Kings Central

Blog update

2008-06-11T14:47:00.001-07:00

Been awhile...however this blog will be moving to another site that has better features and looks more professional. So sit tight.

We will begin two different series on the draft and the coaching change starting next week when the new place is opened up.

Right now I am trying to figure it out and see how the new place works out.

Trades and Grades.

2008-02-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

Analyzing the good and bad from the trades that happened yesterday. We also heard from Lombardi per Inside the Kings. Kudos to Matt for getting that interview up really quick.

Given the circumstances of the day yesterday which were unforeseeable previously. Dean Lombardi alright. He gets a B- for the deadline deals he made and I will tell you why he gets a B- instead of an F. Here we go examining the trades.

First Trade-

Jarosalov Modry to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 3rd round pick.

Grade-

A-

The trade was very good for Dean Lombardi, picking up a 3rd round pick for an aging 37 year old Defenseman that is having a solid year. My only gripe about the trade is that it was done very early. Maybe I am greedy here but had Deano waited a little longer we could maybe have gotten a 2nd rounder possibly. Either way it was another solid trade by Dean Lombardi.

Second Trade-

JS Aubin (G) to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in return for a 7th round pick.

Grade-

A+

What else can you get for JS Aubin? I mean really did anyone see the Kings getting ANYTHING for ANY of our Goalies? I had to laugh at this trade because I find it very hard that a team much less a rival of ours would trade for one of our Goalies. Very good job Dean.

Third Trade-

Brad Stuart to the Detroit Red Wings for a second round pick, and also a 4th round pick.

Grade-

B-

Why the low grade? Technically it is an above average rating from me here. I fully understand stocking up the draft picks and such, but I felt that maybe the Kings should have resigned Stuart. Now we have a very questionable defense corp. Aside from Jack Johnson, there really isn't much. Hopefully Stuart re-signs with LA in the off-season.

Here is what Dean says per ITK-

``You do your best in terms of what the marketplace is there. It's pretty much in the ballpark. It's similar to what (Brent) Sopel brought last year. That's the kind of touchstone we set.''

Overall Grade- B-

Reason for that is because of the Blake situation and these NTC's these players have. Not just Blake but Thornton. Either way though, it just seemed that Lombardi was handcuffed by several things like NTC's, other teams giving away same type of players, and I think upper management handcuffed Dean with this Rob Blake business. No proof of it, but just a hunch. Should be interesting to see whether Rob comes back or not in the offseason.

Regardless of what happened in this trade deadline, Dean Lombardi clearly has made this upcoming draft the point where he will put his stamp on this team.

Deadline Day

2008-02-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ok as of 11:48 am Mountain time nothing has happened for the Kings.

What we know now is that the Sharks are most likely out of the running for Blake since they nabbed Campbell from Buffalo. Sharks also got Defenseman Bob Davison from the Islanders. HMMM. So I guess that leaves the Colorado Avalanche to get Rob Blake. But wait they Acquired Adam Foote AND Ruslan Salei. Anaheim might still be interested. We'll see...I don't like the start of today so far. Come on Dean!

2:00 Mountain Time

Appears the Kings traded Aubin to the Quacks for a whooping 7th round pick. Wow...hope to hear more than this otherwise...

2:08 Kings appear to have traded Stuart to Detroit...Did I not mention this a few days ago? Maybe I should be the next Eklund haha. No word on return yet...

2:16 Mountain Time

Kings get a 2nd and a 4th for Brad Stuart. Not a bad trade really considering Stuart is a rental.

3:00 Mountain Time.

Looks like that's it. Disappointing day for King fans, however dealings are not done yet. While the trade deadline was a dud, DL could still nab more young defensemen out of College like he did with Piskula. There's also the chance that Dean feels that certain players will have more value at the draft. For example, Cammy will likely be traded on draft day or before the draft for a nice return. So while other bloggers jump off a cliff because the Kings didn't make a trade, this one won't because the future is still bright and the plan is still intact. It was a disappointing day for sure and I am also sure Dean Lombardi is disappointed too. Would like to see what he has to say about the deadline and what the process was like for him today. At any rate more analysis on the trade tomorrow when more info comes out. It's too premature to jump to conclusions at this point.

Eve of the Deadline

2008-02-25T20:30:00.001-08:00

Looks like not much is happening, but the rumors are picking up tonight so it could be a sign that big things are happening tommorow. Either that or this deadline is going to be the most boring deadline in the history of the NHL.

Couple things before tomorrow's big day. CBS4 in Denver is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche are in talks with the Los Angeles Kings for Rob Blake. This coincides with an insider report from EJ Hradek of ESPN that Blake will waive his NTC for two teams. Probably San Jose and Colorado as the likely two teams. Blake will be moved tomorrow for some pieces to Dean's puzzle.

Scott Thornton is also being mentioned in rumors, The latest is from the fourth period, where they say it is possible the Predators could have Thornton for a reasonable price. Probably a trade like the Modry trade where we get a 3rd or fourth round pick.

At any rate, tommorow I will try if possible to update the blog throughout the day if there is moves being made on the Kings part.

Kings Kids taking control of team.

2008-02-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Kings Kids (Particularly Sully, Kopi, Brown) have stepped up and are responsible for the majority of the Kings points. Crawford HAS to be extremely happy with the play of Patrick O'sullivan which has been nothing short of amazing. Had a five point night against the St. Louis Blues and also chipped in a goal against the Blackhawks last night. I'd venture to guess that if I asked Crawford whether O'sullivan has come around, Crawford would say sure but still has things to work on with his game. So you'd have to believe that Sully is not really reaching his potential yet. The Demitra trade is looking better everyday.

Overall as a team though Kings have done some good things this season, as mentioned before the Kings have been on several 3 game winning streaks when they could barely muster a 2 game winning streak last year. Kings have come back in third periods when they are down 4 goals. However not everything is perfect, still have goaltending woes. Labarbera is a dependable goalie but nothing great from him. Cloutier (while the defense still looked soft) didn't look too hot against the Blackhawks. I maintain that Bernier will have a shot next year as long as the goaltending is average. Defense needs to be tougher, and I suspect that by next year we will see a JMFJ let loose a little bit from the coaching staff. Hopefully we can get some tough young defensemen (Petrecki and Kindl to name a few) through some trades as the deadline is a couple days away. Should be very interesting.

Bernier Watch- Bernier stopped 26 of 28 shots to help the team to a big win opver Moncton on Friday. Bernier has been up and down all season, but is getting hot at the right time.

Stuart to Detroit?

2008-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Not pulling an Eklund here, but there are rumblings from Detroit are that the Red Wings are ready to make a deal for Brad Stuart. Red Wing fans speculate that a deal is imminent because of the fact the Kings picked up Ellis off Waivers.

Here is what one poster said on LetsgoWings...

Snipeshow-
And hearing that Wings scouts went to a Blues/Kings game right after hearing rumors about Stuart coming to Detroit, it just seems too likely to me. Holland said himself that his priority is getting a defenseman at the deadline. Fits like pieces of a puzzle to me.

I'm pretty sure Ellis is part of a package going to LA, think about it. Why would Detroit waive him? LA doesn't want to pay his entire salary so Detroit waives him knowing that LA gets first crack at picking him up... Holland and Lombardi had worked this out earlier, I'm almost positive. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Seems to make sense if in fact there were scouts at the Kings/Blues game. I suspect we get a draft pick and a prospect for Stuart, assuming we cannot resign Stuart.

Sully Wows...bye Stamkos?

2008-02-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

If the young studs like O'sullivan keep having 5 point nights, we might not need Stamkos and we might not get him. I don't need to explain Sully's night, you can watch it...

Not much happening on the rumor mill. This morning, Eklund threw out Cammy to Toronto. Just more stuff Eklund pulls out of his ass. I could see Cammy heading to Toronto, though Dean would have to be wowed by their offer for it to happen. We'll see, I think its the calm before the storm. Activity should pick up by Sunday.

Modry the first to go.

2008-02-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

It's a good move for both sides, and kudos to Dean Lombardi for getting a 3rd round pick for a 37 year old defenseman. This adds to an already ton of the Kings 2008 draft picks. Here is how we are shaping up right now.

Kings 2008 Draft

1st overall pick
29th overall pick via Dallas (Suspect the pick will be in the low 20s)
31st overall pick
51st overall pick via Calgary
61st overall pick
74th overall pick via New York Rangers
79th overall pick via Philadelphia

Thats just the top 100 picks and the Kings are selecting 7 picks in the first 100 picks. Pretty good for a deep draft obviously. It doesn't appear the Kings are done dealing away current Kings players for prospect and picks. Dean Lombardi said this via Inside the Kings.
Dean Lombardi-`

`No. The reality is, where we’re at, we're building a reserve list -- and that includes picks and young players. That has to be the focus. We're the last team in the league. We're in this situation where we have to -- I don’t want to say turn a negative into a positive -- but we have to use this situation to a positive as best as we can. I don’t think you can make that statement that if we move one defenseman, we're not going to move another.''

So the next to go is who? My prediction is Nagy to Pittsburgh for a second and some prospect.

The Blake situation part duex.

2008-02-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

"Here we go again", is the sentiment among King fans that had to deal with the debacle the last time Rob Blake was rumored to be traded by the Kings. So yes here we go again, now we know the Kings will definitely become sellers, that much we know about the upcoming deadline. What we don't know is who and what will come and go elsewhere. The biggest IF is whether the Kings trading Rob Blake to San Jose, Anaheim, Detroit, Colorado. Take your pick but the problem is that when the Kings signed Rob Blake, they also agreed to the NTC (No Trade Clause). Which means obviously that the Kings cannot trade Blake without his say so. Even if the Kings have Kindl and a first lined up from Detroit, Petrecki and a First from San Jose. It doesn't matter what offers come our way, it needs to be approved by the one and only Rob Blake.

Sounds like Blake is going to poke the Kings in the eye again sure, but I have a hard time believing what comes out of Blake's mouth. Case in point that in an interview that Chelios did, he said that Blake would love to go Detroit because the season is over here in LA. Of Course I am paraphrasing the interview but thats essentially how Chelios told the story. Now speaking of stories, there's two of them now. One is that a few weeks ago another player(Chelios) says Blake doesn't want to play in Los Angeles, then you have Blake saying he wants to stay in LA a week before the trade deadline. I do not buy Blake's story of wanting to stay here, simply because he never answered the question of what has changed since Chelios told us you wanted out of LA? Until I hear an answer to that question I will not believe a word Blake says.

S0 here's the scenario, Blake wants to stay in Los Angeles because he saw Luc Robitaille retire with fanfare and is still working with the Kings in a large capacity. I think Blake wants something similar to that type of retirement. Getting your jersey up in the rafters and all kinds of accolades from your former teammates and relive the glory years, and then getting a nice paycheck every week from Uncle Phil. The question now becomes, what is in it for the Kings? Two ways the Kings can benefit. One obviously is by trade, get a pick and prospect and sign Blake back next year. Or Blake sticks around and gives the Kings a discount deal(somewhere between 1 million to 2 million dollars a year) in return for a nice retirement package ala Luc.

My Prediction: Dean plays hardball with Blake and forces Blake to waive is NTC for a pick and a prospect (Hopefully Petrecki) and there is a handshake deal that allows Blake to come back next year with the Kings and will get what he wants.

Bernier Watch Update.

2008-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Been a really interesting year for Bernier, some good days and some bad days. The life of a young goalie. It isn't necessarily bad that everything isn't smooth sailing for Bernier. In fact this could be a good thing, having him fight through some adversity before hitting the NHL ranks for more than 4 games.

For example on this past Saturday, The Lewiston Maineiacs took a dump and lost 7-1. Bernier let in 7 goals on 31 shots. Apparently the fans in Lewiston don't have a freaking clue when it comes to goaltending by jeering and booing Bernier. If Patrick Roy himself let in 7 goals playing for the Avalanche, a year after winning the Lord Stanley Cup would the fans boo and jeer Roy? Maybe a moron or two would. Here is what Harding, the Lewiston Coach, had to say about Bernier being Jeered and Booed.-

"We have great fans, but I want those fans who were giving him mock cheers to come up and see me personally," Harding said. "This boy has played fantastic for this organization. He's given his heart and soul for this organization. He did not have a great night, OK, but instead of jeering him, maybe stand behind him and give him a cheer. He won a President's Cup for our organization, and for these fans here. For him to get some mock cheers out there, that's pretty classless."

It was a rough night for the team and Bernier, but the good news is that they played a lot better the next night, though losing 3-2. They showed no quit.

My prediction stays the same, Bernier will certainly be starting more than 4 games next year with the Los Angeles Kings. My guess it's somewhere around 20-30 games depending on how much he actually improves his game this summer. So far we have Cloutier, Labarbera, Jonathan Quick, and then there is the rising Daniel Taylor. Only one I see that has a better shot than Bernier, and that is Labarbera only because of the experience factor and will be the incumbent starter.

Staaaaammkkkkkooooosss

2008-02-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

While I was off this blog, I came across an interesting video of Stamkos showing off his skills and what to expect from the what we now know was a lame shoot-out competition. Frankly I would have liked to watch Stamkos do the whole event himself. So check out the skills of this future LA King...

Put the Shades on, future is bright!

2008-02-16T00:50:00.001-08:00

It was very nice to be seeing the Kings plan of developing young players like Boyle and Purcell tonight against the Flames. Those are just two players coming into the NHL and doing extremely well. Couple that with the already young proven NHLers like Kopitar, Brown, O'Sullivan, Frolov, Jack Johnson. Each of these players are playing better as the season progresses. The most improved young player has to be O'sullivan who is coming into his own and clearly getting comfortable at the NHL level. Brown definitely took his game to a whole new level this year, possibly will be the Kings Captain in the future. He is a really good example to the young guys that come up to the Kings. Then you see Boyle who is a monster 6'6 225 pound wrecking ball center, make you think that possibly the Kings have an Eric Lindros (minus the Concussions of course) on their hands. Laying out Phaneuf when he was coming to take out Boyle was great.

Which brings up another point with all these kids doing so well, Crawford is definitely going to be sticking around for another year at least. There is definitely more consistency and improvement for the team this year, even though we are in last place and I hate to say it, if the Kings continue on this pace, we will not be in last and not likely to get Stamkos.

It's an extremely rare time for a Kings fan after the game to extremely happy with the way their team plays and at the same time got a glimpse of just what the future holds. Kings still have the Berniers, Mollers, Hickeys to come and that's not even mentioning the forthcoming draft picks and prospects the Kings are likely to acquire by the trading deadline. The days of Kings being the laughingstock of the league are definitely numbered.

Hello 2008, goodbye 2007.

2008-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

The 9-2 shellacking of the blackhawks was a nice way for King fans to ring in 2oo8. Nagy had a game high, 5 points. Which is interesting, he is picking up his play at the right time and the question becomes what is he worth? Not exactly sure, but could be valuable to some playoff contending team looking to add some punch to their third line and possibly second line. Considering Nagy has a one year contract for approximately 3 million. Would be a nice asset for a team to have for a short term and free up some cap space at the end of the season. What the Kings need is some more depth in the cupboard for Defensemen. Two ways to do it, one is to get a nice defensemen already in some other organizations pipeline OR do it via the draft. Now we have two first round picks, and the general consensus is that the Kings will select a defenseman. Dean Lombardi also has the option of trading Nagy/Stuart/Cammy for picks/prospects. The latter being the most likely since he holds the most value on the team. When February rolls around and the playoff picture becomes more clear, teams will be clamoring for Cammy should he be available.

All that being said, the future is shaping up very nicely for the Kings and other people around the league are taking notice. Last night during the Kings/Hawks game the announcers made several mentions about Kopitar, Sully, and even mentioned Bernier. They discussed about how the Kings finally got some good hockey minded people in the front office. The one thing I liked was the fact they said that the Kings will be a very dangerous team for years. It's always nice to hear that from somebody with an unbiased opinion, and keeps you upbeat knowing our day is coming.

Predictions for 2008-

1. Cammy gets traded, whether that would be during the season or in the coming offseason assuming the Kings can't get a deal done.

2. Kings will select Luke Schenn in the draft. ( Personally want Stamkos...)

3. Bernier gets another shot with the Kings and may be the starter for the season.

4. Crawford gets another year coaching the Kings, by the way the rumor of Crawford getting canned from the Kings in favor for Tony Granato was never confirmed. I can only speculate as to what happened when the Avalanche were in Los Angeles and Anaheim that the Kings Brass contacted Granato. There could be a million reasons why the Kings contacted him.

5. Blake retires as a King, and the debate to hang his jersey in the rafters ensues. I am in the opinion that he should be honored by the Kings. Arguably the best defensemen the Kings ever had.

The time to trade Cammy is this season.

2007-12-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lets evaluate the reasons for trading Cammalleri. It's obvious he isn't happy with how things went down in the off season when the arbitration backfired on him. Cammalleri wanted somewhere around 6-7 million a season because the market for players like Cammy were high, ie Briere, Gomez, Drury. Dean Lombardi countered that each of those players led their respective teams to the playoffs and more importantly knew how to win games for their teams. Lombardi won that argument. So ever since then Cammalleri hasn't exactly addressed his feelings on the subject, leading many to speculate that he is upset about the ruling. Not saying that Cammalleri is a bad guy at all, but if there was ever a time to trade him...it's this season. The reason why is because well...money. We will have to end up paying him 6-7 million dollars down the road anyway, and with guys like Jack Johnson, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Bernier, and the rest of the young guys that will be coming up later. We will need that money to extend Kopitar and Jack Johnson. I just do not think Lombardi has Cammy in the long-term plans for this franchise, we already locked up Dustin Brown for 6 years and he in return he is leading the Kings in Goals.

Secondly from what I know about arbitration and then signing the player to a long-term contract...it's rare that it does happen. So it would be a benefit to get a players/prospects/picks in return. It's true that he is in a rut right now, but his value is still very high. For one he has good hockey sense, is a sniper when he shoots the puck, also can provide leadership. Possible future captain on a team wherever he ends up. So the value is there, and for teams that are going to the playoffs, that is a very valuable asset to have.

So that being said, what could we be getting in return for Cammy. Looking at the obvious, a contender team will make a bid for Cammy to boost it's chances at a cup. The teams that are not going to get Cammy are those in our own division. Cammy is most likely to end up in A) Canada or B) The east Coast. I would think the Bruins would be a logical destination for Cammy. It makes sense because Boston is an up and coming team, plus the Bruins currently sit at 4th place in the playoff standings. But...I have a problem with this trade. On one site (HF boards)it says the Bruins have 460,000 in cap space and on NHLSCAP.com(clicky linky) it says the Bruins have 4 million in cap space. So assuming the Bruins have actual cap space, then below is the proposed trade. On the other hand I see the Canadians as the most credible destination

To the Bruins:

(C)Michael Cammalleri ( 3.25)

To the Kings:

2008 First Round round pick
(D) Matt Lashoff (850,000)
(LW) Milan Lucic (850,000)

To the Canadiens

(C) Michael Cammalleri (3.25)

To the Kings:

2008 First Round Pick
(C) Ben Maxwell (in Juniors)
(RW) Guillaume Latendresse (850,000)
(D) Alexei Emelin (playing in Russia)

Of course other teams could be interested, like the Pittsburgh Penguins who desperately need somebody to help out Crosby. The only drawback though is that their GM is not gonna trade his young players, but I don't think he was referring to a player like Cammy.

Who knows? One thing is for sure though, I am not Eklund saying Alexander Ovechkin could be traded to Los Angeles for Bernier and the rest of the lot of young kids we have. Will the trades above happen? Probably not, but it is to illustrate what to expect in return for Cammalleri and where he will end up (east coast & contender).

Rumors...

Also I have been told by a friend in Denver, CO that follows the Avalanche pretty well. He has some connections and has told me about Granato... "sources tell me that Granato could be the Kings next Head Coach before long"

I'm in the process of finding out who the "source" is and what was said exactly. Right now I wouldn't take this seriously. I mentioned it in one of my previous entries about it because of Granato's time in LA , San Jose with Deano, and also his track record coaching the Avalanche. Stay tuned...

Bernier/Hickey/Simmonds/Stamkos Watch- Looks like Canada beat Slovakia in exhibition game #2 by a score of 6-1. Jonathan Bernier had the start and made 23 saves for the win. Wayne Simmonds just got 2PIM, while Thomas Hickey had two assists, one on the PP, for Canada. Potential Kings draft pick Steven Stamkos with an assist in the game.

(Thanks to Rob2716 on LGK)

Going for...Stamkos?

2007-12-19T23:38:00.000-08:00

So that's what a team looks like? No sorry wasn't speaking of the Kings when they got pasted by the Red Wings tonight 6-2. God I envy that team so much, they just know how to freaking win and they keep doing it because they know how to develop players the RIGHT way. Some day we will be right there King fans, we have a bunch of prospects and young players on the Kings. The day is coming...

Anyway might as well focus on some positive things like the Kings selecting Stamkos in the next upcoming draft. There are debates on Hockey Future board that Stamkos is actually a better prospect than the next wonder kid of the 2009 draft Tavares. That's for another day to debate when we actually get to see those two on the ice at the NHL level. It should also be noted that the Kings could finish dead last and still not get the number one pick, which of course would be just our luck. Anyway did some reading on Stamkos and FutureConsiderations.ca posted on Hockey Future a great write up and interview on Stamkos.

Click on the link above and it will take you to the interview along with three other prospects that are highly touted.
Some things to take away from that intereview-
"Steven’s strengths are his incredible offensive instincts, anticipation and pro type shot. He skates extremely well, possesses that extra gear, and handles the puck at top speed like not many can. His puck protection and playmaking abilities are strong but his best asset is his game breaking ability. He plays a very complete two-way game and works extremely hard on each shift. Steven could work on adding some much needed muscle to his frame but that will sort itself out in time.

Already showing that he is the offensive catalyst for the Sarnia Sting and one of the most offensively gifted players in the CHL, the assistant captain of the Sting will no doubt continue to have a monster year in the Ontario Hockey League."

Sounds like a winner doesn't he?

Also I really liked his answer to this question...

Question: So much has been written about your on ice strengths, in your best estimation, what do you perceive to be your strengths and what are the areas you need to improve upon as well as what type of NHL player do you see Steven Stamkos as.

Steven’s Answer: “I think my strengths are my skating ability, leadership, and overall hockey sense. In order to keep improving, I need to improve on my overall strength and my face offs, as puck possession is key. Right now I see myself as a player that loves to score and put up points, but also responsible in my own end of the ice and likes to throw some hits to mix it up. If I got the opportunity to play in the NHL, I don’t think I would change my style of play.”

So the Kings can keep tanking it for all I care, just long as we get Stamkos at the end of the day. Stamkos, Kopitar, Jack Mother****ing Johnson, Jonathan Bernier and I can keep going down the list and the future just keeps getting brighter everyday. Not to mention that I am pretty sure Cammy will get traded if the right price came along, and it will be a hefty price. However that's for another day and I narrowed the list of possible suitors that Cammy would go to, so stay tuned.

Reality sets in....Kings suck.

2007-12-18T01:34:00.000-08:00

Losing this much already into the season is...well unexpected for this King's fan. There was plenty of optimism about this team in the off-season with holes being plugged with several signings with Nagy, Handzus, Preissing, and Calder. Couple that with the young players we have in the fold. Everything looked hunky doory for this season. With these signings, there was some talk of the Kings finishing in the 6-8 range and making the playoffs. Obviously this team isn't in any way, shape, or form close to those projections. One of the reasons is the lack of play of the defense and the Goaltending and maybe it is the coaching that has some questions. If anything has been answered in this horrible making of a season, is that this season shows why not one star hockey player wants to "play for LA". We have a young and inexperienced team, we know that, but that doesn't answer all the problems the Kings have...

So if you are Dean Lombardi what do you do at this point with the team you are running is 12-20 at this point of the season with your team being the worst in the NHL? First thing I would do if I was Dean Lombardi is ask myself if Marc Crawford is the right guy for this job? We all know about his track record in Quebec when he inherited a young team and made them cup contenders literally overnight. Same for when he went to Vancouver, though I don't think Cup contenders would describe the Canucks in those years. The fact is though that Crawford was able to take young teams and mold them into winners. So what's the problem with LA? We have a very capable staff to support Crawford and all the money you could ask for to get free-agents. Dean is surrounding the franchise with hockey-minded people. That's great, but we aren't seeing the results this season. In fact this season COULD be worse if this keeps up. The problem the coach has with this team is that it can't play consistent hockey night in and night out. I have questions about Crawford's tactics on defense, and I can't figure out what in the world the plan is for defense. Our goalie gets whacked by Ryan Smythe of the Avalanche, and where is the defense to clean out the garbage after that play? Does this team have balls? Doesn't look like it, and I know we have Jack Johnson and all...but he isn't a one man wrecking crew yet. Not to mention that Crawford brought that embarrasment named Cloutier over from the Canucks. Do I need to list more reasons?

"Yeah ok, but who do you replace Crawford with?" There's a few candidates out there that stick out. One being Babcock, if the Red Wings lose again in the first round....does Babcock stick around in Detroit? Probably not. So he would be a wise choice assuming he was available. One name that I do like and it is feasible, is Tony Granato. Granato has been in Colorado learning the way of coaching, even after he did so well in his first stint as Head Coach for the Avalanche. The more you think about it, the more Tony makes sense. So my preferred choice if Crawford gets canned is Granato.

"What about the players?" What about them? The only trades I see involving Kings players are going to be Nagy, Stuart, Blake and possibly Cammalleri. "What? Why Cammalleri?"Because Cammalleri has the most value on this team and Dean has everything geared for '08. I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple very nice prospects and a first round pick of pick or possibly picks for Cammalleri. Let's face it, Cammy is going to get paid sooner or later. His value is the highest right now since he still has another year on his two year deal. More on potential deals when the season continues to unfold. The main priority for this team should be Goaltending but that is moot with all the eggs in Bernier's basket.

Prospects watch:

Bernier watch: Bernier with a partial shut out in Team Canada's tune up for the World Juniors.

Simmonds watch: Gets an assist for Team Canada on their first goal in the game.

Falling Hard....but future still bright.

2007-12-05T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is really nothing new with King fans. However we read articles in the previous offseason about how the Kings youth movement is going to improve this team dramatically, and (gasp) talking about maybe playoffs this year. The last couple games I have watched there has been slow skating, and more importantly no urgency. I don't know if it is the coach or the players or what but now isn't the time to make any irrational moves. We have young players and they need to learn to fight through this slump period.

Blake should retire in the offseason, he does not have it anymore. The Kings defensemen lack intensity other than JMFJ the rest of the crew is soft as Charmin. Stuart is alright, but he is on a one year contract and really don't care if he comes back or not. When you look to the future regarding D-men, I don't think you will see Goalies getting run on because teams will fear the 6-7 250 pound beast named Boyle and Piskula will throw his body around as well. I don't need to mention Jack because we know what he can do.

This team is letting the season slip away and needs to get back on track pronto, and hopefully it happens tonight vs the 'Yotes.

Well some very positive news about the kids-
Bernier (11th overall in 2006) , Hickey (4th overall 2007 pick), and Simmonds (61st overall in 2007) were all named to WJC Team Canada Selection Camp roster.

Oscar Moller (52nd overall in 2007) and Niclas Anderson (117 overall in 2006) was named to the Swedish roster.

Teddy Purcell ( UFA pickup in 2007, 22 yrs of age) wins the AHL rookie of the month honors. Congrats to Teddy!

The Kings hit a wall.

2007-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Kings hit a wall in November and like my previous post says, November was a crucial month as far as Divisional play goes. Now the Kings could go on a tear soon and they are capable of doing so. Doing well in November would have gone a long way to the dream of making the playoffs this year My thoughts of the Kings are a mixed bag. We did very well against San Jose and at times against Dallas. The problem with the Kings is that they still need to put together 60 minutes of the hockey we all know they are capable of playing. We are seeing some flashes of greatness from some of our core players like Jack Johnson but it's not going to be enough to get us into the playoffs. Another thing that was upsetting is the fact that we get outplayed by the 'Yotes. Even though we played subpar and sloppy in those games, we were more than capable of beating that team. So right now the Kings have hit a wall, and they have to bust through that wall soon.

So as it stands now the Kings are in a familiar place being in last place in the Pacific. Even though it looks like the season is getting away from us right now, the plan being implemented by Dean will work. Despite the stupid rumors of Dean in the hot seat, Dean is in year 2 of his rebuilding of this franchise and it has come a long ways from 2 years ago. How long have we waited to have a pipeline with quantity and quality prospects? The long term future of this franchise is still very bright. It wasn't long ago we were ranked number one in Hockey Future with regards to prospects. We have a franchise goalie about to make his mark in the NHL real soon in Jonathan Bernier, I would like to see what he does before we do anything stupid like firing Dean Lombardi. Is Dean Lombardi perfect? Of course not but I trust his track record in drafting and developing prospects. Dean will learn from his mistakes like signing Cloutier to a extension. Like everyone of us does when we make a mistake, we learn from it. At the end of the day we will soon have a championship caliber team.

Bernier Watch: Bernier stopped 32/35 shots in a game against Moncton that ended up in a shootout. The coach of the Maineacs was not pleased with the effort of the team, "We had a little meeting with the boys after," said Harding. "I said, 'You guys shouldn't be happy.' It comes down to the older guys and leadership. We should have been able to put that team away 4-0 or 4-1. This has happened four or five times this year. We haven't gotten over that hump yet. We're a better team than Moncton, and we proved it early on. Then we gave up 19 shots in the third. We did some stupid things. They thought it was going to be easy in the third period."

Read more on the Maineiacs here-
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/241141-3/LocalSports/Maineiacs_escape_with_win_in_shootout/

Like I said earlier in one of my posts about Bernier, he is playing on a young and inexperienced team.

Moller Watch- Another article on the Bruins and Oscar being mentioned,

“When I’m at the point I’m usually trying to generate as many shots as I can,” Moller said. “If I see an opening shooting late I’m taking a slap or wrist shot that’s either going to go in or create a rebound in front.”

Of Moller’s 23 goals this season, eight have come on the power play, and half have come on shots from the blueline.

We are way better than last year.

2007-11-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

Kings lost in OT to the Ducks, but we'll take a point. By the way Pronger is still a piece of crap suspended or not. He isn't worth my time to write about.

The Kings obviously need to play 60 minutes worth of hockey and not start scoring just in the third period. Don't get me wrong, this team is definitely improving every game but when they learn to play 60 minutes of the type of hockey they have played in the last 2 third periods, then we will be a dangerous team. Just to show how far this years squad has come compared to last year...

In 2006, the whole season we were never able to put together a 3 game winning streak. This years squad has already won 4 in row. Anyone that watched last years squad saw how inconsistent the Kings were. Also the Kings were 6-10-4 at this exact point compared to this years squad that is 8-8-1 right now. Pretty impressive considering the bad start that left the Kings 1-5 earlier in the season. One thing that can be attributed to the Kings success is the stability in the locker room and on the ice. We don't have Avery anymore and the Goaltending situation is as stable as we have seen it in some time. That's not saying that the position is perfect right now, but that we aren't playing musical chairs on the Goaltenders. Which is a credit to Dean Lombardi. Last year we had ECHL talent coming through every other day with Brust, Fukafuji (sp?) etc.

The Kings have a lot of crucial games left this month against divisional foes and need to do well if they want to compete for a playoff spot later on this season.

Thu Nov 15, 2007	Ducks	Kings	0 - 0	7:30 PM
Sat Nov 17, 2007	Coyotes	Kings	0 - 0	1:00 PM
Mon Nov 19, 2007	Kings	Stars	0 - 0	5:30 PM
Wed Nov 21, 2007	Kings	Coyotes	0 - 0	6:30 PM
Sat Nov 24, 2007	Kings	Sharks	0 - 0	7:30 PM
Sun Nov 25, 2007	Kings	Ducks	0 - 0	5:00 PM
Wed Nov 28, 2007	Kings	Sharks

Bernier watch:

Bernier suddenly looking consistent in the Q. Jonathan Bernier gets a win, saving 31 of 33 shots against Moncton.

Jonathan Bernier...nothing to worry about.

2007-11-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

I regularly check out some of our top prospects in the system, and it's no secret that Bernier is going to be the final piece to this organization down the road. He played his heart out while playing for the Kings in 4 games but it wasn't enough for him to stay with the big club. As much as I want to see Bernier play in a Kings uniform, it was the right decision to send him down. It's not that he didn't deserve to play in the NHL, he does, but the Kings didn't deserve him this year. He got a taste of the big leagues and he will learn a lot from the experience. In fact I think this send down will benefit Bernier. While he isn't playing great consistently in the Juniors, it will take him time to adjust and things will start clicking with Bernier. He's only 19 with a ton of potential and the more importantly he is very mature from what we are hearing from the Kings Brass (Lombardi and Crow).

So don't freak out when you check out his stats ( 5 games with a 13.17 GAA). I'm not an expert and don't follow the Lewiston Maineaics on a daily basis, but they lost a lot of their key players from last years Championship team like our own Marc-Andre Cliche (Manchester Monarchs) and David Perron ( St. Louis Blues). Also the Maineaics are a young team and it will take time for them to be cohesive and consistent like they were last year. Then again, Bernier could be traded to another team in the Juniors that is more likely to make a run for the Memorial Cup.

Meanwhile our other top prospects are doing great from what I hear on LGK, with respect to Moller kicking ass.

Other Notable prospects updates (thanks to Rob2716 on LGK):
As petey mentioned above, Moller's goal scoring streak came to an end. Chilliwack won, 3-2, in a shootout over Red Deer. Moller got an assist in the game, but he did score in the shootout.

Owen Sound beat Guelph, 3-2, in overtime. Simmonds with one goal, one assist, +2 and 2 PIM in the Attack win.

Quebec beats Baie-Comeau, 6-2. Joe Ryan was back in the lineup for Quebec but had no points in the win.

Erie loses to Sault Ste. Marie, 5-3. Josh Kidd with zero points in the loss.

Lethbridge beats Prince Albert, 4-2. Dwight King with 2 PIM.

Regina beats Saskatoon, 5-2. Rowat with the start and the win, making 26 saves in 28 shots.

Day one Draft thoughts.

2007-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well like every other King fan that watched with anticipation of the Kings getting Cherepanov, Voracek, and Alzner. Turns out that none of them were selected and Dean Lombardi selected Thomas Hickey from the Seattle Thunderbirds with the fourth overall pick. Judging from Dean's comments at the annual GM breakfast for the Season Ticket Holders and elsewhere he said that he drafts based on the best player there is. That doesn't seem to be the case here and he went to draft based on need. On the bright side about this weekend is that Dean does very well at Drafting and it is NOT his weakness, he did very well at San Jose and played a part of what they have now. So I will give him the benefit of the doubt here. Drafting Hickey could very well be a good move down the road and he could be a great pairing with JMFJ.

By the way here is some information on the newest King Thomas Hickey, thanks to our friend Duff88 over at HF that did a great job writing these scouting reports up. Here is the report they did-

"Thomas Hickey is, second only to Kevin Shattenkirk, among the best defenseman in the draft in the transition game. A strong skater, Hickey has excellent vision and is a very good passer; giving him the quality to be a great player for moving the puck out of the defensive zone. Furthermore, Hickey seems to always be cool and plays a mature game, maneuvering with the puck with a lot of confidence. Although a bit on the small side, Hickey isn't intimidated physically and is actually pretty strong. His defensive game is solid, although it could still use some work. Overall, Hickey has tons of potential and his offensive abilities and maturity are going to make him an interesting prospect to follow during his development."

Tomorrow for Day two should be a very interesting day for the Kings. Keep in mind that Dean Lombardi went over to Europe to scout a lot of these players that have yet to be picked. A lot of North American players were selected in the first round, so we could be looking at some potential steals tomorrow from Dean Lombardi. Draft is not over yet folks so stay tuned.

On the eve of the Draft

2007-06-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Less than 24 hours from finding out who the pick for the Kings will be, things are not getting any clearer as to who or what the Kings do with the Pick. Assuming the Kings don't trade the pick then they will get Cherepanov, I believe this because the Dean drafts the best player on the board period, I realize there is a need to stock the cupboard with young solid Defenseman but with the amount of picks we have this year and next, this would be a logical time to pick Cherepanov. Consider that Dean loves that a player that has great hockey sense and that is one of the first attribute that he looks for. This blurb is from NHL.com-

“Cherepanov has been sensational in the Russian league during the fall. … Scored points in seven games in a row in October – on his way to beat records scored by Malkin and Ovechkin! … He has excellent hockey sense, excellent soft hands and is very smart on ice. … Has a good selection of shots. … Plays with passion and great attitude. … Could be the next Russian superstar.” – Denis Neznanov.

Has excellent hockey sense? HMMM. Granted there might be problems of Cherepanov coming over to play in the NHL, and Dean made mention in Rich Hammond's Blog about Alexei Cherepanov-

(What do you think about Cherepanov and the possibility of getting him to come to theNHL?)

"I don't think anyone questions his ability. When he wants to bring it, he's a pretty good player. As far as the other things, you just don't know. Obviously the Russian landscape has changed, not only in terms of their ability to get them over here but with the money the Russians can pay. You have to make sure he wants to be a NHL player and doesn't turn into the Morozov category, where he's a young guy in the prime of his career who turns down $3 million and goes home"

All that said I just don't see Dean passing up on Cherepanov when we have solid but not bona fide defensemen in the pipeline. The question that comes up is whether Alzner is a blue chip prospect or will he just be solid...come tomorrow my money is on Cherepanov.

Getting rid of the Goaltending plague.

2007-06-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Been a busy weekend, finally got a header. Mucho Gracias to BigJoe on LGK

Anyway moving on, the draft is next weekend and the Kings have a number of options to go. I'm always hearing about the Kings going after a Goalie to solidify the position until Jonathan Bernier comes up and is ready. I feel Bernier has a 2 years before he becomes a solid starter for the Kings. He will be in the Juniors for another year and possibly starting in Manchester next year or even the Kings if he wows the coaches like Kopitar did in previous camps before making the big club. It's possible. In the meantime the Kings just recently signed a Swedish goalie Eric Ersberg to be the third goalie, and Dean Lombardi has talked about having 3 goalies to be NHL ready. So with that said somebody has to be the odd man out if the Kings are going to be looking for a number one goaltender to trade for or sign. According to Rich Hammond's blog, the Kings aren't looking at Giggy of the Ducks and there is no rumblings or whispers that Cloutier will be bought out.

So while this will sound crazy and before you click the x on your tab...what if there is a team out there like say the Minnesota Wild would trade us Manny Fernandez for Cloutier and a pick/prospect? Why in the **** would Minnesota take that deal? Simple Cap space. They can stash Cloutier in the minors and essentially clear about 4 million in cap space and they will have a pick and can go after a free agent. Kings get a solid goalie, something they haven't had since the Felix "the cat" Potvin days.

So while I get ripped for thinking Cloutier might be traded, I will be evaluating some draft prospects to see who might be drafted by the Kings. Logan Couture, Van Riemsdyk etc. I still think it comes down to Alzner or Cherepanov. Stay tuned.

What about Cherepanov?

2007-06-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

This player is one of the most interesting prospects of the Draft. Seems that whenever I read about this guy, it is pretty clear cut. Either Cherepanov will be a superstar or he will be a complete bust. When it comes to the draft with Russians in particular it can be a bit uneasy for an NHL team to draft a Russian. The reason being is that in most cases, the professional teams in Russia can now pay their players on the same scale as the NHL does and in some cases more. Another good question is why would the Kings take a big risk on Cherepanov when we are in the middle of a rebuilding phase? If Cherepanov is a complete bust wouldn't this set the franchise back? Well to answer that question, the Draft in any sport is a gamble unless there is a Crosby, Gretzky etc but if the Kings drafted Cherepanov then there is a chance the Kings can hit a home run. So if Cherepanov is available at #4 then there is a probability Dean will pull the trigger on him because Dean likes to take a gamble on players.

Some things about Cherepanov said at HF-

"You can think of mix between Paul Stastny and Cheechoo, in my opinion. From Paul Stastny he had a good positional play in the offensive zone and around the net, excellent hockey sence, ability to deliever nifty passes to linemates and create space for them, slow skating, being calm under pressure, desire to go to corners and to the net. From Cheechoo he had this ability to score goals and make them look like garbage goals. He also will be less dependent from his center, Imo. From Cherepanov he has stickhandling, ability to make difficult things look simple."

From Duff88 at the HFBoard and his site-

"Alexei Cherepanov raised his draft stock through the roof after a very solid performance at the World Junior Championship. One of the most skilled players in the draft, Cherepanov is a good skater with amazing hands and very good vision. He already has an NHL shot and he has the natural abilities of a goal scorer. His consistency and work rate are issues, as well as his performance when the play gets physical and when he's off the puck. For all the cons, Cherepanov, who beat Pavel Bure's record for most goals by a Russian Hockey League rookie, still has superstar potential and his development will surely be very interesting to follow."

Time to look to the Draft.

2007-06-07T18:30:00.001-07:00

With the Stanley Cup finals over, it's time to forge ahead and start glancing over prospects that could be there at #4 for the Kings unless Dean Lombardi moves up or down. Have to remember that Dean doesn't really draft based on the needs of his team. If there is one area in the pipelines that the Kings need to improve on it's the Defensemen in the pipeline and need someone to go along with Petiot, Hersley, Fast, Andersen that are already in the pipeline.

The Rankings and scouting reports have indicated that Karl Alzner is the top rated Defenseman in the Draft but nobody really knows where his ceiling is. Though I feel this guy would pair up with JMFJ very well.

The following is from a Duff88 and Cup on HFBoards compiled their own lists of the top prospects available for the 2007 entry draft. Cup's guide includes his own mock draft.

Duff88 Draft Guide.

"Karl Alzner is, by a fair margin, the best defenseman available in the 2007 NHL entry Draft. A defensive defenseman, Alzner is very comparable to former first overall pick Chris Phillips. He is a good skater, extremely solid defensively with excellent positionning and he has a great ability of moving the puck out of the defensive zone with a good first pass. Although not the most skilled offensively, Alzner has very good passing skills and can be a great player to help the transition game. He'll need to learn to use his body more, but Alzner is already looking like a sure-fire NHLer, only his career role is tougher to predict."

Im sure they will pull back from the Chris Phillips comparison after the game 7 fiasco against the Ducks.

The 1993 Western Conference finals.

2007-06-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

As Jim Fox has said, "This was the hardest hitting, most vicious series ever". Though I was only 9 years old at the time, I remember this series as if it were yesterday. This was the series that prompted McSorely to get about 90 something threats. Kings had a lot of adversity just to get to this point of being in Game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference finals.

Now the Kings didn't get off to a great start in the 93' series because of injuries, particularly with Gretzky having back problems. When he came back the Kings got into the playoffs as a 6th seed. Facing the Calgary Flames, a team that bounced Gretzky and the Kings in 89', the Kings bounced the Flames in the first round by scoring 33 goals. Next up for the Kings was the Vancouver Canucks. The Kings were huge underdogs against the Canucks and the reason being was that the Canucks simply had the Kings number by going 5-2 in the regular season against the Kings. Not to mention the Canucks were hard to beat at home, Kings couldn't beat the Canucks at home in the last 4 tries. However in Game 5 the score was 3-3 heading into the second overtime and Sawchuk ripped one past Kirk McLean to end the game. The Canucks never recovered from that game and the Kings finished them off winning the series in 6.

Now here we are with the Maple Leafs up next, and once again the Kings are huge underdogs. While game 7 was incredible to watch, so was game 6 because the Kings were on the verge of losing to the Leafs in overtime with the score 4-4. In the extra period Luc Robitaille passed, now when he passed the puck you just knew the game was over when it was heading to Gretzky, and the Great One shoots it in. I could tell you about game 7, but you just have to watch it. There was tremendous pressure on Gretzky and both teams are battle worn. Thanks to Google here is the link to the thrilling game 7.

Game 7 1993 Kings vs Leafs

Some youtube stuff-

McSorely vs Clark

Series overview

Kings sign Goalie

2007-06-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Kings signed goalie Erik Ersberg to a one way contract Kings GM Dean Lombardi announced today.

Erik Ersberg has some promise but doubt he will be the next Lundquist. This is also a good signing since they don't have to worry about a Labarbera type situation happening again. Ersberg will not be subject to waivers. Manchester is looking at having a Ersberg/Quick tandem with this signing.