ROB SCUDERI 
This season: 73 games, 0 goals, 11 assists, 21 penalty minutes, 19:16 average ice time.
The good: Before the season, Scuderi described himself as a player who usually only gets noticed when he does something wrong. It’s a credit to Scuderi that he didn’t get much attention this season. Scuderi proved to be an outstanding partner for Drew Doughty. He’s a solid presence on and off the ice and, in a “shutdown” defensive role, Scuderi was whistled for only eight minor penalties all season.
The bad: There’s little offense in Scuderi’s game, but he should never be judged by points. Could durability be an issue going forward, given that Scuderi plays such a hard-nosed game? And if Doughty’s minutes rise again next season, does Scuderi — who has never averaged more than 20 minutes per game — have the ability to keep up?
Going forward: Scuderi doesn’t come cheap — his cap hit is $3.4 million through the 2012-13 season, but he did exactly what the Kings wanted him to do this season, and then some, as he proved to be more of a vocal leader than most expected. There’s no reason to assume he won’t continue to be a valuable contributor, on and off the ice.
The only problem I have with him is that he can’t be a full time partner for Doughty, he isn’t good enough.
Doughty needs someone who at least has a little bit of offensive skill in order to keep up with him and play off of him a little (aka Seabrook to Duncan Keith).
Also as Rich mentions, Doughty WILL be getting into the 25/26 minutes per game ratio next season IMO and Scuds can’t or shouldnt play that many minutes.
It isn’t Johnson.. I really think the answer lies in FA… namely Dan Hamhuis. I think he is PERFECT to partner with DD. Slightly more offensive than Scuds/OD/Greene, but still excellent defensively.
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David Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
@VanKingsFan,
I disagree about no to Johnson. I think him and DD will pair up next season and play great.
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puck73 Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
@VanKingsFan, Hamhuis? NOPE, WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE Paul Martin, or Willie Mitchell. Hamhuis is not as good as either Webber, or Suter and would want too much money.
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NNYKings Fan Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 6:13 am
@VanKingsFan, Did it ever occur to you that one of the reasons DD had such a breakout season was that he had a defensive partner that allowed him to take more of an offensive role? If DD had more of an offensive thinking Dman as a regular (5 on 5) partner I can almost assure you that it would lead to 1: a change in pairings because 2: more breakout goals would be scored by opponents as a result of them pinching or taking offensive chances. As far as Time on Ice goes Scuds is not on the power play (as we all know) and that can account for much of the difference in TOI.
My other concern is this…. if we look at Quick and take into account that he may have been a bit burned out at the end of the season as a result of too much time, the same thing can happen to DD.
Please keep in mind that I still think that Quick was the right choice throughout the season (so please do not take the previous comment as a strike against either player) but I would hate to see DD not playing his best when the team needs him to be.
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Wow only 16 PIM. That’s increbible and speaks volumes about his play considering his minutes and often playing against the other teams top forwards.
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B+ Solid, dependable D-man. He is the perfect man to be playing with Drew. Would like to see him score at least 1 goal next season though.
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I said A because he did exactly what he was brought in to do. The Kings defense grew by leaps and bounds thanks to his help.
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the question is, now that Scuds has surprised by being more vocal and a “mentor,” does that make resigning OD less likely? I would think so especially with the depth of D-men in the system.
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I voted A.
As far as his game, he was perfect for what the kings brought him on board to do. His leadership is amazing for these young Kings.
You can’t really drop points based on not being able to keep up with Doughty. If someone told you at the top of the season, or even when he was drafted, that he would be a top defencemen, Norris Trophy finalist in his second year, I bed a ton would be skeptics.
I don’t see why He couldn’t keep playing with DD, depending on the minutes JJ Eats up with him on the PP.
Besides. Only 8 Minors all year? That’s impressive by -any- stretch. That’s .09 penalties a game.
Going forwards I see Scuds filling the role That OD is in now. A strong vetran presence, smart, crafty play. May not be top pairing in a few years, but he is and will continue to be a staple defence. You -Cannot- train people like Scuderi.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@Tmik, If you cant train him … how did he end up as good as he is??
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Tmik Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 9:27 am
@VanKingsFan,
Talent.
It’s like DD, you can’t teach what he knows.
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A.
My only problem with him is we need another one.
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Easily a B+/A vote to me. It is absolutely true that the only time you noticed him was when he made mistakes. Exactly what we needed from him this season/ Let’s hope he delivers next season, and maybe pairs up with one of your younger Defensmen and helps them along the way. With Odie gone I think Scuds could easily step into that “Father figure” experienced role model type leader for some younger defensmen in the system like Martinez, Voynov, Hickey (if he can stay healthy)
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B+
Came in and was as advertised plus some, but not enough to get an A out of me.
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Wouldn’t mintues be different anyways with DD playing on the PP and Scuderi not?
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Love the guy. We need more just like him. Definitely an “A” player.
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Worth every dollar. Great partner for Doughty, successful UFA pickup. Veteran defensive D’s with Scuderi’s profile don’t grow on trees.
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Who ever voted D, must have been a Ducks fan or something.
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A
Scuds is a perfect example of “you won’t miss him ’til he’s gone!”
16-PIMs as a shutdown guy is SICK! Now go get another Scuds to share minutes with Drew and help against the other teams top lines!!!
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Poor man’s Mattias Norstrom. Responsible, not flashy, and a great tutor to the young kids. He is one of the unsung heroes of this year’s team. Great pickup from DL.
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This has nothing to do with the evaluations, but just thought I would stick in a comment about Michael Cammelari (sp?) after watching him score his 10th and 11th of the playoffs. Not only is he scoring, but looks great in his own zone.
Do you think DL regrets letting him go? Personally, I think DL has such an ego that if any player sticks up for himself in negotiations, he is gone. Happened with Cammi and we lost him, and watch out….same thing might very well happen with Jack Johnson!
In the meantime…y’know that sniper we so desperately needed/need? Looking good in a Montreal uniform right now.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
@Larry,
Should we go back and second, and third guess every decision he has ever made? I didn’t notice anyone complaining about this during the regular season, or last year…
He is having a great play offs…no doubt, but its not fair to come out and now say “Huge mistake, terrible Dean Lombardi” If your ego thing were true Jack would have left last offseason instead of signing an incredibly discounted deal
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Larry Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
@VanKingsFan, This was not a second guessing move and I am sorry if it appeared that way. My point referred to the fact that the negotiations with Cammi came to a creetching halt when he asked for what he thought he was worth. That SEEMS to rub DL wrong. I simply feel that he is so old school that he wants every player to act as if having a chance to play NHL hockey is all that matters, and that things are as they were 20 years ago, when players had no leverage when discussing contract.
As for JJ, when he accepted the 2 year deal, I feel he really did not have much choice and is now biding his time until he has some leverage in negotiating.
Time will tell.
DL does not merit second guessing, as in virtually every trade he has made, the Kings have come out better after he made them.
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Traded For a Pick Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
@Larry,
eh, I would of still liked Cammalleri over Teubert but that’s just my opinion
neil Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
@Larry, one way to look it is that if we kept Camm. we wouldve won more games and not be able to draft DD… Right???
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As a penguins fan, I miss Rob “Scuds” “The Piece” Scuderi a whole lot. If it weren’t for the salary cap, he would still be a penguin. It has been nearly a year since he was a penguin and his presence still has not been replaced. He is definitely one of those guys whose value is way beyond stats(like a Derek Jeter). Enjoy him for everything he does, and if you guys win a Stanley Cup in the next few years, he will be one of the top 5 reasons why.
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Harry Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
@James,
Your Pitts may also lose game 7!
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i think a pairing of scuderi and greene would be a good pair.yes dd needs a partner to play with and jj is not the answer
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Stop talking about Camileri. Remember that he was an UFA last summer and got 6 million dollars a year from Montreal. Do you think the Kings should have signed him for that much?
Yes he is scoring for Montreal. Will he lead the Canadiens to a cup?
DL was just being pragmatic.
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Camelfairy as i like to call him was definitely not worth 6 mil+ a year. Think of it this way, would you rather have one Camelfairy (6 mil+) or a Dustin Brown (3.175 mil a year) and a Matt Greene(2.9 mil a year)?
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What I’d like to know is who is ready to come up? Voynov? Hickey? I’d think since Teubert isn’t playing he is not ready. Martinez – seems too small. I’m thinking pairings:
Dewey-JMFJ
Scuds-Voynov (or other younster)
Greene w/ Harrold/Drewiske platoon
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Traded For a Pick Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
@2hitnik,
seems to make the most sense. I don’t see the Kings going to snag a FA defender with the 500 or so prospects coming up. Voynov appears the most ready and pairing him with Scuds is the best idea. And I really hope they give Whiskey another chance since he looked pretty good.
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luc20rules Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
@2hitnik, Martinez is 4 inches and 25 lbs bigger than Hickey. Although Hickey is supposed to be a speedy offensive Visnovsky type.
@Traded for a pick,
Voynov will not be paired with Scuderi unless he looks so impressive that he is given 23 minutes per game. He will most likely be with Matt Greene for about
14 min/game, and may play #2 PP, but not PK.
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Gave him a A. “Scuds” was as advertised. He completely lived up to his billing. Would like to see the Kings get another one just like him to bolster the “D” so they can push farther into the playoffs next season. I don’t think we’re going to get another Doughty out of the prospects in the wings.
Speaking of Doughty, anyone know if there are any Orr quotes about Doughty? He must have seen him and heard some of the comparisons. I’d love to hear what he think about his “replacement.”
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I agree exactly with Quisp. Look at the Pens. I assure you they miss him, and on the slight chance that they get bounced by the Habs it would be only two reasons….. HAL GILL AND SCUDS
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puck73 Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
@number 6, You are so right, both Gill and Scuderi have made big impacts on their teams. Scuderi has been worth every penny the Kings signed him for and should be good for at least another 5 years depending on his conditioning. As far as another shutdown d man that is as consistent as Scuderi? Willie Mitchell fits the bill perfectly so long is he is concussion free.
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One of the highlights of this season was Scuds’ faceplant of Chimera…
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RICH
Will we not be voting on Purcell or Segal?
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yeah…i’m on the same page with all the other scud supporters…
“b+/a-”….
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Was the perfect vet to put with DD. Gets in A in my book.
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A
He was everything we could have hoped for. Not many smarter D’men in the league.
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luc20rules Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
@nykingfan, All the D we could hope for, but not a single goal? I rated him a B he did all he had the reputation for doing, but not a bit of offense.
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nykingfan Reply:
May 12th, 2010 at 6:01 am
@luc20rules,
Dude That’s sad if you are going to judge Scuds on his offense. His value is strictly in keeping pucks out of his own goal. That’s called winning hockey. There’s a reason he’s won a cup.
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A+
I had thought that this guy was overhyped coming from a Stanley Cup winning team. Then I saw him play. The guy just knows how to read and stop plays from happening. He’s as good as DD on the shutdown side. I don’t really care about his offense if he’s shutting down top line guys.
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Think Pittsburgh wishes they had him back after tonight’s loss? I would assume so. Teams win playoff series with players like Scuderi. Gald he is a Los Angeles King. B+ this year.
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