I believe the most likely scenario was there was a trade between Boston and LA involving PLD and Ullmark that Ullmark nixed because he didn’t want to be away from his family for months.

There would have needed to be ancillary parts (a goalie, a pick to Boston, and cap filler), but I could easily see that being the case and revisited at the draft.

The Boston leadership team would debate between the risks of PLD or Lindholm, but I could easily see a scenario where a pick could be used to offset overpaying for a player based on his resume if he likes the player.

It’s all a guess at this point, but nothing I’ve read from your arguments has convinced me that Blake would NOT do this.

It's an impasse then. At this point there is no trade until after the playoffs so both Boston and LA can take their time to figure out what move works best for either team, but with such a small window to facilitate the trade, few available trade partners, that LA won't be able to test the goalie free agency until after PLDs NMC, and no PLD replacement slotted it feels like a difficult sell for LA ownership/fans. There is a lot of hurdles, but if see it happening thats fine, I just dont see it.

I don’t actually think it’s an impasse. If Ullmark says yes to LA with a one year contract and Boston is willing to take PLD, Blake does the deal during the draft. FYI … I don’t think it happens

Why does Rob Blake do a 180 on his goaltending philosophy after this year and pursue Ullmark in the first place? Talbott and Rittich have given him exactly what he wants. I think the answer is obvious, but I could be wrong

Option 1
Trade PLD for Ullmark
Sign Byfield to an 8 year extension
Resign Matt Roy
Develop Portillo as a backup

Option 2
Keep PLD
Sign Byfield to a bridge contract
Resign Matt Roy (fingers crossed) and Cam Talbott (at the same contract)
Develop Portillo as a starter

Option 3
Keep PLD
Sign Byfield to an 8 year extension
Let Matt Roy go and sign Talbott to same contract
Hope Clarke is ready for top 4 D
Develop Portillo as a starter

I believe 1 and 3 make the most sense, but I wouldn’t want to give up Roy if I’m LA.

I'm just assuming a PLD trade doesn't get done by July 1st, if it does, that changes everything and the Kings should put assets or money into getting that 3C at least for next season.

The Roy issue is complicated, Spence and Clarke are NHL ready but Roy keeps LA defensively strong in the Kings defensive top-4. The best way to keep Roy is a long-term sweetheart ($4.5-5Mx7) deal like Anderson signed, if he wants more than that LA needs to let him walk, and it might be to their benefit. The Kings right side sort of leaves no path for Clarke and Spence, with Doughty and Roy taking most of the minutes. What LA has needed was an improvement at 3LD where Englund and Moverare have been playing, to get another great shutdown guy LA will have solid defense on every pair (Anderson, Gavrikov, LD3), in a few years that will likely be Dovorak but they need a stop gap for now. If Roy walks LA will need that 3LD and I think T.J. Brodie would do well in LAs system.

Byfield should be signed to the longest extension possible now, even if this is the Kopitar window, it just makes good business sense, he also should be tried in the 3C role with PLD as his wing to see if that works better. But they likely sign him to a bridge to facilitate other moves while Kopitar is still here.

For goalie I think the Kings will have options if Ullmark is off the table. LA plays a pretty boring, low event hockey and I believe will be a destination for free agents hoping to rebound their game or get another shot at the NHL. Struggling guys like Ilya Samsanov, Chris Driedger, or Matt Murray would sign league minimum contracts to get another shot at being a starter, additionally guys like Marc-Andre Fleury, Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz could be had on budget contracts. If Talbot and Rittich aren't reupped, I'm cautiously not as concerned there, and a lot of credit goes to the Kings goalie staff who has taken a near non- existent pipeline and poor goaltending to several notable prospects (Portillo, Ingham, and Shulsky) and very solid numbers from their #1 and #3 goaltenders.

I’ve been pretty convinced that the deal was something like

To Boston: PLD, Rittich, and a left handed cheap D for cap purposes

To LA: Ullmark, Grz, and a buried Jacob Zboril

LA’s intention to get off PLD to sign Byfield to a non bridge contract and clear enough room for Roy, Boston to get their center target

Another narrative could be a trade of Roy, Rittich, and a young player like Pinelli for Ullmark.

Boston acquired a RHD in Peeke at the end of the trade deadline and Ullmark fits the salary slot you mentioned above.

Either way, I don’t see Ullmark to LA because he likely asks for an extension to waive his no trade and I don’t see LA doing that

There is probably some evidence of that type of trade, but man that trade is just representative of a lot of loss from LA if the only long-term asset is a 3LD (no a knock on Grzelcyk, who is exactly the player LA needs). I am probably in the small minority here who actually sees a path of PLD not being an albatross contract, the coaching change has done wonders and the guy seems genuinely engaged. If Byfield can take over center for a period of time towards the end of this season I am more open to moving PLD at a loss. But I am hoping PLD continues to trend the right direction and does better with improved linemates on Arvidsson returning.

There is still a chance this type of trade happens. The one thing we may not be addressing in this discussion is there is a chance Blake is fired if the Kings make another 1st round exit, if so a new GM would be reluctant to pull the trigger on a trade until doing his due dilligence.

Lots of factors here, per 32 thoughts LA (and other teams) were irritated Boston didn't keep conversations of trades quieter which might add some sandpaper to future discussions.

Don Sweeney and Boston’s leadership team is a lot of things. Loose lipped is not one of them, I think it’s safe to say that the source of the leak came from the agents side. When you are trying to acquire a player with an NMC that is a risk

Name the last time an actual trade with Boston was known? Almost every major trade they made was a surprise to the media until it was done

I am actually curious about the Lindholm rumors, because discontent with Vancouver actually is a positive for Boston if there intention is to sign him, but it creates an uncomfortable situation with DeBrusk. Seemed too premature to come from Boston. Curious who would want people to believe Vancouver was in the bidding with better prospects available if they weren’t putting in their top 2?