We have had plenty of time to get used to Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn.
We have had less time to get used to Kris Versteeg and Rob Scuderi.
Nevertheless, the Kings have made four pretty large moves this season in order to better the roster and make a more legitimate run at another Stanley Cup. Think back, how often do we see a playoff team go out and make moves during the year that bring in four immediate roster players. Second question, how often does that work? Some teams simply do not like to mess with the chemistry and roles of their established lines and players. GMs can at times be guilty of a little too much tinkering. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Think back to the 2013 Pittsburgh Penguins, who brought in Iginla, Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray and Jussi Jokinen in one trade window. They made the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be swept out at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Was it worth it? That much is probably still debatable amongst the Penguins faithful.
What I can tell you though is that acquiring four different players who have immediate roster impacts over the course of a season is somewhat rare. Most playoff contending teams will make minor tweaks here and there, pick up a rental or two, but the Kings have made a ton of changes this year. Changes that have had pretty startling impacts. Lecavalier has been getting top six minutes, Scuderi top pairing minutes, and Luke Schenn has seen anywhere between 15-18 minutes a night in 4-5 role. That's a lot of tweaking and some heavy roles that these players have come into.
The big question is, obviously you ask this with any trade, will these moves or have these moves actually helped the team?
It is a question that maybe will not be fairly answered until the season's end. If the Kings win a Stanley Cup, no one cares right? They must have worked because....why else would the team win a cup? Sometimes we actually need to step away from the end product though and evaluate what the move actually meant, what it is doing, and what it could do. For example, the Bruins aggressively acquired Tomas Kaberle at the 2011 deadline before the won the cup, giving up at the time blue chip prospect Joe Colborne, a first round pick, and a conditional second (which the condition was reaching the conference finals...which happened). It was a steep price to pay for a player who was altogether bad down the stretch, but played some respectable hockey in the playoffs. Kaberle gave Claude Julien and the Bruins a deeper defense, pushing out the sixth Dman platoon of Matt Bartkowski, Steven Kampfer, and Matt Hunwick.
In the end, was it worth the cost? They won, so how could it not be? The long term impact of picks and prospects lost is always hard to gauge. Could it have been achieved from within? It is an extremely difficult position for a general manager, and a very delicate balance no question.
These trades are still in the very nascent stages for the Kings, so it is hard to fully grasp what is going to come of them, and what has happened so far. The playoffs are obviously going to be huge, and how the Kings do there will likely weigh heavily on the evaluative process in hindsight of the season. For now though, let's go through each player and ask some key questions, weigh some pros and cons, project a little bit, and try to get a feel for what is happening with the little taste that we do have of how they are being used.
Kris Versteeg
Acquired for Valentin Zykov and a conditional 5th round pick
What has been good?
Versteeg has come as advertised. He is quick footed, speedy, and seems to be a defensively responsible forward. Last night he made a play that perfectly exemplifies what makes Versteeg a worthwhile edition. With the Caps in complete control, Versteeg pressured the point man, knocking the puck loose and starting up ice on an odd man rush. He was hooked, drew a penalty, and instantly turned a negative situation into a positive one. We have yet to see the offensive capability, but the possession numbers have been good in his limited use. He is holding a 58.3% CF% as a King thus far. Against the Caps, Versteeg was one of the three best possession players on the Kings along with linemates Nick Shore and Kyle Clifford. With Versteeg in play, this has ultimately ended the long and sometimes puzzling roster prevalence of Andy Andreoff.
What has been bad?
The Kings are barely using him. This, to an extent though, is completely understandable. He is a new player, he is learning the system, start him low and elevate his minutes as the final stretch of games unfolds. It is too early to be critical of underusing a new player, especially with other more established Kings players familiar with the system in front of him. You could argue dropping Dwight King to the 4th line, but that would start to upset natural wing positions. For now, it is a safe play to keep his minutes low. The "Bad" here, is more like a work in progress bad. Versteeg has a stretch here before real meaningful games and Sutter will more than likely elevate him accordingly. Versteeg averaged almost 17 minutes a night in the Carolina top 6, so this has to be a big change for him playing just an average of around 6 minutes a game so far. Hopefully as a player he can stay patient. I'm sure the communication from the coaching staff is simply that. Play, learn, and it will come.
Has it been worth it?
His usage is a bit extreme as of right now considering early returns have been promising, but this should not remain so for long. If it does, however, the Kings paid a very steep price for some fourth line insurance. Stick a pin in this one, and let's re-visit it at season's end.
Rob Scuderi
Acquired from Chicago for Christian Ehrhoff
What has been good?
The perfect picture of intangibles. All of the things we cannot measure with a statistical view of things. Scuderi is familiar with the system, familiar with the core players, familiar with the coach, and he has "Been there before" for whatever that is worth. He won a cup with the Kings, and there is no feeling out process for coach Darryl Sutter. It is probably also nice for the Kings to have a familiar face in the room with Matt Greene, Robyn Regehr, Justin Williams, Willie Mitchell, Jarret Stoll, and Mike Richards all out of the picture. That's a lot of veteran leadership, and if you value that sort of thing, Scuderi brings it to the table. From a trickle down perspective, Scuderi playing such high volume minutes (22+ in his first few games) has allowed Brayden McNabb to slot down, thus improving his play in much more limited and protected minutes. Luke Schenn has also seen a small bump, albeit slight.
What has been bad?
Pretty much everything pertaining to on ice play with Scuderi has been bad. He is a possession black hole, and unfortunately that warm blanket loyalty that Sutter is feeling has driven him to play the 37-year old veteran way way way too much. Scuderi has played more minutes on average than both Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin, which is unacceptable. While it has helped out the possession play and usage of Brayden McNabb and Luke Schenn, it has come at the cost of Drew Doughty's overall effectiveness and offensive numbers. The Kings Norris hopeful has seen his offensive shot generation fall significantly since he has been paired up with his former 2012 D-partner.
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Last night the Kings played a surefire playoff team with immense forward depth. Depth that will be similar to that of Anaheim, San Jose, Chicago or Dallas. The results were not promising.
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Has it been worth it?
A question with many layers, many sides, and many potential outcomes. If the Kings win, it's a no brainer, of course. If the Kings bow out in the first round, everyone will probably wonder what the purpose was. The key thing here when evaluating worth, however, is that the cost was almost nothing. Christian Ehrhoff, despite still being a decent NHL defenseman (Looks good in Chicago at least), was not a good fit systematically. He looked uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and altogether lost at times within the Kings structure. The Kings probably would have only been able to swindle a late round draft pick for the veteran at the deadline (Although Kris Russell got a laughably good return, so, I guess I have no idea about evaluating players). So in that regard, the deal is a wash. If Scuderi continues to be a difficult play for the Kings, he only cost an out the door Christian Ehrhoff.
That much is good.
The bad "Worth" of it comes the potential long term impact or opportunity lost with other players. The Kings have three very very capable defensmen on the roster who are currently A) not playing, or B) not on the NHL roster. Both Derek Forbort and Kevin Gravel looked more than able to carry the mail in a 4-6 role with an NHL playoff team. However, with the addition of Scuderi and his current usage it seems like that is not going to happen. The two youngsters are likely not going to gain any valuable NHL playoff experience (They still might), and the Kings third pair still is being incredibly protected by Sutter. It is feeling more and more like the Kings were attempting to find a top four defenseman, felt they did not have it, and went back in time to try and rekindle an old thing. McNabb has had his ups and downs but been okay as a top four dman this season. Comfort is an odd thing for a coach, and Sutter is just more comfortable and familiar with Scuderi over McNabb, for whatever reason. While it is not super detrimental, and Drew Doughty is certainly capable of hauling a boat anchor up and down the ice (See; Regehr, Robyn), the bottom pair is now more effective at the cost of the top pair. That does not sound like ideal balance. Especially when you consider McBain was having a respectable year, and Forbort/Gravel look ready. The Kings also have Scuderi signed through next year if he does not retire, which is another perhaps detrimental facet of this trade.
Vincent Lecavalier
Acquired from Philadelphia for Jordan Weal and a third round pick
What has been good?
The old vet has been scoring. He has 12 points in 27 games, which would be good for about 40+ points prorated over a full 82-game season. He has also been solid in the circles, winning 53.5% of his draws. His presence in the lineup gives the Kings another option on the powerplay, and it also gives them some interesting center depth. If Kopitar and Carter operate in your top six, you have a bottom set of Shore and Lecavalier. That is a pretty good top to bottom center group. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired at times, as does his diminished skating ability, the 35-year old still has the hands, and can still be a powerful offensive threat worth deploying in an offensive zone draw or on a second powerplay unit. He also has the lovely intangibles, having been an NHL captain, a Gold Medal winner (2004 WC), and a Stanley Cup Champion in his career.
What has been bad?
He is probably biting off a bit more than he is capable of chewing in terms of usage. The Kings have been playing Cavs in a top six role, which seems a bit much. His numbers are not all that different than that of Jarret Stoll or a Mike Richards player offensively, but he does not have the defensive acumen those players tended to have (At least Stoll in his prime). With that in mind, the Kings do have to protect Lecavalier a bit, and also give him some care in linemates. Hard working players like Dwight King, Tanner Pearson, Dustin Brown or Trevor Lewis would probably be good for the aging veteran instead of more offensive leaning guys like Toffoli.
Tal Pincehvsky of the New York Times did a good piece on Lecavalier and his role with the Kings which you should read (Click bolded text) although one quote did stand out as curious.
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The structure of the Kings is something new and unfamiliar to Lecavalier, which is kind of concerning considering the center plays such a key role in puck support in the Kings system.
Has it been worth it?
This, so far, seems like an okay deal for the Kings. It has worked out in a way, like the Versteeg deal, that has pushed certain riskier players out of the lineup in favor of LESS risky players. Lecavalier has his fair share of risk and needs protection, but if it comes at the cost of sitting Andreoff or Jordan Nolan, so be it. Where it has been tricky at times is when it comes to Nick Shore. Shore, by every account of hockey aside from scoring, has been really good this year. However, Shore's mid season dip in form must have raised enough concern for the Kings to slot him down in the roster, much like they have done recently with Brayden McNabb. Regardless, a combo of Shore and Lecavalier on the bottom six center group is not bad at all, and should serve the Kings well into the playoffs. If he can keep scoring, that definitely helps.
Luke Schenn
Acquired from Philadelphia for Jordan Weal and a third round pick
What has been good?
The Kings were looking for a bottom pair defenseman, and that is what they got. They wanted a physically intimidating player in a similar mold of Matt Greene. That is, by pretty much all accounts, what they got. He makes his fair share of fumbles with the puck, his foot speed can be sluggish at time, but in the right role he has not been a bad defenseman since being with the Kings. He is also giving the Kings a decent amount of hits and blocked shots if you are into the NHL real time stats stuff. From a systematic standpoint, he has not looked out of place, and does try to do the classic Kings red line and blue line entry denial plays ala Martinez/Muzzin/Doughty/McNabb. He has the second highest defensive zone starts of the Kings dmen, behind only Alec Martinez.
What has been bad?
From a team relative standpoint, Schenn is still a pretty rough player by Kings standards. He is above the 50% mark in corsi, but still at a near double digit minus relative number in total. His corsi against and for relative numbers are both amongst the bottom of the team's defenders. He takes a fair share of penalties as well, normally due to some slower skating ability. It also comes with the territory of being a physical player. Also, if you were looking for any sort of elevation in role, Schenn does not seem to be a guy who looks comfortable getting into the twenty minute range in usage. If he is surpassing the 18 minute plateau, things may get a little hairy. There also is not much in the way of offensive chip in, but that is to be expected with his style. Whereas McNabb has shown a rangy ability of going from a 14 to 22 minute defensemen, Schenn's usage seems tremendously limited in its scope.
Has it been worth it?
Because of this limited use, the Kings are still very much in an awkward position where they do not feel they have a coveted No. 4 defenseman. With Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, and Alec Martinez taking up the mantle of top three, the No. 4 spot has fallen to Brayden McNabb most of the year. McNabb, however, has fallen from top four into the doghouse of Darryl Sutter in recent times, leaving the team with Rob Scuderi and Luke Schenn. AKA, players who have no business playing a top four role. While Schenn has been a steady bottom of the lineup player, you have to ask yourself if the acquisition was worth it in hindsight. Especially when other defenseman on the market, like Dan Hamhuis, could have been a more fitting acquisition. That, however, is not the fault of Schenn. He has been good in his role, but you have to wonder if acquiring for that role was really necessary, again, with three capable defensemen sitting in the pressbox or in the minors. In short, it was a deal that did not seem to answer any questions, while still leaving the same ones hanging in the air from before.
These are some more intricate thoughts on the acquired players and their early/limited performances. These all ultimately revolve around the question of: Are the Kings a better team now, heading into the playoffs, then they were in December? It is a results based industry, and the results are far from in. The Kings still have a stretch run and a playoff run to perhaps answer or put to rest some of these questions. For now though, the work in progress on these seems very much in the balance. We could look back on these as key acquisitions or ill-advised win now moves that did not pan out. The life of an NHL GM is a stressful and risk filled one. It is incredibly hard to critique, considering the success the organization has had. Time will tell if those risks and calculated moves pay off for this year. There is still plenty of time for all of these deals to go in different direction, both positive, negative, and everything in between.
What are your thoughts?
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