Here’s the second set of the “Open Forum” questions and answers…
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Orphios asked: 1. Is there a chance of seeing one of the kids (Hickey, Camphell (RA I know), Muzzin, or Voynov) in the defensive front six next year if Martinez stays in place. 2. Are they going to give Bernier a chance to win the job outright this year and earn 55 starts. If so, would they move Quick for a first line winger if one were available? 3. Is theer any talk of the Kings trading back into the first round? 4. Please tell me the Kings have no interest in Brad Richards (to old and injury prone) 5. What do the Kings consider Martin Jones’ upside. Does he have greater upside than Bernier or Quick? I know according to DL’s plan, he will start a second year in Manchester.
Answers: 1) Assuming no other players depart via trade, no I wouldn’t think so. If you’re saying Alec Martinez stays in, then you’re talking about Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi and Matt Greene, and it’s almost impossible to envision a rookie beating out any of them. 2) Jonathan Quick is the Kings’ No. 1 goalie, and that is highly unlikely to change unless his play dictates the need for a change. There’s a high level of confidence in Jonathan Bernier as well, and next season, he is likely to play at least as much as he did this season. Going forward, both goalies are under contract for two more seasons and, at some point, it’s highly likely that the Kings will choose to build around one goalie and trade the other. I wouldn’t expect that to happen this summer, but that doesn’t mean it absolutely won’t happen. 3) Not that I’m aware of. 4) I would expect the Kings to have strong interest in Brad Richards. 5) I appreciate the question, but I don’t really care for the word “upside.” To me, “upside” is defined by how well a guy plays. Jones had a good first season in Manchester, but he has yet to even be the full-time No. 1 goalie there. If he were to have success in that role, it would be easier to project what he might look like in the NHL. At this moment, he’s certainly no threat to either Quick or Bernier.
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Tony asked: Rich, really enjoy the blog. Could you provide any insight if the Kings/FSN plan on doing Kings Live pre game like they do now for baseball?
Answer: As Dominick pointed out, the “Kings Live” pregame was done away with (I believe) before the 2009-10 season. I haven’t heard of any plans to bring it back, but that’s an FSN matter.
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hockeygeoff247 asked: I remember in the beginning/middle portion of the season the NHL was talking about implementing new rules like hybrid icing and a referee watching from an off ice perspective. Any news on those rules.
Question: The general managers met during the season to recommend rule changes, and there were no on-ice recommendations, such as these, made.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy asked: Any chance there could be an advance schedule for the 2011-2012 L.A. Kings Suite games this coming season? It is difficult for some of us to make them if they are announced at the last minute…And, can you thank EAManagement (Frank) once again for all of us? The suite game was the only one I made in person this season, and it made my year…
Question: Absolutely. I think everyone would benefit if we could schedule a date before the start of the season and allow folks to plan. That would absolutely be my recommendation, because I want as many people to enjoy the experience as possible.
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RickVegas asked: Rich – has there been any discussion about the starting the 2011-12 season overseas and any additional off-season prep this will entail? I remember hearing this had some negative effects on some of teams last year, in terms of the travel and then readjusting to the schedule back home.
Answer: Well, the dates are set, so there’s not really any more discussion involved. The latest I have heard is that the team intends to leave for Europe right after the Oct. 1 preseason game in Las Vegas, and that the return to Los Angeles would include stops for at least a couple East Coast games. Other than that, there’s not really any offseason preparation. It’s possible that training camp would start a couple days earlier than normal, but that’s about it. Some teams seem to deal with starting in Europe better than others. There doesn’t seem to be any foolproof formula in terms of dealing with it.
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Gretz98 asked: I was just wondering what specifically Dean Lombardi was referencing when he said, “I’m looking for much more improvement than we had this year, when we had to put him through the (strength and conditioning) test again”? Did Drew Doughty fail the strength and conditioning test his first time around during training camp?
Answer: This was covered during training camp, when it happened, and the answer is that Doughty took the conditioning test and got a low score, so he took it again a couple days later and was considered fine. It’s not a “pass/fail” test, but it’s clear — as Lombardi said — that the Kings weren’t happy with Doughty’s initial conditioning scores.
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typicaljs asked: What are the odds of Bernier getting a chance to push Quick for playing time next season ? It seems Murray’s style is to instill confidence in his #1 by declaring Quick the #1 and playing him that way, but I think Bernier’s play warranted more games than he got into last year and if Bernier can get on a roll at any point when Quick falters do you think Bernier will be given the chance to steal away the #1 or will Murray continue to ride Quick as his #1 as long as he is the head coach of the LA kings ? If Murray continues with the strategy he has used the past couple years, do you think at any point Lombardi might step in and insist that Bernier be given more playing time to show what he can do on a consistent basis at the NHL level ? my point: Quick is too anxious and prone to overplaying situations like in my opinion a bouncing puck in overtime of game 6 that led to Thorntons goal. Bernier’s calm style of play is exactly what an “inexperienced” team needs to calm things down in situations (like game 3). Not trying to champion Bernier over Quick, but I’m worried under Murray he might not ever get a “fair” shot. thoughts ?
Answer: Jonathan Quick is the Kings’ No. 1 goalie, and that is highly unlikely to change unless his play dictates the need for a change. There’s a high level of confidence in Jonathan Bernier as well, and next season, he is likely to play at least as much as he did this season. Going forward, both goalies are under contract for two more seasons and, at some point, it’s highly likely that the Kings will choose to build around one goalie and trade the other. I wouldn’t expect that to happen this summer, but that doesn’t mean it absolutely won’t happen. As for the second part, I’m not really following how pulling a rookie, 22-year-old goalie — one with zero playoff experience — off the bench in the middle of a sky-is-falling game would serve to “calm things down.” I can buy the argument of making a goalie change as a “wake-up call,” but the goalie was not to blame for what happened in Game 3.
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Hoganmuller asked: We always hear and read how important faceoff wins are, yet it just seems that if a player is not good at it to begin with, he never improves.
Is this something that the Kings players just don’t practice? You would think that it behooves us to get a faceoff consultant in to coach our centers and improve this part of their game.
Answer: The Kings’ centers (and some wingers) go through faceoff drills at the end of practices very regularly. I almost feel confident enough to say that they practice them every single day, but I’m sure there’s a handful of days during the season when they don’t, so I won’t throw that definitive statement out there. Beyond that, the Kings were in the top-10 in the regular season in faceoff percentage. They ran into a San Jose team that ranked No. 2.
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Paul G asked: My question: What are the plans for our two defensemen prospects Voynov and Hickey? and will Martinez stay?
Answer: There are no “plans,” per se, other than that they will get another look during training camp. If a young player definitively shows that he’s ready for the NHL, there is the possibility that he could earn a spot, but it’s much tougher for defensemen. There are the five veterans/regulars, plus Martinez — who certainly looked like he belonged in the NHL — plus Davis Drewiske, who proved to be a good option as a seventh defeneman. In the short term — meaning, while veterans such as Greene, Mitchell and Scuderi are still under contract — it’s going to be tougher for those prospects to break through.
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Luke asked: With the depth down the middle (Kopitar, Stoll, Lewis, Richardson, Schenn, Loktionov) do you see the Kings moving one of Lewis, Richardson, or Loktionov to the wing? It was evident of how it worked with the Sharks in Marleau, Mitchell, Wellwood, etc.
Answer: Sure, it’s certainly possible. Of the three you mentioned, the only one who would be unlikely to move would be Loktionov, at least not at the NHL level. The problem is, he looked much, much comfortable at center than on the wing at the NHL level, but is he strong enough to play center? That’s the issue the Kings have had with Oscar Moller as well, but when I watched Loktionov this season, he looked completely different — i.e. much more confident — playing center than he did playing wing. Lewis and Richardson can comfortably play all three positions, but if you put either one on the wing, it’s hard to see either guy as a top-six winger. Having one of them as a fourth-line center and the other as a fourth-line winger? That’s definitely feasible, yes.
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john asked: Hey rich, thanks for the work youve done this season. I was curous as to how many draft picks we have this year. Per round.
Answer: The Kings do not have a first-round pick — lost in the Dustin Penner trade — but have one pick in each of the next six rounds.
Hey Rich, I had a question not about the kings players but about you and your job. How did you get the job? Seems like a sweet gig. And are there any kinds of internships or part time positions available for college undergrads/ recent grads. I’d love to work with the Kings organization but not sure where to start.
Thanks
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That’s interesting. usually we make small trades at the draft, to acquire later round picks in the next few drafts. I am very surprised that DL has NO extra picks… wow
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Speaking of Brad Richards: We’ve all heard Lombardi is interested in Richards but aren’t the Kings rather stocked at center? How much does Dean take this kind of thing into consideration since he’s alread got Kopitar and Stoll along with possible rookies such as Schenn and Loktionov?
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John Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@jom, Brad Richardson is a LW/C and Lewis is a RW/C. They’d be great 4th line Wingers. They’re style of play would be huge on the 4th line. They’d be able to eat up minutes and forecheck, and play responsible defensively.
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John Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@John, In fact… Richie and Lewis, spent most of their time on the wing… the Injury situation pushed richardson back into the middle.
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John Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
@John, If rich’s Hunch is correct, and Zues re-signs on a discount, This wouldn’t look so bad… (assuming we were after Richardson, and nothing else changes)
Penner-kopi-Williams
Smyth-Richards-Brown
Cliff-Stoll-Simmonds
Richie-Zues-Lewis
Schenn gets a Full Year in Manchester to figure his game out and adjust to the next step.
(Schenn was a -5 in the Monarchs game 7 6-5 over time loss)
DFW King Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
@John, I really can’t see Zues resigning. There is just too much talent. Loktionov needs to play NOW and Schenn had a stellar camp last year. I’m sure he’ll have another one again. If you went after Richards you’d need to move Stoll.
garry Reply:
May 1st, 2011 at 11:08 am
@John, Hold your breath waiting for Zues to return. You have no faith in the young talent DL has drafted. Also, at the draft, remember we are stocked with “D” men.
Kings seem to do a good job in drafting, developing third line forwards… Simmonds, Clifford, Lewis… but not so good with “top six” types… looking at three players recently dumped… Brian Boyle 21 goals, Matt Moulson 31 goals, Teddy Purcell 34 assists this past year… these guys could have helped bolster Kings struggling offense…
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fsd1 Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
@Mike Robinson, no they couldn’t, the offset of not playing defense made it a moot point, can we please stop living in the past?
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Pesus Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
@fsd1,
I dont think they help but not cuz they dont play D cuz their numbers would be half that playing TM’s system.
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tornado12 Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
@fsd1, as much as it is mentioned here, it does get annoying. BUT, of all 3 of those players, the one I thought who never really got a fair shot, was Moulson. TP and BB had a plethora of chances and just failed!
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Pesus Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
@tornado12,
Agree, I think moulson was the only mistake.
Lots of centermen, but no real #2 to play behind Kopitar, unless Schenn steps up.
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John Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@Walter, I wouldn’t consider a rookie a legitimate #2. Stamkos and Tavares weren’t even a legitimate #2 in their rookie years.
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I seemed to me that Murray wasn’t to happy with how Parse performed during the playoffs. Did you get any indication that he regretted putting him in? What was Mollers reaction to being benched in favor of Parse for that last game? Also do you see the kings resigning Moller? Whats your take on that situation. Thanks…
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fsd1 Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
@before99, my thoughts? He was still injured yet told the coach he was ready to go, could not perform up to expectations……
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http://bladesofteal.com/2011/04/28/the-quick-and-the-dead/
Has anyone read this classless piece of garbage?
This goes beyond being rude, simply classless. Rich I’m proud of you for doing your best to create a classy fan culture. That article made me puke, and even if I were a Sharks fan I would be sickened by the classlessness of my fellow fans.
Go Kings Go!!!
I hope the team sees this so they can be fired up for next season.
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Helvetica Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
@TheRussianKing, It’s a joke, and the same “Euology” is being done for every team eliminated from the playoffs. Lighten up man.
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Dave's a Killer Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
@Helvetica, I read and commented on this earlier and, even though it is being written off as a “joke” I cannot see any humor in it at all. What needs to be realized is that this is exactly how Shark fans feel about LA and, though it may in part be true it is, at best, mean-spirited and humorless.
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Helvetica Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
@Dave’s a Killer, It’s not how all Sharks fans view LA. I have plenty of NorCal friends who are Shark fans who actually respect the KIngs very much. They were actually concerned about having to face them in the first round, don’t buy into all of the negativity and self loathing that a lot of the fans around here seem to do, and expect LA’s team to be quite strong over the next decade.
It is intentionally supposed to be a roast of the team and its not like it’s one instance here… EVERY team eliminated is being roasted in the same way. While i agree the Kings one wasn’t all that funny, it certainly WAS intended to be humorous, and I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call it classless and sickening. Roasts are supposed to sting a little, but at the end of the day, it’s intended to be in good fun.
I still say, “lighten up”.
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@TheRussianKing, Yup. It was denounced by Kings fans, Sharks fans, and fans of neither. Apparently the only person who liked it was the clown who wrote it.
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Rich, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
Coming out of the lockout, an emphasis was placed on rules that would increase the speed and fluidness of the game. Everyone seemed pleased about how well those rules worked.
Two things that I currently feel are slowing the game and shouldn’t be. 1) Goalies are allowed to reach behind the end-line and freeze pucks. 2) Pucks that hit the netting above the glass are considered out of play; why aren’t they just considered “in play”, similar to pucks which hit the glass.
Anyway, I’d like to hear your thoughts, and perhaps if you think of it, you could put a bug in Dean’s ear some time in the future.
Thanks for the chance to be heard.
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LAK1ngs.com Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
@EJ, I think you mean….
Coming out of the lockout, an emphasis was placed on rules that would increase the speed and fluidness of the game. Everyone seemed pleased about how well those rules worked.
Did anyone inform Terry Murray?
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Pesus Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
@EJ,
Imo if the net was in play then teams could dump pucks in and have them die right in the corner instead of going around the boards. I think this would drasticlly alter the game. Just MO.
The one stoppage that drives me crazy is the puck that gets deflected off a glove then called a hand pass! Its only a hand pass if a player tries to pass the puck IMO. One more thing, if u do anything illegal to stop play that does not draw a penalty like a hi stick or flick the puck over the boards in the offensive zone u should not be able to line change and the face off should come back in ur zone like icing? What do u think?
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Rich, in the summer before the 09-10 season, I thought that a large group of players took part in an off-season workout and conditioning program. I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that it was really spearheaded by Dustin Brown. It didn’t sound like the same thing happened before this season.
Do you think this is something that they would consider doing again this off-season (provided my original recollection was correct, of course.)
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BobKnob Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
@vplaza,
I’m curious as well, now that you bring it up. Any scoop on what their offseason training looks like and how it is structured?
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I really hope Penner shows us something as I forgot we gave up a first rounder because of him…please show yourself Penner! We will need 100% of you next season! Thanks in advance.
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Pesus Reply:
April 29th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
@IwantTheCup,
Hope so too. I’ve heard of players have off years when their home life gets messed up. It happenes I hope thats what it is and playing with kopi next year will help I’m sure
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“lost in the Dustin Penner trade”
Had to laugh. A this point that seems to be a good assessment. The draft pick was lost, rather than invested.
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If there was “depth down the middle” this team would still be playing hockey…we haven’t had a true #2 center the entire time Lombardi’s been here. I know its a tough spot to address, but please, lets not pretend Lewis and Richardson are “depth up the middle” in some way that doesnt need to be addressed badly.
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@7holesniper, p.s. i hope they give lokti the 4th line center role. as rich said he was very confident in his center position. maybe not strong enough to battle and be a top six center but he would be a huge addition to depth in the bottom six and i feel like if we had lewis-loktionov-richardson as a 4th line it would help us roll 4 lines all the time, plus im sure 3 centers helps win faceoffs which is crucial when the 4th line ends up out there against the 1st
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garry Reply:
May 1st, 2011 at 11:13 am
@7holesniper, I still scratch my head on drafting Moller and Lokti. Way too fragile for the NHL. Find me another Clifford type for centering the 3rd line.
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7holesniper Reply:
May 1st, 2011 at 11:57 pm
@garry, Nathan Gerbe is 5’5″ and had no problem putting up 16 goals and 31 points with the Sabres this year. He was also a plus player. Not to mention Patrick Kane and Danny Briere are about their size as well. If they have potential and skill small players have a place in the NHL. When you draft you look at the potential players have on the ice and in a trade situation. Grabbing good skilled prospects with a lot of potential is a win win in my opinion even if they are under the 6 foot mark. Who knows, either of those two could end up a top six forward in the league someday. Size is greatly admired in the league but not necessary.
To be honest I was upset when Loktionov got sent down after playing only 2 games at center(this was just after the 10 game losing streak), he had a goal and an assist when he got back to the middle and he never looked like a liability defensively at center, to me he seemed to know the system well and it didnt look like he was hesitant at all. When you’re coming off a 10 game losing streak you dont drop a guy who is producing points. I know everyone wants schenn and so do I, but Lokti is the other guy im hoping gets a shot.
19 games played, 7 points, plus 2 rating (never more than -1 in a single game), 2 game winning goals, 3 of his 4 goals were in the 3rd period.
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