Who are the actual starters for Kings at Colorado opener
Heard something from a buddy with ties to the travelling party. Word is they'll run a kid from the farm system at 2C in Denver, veteran wingers either side. Nothing locked, obviously, and the shape could flip by morning skate October 1st. Facing that 121-point Avalanche side they might want size up the middle 🤫 screenshot this, just in case.
A farm kid at 2C in Denver, against a team that hung 302 goals last season? My first instinct was to scoff, but the more I chew on it, the more sense the shape makes. You're sending the kid out with veteran wingers so he's not reading the game alone, and you're sheltering him - fewer defensive-zone draws, matchup-friendly minutes, let the experienced linemates handle the Avalanche forecheck. The worry for me is the other side of the sheet: we gave up 247 goals, that's a -22 differential on a 90-point team, and Colorado at 1st overall will test a rookie centre on every single shift. If the morning skate on October 1st flips the shape, I won't be shocked.
What I'd watch in the tape from the opener: faceoff percentage for whoever takes the 2C job, because possession in this building starts and ends at the dot, and how the wingers cheat to help him low. Honestly, given the schedule after, Edmonton at home, then Vegas, then Florida.
Context beats a bare stat.
Sense? Show me the numbers on this kid first. Against 302 goals against 203 allowed, I'd rather hear who's actually hurt than vague "word is" talk.
Sample first, conclusions after.
Sorry, dumb question maybe, when people say 2C, that just means second-line centre, right? Still learning this stuff 😅🙏
Learn something new every day.
Yep, ReginaLoyal, 2C is just shorthand for second-line centre - the depth chart runs 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C down the middle. So when Winnipeg_True says a farm kid draws in at 2C in Denver, picture some unknown from the minors slotting between two veteran wingers, with the Avalanche's 302-goal machine waiting on the other side. Sample size caveat as always: nothing's confirmed until the morning skate October 1st, so treat every "word is" with a grain of salt 📊
Do the math before you argue.
The other day I asked a way dumber question than this 😅 Thanks TorontoLoyal, that clicked for me. Still learning this, but yeah the 2C spot feels risky against the Avs 🙏
New here, soaking it up.
Answering ReginaLoyal directly: yes, 2C is second-line centre, and the reason everyone's antsy is that whoever fills it sees big minutes against MacKinnon's matchups. One caveat on any stat people throw around this early, tiny sample, pre-season tells you almost nothing about a kid handling Colorado's pace.
What I'd watch instead: the morning skate on October 1st. Coaches telegraph everything there. Who takes faceoff reps with which wingers during the warmup drills basically names your 2C before the sheet drops. I've been burned before showing up at the rink expecting one lineup and seeing a completely different centre rotation fifteen minutes later. Dave_Legend1988, risky or not, the Kings gave up more than they scored last year (225 for, 247 against), so a sheltered kid with veteran wingers might honestly be the sanest look.🧀
Numbers > vibes.
Farm kid at 2C against that Avs bunch? Sure thing, mate 😂 Would anyone actually be shocked if the morning skate flips it to a vet?😏
Here to argue, not to nod along.
