Question: When you look at Wayne Simmonds’ year, was it a step backward?
MURRAY: “He had a bit of a lull. I don’t know if he took a step backwards. Maybe half a step. I thought, in the first couple years, there was a lot of physical involvement, a lot of grit, a lot more confrontational stuff. Sometimes you have to get into that `F you’ battle all that time on the ice. That’s how you send a message, that way. I think sometimes, and this year I might have liked to see more of that in year three. I don’t want to say it’s a natural progression for young players, where you come in with a big bang and now you’re trying to sort it out, trying to improve, and you kind of have a tough time getting to that point and you have to sort it out. What’s critical here is the offseason and, for me, that you continue to push, not only on the physical part of it but now you have to analyze your own self and your own game, and watch your game again, bring the game home with yourself and analyze it so you can have yourself ready and bring yourself back to where we want you to be.”
stickhandling school please
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number 6 Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
@BobKnob,
agreed…. needs help on the skill front… as do several of the forwards.
someone tell him that paul kariya used to spend like 20mins every single day practicing stick handling…. and i didn’t make that up…. that’s straight from an interview with kariya that i read years ago
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Haha…”F you battle”….well said.
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jonsey Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
@Spanky, Looking for more Clifford in him, and I was hoping for a combo of Clifford and Frolov
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Pretty much he is saying Simmonds isn’t fighting enough, which is true. Everyone expected him to be a poor man’s version of his BFF Chris Stewart and instead he is looking like Travis Moen. Clifford is outfighting him by a large margain.
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EJ Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
@Nick, yeah, that’s probably in there, but I’m thinking that he’s implying that Simmonds strayed from the confrontational hard-nosed north-south type of game, and tried stuff more suited to highly skilled guys. Is he capable of that down the line? Maybe, but it’s not what got him into the league and playing top-9 minutes.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@Nick, @EJ,
I think EJ is right.
Simmonds is one of my favorite players, and I found myself disappointed in him by mid-season because he wasn’t always visible on the ice. He’d contracted Frolov disease–disappearance during the middle of a hockey game. I think he tried to be that mysterious creature known as a Kings left winger, and it took the playoffs to cure him. The Young Guns line seemed to suit his play better, and I will expect much more of him next season.
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i feel like clifford replaced simmonds role this year and simmonds just didn’t know what to do
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TM referred to the F-Bomb, the guy does have some personality. Only thing that bothers me sometimes but I guess calms the players is that TM show’s little to no emotion on the bench. I’ve never seen him jump for joy. The one time I saw him crack a smile was when a puck went out of play and as it was going straight for his head he dodged it and smirked. I love our team and know they can accomplish great things with a little push in the right direction. Kopi needs a little more skilled support up front and I really think our backend is solid. Hopefully Schenn steps in and not only replaces Zues’s defensive game, but brings in his own offensive game. We are solid, we are not going anywhere but to the top for years to come.
Go Kings Go!!!
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wavesinair Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
@TheRussianKing,
re: `F you’
I wonder if Rich told him, “Replacing letters with symbols does not turn expletives into non-expletives.”
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Stuart Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@wavesinair, LMAO!!! all of TM’s comments will now need to await moderation.
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Dominick Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
@Stuart,
Who gets moderated? TM for saying it, or Rich for posting it?
Funny it’s the first rule up there.
39scars Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
@Stuart, And the rules will go to 48 pt
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:11 am
@Stuart,
You da man rich! Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
@wavesinair, hahahahahaha!!!!!! 200 points for you!
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xeropoint Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
@TheRussianKing, I would say if anyone is wondering who would replace Handzus’ spot (if not re-signed) it would be Lewis.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 8:33 am
@xeropoint, you are right.
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Simmonds was a monster at the beginning of the series in San Jose. He definitely turned it on after the regular season in the playoffs. But, that physical play has to win loose puck battles more consistently along the boards in the offensive zone, actually coming away from the scrum with the puck or gaining team possession. And, he has to get that puck over the blue line when manning the points in the defensive zone — the last half of the SJ series he was having a real problem with that type of turnover.
If TM stuck with Simmer on the Kopitar/Penner line, I think that vote of confidence would’ve helped lift all of them, Simmer especially.
Gotta position him as a top 6 forward going fwd. With trust and patience, he won’t disappoint.
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…and what he should be saying, Nick, is that Wayne needs to work on his shot. Getting his wrister off quicker, doing 10,000 one-timers, looking for seams, keeping his head up, and quit puttsing around with his frickin helmet. You know Terry, offense.
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xeropoint Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
@wavesinair, I’ve never seen a slower release. It’s like Brett Hull winding up that wrist shot in slow motion.
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number 6 Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
@wavesinair,
Whether it’s stick handling, or getting his shot off, someone talked earlier about DD and Wayne rooming together. Interestingly neither progressed this year. Simmer would do well to work much harder in practice is my assumption,, on the skills. You’ve gotta have them, otherwise, welcome to a career straddling the 3rd line.
Because he unexpectedly made it out of camp three years ago, I can see where complacency could set in.
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I know a lot of people think I’m a Murray apologist, but I love the way this guy approaches the game and particularly the players.
He brings constructive criticisms, doesn’t berate players for their faults, but helps them identify and overcome their faults with specific areas they need to look at and improve.
It was clear this year Simmonds wanted to elevate his game, but struggled in figuring out the mechanics of it. The fine line between being an aggressive physical player while minimizing penalties; providing an offensive spark yet remain defensively aware, etc.
Clearly, Kopitar and Brown have taken huge strides over the past few years but struggled along the way too. All the kids will face the same issues until the core group will be at that level consistently. It’s all good.
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xeropoint Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
@dMan, Those qualitites are what make him a good “teaching coach”. With all the youth, it looks like we still need those kinds of services but I would sure like to see a lot more forward progress from the team (players, GM, coaches) overall.
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number 6 Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
@xeropoint,
Good reply xero.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 8:40 am
@xeropoint, Well put. One of the reasons why I struggle with…is he the guy to take this team over that “hump”. I like TM very much, and think highly of him as a coach, but…is he THAT guy?
I honestly don’t know.
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Barry's Mullet Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 9:15 am
@dMan, Don’t apologize for TM. He is the reason this team has made it this far this fast.
He understood along with DL that its starts with defense and goaltending. DL and even Dave Taylor gets a little credit too, having given him the personnel, but its up to TM to implement the system. He has the right disposition to coach a young team and even though he comes across as calm and cool, he will bench your ass or change things up if he doesn’t like what he is seeing.
TM may be old school…but that is needed if you are going to take a young team and teach them how to play the game properly, especially if you are going to play in your face, “playing heavy” as he calls it hockey.
The crowing jewel of TM’s work is turning Kopi into the best two way player in the game.
Final thought. It was TM’s system that gave this team a fighting chance to win a series against the Sharks, with our best player out of the line up. He did everything he could and the team was poised to upset the Sharks taking 3 of the games into overtime. If the team just stuck to what got them this far, a system that they we all well familiar with and completely forgot in game 3…it could very well be the Sharks playing golf right now.
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I know they’re friends and live together, but I think it’s a mistake rooming Simmonds and Doughty together on the road. They need to be split up and put under the wing of veterans. Doughty especially needs some maturation.
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39scars Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
@BringBackTheShieldJersey, U r right
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let’s not forget Simmonds had an injury this year as well. he missed a couple of games and you could see he wasn’t 100% there for a little while.
Simmonds has some offensive skill that I’d like to see come out a bit more. he does have a good shot and when he goes to the net with the puck he can create offense. i’d like to see him put on another 10 pounds in the off season and work on his offensive side of the game a bit.
he looked good in the playoffs on that third line and i think a clifford-schenn-simmonds line would be fantastic. young, energy, some skill and some bang. that would be a great spot for Schenn for at least half a season to break him in a bit before elevating to a top-6 role.
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Stuart Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
@Dave, you think it would benefit Schenn to put him with a 20-year-old sophomore and a player searching for his offensive stride? I think some reconsideration needs to be had.
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Dave Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
@Stuart, if Schenn is to start the season in the NHL it won’t be on the 4th line. he’ll at least need to get 3rd line minutes or he will play in Manchester.
it is possible that DL re-signs Handzus for one more year to give Schenn one more year in Manchester, but i don’t see any way DL puts Schenn on the fourth line.
i just like what Clifford-Schenn-Simmonds could give. that would be a very difficult line to play against. Schenn would add some skill and all three will go to the tough areas. i think eventually Schenn will end up as a #2 but i do think it would be a good place to start him. he won’t feel a lot of pressure to score on the third line and can play more of a gritty game.
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Dominick Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
@Dave,
I agree, Scenn will probably be broken in slowly during the season into a top 6 roll. Schenn from what I’ve seen needs finishers. He is very creative and physical, but isn’t a natural goal scorer. Of course I haven’t seen enough of him to make a complete determination, and rely mostly on watching how the Kings handle his transition to the NHL, and various scouting reports.
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rick Reply:
April 30th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
@Dave, You think he looked good in the playoffs? Did you watch him at all in Game 6? He was beyond horrible. Mishandled every puck that came anywhere near him. 3rd line guy at best. Probably not much trade value any more, but would move him in an instant for value.
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the fact that he can never be an option on Benjamin Eye Institute’s Blurry Vision is not lost on me.
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Stuart Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
@Marc Nathan, roflmao!!!
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Hopefully he bounces back in a big way next year. He’s the perfect 3rd line winger that can jump up to the top 2 lines when needed.
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Rich,
Spread’em out. You’ve got all summer. TMI for one day. LOL
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Simmonds was my biggest disappointment with the team this year. Clearly a step back instead of forward.
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handsomepolack Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
@KC23, simmonds aint cutting it, i think TM has been around long enough, 23 yr old lazy already? not a good sign, i see no emotion, going through the motion, a cancer waiting to happen, run king run from old man simmonds.
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I hope they don’t trade him. With that said, I just hope he and TM did not have a personality clash.
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I love Drew and Simmer BUT
they are both in year 3…party way too much and live together….time for an attitude adjustment?
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soyokaze Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
@Paul G, Hey Paul, where are you getting all this party animal stuff between Doughty and Simmonds? I keep hearing about it, but have yet to find any grumblings from the coaches or Lombardi calling them out on their youthful ways. I’m just curious.
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Gmo Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
@soyokaze,
Same here. Keep hearing he likes to party and drink. But mostly party. Is there any truth to this or justvppl makin stuff up ?
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Alma Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
@Gmo, I ran into someone about a month ago at the Redondo Beach Cafe who lives near the boys, and even he said it is non-stop at their house. I hope they see the light this summer….
I’m a big fan of Simmer but I think he must have set a record this year for going offside. Over and over, mostly when his line was entering the zone with speed. Gotta wonder how many goals that stifled.
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@handsomepolack, TM is right Piss and vineger needed to win, noticed he learned from stewert his pal, the blues got shafted there too, 4 th line at best and he only fights 5’10 types, no balls, mistake to have him wear the kINGS sweater
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Lot of stepping backward acusations being flung towards 2 of our younger core players. Time for Drew and Wayne to seperate and get their own places. DD and Martinez, Simmers and Cliffy. Then we’ll have 4 players to complain about next season. Ha ha ha.
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handsomepolack Reply:
April 28th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
@Dominick, clifford martinez are the future who will hoisting a cup.
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I think of all the grinders, Lewis and Simmonds showed a little spark of offensive skills and probably will improve with time and confidence. I agree sometimes Simmonds tried things beyond his skill level, but at least he was trying. Just needs to develop further. I still remember the two one-timer from the slot he potted off passes from Kopitar in one game and I wish we could see him find space like that more often.
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Simmonds was probably playing with a bad leg. U can tell because he could only pivot backwards when trying to clear the puck.
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He stinks.
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Always thought that exit interviews were confidential. Just another reflection of the egotistical class displayed by Terry Murray.
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I said it last year, I said it the year before, and I said it this year.
Over and over again people tried to make this guy into something he is not.
He is a 3rd line forward, who should be able to pot around 12 goals and around 12-15 assists per year. He needs to play North/South hockey and play solid defense.
Whenever he plays more than that, he is playing out of position and above his ability. The same people who are complaining about his stickhandling, etc., are those same people who think he has the ability to be a 30 goal scoring top line winger, when he clearly doesn’t.
He is an important piece of this team, but, he is not a top 6 forward, and should never be considered one. Just like Clifford should not be.
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handsomepolack Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 11:17 am
@mrbrett7, he simmonds is just a body, wayne lost the edge that he brought to the first training camp , in his 3 rd year all he did float around like ponikarvsky did, wayne’s 23 and you see that already, wayne steals cash from fans, not a winner , TM seen this kind before.
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Stuart Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 11:39 am
@mrbrett7, sounds like what I’ve been saying about DB
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