Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

  The LA Kings currently sit in 2nd place in the Pacific Division, but they need to improve their team if they want to remain a contender. The Good thing is that LA already has the key pieces in place, now its just a matter of improving the supporting cast. This is what the LA Kings should do at the Trade Deadline. Trades: LA Kings acquire Phil Kessel from the Arizona Coyotes for Andreas Athanasiou, 2022 3rd round pick. Phil Kessel gives the LA Kings a veteran top 6 winger with Stanley Cup Pedigree, which drastically improves their scoring depth. LA Kings acquire Nick Leddy from the Detroit Red Wings for Gabriel Vilardi, 2022 1st round pick. The Kings get Nick Leddy, a top 4 defenseman with playoff experience to pair alongside Drew Doughty. LA Kings also acquire Jake DeBrusk from the Boston Bruins for Jaret-Andrson Dolan, 2023 3rd round pick. If the Kings make the 2nd round of the playoffs, the 3rd round pick becomes a 2nd round pick. Jake DeBrusk can give LA solid secondary scorin...

 The LA Kings are sitting just outside a playoff spot right now, with a 12-10-5 record (29 points) through 27 games this season. Although the Kings have some nice pieces, they aren't quite good enough to be a contender just yet. In this blog, I explain what is wrong with the LA Kings and what they can do to become a contending team. Issues w/ LA Kings: 1. Not enough Scoring 2. No Secondary scoring 3. Best Prospects are Not NHL ready 4. Don't have a successor for Jonathan Quick The LA Kings do not score enough; they have only scored 76 goals this season, which is the 8th least in the NHL. Anze Kopitar leads the team in points with 25 points in 27 games, Alex Iaffalo has 9 goals and 17 points in 27 games, Adrian Kempe leads the team in goals with 11 goals and 16 points in 27 games. Viktor Arvidsson has played in only 20 games, but he has 6 goals and 14 points in those games. Phillip Danault has 14 points in 27 games and is a +5; Drew Doughty leads defenseman in scoring, with 13 p...

 The Arizona Coyotes have made it clear that they are rebuilding, and have already taken steps towards that process by trading away Oliver Ekman Larsson and Darcy Kuemper, as well as adding numerous draft picks over the next three seasons for taking on bad contracts. As good a job as the Coyotes have done so far, they are far from done, and I suspect they will be making a few more trades before the season. It will be a long process, but in time, the Coyotes could become a contending time in three years. This is what the Arizona Coyotes should do to become a contending team in three years. Before the season, the Arizona Coyotes make a few major trades: Arizona Coyotes trade Phil Kessel to the Colorado Avalanche for JT Compher, Valeri Nishushkin, and a 2023 2nd round pick. If Kessel re-signs with the Avalanche, the Coyotes get Colorado's 2024 1st round pick. This is a win-win trade for both teams; the Avalanche get Phil Kessel to play alongside Nazem Kadri on the second line, while t...

 The Arizona Coyotes have never won a Stanley Cup in their franchise history, so my goal is to turn the Arizona Coyotes into a Championship caliber team. It will take some time to do so, but the Coyotes could potentially be a Stanley Cup Champion if they rebuild correctly. At the Expansion draft, the Coyotes make a major trade. The Arizona Coyotes trade Phil Kessel to the Seattle Kraken for their 2023 1st round pick. Phil Kessel gives the Seattle Kraken a household name that can draw people to the game, and at the same time give Kessel a change of scenery. Arizona Coyotes lose Antti Raanta to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion draft. Before the 2021 Draft, two trades are made: Arizona Coyotes trade the rights to Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derick Brassard to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the rights to Blake Coleman. This is a good trade for both teams because the Lightning probably isn't going to be able to re-sign Coleman, so they get two veteran players who could be signed for a cheap co...

There were many all stars taken in the 2006 NHL draft, such as Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom, Phil Kessel, Claude Giroux, Brad Marchand but the Erik Johnson of all people was taken 1st overall by the St.Louis Blues. If the 2006 draft was redrafted, the landscape of the NHL would be very different. *Check out previous NHL redrafts on my blog* 1. St.Louis Blues-(C) Jonathan Toews Original pick: Erik Johnson Rather than selecting Erik Johnson with the first overall pick, the St.Louis Blues should have selected Jonathan Toews, one of the 100 Greatest NHL players. Jonathan Toews is a member of the triple gold club and captained the Chicago Blackhawks to 3 stanley cups from 2010-2015. Toews is also considered one of the best two way centers in the game as well. With Jonathan Toews on board, the St.Louis Blues make their team much better and their rival Blackhawks much worse. 2. Pittsburgh Penguins-(C) Nicklas Backstrom Original pick: Jordan Staal This pick could po...