alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />I was able to talk with new Kings defenseman Randy Jones today, a few hours before he flies from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
Question: How did you find out about the trade, and what were your thoughts when you heard about it?
JONES: “Actually, I was sleeping when I guess it happened. The night before, I went to a concert with a couple buddies, and I got back and I was taking a nap the next afternoon when I woke up and I had a bunch of messages. One of them that I looked at said, `You’ll love L.A. Congratulations, it’s a good fit for you,’ or something. So that’s pretty much how I found out. So I was like, `OK, great!’ So I kind of realized that I was going to L.A., and then I had a couple voicemails that finalized it. I was excited. I woke up with a smile, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.”
Question: It seemed like you were stuck, in a way, with the Flyers’ roster and salary-cap issues. Did that get frustrating? Did it almost feel like it was out of your control?
JONES: “Well, sometimes you do feel that it’s a little out of your control. I guess when it first happened I felt a little (upset) at the situation. You almost want to put blame on someone or just get (mad) at certain individuals, but I came to realize that it’s now how I should be handling it. In reality, I should have played better, if you will. You have to play good enough so that they can’t get rid of you. So it was a tough situation, but you kind of have to make the most out of it. I went down and I was still playing great hockey in the American Hockey League. Obviously that’s not where I want to be. I want to play in the NHL. That was the bottom line, and I feel like I can help any team. So I’m really excited to get this opportunity. There was a situation with Philadelphia, but I’ve been here for six years, going on seven, and I’ve loved every minute of it but I’m now looking forward to my opportunity in L.A.”
Question: Terry Murray, Dean Lombardi and Ron Hextall were all in that Philadelphia organization. Is there a familiarity there that can help you?
JONES: “It does make it easier, when you’re kind of familiar with some of the guys that are there. Like you said, I do know Mr. Hextall and I had coach Murray as my defensemen coach here in Philadelphia a few years ago. So I am familiar with them and I have a great relationship with them. We always got along well here, and I always respected them when they were here. Even some of the players that I know a little bit. Willy (Justin Williams), I know him a little bit, and also Handzus, I played with him. And Rob Scuderi, I actually was his brother’s roommate in college. I roomed with him for a couple years, so we kind of said hi to each other when we played against each other when he was in Pittsburgh.”
Question: For fans who don’t know your game, can you describe what you try to accomplish on the ice?
JONES: “I feel I’m a two-way defenseman, a puck-moving defenseman. I like to be able to play in all situations, whether it’s power play or penalty killing or any situations like that. I feel I’m a competitive guy and I don’t enjoy losing. I’m just really thrilled, and I couldn’t be more happy to come to L.A. and play in front of those fans.”
Question: Terry compared you yesterday to Kyle Quincey, and there might also be similarities to the way he was claimed last year and thrived with an opportunity. Is that how you see yourself as well?
JONES: “Well, that’s why sometimes, when you think there’s a little bump in your career, and there’s another opportunity that arises, you take advantage of it. I sat back and I felt that L.A. would be a good fit for me. I don’t mean the city, but I actually mean L.A. the organization and the hockey team. They’ve got a great young team, and they’re playing very well and playing extremely hard. I know how coach Murray likes to coach, so I’m a little familiar with that. The biggest thing with me is excitement. I’ve been all smiles since I heard, and I can’t wait to get there.”
You want a spot on this team Jonesy, you need to outwork Harry…….Good Luck
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It’s great to hear players go out of their way to say how much they look forward to playing for the Kings’ organization and their fans. They may have paid lip service to it in the past, but you have to think the players who’ve said it the last couple years mean it because they see what the Kings are doing and where they’re going!
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Exactly, new Kings that are brought in now don’t need to pretend they’re excited. They actually are.
Welcome, Randy. Let’s see what you’ve got!
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@ Khanon – Smyth, for one, was laughing it off. I’ll be concerned when they’re injured and there’s no brusk response. Frankly, though, I’ve thought the hitting (not fights, just clean checks) was down a lot until a couple games ago, and it was good to see plenty of nice checks thrown in the last couple games.
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Ahhh… nothing like the start of a new relationship!
I saw Kopi jawing it up big time last night, then laughing right in the guy’s face. I loved how chippy he was. I hope it continues and if a line is crossed, let’s just hope whoever is on the ice has his back.
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With a 1 -1 tie I am not sure anyone would want to be the guy to take a bad penalty. You just put up with that stuff in those situations and hope they get called for the rough. Then the next time you meet up with that team, you will need to send a message to them as soon as the puck drops.
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Interesting point there, Slapshot. I thought Smyth drew a penalty last night (perhaps roughing) with all the punches one guy threw, and no response from Smyth, but they never called jack.
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It’s tough watching the Kings only on the replays and highlights the nights I’m at a Condors game…
Kopitar has found another gear, and when I see him just every other game I find myself shocked to see him motoring past people like they’re standing still. This team still has so far to evolve, it’s exciting! A guy like Jones may have a lot to say in the protection of Kings’ young skill guys–we’ll see.
There are a lot of very, very chippy games to go this year. Can’t wait to see them!
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I can’t help but feel like there is a comment missing here…
That or you guys are picking up a discussion from another thread that I missed.
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Jones is not an enforcer, nor is he a tough guy. I’ve read comments on a few Flyer blogs, and they all say the same thing: Jones plays with no heart, he’s not physical, turns over the puck many times per game, etc.
There is one thing I would like to admit: I was wrong about Drewiski. He’s a solid, smart D-man.
JJ, on the other hand, is a big disappointment. Is it just me, or does JJ make a lot of bad plays with the puck, turns over the puck numerous times per game, and rarely throws a hit? Tim Gleason would look awfully nice in a king jersey, along with Doughty, Greene, O’Donnel, Scuderi, and Drewiski. That would be a shutdown blueline… Oh well…
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Agreed, I wish we got the call on that one as well. But there are still a few refs out there, that in a tight well played game will let things go. They want the teams to play it out. Not unlike the refs playoff mentality. I love that, so long as they they do have a threshold and the game does not get out of hand.
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Yes, there is a comment missing, because some folks insist upon relentlessly making the same points, over and over, even on posts that are completely unrelated. This will be addressed soon. Sorry for the confusion.
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I was wondering where my comment went…
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The trilogy is back….:(
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I agree that finally players want to play here. For years they didn’t unless there wasn’t anywhere else for them to go. Also, L.A. is doing awesome. We just hung and even outplayed the Sharks and the Canucks, two of the top teams last year. I hope this raises the teams confidence that they belong with these teams and in the playoffs. I didn’t have that feeling when we played Detroit earlier in the month. I also liked how many drives we had to the net last night – Kopitar did it and so did Frolov.
Where did Parse come from? Who would have guessed it? Just like DD2 last year.
I also like to see Quick get mad that he didn’t make that last shootout save. These guys expect to win. Now let’s roll Pheonix on Monday!
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Must admit I am not familiar with Randy Jones’ game at all. The only Randy Jones I know in sports was the Padres’ Cy Young pitcher from the 70s. ;-)
I would be happy with a game similiar to Quincey’s, if thats TM’s comparision. But time will tell.
Agree with Khanon, Drewiski has been very solid so far. A nice suprise.
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If Jones is going to prosper it seems most likely that it would be with a coach like TM who has worked with him before and understands what he brings to the dance.
We appeared to be lacking depth wise in expierienced D-men so this looks like a good pick-up.
As people are commenting on JJ again…he gives the impression that he really cares and wants to play well. Unfortunatley he continues to struggle (though not as much in the last two games as he did in Phoenix). He looks so uncomfortable playing in this system. He wants to impact the game offensively or defenseivly every single shift but this system doesn’t work that way. Scuderi, on the other hand, just tries to maintain the status quo and hopes for a mistake by the other team. It is interesting to see two players on the same team playing the same position with almost opposite tendencies. Hope things work out here in the long run for JJ.
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Mild disagreement with Khanon re: JJ. I think (as did Crown Royal) that JJ is trying to do too much on certain shifts. For whatever reason, there are moments when he does not let the game come to him, rather he tries to do more than the situation allows. Having said that, I will take that attitude any day of the week. Let’s not forget he’s still young, and he’ll continue to figure out how to get the most out of his substantial talent.
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@ Kahnon – Jones is a decent #5 defenseman. His only problem in Philadelphia is that at $2.75 million, he was overpaid.
With the lack of salary cap maneuverability the Flyers have experienced over the past two seasons, fans are always doing the math in their heads as they fantasize about what moves the Flyers should be making to improve. When they get to Jones and his (inflated) salary, they flip out.
Nothing wrong with his game. Just overpaid, and that was hardly Jones’ fault. If his salary was $750,000, nobody would have a problem with his game at all.
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The dissastisfaction with Randy Jones started after the hit on Bergeron. He’s not a dirty player and he felt like crap for hurting the guy. When he came back from the suspension, he totally lost his edge. He was afraid it was going to happen again, wasn’t finishing his checks, etc. It’s been over a year now, and hopefully, he’s mentally past it. If he is, he’ll be a great addition. If he isn’t, at least we’re only paying half his salary for the rest of the year.
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I’m confused as to why people are critisizing JJ…I think he’s been great so far.
Randy Jones seems to be a good pick up. We’ve got plenty of cap room, and if he doesn’t play well, his contract is done at the end of this year anyway. Just wondering when he’s gonna be able to play…
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I never even heard of Randy Jones befoe this deal. Just wanted to agree with a few folks on Drewiske. He is major solid. My untrained eyes don’t always pick up a lot when it comes to defensemen, but the two guys who have jumped out at me this year are Doughty (of course) and Drewiske. I think he is going to be a fixture on defense for the next decade.
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Welcome to the Kings Jones.
We will have to see how he fits. We need a good D man on the roster in case of injury and guys needing a night off here and there.
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Why did we pickup this guy? We already have a ton of young talented D waiting in the wings. Yes, you are glad to come to LA, but sorry bud good luck finding any playing time.
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Randy would be an asset to any team from what I have seem. If they allow him to play the type of game he should be playing (more offensively) you will be very suprised. I mean he did lead his college team (Clarkson) in scoring even as a defenseman. Im not taking anything away from his defensive game either. He is very solid. If you watched any of the flyers playoff run a couple years ago he logged lots of ice time and did a fantastic job shutting down the opposing team.
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