Ryan Smyth arrived in Los Angeles via trade last July, from Colorado in exchange for Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a fifth-round pick, but as much as anyone, Smyth chose to be with the Kings. He waived his no-movement clause to accept the trade, despite being 33 years old and having his family settled in the Denver area. Smyth finished this season with 22 goals and 31 assists, despite missing 15 games with an upper-body injury, and is cited as one of the major reasons why linemate Anze Kopitar took such a big step forward this season. Did joining the Kings this season match Smyth’s expectations and hopes?
SMYTH: “Obviously, looking back at it, and looking at the youth and the excitement on the team, I’ve said it before but I think it was the right choice. We did end up making the playoffs. Management did a good job of recruiting a couple guys who gave us that extra little move to get in. I thought we competed really hard, throughout the year, to be deserving of the playoffs. Right at the end there, we didn’t know where we were going to be slotted. That’s great for the league and that’s great for the team in itself. I see nothing but a bright future here.”
And it all started right here. There used to be a day when players didn’t want to come to the Kings and now it’s changed 180 degrees and it started with Smyth – thank you.
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54FIGHTING: Agreed!
In my 14 years of watching hockey (i know not much compared to most of you guys) I have never witnessed a line as dominant as Smyttie/Justy/Kopi in the first half of the season.
When Justin gets back to game shape over the summer it’s gonna be awesome again.
Justin – Ryan – Anze THANK YOU!
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@Matt George,
i hope jw can become that player we want him to be…
if we re-visit that deal…(here’s yr cue ANTHONY(Y))…i still think we got the best of it – by far…
pos is maybe a season or two away from being a career minor league player…no joke…i don’t think you can be a -142…(okay, he was only a -35)…and shy away from contact…(go to youtube…i think they have documentation of this if you haven’t seen it live)…and still be in this league…
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
@variable,
the “go to youtube” comment was not aimed at you, MATTY…of course…!
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54FIGHTING Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
@variable,
POS for a 4th round pick?
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Brent Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
@Matt George, What about the Palffy-Allison-Deadmarsh line?
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You forgot about Palffy/Allison/Deadmarsh for the two months they were together. Man that was prolific.
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 11:46 am
@Dan H…
in retrospect, i like to call that line the “what if…” line…
i always thought that if all three stayed healthy, they would have been the best line in the league that season…
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Deadmarsh Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 11:52 am
@variable, THAT was the perfect line!
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Dan H. Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@variable,
It always amazed me how Palffy could just dangle that puck like it was on a string and he had that quick first couple of steps and was gone. Also had that move of lifting the puck up as he crossed the middle and it came down just as he was wristing it on net.
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
@Dan H.,
ahhhh…the red line days….
i remember ziggy hanging out, dangling between his own blueline and the neutral zone….(geeez….remember when players actually were able to cherry pick…?)…waiting to get the feed from allison and have deader at his wing, ready to thwart an attack…
those three had amazing chemistry and total acceptance of their identities on that line…
we all got cheated that season…(!)
Cynic Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
@Dan H.,
Anyone remember that sweet pass Palffy made with the heel of his stick by banging it on the ground right behind the puck? I think he put it right on Deader’s blade. I remember Foxy commenting that it was a move players would only do in practice because it was so hard to execute. Palffy did it like it was nothing. Sweet pass. Totally fooled the Defense.
Tried to look for video, but to no avail.
HeyChief Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
@Dan H., I always thought the Palffy/Deadmarsh/Allison line was the best the Kings had since Dionne/Simmer/Taylor. Remember the Kings no.2 line of Smolinski/Stumpel/Murray. How great was that?
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KC23 Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@HeyChief,
Nah, the Nicholes line in the Gretzy area. He had a 70 goal season. SEVENTY GOALS that is obscene.
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HeyChief Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
@KC23, A great line consists of three players. No doubt Gretzky/Nichols combined for massive points. Do you remember their linemate(s)? My point about the Smolinski/Stumpel/Murray line was not to compare them to great 1st lines but to remind fans that they provided great 2nd line scoring during the Palffy/Deadmarsh/Allison period.
54FIGHTING Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
@HeyChief,
Wait, I’m the Chief? Anyway, their linemates were some slackers named Robitaille and Taylor. That next season we traded Nichols for Sandstrom and Granato. The big story was Kontos and his 9 goals in 11 games. I still remember him scoring one off his back as the shot came from the blueline and he turned away from it. He is now just a good trivia question like Dominique Lavoie.
Dan H. Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
@KC23,
54Fighting:
the Jeopardy question would be…what Kings defensemand had a hat trick from the point against the Redwings?
I have that game on VHS somewhere.
6 million dollars… i really wish he had a better slapshot for that price.
he’s a great addition to the team. I think he was the reason why some of the guys improved.
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i think the trade worked out well for both teams…
quincey fit in nicely with the avs, even though i think they would have wanted more production from him on the pp…
i think that smyth probably has another 25-30 goal season in him…if yr fro and you know that smyth is making $6 million on his deal (split with colorado), wellllll…
what makes the trade a good one is that salary split with the avs….
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Jeff Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
@variable,
Not to mention they took Preissing off our hands!!! Did he even play with the Avs big club this year?
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
@Jeff,
yep…absolutely…
if colorado doesn’t agree to take tp, that deal doesn’t get done…
tp didn’t get into a game this year for the avs…
i always thought tp was a good guy and i wonder how things got so bad for him, so fast…i wish him the best, as it seems obvious that his nhl days are way behind him…
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HawKings Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@variable, Agree with everything but I am a little confused by the “salary split”. I thought the NHL did not allow that (unless that is code for taking Preissing).
It is also noteworthy that according to nhlnumbers.com, Smyth only costs 5.5 next year and 4.5 the following year, which for cash flow purposes is good, even if the cap hit is 6.25.
Hopefully, Smyth is only the first of many to want to play for the Kings.
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luc20rules Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
@HawKings,
That is because he got a signing bonus and the contract was a bit front loaded. The reason the Salary Cap Hit is 6.25 mil is the way the Cap is calculated as an average per year over the life of the contract.
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I really hope Smytty retires a Kings. It’s hard to be a Canadian hockey fan and not like that guy. He’s total class and style.
The kids in LA will learn a lot from him and he’ll always be an important part of the team.
6 million might be a bit much, yes. but there’s till nothing wrong with his production, it could have been a lot better had he not had to miss the month of December.
man i loved that LAPD line. so fun to watch.
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Kopitar’s break out season lasted all of 18 games, after which he scored 20 goals, 33 assists for a total of 53 points in 64 games. He was only 2 goals and 2 assists better than 2 years ago. So as not to sound too bitter, I will say his defensive play has improved a lot.
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Was more than 14 years ago but Tomas Sandström, Tony Granato and some guy named Gretzky were pretty decent together too.
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
@smoKING gun,
yep…another great line…and one of my all-time faves…
definitely my fave line on the sega system…(!)
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Dan H. Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
@variable,
Putting Robitaille out with Gretz and sandstrom also gave Luc the all time scoring record for left wing’s that season.
Sandstrom was a freaking mule that didn’t move in front of that net. Just a classic tripod paying the price.
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sstephen17 Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 10:08 am
@Dan H., Sandstrom was my favorite King ever. I think it was against Edmonton but he broke his leg, came back later in the series and even scored a goal. In the Cup run, I believe he was the third leading scorer in the playoffs behind Gretzky and Gilmour.
NOW IMPRESSED Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
@smoKING gun,
Or what about when Gretzky and Bernie Nichols played together when the Kings were killing penalties. It was hard to tell which team was on the power play.
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That deadmarsh pallfy Allison line was the most dominant I’ve ever seen.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 11:30 am
@Hawaii Kings Fan, obviously too young to remember the Dionne – Simmer – Taylor line (Triple Crown line) … Simply THE most dominant line in ALL of hockey for a few years running.
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Smyth seemed to help Kopitar find his game which was a big help to the team.
His play in the second half left something to be desired…namely more production. His playoff stats were sub-par. His games played to goals ratio works out to something like 27 goals for the season. That is not enough for a winger making 6.5 million a year. He does not create space by playing tough nor does he help the overall team speed. He has something to prove next year and that something is that he deserves first line minutes. Age and injury may be a factor. I hope not but he needs to play better next season than he did the last half of this one.
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rick Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
@Crown Royal, Totally agree. I would love to see an upgrade at left wing on the first line.
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Demitra/Frolov/Conroy was dominant considering it was only together 1/4 of a season
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jpizzle313 Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
@Joe Dirt, they were awsome i always thought of them as the oh! $#!& line!!
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The Smyth acquisition was huge, because (as has been noted already) it shows now that players WANT to come to Los Angeles. Although it also makes you wonder how good Colorado could’ve been if Smyth had stayed (maybe they would’ve advanced?)
I’m still hopeful the Kings can get Marleau…. God, how great would that be, to steal a player from the Sharks?
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KC23 Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
@Kevin Y,
I’m betting that Marleau will be a King next year.
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54FIGHTING Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
@KC23,
MALIKI!
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Hey Rich what are the conditions of Smyth’s contract?
What is the cap space for this team? And what are the prospects of bringing back the guys in their contract years?
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As noted before, Smyth is a real class act. When my 7 year old son asked for any tips on how he could improve his hockey game, Smyth replied “remember to eat your vegetables”.
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The most dominant line ever on the Kings?
Dionne, Taylor, Simmer !
They were leading the league in scoring and were phenomenal.
Dionne the sniper
Taylor the corner man
Simmer the net man
The Triple Crown line!!
One of the top scoring lines in history!
But then (I saw it happen), heartbreak and legbreak—Simmer broke his leg and the Kings’ fans’ hearts were broken. It would never be the same.
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Barry's Mullet Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
@King John,
All the lines mentioned were awesome I’ve seen them all but the Triple Crown Line was truly in a league of their own.
When you want to put a line together this is the model all others use. King John summed it up well with the sniper, corner man and net man…prolific scorers all.
That pain in my chest was being reminded of when Simmer broke (understatement…how that guy played another game after that is amazing) his leg…that team was never the same until Luc and company arrived.
Great memories…time for some new ones!
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DLB Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
@King John, AMEN.
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variable Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
@King John,
of course….the triple crown line was the greatest…not even in question…
we weren’t ranking any of them…
just reminiscing…:)
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KC23 Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
@King John,
The thing about the Triple Crown line was how long they did it. None of the other best King lines lasted nearly as long.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 11:31 am
@KC23, and they did it in a very “offensive” period in the NHL, and they did it better than ANY line in the NHL, not just the Kings!
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How about the line of Goring, Corrigan, and Murphy? Probably not the best line ever, but the Kings first legitimate NHL caliber line that provided a real scoring threat.
The Triple Crown line was awesome.
Any line with Gretzky was great. But it seemed that he and Luc did not have any chemistry with each other.
As for the future, Kopitar should make us talk about him for a long time to come. His line mates could have some fun years ahead.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 11:32 am
@Gary L, certainly better than Goring – Murphy – Goldup, but not better than Goring – Murphy – Williams, and probably equal to Goring – Murphy – Jensen…
… and then there was Fox – Terrion – Jensen
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Gary L Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
@Marc Nathan, Terrion and Jensen did not last too long. Fox seems to ring a bell though.
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Good trade, but bad injuries.. Both Williams and Smyth are players the Kings gave up some young talent for and even though they had a great beginning of the season after Smyth went down he was NOT the same and the same with Williams after his broken leg not the same at all. I know with their past injuries, maybe their age, and with recovering from their current injuries it’s hard to get back in there so looking forward to a big season from both players because really disappointing to see them play so great and then just never look the same. I didn’t bring up Wanye, but he struggled after he was injured. I guess the bright side of this is that they all worked their butts off to get back in the line up and Simmonds also did a lot more than I think Smyth and Williams combined. Excited to see what management does to improve the team and fill in the empty spots after free agency.
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