Dean Lombardi was a guest on the NHL Network/SiriusXM show “NHL Live” this morning, talking about the Kings and the upcoming draft. They managed to hold it to 15 minutes, which is highly impressive… To check out the interview, you can click below…
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I listened live and thought he came across very well, considering that once again, all of his answers were obvious and from the International Book Of Organ-Eye-Zational Cliches… He just delivers them with a sprinkling of sugar, and doesn’t miss a beat.
If they’d have taken calls I would have happily told him how cordial Hexy and Terry Murray were in Manchester when I saw them last week. And, they HAD to be excited about the play of Bernier, Muzzin, Loktionov and company (Clifford was all over the map, but him too
)
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i guess i commented on this a bit early on the previous thread…
i will wait to hear what all y’all’s interpretations are…;)
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
@variable,
I loved the words:
“Well, we still aren’t scoring enough 5 on 5…”
Both the Kings and the Monarchs need more scorers. The whole organization has finally progressed to the point where pulling in scoring talent can be justified as the next major step in creating a Stanley Cup contending franchise.
I’m eager to see what he’s going to do. Schenn is obviously one important piece. Even with him I think the team needs another top 6 forward, and with Fro likely not returning, make that two…
The Sharks are likely going to make at least one if not two major changes. Tampa Bay is going to go the long-rebuild route, if Stevie Y as GM is any indicator. DL wants to avoid those long-term contracts as long as possible…
Betcha he goes the short-term show-me-watcha-got route, with a one or two year deal with some middle of the road FA, or makes a deal for a last-year of contract player with someone like Martin St. Louis.
I mean, look at Chicago! They are win-this-year or bust… He wants to avoid that kind of all-my-chips-are-in year for as long as he can. All of those contract calculations made by you and Quispie the last 18 months STILL HOLD. He wants to keep the key players.
What was interesting is that he did not mention Dustin Brown. I don’t think Mr. Brown is in that category, and I think he might be part of a trade package this off-season.
Another interesting thing is that Manchester’s great run was only mentioned in passing, and no players save Bernier from that team were mentioned. Perhaps that’s an indication DL sees now the lack of game-changers down there, save for Bernier. There may be quite a few plug-in kind of third and fourth line players, but no potential stars. When matched up against dominant competition like Hershey’s forwards, Bernier and the D-men held their own, but none of the Monarchs forwards really stepped up. I know, injuries, but still the skill gap was huge, and cost them the series.
I feel the sands shifting. No more sneaking up to other teams. No more Yankee my Wankie! The Donger needs food! The Kings need scoring, and DL thinks it’s time.
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variable Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
completely agree…re: 5 on 5 scoring…
and i also agree that there might be some doubts creeping up in the back of dl’s mind about whether or not he’s gonna get a true top-six out of camp next season…
but the biggest issue is how he will address this…:
if you follow the plan, you stay the course and use the “plugger” system until you got yr prospects ready to fill the voids…
but maybe it’s time to make some decisions on some of the youth sooner than later…
i could totally see dl selling many of these guys for nhl-proven players…if the price is right…
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DougS Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
@variable + Bako,
You guys are probably onto something, and if so, it would be a continuation of DL’s attitude shifting since the comeback win against Detroit in January — i.e., “We’re buyers now, not sellers.” So I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the moves this summer is a short-term deal with a proven scorer, as Bako says.
But I don’t think it will be because he has given up on Manchester based on the championship series. IIRC, holly posted here pointing out the Hershey is loaded with AHL lifers, which was bound to skew the series against Manchester.
I think it’s more that he wants to hedge against Loktionov or Moller not being ready for the top 6 next year, as opposed to giving up on them all together.
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
@DougS,
It’s not the lifers on Hershey that made the point. Actually, the defensive scheme of the Monarchs limited the Bears’ “stars” so much that Hershey almost blew the series. Of all the Hershey players I was most impressed with Neuvirth, their goalie, who kept them in game after game until their “stars” or whomever could slip in a goal.
What that series taught me is that there isn’t a great top line future NHL forward on that Monarchs team. There are some very impressive third and fourth line potential NHL forwards there but no one player that can stand a head above what the Kings have now in FIVE ON FIVE scoring. Perhaps Moller has the speed but has not had the finishing capability; Loki has the hands but not the size, and does he have the engine to drive the body to elite NHL levels? Cliche has made strides but is likely targeted to be bottom-six level. The others have borderline NHL talent or less, even though players like Clifford and Holloway have the heart. Lewis should have shined in that series, but was largely absent; injury?
The Monarchs played a great series against Hershey. There were three overtime losses! But they were worn down by the Bears, physically.
–The Kings/Monarchs need to be the ones to do that to other teams. Wear them out, physically!
I think DL saw that this spring, and he’s poised to do something about it. You and I pretty much agree, I think…
Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy re Monarchs/prospects:
I respectfully disagree that the Monarchs forwards don’t have anyone who projects to top line or top six or whatever it was you said. These are children you’re talking about. Moller could have been in his last year of juniors had he not made the Kings out of camp two seasons ago. Loktionov would still have a year of juniors eligibility left and couldn’t have played in the AHL this year, since he was 19; but the lack of agreement with the russians allowed him to play minor pro despite being literally the youngest player in the entire league.
And those two players, if their line of Parse/Loktionov/Moller had stayed together all year, would likely have led the league in scoring in the AHL.
I don’t think Moller’s finish is really in doubt. This was, after all, our leading scorer on the PP before he left for the WJCs in the middle of his rookie season.
And there is a long list of players smaller than Loktionov who are quite successful in the NHL.
We just have to wait for them to grow up.
Clifford will probably make the big club in the fall. Well, maybe he plays another year of juniors; but I expect him to get a longer look than last year (where he was the last cut).
Cliche, as you mention, a defensive forward. As is Lewis, really. King seems like he might work out as a bottom-sixer, too. Who are we forgetting? Holloway, Gauthier, Zeiler… Well, maybe Holloway has a shot, I don’t know. I wouldn’t count on it.
The top-six forwards in the pipeline are Parse, Moller, Loktionov, Schenn, Kozun, maybe Clifford, and maaaaybe Wudrick. Elkins and Kaunisto are wild-cards. Azevedo needs work, apparently. Roe is years off.
Moller, Schenn and Clifford — I would bet the farm they will all have NHL careers. Loktionov is probably my favorite prospect of the moment (changes weekly), but he seems to have some maturity issues (beaver-tailing, etc.) that keeps him off the “bet the farm” list for the time being.
Another funny thing about Loktionov. He frequently looks invisible. Even when he’s scoring. I watched every game of the Windsor playoffs last year, and I would find myself thinking what’s up with him, and he would end up with three points and the GWG goal half the time. Robitaille was like that, too, remember. “What is he, asleep?” followed by bing bang boom, Kings win.
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wavesinair Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
@Quisp, re: maturity – what is “beaver-tailing” ?
variable Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
@Quisp,
i love lokti…!…i think he’s gonna be a good one…perhaps all-star caliber…
besides lokti, whom we both are high on, who would you think has the best shot at cracking the top six out of camp…?
i think that most of us share the optimism you do…but the truth is that some of these guys will only go so far…i do believe that dl is starting to re-think his position on the potential of some of what he’s got…long-term financing might also have something to do with it, if not solely expediting the decision-making process…just a thought…
Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
@wavesinair,
beaver-tailing: slapping your stick on the ice, “pass to me me me me!” He’s been cured of the habit, I understand.
I think Bernier, Schenn, Muzzin, Clifford, Hickey and Lewis (maybe in that order) have a shot this fall. I think Moller obviously has a shot, but his fate is more or less pre-ordained; he can do what he did this year, go back and forth, until he makes himself irreplaceable. Loktionov will get more chances with the Kings, as a call-up most likely, but it would take either a spectacular camp from him or a catastrophic failure from a roster player (or an injury) for him to be able to make it out of camp. I am more comfortable imagining Loktionov two years from now than this year.
Smyth/Kopitar/Williams
LW2/Stoll/Brown
LW3/Handzus/Simmonds
LW4/Richardson/RW4
F13, F14
Parse, Schenn, Clifford, Moller, Clune, maybe Modin, almost certainly Frolov or a comparable UFA forward.
There’s a Marleau/Frolov/UFA model. And there’s a big trade (Williams and Stoll and package for Iginla) model. Either way, I think Lombardi wants one new veteran face in the top six, and one in the top four d, and then will take the best of Parse, Schenn, Clifford, Moller, et al, for the remaining spots. Also, there’s Hickey v. Voynov, and Teubert v. Muzzin. (and Bernier v. Quick.)
quickly, because i’m late for an appt: the reason to hold onto the prospects is that Lombardi needs a steady stream of them to ripen, a few each year, so that all his contracts don’t come due at the same time. It’s good if Muzzin works and Teubert takes longer, if Voynov works and Hickey takes longer. Otherwise it would be a contractual nightmare…
Duckhunter Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 1:05 am
@Quisp,
I definitely agree with your assessment of player skills. My concern is I don’t think any of them are going to be truly ready for years(top six). As you alluded too they are all extremely young and need to develop and become men as you also stated. Two years minimum to contribute, 3 years to make a difference in my view. So that leads me to believe we need to search for top 6 skill now to help our team the next couple years till these guys ripen.
quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
p.s. Chicago isn’t win or bust. They’re win and bust.
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luc20rules Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
@quisp, All, but 1 thing about hockey makes me think that Chicago will win the Stanley Cup this year. HOSSA or Mr. Susan Lucci. I really like the idea of the Stoll & Williams + for Iginla, but I don’t know if Calgary is up for it after being ragged on about the Phaneuf deal.
tantrum4 Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:48 am
@quisp,
Really, who cares? If they win the Cup this year the mission is accomplished. I’d rather win the Cup one year and have to shed salary the next, than to never win a Cup at all and have cap space for years to come. The ultimate goal is to win the Cup, not to have the most cap space, draft picks, or prospects.
wavesinair Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 9:26 am
@tantrum,
I think everyone agrees with you. As far as caring about Chicago goes, I do. But only insomuch as their loss may be our gain. Whether it’s a player we may pick up or just that they are less good than they are now. In either case, we want them to go bust.
Quisp Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
@tantrum
Ask fans in Anaheim, Carolina or Tampa if they’re happy with their one cup win, followed by descent into crappiness.
I would absolutely not want the Kings to win the cup and then have to dismantle the team. What Chicago has done (and I have been saying this for about a year now) is mind-bogglingly idiotic.
I would even go so far as to say that one cup doesn’t mean that much. Yes, I know, it’s a huge deal if you haven’t ever won one. But you want to put yourself in a position to win two or three, or more, over a period of years.
Look. In the history of the league, you’ve got franchises like Montreal, Edmonton, Detroit, the Islanders, Toronto (oh sooo long ago), who have dominated for a stretch of years. Those arguably are dynasties, or quasi-dynasties. The 70s Bruins and to a lesser degree the 70s Flyers are nearly but not quite in that group.
Then there’s a steep drop off to the rest of the teams. Pittsburgh has three cups, one in the last 15 years. They could be an elite team, in historic terms, but they aren’t yet. There’s New Jersey, Chicago, the Rangers, they’ve won half a handful. Then there’s everyone else. Call them the cup-winning losers. The teams with one cup. How much respect do you get for that?
Why does San Jose seem like a better franchise (with no cups) than Carolina or Tampa?
Especially in Gary bettman’s world of forced parity, it’s possible for a team that could easily have been 17th overall (but for a shootout on the last game of the year) to win the cup.
I will not be satisfied with a cup in 2012 (to pick a year) followed by years of lottery picks. F that.
Seriously, Montreal and Philly — Cinderella playoff runs. And they could easily both miss the playoffs next year.
shades Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
WHy does everyone keep talking about how Chicago is a “win-this-year or bust situation. All they have to do is keep a few of their core players and fill in the gaps as they go.
Just like Detroit has done for 20 years now.
Is Detroit a win-this-year or bust club? Never…they keep core players…have great drafts…add key members by trading deadline and continue to WIN.
AND, if a club was ever to be a winthisyear etc.. club, let it be the Kings one year and WIN THE FRIGGING CUP. Hell, they’ve been rebuilding off and on forever, so throw a CUP in there once in awhile and who gives a shit.
I’d rather win the CUP and then rebuild for a few years than have a perrenial, make-it-to-the-playoffs-and-out-in-one-or-two-rounds loser like SAN JOSE where our friend DL came from.
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variable Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
@Quisp…
excellent overview…
i think today’s gm’s and owners are challenged by a very uncertain, economic future…and because of the escalating cost of second-contract players, it’s gonna be difficult for the best-of-the-best to remain competitive for the long haul w/out minor gaps of digression…it’s not impossible, of course…
chicago totally went all in…and we all saw this coming…the keith signing…the hossa signing…etc..
what’s amazing to me is that the fans in chicago appear to be completely the opposite in their sentiments towards the point you make in re: fans in cities who are “one and done”…just being able to win one friggin’ title in any sport for chicagonians seems to be top priority…
and i think that fan culture…desperate to be winners on any level…was consumed and drank…much-like yr kool-aid…by blackhawk management…
i think when you go sooooo long without winning anything, people are willing to sacrifice parts of their future for quick gains and fame…
and, quite honestly, there are no guarantees even if you plan ahead…
i might no be satisfied by “one and done”
you might not be…
but…something tells me that the city of chicago might beg to differ just this one time…
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Quisp Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
@variable,
That’s a great point. Maybe the Lakers (and even the Dodgers) change the landscape here a bit. Don’t get me wrong, when the Kings win the cup I will be the happiest person I know. I just think it’s shortsighted to build something you know you have to tear down.
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In other GM news… good on Tampa Bay hiring Stevie Y. I have a feeling Tampa will get a lot better before things get worse.
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variable Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
@VanKingsFan,
yeah…was happy to see that happen, too…!
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DougS Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
@VanKingsFan,
Especially since Ron Hextall was apparently a candidate as well. Always sucks when your able assistants promoted away from you, even though that sort of thing is inevitable (ahem, Dave Tippett, ahem….).
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luc20rules Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
@DougS, Just had to pick at that open wound, didn’t you OUCH! Loved Dave Tippet really didn’t remember any bad times when he was running our power play.
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tantrum4 Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:50 am
@luc20rules,
Do you remember any bad times with our power play now? 7th overall in the league and #1 in the playoffs? I don’t think it was at that level when Tippett was our power play coach.
DellaNooch Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
@VanKingsFan, They better improve in Tampa Bay, they had more talent and experience previous to the Stamkos/Doughty picks and they almost finished last year and close to the bottom this year too!
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Great stuff, ty. All King fans, this is worth a listen.
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Geez again…the Captain is not going anywhere…
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rick Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
@Oz, Totally agree with you. Guys with drive, intensity and leadership skill do not grow on trees. Plus, he is still young with much upside talent wise.
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luc20rules Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
@Oz, I think at wasn’t mentioned there, because at age 25 he is the greybeard of the core they were talking youth. He will be 26 in November while entering his 7th NHL season. You can’t let a player with that much heart, leadership, and heavy play walk away.
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One thought: Anyone who is enough of a simpleton to believe that comparing the $6 mil/year that Ryan Smyth is making to the $6 mil/year that DL refused to pay Cammalleri needs to listen to the last two minutes of that clip.
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DougS Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
@DougS,
That is to say, anyone who is enough of a simpleton to believe that comparing the two is an apples-to-apples comparison….
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variable Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
@DougS,
to look past that comparison for a minute, here’s a question for you…:
who is actually worth $6 million a year in the league nowadays…?
that’s a very short list…and in today’s nhl, both smytty and cammy shouldn’t be on it…
to me, this is an issue of owner/gm culture…
can they police themselves…?
no…
an all-too-familiar answer to the question we seem to be asking ourselves in many other facets of life besides sports…
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
@variable,
“Can they police themselves…?”
I think of my eight year old son playing with his nine year old cousin–and I laugh hyterically… ROFLMAO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWgs6YQR9A
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
hyterically = hysterically
variable Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
doo doo da doo doo…da doo doo doo…to you, too…:)
Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
@DougS et al re Smyth:
It’s not $6MM/year, it’s $3MM/year. Unless you think Colorado wanted Tom Preissing.
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DougS Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
@Quisp,
A good point — and yet another reason why it astounds me to read comments that ask (seriously, it seems) why the Kings are paying Smyth $6 mil/year when they refused to pay Cammalleri that much.
To me, good reasons were obvious at the time, and they are still valid. One is, of course, that it seemed unlikely that he would re-sign with the Kings. The other is that, as DL said in that interview, veterans get bigger contracts based on past performance. To give Cammy as much money in his early 20′s as Smyth is making in his mid-30′s would have set up Cammy to consume an even larger share of the cap later in his career.
But I suppose that’s too subtle a concept for the Cammy revisionists to wrap their heads around it.
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WWAMD Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
@DougS,
DL is a major moron when it comes to “contracts”
The guy just doesn’t get it.
Why would you pay a “vet” more money based on past performance…PASR performance is in the PAST!!!
How much did the “vets” help the Kings in the playoffs?
How’s Chicago doing? All those Vets on that team seem to be worth it…oh wait…There are NO VETS
Then he contradicts his pay Vets crap with paying Kopitar a lot of money.
He needs to fess up and admit he f’ed up large on Cammy.
And Justin Williams is a waste of space
Dean seems to preach that every good army needs a villian….
Well Dean every successful army needs a SNIPER.
We had a sniper…and LA does not have any coming from the prospects pool…So we need to excersise the Free Agent pool…COUGH KOVI COUGH and get our sniper. Cause if you don’t have someone that scores at will on the team, then you got nothing. Kane Towes, Sharp, Richards, Carter. What do we got?
Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
@DougS,
He absolutely was NOT going to sign with the Kings unless he got $6-7MM, which he could not be given, and has not been worth since he left. Yes, he did great in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Not so much in the third round. Why is that? It was observed after the second round that there was simply no way Montreal could sustain its insanely high shooting percentage and insanely high SV%. Eventually, they had to revert to the mean. And they did. And they played like they played all season, i.e. not very well.
Anyone who wants to play the thought experiment where Lombardi gives Cammalleri $6MM, just go ahead and jack up contracts of Kopitar, Brown, POS, and Johnson. Conservatively, I think you would be adding about $3MM to those deals (yes, I know POS isn’t here). And these are long-term deals. They wouldn’t be off the books by the time we need to pay Doughty, Simmonds, Johnson, Moller, Bernier, etc.. the big bucks. Smyth, who costs us $3MM not $6MM because of the Preissing swap, is here for leadership and to be the guy standing in front of the net with his ass in the goalie’s face. If you think Cammalleri does that, well, har de har har.
He’s valuable. No question. But you have to decide who you want on your team. And the choice is not between Smyth and Cammy. It’s between Kopitar or Brown and Cammy. If you think a GM can just wave his magic wand and pay everyone what everyone’s agent thinks they should get — well, it helps to be able to add.
Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
@wwamd
Lombardi is a moron when it comes to contracts? And your evidence of this would be…?
Contracts for Brown, Johnson, POS, Quick (all RFA contracts) came in lower than everyone thought they would. Contracts for UFAs (Handzus), you have to pay market value. Players acquired via trade (Smyth), you’re taking on their pre-existing contract, and in Smyth’s case Lombardi sent Preissing back. That was the price the Avs had to pay to get someone to take on that salary.
It’s not a question of whether veterans should get paid more than players who haven’t proved anything yet; because veterans become unrestricted free agents and can call the shots. RFAs don’t. It’s like you think it’s stupid that Spiderman #1 costs you more than the latest issue.
Chicago has no veterans, uh huh, yeah, other than Hossa, Campbell, Madden, Boynton, Johnsson, Sopel and Huet. That’s seven guys over 30. The Kings have…seven. Or did, after adding Modin and Halpern. If you want to compare super young guys, the Kings have 5 players 23 or under; the Hawks have 4.
Yes, a sniper would be good. I don’t know why you think there are no snipers among the prospects. Like you would know. However, Moller, Loktionov and Kozun come to mind.
You understand that if Lombardi signs Kovalchuk at the price he’s asking for, it will mean eventually giving up one or more of the players he’s trying so hard to keep. (Brown, Kopitar, Johnson, Doughty, Simmonds — pick a couple of those and trade them away.)
Anonymous Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
@WWAMD, To answer your question, we’ve got Dustin Brown (3.175 mil), who scored 2 goals less than Cammy (6mil) , one goal less than Toews (6.3mil) and Sharp (3.9mil)
Anze Kopitar who score 1 more goal than Richards and 3 more than Carter and 4 more than Kane …both locked up to GOOD contracts.
FYI – Smyth had more point point than Cammi during the regular season and largely is to credit for Kopi’s breakout season, who did Cammi help? And don’t say Plakanec, he made Cammi look good.
Kevin Y Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
@DougS,
Only difference I see is that Cammalleri didn’t want to play for LA, and Smyth waived his NTC to come to LA.
Not only that, but when Cammalleri had one year left on his contract (a couple seasons ago, right?) we weren’t strong defensively. This was right before TM came and turned it around (I think he doesn’t get the credit he deserves).
Also, considering we had Kopitar and Handzus, we didn’t need to pay another C $6M. Not only that, but giving $6M to Cammy would’ve set a precedent for Kopitar. And at least $6M for your 2nd center?
I always liked Cammalleri since he made his debut with us, but I love Smyth also. He’s the kind of player that we need at this stage of the team’s development. Are they comparable players? Maybe not, but I don’t have as much a problem paying him that $6M than others may.
(BTW, technically his ’10-’11 salary is $5.5M, and $4.5M in ’11-’12. Salary cap hit is still $6.25M, but it’s not as bad out-of-pocket)
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luc20rules Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
@Kevin Y, I agree and will add you forgot about the got rid of Preissing discount of 3 mil/yr cap hit.
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Kevin Y Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
@luc20rules,
Good point. DL always had intended to trade Preissing after he was no longer worth the contract he signed (which was the day BEFORE he signed it).
It’s a good thing we had all that cap space to take on a contract. I think it was too much of a contract the Avs offered Smyth after the ’06-07 season, so it was a case of both GMs trying to move bad contracts.
And for Colorado, getting Quincey for $525,000 was pretty good. Although since Preissing played only 4 games for the Avs, the cap hit there wasn’t really bad.
But it also makes the trade look like Smyth for Quincey and a draft pick. Smyth is 34, and Quincey is 24. So only time will tell just how good of a trade this was for both teams.
Anonymous Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
@Kevin Y, Pressing wasn’t playing for us either, he was in Manchester or scratched, so it makes them pay his salary instead of us and a prospect gets to develop.
It’s easy for you to say the Avs offered Smyth too much money after O6′-07, if you do not account for the bidding war there was for his services. That was the cost of securing him, it’s the reality of UFAs and all the top UFA get top dollar.
So let’s recap, we gave up Quincy (great player) and Pressing (terrible player, bad contract) for Smyth (great play and leader). Seems like a good trade to me.
Rich,
Anyway you can start using something beside Flash for the video and audio features? iPhones and Flash don’t work…
. YouTube does!
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The comment Lombardi made that I found surprising was when talking about Doughty he said he still isn’t in great shape yet. I got the vibe that he wants Kopitar in even better shape as well. Very good interview, and you could tell that he is going to be cautious, and rightfully so, about spending on UFA’s with Johnson, Doughty, Simmonds, and Bernier needing to be signed long term. The contract given to Niclas Backstrom by Washington probably caused a stir amongst GM’s all over the league.
I totally agree with his point on trying to improve 5-5. I would also say that the Kings will need to be a faster team next season as well.
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Question for you all:
When playing the above video (or any video on the Kings Vision website) does anyone else experience this problem…?
When a video is playing, a phantom audio track starts playing over the top so that you are hearing 2 audio tracks at the same time…
It happens to me almost every time I play a video.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
@wavesinair,
I don’t have that problem on this site, but i sometimes do from the actual Kings Vision site. O think it only happens when my mouse passes over top of one of the video links below the main screen (if that makes sense…)
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Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
@wavesinair,
My answers the exact same as Vans.
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luc20rules Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
@wavesinair, it happened once I closed the window, and the audio was normal no more shadow.
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wavesinair Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:47 am
thank you. i’ll see if i can pinpoint the cause and report it.
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Duckhunter Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@wavesinair,
Waves, that happens to me sometimes when I watch sitcoms or movies on-line. When I click load or play, advertisements would pop up, only they would pop up behind the screen I was viewing. So I would have the movie and basically a commercial playing at the same time. Obviously I minimize the screen and close the ad. Don’t know if that helps or not.
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today i had to uninstall and reinstall my flash player…
i wonder if something’s up….?
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wavesinair Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
@variable, for me, the audio issues have been going on for OVER a year. maybe I should do the same as you…
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Well I’m glad Dean Lombardi recognizes the needs for better 5 on 5 scoring and better transition from the back. It’s obvious! Now the questions remains WHO ARE WE GETTING?
PATRICK SHARP?
Is Thomas Hickey ready? Voinov?
We need answers Dean!
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WWAMD Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
@Chris P. Bacon,
Thumbs Up!
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Quisp Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
@WWAMD, @crispy
I actually thought you two were the same guy.
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kyle Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:44 am
@Quisp, there is still no proof they are not the same guy. sock puppetry may live here on this site…
I listen almost every morning but today I had turned off XM early and didn’t hear that he was going to be on. Thanks for the video Rich.
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A few comments:
1) Dean hasn’t decided what he is going to do this summer. He still has time to think about it and see what is out there, and how much the cost will be.
2) This man is not dumb. He knows what players he needs to keep.
3) No not every deal he has made has been great. But PLEASE stop bringing up Cammileri. Just because another team is stupid enough to pay him 6 million a year, does not mean the Kings should pay that much to keep him. In one year, Cammileri would be worth zero as a team asset, and it was wise for DL to trade him. Spending 6 million on him would have consumed cap space that would have depreived the team down the road.
This would have been stupid. The whole discussion comes up because he was hot for 2 series. Yet he was nearly invisible for the Philly series and made a marginal contribution the regular season. Worht 6 million? You be the judge.
I concur with the comment above, in the cap era it is all about math !!! Enough already about Cammileri !!!
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shades Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
@Steve S.,
Hasn’t decoided what to do yet? DOn’t you think he should be on that? Summer is here already! He should have a general idea by now of what he’s going to do.
And nobody should have to stop talking about Cammalleri. The guy scored goals here and he’s scoring there…last I hear was 3-4 goals ahead of the next closest goal scorer and he did this with an offensively stiffling Montreal team. Any team that goes 24 minutes with one shot and has several periods of 2, 3, or 4 shots as they did in the playoffs is not exactly a stellar offensive powerhouse.
And, while he may not be dumb…DL has not proven anything with the Kings…let’s see him get us home ice this year and win a ocuple of rounds. The guys not a hockey god yet.
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Question for someone with cap space knowledge…
wasn’t smyth’s contract structured so that only like 5.5 million goes against the books next year and 4.5 the following year? thanks.
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wavesinair Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:48 am
@josh e., nhlnumbers.com confirms exactly what you said.
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GoKings09 Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 9:46 am
@josh e.,
Yes, you are right that in terms of actual dollars he will be paid in salary for the next two years it is 5.5 and 4.5 million dollars and this matters pretty much only to owners since they have to actually pay them. The cap hit is the total average salary that he would make if he was paid the same ever year which is 6.25 for Smyth and this matters much more for GM’s(or fans playing GM) because of the salary cap, so while Smyth may be making less in actual money he still hurts our cap room by having a hit of 6.25 million.
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Something tells we wont sign any big UFA contracts until Doughty’s contract is done. Then they’ll have a better idea of what kind of cap space they have, a trade is more likely.
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Swemike Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 8:28 am
@JJ4Pres,
Exactly!
Listen up kids! Kovalchuk will NOT be coming here. Marleau will NOT be coming here.
Get used to it.
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JJ4Pres Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 10:42 am
@Swemike,
We’ll end up overpaying a little for Hamhuis and trading for Versteeg. Thats my prediction.
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I hate to mess up all your line combos and thoughts, but Williams will be shipped out, bought out or traded.
He will no way be the player they need to be with Kopy & Smyth period. All you Kings fans out there are way off base if you think Williams is a complete player. He has been nothing but a bust since the day DL gave him a chance to play for the Kings. I don’t care what chemistry he had at the start of last season with Kopy & Smyth. To me he doesnt exist this season. Move on.
All of you are dreaming and have wishful thinking on Williams.
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wavesinair Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 9:20 am
@Kings Fan Since72, I’ll say this…if history is any indication, he will get injured again this year. I think he has that much rope left with Deano. One more chance. If he stays uninjured, I think he redeems himself and will have a productive year. I certainly don’t doubt his determination, but I do think it’s fair to place the “prone to injury” tag on him at this point.
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GoKings09 Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 9:53 am
@wavesinair,
I would agree with you that it’s fair to place the “prone to injury” tag on him(although broken bones are more freak things that can’t be prevented and he did come back incredibly quickly), but to say he is not a complete player as Kings Fan Since72 did is pretty off base. When completely healthy, Williams did show some chemistry with Smyth and Kopitar and even if he doesn’t come back to be our top-line RW next season, I don’t think its unreasonable to expect him to contribute something even on one of the lower lines. You can’t really count the end of the season against him because he was coming off an injury quite early and just didn’t have the same confidence in his leg since it was so soon.
If Williams has another injury this year, can the Kings put him on the DL or whatever and have him not count against the cap while he is hurt? I think so but am not sure and figure Quisp or someone would know.
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Quisp Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
@GoKings09,
Effectively (though not exactly), a player on IR doesn’t count against the cap. The reality is that a team is allowed to go over the cap by up to the amount of the cap hit of the injured player.
Just wanted to ad my 2 cents on Cammy and the $6M question.
When they moved Cammy, the Kings weren’t even close to making the playoffs, so not only would that money go to waste but it would have cost the team millions in other contracts becasue he would have set the bar to high.
It was a strategic move that had to be done and as much as I would like to see Cammy in Kings colors, best to let him go. He’s also a bit of a selfish player and not very loyal to anyone one team…so let other teams deal with him and his next contract.
Very good player but he’s no Luc Robatille!
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rick Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 11:13 am
@Barry’s Mullet, I don’t disagree with anything you say, but do want to point out that Cammy performed in the playoffs WAY better than our own $6M man – Smyth. I still wonder whether Montreal got more for their $6M than we did.
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Barry's Mullet Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
@rick,
1. Cammy had playoff experience with the Flames
2. No one took Montreal seriously to their own detriment
3. Montreal has way more talent and experienced players than the Kings.
4. Cammy is a very good player. He just kept it simple and continued to do what he always does which is get that shot off fast and on net. Props to him and Montreal for making it as far as they did.
5. Finally…Smyth was not brought in just to score goals, he was brought in to lead by example and show these kids what it takes to win and make it in the NHL…worth every penny!
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Steve S. Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
@Barry’s Mullet,
Agree with everything you said. It is irritating that people keep bringing this up as if somehow Cammileri would have been some type of messiah for this team.
Water under the bridge anyway–keep it in the rearview mirror.
shades Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
@Barry’s Mullet,
Yes, Smyth led by example…he showed everyone how to fall down in the corners and showed J Williams how to get hurt by going into the corners and having no idea how to protect himself. He’s ok, but he’s not a top line forward…no way! He’s be on the 3rd line of any excellent team.
DL keeps talking about how hard it’ll be to sign the young players first before he can move toward FA. Isn’t that the price of rebuilding through the draft!
All of these kids will get to the point where they’ll be good enough to be playing and are in line to get paid. The Kings knew this when they went that route and act surprised at where the salaries have gone in the last few years. It’s all BS to me, shut up and win already.
This is NHL, players are getting paid more and more each year. Figure out who you can afford and win with and trade the rest of them for guys that know what’s up and then let’s blow it all up in 5+ years and start all over again. That’s the nature of pro sports today, nothing will be built for the long haul anymore because it’s a fast food marketplace. The Draft should be done is a drive-thru!
Time is ticking on this rebuild and all they can talk about is money…that’s all this ownership ever cared about when they bought the team. Lowball this player then trade him. Looks like the old saying holds true…as much as things change they still stay the same.
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shades Reply:
May 26th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
@KOHO,
Well stated…I’ve been saying this for awhile now and I always get shouted down.
The Kings face the same problems as everybody else which is what I’ve been saying to several people here who keep saying that the Blackhawks are a “win-now-or-bust”. They’re not! All they have to do is keep their core players, draft well and then fill in the gaps at trading deadline just like Detroit has done for 20 years now.
The Kings face the same problems potentially as any team. Any great young players are going to get theirs…like Doughty, JJ (though not as much-mark my words…he’ll be gone in a few years because of a money issue.
Pay the price…win a cup and THEN REBUILD again. If you have a system in place, as does Detroit…there is a way to continually put a great team on the ice.
If they don’t add some scoring punch and get a stopper kind of goalie (hopefully it’s Bernier), the Kings will make the playoffs a few times and bow out just like DL’t “masterpiece” San Jose is doing.
AND, now San Jose has to start rebuilding soon without having won the cup.
Some people just don’t see the big picture which evidently you do!!
Thanks! Great post!
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