Here’s the quote from Dean Lombardi, in regard to reports that Ilya Kovalchuk will visit Los Angeles and/or sign with the Kings…
“Kovalchuk is only coming here for a visit,” Lombardi said. “It is a great opportunity for him to meet us and us to meet him. Reports of us announcing a signing tomorrow are utterly false.”
Obvious smokescreen for a press conference tomorrow morning.
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McDonalds Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
@Jordan, Hahahaha we can hope!
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ringo Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
@McDonalds, Ilya Kovalchuk is on his way Los Angeles, although he isn’t a member of the Kings just yet.
According to TSN and the NHL Network’s Darren Dreger, the unrestricted free agent is visiting Southern California for some face-to-face negotiations with Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Rumors are also swirling that a deal is already in place and will be announced tomorrow, but Lombardi told TSN’s Bob McKenzie that it’s “utterly false.”
If the Kings are finally able to land Kovalchuk, who has 338 goals in 621 NHL games, they would instantly become Stanley Cup contenders…..this from nhl.com….
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he better sign or i will go down there and beat him up. j/k
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@chuckrocks,
I’ll drive, you ride shotgun.
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dabronx Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
@Kingsfanone,
I’ll buy the gas
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Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
@dabronx,I’ll spring for Tommy’s afterwards.
Kingsfanone Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
@chuckrocks,
I’m gonna need a bigger car!
=-)
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kenny Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
@Kingsfanone,
i’ll supply a bus lets go to l.a.x. and sit n wait lol
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Moondoggie Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
@kenny, We can kick in a limo for Kovi, can’t we?? Nah, at $100mil for a zillion seasons, let him pick up the tab…..
scott3343 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:47 am
@kenny, I will arrange bail
Purely speculation, but DL trying to downgrade the issue for a big media gathering tomorrow.
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DougS Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
@Dayman,
I’d agree with that read. At this point, DL would be stupid not to keep expectations tamped down. It’s not over until IK actually signs on the dotted line.
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“I only came to In N Out to look at a burger. Reports of me purchasing and eating one are totally and utterly false.”
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TVA333 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
@Barrie G, LMFAO! Very nice.
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KB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Yeah, I might just be giddy with delight but I LMFAO too. Thanks.
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Geoff Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@Barrie G, Haha, that sounds suspiciously like something one of my college friends from NJ said, jokingly, when he came out to CA to interview for a job.
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socalkings Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
@Barrie G,
great comment
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
@Barrie G, lol..tell ya what,if Kovalchuk signs then I think I will celebrate with a double double with grilled onions, great Idea @Barrie G !
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TVA333 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
@puck73, Don’t forget the Tommy’s Chilli!
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
@Barrie G,
Now THAT is funny!!!
Might not be that far from the truth also. Maybe Dean will have some players (and LUC) greet and talk with him.
Kovi is probably realizing he almost HAS TO TAKE what Dean is offering, as his best chance to win a Cup soon. No other team can afford to pay him under the cap near what he wants except the Kings without blowing up the team first. If he wants to be on a long term winner AND get some cash, he’s gotta sign here, doesn’t he?
Seriously, I only went into the Porsche dealer to LOOK. Yeah……..right.
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LBlocal Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
@Barrie G, That is very animal style of you.
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Smoke screen?
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i.e. he’s signing the contract today!
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Hey Dean if you need me to I will bring him to a strip joint and get him drunk, then we can get him to sign for like 12 years and $40,000 while he is still drunk.
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DougS Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
@chuckrocks,
Excellent!
I got a bunch of $1s in my wallet if you need any.
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Moondoggie Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
@chuckrocks, Can I come too??
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If he DOESN’T sign there will be hell to pay Dean. HELL I say!
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Christian T Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
@Tookie,
As Dean would say, “utterly false”.
Dean will not have hell to pay because he has been very responsible during this soap opera. His bottom line is the team. He could have signed Kovi early and only later would we have seen the ramifications. Now he has played hard ball and while we still may pay him 100 million, it will be over enough years to have a managable cap hit.
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Moondoggie Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
@Christian T, Best statement yet…Deano has played this BRILLIANTLY, utterly and totally BRILLIANTLY! I agree with Pierre LeBrun; if Kovi does sign with the Kings, DL TOTALLY deserves the GM of the year award. He has been excellent throughout this….
Good article here on the Kovi negotiations from SI…..
http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=10573&id=bnw8f17ygmrplabp8ja0ttrzuwu9x&id2=6v2wl51r5kmq7hq65bh9slmlaxwr3&subscriber_id=aawhytrtuxxswswbdnxcysjgzblfbca&delivery_id=bwponpgedczkmzvqdwmtifkrceaubka&tid=1.85p.C7oD6w~B8NR.18afe..C7oD7g~JBq9.C7oD6~FqrL7.l.C7oD7~pr6.z-XShw
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I hope this is a smokescreen, I dont think everyone here understands the explosiveness of Kovalchuck, he will fit perfectly with this team. I cant wait till he signs!!
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KingMe20 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:37 am
@Icecrown,
A guy who scores a goal every other game on average for his career? Yeah, I think we get he’s explosive. What I think none of us know is how good of a teammate he is. That’s the only thing that I would worry about if the Kings sign him, but from what I understand, his Atlanta teammates voted to make him captain unanimously, and Martin Brodeur and Lou Lamarillo raved about Kovalchuk’s work ethic. Everyone keeps knocking his playoff record, but he did lead New Jersey in scoring this past post-season.
As long as it doesn’t blow up their chances to re-sign at least two of Doughty, Simmonds, and Johnson (and Doughty must be one of the two), then I’m fine with it.
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I only went to the W——–house to look. Will come back another time. LOL Right on DL.
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Lombardi said. “It is a great opportunity for him to meet us and us to meet him.”
It’s also a great opportunity for Kovi to sign on the dotted line.
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HAHAHAHAHHA DEANO PLAYING POKER FACE AGAIN. SMOKE SCREEN INDEED MY FREINDS.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE ARE REPORTING KINGS STILL FAR AWAYS FROM AGREEING ON CONTRACT WITH KOVY.
FYI, WHY THE HELL WOULD KOVY BE FLYING OUT HERE TO MEET WITH THE BRASS. THEY ARE CLOSE ON A DEAL AND THIS THING WILL GET FINALIZED.
THE KINGS WILL BE CALLING ALL MEDIA OUTLETS TO THE MIDDLE OF STAPLES CENTER ICE ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY TO ANNOUNCE THE SIGNING OF KOVY.
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OneTimer Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
@STEVE,
Clearly you understand CAP SPACE.
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Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@OneTimer,
Better put on the shades Horatio
YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
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Glad to see that Deano took the time to give you a quote Rich.
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Tomorrow we all know for sure either Ik ia a King, or we have no chance to have him as a King. There won’t be any more meetings.
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WOW the saga continues….. On another note for all the Kings fans that are going to frozen fury, If you have facebook and have not booked a room yet I just got a room for $63 a night on a 7 day sale that ends tomorrow. All you have to do is go on the MGM grand facebook page become a fan then go to the special deals and click the 7 day sale. Sale ends on 7/12.. Just an FYI if you want a room!!
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mantooth Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
@Pat,
Thank you so much! I just went there and got the same deal! Can’t wait!
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Danielle Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
@Pat,
Thanks for the heads-up! I just booked my room!
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pat Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
@Danielle, Glad I could help out with that!!
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KinguyJosh Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
@Pat,
Thank you very much. Just booked mine!
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Brusters Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
@Pat, Just booked 2 nights at MGM. Thanks a million.
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lala Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
@Pat,
Thank you soooo much for the heads up on that deal! Booked my 2 nights just now.
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Dewey Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
@Pat, Thanks!!! Does anyone happen to know the difference between the West Wing and Grand Tower?
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pat Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 6:11 am
@Dewey, the west wing room is a little smaller but is a contemporary type room vs. the “normal” vegas room in the grand tower.. Both are not bad..
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I upgraded my season seats on Saturday. Looks like the Kings are upgrading their roster.
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Kovi helping pick the Ice Girl squad tomorrow?
I here lots of comparisons to Yashin in NYI….for our sake, lets hope not!!
Hoping for something less than 7 mil per…..please DL!! Nothing more.
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flex Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
@Cup B4 I Die, ..why,is this your money.this guy is worth more and we need him in “good mood”
Very Important!!! Give him 8m and still enough to sign DD JJ SIMMI…
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Rich, how many unsigned UFAs fly across the nation to say hi?
At least he didn’t tell you to take the day off!
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Breaking News:
TSN REPORTS- KINGS DENY REPORT THEY WILL SIGN KOVALCHUK MONDAY…
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puckbob Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
@Joe Chuck, AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG
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King Doughnuts Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
@puckbob, This just in TSN reports the Kings deny the report that they deny they will sign Kovalchuk Monday.
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I can’t take anymore. Let’s do something fun like send an offer sheet to Bobby Ryan and piss of the Shmucks.
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Alen Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
@The Griffster, and wait until they do the same to our young players right?
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number 6 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
@The Griffster,
Griffster…. I have an even better idea. How about if YOU send an offer sheet to the Ducks. See how much it might cost you to sign him, and maybe we can all come to the press conference. lol
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Rich – What are your thoughts on his comment?
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Not to pat myself (ok, not too much) on the back yet, but I’ve said all along that Kovi wants to play here and he really has no other options. That was obvious from the drawn out (and continuing) signing process.
He had NJ’s best offer and yet, he still didn’t sign.
He wouldn’t be coming to meet unless a deal is imminent.
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
@MartinRW, Think I have ta agree with ya sir, I cant see a guy like Kovi flying out here just ta say hi unless he was serious. I will say this, it would be one helluva punk job if he stiffed Dean and Tim Though !
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ezepace Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@MartinRW,
I smile with you. All good news so far.
I believe I said something like this as well. Whether naysayers agreed or not. To me its not important whether my friend told me that IK and his wife said about wanting to be in LA the bottom line is that they do.
Then we hear his mom verifies he should play in NHL not KHL.
Last week before I knew any of this I wanted to know 3 things
1 WIll he go back to Russia
2 What team does he WANT to play with
3 Where does his wife want to live.
I figured if we knew this we could get our hopes up.\(The biggest reason Gretz came here was his wife wanted LA.)
In my mind, and by a bit of coincidence I now know the answers to those three questions. And so I shared that information here. I did it simply to set the record straight.
My wife and her russian girlfriend could care less about hockey . Sad but true. But for me Ive been a die hard king fan since 1972. Ive actually attended or watched on tv or listened on the radio most of the kings games since. My biggest goal (dream if you will) is for the kings to win it all. I know we all have this dream. Ive just had it longer than most and thereby ive had more years of frustration.
Ive analalyzed hockey for years. Ive made my own fantasy teams and trades (so to speak), but the kings never followed through . I believe IK could be a big step to helping us to that goal. Im willing to take this chance, because I dont see it happening with out a sniper goal scorer. We are terrific now defensively and have two key goal tenders on board. I really admire Kopitar and excited about Schenn and Kozun and others.The kings could be exciting for foreseable 10 years.
Its like imagine us getting two of the first picks in the same year. We got DD . He is the next Bobby Orr , Ray Borque , Scott Neidemeyer kind of player ( Do any remember Ray Borque was our pick ( 6th overall that we traded away) So instead of also getting Stamkos a 51 goal scorer last year. Well we could get his equivalent in Ilya Kovalchuk. And for this we dont have to give up draft picks. This is just an incredible opportunity. I for one am glad to spend AEGs money haha.
I just hope this all works out
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Let’s have a productive meeting with enthusiasm.
Get it done, Dean, and Kovalchuk.
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Here is a more complete quote from Dean according to LeBrun:
“Ilya Kovalchuk is coming to Los Angeles for face to face discussions, just like any free agent would. We are a long way from agreeing on a contract.”
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dabronx Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
@UpperV,
he means a long ways away in miles.
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Danielle Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
@UpperV,
Which begs the question, how many free agents generally fly out to meet with the teams face to face rather than through an agent (excluding that tool LeBron)? I am not convinced it means a deal is done yet, but I think it is a good sign. At the very least, I would think it means that there are a couple of offers he is weighing and, all things being equal, he is coming out to see the team culture and other intangibles before making a final choice.
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flex Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
@UpperV, Hey,there is korean massage place not to far from Staples.Let me take kovi there,to have so called “face to face” meeting with this girls. … Heaven !!The deal is 100%.
This visit is “political” manuvar or .copie what that basketball guy(le br..?) did ,before he choose Miami. The good news is Kovis visit list is too short.
Kovi the King…makes us KINGS RULE NHL !!!
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maybe he meant “reports of us signing him tomorrow are utterly false, because we’re signing him TODAY.” haha
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Hook this guy up with a real estate agent in PV.
Forget about the small stuff in Hermosa and Redondo; then we’ll see how he feels about staying in Jersey.
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Barrie G Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
@Doc. Mark 1968, either way it’s a win.
The South Bay may have “small” accommodations relative to Palos Verdes or Rolling Hills Estates but some of those places cost as much or more as the cribs up on “da hill”.
Be right on the beach in a luxurious 2500-3000 sq ft. place or go drive 15-20 minutes to the sand and surf and have a 7000-10000 sq footer? Tough decision huh?
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The Kings will sigh Kovi and then deal him for a top 4 D ……
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KingMe20 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:41 am
@neil,
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read on here today. Lol
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Dean also just spoke to Pierre LeBrun -
““Ilya is coming out to LA,” Kings GM Dean Lombardi told ESPN.com Sunday night. “We’re going to meet face to face. But reports that we are announcing his signing tomorrow are utterly and completely false. We have no deal. We’re not even close. I mean, who knows, maybe we’ll get close tomorrow but we have no deal right now.”
Last sentence is important. They’re getting down to brass tacks.
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Two weeks of being toyed with, I just want resolution!
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“Kovalchuk is only coming here for a visit,” Lombardi said. “It is a great opportunity for him to meet us and us to meet him. Reports of us announcing a signing tomorrow are utterly false.”
Am I reading this right? Coming out for a visit? To take a tour of Universal Studios and sample Tommy’s burgers?
Why do I agree with those who keep saying Kovi WANTS to sign with L.A.?
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Dazed N Confused Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
@tuan jim,
What’s everyone so confused about. Dean and Kovi are friends and they just want to spend some quality time together. They’ll go out to eat, check out Huntington Beach, and go to see Mickey Mouse. This visit has nothing to do with hockey at all (wink, wink).
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DLB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
@Dazed N Confused, Why wouldn’t anyone believe this? The pier is SO NICE!
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tuan jim Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
@DLB, DL’s next comment to the press will be, “We’re just friends.”
DLB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
“We just like hanging out in rooms together with pens. And contracts.”
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Jamesonafterawin Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
@DLB, LOL, I needed that.
I posted this link a week ago to renew the passion of the apathetic. If you’re thinking that you just want it to be over one way or another because you are sick of all this BS – Watch this (if you haven’t already) and you’re remember what this is all about in the first place! He absolutely dominates out there. I have seen him live and it is like a man amongst boys at times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oTgZhOVm34
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stillkingly Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
@UpperV,
SICK!!!!!!!!
Cant wait, just what the team needs.
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Old Time Hockey Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
@UpperV, Yup that’s what we need is another player that shows up @ Times instead of Most of the time. Yashin was a man among boys also when he showed up……..@ Times.
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fourtunato Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
@UpperV,
I am convinced.
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My heart says YESSSS! But my brain says its a ploy by the agent to put DL on the spot. I hope the agent did not under-estimate Dean’s resolve to keep cap space for our home grown talent. (or else Kovi will be getting back on the plane empty-handed – to Russia)
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
@BluLiner, Excellent point about Dean and his resolve. No way Dean sacrifices our good young players for anyones greed. Dean has been very animate about his philosophy and there is no way he will cave in.
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Helpful Helper Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@puck73,
*adamant
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
@Helpful Helper, Thanx man.
IK really just wants to watch MLB allstar and see Brownies DLO-23 Line
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I can only imagine that Mikus is involved in this somewhere…
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KingMe20 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:43 am
@Belexes,
Dean is bringing him to the meeting, and Mikus is going to be assuring Ilya that either his brains or his signature will be on the contract.
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Take him to the beach,playboy mansion,rodeo drive,hollywood,la live and staples center.Introduce him to Kobe and some movie stars. Have him take some pictures with some supermodels. I think that will get the deal done.
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number 6 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
@spidey35,
I’m not absolutely convinced his wife would appreciate that. Kobe and the movie stars maybe…. nyet for the rest.
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SPIDEY35 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:51 am
@number 6, Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I want him to get all Chris Pronger on us
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If the Kings announce Kovi signing, this website will literally blow up again. I fully expect when I try and open this site I’ll get a slight humming sound and a window saying only “HUH?”
ooooooooooo, I can’t wait!!!
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What if IK was canadian or american.
If he was with these statistics what NHL team wouldnt scrable to pay him 9 million a year or more. Think about it. Does his being Russian make him less valuable? Not to me as long as he wants to be a king.
Im married to a russian and have visited there and Ukraine a number of times. I know a lot of great russians and can attest that some are terrific. Lets give him a chance.
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jonsey Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
@ezepace,
Dead on my friend. It is borderline racist or at the least ethnocentrist the way all of these fans call him names because he happens to be from Russia. He has shown at the very least that he is a dedicated professional with a lot of skill and a lot of ambition.
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raunq12 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
@jonsey,
Agree 100 percent
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Rick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
@raunq12, Agree, too. There have been some comments on here that don’t pass the smell test regarding Kovy’s national origin.
KingMe20 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:51 am
@ezepace,
Honestly, that has a lot to do with it, I’m sure, and I think it’s one of the reasons that Frolov is finding the market slow as well. The fear that these guys will bolt to go play back home in the KHL doesn’t hang over the heads of Canadian, American, or even Swedish and Finnish players the way it does over Russians. Nikolai Zherdev and Alexander Radulov did no favors to their fellow Russian NHLers by doing just that.
There’s also a common (and often misguided) perception that Russian players do not care as much about winning the Stanley Cup as they do winning a gold medal for their home country. Admittedly, it’s often tough to read a Russian player’s emotional committment (again, look at the issues Terry Murry had with Frolov), because their demeanor is just different, and language can be a barrier, but I think Kovalchuk has shown that he’s a bit more outwardly fiery and competitive than some of his countrymen.
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I assume they will be meeting at the Toyota Sports Center. Anybody out there going to be hanging out there tomorrow?
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Scramble sorry.
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Rich,
When or if you get an upgrade can you add a spell checker. I hate to read my own posts when they have typos. While your at it make it a self correcting corrector haha.I speelll great I just type poorly…lol
My 10 years of post education werent in English.
I do want to ask a repeat ? Is there a way to find new comments withour re reading all the comments.
Thanks
EZE
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
@ezepace,
Top left on the page shows recent posts. As long as you remember who posted when, or check after your own post.
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Dean’s alter ego doing a “sales pitch”…………….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL2OJEmKg24
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What the hell was Dean Lombardi supposed to say?
“Yes, Ilya Kovalchuk is flying to meet us in Los Angeles to sign a contract.”
GMs don’t say this kind of stuff before it happens because, as we saw with the Justin Williams trade from the ’09 deadline, if the terms get leaked, it could put the GM in a bad position.
And since DL already went through that with Justin Williams, he HAS to keep quiet on the subject until it actually becomes official.
As far as I’m concerned, the fact that the PLAYER, not just the agent, is flying out to meet the GM face-to-face is encouraging for those who want the Kings to sign him.
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
@Kevin Y, You sir are a voice of reason.
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Ilya, i’ll see you tomorrow at Gambrinus in Redondo Beach — International Boardwalk, 7PM sharp. Ukrainian chicks,cold beer and great weather.
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I know for a fact that Kovalchuk’s select-a-seat appointment is tomorrow.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
@Capt Jam,
For his kinda money, he’ll be using the “SELECT-A-SUITE” option.
Okay, don’t wake me…….I’m daydreaming of Kopi and Kovi on the SAME DAMN LINE!!! Just SICK!!!
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luckyluc13 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
@Kingsfanone, So has Kopitar.He’s gotta be smiling.I’ll bet he knows what’s really goin on
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grega11 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 5:30 am
@luckyluc13,
if he does know, he is very, very quiet. i`m sure he would be happy though
I just bought tickets for Frozen Fury.
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Man, i really hope he signs! Are they meeting tonight or tomorrow ?
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Sorry Mr. Simmonds,
but it is starting to look as though you will have to give up your #17 jersey to Mr. Kovalchuk.
Unless, of course, Kovalchuk is banking on getting the rest of his money from Simmonds paying him off to keep #17. Then we should be seeing Kovalchuk in his RUSSIAN #71.
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KingMe20 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:54 am
@R.E.M. Murray,
Or perhaps he tries out a new one… 19, 21, and 22 are all available, for example. If Simmonds does give up #17, I expect he will be well compensated for it.
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Maybe we can all meet him at the airport…
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broncokings Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
@alma,seriously, what time doe he get here
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lakingsfan19 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
@alma,
Where he is flying in, they won’t let you near him. He will be coming in a Corporate Jet and may not even be flying into LAX. My guess is LA sent him the Jet or Kovi is on his NetJets plane.
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alma Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
@lakingsfan19, relax, it was a joke… and I am in the corporate aircraft business, I know precisely how the business works …
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I have a good feeling about Kovy agreeing to a contract and signing on the dotted line tomorrow.
He wouldn’t even make an effort to come to LA if he wasn’t interested.
Good comparison would be when Dany Heatley was courted by the Oilers last season. He didn’t even make the effort to fly to Edmonton from Ottawa to speak to Kevin Lowe.
Let’s get it done Dean!!
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
@Deedub, Great observation on your part. Tell ya what though, although I was a big fan of Kevin Lowe the player, I lost a lot of respect for him when he high-balled the Ducks on Dustin Penner. And nooo, I am not a fan of the Ducks but Lowe put owners and Gm’s in a bad position by giving a contract to a young player that he clearly was not ready for at that point in his career.
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Kwaz Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:00 am
@puck73,
He also drove up the price on Vanek if I remember correctly.
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puck73 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:31 am
@Kwaz, You are right about that, and the Vanek offer he made was even more out of line then the Penner offer, good memory on your part. And this is why I hope that Dean is a man of his word and does not go after someone elses RFA because it will really make him look like a hypocrite when you cosider he has stated on more then one occasion that this is not a good practice and could come back to bite you in the ass.
Could I interest you in a nice.. tattoo?
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I tried pulling up the Frozen Fury info on my Droid…..anyone know what date its playing this year?
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mantooth Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
@IIShort,
October 2
See the above post from “Pat” about great room rates at the MGM
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last Helliott article :
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/07/ilya-kovalchuk-dean-lombardi-kings-nhl-hockey-.html
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What does everyone think of kopi and kovi being on seperate lines only together on the power play.
Again another glaring point of our need for a legit #2 center
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number 6 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
@Speedy,
Personally, I was thinking of that weeks ago when I considered the idea that he could conceivably be with the Kings. In the playoffs – especially on the road, you get a damned good teams best checking line.
But if you have two very talented players split up, then the opponent has something to have to try and cope with.
Also, maybe it’s not next year, but if not then the year after I’m reasonably convinced that
Brayden Schenn should fill that 2nd line slot.
Good thinking though on your part.
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jgsmall Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:01 am
@Speedy, Don’t forget Doughty on the point (and maybe JJ as well).
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Dean, please acquire a player who’s last name starts with a K_____?,
Kovalchuk-Kopitar-?
Triple K Line!!!!!!!!!!! yeahhhh!
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Gokings Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
@Joe Chuck,
The KKK line? i don’t know that, that would go over very well with the media, lol.
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DLB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
@Joe Chuck, Uhhh…might want to consider the PR implications of that!
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friarking Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
@Joe Chuck,
They can always sign a player who’s last name starts with a G. Then they could have the KGB line.
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KC23 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
@Joe Chuck,
Nah, have to be a player with the first two initials … KO … then it would be the KO line, now that has a better right to it.
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KC23 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
@KC23,
ring*
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trey a Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
@KC23, its gonna be the KoKo line
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rick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
@trey a, And if you add Brown to it, the line becomes Brown KoKo…
Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
@Joe Chuck, If it were a K,it could be called the 3000 line,since you have 3K’s.
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chuckrocks Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
@Dominick, KKK? I think simmers would ask to be traded. j/k
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Jim S. Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 12:02 am
@Joe Chuck,
Lots of possibilities here… I’ll go with a “geography” line.
I say put Moller out there & call them the “European Union.”
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I think that it’s very significant that Ilya is flying to LA “for a visit”. This could be the tipping point in the negotiations. Let’s hope there’s not a damn quake tomorrow! He has to be very interested in playing for the Kings, or he wouldn’t be coming here.
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Rich,
Do you ever recall any GM leaking that they are going to sign a player a day before it happened?
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Kostitsyn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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broncokings Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
@Joe Chuck, lol thats great
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Kevin Y Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
@Joe Chuck,
That would be nice…
Unfortunately, Sergei signed with Nashville already, and I don’t think we’re getting Andrei from Montreal.
Although we could always dream
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let’s not get too excited just yet. major deals get done face to face, not long distance. this is especially true when there are differences that can’t seem to be bridged but that both parties want to bridge. You sit down face to face, you walk around a little, have something to eat, meet others who’ll be involved in your life, and have the opportunity to go back and forth with points-counterpoints in real time. Most of all, you get to look in the other person’s eyes, get to hear each other’s voices, and that’s how trust gets built in a way that overcomes seemingly otherwise immovable obstacles.
I believe Dean that the deal isn’t done. Instead, it means Kovi is making the effort to sign here by showing his willingness to fly out here — and not the other way around.
It looks good, but don’t pay for that In N Out burger quite yet.
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Howe 9 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
@sec12,
Plus I’m sure he would like to show him his famous charts.
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This just in: Abe Vigoda is dead!
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SHOW HIM THE MONEEEEEEEY!
haha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9jKi1-bmtU
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Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
@brandyn, LMFAO!dude it took me a few seconds to realize what was going on.Once I did,that made it even funnier.Thanks for that.
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gralx Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
@brandyn, Oh my God!!! I laughed sooooo hard! Played it for my wife who was a Russian Language and literature major in college, didn’t see the humor. I am still laughing!
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Kopitar to Kostitsyn, Kostitsyn to Kovalchuk, Kovalchuk to Kopitar, Kopitar to Kovalchuck…SCORES ON THE ONE TIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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Daemon Chadeau Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 3:02 am
@Joe Chuck, I think that would drive Bob Miller into retirement.
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Don’t sign him, sign 4 def and 1 wing and some of our players. One player don’t win the cup but a team will.
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Bryan Agee Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Be quiet Duncan…
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DL,Roll out the red carpet,and hire a guy to shadow Grossman,with his lips puckered,so that he can kiss his arse everytime he bends over.
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Duckhunter Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
@Dominick,
I kiss my wife’s arse every day. I just might be qualified for this task. Deano, I volunteer.
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Ok, i take one day off of twitter.com (REFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH) lakingsinsider.com (REFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH) and NOW there is some news…. not turning on the computer tomorrow!
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Danielle Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
@gralx,
That’s a way to take one for the team!
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I HAVE 2 WORDS FOR EVERYONE…ALEXEI YASHIN.
IF I AM WRONG 2 THINGS WILL HAPPEN.
1. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE FOR BEING WRONG.
2. I WILL BLIND MYSELF WITH THE SMILE ON MY FACE.
KOVY IS A HELL OF A GOAL SCORER…I DARE SAY JUST AS GOOD IF NOT JUST A LITTLE BETTER THAN OVIE.
BUT I CAN’T GET THAT ALEXEI YASHIN THING OUT OF MY MIND.
BUT IF HE DOES SIGN THEY BETTER MAKE SURE THERE IS ENOUGH FOR DREW, JACK, WAYNE AND BERNIER.
I AM STILL A BIG DEAN SUPPORTER. DON’T LET ME DOWN DL!
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mark Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
@Manchester Connection,
Lol Kovi>Ovi?
No chance on that.
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DougS Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
@Manchester Connection,
That’s a legitimate concern. That’s why I have not lost patience with DL during this process, not for a moment. He understands that he has to mitigate the risk to the Kings by not overpaying for Kovalchuk. And the only way he’s going to get the right deal is by sticking to his principles and showing that he’s willing to walk away from the table if he’s not satisfied.
This is something that I wish all of these “Sign Kovi at any price!” and “Hurry up and get a deal done!” dimwits would understand.
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ezepace Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@DougS,
I dont think there are many dimmits as you allege.
A lot here want him to be a King and we are trusting in DL to make the numbers work. Yes time is important so we can move on and focus on a couple other needs like a center and a # 4 defenseman. Ive read every post and almost noone said any price… Most all are very aware of the cap and our need to keep our core intact.
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DougS Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
@ezepace,
Even one is one too many, to my taste. And I have seen more than one on these boards.
tuan jim Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
@Manchester Connection, sing it, brother!!!
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Foolmeonce Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@Manchester Connection, Dude,why are you yelling?
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flex Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
@Manchester Connection, Dl got more than enough suppot…you better support those who patiantly wait 40 years to “smeel” the cup.
…Yashin is not an excuse to miss this rare oportunitie.
To all those who are worry about AEG money….
Without pure sniper there is NO WAY you can move th next level.This team already stuck more than enough talent…WHAT FOR???
The buttom line …If you buy the” expensive” excuse…forget about stanley.After 2-3 years DD woulde ask for trade to cup contender team…
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Make room Lakers, there is another sports team in LA coming up fast.
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GG Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
@KC23, That’s right
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54FIGHTING Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
@KC23,
Stop please. You sound like the old, terrible Clipper adds they had when they drafted Danny Manning way back when.
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Well, Kovi is just going to come here with his agent Grossman and “TALK”?? More like you need his signature on the contract to sign and get ready to join the Kings come training camp. Let’s hope I call Lombardi’ bluff on him saying there is no deal in the making. I strongly believe that Kovi has run out of teams that are willing to give him the best deal and he has come back to Lombardi’s offer and is going to take it. Let’s hoipe it is a done deal. Never forget, sports figures are human too and they are prone to injuries. Lets hope that if he is with the team, that does not happen, just sayin.
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A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing!
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tbrads Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
@Marc,
Coffee is for closers only! Classic. You ever see the skit in SNL with
Alex Baldwin? Always be cobbling? Hilarious.
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Can someone please mapquest and email him directions to Staples? Off 101 corner of Figueroa and Chick Hearn. Don’t want him to take the 5 freeway and get off at Katela.
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Tyler Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
@RQ@315, Haha seriously! Even a poor man is disgusted driving down that way
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Capt Jam Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:54 am
@RQ@315,
If they wanna get this deal done fast, book a beachside table for lunch and let the natural and enhanced scenery do all the talkin’ for us.
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Man I hope theres a deal in the works… This vid makes me pray its in the works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2US4iaPjag
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Dear God please bypass any scheduled earthquakes on the following dates
7/12/2010-until Kovi leaves L.A.
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I am going to throw out another reason Kovy wants to come play in LA. I have yet to see this mentioned unless it got lost in the previous 18000 posts:
Crosby and AO are in the East, he doesn’t want to share the spotlight so he is taking his show out West where he can be the BIG GUN.
My apologies if this was pointed out.
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Tyler Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
@Barrie G, Never thought of that but I like it!
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alma Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
@Barrie G, another angle a la Saku Koivu – maybe he wants to hide, and what better place to do that than here!
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Kwaz Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:31 am
@alma,
Atlanta.
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Kwaz Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:34 am
@alma,
Atlanta. : )
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kingfish Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
@Barrie G,
I agree with that
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King John Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
@Barrie G,
Maybe the West Coast and Phoenix will get more attention with Vancouver, San Jose, and LOS ANGELES spawning exciting teams!
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Wow that video was great…chills great! So it also led to some video of kovi dropping the gloves??? I know we want him scoring goals not fighting but thats crazy that he can throw puches as well. Don’t we need to sign another bodygaurd for dd and kovi??? Is westgrath going to be able to fight everyone?? Any thoughts on this?
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tuan jim Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
@illegalstick33,
I’ve heard some unfortunate things about Westgarth — especially that his toughness and fighting prowess are overrated.
I hope that’s nonsense. We don’t exactly have a mess of meanness and muscle.
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Fingers Crossed Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:10 am
@tuan jim, Westgarth caused a stir last year when he knocked a guy out and the player started convulsing on the ice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJxkYuTK4Co
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gene cowles Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:24 am
The kings will get run if they dont get some bigger bad asses in here. Westgrath is not the fighter who can take on the big boys of the NHL. We 9the kings need another really good fighter in here. Trust me they do.
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Holy geez! Stay away for one bloody day from the blog and the whole bloody world turns upside down!
Sorry Rich…I’M NOT WORTHY, I’M NOT WORTHY!!!
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let’s get this done!!
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Ok, so here is why now….. tomorrow is the SLOWEST sports day of the year (ok, maybe second slowest to Wednesday of this week). Perfect time to take the entire spotlight of the entire sports world….
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alma Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
@gralx, you forgot the Home Run Derby tomorrow… ;-p
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Kevin Y Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
@alma,
Yeah: “tomorrow is the SLOWEST sports day of the year”
HAHA gosh, the Home Run Derby just isn’t the same as it used to be. Back in the days of McGwire, Sosa, Griffey, and Thomas, it was awesome. It’s just not as intriguing anymore.
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gralx Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@alma, i did qualify it as maybe the 2nd slowest day to Wednesday of this week LOL
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I love it
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I’m starting to hope…. and I know that’s dangerous… but we’ve waited so long for a shot like this……. Oh, please, please, please let it happen…….
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Lots of info, some rumors, some facts are out re Kovy.
What we know…
Kovy (and agent) are coming to LA tomorrow.
I think it is safe to say Kovy wants to sign with LA.
Reports are that…
Kovy is all but signed.
DL says that is “utterly false…we think it is a good chance to meet…”
NJ has offered a deal worth more than 100 mil, with 100 mil paid in the first 10 years. (No idea if this is true.)
From reading the Kings fan sites, it appears that there is a consensus of opinion that it is a done deal, that Kovy will sign in LA. Some opinion seems genuine, some more based on wishful thinking. Perhaps, many people are seeing what they want to see
I think, not a done deal, not close to a deal, but, Kovy is coming out with his agent to see if a suitable deal can be reached. I am not jumping to conclusions on this, just yet.
Am I wrong?
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Christian T Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
@scvking, I don’t think your wrong but I do think this could be done in a day or two. I think Dean has played this beautifully and Kovi and his agent are not stupid either. If he plays here it shows that it is not just about money but that he wants to win and keep his family happy.
If the cap hit is not so bad the kings will thrive for a long time.
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i want kovy to be a king so badly. he seems to be the piece of the puzzle we never get, but i have loved watching DL work his way through and hopefully to this. its been clear all along he will not wreck the team for one player, and what could be more attractive to a player to know his potential new team will be strong and a contender through his contract.
DL! please make it so.
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http://prosportsblogging.com/nhl-hockey/around-the-rinks/the-decision-ilya-kovalchuk-edition/
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There is a deal done…questions is which side lost. My guess is Kovy will take less money and his excuse will be that after meeting with everyone IN LA it seemed perfect and I wanted to go here, even if it meant for less money.
When the truth was that no one else was paying him what he wants and we are the only team that has a chance to do something special. His agent is an idiot.
Either way, the “he is just coming to talk” gives him the out to say that he decided to take less money as opposed to being forced to take less money.
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I’m sure Kovie just wants to take his kids to Disneyland…
Which is fine, as long as he doesn’t take his kids to place right near disneyland… unless it’s to laugh
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A tank with porsche speed..
Not my words what a visual.
See the videos on u tube about how this guy can score….
look at top 10 goals and highlights…quite a few videos to show his skills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTd8EF10MW8&NR=1
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So is it safe to assume Ilya Kovalchuk is going to sign with us as a new member of the Ice Crew? I mean, that might explain why Cole was cut from tryouts, right?
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Kovi/Kopitar/Williams
Smyth/Schenn/Brown
Parse/Zues/Simmonds
Clune/Stoll/Richardson
Scuds/Doughty
JJ/Johnnson
Greene/Voynov/Drew
Quick/Bernier
…nice!
…too bad cap space doesn’t work…bye stoll, thanks for the hard work
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puck73 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
@DARKO, Bye Stoll? really? Would much rather see Justin Williams go bye bye. You are assuming that Schenn is ready to center the 2nd line, we will see because that is a hell of a responsibility to put on this kid. As for Clune..he is a Sean Avery wannabee with half the skill, I hope Clifford is ready instead.
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tuan jim Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
@DARKO,
Clune-Stoll-Richardson? The Mouse-Line? I’d like a bit more beef, thank you.
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Reading this gave me goose bumps: (on NHL.com)
“If the Kings are finally able to land Kovalchuk, who has 338 goals in 621 NHL games, they would instantly become Stanley Cup contenders.”
Might have already been commented on, but still worth the thought.
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Kevin Y Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
@Stuart,
Well, it certainly doesn’t make them worse next season.
I’ll be honest, if this happens, I think we have a good shot at the Pacific Division. Maybe need to strengthen our D, but we’ll see what DL does about it. Not sure Kaberle’s the solution, but I don’t know who else is really available… maybe we try for Grebeshkov again?
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Hey Rich… Aside from all the Kovalchuk Drama… Found myself at the Dodger game today and I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to you as a Cubs fan… I found myself comparing being a Cubies fan to being a Kings fan for the past decade… and I think I now understand why you are perfect for the job you’ve been given. You get us… Period! All the best to you and yours! And thank you for the umteenth time! You really domake a huge difference for us! x
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If it happens. Who do you think we’ll trade? I say maybe Stoll and then we’ll bring a Belanger type faceoff guy. And how long do we sign DD for? How long would he like? I’d might say something similar to Kovi’s but maybe 6-8yrs. Maybe more?
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Somebody drive him by the beach on the way to DL’s office. then DL should show him game 6 of the 2001 playoffs to show him the fans are freakin’ CRAZY for hockey here. Then show him game 3 from last seasons series with Vancouver to show that the team has the pieces.
If he doesn’t sign by then, he’s a fool.
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How about letting Frolov show Kovi all the polished poles in the city? That would be the clincher for sure!
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Kopi Kovi Kozun k k k line
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OneTimer Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
@kessem,
Mmmmyeah- doubt that would go over well. WAY too obvious anyway.
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..If Kovi accept less than Kopi…than the deal would be BAD.
That would put alot of pressure on Anze and less on Kovi.
We can not complain if he scores no more than 25-35
goals.We do not know what to expect from Kopi in that case… some of us would miss Fro (if he signs with other team) for his 32 goals and 2m.If this managment cares about fans ,the deal must be fair..means…minimum6.8…maximum 8.5m. We are not buying commodity.for the player of his caliber “WE NEED SHOW HIM MONEY” WE HAVE TO…!!! IF Koci become A KING,than LA Kings become .!!!!
[Reply]
tuan jim Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
@flex,
You got me, pal. I don’t understand you.
Are you saying the more we pay Kovi — assuming he signs with us — the more he’ll score?
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I just want to add this before the Kovi saga ends. IF he signs with the Kings, there are a couple of outflow situations.
1 – Terry Murray might have to give up his addiction to line juggling. Perhaps Steve Martin can give him some help with that (you know what I mean).
2 – The Kings themselves are going to have a real attitude adjustment. (on NHL.com) “If the Kings are finally able to land Kovalchuk, who has 338 goals in 621 NHL games, they would instantly become Stanley Cup contenders.” You don’t think the Kings players know that?
I’m a player coming to camp knowing Kovalchuk is my teammate. Am I going to give more? Am I going to work harder? If I’m a youngster fighting for a D-Man slot, am I going to force myself up to the next level with more grit and a more nasty attitude just to have a chance to make this Kings team?
There’s a whole lot more involved with this deal than just IK himself. I don’t want to get the horse before the cart just yet, but damn, with a stroke of a pen, the future could very well be now.
Oh, and my thought is it’s going to be Monday or Wednesday. Baseball has the stage on Tuesday. And note to Luc: Arrange hockey seminar for LA sports press. They’ll be needing it.
[Reply]
Both sides are still talking but looking good…The interesting part of Kovi’s possible signing is all the trade rumors afterwards..I feel there’s going to be alot of shockers made.. If the #’s are in the Kings favor,then we will all know that DD,Simmer,JJ,Bernier etc will be safe to resign…But what about the young talented players after them?.. Do we have cap space for them when the time comes to resign them?…And what about the current players that will be RFA’s soon?..Players like Willy,Zues,Stoll.. Do we trade them now,at the deadline?.. Or do we see what kind of season they’ll have and resign them?…Which young player will step up and make the team?..Do we make trades to boist the depth evem deeper?Can we sign 1 or 2 more UFA’s likes of Stempniak,Mitchell,Lehtinen or do we go after players like Speeza or a Savard?Cap space providing of course… Willy is fast,but that injury last year is a concern.. A player like Stempniak would fit perfect with the Kopi and Kovi..Speeza or Savard would give us that 60-80 point 2nd line center,although Stoll wasn’t too far from that with 47 points and plus 13 rating.. If he can stay healthy,he could reach that 60 point mark…We will see. GO KINGS!..And be smart Kovi!
[Reply]
Stop with the Cirque Du Soliel DL. Who The F cares at this point. You could meet this guy for a cup of Joe at the local Starbucks and sign him for all we care. We Want Him We Need Him and you have SUCKED THE FUN AND THE LIFE OUT of almost every Kings fans with this stupid tennis match these past 12 days. No UFA has ever taken this long to bring into a system. Nice work on closing your first big Free Agent (Not Yet)
[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 5:37 am
@RJB,
Yeah, you’re right. He should have given him the original 10 yr $100 mil deal…who needs guys like DD and JJ anyway..right? UGH!
[Reply]
Michael J Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 6:49 am
@RJB,
Lets see… Teams wants player… Player wants $100 mil… Teams inform player that NHL is not NBA… Players agent takes a week to convince player that he is not LeBron… Teams tender offers… Player takes a couple days to sort through offers in his new reality…
SO, DL “SUCKED THE FUN AND THE LIFE OUT of almost every Kings fans”??? I don’t think so.
[Reply]
puck73 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:02 am
@Michael J, Guess @RJB is one of those instant gratification people like that coin collecting, bank defrauding Bruce Mcnall. Around this area we have ta deal with laker fan and SC football fan with their pompous attitudes of “we expect championships or the season is a failure”. Tell ya what, as a fan of teams in this area I am grateful when my teams play hard on most nights and are in the conversation of possibly going all the way. Having a president and GM like Dean Lombardi will make the Kings relevant for years to come because he understands how things work in the low salary cap era that we are in currently in. Remember, Bruce Mcnall had no cap to deal with and no peers when it came to pissing away money at that time and he still couldnt win a championship and one of the big reasons was because he didnt have someone like DL around to convince him that drafting and developing players was at least 50% of the equation. If we someone like Dl back in those days the Kings would have won a couple of cups with Mcnall’s stolen money and Deans systematic approach.
[Reply]
nykingfan Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:45 am
@puck73,
That’s true.
McNall completely decimated the farm system and future picks by going after every Edmonton Oiler he could find. When Gretzky’s run ended, the Kings had less than nothing from which to build. We’ve been paying for that ever since..until DL took over and re-built the the team.
I am SO glad there are constantly new posts through all the night ‘n day. Go Swedes!
He might not play the best defense but he is the best team guy. OK, ok, I don’t know about being the ‘best’, but he sticks up for himself and if anyone gets run (Doughty…?), I’d bet Mr. Kovalchuk wouldn’t waste any time introducing himself to the ‘runner’.
[Reply]
if he doesn’t sign tomorrow, i can just imagine what a lot of posters will say.
if he eventually does sign with the kings, i hope that Kovi’s play and Murray’s system are able to blend seamlessly …
[Reply]
I can see it now. TMZ catches Kovi and Pam Anderson cuddling outside of Barneys Beanery. Mrs Kovi Nixes Deal To LA! Mrs Kovi loses chance to star in Russian Housewifes of Bevery Hills…
Good Night All…
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yeah right! visit…why? Obviously something is happening LOL.
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i have a feeling i will be stuck at home all day tomorrow hitting the refresh button.
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Kings Fan In Idaho Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:21 am
@blah blah,
You, me and every other Kings fan. May the force be with us! Go Kings!
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Came out of TSC at about 12:15am and there were still some lights on in the area of DLs office. Hmm, I wonder what’s going on in there! Get it done Deano!
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Like i said July 1st!
Kovi will sign for 6 to 7 years for 8 mil a year.
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Andrew Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:03 am
@sammuch, I’ve been holding firm at 7 yrs 7.75mi/yr. If either one of us is right i’m going to be REALLY happy.
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sammuch Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
@Andrew,
Me too! I have not heard of anything yet! My feeling is something well happen before Friday.
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I can’t sleep is he signed yet???? Glad all I have is a BS class tomorrow haha and do not have to be that awake for it haha!! Gonna need lots of coffee and have my phone charged to check every few mins during class. On the bright side it is my last quarter and I will get my degree in graphic design, hopefully I can design some shirts for the kings. I am working on possibly designing some special event jersey for the Ontario Reign, wish me luck on getting it!!!
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I can’t stand this waiting. I can’t take it, do you hear??!!
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WHATS HAPPENING WITH DOUGHTY?
HAS HE BEEN GIVEN A CONTRACT OR SOMETHING??
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Mike L Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:39 am
@sandy,
they’ve been having negotiations and can so for a year so don’t worry
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sandy Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
@Mike L,
thanks!
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Not for one second did I doubt Kovy being in LA next season.
Wake up Los Angeles and get this press conference on the go. Come on!
KING KOVI!!!!!!!!!
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Is it just Kovalchuk showing up, or is Jay Grossman goign with him? If Grossman isnt going i assume Kovalchuk is going to talk to LA directly cause he is sick of waiting and wondering whats taking so long. Sometimes the agents are more greedy then the players.
Kings better not trade Bernier till we see him get a legit shot in the nhl, and if he is good they better keep him.
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The ONE DAY in the last two weeks that I DONT check on the IK saga & I miss all of this….SWEEEEEEEETTTTTT!!!
“Just when I think you (IK) could’nt get any dumber, you go and do something like this and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!!”
This is a good way to start a Monday.
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Benjos12 Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 8:06 am
@Lead Feet, Great Dumb and dumber reference
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He SHOOTS He SCORES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oTgZhOVm34&NR=1
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On my way into work I heard Matt Loughlin, radio voice of the Devils, interviewed on Home Ice. After an extended discussion of the Devils desire for him and what the status of the negotiations were he was asked if he thought Kovalchuk would sign with the Devils or the Kings. Laughlin said the Kings.
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Take a deep breath,it could be alittle longer..ESPNLeBrun Asked a Kings source this morning when they were meeting with Kovalchuk and he responded, “All day.” Ha.
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As stated, it ain’t over til DL officially says so. However, this could be just another leveraging tactic by IK to use on LL and KHL but I doubt it. DL nees to sell IK on the full package and that of course means the benefits to his family as well (wh/ gives IK piece-of-mind).
Deano: You go him here, now lock him in. And pound on him that we will expect him to be a two-way player. No primadonna’s here.
Geez, my head hurts conjuring up the potential 4 front lines. Could be awesome!
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Ron Dugay says he will sign with the kings
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I said already on 1st of July that making deals with Russians is a very tough business. Hope that DL filled the fridge in his office with couple of liters of wodka and ordered borscht to be prepared, when they get tired.
But I think Kovy is melting day by day. I read this saga daily on this blog and I hope that nearby studios bought right for the script.
Cross fingers.
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If Kovalchuk signs in LA, it will be interesting to see how much the fan base (see bandwagon) grows……………..again.
Going into last year it was starting to creep up in numbers but when the team played well and everyone jumped on Doughty’s jock, I bet it doubled across North America.
Wonder how many of Goof Troop, AKA Cluck fans, will also try and “convert” and/or come back to being Kings fans after dumping us for a “winner”? Fowl Fluckers!
Living outside of LA (Denver) I am also VERY curious to see if the numbers in the visiting arena change. I can see a slew of Kovy Kings jerseys now.
Since he lives here, maybe Anschutz will show up in his Kovy Forum Blue and Gold jersey!
Haha!
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Does Special K wear the “C” in LA?
Discuss.
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Sparky Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:05 am
@Rufus T. Firefly,
No way he gets the “C” this year. He might get and “A”…
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Dayman Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:15 am
@Rufus T. Firefly,
Not just yet.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:25 am
@Rufus T. Firefly,
How about NO! You earn stuff like that by earning the respect of your team mates… hard for me to believe that Kings players would rather Kovy be their team leader than Brownie, Greene and Kopitar. Give it to Doughty, Jack, Scuds, Handzus, Simmonds before you consider Kovalchuk
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So if Kovalchuk does sign, does anyone think it’s possible to resign Fro for one year? It gives him a chance to shine & pick up some more cash in next year’s FA market, gives the Kings a top six forward for another year with no damage to the cap in 2012.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:25 am
@fourtunato,
No, too much money, and we need that money to shore up the defense.
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I already gave up on the guy and hope that Bernier is the second coming of Roy and Brodeur combined. Because if he’s not, then the Kings will have to get some offensive output from someone.
That “someone” is not on the team yet…so I guess I wouldn’t mind if Kovalchuk signs with the Kings. I am totally downplaying this issue because it’s been a real “hokey-pokey” with him and his agent.
I was really big on the Kings getting him last year but with all this bullshit I’m not sure now about the team chemistry with him. That said, if DL gets him to sign for much less than he wanted then I will say maybe, just maybe, he is a team player.
Now, as I said on one of the other blogs by Rich…
Kovi will take $1 mil less per year to live in Pacific Palisades or as someone else said, Palos Verdes, rather than live next to an F’ng LANDFILL in New Jersey.
Regarding cap space, they can let JJ go…and let one of the prospects start playing this year to fill that gap.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:27 am
@shades,
JJ has a low salary and still a year left on his contract (not to mention his importance to our future!). I completely disagree with your last point, we already will have 1 or two prospects playing lots this year, another one would cripple the back end.
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shades Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 11:00 am
@VanKingsFan, I understand your point and basically agree.
What I was really referring to though is that there are so many people who specifically mention JJ and Simmonds and their eventual salary requirements as the reason why we can’t get Kovi.
So, my point, if I didn’t make it clear, is that IMO, they are both expendable for the right player, whoever it may be, because I just think they are not keep-at-any-cost players, as is Doughty, who will get a long-term, giant contract, and deserves it.
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Having not watched Kovi hardly at all ever, but knowing he was a sniper I went back and looked at the videos just to see what type of player he is. Is he a perimeter player? A cherry picker? A garbage goal scorer? Just what type of scorer and player? Well I reached this conclusion, if he comes here I wouldn’t mind seeing him getting the Captaincy, he is not a perimeter player, he is not just a scorer, he is not just a garbage goal scorer. He makes the other players better, he can feed the puck, he is really strong on his skates, he will drop the leather and go to fist city, he owns Nittymakki, I also think (even though some here have said he’s kinda a one way player with not that much defense) he would step it up if that’s the case. And final thought, he is a pure goal scorer and sees the ice just like Wayne did. I really hope Dean can sign him, because if he does, Staples won’t be big enough for everyone to see him and it’ll be Gretzky Days all over again. I could see Silver at the end of the tunnel.
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Is Kovi a pure goal scorer? absolutely. Will he help the kings especially on the power play to spread the Ice? Absolutely ! But keep this in mind..Gretzky and Lemieux are on a whole differnt level then anyone that ever played the game. I know, I have been watching since 73 and have seen great ones like Bossy,Lafleur,Perreault,Dionnne,Neely,Messier,Kurri,Robitaille,Hull,Esposito,Gartner, where do I stop? Bottom Line..Gretzky and Lemieux are on a different planet. And remember this..Lemieux would have had a lot more points had it not been for tons of injuries..thats how dominant he was!
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Just so tired of this primadonnas… and the millions of dollars contract… common guys, if this guy wanna sign for 8-10 mill / year at the age of 27 and wants to have a long term… The most we should sign max 5 years aprox 6.5 mill / year he is nowhere close ovi or sydney crosby level, not even malkin.. If the year would be today when Gretzky came to LA, how much he would be signing for? If kovi wants big paycheck is always the KLM, he can take frolov with him, I heard he wants a raise for what? A regular joe would be fired if he would produce as he did last season, he should be in shame when signing his paycheck !
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@shades, I think you need to check your math, 5.5 mil/yr is not what DL is offering. It is more like 6.8 mil/yr and since it is front loaded it is actually paying about 8.5 mil/yr for the first 7 or 8 years he is expected to play for the Kings. The reason they negotiate for the super long term is to reduce the average yearly Salary Cap Hit for the whole term.
For example a 16 year contract 9,9,9,9,8,8,8,8,6,4.5,3.5,1,1,1,1,1 would end up paying 8.5mil/yr for the first 8 years and then he would retire or play in the KHL, but the salary cap hit would be 5.75 mil/yr. The only problem here is how will the next CBA look at these front loaded contracts, and will Kovi except at this point that he will take a pay cut, retire, or move to the KHL at 36?
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shades Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
@luc20rules, Just restating what was said in one of the articles today.
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Guys,
Any news with Gagne?
Lets see if Philly wave him lets get him into the line up right away !
It would be a hell of the deal, and let Kovi buy his air plain ticket a puck out of here !
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Lombardi’s grammar needs work; he should have said, “Reports of _our_ announcing a signing tomorrow are utterly false.”
Gerunds take possessives.
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