Here is the second part of the Dean Lombardi interview…
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Question: Going forward, what is the plan now? What will you try to get done for the rest of the summer, and is there still time to get some momentum going?
LOMBARDI: “Yeah. Obviously you put a lot of work into it, and you’d like it to work, but whether it’s this type of deal or something else, if it doesn’t come to fruition, you go back to the drawing board. You can’t hang your head or anything. We gave it our best shot, there’s no doubt about it. We are, in no way, off plan. I’ve said this before, that I had projected probably doing this type of free agent after next year. That was my gut. You know how I feel about the core developing in the room, and putting that in place before you start diving into some of these other things. In the second half of last year, they showed me that they were going to hang together and deal with the pressure. So I was willing, I guess, to accelerate by going to this avenue to improve the team a year earlier, for me, and I guess push our way through this a little quicker. So for me, it doesn’t come to fruition, but we certainly aren’t off from what we’ve set out to do. Somebody else will come up. It’s got to be the right deal.
“The other thing is, it’s not like we’re a team where our best players are 35 years old or something, where our window is going to close here, so let’s go and grab this guy at all costs. We’re not in that situation at all. So if I thought our window was going to close here, because Kopitar is 35 or whatever, or, `All of these guys are getting older, so let’s take a run at it,’ then I’d be disappointed. I’m not saying we’re not disappointed, but my point is that it’s on a different level. You just regroup, and we still know what we’re trying to accomplish. That’s the only time you would really rush to push the accelerator, if Kopi is 35 years old or something. That’s not the case here. They’re not even where they could be. They’re still learning to get in shape.”
Question: But the focus changes a little, right? We’re talking about a 40- or 50-goal scorer that you were after, and there aren’t many of those out there. How does the focus change?
LOMBARDI: “We’re going to look at it, as we go through the summer, where kids like Schenn and Hickey and Clifford are, and we’re still going to look at other things. But there’s a difference between a fill player and a top player. I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now, so you’ve got to be careful about just running out there and getting a fill that we didn’t really want. So that’s what you’ve got to guard against at this point now. We’ll continue to work through it, but I don’t see anything on the horizon. But I’ve been around long enough to know that something always comes up.”
Question: Is there a chance you could star talking to Frolov’s agent?
LOMBARDI: “I don’t know. It’s something to look into.”
Good point. Don’t get somebody just because. Stay the course.
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LBlocal Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
@ALL, IK’s NJD contract numbers.
http://www.capgeek.com/players/display.php?id=339
2010-2011 $6,000,000
2011-2012 $6,000,000
2012-2013 $11,500,000
2013-2014 $11,500,000
2014-2015 $11,500,000
2015-2016 $11,500,000
2016-2017 $11,500,000
2017-2018 $10,500,000
2018-2019 $8,500,000
2019-2020 $6,500,000
2020-2021 $3,500,000
2021-2022 $750,000
2022-2023 $550,000
2023-2024 $550,000
2024-2025 $550,000
2025-2026 $550,000
2026-2027 $550,000
6MIL PER YEAR CAP HIT.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
@LBlocal,
Thanks for the chart!
Betcha Kovee Babee ‘retires’ in 2016 or 2017, and gets $12-15 million per year from the KHL until he really retires.
No chance he stays in the NHL, as long as he is healthy, for declining dollars…
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luc20rules Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy, if he does retire in 2016 or 2017 then he might as well taken the Kings offer as it would have been about the same, but more money the first 3 years.
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
@LBlocal,
It’s unbelievable that anyone here can defend not getting Kovi. Ownership lied to ALL of you.
It wasn’t about the cap hit AT ALL. It was about the cash.
6 mil? Really?
Kovi got his 100 million and the Kings were not willing to pay for it. It’s that simple.
What part of the deal above does anyone not like? We wouldn’t lose a single core player with the same deal above or even a bit more.
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
@LBlocal,
btw, didn’t mean to imply you were one of those people LB… maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. I just wasn’t directing my comment at you specifically…
the dude from the southeast Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
@wavesinair, media pushed this through not ownership u know sometimes media over exagerates what people say
LBlocal Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
@wavesinair, NOBODY EXPECTED IK’S CAP HIT TO BE A 6MIL AVE. OR LOWER. You’re correct. It is all about the money.
But why the contrarian attitude? A true Kings fan, is a true Kings fan.
Lombardi simply got out played by Grossman/ Lamoriello.
http://lakingsinsider.com/2010/06/30/free-agent-eve/#comments
What would be your maximum average salary for Kovalchuk?
Not interested at all 6.3% (194 votes)
$7 million 16.1% (496 votes)
$7.5 million 18.1% (558 votes)
$8 million 25% (771 votes)
$8.5 million 13.5% (415 votes)
$9 million 7.8% (239 votes)
$9.5 million 1.4% (43 votes)
$10 million 2.5% (77 votes)
Whatever it takes 9.3% (285 votes)
Total Votes: 3,078
Big Mike on D Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
@wavesinair, Because having a guy on the books that long is ridiculous. You obviously have such a man crush on him you can’t see how it wouldn’t work. Bottom line is the money didn’t make sense. 17 years is a ridiculous contract. On top of that I heard he has a no trade clause. Awesome!!!!
Duckhunter Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@wavesinair,
Waves, look at the quote someone posted about Luc saying, (paraphrasing) “we didn’t think the 100m offer was real.” The Kings wanted Kovi in my opinion and would have matched….they misplayed their hand. They guessed wrong. I can’t blame them entirely for that.
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
@Big Mike on D,
Was the 15 years the Kings offered ridiculous too? Just wondering why people are so down on 17 but not saying anything about the 15. Not a huge difference.
Captain Material Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@wavesinair,
Completely agree. If cap is the issue and not money, that contract is great for us based on what our stated desires were.
And you may disagree with me on the booing, but I think pretty much all of it is idiotic. Same ownership doesn’t want to pay Kovalchuk as didn’t want to pay Robitaille or Blake what the market would bare for them and decided in each case to go a differenet direction, but for some reason one of those guys gets singled out.
Luc20rules Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
@wavesinair, I don’t know if what I saw was accurate, but the only difference between the Kings offer and this one was the Kings paid about 8.8 mil/yr for 8, 5.5 mil for 1 yr then 0.525 mil/yr over the last 6, so basically big money at age 36 & 37 is what the Kings didn’t offer.
mrbrett7 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
@wavesinair, I’d like to make a gentlemen’s bet with you regarding this.
Over the course of 17 years, as I honestly think, both of us will still be here.
Which franchise will be better off?
The one with gobs of talent, who even with a player like Kovalchuk isn’t there yet, OR, the one who with a player like Kovalchuk stands to make one last run at the cup, then stands to lose just about every player they have that means anything to their franchise (i.e. Broduer).
I’ll take the Kings thank you very much.
17 years…15 years. As far as I’m concerned, no NHL player is worth any amount of money beyond 5 years. I know how the contracts are heading…
So, what happens in another year when Donald Fehr leads the players union into a strike, and the league shuts down for another year (it’s coming…oh yes, it is). Your going to pay Kovalchuk 11.5 million to sit around? This is obviously a hypothetical.
Now, look beyond the numbers.
Outside of Parise and Zajac…the Devil’s have who below the age of 30? The answer to this question, is nobody (of signifigance that is). Their goaltender is 1, maybe two years away from retirement. Their roster is nowhere near set in that they still need to get rid of a buttload of salary to even make THIS contract work (and nobody to date is willing to take on any of that salary).
Think long term, not just one season. Long term, all this contract does is handcuff the Kings with a player who has done absolutely nothing in his career but score on the PP, score meaningless goals, never play defense, screw up team chemistry, and basically never even come close to deserving the money being thrown around.
Statistics don’t win in the playoffs. Teams do.
Christian T Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
@wavesinair,
I have trouble understanding how anyone can defend giving any player that kind of money for that many years. Really. A player that has never proven himself. He can score but can he carry a team? No.
There are two players in the league that you can maybe justify those numbers. And they have both proven themselves.
So please move on. Please stop with the negative nancy stuff. Save this post and every one that whines about not getting Kovi and we’ll see who can say I told you so in 3 to 5 years. It won’t be you.
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
@mrbrett,
Since I like round numbers, let’s make it for 10 years (It’s really 11, since after that, the salary drops to a mere drop in the bucket to 750k). Everyone knows these contracts, whether it’s the Kings 15 year offer or the Devil’s 17 year offer, will never go the distance.
So in 2020, we’ll revisit the topic.
I do understand the idea that many people think these long term contracts are utterly ridiculous. I just don’t factor that in since it’s currently allowed. We’ll see after the next lockout if things change, but for now it is what it is.
As for Kovi’s salary during a potential strike, he won’t get it. Salaries are frozen. He may get some sort of bonus to compensate, but I haven’t seen it published.
His contract wouldn’t handcuff the Kings in anyway other than the cap hit, which has been pointed out a thousand times today, is very manageable at 6 mil… even if he somehow played as badly as you portray him to be (meaningless goals, defenseless, a cancer).
Clearly you’re not fond of the guy. At first I thought the same way. But after reading and watching a ton about him over the past 2 weeks, I found out that he is a much, much better player than I thought he was.
I actually think we missed an epic opportunity to change the fate of this franchise for the better.
Anyway, our gentlemen’s bet will be decided by playoff appearances and performances I presume? Makes sense to me.
Of course, the only factor that counts is the Stanley Cup. Whoever has the most Cups wins. A tie is a tie.
But also, starting this year, let’s keep track of how often both teams make the playoffs and how well they do in them. If no team wins the cup, this will decide the winner. If, for whatever reason, these stats appear somewhat equal, then we may agree to a tie.
*Disclaimer: This in no way means I’m betting against the Kings. In fact, I WANT you to win. However, I do think I’ll probably win if only because of the histories of the franchises. They win, we don’t.
Will this trend of 43 years be reversed? We shall see. Good luck to us both!
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Also, one thing is for sure. I won’t be booing Kovalchuk in October. Anyone who does is an idiot.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
@wavesinair,
Why?
Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
@wavesinair,
Well I’m a big idiot. After this I want to see him fail in every way. I hope NJ doesn’t win a cup for the next 17 years. I have already pre-ordered my official Kovulchuk voodoo doll. I already have my Lombardi and Liewiki dolls giving each other handy’s in a shoe box.
Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
@Rob,
LMAO! The one silver lining about today is I have seen the funniest posts on this blog ever, since I started reading it.
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
@bako,
The guy got low-balled by the Kings. I believe he really wanted to come here. I don’t blame the guy for a second for taking all that cash. So why boo him?
If the offers were “in the same ballpark” then yes, but that clearly wasn’t the case. So no booing from me.
One person gets my boo and it’s the owner of our beloved club.
Stuart Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
@Rob, That was hilarious! Hopefully they blast in each others eyes. LMFAO!
Stuart Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
@wavesinair, about the owner being boo’ed… He should get more than boo’ed. He and the McCourts should fight to the death and the winner should be sacrificed to any sports god that will have them.
That’s why Phil has never set foot in Staples during a Kings game, the team he’s fathering is tough to watch.
Darkcloud9 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
@wavesinair, I boo all opposing players. Only one Hockey team I care about and it’s your Los Angeles Kings. 1 decent D.. Fro and let the kids play. Voynov, Hickey and the rest. Why rush. our future is now. NO Manchester for Schenn. We had a good season. lets make it two. Bye OD. anyone got an extra LW?
hockeysister Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
@wavesinair,
quote: “The guy got low-balled by the Kings. I believe he really wanted to come here. I don’t blame the guy for a second for taking all that cash. So why boo him?”
I don’t for a second think he really wanted to come here. I think the wifey really wanted to come here, but I think he and Grossman used the Kings to bid up NJ and get more money. Plain and simple. And I’m glad Kings management didn’t play in their little game. They knew what they were willing to spend, it it wasn’t $102M over 17 years. I’m glad they kept their brains about them and let him and JG take a hike.
jammer06 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
@LBlocal,
Thanks for the numbers. Look like Lou is counting on the next cba to lower contracts for sure. Otherwise this structure doesn’t make sense.
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UglyinLA Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
@LBlocal,
Thanks for the numbers. Looks like he will fall within our budget range in 2021-2022
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5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@LBlocal, Well is that all? It is Cap friendly, but termy, and so what it serves the Cap safety issues! It preserves the core! It leaves more space to deal for added pieces too!The money(104.5) isn’t that bad for the term(17). It is definitely in the same ballpark as the 80ML LA offered with a +/-6ML cap hit. What about the Bonus issues? The big hitch in the get up was the 3rd year CBA Stoppage Bonus of 9ML(as reported anyway)with 1ML in Salary> Where did that hicup disappear to? And how about NTC & NMC into terms? anything on that yet? DL and Co did not really want this guy, as I see it, except at their price and their terms because of the “Plan”. Well this deal with NJ (if accurately reported) sounds too close to meeting the DL “PLan” to me. I know its not my money, but so what, it is what it is if you are playing in this NHL sandbox! Contenders or Pretenders? I’ll take a pass on that one until I see the next moves this off season, if any of decent bling! Better be or get the guilotine dusted off…no going backwards said Ken Hitchcock of the Columbus Blue Teeshirts! OOPS LAKs are in reverse mode! Stop the Car! Can Ronaldo play left wing? Can he skate?
[Reply]
Luke M Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
@LBlocal,
Those can’t be the actual numbers. You’re not allowed to structure a deal to go from 3.5 million one year to 750K the next. While the cap structuring rules are imperfect, the current CBA doesn’t allow a huge drop in salary lke that.
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wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
@Luke M, The numbers as CapGeek listed them. Maybe they are mistaken, but those are the numbers…
http://www.capgeek.com/players/display.php?id=339
5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
@LBlocal, Its an 11 year deal really, with 6 throw away years tagged on it to make the Cap Hit fit! It is a Cap issue for NJ too. It is to all teams! NJ put themselves in position to win more Cups for sure! They know how to do that. It is a sound contract with Cap hit taken into account. No circumvention there. At age 38 he is at 3.5ML salary, then 39 at 750K, and finally 550K for last 5 years age 40 thru 44. Nothing wrong there! LA could have done this easily without any repercussions to the core or added pieces as needed. Its all about the structure of pay outs. Yeah, 11.5ML is alot of dollars in one year(for 5 straight), but it is a long term deal, which is heavily weighted in his prime producing years. What is wrong with that? Helps team and suits player= win win! There must be something else amuck in Moscow! Will we ever know or are we left to conclude as we wish? It just stinks to be the bridesmaid every time left on the dance floor. There is a flaw in the recipe here. Whose name is on the flaw? I wonder about TL and now DL. There are no second chances in sports! No second chances at the guillatine either! Salvage time is a coming! We coulda, woulda, shoulda done this! Regrets Again!
[Reply]
mike onusic Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@5holer,
What in the world is Lamorello doing? They didn’t get out of the first round last year so how does he think they improved? Now he has put Parise and Zajac ( among others) at risk of being traded! How much room did you think he had before this deal? Try 3.5 mil by nhlnumbers!!!!
5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
@mike onusic, Lou is pretty savy. His track record speaks for itself. He took a misfit Franchise (Colorado Rockies) and turned them into a Horse! Lou is also real Cap Bright too, so what he did was precision calculated to be sure. Shrewd is his middle name. The market is what it is, and you either are in it or out. The losses of players like Zubrus and Salvador and such, will not hurt them any. Those are cheaply and easily replacable parts. Lou was in 100% on Kovy, and it shows. The fact he had a try out for a couple months first is a feather in Kovy’s hat that he made muster with Lou. Lou does not sign losers. Advantage Lamoriello! No one can say it was Kovy that lost it in Round One for Devils last year! If you watched those games, then you know its true. Broduer was awful, the D was slow and sloppy. But Lou fixed all that on July 1. Now he has his topper for the cake and he is off to the parade downtown in June ’11. LA kings had him, if they wanted him(?). He wanted them (aspiring wife too), but his agent said only if the numbers are the same or equal by the litmus test. Fact is LAK was not competitive, therefore not 100% on Kovy, or they meet the market and get him, slam dunk! A fish stinks from the head, so draw your own conclusions. I refuse to be a blind Kings Fan. I read it and repeat it as I see it! Next up a lower tier player or 3, you watch! Two lug nuts and a wheelbarrow coming in soon! They can do whatever they want to do. Its “their money and they want it now” (to quote JG Wentworth commercials). They have the most Cap space of any Large market team. LA is still a huge market for anything. This ownership knows that, just look accross the street some time!
Jim Martin Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
@Howe 9, Lombardi is blowing smoke up our butts. His best days as a general manager are behind him. He screwed up in the draft and he screwed up in free agency. The Kings are worst off at this time then they were last year! Sean O Donnell is now with a real hockey organization, best of luck to you Sean. Don’t let this guy fool you,the Kings are a cheap organization. They put a mediore team on the ice and then blow smoke up your butts. If you want to watch good hockey, drive the few extra miles to Orange county. R.I.P Los Angeles Kings.
[Reply]
I’m wondering, is DL satisfied with what we have going into next year. Obviously, I didn’t expect him to say who he’s going after (he’d lose leverage with the player’s agent or another GM). He seems to be leaning more towards a trade rather than pursuing a free agent.
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KC23 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
@sstephen17,
Sounds to me like he is leaning more towards doing absolutely nothing. I’m not necessarily meaning that is a bad thing at this point, but as a fan it makes you wonder if DL is a one trick pony … great at draft picks and developing young talent … not so good and closing the deal with verterans.
[Reply]
Peter Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@sstephen17,
Did you not read DL’s statements…”I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now” and “I don’t see anything on the horizon.” The man has no backup plan at all. He’s going to fill our holes with guys from the minors.
Ugh…. This stinks….
[Reply]
Dr.Gonzo Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
@Peter, I say we go after Patrick Sharp. That guy is a workhorse, and in my books is a top notch player available “on the horizon” from what I hear. It would be a shame if we don’t go after this guy.
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Dean seems like he’s sputtering a little bit here. I don’t feel warm and fuzzy with confidence about the rest of this offseason.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache,
Also, everyone turn to AM 570 right now to hear Luc Robitaille talk about the Kovi heartbreak
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rick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache, Please let us know the gist of what he said.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
@rick,
Hmm.. so far Luc is kinda regurgitating the same things we’ve heard Dean say. Keep the core together, we thought we had a good chance, we gave it our best shot, the Kings didn’t get played by Grossman/Kovy, the player wanted to come here, but we didn’t think NJ’s offer of 100mil+ was for real.
Also implying we’re almost definitely not going to go after an RFA with an offer sheet.
Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
@rick,
Luc strongly implied they will still be going after ‘plan B’ type players to change the look of the roster before the season starts, but that DL isn’t going to be panicked or bamboozled into pulling the trigger on something that doesn’t work just because we lost the Kovy sweepstakes.
sstephen17 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache, I take it more as not wanting to tip his hand. If he says he’d pursue a particular player (either through trade or free agency), he’s only hurting his position. I’m guessing there are quite a few agents who are probably calling him right now since we didn’t land Kovi.
[Reply]
5thLine Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
@sstephen17,
“tip his hand”…..?
“quite a few agents who are probably calling him right now”…..?
Are you in for a rude awakening….
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well, I wash my hands of this weirdness.
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bring back Fro!!
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Sako Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
@PakiFro, I echo your thoughts, but it’s wishful thinking at this point
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I will tell you the truth, i am a devils fan! Am i happy with the signing, yes and no (depends on price)…….btw there is no way that Lou would sacrafice the chances of getting parise re-signed
people keep saying that he didn’t do anything for us in the playoffs, well look he was actually one of our better players, the team didn’t have the heart and it showed…….secondly now that he will be with the devils from the beginning there will be better chemistry and it will prove in the playoffs
the devils answered all the questions that they needed to answer this offseason…….hard hitting dman (volchenkov) who resembles Scott Stevens for the first time since he left, we added tallinder so our D is a vast improvement, i can live without martin (dont like that he is a penguin- but we did fine without him last season)
We added Kovy, and Arnott up front, and remember the Dev’s old A-Line yea now we have 2 scary lines (Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner, Kovy-Arnott-Elias, and our 3rd line isnt too shabby either Clarkson-Tennalby (r)- rolston
devils will trade zubrus and salvador
as for winning later rather then now, thats just an excuse for management, every year it will keep getting pushed back, oh next year, your big guys will leave after they keep hearing this
look nj have been on the playoffs for pretty much 2 decades in a row, and we look to improve now and we continue to do it in the future, thats why the devils are very successful…….you may say we haven’t made it past the first round last 3 years yeah well we have now got the roster to do so with the D that we have
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andy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
@david, go vent on your own beat writer’s blog. have fun losing parise!
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Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
@david,
Sorry to say but your team is $10 mil over the salary cap and big names have to be moved. That means Langenbrunner or Elias possibly. For 17 years your team will be paying for Kovalsmuck. Have fun watching your team get blasted out of the first round again and again.
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the dude from the southeast Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
@david, well good for u comeback in a very short few years and tell us if Kovalchucks deal was good when brodeur, lagenbrunner, volchenkov, elias, rolston, parise, zajac are all gone
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LA in now way wiil get past the first rond with the team they have now. Take that to the Bank. YOu need a left wing, a right wing and a big bad D man.You also need a big bad enforcer or LA will get run out of most of the rinks. Other wise forget it DL.
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sstephen17 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
@gene, We are still a long way from the playoffs. Currently, the way the Kings are set-up right now, they can make the playoffs but a first round exit is likely. However, you still have the rest of the this off-season, not to mention the trade deadline when teams will be looking to off-load players. All I’m looking for is progress and I’m confident DL and his team can get us there. I really don’t think the Kings will do nothing so just be patient.
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gene Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
@sstephen17, With DL as GM it is hard to be patient and watch the kings year after year not be able to land a top 3 or 4 player. Its no longer funny its a joke. DL and LIewekie are both out of there league when it comes to landing a top UFA player.
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Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
@sstephen17,
So the plan is to be on the cusp of being in the playoffs and then trade some of our prospects for a goalscorer at the trade deadline? Well, that did work great getting us kicked out of the playoffs early this season.
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xeropoint Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
@Masked Man,
Which prospects did we trade at the deadline this past season? None. Purcell for Halpern and Modin for absolutely free.
Purcell couldn’t stay in the lineup to save his life and was probably beyond the point where you would call him a prospect.
We lost in the first round with a bunch of 20-something kids who had never been there before. It had little to do with Modin or Halpern.
rontheking Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
@Masked Man,
To be fair the kings didn’t really give up anyone of consequence to add a couple of veterans for the playoffs as I recall. And for those who are saying that it will be the same thing next year going out in the first round may I remind you that the great young core of players are going to be even better next season…with two great goalies instead of just one (and with Bernier as backup we may very well have gotten past Vancouver THIS year). This cup is way more than half full. I’m just saying….
the dude from the southeast Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
@Masked Man, plus San Jose losing nabokov and blake that means 1st in the division and conference are now broken wide open
DL said: ” I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now, so you’ve got to be careful about just running out there and getting a fill that we didn’t really want. So that’s what you’ve got to guard against at this point now.”
Wow, I am glad to hear DL say this. Slow and steady, that’s the ticket. Not to cave to fans who are screaming to the gods that the world is coming to an end, and DL *MUST* do something . . . anything.
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
@Ej, LOL. Is there no middle ground?
Either you totally agree with DL or you are chicken little?
This is simply damage control. Read between the lines. He’s totally bummed he couldn’t get Kovalchuk. To say, “We are, in no way, off plan” is another way of saying, “If we got Kovalchuk we would be, in fact, not on plan.”
Right?
If the plan was to go after a big free agent next year but he did it this year, then that is off plan.
So at the very least, aren’t all the “in dean we trust” people pissed he wasted almost 3 weeks taking this organization “off course.”
You can’t have it both ways Deano.
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
@wavesinair,
Last year was Hossa/Gaborik, this year is Kovalchuk. Who do you think it will be next season?
[Reply]
Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
@Traded for a Pick,
Why can’t we find another Bruce McNall who is willing to risk dropping the soap to make this team successful and bring in the names and tallent. I’d consider getting corn holed for even a 3rd round appearance. Yeah, that’s right… I said it. Corn HOLED!
USHA#17 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
@Rob,
LOL, LOL, LOL. Best comment today but you might ask how it felt, first.
mrbrett7 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
@Traded for a Pick,
This is for Rob…
@Rob…yeah, McNall was great. Thanks to him, the Kings had one magical fantasy run to the cup, all for mortgaging almost 20 years of the franchises future, as well as going through 2 more ownerships after him, along with coming within a fart of losing the team out of Los Angeles, bankrupcy, etc.
But sure, it was worth it.
jet Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
@Traded for a Pick, Someone who wants to win?
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
@jet,
No offense, but playing for New Jersey who has made the playoffs 13 straight times and won a few cups lately sounds like winning also.
jet Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 8:57 am
@Traded for a Pick, History. The Kings had twice as many playoff wins as the Devils this spring.
Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
@USHA,
I’m guessing it hurts… something like jumping on a bike before realizing the seat is missing? Or backing into a door knob by accident? Couldn’t tell you really. Luckily there is no 3rd round coming anytime soon. Well… lucky for my corn hole anyway.
[Reply]
Dean isn’t spinning as well as he usually does.
He needs to address why our final offer (80 million over 15 years) was so hopelessly bad. It’s one thing to lose out to a bad contract or if someone picks east coast over west coast but we lost out because we really didn’t get Kovy a chance to pick us. He’d have to have been stupid to sign with us in light of what NJ offered.
[Reply]
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
@mbar,
Who knows?
Perhaps it was that the NJ offer was a SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE from their first offer…
Perhaps it was that the target for Kovee Babee and his Agent was always $100 million, and when it looked like he wouldn’t get it in a million years (like on last Friday) they were just a little bit panicked…
NJ bailed them out, and they know they lucked out.
[Reply]
“The other thing is, it’s not like we’re a team where our best players are 35 years old or something, where our window is going to close here, so let’s go and grab this guy at all costs”
Brodeur, Pronger *cough cough*
We’ll be okay.
[Reply]
Yeah, I hope we just don’t sign anybody and then waste a spot. I’d rather re-sign Fro or give Parse a shot. See what happens… Or maybe trade one of our prospect defensemen we don’t plan on using (since we have many) for a prospect forward that shows potential.
[Reply]
david Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
@King John,
The Kings have no shot at landing Parise
LA cant land anyone big in the NHL, and doubt LOU would sign Kovy and not have a plan for Parise the franchise player……like lou said before he has Parise planned oout and that is his priority
[Reply]
Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
@david, He said Parse, not Parise. I guess I shouldn’t expect you to actually read since you are a New Jersey Devils fan.
[Reply]
PRMan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
@King John,
I agree. I think Parse would be great for us if TM would just let him play.
[Reply]
Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
@King John,
They just signed a guy to a 17 year 100 mil deal until he is in grown up diapers. Isn’t it obvious who the “franchise” player is? Dee da dee.
[Reply]
OK….who is the next 40-50 goal scorer?
“…I don’t see anything on the horizon.” ~ DL
That about sums it up for me.
DL lemmings continue with the thread…..
[Reply]
EJ Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
@5thLine, there are other hobbies that you can pursue, and then return to the NHL when the Kings have a GM who acts as you see fit. How about that. Otherwise, you’re condemned to on-going disappointment. Save yourself.
[Reply]
5thLine Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
@EJ,
Thank you making my point…
[Reply]
He sounds discouraged. As well he should be.
[Reply]
SIGN FROLOV! (he will give you at least 20 goals)
[Reply]
Harry Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@Harvey Jackson, and AT least 20 from simmers, and there is your 40 goal.
[Reply]
keirakobe Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
@Harvey Jackson, Why don’t we make an offer sheet to Bobby Ryan?
[Reply]
I’ll be pissed if he lets Frolov walk and we end up with someone like Langenbrunner just because he’s available. Its going to happen ’cause the Devils need to unload space and we have space to fill. I’m PO’ed enuf to cheer for the Ducks next season. Go Lubo!
[Reply]
EJ Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
@Masked Man, plenty of seats available at the Pond. (You said it, not me.)
[Reply]
Cry Baby Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
@Masked Man, Fairweather, see ya, bye-bye and have fun at the pond! Quack Quack!
[Reply]
kngsfn77 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
@Masked Man,
If u ever find yourself cheering for the quacks, EVEN if its because of us not signing one guy, then move there and stay there. Don’t come back and be a flip flopping bandwagoner later. When someone cheers for them, they are no longer welcome in our building.
[Reply]
Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
@kngsfn77,
Actually I cheer for both teams on occaision. Especially now that the Ducks have Lubo. Bobby Ryan is a great player. I just hope they trade Corey Perry as I hate him as much as anybody. Sometimes you just have to admit that your #1 team disappoints you. If Frolov walks, I will be severely disappointed. In all reality I think the Devils are our new nemesis.
[Reply]
stagger Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@Masked Man,
HAHA. What color is the sky in Mighty Duck Land?
HBfan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
@Masked Man,
No wonder you need a mask.
Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
@stagger & HBfan,
I’ve never cheered for the Ducks, but one time when they knocked the Sharks out of the playoffs as the 8th seed when the Sharks were #1 presidents trophy winners. I always cheer for the Kings when we play the Ducks. But, right now I’m pissed off enough to want both teams to crush the Devils and Ilya Kovalsmuck.
david Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@Masked Man,
Langenbrunner stays a Devil
Zubrus and Salvador are out
[Reply]
Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
@Masked Man,
Let’s not have crazy talk!!! I do miss Lube though.
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
@Rob,
Yeah cause otherwise you chafe.
Had to…
[Reply]
“Our best shot.” Did they really think they were going to get it done with that offer? If $80 mil for Kovi’s career was our final offer, where the hell did we start? While we were busy low-balling Kovi we missed any opportunity to fill any of our many holes in our line-up. Why did we even waste our time? Does anyone think that this fiasco will help attract any big name free agents in the near future?
For months we kept hearing that its all about the “cap number” and not about money, but that wasn’t the whole truth.
“Somebody else will come up. It’s got to be the right deal.” We let Cammy walk, couldn’t close Hossa, passed on Heatly and now this. management always has some great excuse for not landing/retaining the offensive fire power. It’s beginning to look like Dean isn’t the guy to get us to true contender status. He couldn’t finish the job in SJ and was fired for it. I can appreciate his caution on some level, but at some point you have to make a gamble. This is sports, there are no absolutes, but you have to take some risks if your going to make something happen.
So where do we go from here? Dean Houdini better pull a rabbit out of his butt or we’re gonna have to settle for another first round playoff departure. Abra cadabra holmes.
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
@uknojata,
Assuming we even make the playoffs. We have lost 2 defensemen and a pretty good winger in Frolov.
We gained … well … nothing so far.
[Reply]
5thLine Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
@uknojata,
Totally agree. If we were never really serious about landing him, why not skip out all together…Haven’t we learned anything from years past?
The well is now dry and we will have not done anything they said were the high priorities in FA this year, last year, the year before….
This could not suck more….
[Reply]
Cry Baby Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
@uknojata, I agree we should have offered him 300 Million for 97 years…that for sure would have got him! WTF did you want to do. 17 years at 100M is retarded…no way is NJ competitive in 2 years and they will be stuck with Kovi and Kovi stuck with them.
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
@Cry Baby,
3rd line players are replaceable. They always have been. They can easily keep their “core” of players like Parise, Zajac, and Clarkson. They have a 40 to 50 goal scorer locked to their team as he continues into his prime for 6 million a year.
He gets his money now, he gets way less as he gets older. He won’t feel an obligation to keep playing when he’s 40 when he is making 2 million or less a year when he was already made 10 million for his first 8.
New Jersey may lose some young guns, but I would be a tad hesitant to say they are doomed. Their old guys will be off the books soon enough (Arnott, Elias, Rolston)
[Reply]
EternalOptimist Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
@uknojata,
I agree with you on the best offer part. DL mentioned that he was aware of the 100 mil number being thrown out there(which was the last rumored offer from Atlanta) so I don’t know how he thought it was realistic that IK would accept 20 mil less to go to a new team that he has no ties to. If we weren’t willing to budge from 80 mil, then we should have just said no thanks and move on. Maybe we could’ve gotten Versteeg and a serviceable dman which would not have been a bad consolation prize.
I do commend DL for being loyal to the players that he drafts and wanting to take care of them first. It’s a good culture to develop that will go a long way toward building a consistent contender in the future.
Anyway, if we’re going to give 100 mil to anyone, it’s going to be DD.
[Reply]
Very disappointed kings fan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
@uknojata,
Couldn’t agree more with you. Kovy wanted to play here. Kings could have gave him the same contract as Jersey. Kings/managment F-ed up yet again. This is the big fish! You hardly ever get a chance to sign someone talented like this. They usually get drafted now days and get that big contract for long time till their past the prime. The guy has no injury history and he is in his prime. WTF are you thinking. Smyth makes6.2, kopi makes 6.5. Kovy is not worth 6? Don’t forget about Gaborik last year, He went to NY with the same contract we offered him. Guess the only fish we can land are the ones floating on top of the water sideways
[Reply]
5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
@uknojata, Bang On! You took the sentiments right out of my heart! Someone in this organization has to step and prove their “manhood” (sorry ladies, but I don’t have a credible analogous term for females yet, my fault). Either you are a Contender or a Pretender! If you love your core, if you love your room atmosphere, and love your leadership and direction with all its integrated development through your planning, then you gotta step up and take a chance. You may have the right ingredients to reach the high ground with the right missing piece, whereas you won’t if you don’t! These pieces come along way too infrequently to pass up. How hard you worked at it, just to be left at the station holding the baggage claim ticket! There went the Cup off to NJ. uknojata you are so so right! Here I stand all broken hearted, paid my dollar, and I am left waiting with my rain check for next year once again! Ask the players on this team if they would have wanted IK? Or someone else, if there is another “somone else” as DL says!
[Reply]
I agree… thanks for everything Dean! I know you made the right decision. And Kovi isn’t the last one out there. More will come next off-season. I’m just glad the Kovi thing is over!!
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
@#1faninvegas,
Im getting really tired of hearing that every off-season
[Reply]
Airwaves Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Dang another season to wait for empty promises! Woo Hoo!
[Reply]
DL for once get away from your typical BS and tell us what yuor plans are to upgrade this B- team. Trades, free agents what???????????????????????. The fans deserve to know after the past three weeks of Liewekie BS and lies.
[Reply]
can someone refresh my memory on how the Wings won their cups and remained a powerhouse in the NHL?
[Reply]
EJ Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
@broncokings, by dumpster diving. They are *VERY* good at it, both with vets and draft picks.
[Reply]
#1faninvegas Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
@broncokings,
Because they weren’t in salary cap era and could pay everyone big bucks!
Than in salary cap era they didn’t overpay for a single player so they had to trade half there team after winning a cup*cough*Chicago
Also in salary cap era, players were willing to get paid less to play for a winning team.
[Reply]
Thanks Rich. Now get back on vacation.
[Reply]
With Kovalchuk’s contract with the Devils, I wonder if DL is thinking about going after Parise in the future. I doubt Lamoriello will be able to sign him with IK’s ridiculous contract
[Reply]
how did the wings manage to win their Cups? Did they draft or go and buy players?
[Reply]
DBB Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
@broncokings,
Both.
[Reply]
Lombardi needs to be let go.. His long documented list of miscalculations and missed opportunities not to mentioned his inability to sell this franchise to free agents and would be trade pieces has become embarrassing. I agree the price for Kovy was absurd, but there is obviously no comtigency plan in place!
How long do we endure this as King’s fan? What BS is Lieweke going feed us now before they raise ticket prices again for a mediocre at best product?
[Reply]
launch Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
@Johnny,
mediocre at best???? dude what team were you watching last year?
you think DL needs to be fired, yet you think the price for IK was “absurd” – so which is it.
people that don’t understand should think a little more.
GO KINGS!!!
[Reply]
Johnny Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
@launch,
My argument was based on him not having a Plab B launch. And it now becomes more apparent he probably din’t want Kovy here in the first place, which is fine, but we have gaping holes.
Last year. I wacthed a 7th place conference team, that with a couple key addition could have had home ice. Hence more missed opportunities..
[Reply]
Luck Fie-weekly Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
@Johnny,
It wasn’t Lombardi, it was ownership and Lie-weekly.
If Lombardi had the green light, we all know he would have signed Kovalchuk.
Dumping Lombardi is the WORST thing ownership could do.
He was brought in to make the team good with no money. That’s the model the Devils used to follow to success. Now, looks like the Devils are changing course, adapting to the current. Meanwhile, Kings continue to blow opportunities because ownership doesn’t want to pay for anything that isn’t MLS soccer related.
DL, like DT before him, is in a tough spot.
[Reply]
Johnny Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
@Luck Fie-weekly,
I totally agree with your analysis, other than Lombardi.
And if I hear Lieweke talk about “we have kids comin” or some other PC BS I am going to go postal. The picking was ripe over the past calendar year to become contenders and not just competitive.
[Reply]
VanKingsFan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@Johnny, Lets look at the last couple of guys DL “failed” to sign.
Gomez and Drury – Any success to speak of???
Gaborik – Any success to speak of???
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
@VanKingsFan,
Gaborik netted quite a few goals and put up some impressive points from what the stats page is telling me
[Reply]
Hat Trick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
@Traded for a Pick,
Those “stats” sure helped the rangers make the playoffs, didn’t they? washington has ovechkin and all his “stats”……good observation
RJC76 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
@Traded for a Pick,
And how did he do in the playoffs?
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
@Hat Trick,
If you want to pin an entire team’s record on one player be my guest
Found this on another board, but I thought I would share:
“In 2003, a crack sports management unit was fired by the San Jose Sharks for running a hockey team they couldnt improve. These men promptly escaped Philadelphia unemployment lines and disappeared into the Los Angeles sports underground. Today, still wanted for impersonating savvy businessmen, they survive by ineptly running the LA Kings. If you miss winning hockey. If nothing they do can help your team. And, if you know where the Toyota Sports Center is, maybe you can hire … the D Team! ”
(cue music)
[Reply]
jammer06 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@IceGuy,
wow at least it was creative, a little amusing even. Still like most of hollywood, woefully inaccurate.
[Reply]
jammer06 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@IceGuy,
wow at least it was creative, a little amusing even. Still like most of hollywood, woefully inaccurate.
[Reply]
Wake Up Dean….
A. Frolov Signs With MTL
T. Kaberla Traded To SJ
[Reply]
VanKingsFan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@Gary Aulakh, Truth? Or just rumours? Source?
[Reply]
Steve Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
@Gary Aulakh, Just checked both the Sharks and Canadiens websites. No mention of these transactions.
[Reply]
DL, in his typical manner shoots from the hip with his comments on the aftermath and going forward. Who is to disagree with his sound reasonings and his plans. I have previously stated my opinion that you want the Cup you gotta spend to get it, and there are some real risks in doing so. Those “Someone elses” may come along at some point in time, that is always true…but the iron was hot, the timing was right, the taking was ripe, and the one rare specialty piece was there to get now…or maybe it really wasn’t there at the price offered. My take is DL was not 100% dead on with IK, or he would have gone after it to seal it up put it in the bank, only to worry about the fall out afterwards. That did not happen, so I see a chink in the love affair that might have been. You do it right like DL did, offer your final “bestest, best” offer and walk away. The agent plays your best to get a final “better bestsest, best” to hard baller Lou, who hates to lose! Checkmate! and Bang game over, heal up and jump back in the water to fish some more, cause you are short, way short right now. 15 skaters, 6 new rookies, 2 GTs does not a 100 point season make. Change of bait and change of line, time to try again for yet another time. How about a new theme song by September!
[Reply]
If we don’t get past the first round of the playoffs this year,it’s time for Lombardi to go.
[Reply]
Ryan SD Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
@kingrussell, You mean… When. Not if.
[Reply]
Cry Baby Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
@kingrussell, Salary structure comes from above DL.
[Reply]
So the new plan B going forward? Replace the open boxes with the youth. How does this opening lineup look next season?
Williams-Kopitar-Smyth
Parse-Stoll-Brown
Simmonds-Handzus-Richardson
Clune-Elkins/Cliche-Westgarth/Clifford
Doughty-Scuderi
Johnson-Drewiske/Muzzin
Green-Hickey/Voynov
Quick-Bernier
Lots of possibilities, but not a lot of confidence with that much youth injected into the lineup. I guess you could just throw the kids in the deep end of the pool and see what sticks. But that certainly wasn’t what I was hoping for with the Kings heading into free agency.
[Reply]
Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
@Joel,
That lineup looks great except you have multiple players skating positions they don’t play, Scott Parse on the second line, and a 4th line of Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and Tweedle Dumber
[Reply]
Carl_Per Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
@Joel, You know what you will get with that line-up? A top 15 first round draft pick. This is a team on the outside looking in right now. I don’t need Kovy. But I do need a team that wins consistantly and will want to make big name players want to play here.
[Reply]
“I had projected probably doing this type of free agent after next year”
We’re going to go through this again next year, too?
[Reply]
Airwaves Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
@Who Knows?,
Woo hoo! more empty promises!!
[Reply]
anybody else ready to get rid of dl? dude cant get it done
[Reply]
Masked Man Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
@doughtyfan_08,
We just signed him for 2 more years. Why? So he could land the Kovalchuk deal. Did it happen? no. Let him go for dropping the ball. But I have a heart and will let him try to make up for it by pulling a miracle trade. Otherwise he’s finished in my book.
[Reply]
#1faninvegas Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
@doughtyfan_08,
I am not, we are ahead of his game plan!!!
[Reply]
DL needs to stop worrying about 15 years from now when the Kings had a chance to grab a player that comes around once every 10-15 years. Why do some people on here (DL, too) worry about cap space and AAV in 2025 when our window of winning the SC could be unlimited between now and say 2020?
Besides, doesn’t Smyth’s contract expire after next season? And, JW’s? And, how much money do we allot for WS if he scores no more than 20 per season?
I admire a long-term vision but the game is played to win. I am not much for the idea of concerning one’s self about cap space in later years when we have yet to play a game in 2010-11, 2011-12, etc. So couldn’t DL concerned himself to win now? And, not be concerned about what might be in 2013-2025?
[Reply]
One thing I do agree with is…. while there most certainly won’t be another 40-50 goal scorer available soon, perhaps there will be someone who is Strong offensively and a good fit with the team.
I know there has been a huge concentration on goal and D the last years, but at some point there has to be a ‘balance point’ I’d say to bring in some new blood offensively as well.
That is the one thing that hasn’t been addressed in as much detail to say the very least.
Being on the east coast and seeing Devils games on tv, it’s safe to say I won’t be rooting for them too much to say the least.
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
@number 6,
Sorry for all the repetition…. listening to the radio at the same time not conducive to lucid postings
[Reply]
So, basically, when every move you might make could be bad, then the best move is no move.
Makes sense to me. Take the wrong guy, end up losing somebody and realizing you needed that guy? no. Keep what you have until you are sure you have the right man for the job. Another year of 100+ points and playoff experience isn’t such a bad thing, especially if we can start getting some of our prospects some NHL ice time.
[Reply]
The more I see this team, it reminds me more of the Predators, a nice team, but they are not going to win the cup any time soon. Great defense, mediocre offense. Everyone is trying to compare the Kings to the Blackhawks, but I think they are more like Nashville.
[Reply]
Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
@vahe,
More I think about it, that seems to be the case. Least they signed a player though. DL better really have a “plan”
[Reply]
What about offering up both Frolov and Jonathan Bernier for a top goal scorer such as Kovi…even tho thats out of the picture right now, i would be more than willing to give both of them up for what the team needs (the goal scorer). plz comment on what you think about this…thanks
[Reply]
Fourtunato Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
@MIKEduhKINGfan,
You can’t trade Fro, he’s a UFA. You don’t trade a franchise goalie.
[Reply]
Now they’re going to have to change the lyrics to that horrid excuse for the Kings’ music they always play:
THIS IS LA
A TEAM WITH HOLES
LOS ANGELES
NO 5-ON-5 GOALS
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache,
Good stuff.
[Reply]
EternalOptimist Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache,
Hilarious! Crap, I have this song in my head now!
[Reply]
DrHockey Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache,
2.82 Goals/Game (T 9th)
1.07 5-5 F/A (T 9th)
I think we’ll live
[Reply]
Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
@DrHockey,
Noooo don’t use pertinent stats to take away from the hilarity of my song!
Well, we are losing Fro and his 20ish goals anyway.
[Reply]
USHA#17 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
@DrHockey,
Facts? Facts? I no want any facts! I want the sky to fall!
Think I go cut my typing fingers off with a skate now!
[Reply]
WOW – still reeling here in Jersey – still not sold on Kovy’s skills – he didn’t do anything for our powerplay ( worst in the NHL ) – really thought you guys had him locked up – have no hatred to the Kings – we don’t even see you often – been watching your blog for the last 18days and looked into your young guns – give it a couple years and you’ll have some real threats there – see you all Oct. 18th – goin fly out – be wearing the
Volchenkov Jersey
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Frolov! Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov Frolov . We need that puck possession and his takeaway’s in the offensive and nuetral zone he is top 5 in the NHL at those skills. He is gifted offensively but not a sniper, he will fluctuate between 15-35 goals depending on his line and defensive responsibility, however he might just work on a few moves and hit 40+ if given first line duties or is paired with a gifted passer like Schenn.
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If any of you ever thought DL was getting into a bidding war you are crazy. DL has said the right player at the right price a 1000 times. No way were the Kings going to offer a 100M 17 year contract. If Kovi wanted to win he would have suffered through the 80M offered. Instead he choose $$$ to go to a declining team that is now in cap trouble. One man does not make a team a contender. Get over it people!
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Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
@Cry baby,
No offense, but I don’t understand the whole, “If Kovi wanted to win, he would of chose LA”. Didn’t New Jersey make the playoffs last year? Haven’t they won a few cups the past few years? I’m not trying to slam LA, but saying NJ doesn’t win doesn’t make any sense. And currently, in my opinion, they appear to have the better team, on paper at least. Plus their older guys will be off the books soon enough, and they got some youth with Parise, Zajac, and Clarkson.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
@Traded for a Pick,
No question, NJD are the better team right now, and probably for the next 2 seasons. However, the Kings have a ton of upside and are the “better” team over the long haul thanks to the way we are positioned.
So, no, it doesn’t make complete sense for people to say “If he wanted to win he’d go to LA”. However, a better way of putting that sentiment might be to say that Kovi fits way better in our system, with our lineup, and had a better chance to win for a longer window of time than he would have in NJ.
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Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache,
Now that I can agree with. Long as the team gets some scoring some where. Maybe next offseason-oh wait…
Agree with most of that though.
If we sign Frolov for even 3 million, I’ll throw up. He only gave a crap half the time last year and it was a contract year.
I say now we have to just play the kids and hope it’s a buyer’s market in February and that we are still in it at that point.
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Carl_Per Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
@carol vadnais, I’ll take 20 goals for 3 million. There is a bunch of players making alot more money for not even the 19 Frolov did last year. We need those 20 goals, I dont care how you look at it.
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Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
@carol vadnais,
We need a winger. Plain and simple. Oh, and a top 4 defender that too. This cannot be a regression year. Fro can be had cheap since he’s apparently the one free agent in the league that wants to play here
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Puckin-A Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
@carol vadnais, name one King who has his puck possession and takeaway skills. He also had 30+ assists and increased defensive responsibility playing against other teams top lines. I watched every televised game and don’t see any of the things Frolov haters saw. I saw plenty of Kings go through scoring droughts. I even saw Brownie take some games off, as Did Kopi and many from JMFJ and some nights even Simmer looked kinda worn out. However T Murray already had his scapegoat so Fro was publicly bashed.(on purpose to drive down his value in case he was a last option at a UFA???? ) Something to ponder?
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Lombardi: “I don’t see anything on the horizon. But I’ve been around long enough to know that something always comes up.”
In ancient Greek theatre, this solution was known as “Deus Ex Machina”. From Wiki: a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new character, ability, or object.”
Perhaps Dean should stick to the Roman style comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Cup”.
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As it stands right now, this is not a playoff team. 5 NHL Caliber players left this team and not one of those departures have been filled. All the while most of the Western Conference teams improved with the additions they have made. I am not convinced that we have 5 NHL ready players in our farm system right now. Maybe 1 or 2, but not 5. The other players on this team deserve the chance to win and get back to the playoffs next season, and management did not do that this off-season. But there is plenty of time left before opening night. I will do my best to remain positive. But up to this point in the off-season. FAIL.
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Airwaves Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
@Carl_Per,
FAIL!!
With a big capital F!!!!!!
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PRMan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
@Carl_Per,
Are you considering Randy Jones an NHL-caliber player? Haw, ha. That’s funny, man.
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Rob Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
@Carl_Per,
Jones was horrible… is horrible. Love Odi too but he was not pulling his weight on the ice this year.
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Now DL has poor LUC going around to all the radio and TV stations trying to explain why DL and Liewekie screwed up so bad these passed three weeks. Not only didnt we get KOVI but all the other top UFA are already taken. DL grow some u know whats and get on the radio yourself and talk. Dont hide behind LUC. What are your plans if you actually have any? What a mess you have brought to LA. We need Brain Burke here.
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Airwaves Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
@gene,
Some fans at another board said that Luc sounded frustrated
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
@Airwaves,
I listened to Luc’s interview, and he sounded tired. He sounded like he knew he was going to have to explain this enormous disappointment to Kings fans for the forseeable future, and that it isn’t an easy message to deliver.
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Cry Baby Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
@gene, Seriously would you be happy with Kovi for 17 years at a 100M? The contract they (NJ) offered is retarded. Where do you draw the line? Do you want to have to do what Chitown is having to do? I sure hope NJ has 17 early exits from the playoffs!!!!
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sammuch Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 12:57 am
@gene,
JERRY BUSS PLEASE BYE BACK THE TEAM!!!!!
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If Dean mentions Schenn, Cliche or Clifford as the answer/alternatives to our problems again, I’m gonna puke. This plan he keeps referring to just means that we King fans can anticipate further indifference to a Cup run, along with continued apathy regarding any pursuit of new talent. I just wish they would come out and say it, instead of going through this charade. Keep saving your pennies guys. We may have to pick up Randy Jones again at the trade deadline.
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kyle Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
@Thomas Ponce, then go puke, and do it again on another site.
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Buster Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
@Thomas Ponce,
If we pick up Randy Jones, I WILL PUKE.
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I would love to see a list of all offers made to UFA’s this summer.
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Hey Lombardi,
How many more years do we have to listen to you tell us that this team is young and that rebuilding takes time. our core was ready for a shot, they needed a big name sniper to believe in themselves. Your timetable for development is nothing but an excuse for AEG to keep fielding the team with entry level players in the hopes that one of them will someday magically become a superstar. And while that may happen, in the meantime it means that we have to keep shelling out for tickets for a team you keep putting down by saying they’re not ready. Well, I’ve got news for you DL. They’ll never be ready because when they do start getting to be UFA’s, they’re going to go to a team that’s willing to pay them the big bucks, and when that happens, we’re going to continue to get your stupid rationalizations. No team has ever done it all from within. But when you aren’t willing to pay what the market demands, then you shouldn’t be in the running at all. You wasted all our UFA options again. Nothing changes, does it. But I have an idea. Since your plan doesn’t call for a cup competitive team for another few years, why don’t you use the money you guys saved by not signing what we needed and buy everyone on this blog our season tickets for the next few years? Why should we have to buy into your long term plan which has no guarantee’s of success and keep throwing down good money for seats when all the other teams in the league manage to improve their positions while developing their young talent. I really hate how you’ve blown this opportunity. He may not have gotten us to the cup, but he would have given us a respectable chance… and that’s something you’ve just squandered again.
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Airwaves Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
@Peter,
Where do I send Lombardi my season ticket invoice?
Cause I think us season ticket holders deserve better!
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Peter Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
@Airwaves,
Pay a visit to his office and staple it to his forehead…..
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Dean and the Kings management did the right thing. IK has shown nothing to warrant a huge salary. Atlanta brought in high dollar players to work with Kovi, nothing came of it. He is, as some mention about Dean, Kovi is a one trick pony, He can score that’s it. He has not shown he is team player, who has played with him in the 8 years in the league that is attributed his success to playing with Kovi?
What awards has he won? Superstars make other player better. He is a scorer pure and simple want to see a cherry picker he is working in NJ.
100mm he isn’t worth it.
Again Thank you Dean and the LA Kings for bringing us an exciting Hockey team. Kopitar, Brown, Doughty, Johnson, Simmnons, Quick, Brenier, to mention a few and the kids coming up through the system. Dean you and your team deserve raise. I am excited about Kings Hockey and the future is “BRIGHT”.
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effinkingsfan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
@OldKingsFan, Is the answer Jesus,you might want to look @ the timing especially you being an old King fan. Our cap has space now and quite possibly not within the next 2 years or so,someone’s gotta pull the trigger. I think that with Kovi and one good d. we could spark this whole team into a good run for the next 4 years or more, with the talent in the making, without giving up too much. I know it’s a bit late on Kovi but how bout Sharp or an Afeniginov or both. Keep the shades on tight for the bright future
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OldKingsFan Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 6:10 am
@effinkingsfan,
Kovi is/was not the answer. Gretzky was a leader he made others around him better. Upchuk hasn’t demonstrated that ability.
Sharp is underrated I would take him in a heartbeat. Afeniginov I’m on the fence. Maybe paired with Frolov, I don’t know.
I still say we are a better team this year than last the Kids are maturing I hope we pick up a top 6 forward and possible Willie Mitchell if he isn’t to expensive.
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I’m completely blown away by how many people are on suicide watch. Seriously people. You are talking a team that finished in 6th place 1 point out of 5th and two points behind Vancouver, a division winner. They had what, a 9 game winning streak going into the Olympic Break and then struggled coming out of it. This is a team that before the Olympic Break was challenging San Jose and Chicago for the top spot in the West. It’s not a bad team. All the Suicide Kovalchuk people are acting like they were Edmonton or Toronto. Get real people. This is a good team and Kovalchuk would’ve just been a part to the team, not the team. And first of all, did you really expect Kovalchuk to come to the Kings, come on you know he was just using the Kings as leverage to get more money. If he really wanted to come to LA, then he would’ve signed day 1. I’m just baffled at all you on suicide watch because the Kings didn’t sign a player.
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OldKingsFan Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 6:12 am
@Mike J., Words of Wisdom – Thank you
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The bottom line is that all of the people who think that deal was dumb cannot discount that 6 out of 60 million is not a bad deal for your annual cap hit.
10% of your cap on a top 5 in the NHL player? Makes sense to me.
Not to mention, if you love DL so much, why would you take Smyth at 6.5 million and not Kovalchuk at 6 million?
If it is the years you are worried about, then why not buy him out with 5 years left? The cap hit is so small then it would not matter.
The deal is Kovalchuk for 100 million, but a cap hit of 6 million per year.
They just got their man for the rest of his career.
We, however, did not.
Just think of how much you would trust in DL if we never got Doughty?
Doughty was a no brainer.
How do you feel about him now?
What else has he done?
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
@Jonsey, Totally agree with the cap, money and years issue. If DL was willing to go $6.5m for Smyth who is not half the sniper Kovi is, then why not go at least $6m for Kovi.
And, Smyth comes off the books just as DD is becoming a RFA. Just does not make sense what DL was doing.
$6m or $7m for Kovi-like talent is not the same as a cap hit for just any player. It would have been worth it!
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Hope DL trades picks and players he doesn’t plan on signing for someone that can score or maybe a solid d man I know he will but no one is really out there.
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1) Thanks Rich for working on your vacation. Your commitment to this job is unbelievable, and we are all extremely grateful.
2) LBlocal- Nice job getting those contract numbers. If that’s true, then Kovi got $22 mil more than the Kings offer. Can’t blame him for passing that up, even if he did want to be in L.A.
3) C’mon guys, lets get real about DL. According to Pierre Lebrun and Scott Burnside, they and others around the league view him as a Top 3 GM in the NHL, and I totally agree. The guy is an AWESOME leader by example, is a terrific manager of his staff (think back to all the scenarios he puts his staff through prior to the draft), and is honest to a fault (the Red Berensen thing with Michigan- classic!). Having been in the corporate world for 10+ years now, let me explain how this probably went down… DL goes to ownership and says, “We need to offer this $$$ contract.” Ownership (after sitting on their sweet cheeks for unnecessarily long amounts of time) says, “No, too bad, offer him this lesser $$$ contract.” DL then says, “Umm, that $$$ won’t be enough.” Ownership then says, “Too bad, and if you fry us in the media, we’ll fire your cheeks.” NO ONE wanted Kovi more than DL, I promise you. I have never been more proud of, or had more respect for, a Kings GM than I do for DL. Now ownership on the other hand…
4) Ownership: Larry McDonald’s ‘Stache: If Luc actually said that they “didn’t think NJ’s $100 mil offer was for real,” then I am really upset. In a negotiation like this, you bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay and then let the chips fall where they may. If they were willing to pay more but didn’t because they thought the NJ offer wasn’t real, then shame on them. On the flip side, if the Kings’ 15 year $80 mil offer truly was the most ownership felt they could spend, it does make me ponder their commitment to winning. To get outbid by $22 MILLION DOLLARS?!? I respect AEG’s desire to run a profitable business, but AEG doesn’t need the Kings to be profitable in order to be profitable overall, since they bought the team as part of the larger Staples Center deal. There’s another owner inside Staples Center who is willing to spend to win (he looks like an 80-year-old version of Donald Trump’s comb-over) that AEG can look to if they want a role-model.
I don’t blame the season ticket holders for being upset over this. I no longer live in LA, but my family and best friend have been fans since birth, and he had season tickets for years. He stopped renewing two years ago because he was tired of paying so much $$$ for a lousy product. It’s heartbreaking; he doesn’t even read about the team anymore. The fans and ticket holders deserved to get a star after sticking through so many awful years. Remember Stephane Fiset? He was our best player!!!
5) Summary: Fear not Kings fans, let’s not go overboard. The Kings weren’t going to win this year with Kovi anyway, and I thought that without him they were still 3-4 years from hoisting Lord Stanley. Adding Kovi might have cut that in half, but NJ needs to win now and overpaid, which will haunt their team throughout the middle of that contract. We still have an improving product, the future is bright, DL will find a Frolov replacement and a defenseman via trade, and we will be sipping champaign in the next 3-4 years.
Oh, and @*ck the Ducks and their Los Angeles Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Nice job by the fans at the draft who booed them every time they came up!!!
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Forecheck! Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
@KingsFan,
Totally agree, these supposed fans act like they KNOW more than Dean…WTF!…all of sudden we have hundreds of GMS! People don’t get your panties in a bunch…it is going according to THE plan…TRUE KINGS FANS ARE PATIENT, OUR TIME WILL COME.
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Its another bunch of CRAP! Nobody in Chicago care’s about who they are dumping, they have a Stanley Cup! Any hardcore Kings fan would trade the whole team today for a Cup this year. I’m not worried about who I can sign later I want a Cup today. We’ve had nothing for 50 yrs. Who gives a crap if we have to start over for a chance to win the Cup this year or next. Worry about signing young guys after you win something Dumbardo!!!!!
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How many 50 goal scorers did the Hawks have on their team last year? Oh right, NONE!
All you whiners who want a 50 goal scorer, I hope you get him…. and then we dont win for the numerous years he is here because of what we sacrificed. The Hawks built from within, added a key player in Hossa who is NOT a 50 goal scorer while keeping their team, the one they had developed for years intact. Two great D men, a supporting cast, a good slew of forwards and the win the Cup. We’re on that path, we’ll be in contention, Kovi would NOT bring a Cup to LA.
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Did I miss the press release stating all of the “kids” want to sign with The Kings? Last time I checked these guys are the most competitive guys that play the game. They see whats going on and they want to play for a constant winner year in and year out.
And before you reply that Doughty grew up a Kings fan, while true….hes a bigger fan of winning the Stanley Cup…as is JJ,Simmer, Schenn and the rest…..these kids arent dumb, they want to play for a team with a history of winning and one that puts its money where its mouth is
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So where are all of those jackasses who were all over Rich for not getting good info? Try getting this inverview at one of those ‘baseless rumor hockey websites’.
Thanks Rich!!
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“We are, in no way, off plan. I’ve said this before, that I had projected probably doing this type of free agent after next year. That was my gut.”
Oh… So NOW it’s next years FA class you were really targeting.
I think Lombardi has spun things so much, he’s at risk of turning into an actual black hole.
Next year we’ll get his Billy Flynn rendition of the “we can’t spend anything because we might have another lockout in 2013 blues” Tappity Tappity Tappity.
Lombardi needs to change his name to whiffy, because he strikes out on every FA he seems to target.. the guy can’t close a deal. I am TIRED of hearing the standard “he was in on so-so” Oh, he was close on this guy and that guy” Bottom line is, they’re not signing with LA.
Why is that? Who knows.. maybe he does a piss poor job of selling the franchise and it’s direction.. maybe it’s because he can’t negotiate worth a $@^@!.. maybe it’s simply because he does not have the autonomy to pay the going market rate for the real difference makers in the league.
The guy seems incapable of doing what needs to be done to augment and push the drafted kids to the next level.
Now after today it would seem, that the Kings now face not plan A, not plan B ( Gagne now in Tampa and Kaberle probably headed to San Jose ) but probably plan x-y-z (overpaying for marginally skilled injury prone rejects ) That’s always been the Kings MO under AEG anyway.
Always excuses with AEG. The Always Excuses Group
I remember Leiweke’s promise that the Kings would be able to compete on an equal footing with every NHL other team under the collective bargaining agreement that ended the 2004-05 lockout. He fought for it.. he stumped for it..
We’re still waiting for that it seems.
15 years they’ve owned the team and how many years have they made the playoffs? Four? How many playoff series have they won? One?
At last check, during that span AEG has run about $400 million through it’s MLS soccer interests. Wonder how much they’ve spent on the Kings?
And please, those who are ready with the ubiquitous “you’re not really a real fan’ “Why don’t you follow the Ducks” nonsense, I’ve been following this franchise since the Cowboy Flett , Eddie the Jet, and Terry Sawchuck days, so spare me the stupidity.
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HockeyLawyer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
@Thound,
Right on…..I agree 100%….I cant wait to be told we are not real fans and we are “duck” fans because we actually see whats going on and understand you have to spend to win. Additionally we have no guarantee that DD,JJ,Simmer or the rest will want to resign here if the precedent has already been set.
According to this board you cant be a true fan even if you have season seats for 30 years and never miss a game no matter where you are in the world, unless you believe in “the kids” and blindly believe they all have “the tattoo”….remember these guys want to win now, and play for a winning organization.
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luc20rules Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
@HockeyLawyer, I hear what you are saying, but when was the last time you heard the Kings offering 72 mil for basically 8yrs & 8 mil over 7yrs just to lower the cap hit. This was a real offer that should have done it, but Kovi wanted the big salary for 2 yrs at age 35 & 36 in the NHL. The Kings will have a better record than last year and with the rest of the division in decline the Kings may be in the division lead at the trade deadline making it easier to get a trade done at the deadline (Most excellent players having a no trade clause). I see TB as a team all O no D that will not be in the hunt come late Feb. 2011.
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5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
@Thound, Thounds Good to me! Sorry but I had to do it! You were really Thounding Off there on AEG and crew! Good Read I’m afraid! I was there in ’67 myself, at Long Beach Arena and LA Sports Arena. I remember Howie Young and Willie O’Ree in the old Western League. I’ll gladly 2nd (thru 64th) your take! What is the lure of the MLS anyway? Spend on the Galaxy and guarantee contention virtually every season. The Kings are Step Children with AEG? Or maybe a tool to get to the real goods…the rebirth of Downtown LA with AEGville squatters! I don’t want to go there, but it crosses one’s mind regularly after each FA failure and its sad tale of woe to follow. We get the same old, same old from the press releases. Run them through spell check each year and send them out again. Bargain hunters and treasure hunters, but its all a chirade to me. Real hockey fans recognize what they see, when they keep seeing it over and over. Harold Ballard did it TO, and back to his movie theaters he went with the Leafs a shambles in short order! Kings on same road? I wonder that out loud now! Come on Kings use the pens with the ink in them! Not those movie props you’ve been using!
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Its funny how everyone saying its DL’s fault he didnt sign Kovy.
NJ is over the cap now they have to get rid of some players
17 years?
No.
Who wants to pay him 100+ million.
Glad we didnt get him, for that price.
would have ruined our team having someone that pricey.
funny that hes getting paid more than Ovechkin and crosby for 5 years.
NJ can ruin their future.
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Thound Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
@mark,
Having a player with an cap hit of $6mil is going to ruin the team?
Better jettison Kopitar and Ryan Smith then.
Last time I checked. Pitt is able to carry both Croasby and Malkin at 8,700,000 then sign both Martin and Michalek at 5,000,000 and 4,000,000 respectively, and still carry Fleury at 5,000,000 as well.
Not saying they should have signed Kovy or not as he’s just the latest swing and miss, but rather I think no matter who it is, we’re still going to get the same song & dance from AEG and Lombardi regarding free agents.
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mark Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
@Thound,
Pit
also lost Gonchar 5.5?
Ponik 2.5?
Guerin 2
cooke @ 1.2
leopold @ 1.7
all adds up to 12.9 million.
Fleury was 5~ this year
which gave them room to do it
We wouldve had space but ruin us down the road for Doughty simmonds JJ etc..
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Thound Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
@mark,
No, it wouldn’t have.
KV’s 6 mil hit would not spell doom for the retention of the JJ’s and Simmonds and Doughty’s
Pitt has the core of their defense locked in now through 14′
Martin
Michalek
Orpick
Letang
Fleury set through 15′
Crosby UFA in 2014
Malkin 15′
Staal 13′
Even if they resign with Pitt for the longer term, Malkin’s and Crosby’s cap hit will most likely never go higher than what it is now, in fact, it might even go lower.
They can fit these pieces in.. there is no reason why the Kings can’t get Doughty and JJ in place as well as Simmonds.
Kopitar is already signed through 16′
Brown through 14′
Smith’s 6.25 comes off at the end of 12′
Kings have 12 mil in space NOW. And as it stands, only 29 mil committed to cap payroll next year. So they could conceivably have 30 mil in space to fit these pieces in long term.
The length of the contract not withstanding, there is no excuse in the world why the Kings could not have managed to fit Kovy in comfortably at 6 mil per.
I love the Kings, and always will, but they (primarily Dean Lombardi, but also management in general) have once again ‘bottled it’ (English expression). Every year, we fail to sign marquee players, and every year we hear the same rhetoric: “We can’t sacrifice the future.” Even now, Dean says “it’s not like we have a window that’s closing,” suggesting that since the core players of the Kings are relatively young, we don’t need to win in the Playoffs THIS year.
I, for one, am just devastated, bitter, and even disgusted. The words of ownership ring hollow yet again.
Oh, well; I’ll still watch every game, of course. But it slowly becomes more and more painful to be a Kings fan.
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all i ever hear is next year.been a king fan since 74 dl will never make this team a sc winner.they don’t like to spend money.kings will never win with what they have.can’t wait any longer.
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Here is an Open Question for all you hockey maniacs blogging away your days in July no less! We can call it Open Line Mondays! LOL! Just joshing! Now for the Q of the Day…Posed as follows: OMG! Now that IK is in Devils Hell, how can we bring about a coupe de gras signing of the NJ boy(irony) Bobby Ryan? DL cannot say he wouldn’t be the right fit. What doesn’t work with this coming phenom? Age, Goals, Grit, LW, 1st Line, character, No injury list stays..anything else I missed! I hate him so much as a Duck that I love him in Royal Colors! How to engineer such a coupe legally, I mean (down boys, take it easy Guido! not yet!). Would he take a long term deal at superstar rate? Well, he isn’t quite there yet, but he is on his way to some good stuff, loads of it i think. His people are saying publicly that he wants a 3 year deal and not more now. We know he turned down Quackers at 5y/25M or so! Could we go longer with a solid Cap Hit at say 5-6M for 10 + yrs? Could we be a little creative with a little lower front end and a high middle and then down scaling over the last few years? Maybe even a 12 yr deal to help the numbers work better for everyone? Would he go for it? Would the Quackers decline? It may be a 60-80 ML Question perhaps! Do you folks want a Ryan for 6M Cap Hit for say 12 yrs or an IK at what he got from NJ? No foolin, can’t we come up with something to turn over to LAK brass (& their lawyers) to work out the details. Do we have any belief that DL and TL would even think about it? I doubt their record so far would indicate that. Oh well just for fun lets go for it. It s the best fantasy since the Devil took Kovy! Any takers? You Fantasy GMs out there come on go to work on it!
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Traded for a Pick Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
@5holer,
The team has said they won’t do any offer sheets, and the Ducks would have to be absolutely insane to trade away Bobby Ryan to a division rival. If traded, he would have to go to a team out east.
If for some reason DL backs up and does decide to try an offer sheet the Kings are likely having to pay 5 mil or up. This in turn costs us drafts picks, something DL values highly.
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To all the naysayers about DL- believe me I don’t like his style one bit and how did he get the reputation as a “builder”? Don’t tell me about San Jose-the only building they did is when Joe Thornton fell into their lap. DL has to get going and talk with Stempniak and also make a play for another offensive player (Sharp). I don’t think they need another defenseman- unless they aren’t sure of the minor leaguers( Hickey-Teubert-Voynov etc.)
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Dont worry contracts like that will be ruled out after the next cba. his may stand but it will be the last one of its kind. My guess is in the next cba there will be no averaging out the money. what you pay him that year will be that years cap hit. That 11.5 million would prevent the kings from signing the young guys that earned their money. I for one am relieved that this crap is over. Good luck in N.J. Lebron kovalchuk, I dont want to hear you demanding a trade in a few years cause you have no players around you to help you win. New jersey really SH*T the bed on this one.
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I want to win a Cup!
Not have a good core team that loses in the first or second or third round and never wins it. Ask a San Jose fan how good they feel with the “I don’t want to sacrafice our core for the sake of winning a cup” philosophy. The goal is to win. I’m sure all the Hawks fans would much rather have had what happened this past June — with the somewhat dismantling of their team afterwards — than to have lost the cup and kept their team intact.
My God — some of you talk as if winning the cup but then losing Simmonds or JJ would be not be worth it. C’mon! You win the cup, guys get more money, some have to leave, you rebuild, etc. Look at Detroit the past 15 years!
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@ wavesinair,
6 mil? Really?
Kovi got his 100 million and the Kings were not willing to pay for it. It’s that simple.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Except for the FACT that New Jersey is a much better team and gives him a better shot at winning the cup. He was only signing in LA if he was vastly overpaid. A comparable offer or anything in the ballpark means NJ will always win out. Plain and simple. If you weren’t such a homer you’d see that.
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wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
@LesHobbitants, Last I checked, both teams exited in the first round of the playoffs. Usually when you state as fact that a team is much better, you provide proof. What’s yours?
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Same crap over an over again, last 10 years we where rebuilding, now waiting for 1 (one) star player, the same time all the good UFA’s are gone. Lombardi my check is in the mail for the season ticket, don’t start the season without it….. Let me guess, we will pull around 10.000 people / game
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mike Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
@Johnny, how soon we forget, why the hell would any team want to pay any player that much money especially when the salary cap is going to go down in a year or two. Did you already forget that the kings were still paying granato while he was coaching the avalanche. the last thing the kings need is to rap up 100 million dollars on any player. you thing signing Labron is the answer? I would have liked him on the team but not at that price. Im telling you new jersey will not win this cup with this guy. they are going to need a goalie soon. Now they may have someone waiting in the wings but who knows. trust me in a few years the devils will be trying to dump his salary cause they will need the money to start their rebuilding process. someone mentioned Detroit? they rebuild their teams mostly in the draft and within. you can chase the high priced guys all you want but it only works if your the yankees. The kings did this when bruce Mcnall owned the team and look where that got us. we payed for that effort for ten plus years. the kings will be better this year and will pull more then 10,000 a night. just relax and wait and see. in the end you will be glad the kings did not fall for lebrons demands. remember one thing…no matter what an athlete says its always about the money.
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“That was my gut. You know how I feel about the core developing in the room, and putting that in place before you start diving into some of these other things. In the second half of last year, they showed me that they were going to hang together and deal with the pressure. So I was willing, I guess, to accelerate by going to this avenue to improve the team a year earlier, for me, and I guess push our way through this a little quicker.”
Now, I’m not going to attack DL for not getting Kovi, but the above statement is a flat out lie. Last year it was Hossa as the target and DL lost out to Chicago.
The biggest issue Here, IMO, is that the salary cap just flat out sucks. It allows owners like Anschutz (who was monumental in getting the cap pushed through at the expense of losing an entire year of NHL) to hide behind the “core”-theory of structuring the club.
Also, if all our core players turn out to be superstars, we won’t be able to keep them together anyway because they will all want money that compares to other superstars (except for a guy like Dustin Brown who has character for miles).
By the way, all the references to David Beckham make no sense and most are erroneous. He gets paid about 6 million a year to play for the Galaxy.
And, MLS DOES have a salary cap and it is a whopping 2.6 million per club/ per year. Of course Anschutz created the league and once owned more than half the teams so that is why the teams in MLS play for the “Anschutz Cup” (no joke!).
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I said this last week, and now I feel it is a good time to reiterate. Lombardi talks of a fill-type player instead of a top player. Again, I feel the fit in this situation is Patrick Sharp. He was 25-41-66. Not top-guy numbers but that team had 5 20-goal guys an Kane was the only 30-goal guy.
If you add Sharp in LA, you’re adding to Brown’s 20+ goals, Kopi’s 80+ pts, Smyth is still good for around 20, Doughty from the point is only going to grow from this year, Simmer had 16 and there’s potential for more, and finally Richie only really played for half the season and dropped 11 goals.
Honestly, what would Sharp cost? Loktionov? Azevedo? Lewis? A few picks? Sharp is in his prime at 28, and has 2 years left at 3.9 per.
Am I off-base here?
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5holer Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
@ArmChairKingsFan, You are Bang on with our kids and Sharp! LA is not even talking about this kid, not a word about Chicago, Bowman or anything else I can find? The word out now is an Eastern Conference Top 6 forward is on the burner? Who is that? Gagne is gone along with his injuries to TB, good for him! Mark Savard? Why mini Mark, he is a facilitator not a goal scorer. We would be yelling SHOOT until we are hoarse throated, more than we ever did to Fro! We need GOALS! Lots more of them. You get one guy that is not shy about shooting and he scores on 15% of his shots, and bang everyone starts scoring more goals, more often. That is how it is in hockey, a contagian starts for scoring goals and it goes team wide. Who else do you see out there at a reasonable price? I think we should look at RFAs and to hell with the perceived risk(none there if we sign ours). What else is there this year or next July. The UFA list is pretty sparse for next July. Do you want Spezza at 8ML Cap Hit? Nope! They have to start thinking out of the box more! Its the Cap Era isn’t it?
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HA, how funny that only three hours after the signing of kovalchuk, the bolts get simon gagne for a D-man.
everyone is seriously against the kings.
whats next plan C? D? E?
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I really dont want Lee Stempniak at all. I seen him on Toronto and wasnt impressed at all. I would rather have Frolov back. We still have some good kids that could be ready soon, id rather give them a crack first before someone like Lee S. I could take Maxim over Lee as well. Either way we look at its plan B or C time…
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scootty Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
@kingfletch,
How would you play if you were stuck on a team like Toronto. When he got to Phoenix he actually played like he is capable of.
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Pretty sure Sharp isnt leaving Chicago, they will hide somoene in the AHL first. I would try to resign Frolov and see how kids like Loktionov will do, and go to bed and dream about next Christmas. I doubt they will ever trade him but id like Semin from Washington!
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Every team in the western conference just gave out a huge sigh of relief. Vancouver is a better team and they beat us in the first round. Coytes are a way better team and kings, sadly,again do nothing. The devils were able to aquire Arnot, sign Tallinder, Volchenkov and Hedberg. Kings lose Fro and Odonnell. DL had a one track mind going into free agency, and gets what the bird left on the rock. If this was a poker game, DL had the best hand and folded like a cheap suit. Sure raise my ticket prices, promise me the world and then tell me “we tried our best”, “be patenient” “core players”. I got an idea. Trade some “core players” for some winning players.
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So…I have just one question after this is all done. NJ cap hit is 6 mill. The kings offer had a cap hit of 5.4 mill. So who was this magical player we were going to sign for 600k?
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I am truely DISAPPOINTED not getting Ilya..Wtf Kings’ owner, we are 1 or 2 player(s) away from contending the SC..you are a cheap BASTARD and it shows you know NOTHING about hockey..maybe just maybe next year we will lose DD, JJ, & WS cuz of your cheapness…
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Some GM’s and owners talk and some do. Guess which kind we have?? Always an excuse with this group and DL has a complete inability to close a deal. Amazing how all of the sudden the Sharks became a desired destination once DL left. Doug Wilson sure doesn’t seem to have the trouble closing deals up there that Dean had. I hate it, because I like Lombardi’s eye for talent and would prefer this team to succeed with him and stop spinning it’s wheels. But maybe DL just isn’t the guy to take the Kings to the next level? Hextall strikes me as a guy who gets things done and commands respect. Who’d say no to Hexy, he might just come over the table on you?? Maybe it’s time to find out.
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In my opinion, the Kings were used as pawns to up the price from New Jersey. That’s all. He never had any intention of signing with the Kings, regardless of what some of the media say. Never once did Kovalchuk come out and say, “I want to play in LA.”. It was always the Devils. Plain & simple.
Have fun dealing with being over the cap New Jersey. I’ll laugh if they can’t get that cap below the ceiling by training camp.
The Kings are better off not getting in cap trouble when you got Doughty, Johnson, Simmonds, Bernier, Richardson all needing to be signed after this season. I’d rather take those 5 players over Kovalchuk. It takes a team to win a cup, not just 1 star.
I’m behind Dean on this one. He did what he could, but Kovalchuk had no intentions of signing with the Kings. I truly believe that. Enjoy your 2 year window to win a cup in New Jersey Kovalchuk. After Brodeur retires, they’ll be a playoff bubble team.
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I love our “core group of young players” but after being a season seat holder for almost 30 years now I think I actually would be willing to see the core group broken up if it meant winning just one Cup.
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I haven’t posted since the last playoff game. I have however, read every single post starting before this site was constructed. After following all developements in this saga, and post-playoffs, I felt I was FAR too emotional to comment objectively. It is even against my better judgement to post now.
Objectively, I feel if JB was inserted in place of an OVERWORKED JQ, we could’ve taken the Canuckleheads. At first I blamed JQ. Retrospect being 20/20, JQ was ridden to death. Only a PULSE was needed to beat Luongo.
Secondly, I am torn between DL making the right call and AEG being cheapskates.
What I am not torn about, is history. DL, far and away, is the best GM ever to call the
Kings home. You may jump the gun and blame DL for not “getting it done”, but you don’t know what DL was allowed to work with. You don’t know what AEG, Lieweke et al, allowed DL to work with.
DL is the !st and only GM in the history of the Kings to develop and maintain a first rate scouting and development department.
If it takes one more year to realize all of our dreams (to be a perennial contender), so F’ING be it! This team, THIS YOUNG TEAM, has GREATNESS written all over it.
I suggest that we all, ALL, wait to see how this season plays out before we call it a disaster.
I am not a blind supportnik, but I also have been watching this team since 1978. What I mean by saying that is this: We are in a unique position in the 43yr. history of the Kings. For the FIRST time, we have the luxury of looking ahead. We have great prospects, great player development, and the great luxury of a first-rate scouting department.
I’m not telling anyone to ease up on criticizm of management, I’m just sayin’…… Look at all sides, AND KNOW WHAT YOUR SAYIN’!!!!! GO KINGS!!!!
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flex Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
@MIK3Ysfv, I like the post.You try to separate Dl from AEG…maybe…,but dealing Lubo to Oilers was not AEG fault…and yes, let’s remember commi.
(I do not trust popular spreaded excuse…about would not stay anyway” excuse…Why?..
#2 Scounting ?…who Dl did find with scouting department ,that impress you??STILL NOBADY..yes,we do have some good young kids easy selected in the first rounds of drafts…but even those have big questionmarks…Hickey ? ,Teubert?
…Man,look at red wings…they found a lot of talent in round 5 6 7 8…need the names…zeteberg.dutsuk…!!! show me one in the king roster !!! Again ,I still like you well balanced post,but…And finaly KOVI WAS AN UNACCEPABLE MISS.
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Since '67 Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
@MIK3Ysfv,
Couldn’t agree with you more. I too was holding back from commenting. I am also a long time Kings’ fan, actually since the very beginning. My Dad and Grandfather used to take my brothers, uncle and cousins and I to games at the Sports Arena when I was really young. If you are REALLY a fan you support the TEAM through the good and bad years. I can’t get over how everyone, and don’t get me wrong I wanted Kovalchuk here too under the right circumstances, got completely bent over us not signing ONE player to ridiculous contract. Even worst was some sorry excuse for a fan saying he’s gonna go root for the Ducks now — Good GO! My sons, daughter, wife, brothers and grandson are all Kings FANS through and through. So, when they finally win it, in the near future, we will without a doubt not be the ones crawling back and sneaking in through some side door to say we were part of it!
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This old excuse make me sick…any big name ,possible Fa or trade candidate we are talking about in this board
‘sudenly” have no intention to come tp play here.Why?
What is wrong?..Why the same type player played for ducks and WON..but even if that is true,that can not be an excuse..it is something we have concern about.
The truth is our GM is overqualfied for his position.
Everytime he talks we liesten and buy it…And today we knew what he would say…yeh,those young players….BS!!!
The reallty we are facing today,after we lost Kovi with very afordable deal,We have to give up some so caled core players to get some.If he still did not have plan B,soon or later he should “create’ one.There is nobady among this young prospect who can step up and take this team to next level in the near future.We still have several holes,even more than last year.When you take look who is avalable…only a few with big question marks.KOVY WAS A BIG MISS !!.
The time is the best judge.I am sure we all would remember this days and from that several months ditance
it would be much easy to understand the size of this LOSS….so,what is the next move.who is on the trade list…All this (NOW FORCED) and upcoming trades would be more like an excuse, than real improvment of the team.
If it’s up to me..I would start with our C brown..with more or less value,try to get someone better…#2 green
(we are black team lets get rid of colors LOL)
Kings needs. 2 lw (with speed and spirit and abality to score at list 25 goals, #4 D….(has to better than Green) and of course…new Drago…
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Rich, you didn’t think a question like this would be relevant?
“Tim Leiweke said it is about the cap, not the cash, yet getting Kovy or not getting him came down to $700,000.00 per year cap hit. That isn’t going to prevent you from signing the core, is it? And if not, why would the Kings let him get away for that?”
I enjoy this site and respect your work, but after 18 days of free agency, all of Lombardi’s alleged efforts to sign him, the trip here to LA, and what separated the Kings and Devils in signing him, you threw him those near rhetorical questions?
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Anonymous Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
@Bobby Scribe, I appreciate your passion, but come with more class than this. You can bet that Rich knows, as well as DL knows, that AEG refused to pull the trigger on this. Dean can’t say it, Rich isn’t immature enough to put DL in position to respond to that, so let’s all face reality and deal with the fact that AEG walked away from a business deal. If you’re angry (which many, including myself are), direct that at AEG and cancel your season tickets. But don’t blame Rich.
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
@, Anonymous: Blame Rich? I think there is a reading comprehension issue here. Read my post again. I didn’t make a statement. I asked a question. I prefer not to swim in a river of assumptions but rather get answers for my readers, especially when not only is that in my job description but in my proclamation as well. If that question is too difficult to ask or raises sensitive issues, ok, I can appreciate that. There is the old time honored expression of not pooping (to filter it) where you eat. However, if that is the case, they I, you and everyone else must then understand that there is a real filter at play here when getting answers and accept that as fact.
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wavesinair Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
@Bobby Scribe,
The sensitivity of the question is at play here. I for one believe it is a very legitimate question to ask Dean. I’d even go so far to say it’s the most important question to ask him.
KingsFan, I’m not sure why you would label asking this question of Dean as “immature.” I really don’t. It can be worded in 10 different ways if you’d like, but the bottom line is Leiweke chirped up in the middle of negotiations and made a bold statement that now seems utterly untrue.
We can see the writing on the wall until the cows come home. But until a person asks him the question on the record, it remains unsaid and therefore, debatable.
It wasn’t like Leiweke’s statement was somehow a negotiation tactic. If anything it hurt negotiations (by saying it’s not about cash the agent will happily agree and call you on it, which of course, is what could have happened).
Leiweke’s statement, to me, was said directly to us, the fans. Even if partly true, this would make the question above especially relevant.
Look, we’re not even one year into the “team reporter” experiment. The jury is still out on the question of journalistic integrity as far as I’m concerned. These are the kinds of days that can test this unusual relationship and make it seem like it might not be such a good idea. That hard questions, which need to be asked, are thought of as too hard.
Or maybe Rich just didn’t think of it and it was a simple mistake. Could be.
My 2 pennies anyway…
EASportsMgt Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:21 am
@Bobby Scribe, you wrote below:
have evidence that the team was pursuing him seriously, he in ongoing discussions with the Kings, a statement by Leiweke that it is about the cap, not the cash and then a Kovalchuk signing in NJ with a $700K cap difference (what any reasonable person would state is a minimal cap difference and would not prevent a signing) but a $20 million dollar cash difference. I then have Leiweke coming forward thereafter and telling us the Kings didn’t get him because NJ offered more money, in other words, “cash” or did you think Leiweke was referring to a bigger cap hit of $700,000.00 as the more money that prevented the signing?
Now these are the responses I love. People who think they know more than they actually do. I can tell with a certainty of fact, that the original contract discussions never included a 15 ye 80Mil contract for IK. At the time that Lieweke made the first comments they were discussing a shorter term much higher cap hit deal with IK. One that was not in ther Kings best interest. Because if they agreed to pay IK say $10 Mil in years 3,4,5 or 6, guess who would start his negotiations asking for that same amount? Yes Mr. Doughty. This is proven by the comments given to Helene Elliot of the Times. So that’s another fact.
WHen this deal was proposed on Thursday they still had no idea what NJ’s offer was, and never did they expect it to be as high. Another fact as given to Helene Elliot. Since you considered everything that Lieweke gave to Helene as a fact then I hope you don’t mind that I do the same with Dl’s comments to Helene. So after I made my so called “assumptions” Helene writes an article basically proving everything I said yesterday, weird how that works out huh?
So basically in the end my friend yes IK chose more money to saty in NJ, money which is greater than Ovechkin is getting, more than Crosby is getting and I am very please for him, I think he did a great job but as a true King’s fan, am certainly glad that the Kings did not offer that. It would have proven to be a real deal breaker down the road.
KingsFan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
@Bobby Scribe, I appreciate your passion, but come with more class than this. We can all assume that AEG refused to step up to the plate here. Rich knows it, DL knows it, and Rich isn’t unprofessional enough to put DL in a position to respond in a manner that disparages his employer and risks DL’s job. The simple likely fact is this: AEG was $22 million less willing to bring in Kovi than NJ was. If you’re angry (and many are, including myself), direct that at AEG and cancel your season tickets, but don’t attack Rich. Thanks.
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EASportsMgt Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 12:06 am
@KingsFan, @wavesinair
What in the world are you guys talking about? I think there is a certain disconnect from Lieweke’s comments and how you intrepret it. Read all the statements, all of them and then sit and think about them for a minute before flying off the handle.
First of all, Lieweke stated that the offer that Kovi originally made to them would hamper their ability to re-sign the younger kids, their core. What part of that is not understood where you think he was lying? Wait, you think because the final deal Kovi signed, and the fact that it was only a 700k cap difference means Lieweke was lying because it seems then it would be a cash problem and not a cap problem. Of course and you know for a fact that DL and company were aware of the Devils offer of 17 years for 100+ Mil right?
DL’s comments showed they didn’t believe that number, but it was in the back of their minds as the number they were bidding against. However it’s not like Goldman says her Deano you know NJ offered this much right???
No it doesn’t work that way, agents make numbers up, for all you know DL was told that it was 100 Mil over 11 years or 12 years, so that they could up their offer and he can get the most bank for his client, and himself of course. But it’s not like it was ever put to them what the exact offer is. That’s not how you negotiate, please go read “How to negotiate like the Pro’s” you will see that this is all a game, and Kovi wanted the most money upfront and NJ paid it, That’s it.
So before you go embarrassing yourselves with your questions understand the facts, understand how the process goes, and stop trying to find every comment DL and Lieweke make and turn it around to something it’s not.
I think waves, you even wrote on a post that DL lied to all the fans. WOW I didn’t know DL was giving you the inside scoop on what was going on. What you mean is that all the rumors you heard about this sage that came from DL turned out to be lies. Maybe that’s why they are rumors. DL came to the Kings fans with a plan, a 5 year plan, he hasn’t divertedfrom that plan yet, so when did he lie?
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Bobby Scribe Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 9:03 am
@EASportsMgt, Familiarize yourself, respectfully, with Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation is that Kovalchuk signed in NJ because NJ offered him more money. That’s it. Everything beyond that requires assumptions and speculation, which is the foundation for everything you have written. “If” this, “maybe” that do not an analysis make. Until you have anything that resembles facts or evidence of your claims, you have nothing.
I have evidence that the team was pursuing him seriously, he in ongoing discussions with the Kings, a statement by Leiweke that it is about the cap, not the cash and then a Kovalchuk signing in NJ with a $700K cap difference (what any reasonable person would state is a minimal cap difference and would not prevent a signing) but a $20 million dollar cash difference. I then have Leiweke coming forward thereafter and telling us the Kings didn’t get him because NJ offered more money, in other words, “cash” or did you think Leiweke was referring to a bigger cap hit of $700,000.00 as the more money that prevented the signing?
For what it’s worth, your screen name does shed some doubt about your objectivity.
wavesinair Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:39 am
@EA,
Well, first of all, paragraphs with spaces are awesome. Try it sometime.
Second, you said you “think” I wrote that DL lied in this case. Nope, I didn’t write that at all. I said that Leiweke lied and he did as far as I can tell. I don’t pretend to know for fact why he said what he said, but it wasn’t true. Maybe he didn’t mean to lie. Maybe he just ran off at the mouth and said something silly. I don’t know. But I do know it didn’t make sense and today’s comments didn’t help either.
Third, you can say you understand the process all you’d like. But you have no idea who knew what or when they knew it. So your assumptions as to what DL knew or didn’t know are just that. Certainly there is more than meets the eye. No doubt. However, everything I said is simply based on quotes from Leiweke and the fact of the contracts as we know them today.
On July 7th Leiweke said:
“Dean is trying here, but we know what we need in cap space going forward to keep our nucleus together. We can’t let one guy throw us into panic in a year or two. It is not about cash. It is about cap.”
So the first question here is, “what do they need in cap space going forward?” I think it is reasonable to assume that for a player like Kovalchuk, the cap could easily be 7mil or above. Wouldn’t you agree? Maybe Leiweke thinks differently. Maybe DL does too. We don’t know, which is a reason to, um, let’s see… maybe ASK HIM? Nawwww.
Today, Leiweke said:
Kovalchuk “had two very good choices. NJ offered more money. Simple as that.”
Simple as that? Really? Actually yes and no. Yes, it’s true they offered more cash and no Tim, it isn’t nearly as simple as that when YOU are the person saying it.
I may interpret his comments differently than you EA, however, the only disconnect here are these statements by Leiweke. And to add to them, I’ll leave you with this, which he said following the above comment,
“He is a great player and I am disappointed he didn’t come to LA. It was not for lack of effort or cash.”
Wow. Freakishly inconsistent.
It WAS for lack of cash.
Simple as that.
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EASportsMgt Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:11 am
@wavesinair,
Go back and read Helene’s article this morning or even DL’s quote from the thread ago. They both illustrate that DL was not aware of the offer that NJ had out there. Did anyone before the final number was announce even speculate it would be that much? NO
I love how everytime someone questions your comments, you first try to respond back with criticism of their punctuations, or spacing. Grow up, if you can read it then shut up and respond to the facts. You think anyone is thinking, oh Waves might be reading this so I better correct my grammer or spacing….
Anyways, back to Lieweke’s comments, and assumptions, you are assuming that they were discussing this same contract back on July 7th. How do you not know they were not discussing a shorter term much higher cap hit deal. And when they saw that wasn’t possible, they moved to this longer term more cap friendly deal? YOU DON”T. YOU ARE ASSUMING, and therefore you are assuming he lied to everyone.
wavesinair Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 11:59 am
@EA,
“everytime” “grow up” and “shut up”
LOL. Strong words tough guy. Apparently you can’t handle a little jibe without resorting to such language. I think they call that “projecting” in the psychology world. Look it up.
Actually I very rarely say anything about punctuation or spacing. Care to back up your claim? Try it sometime. Talk about not sticking to facts.
You’re the second person I’ve said that to regarding paragraphs and almost never say a word about punctuation or spelling. You have me mixed up with someone else. But nice accusation. Thanks for that.
Regarding the subject at hand, if you go back and read what Scribe wrote, you’ll see just how off base you are. It was about asking DL a QUESTION. This implies getting clarification regarding Leiweke’s statements.
Do you have a problem with that?
You said, “Did anyone before the final number was announced even speculate it would be that much? NO.”
Seriously, I’m shocked you read the same thing I did and didn’t see this…
Deano said, “So you’re kind of always negotiating against $100 million in the back of your mind.”
So to answer your question, “Did anyone before the final number was announced even speculate it would be that much?”
The answer is YES.
Quit while you’re behind dude.
I have to assume it was Kovi who wanted to stay with NJ and used us to what he wanted, MONEY. However it does seem that we come up on the short end of negoations or getting a game changing player. I cannot stand the fact that it has taken us so long to get back to the cup and yet the F@@King Ducks have a cup. We are the Clippers of the NHL and going nowhere fast. What are our next options? Does anyone know where we go from here?
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I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now, so you’ve got to be careful about just running out there and getting a fill that we didn’t really want. So that’s what you’ve got to guard against at this point now. We’ll continue to work through it, but I don’t see anything on the horizon. But I’ve been around long enough to know that something always comes up.”
..Something ALWAYS comes up….always you said that we will remember this,but Now we knew,you knew that.
“I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now”…Big miss MR.Dl BIG MISS !!!
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You guys don’t forget one really important thing…the new owner of the New Jersey Nets is Mikhail Prokhorov, so this is a Kovy’s way in getting closer with the Russian Billionaire and establishing a close freindship, Prokhorov could back Kovy from the Russian Mob in the future and Kovy could use MK to start business together long after Kovy retires…PLUS dont forget Lou was not gonna lose out on this after he traded young prospects to get Kovy from Atlanta, he wasnt gonna walk away with nothing in the end. It was all a fix a set up can you see it now!?
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flex Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:31 am
@BigPalms, who knows? But ,why you think kovi need protaction from russian mob? How many of those russian player in nhl had problems with russian mob? or maybe they piecfully paying donation . and nobady know abot that. come on man,nothing was fix, nothing was set up .but this would be good Hollywood story….btw do you know what’s happen to kings tatto on Kovi neck??/
Please,stop your impressive stores.We knew ,he knew,everybody in NHL knew,He was missing piece her and he try to become here,but AEG insulted guy and now tryng feed us with unacceptable excuse.TIME will show you ,that one more time this managment don’t care about hockey,about funs.
same old ,same old…my bloodpressure went up,when Dl started manipulatation with Norris tropy candedate….
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Whoa! MAn!
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I can almost guarantee that Kovy will get injured soon and I will give a sigh of relief: “No more Dan Cloutier” players that take up salary and cap space and not amount to anything worth keeping.
Signing that player was way too much money and not worth it. Yeah, he was a “forty goal guy” but for how long, and that 40 goal stuff was IN THE PAST. I think signing Modin and Frolov would be good additions, even if signing Modin for one season could not hurt at all. Frolov is still in his prime and notched 19 goals for us last year. I hope Lombardi did not “burn his bridges” with Frolov even though I had heard that Frolov would want a ridiculous amount of contract.
However, without him, the Kings have definately “downgraded” their team and I do not know of anyone in Manchester that could fill his skates any time soon. Modin was productive in the playoffs and was one of the few bright spots the Kings had.
Modin would be a great addition to the Red Wings- but again, only time would tell. Hopefully, Dino stays away from Gagne, who has a series of concussions and even though it was not his fault, Justin Williams is going to drain cap space and that broken leg took away a good deal of his momentum. Now he’s another year older, and more battered that when he came here. I am glad he has only one year left we have to pay him, and let’s hope some of the Manchester players are ready to graduate.
No stupid trades- let’s just stick to our guns with what we have until the trade deadline; then we can see what we need and take it from there. At this point in the ball game, we need to evaluate what we have, and leave shit alone for now.
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I might entertain obtaining the services of Stepniak, who is available as a free agent.
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Anyone who thinks this is a great deal for the Devils is nuts man. I want what you’re smoking. The greatest of them all, ol’ 99 was a shell of himself at age 35. Kovy, you’re no Gretzky! You scored a whopping 42 goals this year and at age 35 the Devils will still owe you $15M over the next two years. I suspect the Devils will be paying you well over a million a goal at that point in your career. And anyone who thinks he’ll retire before then is just stupid because at that kind of change, he ain’t going anywhere.
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Does anyone else feel like we are The Clippers of the NHL?
If DL is true to his word and is actually able to sign our core players then, yes, we are still ‘on track.’ To be honest, if I was a young player, I would start to question though if this franchise is really committed to winning a cup or just paying lip service. Until those aforementioned players are signed and DL attracts a couple missing pieces, we will continue to be a ‘couple years from contention’ for the foreseeable future.
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I don’t think were going backwards…but the team we lost to in the first round made good improvements in the offseason…so where does that leave us….hoping the kids are ready again
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Time to put this baby to bed.
July complete failure.
August ?
September ?
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Anyone else get the “I’m going to hit your credit card today for a season seat payment” on the day we lost Kovy. Felt like salt in the wound to me.
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why do the people who want Kovi no matter how the numbers are added up, forget that in the PLAYOFFS snipers disappear as MORE often than being the playoff hero.
once again, just look at this years run. i know Toews got the MVP, debatable as far as i’m concerned, and lead with the most points(did he get a goal in the Finals? if he did it wasn’t many), but the supporting, lesser lites, got HUGH goals including their 4th line crew.
And that is not Extraordinary in Playoff history. of coarse, it would be better to have Kovi in the playoffs as not, but Goal-tending, PPs and P-kills, and multiple players getting goals is a Solid formula for doing well in the Playoffs.
if we can’t get 1 40 goal scorer, try to get 2 20 goal scorers. that is more of a threat to an opponent than having to concentrate your best defensive line against 1 sniper player. the kings having that possibility without a Major trade is real. we won’t know until the season starts. the Season didn’t end Yesterday. there is alot of time before it gets serious to add and develope the current team.
i like Kovi. but, i rather have 6 20-25 goal scorers, a solid defense and goaltending.
Having People who CAN MAKE plays is just as important as the finishers.
i coached HS soccer for along time and you need to hide and protect your high scorers and find others to contribute by scoring or making plays. it plays out in hockey, basketball and other team sports.
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Jeff Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:58 am
@D B COOPER, Please stop. People here don’t want logical, reasonable common sense.
17 years? how F’n ridiculous is that? Name me one NHL contract for over 10 years which the team was happy after say year 6?
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D B COOPER Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
@Jeff,
jeff, i think you would only be talking about Career Politians, and you can’t get rid of them very easy, either. the word is KOVI has no trade clause. what a problem that could present in the future, BUT not for us.
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In all fairness i need to change from my earlier post
In July we did sign all our rfa’s so it wasn’t a complete failure.
I am glad we didn’t pay 100mil. for kovi. the only player i would pay that kind of money for is Crosby.
1.He is a leader
2.He plays center and makes other players better.
3.He plays both ends.
4.He puts up points.
I listened to lucky Luc. and i choose to believe him i agree with him as far as expectations for the team and that there are holes to be filled and i believe the kings will find a way to get it done.
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I’m twixt and tween but not discouraged. Having Kovi would be nice but not to break the bank if he’s not the leadership type in addition to being a good sniper. We’ll see if DL can snag a real improvement part in a fair trade. I would like to see us trade good surplus
parts for something we need. We have Quick and Bernier,
but Ersberg isn’t bad and Zatkoff is a comer. One of the latter would fit in a package trade.
Whatever. It’s up to DL to find the parts, in and out of the organization.
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I think we should snack Bobby Ryan from the Kings. Much more up side to his game.
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wavesinair Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
@Phil, Just read about the contract timing of Ryan and it won’t work even if we could get him, which I highly doubt.
Bottom line: won’t happen.
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Here’s more info on why: EJHradek Twittered
EJHradek_ESPN
A source with ties to Kovalchuk says Ilya felt more comfortable with NJ GM Lamoriello than he was with LA GM Lombardi. It made a difference.
then…
EJHradek_ESPN
LA solicited LA Galaxy/USA soccer star to Landon Donovan in their Kovy pursuit. They couldn’t get Kobe Bryant, who was out of town. Too bad.
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Once again the LA Kings management couldn’t get it done. All the “True” kings fans want to say, we will stay the course with our young guys…how can you be upset over Kovy, he’s greedy…They under estimated NJ and got burned…anybody would have taken NJ’s offer. Everyone is playing by the same rules and we low balled a difference maker. I
‘ve been a Kings fan since about ’82, introduced to Hockey by my dad when I was 12 y/o. I have always supported the Kings and would NEVER consider rooting for the Ducks…NEVER. But I don’t have to believe the rhetoric given by management…when I question this it doesn’t make me less of a Fan. Look at what has happened under this regime…they can’t seem to sign anyone of significance. They had the chance to make the LA Kings significant in a City the the Lakers and Dodgers own…they couldn’t get it done and we have the same old story…we have our young players…well I remember when Frolov was young and was supposed to lead the way…now he isn’t even wanted by the Kings…what do the “Fans” say about that?? The better organization did what they had to do…Just like the Lakers with B-Ball…always seem to get the “Player”…The Kings will always be second class until management PROVEs something to us. I understand overpaying a player wouldn’t work out, I support that…but NJ didn’t overpay for Kovalchuk, they worked this out with the parameters of the Salary Cap. Who will be a better team 5-7 years from now??? Noboyd knows for sure…I know one thing, the next 3 years, I wouldn’t bet against NJ…they have the goaltending and the fire power now. With that…Go Kings…let’s hope we can trade for someone who will gel with our players this year…that will be the only way we take the next step…I don’t see anyone on this roster improving significantly. what we see now is what we will have 5 years from now (hopefully). No doubt we need a couple of more parts.
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This “stay the course” talk is all about job security…Dean Lombardi’s job security. Only question I have for Dean is…If the future is NOT now, then when exactly is it??? You use these kids as your leverage to stay in a job, knowing full well that ALL teams winning Cups have at LEAST one marquee player on them. That part of your “calculations” are obviously NOT taken into account because this organization is NOT going to win the Stanley Cup following your path. Reality is, I don’t even think Dean cares about winning a Cup – Do you EVER hear Dean mention winning a Cup…EVER!? Until this mentality changes, we will NEVER see a parade for the Kings in June and anyone buying into this “stay the course” nonsense is willingly being duped.
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DL suspected that $100 mil was what Kovy wanted, but, as he told an interviewer, “We didn’t want to go there.” Not knowing what NJ was offering, DL made a perfectly respectable — and, as far as I’m concerned, over-generous — offer of $80 mil. Throughout all the negotiations the Kings were, as we now know, simply a lever used by Grossman to get more dough out of New Jersey. This was never a matter of, “Gimme another $20 mil and you’re home free.”
In fact, the only deal that beat us — or could beat us — was rejected by the NHL.
Despite this, people criticize DL and TL as a pair of liars or incompetents who can never get the job done, who always penny-pinch and lose the best players to clubs with more open pocketbooks.
Almost immediately after becoming chmapion, Chicago went from Cup triumph to Cap agony, dealing players like a hand of pinochle.
DL and TL are right to worry about that. And far from being a pair of cheap money-grubbers, they paid close to $10 mil in cap hits to get Smyth and Scuds — both of which were intelligent deals. And both deals brought to the Kings precisely what the Kings hoped for.
Has DL picked some loser free agents? Sure. Who hasn’t? The Hawks are winners. Is anybody hungering to take over Huet’s contract? Any lines forming for Drury’s? Rolston’s?
DL has done right by us, and he’s going to keep doing so. If you hunger for “marquee” players, why not try Doughty and Kopitar on for size? Marquee players come from somewhere — usually the draft is where they begin.
The Kings traded to get Marcel Dionne — a player who makes Kovy look like a field hand by comparison. Over the years he was with us he racked up hundreds of goals and did everything we paid him for. But we never got past the second round of the playoffs.
That only happened when our “marquee” players included Gretzky, Robitaille, Sandstrom, Granato, Robinson, Blake, and company — and don’t forget to emphasize “and company”.
So let DL do his thing. We’ve been steadily improving since his arrival. He’s obviously doing SOMETHING right.
(By the way, we’re better off without all this Kovy grief.)
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