Everyone is present and accounted for at practice this morning, including Matt Greene and Davis Drewiske (still in his red sweater). No line changes, etc. Could be a long practice, since there was none yesterday. More updates to come…
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Any follow up to Murray’s comments two nights ago? All for one or we are getting a top line player?
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I believe this team needs NO trades! ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!
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TSN is advertising the AHL skills competition. I know Bernier made the game and is starting. What other Kings prospects made the team Rich?
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You’re correct, fsd1. The team needs to play first like adding a player would make a difference. That was the point of the comment two nights ago.
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Remember Nashville a few years ago… top of the West, but no superstars.. so they went out and traded a Kings ransom (no pun intended) for Peter Forsberg… then got trounced in the first round of the playoffs….
Is there a lesson here?
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Rich, I assume Martinez is paired with Greene while Drewiske is the odd man out. Can you confirm?
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wtfk, ( i love that name, feel dirty typing it every time…….) So true, I mean really, when this group of players ALL play to their capabilities I think we can beat any team in a 7 game series. I mean, I could care less that we are 2-19 on 5 on 3′s, we won the game, we sill are 9th in PP percent and our penalty kill has climbed from the bowels of the league to I think 14th or 16th. So I’m good, thinks the call ups have done their job when injuries have occurred and i was wondering, we are 19-0-0 when leading after the 2nd period, not sure any team has had that kind of success with such a young group. So as I continue to say, we will NO win every game from here on out, we WILL make mistakes that leads to goals, but I have never been as excited about a Kings team as I am this one. I DONT WANT KOVY!
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Off the topic, but can we all agree for at least one day here today to not bring up Kovi or trading away anyone today and talk about how these young talented group of kids are going to come together as a team and make it to the playoffs??????
PLEASE
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EA–
Watch the young man ride…
Against the wind.
Yep. It’s really WINDY here in Bakersfield, today. Nothing like dodging tumbleweeds whilst going to work to keep a person happy.
-Against the Wind-
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Off topic, but I was wondering if there was any mention of Handzus and the new “A” on his jersey the last couple of games. I know it coincides with Greene going down, but I don’t remember it ever getting any mention on the posts/comments I’ve seen (I haven’t read everything over the last few days though)..
Anyways, I think it is an excellent move, and wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him keep it even after Greene’s return (in addition to, not in place of Greene). I think Handzus is a quiet, effective, lead by example guy whose work ethic and professionalism–not to mention the results of said traits over the last couple of seasons–are great for the young guys on the Kings to look up to.
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Hehe…tumbleweeds…if I drive east out of Colorado during just the right time of year, with a good crosswind, I have to dodge a lot of tumbleweeds around the border between Colorado and Kansas.
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LOL! You can ask EA, but we’ve been asking for the playoffs for 8+ years now. You can see the results of our effort. I totally hear ya though. It’s gets rather ridiculous.
I don’t mind the trade talk. I look at is as healthy sometimes. I think when players hear the trade talk, it can motivate them a little to step up in order to quelch them. Sometimes it’s a good thing IMHO.
Kovy is a special player. I can guarantee you that blogs from every team in the league are offering up ideas for Kovy. It’s almost as bad as death and taxes as being absolutes right now. I would just ask that if people propose a trade, they post the reasoning behind it and why they think the trade would work. Sometimes doing that will prevent posts from happening as it forces the poster to think through the knee-jerk reaction of their proposal. “That sounds good. I’ll put that up. That’s kinda fair….for us”. I usually ignore the proposal unless it has an explanation behind it, although sometimes it’s just obvious.
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i’ve said all a long: no trades necessary, at this moment. no need to gut our young team, it would be kopi, JJ, and some other high draft pick, to get a Kovi.
anyways, if we had Him, there would still be criticism in games we lost about how he didn’t come thru, by the pitch fork carry villagers.
we are young, we are developing, some up days, some down, but the future looks good and i see a PLAN at work. those without pitch-forks, agree?
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Thing about our tumbleweeds–
The winds blow from the Northwest normally, collecting all the tumbleweeds in one corner. Then a storm comes, and just before the rain the winds reverse. Today they are really strong from the Southeast.
That means all the collected tumbleweeds leave town together, right into the roads, people, whatever’s convenient.
Fun, fun, fun, right here in Baketown!
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By the way, for all those people who believe in the theory that the first game after a long road trip is death to the home team…
ott 4-0 BOS, second period, 5:14 to go
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The only trade I want to see is us somehow getting Scottie Upshall… not sure why but i have always had a half pack on mentos in my pocket for this guy the way he plays. I would LOVE to see him on the third line with Handzus and Simmonds. In your face, grind you down, hit you hard, score on you every third game type of line. Win in the playoffs type of line.
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…and, of course, we’ve discussed how BRODEUR is a superstar:
nj 0-2 NYI, first period, 8:44 to go
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Its funny as hell how a week ago everyone on this blog wanted to trade for Kovi (we had just lost 3 in a row). Now everyone is saying no trade is necessary (we just won 2 in a row). All I’m saying is I’m glad DL is in charge and none of us are.
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I thought tumbleweeds only existed in cartoons…. not so many up here in the north i guess
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Not Impressed: To be fair I dont think anybody has changed their mind.. I just think that the anti-trade people are more vocal now and the pro-trade people have shut their mouths til the next loss.
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Tumbleweeds Desert
VKF: Got much desert?
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That was supposed to be:
Tumbleweeds = Desert
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The Bruins were booed off the ice at the second intermission…
Ahh, the sweet sweet smell of happy BOS fans…
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If we do, I haven’t seen it, our plains are more grassy and wheat filled than sand filled.
All i can tell you is the great province of BC doesn’t have any, I took a road trip last summer up through the entire province, Alaska, and the Yukon. What an adventure!
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Bako, my favorite distraction when driving through your digs is the fog at night. I’ve been through there two or three times when I had to follow a tractor-trailer rig for the assurance that I wouldn’t run into anything (that it didn’t plow through.)
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I agree with EA.. Trades or no trades the team we have now has to learn to win on a regular basis. to lose the first 3 of this 7 game home stand hasn’t hurt us yet. But the Kings do need to step it up.
I want nothing less than the playoffs this year, i don’t care if we play those clowns from up north, we could be them in a 7 games series.
Love this rain.
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Tumbleweeds & Cartoons you say?
http://www.tumbleweeds.com/
Remember?
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Just want to take a bigger view of where we are, where we need to go:
It still appears that 96 pts will be enough to make the playoffs in the West, so the Kings need 39 pts in their remaining 34 games to reach that total, meaning a record of 18-13-3 or something like that. Very achievable, even without roster changes. No need to go crazy! As an example of just how much even 6 additional points makes at this point in a season, for Anaheim to make the playoff total of 96 pts they would have to grab 45 pts in their last 33 games, or something like 21-9-3, which is doable but very tough.
For all teams, the games at this time of the season are kind of magnified in importance, I think. If the Kings were to lose the next two games at home, they must go 18-11-3 to make 96pts; if they won both, then 16-13-3 would do it. BIG difference. I hope the players understand the importance of these two games and we don’t have to read any ‘We didnt come prepared to play’ comments after either game.
The 13 games before the Olympic break are also huge cause the Kings’ schedule after the break is easier than before. At a minimum we need to see a 7-5-1 or better.
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here’s a topic:
i see Phoenix, Vancouver bottoming out this 2nd half.
Phx due to the games getting more and more tighter and they have problems scoring( we do, too). they will come up short in some 1 goal games. And Van., due to the 17 game road schedule they have coming up. Calgary is looking vulverable. they are flattening out and dipping. Detroit will come on, and i don’t know if Nashville has had it’s struggling part of their season yet.
just a thought to mull over. we still need to get our points, but the positions of some ahead of us, look vulnerable.
we just need to keep putting up the points and perhaps some teams in the mix will hit their low point of the season.
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Just wanted to thank u guys for the well informed,thought out,in depth post u guyz put out. For a kings fan in honolulu it means a great deal to me to hear u guyz. I for 1 really would like 2 see a player added because i believe if wee make the playoffs we can get through the first round. i like the fight in our boys and the never die attitude, but u can only do wat ur skill set lets u. we dont have a proven scorer! Not saying we need kovi but we have a piece missing and i believe with that piece we can go far. look at the dodgers. when they got manny. Not only did the morale pick up, but so did ticket sales and it made kemp, either, and other youngsters step up there games and walla, they bettered themselves!i love our team no matter what happens i just believe that if we add that missing piece we will go far. THIS YEAR! Aloha guyz and keep up the post they mean something to the transplanted fans from L.A CHEYA
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DB Coop:
Obviously as my name suggests I am forced to argue with your vancouver point. They have Luongo… thats my main point, but with the fans they have here, and with a veteren team, they neeeed to make the playoffs. I see them adding another scorer before the deadline, and Demitra just came back, we have all seen how well he can do when he is actually healthy.
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Cynic I agree with you, but a lot of the times the trade talk is just ridiculous to a point where it gets frustrating to continue to read the posts. And I think you have a good point when if you are going to discuss a trade make a point as to why, and not just because you like a player.
The bottomline and no one seems to understand this but a few is actually quite simple re: Kovy:
1. Waddell WILL NOT allow teams to discuss signing him when discussing trades, he feels it takes away some value from him, which is right on. (So of course it has been said and agreed on here that we all know DL wont do that) So stop saying to trade for him IF we can get him signed. The bottom line is we can’t do that so STOP saying IF.
2. Kovy has mentioned in the press that if he doesn’t get resigned by ATL he will wait until the summer and see what his agent can negotiate for him. Again this is in the best interest of himself and his wallet.
Now there is nothing to say that the Kings can’t be a major player in the summer, but for now the Kovy needs to stop because it’s almost blatantly obvious that it wont happen now.
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that’s gonna be tough with the 5 game roadie coming up
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I meant the schedule before the Olympic break is tough…
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bbb7,your break down was correct.I still believe that the playoffs are very attainable.Even without trades.
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Player-X, I kinda like that roadie. It’s good to get out of the barn for a few games, and the east has been good to the Kings.
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the Toronto, Columbus games worry me, hope we get up for them
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Personally, I’d love to see another large, banging forward to help muck things up, up front. The Kings still seem to struggle with the CAL, VAN type of teams.
Someone said Penner. Physically, he’s what I’m dreaming of but the salary is too high. Don’t know who he’d be but I’d know him if I saw him.
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I betting the season will end like this:
1. Chicago
2. San Jose
3. Vancouver
4. Calgary
5. Detroit
6. KINGS
7. Phoenix
8. Colorado
9. Nashville
Teams 4-9 will be separated by less than 10 pts.
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Bako I also think Penner would be a good fit, tho if you look around the league a power forward who can score 25-30 goals a season commands in the neighborhood to $4 million per season everywhere, so the cost doesnt bother me so much. I think we’d get a lot of bang for that level of bucks.
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Kovi will be a 10-11 mil per year salary hit for at least the next 6-7 years; probably more like 10. I love Kovi’s talent, but I don’t think he’s the final piece needed to win the cup. I’m starting to sour on this kind of trade since it might be the move that by itself sets the Kings back another 5 years; especially since the salary cap is shrinking.
I can live with DL not making any moves this year and continuing to build with this group. They’re in much better shape than so many teams in the league.
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No trade needed this season. A few bounces and its the first round. With the right match up perhaps even a few games into the second.
On thing, unlike the past the Kings may truly be a desirable team to come to. Games 3 & 4 of the 1st round would clearly show us what is really needed.
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VanKing: that’s OK to disagree. you do have roberto. he will get tired though and need some help, someplace. i forget your back-up, but for sure, he’s not at the same level; although, good. 17 road games: will be interesting to see how those potential 34 points add-up to.
so if Vancouver hits no soft areas in point obtaining, maybe Colorado. they’ve been hot all year; like Phoenix. i sort of agree with NOT IMPRESSED. we need to take OUR points, or it’s a moot point, but this grouping of teams, just on common sense says, some will tail off. just who will it be? injuries, unforeseen, will make a difference, too, besides a cooling off.
usually the KINGS tail-off, which goes to my general point about teams hitting a bad spell, but i don’t expect that this year from our little soliders.
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DB–
Kings may have just had their bad streak.
Just Saying…
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I said it two weeks ago, and Murray said it (finally) in his interview … EVERY game, from now on, is a playoff game. No games off for anyone. No mercy.
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I don’t think Kocalchuk is worth more than OV, Malkin or Crosby so I can’t justify in my mind how he can get more than 9. Even if he thinks that’s what he’s worth.
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Van the point on Forsburg isn’t really the same…. Older playermaker vs. young sniper. I would think the Playmaker role as a rental player is a bit tougher then coming in as a goal scorer.
Seeing people say Kovy is going to be the highest paid player in the league with a cap hit of over 9 million are crazy. Unless he signs a huge 1 or 2 year deal with a team it most likely will end up a long contract. The Hossa contract pays him top end money, but only has a cap hit of around 5.25 million.
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everyone except williams right?
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