I would assume, given the role he filled in Manchester, the need with the Kings and the fact that teams don’t typically call up players just to sit them, that you’ll see Andrei Loktionov centering the second line in place of Jarret Stoll. Brandon Segal is a right winger, so we’ll have to see if the plan is a) to play him, and then b) to have him stay on the right side or play left wing on the third line.
Regardless, I asked Terry Murray this morning about whether call-ups can provide an infusion for a team that seems to be stuck in a rut recently…
MURRAY: “Sure, absolutely. Those guys are always coming in high on adrenaline, and are going to play to the best of their ability to show us that they’re making improvements in their pro game. So it can have an impact on your hockey club, whether it’s a skill player that can come in and score a goal or two, or just an energy guy who can come out and pick up the tempo of play in a situation. It’s beneficial to the team.”
Bring it on!
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Hope both do well in LA – but I look forward to the day they return to Manchester. We have several injuries in Manchester and a couple of guys are out, month to month.
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Well well well! Ya lets see what happens- Looking forward to see Loktionov’s game!
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I suppose you mean “see” in the metaphysical sense since I won’t be able to see the game on TV…
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Have the Kings ever had two Russians on the roster at the same time?
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Oh yeah… I guess I will have to “see” what Nick and Daryl have to say about his game!
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Hope Segal gets some icetime…
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Put Parse on the bench and play Segal in his place. Parse has done nothing since his first four games. Just an idea. Light a fire, as it were.
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I assume when you say “Parse has done nothing” you mean hasn’t scored goals. That’s not the only yardstick. To pick one stat, Parse is playing against the toughest competition (QUALCOMP) of all the Kings except Williams and, in his short time here, Jones. Even though the points have tapered off since his first few games, he’s still solidly in the middle of the pack in PPG/60, just ahead of Doughty. I expect you will see Parse/Loktionov/Brown, since Parse and AL were on the first unit before Parse was called up.
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Hey Rich,
Robbie Czarnik, the Kings 3rd rnd pick from 2008, just left Michigan for the OHL midway through the college season. Can you dig up some info on why he left early?
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Quisp,
I respect you and rarely reply specifically to another poster, but…
Parse has done nothing for the majority of the last 6-7 games.
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Parse is a LW and Segal a RW. All likely, Segal will replace Harrold on the 4th line.
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Can’t wait to see Loki in a kings uni on tv…. since next game isnt on tv. What number will each of them wear?
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I hope TM plays both Segal and Loki with Ivanans..Lets see how well or long that measuring stick is. I am sure Mollor, Lewis, Zeiler and Westgarth were screaming as the two boarded their plane for Canada…”Be careful that they dont play you with # 41 Its a death sentence”…
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Segal played fine on the left side in the last game I saw. Also, he was pretty aware of his defensive responsibilities.
Loki was pretty strong. It was apparent that he will be fine with a faster pace on the offensive side. He may be challanged on the defensive side.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrold stayed on the fourth line, possibly even moving to fourth-line center.
Frolov-Kopitar-Williams
Parse-Loktionov-Brown
Richardson-Handzus-Simmonds
Ivanans-Harrold-Segal/Purcell
Something like that.
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Fro/Ko/Wi
Pa/Lo/Bro
Pu/Ha/Si
Iv/Ri/Se
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Nothing against Parse but I just haven’t seen ANYTHING since the first 4 or 5 games he played. He has skill and I think he will eventually contribute but he’s starting to look like Purcell….deer in the headlights everytime he gets the puck.
We have a lot of those North/South type of players, i.e. Brown, Simmonds, Parse, Frolov, Stoll. What we are clearly missing are players with skill who can make nice moves, dance with the puck and I hope Loktionov can show off some of those skills.
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Quisp
Why put Frolov on the first line only to move him back to who knows what line after Smyth gets back….whats the point? Same goes for all those who want Simmonds on the first line. He fits perfectly in the role he’s been given, why mess with a good thing? Give Purcell, Parse, anyone but Ivans a shot playing with the big boys. Lets see if Purcell has game!
Pu/Ko/Wi
Fr/Lo/Br
Pa/Ha/Si
Iv/Ri/Se
And please…no more Harrold playing forward!
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Whether the call-ups work or not DL did the right thing in bringing up Loktionov to give him a shot. Segal might also be a pleasent surprise.
As for Parse, his play hasn’t gone downhill but the line play hasn’t been as effective without Purcell’s skill which was there for him the first few games. Purcell is the Kings most skilled forward along with Kopitar. Parse and Purcell were working well together.
Loktionov is a big time talent recommeded by Igor Larionov to DL as a sleeper draft pick. Let’s hope he’s ready. DL has been really high on him. This could be the kind of sleeper pick the Red Wings have made over and over again involving Swedish players with their chief scout there, Tommy Bergman. Loktionov and Voinov could be the beginning of a Russian pipeline. I hope Simmonds or Ivanans are riding shotgun for him for awhile. He needs to feel comfortable and not be physically intimidated. This is exciting!
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Crown Royal
You nailed it…BIG time talent is what we need. I love the way Stoll’s been playing but he’s a 3rd line center. Wouldn’t it be nice if this kid does what we all hope and fills that 2nd line center spot forcing Zeus to play on the 4th line or maybe wing on another. Our 4th line is killing us! TM is right, that line is not getting enough minutes but look at who he has to work with.
Parse/Zeus/Segal….thats a 4th line! Two rookies with a smart veteran center.
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Barry’s Mullet,
I agree in that why put frolov on the first line if when Smyth comes back to only take him off. What a poor use of our leading goal scorer for the past 4 years
This should be seen as an opportunity as opposed to a detriment in the coaches eyes but I suspect that it is seen as a negative, which is sad for our coaching staff…
All lines should be mixed and matched in the hopes of finding something that hasn’t been tested and there is lots that has yet to be tested.
I want for a 3-5 game period of line 1 being PP1 and line 2 being PP 2 to gain more confidence with one another with the hope of aiding in a second offence attack.
As for lines,
Segal Kopitar Brown
Frolov Lokti Purcell
Parse Handz Simm
Ivanans rich harr
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Will H: “Have the Kings ever had two Russians on the roster at the same time”
Yes, a number of times. Most would probably be in 1995-96
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000401996.html
Dmitri Khristich (76 games played), Vitali Yachmenev (80), Vladimir Tsyplakov (23), Denis Tsygurov (18), Ruslan Batyrshin (2).
Why do I recall this? I happened to walk into Russian Roulette in Century City which was then the fanciest Russian club/restaurant in LA and saw the first three heading a head start on a Happy Hour. Mind you, it an early afternoon on a weekday in June;)
Don’t recall anything besides the name on Tsygurov and the last guy does not even register…
Then there were three in 2002-03 – Frolov, Dmitri Yushkevich and Maxim Kuznetsov. Yushkevich was replaced by Grebeshkov next year. BTW, Zhitnik had to tough it out on his own…
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Says Count Kopitar, “Blood? New blood? Mmmmm.”
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FroKoWi!
FroKoWi
You look like David Bowie!
PaLoBro!
PaLoBro!
Where you gonna go, Bro?
PuHaSi!
PuHaSi!
Why you be so saucy?
IvRiSe!
IvRiSe!
Now we’re gettin’ greasy!
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Mask,
Off the top of my head I think Tsygurov came over from Buffalo with Boucher or Fuhr when Zitnik went to the Sabres. I think Batryshin was part of that deal as well. Sam Mcmaster was the GM then and I remember Blake complained about the the Kings trading Zitnik who was Blake’s D-partner at the time. Boucher turned out to be a pretty good defenseman but Buffalo got the best of the deal at the time as Fuhr was never as good as he was in Edmonton. The Kings have probably traded more with the Sabres than any other team through the year.
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Crown Royal I remember that trade,and it still stings to think about it.Boucher was inconsistant for a while and just when he found his game.Poof! he went elsewhere.Fuhr was out of shape,and Sam McMaster was starting his garage sale.
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@ JT SNOW. u want segal on the first line with kopi and brown? and williams benched? HA!! keep dreaming brother
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I get the logic of putting someone other than Frolov in the LW1 slot, and I agree it could be could for Purcell (to pick a name) to get some of that ice-time. But, “having said that,” it would be nice if the Fro/Ko/Wi line could click…I’m willing to give the line a couple more weeks before I complain about it; and even giving Fro the rest of Smyth’s hiatus on the first line has its advantages; we would know once and for all if Fro can step it up, since he will have had a month on the first unit to prove himself. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t, and we can move on.
Yeah, okay, both Parse and Purcell have tapered off after their respective first few games. It’s not like that doesn’t happen all the time to people. Like I said somewhere, maybe even in this thread, those two players have maybe 80 NHL games between them. It’s silly to write them off before they’ve really even begun. You know, like I was saying last year about that loser Matt Moulson.
I didn’t know that Larionov told DL to pick Loktionov; though obviously the “professor’s” mentoring of AL is well-known. Loktionov would have been a first round selection if it weren’t for the troubles with the Russian/NHL treaty or whatever it’s called, which scared a lot of GM’s off. DL got assurances from Loktionov and Voynov that they would come to N. America if selected, and they did so, which pissed off the Russian poobahs something fierce…if I’m remembering the story correctly.
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“could be could” should be “could be good.”
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Larionov, the final piece of the puzzle behind the bench?
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Philippe Boucher, Denis Tsygurov and fat Grant Fuhr to the Kings. Alexei Zhitnik, Robb Stauber, Charlie Huddy and a 1995 fifth round pick to the Sabres.
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“Fat” grant Fuhr played pretty well after leaving LA.
Just like “fat”-singing Anson Carter.
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Yes, because he lost the weight. He was, in fact, fat. And horrible. As a season ticket holder, I had the privilege of watching his 4.04GAA/.876SV% and — count them (er, “it”) — ONE win in 14 games, from just a few feet away.
I don’t know what “fat”-singing Anson Carter means.
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“But, ‘having said that,’ it would be nice if the Fro/Ko/Wi line could click…”
Did I just learn that Quisp is a Curb Your Enthusiasm fan?
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Do you respect wood?
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Brilliant. A man of good taste.
That’s it for me tonight, its late and I’m busy with beans.
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“But, ‘having said that,’ it would be nice if the Fro/Ko/Wi line could click…”
My first thought was that the Kings needed more “Ko”, Kovalchuk sure comes to mind! But then the Habs last year had KOivu, KOmissarek, two KOstitsyns, KOstopulos, KOvalev and marKOv. Did not do them much good though…
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I never said I was busy with beans.
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I would agree that Parse has been good even though he hasn’t scored goals. One of the best chances in the last game was on Parse’ stick. He continues to impress me.
I’m looking forward to seeing Loktionov & Segal play. One of the reasons I pay $170 a season for the NHL Center Ice package is so I can watch these Kings games when they go to Canada and aren’t on local TV. I’ll try to post some comments on the games as I watch them, especially about the play of the 2 new players.
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I still think they should try Teddy on the top line. Let him swim to see if he can.
Purcell-Kopitar-Williams
Frolov-Loktionov-Brown
Parse-Handzus-Simmonds
Ivanans-Richardson-Segal
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Looking forward to seeing Loktionov play….ive heard so much about him, but i havent seen him. Glad were starting to get some depth so we can plug guys in here. We never had that in the past..
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Boucher was a big part of that trade too and played well for the Kings but had injury troubles.
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Quisp
“He doesn’t have the tools” LOL
That was a great episode and a great season.
There’s a lot of talk about moving guys around from line to line. Giving guys a ferw games on this line or that line. There was a lot of complaining last year about not having any line continuity. I have no problem with Fro getting time with the 1st line. As one of the most skilled players on the team, he should be able to slide from the checking line to the scoring line without much trouble and when Smytty comes back, go back to the checking line.
As for Parse…He stills does a lot of good things on the ice. His defensive play has been outstanding and he’s brought a physical game with him as well. There’s no reason that he shouldn’t be in the lineup every game. He’s busted his tail on every shift. that’s the difference with him and Purcell…when Purcell wasn’t scoring, he wasn’t doing anything else.
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The Kings need to be a four line team. With our handicap of travel distances, four lines is an imperative. This whole “4th line” thinking seems wrong to me; I don’t want guys to think they have lesser expectations put on them just because they think they are on that 4th line. We need a scoring line, a stopper line, and two lines with the ability to provide secondary scoring while playing the super-smart, game-situation-awareness puck-possession style.
The prototype “smart game” line is Frolov-Handzuis-Simmonds. This line can play against any other line and match well, which is the beauty to Frolov’s game. He will score after he steals the puck on the forecheck, and he will fatigue the opponent by hogging the puck in their corners. He can also get his share of breakaways, and Simmonds is picking up many of Frolov’s talents. Hard to beleive how young Simmonds is, the guy has unlimited upside.
A line playing that game also stops momentum surges against, and slows the game down, which is exaclty what playoff hockey looks like. I do not know what more Frolov would have to do, other than lead the team in scoring one year and then adapt his game to be on a two-way line the next. Frolov’s game needs a lot less “tweaks” than most of the other players that have been underperforming, and we need to have two lines like the one he anchored before the injuries.
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And as for giving Purcell “his chance”, he has been getting “his chance” for the last 2 months. I said this before once somewhere else, but it bears repeating. Purcell is fun to watch as he lightly brushes players in the corner on the forecheck. I think he rubs a ballon on the bench and is trying to “zap” them with a small electric shock as he skates by. The guy has absolutley zero physicality, and does zero scoring and zero puck possession. He will get his try next games probably, I can only imagine that TM was trying to send a message to him by moving Ivanans up a line past Purcell. that one move kinda says it all, for me, but maybe that will motivate Purcell into throwing some nudges at the opponents from now on. And, once a guy gets nudges into his game, it is only one short step away from throwing nudges to actually bumping guys intentionally, and from there it’s possible to eventually learn how to reaaly give the opponent’s mild chafing.
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I don’t expect the Kings to win 82 games. Is it too much to ask 20 professional athletes making some nice $$$ to come prepared to play hard, smart and be competitive every single night.
If you’re not a scorer, make a nice pass…make something happen.
If you’re not a play maker, throw some checks with AUTHORITY.
If you can’t throw a decent check, than play smart positional hockey and don’t hurt your team
If you can’t find a way to contribute every night…see ya!
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Quisp maybe we should bring up Mocca Joe and give him his NHL Debut tip…
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We certainly could use the Jump – er Cables
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I have been a Kings fan for many years now and I often wonder over the years why everyone always thinks they know better than the next guy or better than the GM. If the GM was Disaster McMaster then I would understand, since that guy made the worst trades of the NHL of all time in my opinion. Everyone is entitled to thier opinion and why they feel some players should be in other positions than what they are playing. We fans just have to have faith in our GM and coaches and believe that they know what is best and will always do what is best for the team. Any combination that is put on the ice, I am sure is for a good reason. I look forward to the back-to-back games and hope we come back to home with back-to-back wins.
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Player X
Purcell is not the only one checking himself into the boards. Brown, Simmonds and Stoll all know how to throw a check. What the rest of team is watching instead of learning from these guys is beyond me.
You nailed it with Frolov. Maybe the smartest player on the team. You also help make my point about moving him up to the first line and breaking up a good line while Smyth is out. Double shift him if necessary….hell give everyone a chance during the game to play on the first line. Just don’t break up one line to fix another especially if its only going to be temporary.
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Hockey “G”
Common sense will get you nowhere here…shame on you!
btw I agree 100%
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In reference to McMaster as the GM. Just prior to that there was a power struggle on the team between Wayne G. and the previous GM, Nick Beverly. Then owner, Bruce Mcnall was listening to Wayne so much that Beverly started calling WG “His Highness” in sarcasm. There was a bizarre sequence where Beverly traded McSorley to Pittsburgh for Shawn McEachren. Gretzky didn’t like the trade and eveybody agreed shortly thereafter to reverse the trade with both players going back to their respective teams. (After some games)
Ultimately Wayne won out and McMaster who had been running a team in the OHL was his (Wayne’s) pick as the GM. McNall went along with that and the McMaster era began with him picking Jamie Storr as his first ever Number One choice. There were mistakes made as the Kings continued to try a cup winner around a gradually aging Greatzky as quickly as possible.
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Continuing on the McMaster Disaster talk
I thought the Kings spiral downward began when they allowed Gretzky to make personnel decisions.
As great a player as he was, he was just as bad at personnel moves…he showed that with Phoenix. That’s why I don’t want him going anywhere near the Kings front office if he’s going to be involved in player decisions.
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nykingfan,
Yeah, there is a lot of evidence to support that line of thinking. When he was actively playing with the Kings he wanted Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey among others. He basically promised McNall the cup if he could get Kurri in a Kings uniform. Unfortnately to finally get Kurri, who had spent the previous year playing in Europe and putting on weight, we had to give up Steve Duschene.
By the time the finals started in “93 Gretzky and Kurri weren’t even playing on the same line. Sandstrom was on WG’s right wing. Montreal’s third line killed us in that series as Carboneau and DiPietro destroyed Conacher and Cory Millen in the face-off circle. Roy stone walled Sandstrom several times on good chances and McSorley’s stick (which should be in Montreal’s team Hockey Hall of Fame) was too much to overcome.
I’ve never met Gretzky and hate to knock him. He was truly great as a player and ambassador of the game. Had the pleasure of meeting his dad, Walter, and having a half hour conversation with him. He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
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Also, McMaster the Disaster was the GM when McNall had money problems (and a big ETC. that’s probably best left in the past), so as bad as he was, he also made many of his moves as part of a fire sale.
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best line combos right here, and there is a big problem with guys takin runs at kopi lately so that is why simmonds needs to play up there and drop the gloves when that stuff starts happening
Simmonds-Kopi-Williams
Fro-Loktionov-Brown
parse-zues-stoll – against top lines it would be nice to have two solid faceoff guys to ensure we win as many faceoffs in our zone as possible
Ivanans/purcell-richardson-segal
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i totally agree with you BMullet, it would probably work like that more often if TM put players in roles that better suited them. i really think that he makes decisions on his personal feelings towards players rather than on the players ability.
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Thanks Crown Royal
I couldn’t agree with you more. I couldn’t remember who we traded for Kurri…now I’m getting sick!
The downfall was Kurri/Coffey/Fuhr
3 former Oilers who weren’t close to what they were previously. It seemed like Gretzky just wanted to bring his friends along for a free ride.
Gretzky’s the reason there’s still hockey in SoCal, but he left us with no talent whatsoever in the system.
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I don’t know if TM makes decsions based on persoanl feelings but I still don’t like the crap he came up with about “earning power play time”. Does this mean we are going to have a first unit power play inculding Richardson, Ivanans and Greene if these guys outwork everyone else?
If a power play guy like Purcell can’t do anything else and is on the team… play him on the power play as long as he is the most effective player in that situation. If Kovalev is dogging it as he apparently was in Montreal last year then trade him or just use him for what he helps the team with. Ultimately his market value will drop and it will cost him money.
It’s understandable if teams can’t carry specialists but not all players are good at everything. Are we going to bench Kopitar because his face-off percentage is below fifty percent?
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Wow. The exact line combos that I mentioned wanting to see (above) skated today and will play as such tomorrow.
Neat.
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“Gretzky’s the reason there’s still hockey in SoCal, but he left us with no talent whatsoever in the system.”
Ding! Ding! Ding! Give that man a kewpie doll!
I’d say he and McNall jointly have that distinction.
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What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
I don’t get it?????
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Put bluntly, a lot of criticism of Gretz and McNall are deserved, but the biggest truth is that a HUGE number of hockey fans in LA, the southwest US and southeast US are hockey fans because of Gretz and McNall’s (failed) dedication to bring the Stanley Cup to LA.
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