Sheng Peng: Best of Alex Faust; What's Boko Imama's Ceiling?; Juuso Valimaki's Flaw Hear the Faust call which gave Kings exec "chills"; Guillaume Gervais gives us Boko Imama's NHL comp; Justin Froese & Toni Rajamäki on Juuso Valimaki's all-around game

When I hope the org goes with youth they hire a retread (Stevens and Lowry), and when I hope they go with a retread (G Throne) they go with youth...
But anyway, welcome Faust

Suck it Jero!!!

Hope he doesn't resort to cheering on air like ol' Foxy.

Hope he doesn't resort to cheering on air like ol' Foxy.
- gtrman09

Well, not everyone can be as unbiased as Hayward, right?

The organization has made a number of questionable personnel decisions over the last few months, and I might normally slam the hiring of a 28-year-old play-by-play guy who called only one NHL game all season (which seems like something that Arizona would do), but I have to say that I'm genuinely impressed with him. He sounds twice as old and experienced as he actually is. He seems to have a gift for play-by-play that some have to acquire through experience and not employing schtick or excessiveness also makes him sound older. I love that he hates schtick and catchphrases and believes in just being himself. From the little that I've read and seen, there isn't anything that I don't like about him so far. He seems like a very good choice.

When I hope the org goes with youth they hire a retread (Stevens and Lowry), and when I hope they go with a retread (G Throne) they go with youth...
- Stu17

Yeah, it's a bit backwards. I expected a seasoned, boring play-by-play man and a younger, more untested head coach who's fresh to the organization. Instead, it's a younger, untested play-by-play man who's fresh to the organization and a seasoned, boring head coach. I'm happy that my expectations were wrong with this particular hire, but I wish that they'd gone in a similar direction behind the bench.

Faust is a great hire...

now let's fix hockey things

Well, not everyone can be as unbiased as Hayward, right?
- PancakesPenner

Never heard Hayward cheer on air once, and I've seen probably 95% of his broadcasts since 1993. Foxy was pretty good for a long long time, but he's gone full homer the last few years, like the Stanley Cup is an excuse to lose all professionalism on air.

Faust is a great hire...

now let's fix hockey things
- MikeOxbyg

Gonna be about a decade before they fix anything, this team has crippling contracts and zero prospect depth.

I will be streaming NHL 17 Gm mode starting at 12 am with either of the 3 teams
MTL,COL,WPG you all decide.https://m.twitch.tv/FeF1F...Fum?desktop-redirect=true
Ty for the sup.

Gonna be about a decade before they fix anything, this team has crippling contracts and zero prospect depth.
- gtrman09

2 cups to 1 still looks damn good 🖕🏻

good luck with Gibson. Your team will need it with his glass body

Valimaki looks and sounds a little like a left hand version of Cody Franson, IMO.

Gonna be about a decade before they fix anything, this team has crippling contracts and zero prospect depth.
- gtrman09

Is this what you mumble to yourself before drifting off to sleep at night? Trying to calm your kind before the inevitable nightmare where the Kings win 2 cups in a 3 year span and pound ducks into submission in game 7 in Anaheim? Question, how does it feel to play in a building where the opposition is consistently as loud or louder than the home team? Just curious.

Never heard Hayward cheer on air once, and I've seen probably 95% of his broadcasts since 1993. Foxy was pretty good for a long long time, but he's gone full homer the last few years, like the Stanley Cup is an excuse to lose all professionalism on air.
- gtrman09

He's objectively a bottom 5 analyst. And that might be generous. Literally a cheerleader for the team.

Hiring a guy so young to take over the reigns from Bob is exactly what they should have done. There's no need to bring in an established announcer who probably had already established strong emotional ties to another organization. Faust can now grow with the Kings indefinitely. This is his team now.(not in the possessive sense, the communal one)

Here is a trade proposal:
To Edmonton:
Carter, Brown, Muzzin, pick or Prospect or both.
To Kings:
Nugent Hopkins, Eberle, Pouliot

...................................................................................................................

Benefits to Edmonton, Former Stanley cup Champions, Leadership, Carter coming off best season with Kings, solid D- man, Brown can play all roles, top prospect. All 3 Edmonton players were Non factors in playoffs. Salary swap is a $1 million gain.

Benefits to Kings: Youth, shorter contracts, offense. Eberle is 27, Nugent Hopkins is 24. Eberle & Pouliot have only 2 years remaining on contracts, Nugent Hopkins has 4 years.
All 3 players were 1st round picks. Eberle & Nugent Hopkins would be on our top 2 lines. Pouliot is 30 and a bust, but is still a serviceable 3-4 liner, could be another Dwight king or most likely a Dustin Penner. Kings would take on an extra $1 million in total salary but would benefit from youth and loss of long term albatross deals to Brown and Carter.

Edmonton may feel they are ready after taking the Ducks to game 7 in the 2nd round.

I think hiring Faust as the next voice of the Kings is a great move. They took a page from the Dodgers and decided to bring in a young guy who potentially will stick around his entire career with the Kings

When's the last time that this board has agreed on something as much as they agree on the Faust hiring?

Valimaki looks and sounds a little like a left hand version of Cody Franson, IMO.
- djc1877

Not a bad comparison at all. Not as Valimaki's ceiling or floor, but in between.

Here is a trade proposal:
To Edmonton:
Carter, Brown, Muzzin, pick or Prospect or both.
To Kings:
Nugent Hopkins, Eberle, Pouliot
- Kingsfan1968

For the Kings, it's not a bad proposal. Makes them immediately worse, which doesn't jibe with the organization's plan, but personally, getting rid of those two long-term contracts, even the still-productive Carter's, for one long-term contract with a 24-year-old number-one overall pick is tempting.

Don't think Edmonton is desperate enough for Cup-experienced leadership to threaten their future with two poison pill contracts like this though -- Carter's will probably become that sooner than later. This proposal does make them immediately better, I'll give you that. But I think they can improve their team on the ice and in the locker room without taking on two huge contracts like these.

I think it's worth the risk for Edmonton, their 3 players didn't contribute much in the playoffs and it could come down to who the kings give up prospect wise. Personally I would give up our 1st rounder to make it happen.