Here’s what I can tell you tonight… Dean Lombardi has still yet to respond, and it appears as though he’s had his phone off for a few hours now. However, a good team source has provided some insight into the Kovalchuk situation, and it’s what you might expect, that the Kings are “out” of the Kovalchuk chase to the extent that they’re not raising their offer any further. There’s nothing to say that talks couldn’t resume, but it seems as though that will only happen if Kovalchuk wants to come down from his request. It seems as though that $100 million price tag might be closer to reality than many believed. So we’ll see, in the next day or two, if Kovalchuk signs elsewhere for mega-bucks or if this chase will continue. That’s what I’ve got for now…
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Thank you Rich for your Good “overtime” job.
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garry Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Thank the lord!! You sign this soft Russian for 10M and now what with Doughty, Johnson and the rest. Everything we worked for is gone!!!
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Thanks much for all your efforts Rich. Now turn your phone off too and go enjoy the fireworks.
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OttoKing Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
@Lloyd Christmas, Second. Thanks for all of your hard work over the (your) holiday weekend!
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Mel Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
@Lloyd Christmas, I thought these *were* the fireworks…
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Thanks Rich!
I for one am GLAD that Lombardi & the Kings have decided to not play this game anymore. If he’s asking for 10 mill a year & someone wants to pay it, good on em but it sure as hell better not be the Kings.
We have waited to long to build what we have, why would you ruin it by making one guy the center of your team. There are plenty of trade options for Dean & Co. to work on & find as fit’s that not only will match what we are looking for but will also be good team players…
Move on!
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hockeysureshot Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
@Gary, Thank you for making logic out of the situation! Couldn’t agree more. If he wants ten million let him go to the Islanders.
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This could all backfire on him . If he doesn’t sign with any NHL team, and plays in the KHL, he may erase himself right out of the NHL. Just my .02
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Old Time Hockey Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
@oldtimehockey, The “Original” says I agree with you 100%, let’s work on someone who fantasizes he’s the greatest hockey player on ever. “Not”.
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Old Time Hockey Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
@Old Time Hockey, Should have read someone who Doesn’t think he’s the greatest on ice but will bring the game that is needed to the Kings.
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oldthunder Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
@oldtimehockey, I’m with ya. I thought he was trying to win, but if he really wants 100 million then i wish him luck getting it. If the islanders want to sign another massive contract to regret then so be it. I’m curious to see what DL put up for IK to see whether or not we can bash him for being greedy or to see if DL really low-balled him. Enjoy the 4th all.
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If the number is accurate …… Walk away. Kovi is good but not Crosby/Ovechkin good. They can take over a game. No doubt the Kings need a scorer but not at the expense of maintaining the plan for our long term success. No ring going to the island.
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If it’s 100 million contract…PASS. Let that albatros of a contract bring someone else’s team down.
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Thanks for the update. He could do wonders for the Islanders. They are in need of help so much more than on the ice. I’m a season ticket holder and we need something like this badly for many reasons.
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Matt George Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
@hockeysureshot,
Good Luck Bro.
I mean that sincerely as I have always loved the Islanders (especially over the Rangers) and can’t believe the situation they’re currently in.
If this helps them then more power to ya.
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I hate ilya kovalchuk
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AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……$100 mill. Have fun on the Island or in the KHL.
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hell we can get gagne,frolov and a dman for that no thanks!!!!!!
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If it’s about the damn money Kovy then go to the KHL. If u wanna play real hockey and have a chance at Lord Stanley then ink the damn contract already cuz it’s not gunna happen with the Isles.
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OOOH! The game is -on-
This is just gettin started ladies and gents.
I agree with the majority here.
100Milion, too rich.
If he comes back because he doesn’t want to sign with the Islanders..
Well..
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$100m? Gave fun in Russia
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Thanks.
I was sort of on the fence about Kovy anyway. I knew he was going to command a hefty salary either way, but the question would have remained thus:
HOW MUCH OF IT WOULD HAVE HAMPERED US IN THE FUTURE?
I wouldn’t mind seeing DL go after Fro and either Fedotenko or Modin and keep that left side intact for a while.
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100 million? Hahahahahahahahah
Walk away Dean and don’t look back. This guy is not a necessity.
Plan B Deano, plan B!
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IK + AK + Handzous with Doughty and JJ on the power play would be an incredible thing to see. I just hope DL’s hardball tactics payoff and they can meet in the middle. I would be so ticked off he somehow ends up in western conference and burns us everytime we play him. You cant blame IK. He just wants to get paid. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up for the Kings to actually sig a superstud. “So your saying there’s a chance.”
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jet Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
@joeball, I would love to see the Ducks get stuck with that contract.
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RabidHockeyFan Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
@joeball, Sorry – I can blame Kovi for being greedy. I wasn’t keen on Kovi when I heard that he wanted to be the highest paid player in the NHL. That’s ego and greed! He’s not that good.
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nykingfan Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:33 am
@joeball,
If you can’t blame IK for not wanting his money, you also can’t blame DL for not wanting to bankrupt the future of the team.
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Soooooo, KOVI REALLY IS A GREEDY BASTARD? And Dean was right not to play his game? If Kovi thinks he can get more money than Crosby or Ovechkin are getting, go for it. He is not as good as either Crosby or Ovechkin, and that’s not just my opinion, it’s a fact!!!
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Steve McQueen Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@Kingsfanone, he’s about 5th or 6th on my list of top forwards. His agent is driving the price to a level that’s not worthy of his talent.
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DD8 Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:11 am
@Kingsfanone, No…it’s your opinion. Crosby plays with Malkin, Gonchar, and Guerin; Ovechkin plays with Backstrom, Semin, and Green; Kovi played with Antropov, and Enstrom. Look at his numbers with Atlanta, he is every bit as good as Crosby and Ovechkin.
Now, what numbers can you expect him to get with Kopitar and Doughty vs. his numbers with Antropov and Enstrom??? Seems very possible they would be right on par wih Sid and Ovechkin.
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Let’s hope DL has called Kovalchuk’s bluff and it’s not over yet. I’d like to see a marquee player in LA again… It’s been too long and may not come up again any time soon. Hammond, you’re a stud… Keep up the great work!
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Rich,
I say let Kovalchuk go. He doesn’t have a Gretzkyesque resume. No Championships, He hasn’t lead any team anywhere. He hasn’t demonstrated any leadership I have seen. If we can sign him for 7.5mil great if not let him walk to New York and the abyss that is waiting.
Please don’t misunderstand me he is a very good player and he is a singular player until he leads a team to a championship or at minimum into a competitive era of challenge for a championship year after year.
And please no excuse he was on a crappy team. $10 mill players make the others around them better players. It isn’t about you it about leadership. The leadership you see in Brown, Kopitar, Johnson and Doughty these guys make their team mates better.
I hope we sign him just not at $10mm.
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sign afinogenov and sutton! then trade williams + prospect for gagne!
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rontheking Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:51 am
@kingsfanrbk11, If you’re talking about Andy Sutton then I hope I never live to see that f___ in a Kings uniform after what he did to Jason Allison by sticking out his knee when he got beat by a slick move. He’s a cheap shot artist and he’s hurt other players badly as well. Allison was out a year and was never the same after that and that pretty much ended his career. Sutton’s apology at the time: “It’s part of the game.” Well, it shouldn’t be, and neither should Sutton.
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Good move Dean!
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Kovalchuk might be the best FA in this years market but he is not the best player in the league, but he wants to be paid like he is. This is reminisicnt of Jagr, although Jagr was probably one of the best, but Kovi is not. In fact, i would say that if Kovi made the team, Anje and Doughty would still be our best players. To me, there are only a handfull of guys who could say they should be paid top dollar, Gretzky, Lemeiux, Orr, Borque, and maybe Dave ‘the hammer’ Schultz in his prime.
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kingrussell Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
@UglyinLA, Dave Schultz? Seriously? I do agree that Kovalchuk is asking too much,though.
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I find it hard to believe Kovi is really after a $100 million dollar long term contract. DL you have my support from the 300′s section. Make him an offer between 7-8 (which i still feel is asking too much) and tell him to take it or buy a new jacket for his stay in Russia.
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Stay the course Dean you are doing the right thing. Right player, right fit, right cap hit, don’t think so.
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with that, let’s go get fro and modin back.
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Now it is completely up to Kovalchuk. Sign for the big dollars and play for a team that is probably worse than Atlanta. Or he can sign for less with a team with a strong, young core.
Interesting day tomorrow.
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Bingram Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
@Sydor25, At the rate their going, I hope its tomorrow.
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While I don’t care if we get Kovi or not, I don’t think this is the end. I think this was DL’s way of calling the bluff. Deal isn’t done yet.
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While I don’t care if we get Kovi or not, I don’t think this is the end. I think this was DL’s way of calling the bluff. Deal isn’t done yet.
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If signing this clown means loosing out on Doughty, Jack, Simmer, and more young guns coming down the pipe than he can stuff $100 MM in every orafice he has and retire not a King…forever. I’ll take 2 or 3 mid tier guys with his money and have a deeper bench, better team chemistry, and all around solid team than 1 ego maniacle Russian jackalope who thinks he’s better than every other hockey player on the planet. I’m done with Kovi gate….moving on.
What other FA’s are out there that might fit? Poni if he’s cheap enough (he’s really not that good though), Afinagenov? I don’t know….honestly I’m kinda pissed a little…..
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Beast88 Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
@Tookie, Hard to imagine Lombardi & Murray working well with Maxim Afinogenov. He’s exciting but not a good system player. Fro-haters would probably *really* hate Afinogenov. I’d be shocked to see that signing.
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Stop the Puck Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
@Tookie,
but if the price was a chance at a cup for 2 yrs, and then JJ was all you had to give up (assuming they didnt go after JW and RS again) wouldnt you give this some consideration? you have to go for gold at some point, no?
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Tookie Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
@Stop the Puck,
That’s kind of the rub isn’t it…at the price he wants there’s no way you can ice a cup winning team. Look at Chi town…they had to blow the thing up the same year they won, and probably would have had to if they didn’t. There’s no guarantee we win if we get Kovalchuk, there’s non if we don’t. I’ll take a good, solid, gritty team with heart I can get behind and route for every year than team Kovalchuk and watch all of our young studs go to other teams and be great for them.
I’m pretty sure I hate Kovi anyway at this point. Not confident it’s repairable.
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Matt George Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
@Tookie,
Which brings up another good question,
How exactly does Kovi rebound from the publicity nightmare that this is becoming?
Sign somewhere then fire the agent.
Jay Grossman just jumped the shark.
Stop the Puck Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 6:16 am
@ Tookie
but isnt it tough to extend a dynasty anyway? i mean all cup teams have to get rid of stars eventually, thats just how it works if you draft and develop really well and never trade your prospects (more on that to come this summer i guess). the kings nucleus, as far as im concerned, is bound to be broken up at some point, even if no big FA is landed. what happens when schenn needs a raise? and you want to sign quick again? it makes it hard when you never trade any players, to retain everyone that you have drafted that has matured into a good player. in an ideal scenario, i guess you would never need to bring in an outside player, but that obviously happens, so i think what is implied in that is that you also have to let some go. while i agree the kovalchuk signing @ 100mil makes little sense, i am also not as gung-ho as others on this site about resigning every kings prospect that has blossomed
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THE SAGA CONTINUES
So basically things are just the same as they were on Thursday.
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Mike R Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
@Chris P. Bacon, more or less… haha… sounds like they have a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer on the table for him that isn’t close to what he wants…
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I do not understand what options Kovy has left.
Lou is not going to pay the guy close to 10M a year just as DL will not as well.
I think DL is annoyed with the fact the islanders potential deal went to the media and now he is going to the media to send a clear message to Kovy’s camp…
who knows though. Maybe he will sign in Long Island for 100M…
Either way, I am sure we will improve our team next year.
Now lets focus to getting Doughty locked up for 10 years! Yeah!
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Bring back fro! He’ll score 2/3rd the goals at half the price!!!
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Mike R Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
@PakiFro, eh, i say let him walk. too inconsistent.
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Lime Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
@PakiFro,
I’m not convinced Fro has the drive anymore. It seems like he’s living in the shadows of our young up and coming stars. Great guy, still a great player but lacking the passion.
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bingram Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
@PakiFro, At what price? The KHL is calling.
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Makes sense and it is the responsible thing to do. We all know there was an amount the Kings weren’t not willing to give. I am fine with that because while I would love a player like this on the team, I don’t want it so much that it hurts the long term prospects of the organization.
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Well folks we are screwed. Why can’t we afford 10m over 10 years? The cap is rising, DD will be looked after and Kopi is paid healthy too. I think Deans pride is getting in the way of getting this deal done. I am totally shocked that Kovi isn’t signed by the Kings already. I would really hate to see us take a step backwards after a great season last year. Please Dean rethink it and put your ego aside, we want and need Kovi badly. Please at least do it for the fans (might help you save your job too)
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kingfish Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
The cap going up every year is not a guarantee
DL should be fired if he pays Kovy $100 million at 10 years.
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i was hoping really hoping kovi would come to thekings…was hoping DL woudl make it happened…but then again if the price is too hight then no…i trust DL and hope that at the end he will make the right desicion that will benefit the team…too bad that nowadays players are so money hungry and thats all they care about but then again its a business…go kings go
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Kovalchuk is that good! Please stop comparing this guy to Yashin, Jagr and other busts. He’s in his prime and is just as good a scorer as Ovechkin. We can argue his will to win until he wins the cup. This is a special player. This guy would make Kopitar a beast. Rich knows how good this guy is.
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RenoKingsFan Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
@Rene,
did you just call Jagr a bust? thats funny
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Rene Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
@RenoKingsFan,
let me clarify. Jagr was a bust in Washington. Thanks for putting me in my place.
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Vilela Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
@Rene, Wow! Now Jarg is a bust? How long do you follow the NHL?
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Rene Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
@Vilela,
Who’s Jarg? lmao!
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Old Time Hockey Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
@Rene, Who did Kovalchuk EVER make better on the Trashers or Devils????? That’s what I thought ZERO… a one man band with without the music.
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WinIsntFree Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:53 am
@Old Time Hockey,
Let’s see.. Mark Savard, Marion Hossa, Danny Heatley. The problem in Atlanta wasn’t Kovi. Heck, that guy stuck it out in that crappy organization for what? 7 or 8 years now? Heatley wanted out, Savard wanted out, and Hossa wanted out. Kovi had nothing to work with. All those players must know something.
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Forget Kovi….stay the course and we will come out ahead in the long run..
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Stop the Puck Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
@Rookie,
so far. “the course” has not produced a team that can score reliably.
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Ok, so with Kovi off the table for now, Rich mentioned that we still need another D-man. I don’t mind Kaberle as an option, but what about Sheldon Souray? His current $5+ M contract is a bit much, but if the Oilers send him to the minors, we can grab him on re-entry, right? They’d be stuck with half his salary (and given the firesale that has already happened there, they might be ok with that). Is it possible to strike a deal that would allow us to get that sort of deal (with some picks, maybe) and get Souray for half of his insane contract? Is that even possible under the CBA? Anyone know?
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tornado12 Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
@OtooKing, if souray were to go through reentry waivers we would not be first and line due to our good ranking last year. I doubt he would make it to our position before another team picked him up. I would like him too, but it has to be a trade at this point for the kings and he still would have that big contract, unless the oilers would be willing to pay part, but then the asking price in return from the kings would probably be too high.
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after reading the posts above, I am proud to be a Kings fan. All of the support for the decision really makes me happy and think that “we” understand and respect the system that DL has implemented here. Kovy is one hell of a player – one of the best pure scorers that the game has seen. But he very well may not be the right fit for this team – especially if we have to pay him at the expense of signing other key players (JMFJ, Doughty, Simmonds, etc). This team is moving forward with or without Kovy and honestly, I think that we will be better for moving on without him in the long run. Go Kings.
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Jay Wells Fan Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Amen brother… Couldn’t have said it better myself@txkingsfan,
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any GM that would sign K..upchuk for $100M, disrespects the rest of the team. It is absurd by any measure. Spend the owners money building from the bottom up. That is how dynasties are created.
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kovalchuk IS as good as crosby/ovechkin, just needs the right team to bring out his potential.
imagine him with doughty, johnson, and kopitar..
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Jester's Dead Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
@alan,
Thanks to smart GM, I won’t have to and I won’t lose any sleep over it
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I’ve heard of the term “It pays to be ignorant” but THIS is ridiculous.
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It seems like Kovi is only concerned about getting his big retirement contract and doesn’t care about whether there’s enough money left to build and maintain a competitive team. If that’s the case, then enjoy the KHL and their so-called “medical benefits”.
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For 10 million, Kovy will be an anchor for any team. For 8 million, he would be exactly what the Kings need, a cold blooded scoring assassin. This is not over yet. Gamesmanship. DL is a stud, he leaked that info about being out to up the ante so to speak. Getting very interesting now…
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Lime Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
@Unimailer, 8 is the roof figure I have but tension might be with contract incentives, clauses and length of term.
I think DL played this one correctly.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
@Unimailer,
Exactly
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Just resign Fro!
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I am proud of DL for telling KOVI where to go, no one is worth 100,00,000. But on the same tune it is bad we wasted the first 4 days and did not go after alot of the other players we could have had but are now taken. Unless we trade we are screwed this year. There are some tough rugged players still out there that would love to play for the kings. Go get them Dean. To hell with KOVI, he is in it for the money not pride of being a king.
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oldthunder Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
@gene cowles, with all due respect as a kings fan what have we done in 40 something years…? 1 trip to the finals is hardly Kings pride. I love our boys and the franchise and am a die hard fan but seriously we are not the redwings or the makebelives or the canadiens. When we win some cups then we can say screw free agents for not wanting pride. the hard part is convincing them we have the pride and win a cup… I believe in DL for doing the right thing, at least for the first time since 1993 I think we finally have a shot in my lifetime.
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I think we all understand what Kovi is trying to get. Kovi is good but not great. Crosby and Ovi have done more with their respective clubs than Kovi will ever do with his.
Crosby has made his team better and has been unselfish when comes to money because all he wants to do is win Stanley Cups.
Ovi got his money because he is worth it and he has also made his team and teammates better. He also wants to win Stanley Cups.
If Kovalchuk wants to win Stanley Cups, he needs to understand that he needs a good/great team more than they need him.
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If Kovalchuk wants 100M, he has to compromise and agree to one of these contracts:
10 years; Kings’ cap hit is 6.92:
10-11 (27): 15
11-12 (28): 15
12-13 (29): 15
13-14 (30): 15
14-15 (31): 14
15-16 (32): 11
16-17 (33): 8
17-18 (34): 4
18-19 (35): 2
19-20 (36): 1
————— retires here
20-21 (37): 0.75
21-22 (38): 0.75
22-23 (39): 0.75
23-24 (40): 0.75
24-25 (41): 0.75
12 years; Kings’ cap hit is 6.82:
10-11 (27): 15
11-12 (28): 14
12-13 (29): 11
13-14 (30): 11
14-15 (31): 10
15-16 (32): 9
16-17 (33): 7
17-18 (34): 7
18-19 (35): 7
19-20 (36): 5
20-21 (37): 2.5
21-22 (38): 1.5
————— retires here
22-23 (39): 0.75
23-24 (40): 0.75
24-25 (41): 0.75
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Bingram Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:02 am
@Jim Jones, If the Cap math is correct I like your thinking.
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RoyalPain Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 10:46 am
@Jim Jones, I hope DL ain’t drinking that Kool-Aid (pun intended).
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Thanks Rich.
This is looking like three chapters in Royal Ascension.
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tell me Y we are so obsessed with this guy….why is DL being so pressured to sign this guy …seriously….it is ridiculous….we have what we need…now we had to pass on other free agents to wait for this russian…I am sooooo angry at the ownership for forcing this issue….i could scream!
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flex Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 1:37 am
@tellmeY, Just because we REALLY need a sniper and he is THE ONE NOW. our 5 x5 play was NOT GOOD!!! But,again 10m is to much.We need sign, others ,I still hope(if NY move is not a bluff) we can get him around 8.5m with saliry cup rising.If we “loose” him and someone picks fro…we would be in in very unpleasent situation.On 07 06 is a big day.
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This is a clear sign that he does not want to came to LA. Premier players will make compromises to come to teams whom they think are primed to win a cup. Hossa is a good example. The Kings were interested in signing Hossa but he signed with the Hawks. We don’t know what transpired in the negotiations for Hossa but the results are telling. Hypothetically, would Marleau have signed with LA if the Sharks had not retained him? The Sharks are in a better position to win a championship.
I may be wrong and Kovi might sign with the Islanders for some outlandish amount of money, more than what the Kings have put on the table, and have to wait much longer for an Islander team to develop into a contender. It was previously mentioned that we could get three players for what we would pay Kovi. That being said, quantity, in this case, not quality may rule the day.
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people…do u understand it doesn’t matter how good he is or not….there comes a time when you just say this is ridiculous and shut this whole thing down. Kovi and his agent?…. really….c’mon…this is not good enough for you? The goal is to win the cup…how much is not enough when it comes to money? Stop the nonsense and quit being so selfish….
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I’m done with Kolvachuk. I’m with DL on not mortgaging the future for one player.
The Islanders are perfect examples on why not to do such thing..
Dipietro is working on a 15 year contact, in which he has played in very few games the last couple of years and THEY ARE STILL PAYING YASHIN!! Unbelievable!!
If Kovalchuk want to come here with a chance to win a couple, great!! If he wants to make a ton of money and handcuff his future team, then we don’t want him!
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This is just about a process of negociating in the world of the NHL. Nothing more, nothing less. DL has called Kovy on any possible bluff he might be using to get the Kings any higher on signing him.
If Kovy is about the money and doesn’t care winning he’ll go with the Isles. I personally, think it is really between the Kings and Devils in Kovy’s mind.
If I was Kovy, i’d sign for a bit less and go with the Kings. Devils have a ver ageing goal tender who has largely carried the team when ever they’ve had any significant successes.
While a bit less money there is a very good chance Kovy can make a bit of it up in LA endorsements contracts … espeically because it is likely we’ll be a strong team for several years to come.
OTOH if the Devils offer a significant alternative deal, we’ll lose him.
Either way, not the end all to necessarily make the Kings win a cup, but could a significant addition towards that goal.
On another note, I think the King’s are having trouble signing UFA defensemen because of their deep farm system. That is a lot of competition for your job, if you’re an Free Agent defensemen looking to long term work. Why not pick a team light on defense so you know you aren’t going to end up on the bench.
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Screw Kovy. bring up bud, brayden. re-sign JMFJ and DD longterm. sign modano for a vet presence. and go from their. don’t trade simmonds for anyone.
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Chris Bond Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
@Crosscheck, So far you are the only other person that I have seen say the same thing I said. Madano would be great for this club. If it was not to much cash, He is a OD that can put the puck in the net still….I think it would be a great 1 year deal. IMHO
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So my question is, how does Kovalchuk recover from the PR nightmare that this is becoming?
At this point it almost doesn’t matter where he signs. The stigma (right or wrong) of greed is going to follow him.
My guess is the Jay Grossman has overplayed his hand. Kovi fires him after this mess and moves on.
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I am glad Deano backed down and said forget it. Kovalchuk is proving to be a whiny, prissy overpriced player. He deserves a high salary, but 100 million is a little insane. Especially since he has no hardware to back it up. (Gold Medals, Hart Trophies, Stanley Cup Rings etc) I hope this holding team hostage for outrageous salaries ends.
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If indeed Kovi is after an outlandish contract then screw him. But I DO NOT want to see DL follow up this mess by trading our players for injured crap.
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Nice article by Elliotte Friedman, i think he nailed it:
The source claims Kovalchuk will not budge below a $100 million US contract request.
Kovalchuk’s agent, Jay Grossman, said he would stick to his promise of not commenting during the process.
This continues a wild weekend on the Kovalchuk front, with reports of a similar offer from the New York Islanders.
This, of course, does not mean it’s all over between the Russian scorer and the Kings.
This could all be a negotiating ploy, hoping the player will budge. It’s probably little coincidence that reports indicate Flyers winger Simon Gagne is willing to waive his no-trade clause, although he was given the weekend to think about it.
Lombardi and Kings VP/assistant GM Ron Hextall both have a Philadelphia connection and think highly of Gagne. But, you have to believe that, all things being equal, the Kings would prefer the younger, more explosive, and generally healthier Kovalchuk.
But, it’s clear the Kings are frustrated with the negotiating dance. Things change so quickly that it’s hard to make predictions, but it sounds like Kovalchuk is down to his last few hours if he wants to play in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, it appears as if he’s willing to wait longer than most UFAs would
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/elliottefriedman/2010/07/kings-wont-jeopardize-future-to-sign-kovalchuk.html
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It was time. Kovi has had ample time. DL is playing his cards. Sign at this or F… off and sign with the NYI for da big money. Kovi comes back to us or takes the big money offer and shows the world he is all about da money.
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If Kovy doesn’t sign with us, okay…
But that means he wasted a lot of time when we could’ve had Martin, Volchenkov, or Hamhuis, whom arguably would’ve filled a GREATER hole.
But as some have said, if you’re out of the running for a player, you don’t announce it to the media. That’s just a play, so until he signs a contract, I won’t believe for a second that there’s NO chance he’ll come to Los Angeles.
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mckinggolf Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
@Kevin Y,
Those guys you mentioned sign for way too much money. I’m sure DL was trying to land one of them, but was out bidded by other teams that now have to figure out how to under the cap.
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kq949 Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
@Kevin Y,
Hamhuis is FROM Vancouver and WANTED to go to Vancouver. Remove him from the list as he was not a possibility or a very long shot!
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Kevin Y Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
@kq949,
Right, I knew Hamhuis… I noted the Vancouver connection somewhere else, but forgot him here. Sorry
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What an interesting weekend! Whatever happens, I’ll just keep on rooting for the KINGS!!!
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Jesse Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:24 am
@Jim S., I agree. I have been a kings fan since 1969 and have waited for a gm with the sack to say that they are tired of the games with kovi. if he wants to come here and play for the opportunity to win a ring, then he signs this week. if not, go to the isles and wait a few years just to get back into the playoffs. whatever happens, i I am a kings fan for life.
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So from what I’ve heard, Garth Snow was the anoymous source that first leaked the story of Islanders offering Kovy 10 mil. The story was only leaked to the LA times. Looks like Snow may have been working with Kovy’s agent in order to get LA to offer more money, and maybe a chance of landing kovy himself. Explains why Lombardi released that they were no longer in the Kovy sweeptakes to the LA Times. Let the Islanders over pay, and when they can’t afford Tavares down the road, I say we send him an offer sheet, that will screw them the way they’re screwing us.
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BringBackTheShieldJersey Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
@RenoKingsFan,
I love your evil mind.
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Forget IK! Send JW, JS, prospect and pick to Philly for Gagne, Carter, & Dman. Sign our RFA’s and go get Ryan from the Ducks. We add a second line center, a #1 LW (albiet injury prone), and a #1 RW. Plus we get some D help. This keeps us from having to purge our team next year. IK is not the best thing since sliced bread, he can score and thats it. Ryan can score too, so can Gagne and Carter. Not to mention the talent we already have on this team. Chicago won the Cup with a deep talented team that they overpaid. DL can be smart and get that same deep talented team and not over pay. DL I trust you to make the right moves for now and the future.
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I think we should sign Joe Corvo he still young and can help skate the puck out to the offance. Sign him for 2years and that will give us DD JJ and Corvo who we can use on the power play.
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jet Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
@sammuch, you mean randy Jones the second? No thanks
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I just saw Randy Sportak speed away from Dean Lombardi’s house after furiously texting on his phone…
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Wow. I have to say that I usually find a bunch of moronic comments from fans on these blogs but I’m glad to see that the majority of the Kings fans are proving they know their sh**. DL is handling this perfectly. Make a legit, solid offer and then let him take it or leave it. As has been said, this guy is no Ovechkin or Crosby. He’s a one dimensional player who has not proved he’s a winner or a team player. Screw him. Save the money, keep the real Kings signed for many years to come (especially Doughty) and we can fill in the gaps with our up and coming studs or with a trade here and there. There is NO reason to panic and overpay anyone. Stay the course Dean. You’re doing the right thing and the fans who know hockey and this team are behind you.
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Thanks so much Rich for working on the holiday.
Memo to Kovy:
If you want to be on a winning team with tons of upside, take the offer DL gives you and join this team so we can continue to be good for years and decades to come, willing to work your vodka swilling a$$ off…
OR
Go away. You’ve already pissed ME off, I can’t imagine how we ALL feel about you right now! We’ve been building a TEAM, not a cast for the Kovy show. If it’s Grossman’s fault, fire his sorry butt and get this done.
Memo to DL:
Thanks for giving some pride to the LA KINGS brand Dean. Something we haven’t had for a long time. If Kovy wants to be here, he has to buy into the system, If he won’t do that and doesn’t understand economics with a salary cap, then let him go. I, as a fan, am not going to tolerate guys like Kopitar, Simmonds, Brown, Doughty, JJ, Schenn and others to not be retained, even way down the road, because Kovy wants an extra 10-15 mil. At some point, he’s not worth it. You’ve brought us this far and it feels good, so I’ll just trust your best judgement. I’m not happy about making a score in FA, but if it means losing the core to sign one, I’ll be less happy. If I have to wait an extra few years to win a bunch of cups as opposed to what Chicago did this year, so be it. I want a DYNASTY, not a one-off. Thanks.
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Cynic Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
WHOOPS-
I’m not happy about NOT making a score in FA…
too pissed to type I guess..
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WinIsntFree Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:57 am
@Cynic, But you’ll be happy that since we didn’t sign Kovi, we now trade Simmonds to Philly for a broke down older player on an expiring contract, and Schenn to Toronto for Kaberle? Yeah, that’s making an impact move. Sweet. I can’t wait for that…
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RoyalPain Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 11:18 am
@WinIsntFree,
I would be shocked, shocked! if either of those moves happened. I think Cynic was coming from the position that the Kings won’t need to deal these players if they aren’t constrained by an albatross contract.
epic post
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Amen, topshelf, amen. DL clearly knows his stuff.
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I would love a player in LA that can score goals. Not at the price he is asking. Hockey above all things is a team game. Look at any team now or throughout history that has won a cup. They have depth. Kovi’s legacy will be a guy who valued money over winning. Assuming someone pays him, there is no way that someone will win a cup. He is not Sid, or Ovi, and should not be paid as much them. I would have loved to see him in Socal but it’s not looking good. Re-sign Fro, Modin; get Simon and a d man. Our farm system is stacked and only getting better. Last time I checked Russians aren’t that easy to market either, unless they where #8 and play in Washington.
Thanks for trying DL, you still have my trust. I have been here for a while and will continue to believe.
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Granted, Kovi may have overplayed his hand, but after seeing the numbers he turned down last season, did anyone in their right mind think he was going to come down from those numbers on the free market?
DL should have known that’s where Kovi’s head was at, and if that was going to be too rich for the franchise, then pass on taking a run at him and hit the other targets you have HARD. Now, as it stands, they’ve apparently missed out on not only Kovi, but a top 4 defenseman as well, maybe because the were focused on slotting the $$$ for Kovi’s potential deal.
Not giving into his demands is one thing, and may be the right thing, but here we sit once again almost a week into FA, and the Kings have so far once again whiffed on all the players they apparently had targeted.
I know they can’t put a gun to any FA’s head to make them come to LA, but how many more times can we hear lines such as “we’re putting ourselves into position to make a splash in FA” “we finally have the pieces in place to land top UFA’s” to only see time and time again, the team unable for whatever reasons to make the moves?
If they don’t want to spend or disrupt the salary structure to bring top scorers in, then they’d better draft and develop top 6 forwards who can consistently put the puck in the net 5 on 5 35-45 times a year.
Patience only goes so far, and DL’s rope is running a little thin in that department. You can’t decades long fans for being more than a bit frustrated.
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I believe Rob Blake is the happiest guy now, Kings fans finally find a replacement! Don’t sign him, and use the $$$ to sign 2 good players, and we still can win!
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Ok you guys REALLY need a reality check!! I have been a Kings fan over 30+ years and here are the FACTS!!
1.) We have NEVER won the Cup, the Islanders owned the Cup during the Mike Bossy years.
2.) We’ve made the Playoffs ONCE in the last NINE years, hardly a record to be proud of!!
3.) L A has never been known as a hockey hotbed
4.) We have a long history of making some very bad moves.
5.) We have one of the youngest teams in the NHL, very talented BUT inexperienced and immature (you can’t count Doughty he’s a beast!!)
6.) Our team IS moving in the right direction BUT we play in the league’s toughest division so talk of winning the Cup is still premature.
7.) Signing Kovi is NO GUARANTEE of winning the Cup let alone making it out of the 1st round (see Washington)
8.) We still need other players at key positions
9.) We still have to resign key players to insure our “core” will stay intact.
10.) We are die-hard Kings fans that think (and dream) with our heart and not with our experience of running an NHL team.
I say that DL has done wonders to get us to this point but we need to rely on HIS knowledge and expertise to get us to the promised land. Have faith my friends because after watching and rooting the Kings through MANY failures (Gene Carr, Jerry Korab, 50 HORRIBLE goalies, Patrick O’Sullivan, Aki Berg etc etc) I for one am enjoying the ride!! I KNOW that we will make the playoffs next year with or without Kovi the question is How far away are we from winning Lord Stanley’s Cup?? I say DL is getting close and next season should be AWESOME!!
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Jesse Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:34 am
@LucLivesOn, from one long time kings fan to another—I could not have said it better myself. Boy do those names bring back memories.
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JDBiG Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 1:05 am
@LucLivesOn,
I completely agree. One other thing to consider. This is the exact point where historically the Kings went down hill. We get all of these good up-and-coming guys and then right when they’re on the cusp of breaking out, we trade them for older veterans. This was our M.O. for basically the entire decade of the 90′s.
I also think that the worst thing that fans can do is put too much pressure on an effective management group. Lombardi is doing a great job, let’s just leave him to his own devices.
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RoyalPain Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 11:31 am
@JDBiG,
Yeah, we remember the George McGuire and Sam “The Disaster” McMaster GM days: panic and shoot the moon to try and win “now”. It never worked. Maybe a little unfair to those guys, but oh well. Hell, even the Gretzky era cannot be looked back on as too much of a success.
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Earth to Ilya, there is no cup contender or up and coming contender that can afford to give you 100 mil w/o jeopardizing the future of the team. Stop listening to your agent and make a decision that’s best for you, your family and your future team.
Or is it that you don’t know what you want? Last year you said that your first choice was to remain in Atlanta. They offered you the cash you are requesting now(101 mil) and you turned it down(didn’t hear of any explanation why). So what is it about, just the money or a chance to win the cup in the immediate future? Maybe you should figure this out before stringing teams along and pissing off everyone in the process.
Sorry for the rant everyone, but the more that this is dragging out, the more I do not want this type of player on our team.
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sammuch Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 3:23 am
@EternalOptimist, If by tues morining he does not sign with the Kings at 8 mil a year, move on and stick with what we got.
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We all know we wanted Kovi, if it dont work out we will be ok. But what I want to say is this DONT make
a lame ass move to make up for what happend stay the course DL. Most of all the only guy any of us fans want
from PHILLY is Ian Laperriere. Thats it end the Philly/Kings love affair right after you bring back LAPPY. My all time favorite Kings player. Heart of a lion. Love to know if any of you agree with this post.
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PRMan Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 5:02 am
@Chris Bond,
No, I really want Simon Gagne. And Lappy is past it. Give me Clune at this point.
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We shall see what we shall see. But right now DL has missed out on a lot of good UFA because he apparently badly misjudged the Kovi situation. It may be that you don’t pay him 100 m. But then you had the money to pay Hamhuis or Martin. Just like last year nothing happens with free agents. He may not be able to succeed in the UFA world. I hope I’m wrong
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Pumpernicholl Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
@Bruin18, Word is that both Hamhuis & Martin turned down higher $$ with other teams to sign with the teams they chose. In Hamhuis’s case, he apparently wanted Vancouver because of being near home. When players make up their minds like that, there’s not a whole lot you can do if you’re Lombardi, with or without the Kovalchuk situation.
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Kovi was in the worst division in the NHL. Here is the finish of the division:
Southeast GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PP% PK% Home Away L10
z-Capitals 82 54 15 13 121 318 233 25.2 78.8 30-11 24-17 6-1-3
Thrashers 82 35 34 13 83 234 256 16.1 82.2 19-22 16-25 3-5-2
Hurricanes 82 35 37 10 80 230 256 16.9 80.6 21-20 14-27 5-3-2
Lightning 82 34 36 12 80 217 260 19.3 80.1 21-20 13-28 6-4-0
Panthers 82 32 37 13 77 208 244 14.2 79.4 16-25 16-25 2-6-2
The Caps are the ONLY team in the division to go to the playoffs and Atlanta only had 3 more wins than the bottom dweller Florida Panthers!
The ONLY thing this guy has proven, is that he can score on a sup-par team. Did he do anything in the Olympics? Playoffs? ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH PAYING HIM MORE THAN CROSBY OR OVI!!
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This is just getting f***ing lame. I don’t know what to think about this situation. If Kovi wants $10m per he is insane. I want him more than anyone and I am willing to risk losing a piece or two in a couple years for a shot at the cup now, but that is crazy money for anyone. I don’t even think Sid or Ovi are making that much. I would do $8m per or maybe $8.5m per max anything more is just stupid.
But, is Lombardi being truthful saying Kovi wants $10m per? Kovi could of had this in Atlanta but he said he wanted to win so he rejected it. He has to know that to be a winner you need other good people around you and they also need to get paid. So maybe the contract will be less but the odds of winning are greater. So why reject Atlanta to go to the NYI for the same sad situation? It doesn’t make any since to me.
This makes me think Lombardi is full of crap and is lowballing to save some money. And we will once again watch premier player walk away to another team.
Really, I don’t know who is the true a**hole here? Only time will tell, but as a Kings fan it reeks of the same ol crap but just a different year.
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Dustin Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 2:24 am
@concussionman02, touche, DL is covering for a weak owner who is too scares to pull the trigger on anything. More concerned w/ developing cities than an NHL powerhouse. DIsgusting….. i wish i had the heart to follow another team right now…..
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grega11 Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 9:55 am
@concussionman02,
DL never said kovi wanted $10m per…
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I have definitely been rooting for Kovy coming to the Kings, but not at a 10M cap hit. No way. If he can’t see what such demands are doing to the future competitiveness of whatever team he signs with, then I feel sorry for him.
Moving right along to what might come instead, rumors have it that we are in on trading for Gagne. I don’t see what Gagne would bring other than Justin Williams 2.0 (and JW still hasn’t lived up to the goalscoring bit) and only one year left on contract too, doesn’t feel like a fit worth giving much up for to me. Surely there are better options on the trade market?
Dean, find us a goalscoring wing at the right price with the right fit. Stay the course.
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…lightbulb just went off. I believe Kovi is scared to come to such a strong division where he’ll actually have to WORK to score 40 goals. I don’t think he can compete in this division and on this team.
He’ll go to NYI, because it will continue to be good for his ego…and his wallet! Only things he’s interested in.
Who is going to be the guy (guys) who can come to our team and the most difficult division in the NHL and become a star???
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DL did a great job today, the 4th of July, 2010 … it’s a great day for hockey!
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thound Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:14 am
@Galen,
I must be missing something.
While it may be necessary for DL to pass on Kovi’s demands. What else has he done?
The team still sits millions of $$$ under the cap roof, still desperately needs a hardcore sniper upfront and another top defenseman, neither of which DL has managed to land yet.
Good job? Great day?
I am not getting it.
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According to a Russian report, Kovalchuk’s agent is talking with a Russian team.
Take it for what it’s worth, this roughly auto-translated report linked below appears to say that Kovalchuk would favor playing in Russia at least through the Sochi 2014 Olympics in order to be prepared for those Games.
Since we know that Bettman has resisted a firm commitment to Sochi by the NHL, Russian players are antsy about that situation and would like to position themselves to be eligible for the Sochi Games, so it’s at the very least an interesting wrinkle in the Kovalchuk story.
http://bit.ly/chLZHz
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bingram Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:27 am
@Pumpernicholl, Maybe in the Frolov story also?
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Pumpernicholl Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:31 am
@bingram, Yeah, probably. And in the Nabokov story, for that matter.
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Plan A is down the tubes. Time for plan B: Simon Gagne
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brandyn Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:25 am
@SaveByCechmanek,
Rather have Alexander Semin.
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thound Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:43 am
@brandyn,
Yes. But Gagne will cost the franchise either prospects or players on the roster, not too mention he’s been injured 2 of the past 3 years, has scored 30+ goals only three times the past seven years, and just turned 30.
Pass.
Plan C?
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brandyn Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 12:58 am
@thound,
no players, there trying to dump salary. plan c: carter
FYI Posted at 11:30 pm Eastern Sunday night on prohockeytalk.com: “Report: KHL team SKA might be close to landing Ilya Kovalchuk”
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2010/07/report-khl-team-ska-might-be-close-to-landing-ilya-kovalchuk.php
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Which teams in our conference have vastly improved themselves since the draft? Any of the teams that were 11 points behind us improve their team enough to knock us out of the playoff picture. We lost O’Donnell, Jones, Ivanans, and Frolov. Would it be that difficult to get 4 players a little better than these 4? Please explain to me why you think we will not be better this year, given the above scenario.
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Outstanding work by Mr. Lombardi. I liked the idea of landing Kovalchuk, but I’m perfectly fine with seeing what Schenn can do next season.
Consider the following:
We weren’t willing to pay Frolov $5M (or whatever his number was) for his 30+ goals per year, but Kovalchuk wants $10M for 10 to 15 goals more.
We signed Brown to a very reasonable contract; in the mid $3M range if I recall correctly. How would Lombardi approach Brown and tell him that Kovalchuck is 3 times more valuable to the team that he is?
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How bout instead of getting fro back go get Bobby Ryan since he turned down the offer the ducks gave him or get Kariya since he just had the best year of his career
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No to Semin. Repeat of these week next year.
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brandyn Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 1:30 am
@src,
why no ?
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1 year rental then FA all over again. Which means highest bidder. He is making 6 mil now and will want 8 next year. He is not in the same league as Ovi and Kovy. Would rather have 2 @4 mil.
Kovy at 8 mil-okay. Otherwise IMO lets go fishing.
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…that russian artical is 100% bluff.It probably cost couple of thousend $ bribe. …It is so naive …36 m offer ..if 40m Kovi will take it…F..ck you.
Your wife would file for divorce and ..or one of our”locals’ will “take her ” of her…I think all this is his agent play. soon he will feel stupid.
Who is the most expensive player anyway.? I think Danny Briere is around 10m a year(??) If so..than probably Kovi “has a righ” to ask for 10m
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Well let’s just hope this doesn’t backfire on us considering weve already offered a number of different players contracts and have been turned down at every stop. It is truly getting annoying and disappointing but lets just hope now that we can trade for guys like Carter and Gagne, or maybe sign Bobby Ryan to an offer sheet or just sign two guys like Poni and Afinogenov, and also get a solid defenseman at some point this off season…time for Plan B I guess lets just hope it works out surprisingly better than if we had signed Kovalchuk and our roster turns out even better than what we could have possibly expected…either way I am still excited and nervous to see what goes down tomorrow and in the upcoming week GO KINGS!
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Kovi has got to be stupid to turn down 2 lucrative offers from Atlanta and now from the Kings. Is that extra million or two more important than establishing yourself in a winning franchise and winning a stanley cup? What’s he going to do, go to a destitute Islanders team?? Very few teams can actually afford this guy and if he continues to turn down offers, then he may end up with nothing. No one is worth 100 million over 10 years. We don’t even know if he’ll be the same player in 5 years.
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I would be pi_ _ if Gagne became a king! Why do we need another williams on the team… Carter is ok, still we gain nothing but loosing good prospects that will win us many cups in the futrure.
As far as Ryan if he signs for 5.5 we only have to give up 1 2 3 round picks next year thats it. I say give that a shot and see whats happen if Kovi does not sign with the kings by tues morning at 8 mil tops.
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I think 100m over 12 years is a doable contract
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I’m sorry but some comments I’m reading beggar belief. Bobby Ryan??? Doesn’t anyone remember what DL has said repeatedly about going after His RFA’s? He was repeatedly warned people Not to do it. So then why would he be a hypocrite and go after another team’s RFA?
As for Kovalchuk, I refer to what Rich said I believe on nhl live…. that while logic seemed to indicate that IK would be a good fit w the Kings, that a year ago Chicago appeared out of nowhere to grab Hossa. Also, I do recall thinking back many years ago, even before Alexei Yashin that it was often Russian players who were very difficult wrt contracts. Whether it’s cultural or whatever I have no idea but there have been actually a number of them over the years…. so really no surprise to see it happening again. That Kovalchuk is asking 10mil/10yrs doesn’t surprise me all that much, and I do tend to think that the KIngs are out of it.
Whereas last yr DL was able to grab Scuds and trade for Smyth I tend to think that something along those lines will be much more difficult this year the market being as it is. I for one am less than enthusiastic about Gagne as I’ve stated on several occasions my views on trading for players with long histories of injury that they have sustained over the years.
One major injury ok (see Zues and Glen Murray) but several, no cause there is a trend there to say nothing of what the accumulation has started to do the body, reflexes and affect on skating where the loss of a split second can change their game.
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-J Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 6:35 am
@number 6,
well said.
I get quite a laugh whenever i see these offer sheet scenarios. Not gonna happen.
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Oh….. and for all the people here who are taking out the knives…. and criticizing DL, maybe they should read the comments from neutrals on tsn.com
For example:
Who does he think he is? Turns down 100 million from the Thrashers and now a great offer from the Kings! Go back to the Russian league with your over rated ego! I’m sure you’ll get six figures in Rubbles!
all this guy and most super star Russian players do is wait at the red line for the puck and then try to score all alone! I would NOT want this player on my team!
@shanghaisensation- you may be right about that but even us delusional leafs fans dont want any part of the Kovalchuck sweepstakes. even we understand that signing this guy will only hancuff an organization. The Islanders can have him but this leaf fan definately does not want Kovi on my team.
….. and there are many more where that came from…. many more… so just maybe DL does know what he’s doing.
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I couldn’t resist…. here are some more….
He is so good that any team with the cap space should seriously consider making him an offer. However, 10 million a season is crazy under the cap and would really handcuff his club. Might not be so bad on a short term deal but this guy is looking to cash in big time
this guy is not worth 10 million
crosbys the best player in the world and hes making nearly 1million and a half less
why would anybody want to pay that much for him
at most hes worth 8 mil a year
Let him go to the KHL. If your goal is to win the cup and Kovalchuk is your highest paid and or best player, you’re not winnin the cup. The gm’s are slowly coming around to the reality that maxing out salary on Euro’s and goalies in the salary cap world is a ticket to years of backtracking.
I’ve been watching ATL almost as much as my Leafs and as much as I love to watch this energetic, superstar offensive talent that Kovy is he is not an overall team player. When you put this much cap room on one player, you cannot surround him with enough talent to win a cup. He’s not great defensively, nor does he come back all the time
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Who does kovalchuk think he is turning his back on the kings for more money!? Rob Blake!?!?
I’m only kidding guys. I think this has been drawn out for long enough and that he should just accept that there’s no chance in hell DL will pay 10MM a year.
As much as I’d like him to join the kings, I think his current attitude may be a pretext for what’s to come. In my opinion he should just make a deal with somebody, whether us, the islanders or the khl and let us get back to trying to fill some of our other holes.
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No one wanted the Kings to sign IK more than me. I was going to buy $8000 worth of season tix if they did.
But this should not be a Joe Johnson situaton where you overpay because you have to. The Kings don’t have to and shouldn’t make the 10th best player in the NHL (Ovechkin, Stamkos, Crosby, Daytsuk, Zetterburg, Thornton, H. Sedin, Parise, D. Sedin, and probably a few others) the highest paid player in the game.
8 million is reasonable but 10 million is ridiculous.
WHAT I DON’T WANT is for DL to overpay for a Williams-type player in Gagne, who I loved three years ago but has missed 80 plus games since then. He is 30 and too fragile.
Why not go after Savard? He is being shopped.
If worse comes to worse, take Kaberle’s contract, although an offensive minded and defensive liability top defensemen is not what we need…
I can’t get down on DL. He did everything right and went after the right players, he just didn’t get them — YET. Maybe Kovi will come to his senses or his wife will realize that she doesn’t want to freeze her or her kid’s keester’s off for the next few years just so they can have an extra few boats to waterski behind…
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mattmonforton Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:13 am
@Carol Vadnais,
yeah, cause Savard has not had any injury problems lately…………………………………..
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If we are going to take Gagne, then i hope Williams goes the other way, not because i dont like Williams, but we should only have 1 player thats hurt at one time. We dont want another Palffy, Deadmarsh, Allison situation where one or more were always injured.
Savard i would be more open to as well. Not sure why people are suggesting Jeff Carter, cant see Philly moving him.
Kaberle is okay, but i think Burkes asking price would be to high. Especially now most of the good D have been signed.
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So what’s the chances of Lombardi working out a three team deal with the Fliers to get Ryan? Look, we’ve been sucking up Philly trash for years, so I think they owe us one.
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I just had a few mins to really reflect on reality of this situation and had read on one site about Kings needing to set a limit so they can resign DD and JJ. Sure makes sense.
But then wrt IK…I asked myself the following question. So, he in fact has the possibility of playing with a player like DD, his wife and family have the gorgeous weather and can live like ‘Kings’ (symbolically thank you). So, the question is as follows: What is the difference in signing a contract 8mil/10yrs as opposed to 10mil/10yrs? Yes, I know … 20 million. But on a deeper level, how exactly does ones quality of life change between the two? Personally I can’t even begin to imagine… unless he wants to buy his own hockey team later on that is.
Also, I’m gonna assume that he hasn’t been playing for free up until now. Don’t know what his career earnings are….I can’t imagine it’s less than 20million. So, for sake of argument, a career where he earns 100 million dollars altogether. …… it doesn’t seem that terrible to me.
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rich, any news from dean?
strange who the figures from la and nj have not leaked, now that the kings are out i would think the numbers would come out
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ATTENTION ALL!!!
Required reading:
http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com
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I wouldn’t put this all on Kovy. I’m sure this has more to do with his agent talking out of his ass for the past 4+ days.
Step up Kovy, take the deal and fire your suit and tie while you still have an NHL career.
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Rich, good morning. Cold you please tell me who are the remaining UFA left on the kings roster? Thank you.
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LBlocal Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:16 am
@gene cowles, http://www.capgeek.com/charts.php?Team=17
F Modin, Fredrik
F Frolov, Alexander
D Jones, Randy
F Halpern, Jeff
D Piskula, Joe
F Gauthier, Gabe
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number6 you hit it right on. He doesnt care what team he plays for as long as he gets 10,000,000 or more. His agent has relly screwed with the three teams and for what? Like I have said before any player who just wants money and doesnt give a dam about the team is not worth one cent to that team. Kovi would be a cancer in the locker room.
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number 6 Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 8:33 am
@gene cowles,
Thanks for that Gene. Yes, I absolutely agree. In fact, very good point you make and one that has not been considered or elaborated on here.
But, as soon as you have someone come in who A) makes that much more than other ‘core’ players and is B) perhaps perceived to not be too bothered to put in the same effort as someone like Kopi or others at Both ends of the rink, what sort of subtle or not so subtle resentment could creep into a dressing room that at the moment clearly gets on very well and likes each other? Just a thought.
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With the current roster(even with GAgne) will not be more than a 6 seed, the west is too good.. The over-under on how many games he will play this season will be set a 30 games by the Vegas bookies. With that said, I would love IK, but not for what he is asking for. Unfortunately the Kings are a team without a consistant go to goal scorer, Schenn is not the answer either..,he is a good # 2 center. I am looking to the summer of 2011, any good FA’s available then?
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Someone suggested that instead of Free Agency, we should name this period the LA Maalox Moment.
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Very smart negotiating on DL’s part. He knows the Devils will not go near the $100 mil mark. If Kovy wants that money, he’s either going to the Islanders or the KHL..not sure which is worse….
If he really wants to win, he’ll take a little less and decide between the Kings offer or NJ.
It sounds like it’s all about the money, so please Kovy check back with us around January playing at the Nassau Mausoleum when you’re battling for that #1 pick. At least he can say he’s playing for something.
I think we’re all a little disappointed, but not in the team’s management. At least we can be sure DL is looking out for the well being of the org.
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I suggested Savard because they are shopping him and he could come cheap — he is more durable than Gagne in my opinion.
I agree if we don’t sign anybody, lose Frolov and stand pat, we barely make the playoffs.
We were a horrible 5 on 5 team last year, the worst of all playoff teams, and I don’t see how we improve on that unless Schenn has a monster camp and steps up and we get a sniper.
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I wish everyone would take a chill pill.
1. None of us would like it if we were told in what city we had to work and for how much.
2. No one hear actually knows what was offered to Kovy and by who. Bobby Mac, Rich Hammond etc, don’t know the scoop and either do we.
3. D.L made an offer- we know that – but we don’t know what that offer was – it could have been a slap in the face for all we know – saying that, I am positive it was a good offer and Kovy is mulling it over. If you were giving 75 to 100 million and got to choose where you were to play, would you not take your time making everything was up to par. He could be checking out real estate and schooling in the cities.
4. L.A so far has lost Ivanans and O”Donnell. 80% of our fanbase are happy Ivanans is gone and O’Donnell, while well liked was showing rust in the armor. Frolov, Modin etc are still out there and can still sign back with us.
5. I want to see Doughty locked up asap
6. Not a fan of Gagne on a 1 yr contract but it depends who we lose for him. Yes he has injury problems, but the dude is talented and a warrior.
7. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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of course the Kings are out of the Kovalchuk race…they simply refuse to sign any big free-agents instead we are stuck with losers like randy jones and Halpern who was a hurt for most of the time he was a King. Modin on the other hand was great and helped during the playoffs. why not sign a big player that the fans can be proud of. you will still have the money to sign Doughty in 3 years and Johnson and most of our young prospects. this is typical in recent years you’ve let fan favorites get away like Lappy and Belanger (who is a free-agent and you could bring him back) i am and will always be a loyal Kings fan but please enough of these 3rd tier players pick ups
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