The Kings have played 21 games, meaning they are slightly more than one quarter of the way through their schedule. (Where does the time go?) As of this morning, they’re in sixth place in the Western Conference, averaging 1.24 points per game (26 points in 21 games). Last season, the Kings finished sixth in the West and averaged 1.23 points per game, but clearly expectations were raised this season.
So far, what do you think?
The last week of course gives a bit of a bad taste in our mouths… it may be the combo of injuries, a compressed schedule of 6 games or so, or just a slump, but hopefully 2-3 days off at home helps.
Team MVPs:
(1) Quick
(2) Justin
Unsung hero:
(1) Zeus
(2) Smyth
Quietest (not to be confused with disappointing, but just not as loud as expected).
(1) Kopi
(2) Simmer
(3) Donuts
Kopi has been good, but not great and dominant. Yet. Goal wise Brownie is having a terrific start also.
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Deadmarsh Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
@Shakes, Agree 100%!
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Kevin Y Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
@Shakes,
Good stuff there… as I say below, I think Willie Mitchell deserves some consideration for at the least Unsung Hero.
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Shakes Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
@Kevin Y,
Ah, that is a good point… i think it’s a classic example of realizing how good someone is once they’re not around
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
@Shakes,
Heck, he was good when he was around. This isn’t Moulson we’re talking about here.
Shakes Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
@USHA#17
Totally agree, the point I was trying to make is that a lot of the great things he does don’t show up on individual stats….you can see it while watching games, but he’s not the sort who’s gonna get a 1st or 2nd star…but when they’re not present the difference can be partly seen in our record
jgj Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
@Shakes, We obviously need to make a trade for a 1st line winger and soon, Stoll has been playing well as 2nd line center. What do ya’ll think about signing Marc-Andre Bergeron as a 7th D man and to help out the PP while Mitchell is out?
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nykingfan Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
@Shakes,
I agree..I might have included Stoll in there somewhere
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KC23 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
@Shakes,
Team MVPs:
(1) Quick
(2) Justin
Unsung hero:
(1) Scuderi (only difference imho)
(2) Smyth
Quietest (not to be confused with disappointing, but just not as loud as expected).
(1) Kopi
(2) Simmer
(3) Donuts
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Dominick Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 1:20 am
@Shakes,
I’d have to go with Stoll over Zues. Especially since Stoll is the only center who’s been consistent since the starting of the season in the face off circle. More consistent pairing with Smyth offensively also.
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is this year 4 or 5 in rebuilding??? My question is this….When we lose Williams,Zeus,Smyth and Mitchell..who will fill in and do as well??? This should happen in the next two years…
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Deadmarsh Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
@neil, We should try and retain all those bodies. We have no one to replace them as of yet.
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
@neil,
This most likely will be an excellent season. I think the real target is next season.
The core improved dramatically (and rapidly) last year, ahead of schedule and the time needed to plug in a complete supporting cast.
Rome wasn’t built…etc.
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KC23 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
@neil, There isn’t a team in the NHL you couldn’t say the same thing about.
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SplattDaddy Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
@KC23, NJ ??
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the dude from the southeast Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
@SplattDaddy, they are suffering the rather of kovalsmuck and their own selfishness
compared to the earlier part of the season, the kings now a team playing scared. the attitude is completely different. undoubtedly, this is a sign of a young team learning how to play
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
@brett butler,
Scared? How about just losing a few games, a few guys injured and a lot of rookie players who earned auditions in the early part of the season.
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KC23 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
@USHA#17, Bingo.
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brett butler Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 1:24 am
@KC23, all i’ve been watching for the pat 6 games is a team playing not to lose, but doing a desperately poor job at that. they either chase guys around until they score, or they huddle up at “home base,” afraid and unable to stand up at the line…..
what happened to the intensity, aggression and “Playing for one another” attitude the team had the beginning of the season. That team is a ghost now. Games loser games in a row…and if you can even 1 person who feels encouraged by that 1 BOS “win” sandwiched in between the 5 straight losses, i’ll be very shocked…..
this team is playing scared and playing horribly
PaulHB Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 8:53 am
@brett butler, I wouldn’t say they’re playing scared or horribly. I’d say they’ve hit a bit of a down spell, due mainly to injuries, as they went on a tough east coast road trip. On that trip they played some very tough teams in some tough buildings and they played them close. Should they have won a couple of those games? Sure. But you can’t seriously say they’re playing scared or horribly based on this road trip.
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so now can we stop saying that its “early in the season”
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Deadmarsh Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
@neil, yes.
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Slapshot Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
@neil, Early in the season is pre-season. The Western Conference was too tight last year and it will be again this year. Every game is a must win especially conference games!
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Gave the Kings a B. Would’ve been A before their recent slump.
Team MVP… Williams is hard to ignore. But I’ll come out with another name: Willie Mitchell.
Kings defense just hasn’t been the same since he went down. Kings win a few of those last five losses with him. They’d win Columbus, maybe Buffalo and San Jose. You can’t ignore his contributions to the team.
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
@Kevin Y,
Hey, they are a good team. Just need Mitchell back and have a couple holes to plug.
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Kevin Y Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@USHA#17,
Yeah, the Kings are a good team. Hopefully, they’re just going through a slump that everybody goes through.
Although we are “only” 7-5-0 versus the West, while the three teams ahead of us are better: Detroit (13-3-2), Columbus (10-6-0), Phoenix (10-2-2).
So we’ll see what happens…
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@Kevin Y,
Williams is showing the team what it takes to win night after night.
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ToughD Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 1:51 am
@Kevin Y, Totally agree with Mitchell…he’s been hard to replace, logging alot of minutes and those are tough minutes against top players. Williams has been great but without him and a little line juggling we’d still be left with one offensively productive line. Actually would pick Quick before Williams. So Mitchell as MVP as well as unsung hero.
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ToughD Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 8:48 am
@ToughD, Actually since Mitchell has missed nearly half the games, I’d like to change my votes:
MVP: Quick
Unsung Hero: Rob Scuderi
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I gave a B to their season so far. They’re hot start had me at a A, but their recent slump drops it a bit.
I kind of felt at times are strength has been both goalies and defense and weakness has been both forwards and defense lately as well.
For those saying Kopitar needs a scorer on his line, what does Crosby have? He also has no true LW scorer but continues to get to the top of the league in points.
I love Kopitar but if he wants to become our #1 center and a legitimate one in this league he needs to make the players around him BETTER and show up every single night.
Just because he doesn’t have a LW is no excuse anymore IMO since Crosby doesn’t have one
I hope Kopitar gets on a tear soon.
He has that 100pt potential but can he play good a whole season?
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54FIGHTING Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
@Mike L,
Kopitar is no Crosby. I’m still waiting for him to return to last years form. He looks timid.
This team is a C and currently playing like an F.
Quick was doing great but you can’t expect your goalie to stand on his head every game. Doughty/Kopitar WAKE UP!
The PP is pathetic, how much does it need to be talked about before something gets done?
At the start of the year we were winning with tight D and great goaltending (and a hot 2nd line), now that that has slipped the O hasn’t picked it up but actually played worse.
I can’t help but question King on the first line with Schenn, Moller and Loktionov in Manchester. WTF? How long are we supposed to overlook the Parse, Purcell or Moulson experiment and justify no Gaborik, Hossa, Heatley, Kovalchuk or any other LW that was out there that we rationalized wasn’t the perfect fit? We have the picks and prospects and are ready to really take the next step but are doing nothing. Come on DL where’s our Owen Nolan, Teemu Selanne or Adam Graves?
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the dude from the southeast Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
@54FIGHTING, we never rationalized anything…jeez get your head out of your butt and listen. those players CHOOSE to go to their respective teams and not the kings. we put in offers and they refused, so what did we do, well we went to our picks. its a lot different from juniors to nhl so it takes a while to get used to it.
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I said C based on the recent skid. They’re not playing to their potential right now, nowhere near it in fact. Things are slipping away too easily and then they can’t control it. Prior to this skid, I would have said A.
I still think the goaltending is the key to the success right now, but unless the defense can keep it up, Quicker and Bernie won’t be able to do much.
I can’t really fault Kopitar, he’s been good (as said above a few times) but not great like he can be. I believe he’s still a point a game guy right now, which is good…but when JW is also a PPG player as well…that can make your top guys look bad. Something, or someone, needs to light a fire under Kopi’s ass. Oh wait…all we need is a COMPETENT WINGER FOR HIM AND BROWNIE. that’s all our top line is lacking. This 1st line shuffle…isn’t working. you’d be better off just having kopi and brownie do the work and play 3 defensemen. I really want to see someone with skill and drive get put there, and kept there, and not a rookie. who do we have that fits that? Oh yeah…Simmer.
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USHA#17 Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@newf,
For the most part they have all been good.
The Club merely has a few holes to plug.
Left wing 1st Line
Move Brown and Plug the Right Wing 1st line
Don’t pair Drewiske with Harrold or a rookie.
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ToughD Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 2:05 am
@newf, Yeah I too would like to see Simmers get a long look on one of the scoring lines. But along with Poni and Zeus that shutdown line was starting to jell and it seems Simmers has developed a comfortable niche there.
I think he played some last year on one of the top lines but really needs more consitent time to find his niche there too. Actually getting some PP time now and looks raw there also. He just needs more time but time is of the essence. Fans already starting to panic.
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SplattDaddy Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
@ToughD, I think Simmer really finds his groove (he’s been getting there) on the first line, and is able to free up Brownie and Kopi more.
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Try Poni on the 1st line when he returns and leave Clifford on the 3rd line.
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Harry Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
@HeyChief,
I think our 3rd line was fine with Poni on the left side. Even Parse on the 1st line started clicking… Unfortunately, due to injuries, players are not fully clicking.
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Rich, I think you did it at the end of last season, but it would be cool if made a poll for each the defense, forwards, goalies, and management. So we could give each a grade. Thanks!
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I settled on a B largely because of the recent road trip.
No question Quick and JW have been the best so far. JW has been the bet player on most nights. This is what DL saw in him.
I think Quick is ready to take that next step to the elite level this season. I would like to see the Bernier we saw for those few games last year. This years version seems very average.
The first line is the biggest problem. On most nights they aren’t the Kings best line. They need to create chances for themselves and their linemates, but the haven’t been. Kopi’s a much better offensive player than he’s showing. Brown has been good, but not great. Both need to pick up their play. They do need some help on the left side. Perhaps TM goes back to Kopi/Smyth/JW line again.
We also need to see a lot more out of Simmonds. He doesn’t play physical any longer. what happened?
The defense has been somewhat of a disappointment this year. Doughty hasn’t been the same player offensively, but he’s been fairly solid defensively, especially taking the body. Teams have been paying close attention to him and he needs to adjust.
JJ played really well when Doughty was hurt, but seems to be regressing again lately. I don’t get the impression he’s a bright hockey player.
Drewiske, Scuds, Mitchell have been solid.
Overall I’m still confident this team will be a cup contender.
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Please let the Dwight King experiment end. I would rather see Cliff or Harry there, as they are much faster. It would be nice to trade for an experienced wing, but the guy in the 403 area code is a bit expensive. I wonder if someone is being groomed in Manchester (Holly, your thoughts?). Need someone to add some sizzle to Kopi’s line.
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Steve S. Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
The Kings do NOT need another center.
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I think it is time to move Smyth to the top line, and try Richie with Stoll and Williams.
Or even just put Williams with Kopitar. They are our two best forwards, and after losing 5 of 6 I think it is time to shake things up.
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I think all of those that have voted the forwards the main issue this season are crazy, have you been watching the giveaways…..
-our end
-our blueline
-neutral zone
..not discounting the lost assignments in our end. I don’t get it, you build a championship from the back to the front, all you want is a 50 goal scorer, try stopping 50 more goals with tighter D
stop it, watch
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Strength: Goaltending
Weakness: Forwards
Team Grade: B+
I expect more from this team, especially on offense and especially from Kopitar.
That said, Kopitar is playing very well in all 3 zones and, in my opinion, is our best DEFENSIVE forward. We could use one more scoring winger. No, not Kovalchuk, but maybe one more depth veteran up front.
The D is solid when Mitchell returns and Quick is playing stellar (our MVP) as Bernier continues his development.
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My opinion:
A new driver can’t handle a Ferrari! Please get a real scorer on Kopi’s line! That’s not fair for Kopi and Brownie. I like the 4th line’s rotation, let the kids play on the 4th line!
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@HeyChief
Agree 100%
Poni should be moved to the 1st line until Parse returns. Hope Poni is back soon.
Cliff should stick on the 3rd and put Richie on the 4th to mentor Lewis.
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Harty Reply:
November 25th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
@Ari, right, right, right
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This isn’t a fair poll; I feel like I’ve been watching 2 different teams.
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 9:10 am
@mcsorleyfan, Agreed!
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King John Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
@mcsorleyfan,
Yeah, I feel the same way. Plus the injuries are throwing things off.
Before the slump, it was an A team.
During the slump it seems like a D team, sometimes being totally outplayed.
I think if we had Poni, Mitchell, and Parse, we’d be okay again. For some reason Kopi & Brown played better with Parse there.
I put B+ for now, knowing their potential and that they’ll probably soon come out of their slump. But with Parse out so long, we either got to get Schenn back somewhere and work out a linemate, or else trade for a LW, though I wish Parse could’ve had more of a chance.
Montreal sure looked explosive compared to our offense. Power passes and movement. Our team’s more blue collar. Anyway, I think management is working on a solution for a LW.
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While coaches cannot be responsible for on ice execution they are responsible for on ice performance. Players that do not shoot during the PP, fail to clear the puck and take dumb penalties should be playing less and understand why ice time is being reduced. It seems to me that there is a lack of focus and disceplen(sic)on this team. That has to be fixed by coaching. I think these players would respond favorably. And, start winning!!
GO KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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trade talk. let’s develop our own. so much more
satisfying.
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I gave them a B-.
JJ is my biggest disappointment along with the PP.
Justin is my biggest surprise, but Quick is right there too.
Scuds is my unsung hero.
Whisky been a welcome surprise too. IMHO he is more effective than JJ.
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Have not been posting as much, due to personal family matters but my thoughts are with all of you. Happy Thanksgiving. Those of you in Canada, have a beauty day aye.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 9:13 am
@Dominick, How dare you sir, Its spelled “Eh”
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Did anyone notice in recent fights in NHL(my source is hockeyfights.com), that alot of body shots are delivered. Is this going to be trademark by Kevin Westgarth? To me it seems a good response to more passive fighters, and sure hurts even more if it hits the spot!
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Kopi should be reunited with Smith & Williams. He deserves it. I simply feel that there is not enough chemistry between him and Brownie.
It’s not fair to blame him as far as he has the players like Dwight King in his line…
GO KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Effort, Effort, Effort. It has not been there on this road trip. Dustin needs to be the catalyst for this team. He needs to hit more flat out.
Simmonds? Where has he been? Is there a chance his is playing with an injury?
JJ has to go plain and simple. He could be the piece that can get us that sniper we need. He is Cybil on the ice you never no what your going to get. The JackMFJohnson is not worthy. More like Jack maybe I will play smart today Johnson.
Quick has been our MVP hands down. No more Mr.Softie in my book.
Westgarth is going to get hurt Period. Neal who by the way is a much smaller player kicked his ASS. Go get Scott from Chicago for a bag of pucks and a broken stick. Send Westie down for more lessons. I am sorry but know one fears him. If Orr gets a shot it will be lights out.
Kopi? Go to the net be dominate and stop playing on the outside. Smyth as a mentor should be rubbing off on you or we can send you packing as well. Kopi and JJ for Lucic, Savard and Chara. I like it.
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Lets inject some good news and positive energy into this site.. I think it would help the team.
Derek Forbort, freshman, is diong well. 7 points in 10 games, leading the team in blocked shots, +2 rating.
Only 4 PIMs which could be good or bad. Doesn’t take bad penalties, but there doesn’t seem to be much mean streak in him.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 9:52 am
@VanKingsFan, Bad news…. 1 Shot on Goal, in ten games…. Even if he’s not on the PP, it just seems weird to me, especially for a guy who is putting up points.
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I agree with everyonbe who thinks we should re-unite Smyth, Kopi, and J-dub! I’m, gonna throw something out here to see what you guys think. How about trying Lewis as a winger on a second line with Stoll and Brown? I know he is a natural center and that would leave a hole in our 4th line at that position but the guy has shown some serious potential and skill and im curious as to what he could do with some guys who are proven NHL’ers. We also have been experimenting with everything else so why not? With all the depth we have a center in our organization (Schenn, Cliche, Elkins, Moller, Nolan, Lokti)if Lewis did work out as a winger then i’m sure we could find someone to fill the 4th line center position.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:04 am
@BrokeKingsFan, Not a bad idea, Lewis has put up points when he plays with the right guys. I would be willing to give it a shot, but we don’t know how he or the coach feels about playing LW.
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:10 am
I just read Rich’s article on Lewis and it says he can play all 3 forward positions. even more of a reason i think we should try this!
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This team is “center” heavy….We need to trade and balance our team better….
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King John Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
@neil, I don’t think they planned well enough ahead a few years ago to draft quality scoring-type wingers to be ready now, just C and D.
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B-
Surprise: Mitchell, Williams, Clifford
Disappointment: DD, Zues, Simmer
Strength: Goaltending, PK, Depth (although young and inexperienced, the Kings are much deeper than in years past..just need more time to develop)
Weakness: Secondary scoring, PP, Confidence
Needs: Experience, Creativeness, LW to play with Kopi (road trip really showed how easy it was to shut his line down)
Conclusion: This is not a SC contender YET! This last road trip and especially the Montreal game showed how far this team still has to go.
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VanKingsFan Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 10:59 am
@Barry’s Mullet, I really don’t think we need more experience. The young guys got some playoff time last year and I think we are good with:
Zeus
Williams
Scuderi
Smyth
Mitchell
Stoll
All whom have tons of experience and 4 of those guys have Stanley Cup experience.
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King John Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, Also Bernier is a disappointment.
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no trades now.others teams will want too much right now.something need to be done now to get this team winning again,but i dont think a trade at this time is it.GO KINGS
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we got a taste of winning…and we don’t wanna look back.
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all we need is mitchell
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