DUSTIN BROWN
This season: 82 games, 28 goals, 29 assists, 67 penalty minutes, 19:22 average ice time.
The good: Brown made modest improvements in goals and points over the previous season, but showed something rarely seen before: the ability to carry the team on his back for long stretches. In a 12-game stretch in December, Brown had seven goals and 12 assists. Then in late March and April, around the time of Anze Kopitar’s injury, Brown had three consecutive multipoint games and finished the season with nine points in his last nine games. Per usual, Brown gave 100-percent effort in every game and regularly led the Kings in both shots on goal and hits. A lead-by-example captain, Brown has total respect in the locker room.
The bad: The flip side of Brown’s scoring bursts is his tendency to go cold for long stretches. Brown had one eight-game stretch without a goal and one 11-game stretch without a goal. That can happen to the best of players, but throughout this career, Brown has shown the tendency to start pressing, in all aspects of his game, when the scoring runs dry for a stretch. He’s never guilty of a lack of effort, but sometimes excessive effort can lead to a lack of productive play.
Going forward: Brown seems to have settled in nicely as a second-line winger. At age 26, he has probably showed what he is: a 25-to-30-goal scorer, and given Brown’s other contributions, there’s nothing at all wrong with that. Brown does need to contribute more on the power play. His 15 power-play points this season marked his lowest total since 2005-06, his first full NHL season. Brown has the proper temperament and attitude to be a team leader. A little more consistency on the ice will take him a long way.
Brownie always shows tremendous effort. I believe his overall game will continue to improve. I do not see him not putting in the effort to improve his game. I hope Dustin retires as a King sometime way in the future. It’s effort like his that leads to the Stanley Cup!
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Pesus Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:50 pm
@King Alex,
Agree. Just leave brown alone on the 2nd line. TM please stop trying him on the top line. Maybe he needs a little work on puck handling and balance. He falls down more than Vlade Divac. I gave him a B+
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King Alex Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 3:03 pm
@Pesus, I agrre with you too. Hopefully TM will get us four clear cut lines next season (injuries permitting) and Brownie can establish himself with his winger & center.
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tornado12 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 3:32 pm
@Pesus, i disagree. There is marginal difference if at all between 2nd liner and 1st. He can play either. He brings a skill set that JW doesnt. You need to spread pure skill around. He is our best power forward and he showed he and kopi have good chemistry. I would like a line of penner/kopi/Brown.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:55 am
@tornado12, But when healthy J.W. is a better offensive player and should be our 1rst line right winger,he makes his line mates better.
tornado12 Reply:
May 10th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
@bkrs-bud, Exactly why he should be on second line. Kopi is the man on line 1, JW on line 2. Spread your 2 best skill guys out.
Jimmy Bob Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:37 pm
@Pesus, Totally disagree! sorry but brownie only falls so much because hes a great player who through his experience in the game knows how to draw a call…that’s my boy! and about staying on the 2nd line i also disagree with, yeah he does have some stuff to work on but he can do that this summer and at training camp for next season…hes a Captain and he should be leading the team in every sense!!!
GO KINGS!!!!!!!!
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Brown has shown what he has to offer. He will never have the scoring ability of Dave Taylor, who many compare him based on the fact they both are RW and both captainted the Kings. If he can stay in the 25 – 30 goal range, cheap in the same number of assists, and hit like a Mack Truck, I am happy to have him on the roster.
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BlueJay Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 11:43 am
That would be “chip in the same number of assists”, not cheap in.
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Minnesota Kings Fan Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:16 pm
@BlueJay,
Thought maybe you had an accent!
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 11:58 am
@BlueJay, If Dave Taylor played in today’s game as opposed to an era where defense wasn’t played, Dave Taylor would have been lucky to put up the same numbers as Brown.
When comparing players to past players, we need to be quite careful to remember the era’s they played in.
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InFaN8 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:38 pm
@mrbrett7, AND the linemates Dave had during his era certainly helped boost his numbers. The Kings will finally have enough talent next season to be able to put together TWO legitimate scoring lines out every game, which will no doubt help boost Brownie’s numbers. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him get 35-40 next season if he stays healthy.
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Gary L Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
@mrbrett7, Remember when Taylor played the opposition could hook, hold, and do everything but put a saddle on and ride a player with the puck to the net.
On the other hand, Brown might benefit from playing on a line with the same players on a consistent basis.
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Puckn-A Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 2:19 pm
@Gary L, Marcel Dionne is the 3rd best scorer in NHL history, I’m guessing that helped Taylors numbers a tad.
BlueJay Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 6:04 am
While I agree the two era’s are not the same, I stand by my comment that Brown does not have the same offensive talent that Taylor had. Taylor scored at every level he played. Granted he did play with Dionne, and was a member of one of the NHL’s best lines ever. Brown has played with Kopitar who is not yet in Dionne’s category, but an elite #1 center. Since both Brown and Taylor played the same position, both were/are captains of the Kings, and both play a similar game, the comparisions are inevitable.
I think most agree that as the Kings upgrade the offensive talent, and Brown can settle into his role as the #2 RW, the Kings will be a better team. Dont get me wrong, I like DB23 as a player and as a member of the Kings.
Check out Taylor’s entire stat line.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=5318
Brown has played with Kopitar,
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wes Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 11:46 am
@BlueJay, on the short list of LAK all-time fan favorites, Taylor is securely embedded in the 4th or 5th position, so your position on this thread may be ‘conventional,’ however I have to agree with points made by mrbrett, InFaN8, and Puckn-A.
Both Taylor and Brown were/are durable battlers, guys that should wear the C, there are obvious similarities.
But while the League has been tweaking the rules to encourage offense, the reality is that today’s NHL is much more defensive and ‘hard fought’ than it was in the Triple Crown era. Better overall athleticism and better training have created a game in which twice as many shots are blocked by defenders/backchecking forwards than used to be the case, and the League is deeper in good goaltending than it has been since the initial expansion in ’67. Every year it seem there are 3-6 guys that are legitimately in the Vezina discussion, with others not that far off the pace— the Vezina used to be an obvious slam-dunk most years.
Comparing across eras is rather dubious by nature, but I’ll have to disagree with your contention that Taylor had better offensive skills than Brown does. Brown is the better skater and if he could be magically transported back in time to a line with Dionne and Simmer he’s certainly put up the numbers that Taylor did, likely even better numbers (with all due respect to Dave Taylor).
So here’s the question: who would win a fight between Popeye and Superman?
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BlueJay Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:35 pm
@wes, To state Brown was a better skater, hence would score more goals than Taylor, yet discount the number of goals Taylor scored in that era is not comparing apples to apples. 90% of todays players are better skaters than those of eras past. While I agree the point of who had more offensive talent can be debated, Taylor was in the top 10 in league scoring more than once, and Taylor remains the #1 scorer in Clarkson history. True, defense was not the focus it is now, but the interference, hooking, holding, etc was much different.
The point I was trying to make, but don’t think I did very well, is that Brown had a great year, and probably is best as the #2 RW on his team. If he can post 25G, 25A every year, he will be on the Kings for a long time.
wes Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 10:58 pm
@BlueJay, (like the Toronto baseball team or like the community in the San Bernardino Mts? I used to skate at the old outdoor rink there before Taylor laced them up in the NHL)
Apples to apples? I believe I’ve already taken the position that’s not possible. 1981-82 was one of Taylor’s finest years, check out the top 10 NHL point scorers that season:
212 (Gretzky)
147 (Bossy)
139
136
129
119
117 (Dionne)
114
106
106 (Taylor)
Now here’s just part of the reason why a Taylor/Brown comparison can only be apples and oranges—the top 10 point scores this past regular season:
104 (D Seddin)
99
98
94
91
86 (Iginla)
85 (Ovechkin)
80
80
77
Kopitar probably would have made the list around 6th-9th if he hadn’t messed up his ankle (of course other guys could do that “what if” too).
But the numbers don’t lie– it’s a vastly different game today!
But I think we agree about that.
Pointing to the ‘clutch and grab’ of the 80’s, as if it were a deterrent to offense, is highly misleading—the lamp was being lit!
By today’s standard, it was a wide-open scoring feast.
I’m doubting your statement that 90% of today’s NHLers are better skaters than the NHLers of 20-35 years ago. The average player of today may be a better skater that the average player in the 80’s (inherently speculative of course), I can go that far, but I remember a LOT of incredible skaters ‘back in the day!’ For example: (in no particular order) Yvan Cournoyer, Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Gene Carr (this guy was a rocket!), Guy Lafluer, Pavel Bure, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Glen Anderson, I could keep going (even reach back to Bobby Hull in the late 50s and 60s!). Those guys could skate with _anybody_ in today’s game.
Anyway, I’m still wondering who would win a fight between Popeye (a cartoon “apple” if you will) and Superman (a comic strip “orange”).
BlueJay Reply:
May 4th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
@Wes, Agree it was two different eras. I believe Taylor had more offensive talent, you feel Brown has more. Being a subjective statement, there is no right answer.
I think we both agree Brown had a very good year, and can help the Kings in the future. DL needs to upgrade the top two lines to give the Kings more scoring.
Cheers.
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wes Reply:
May 4th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
@BlueJay, i definitely wouldn’t say Brown ‘has more offensive talent’ than Taylor did (if i actually said that, bad on me), i was objecting to the comparison as being prejudicially/unfairly weighted in favor of the guy who not only got to play every shift, year after year, along side one of the greatest offensive juggernauts of all time (Brown has never had the privilege of playing _a single shift_ that would fit that criteria, let alone _every_ shift!), but [Taylor] also got to play those shifts in the most wildly offensive era of the NHL’s history.
So I was objecting to “He will never have the scoring ability of Dave Taylor” . . . that’s a comparison that’s way too ‘apples and oranges.’ Put Taylor on a line with Trevor Lewis and (insert random LW here), in the present era of team defense and deep goaltending, and would Taylor put up better O numbers than Brown does? Speculation obviously, but I have to seriously doubt it. That’s the point i wanted to make.
That point total comparison that i posted– i should have mentioned that 1981-82 was 2-fewer games than the present schedule, so guys that were averaging between 1.5 and 2 points/game would actually have had several more points (if we were trying to project an apples-apples comparison).
As far as looking forward to the Kings 2011-12 campaign, i’m optimistic they’ll be a bit better offensively. Doughty and Simmonds seemed to regress in 10-11 (maybe they shouldn’t be roomates?), Johnson had a bad 2nd half, Penner was extremely disappointing, and loosing Parse hurt more than many people realize (he’d been projected as top line LW going into the season and is probably ready to be a 20-25 goal guy). Throw in Kopitar going down at the worst time– a lot went wrong. I don’t expect that the anticipated cavalry (Schenn, Loktionov, Kitsyn, Holloway, etc) are quite ready to ride into town. But Brown and Williams are gold at 25-30 goals [if they stay healthy], Penner _should_ contribute at that level, but who knows, Stoll and Smyth should be good for 20, if Parse turns in 20+ and Kopitar 30+, and Johnson, Doughty, and Simmonds can get back on track– things will be fun. Tough decisions for DL to make at center and whether to move D pieces to address that.
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Very satisfied with his effort this year. He got bounced around a lot to different lines. I think if he can ever get a set line he’ll push well past 30 goals.
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puck73 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 11:52 am
@KC23, Agree with your assessment 100%
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KH Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@KC23, I agree as well, but as long as TM is coaching I’m pretty sure we will not see a set line anytime. Is there anyway we could get a stat on how many different line combinations we had this year?
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Dominick Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:39 pm
@KC23,
I agree also. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Kings find another scorer to boost the second line, and Brown play an entire year with Kopi. 3rd time might be the charm. Brown has had great #r’s with Kopi. In the last 4 years Brown has produced more with Kopi than any other player we have on our roster.
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Dustin Brown has made himself into a pretty damn good all around hockey player. He shows up most nights which is a positive for a captain, and their is no question in my mind that he cares about the Kings and the southern california area in general. With guys like him, Greene,and Kopitar, we are in good hands leadership wise going forward.
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Dominick Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:43 pm
@puck73, B+. Solid effort.
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LBlocal Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 5:12 pm
I concur. B+
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Waffled between B+ and B, and gave him a B. Only because he is a second line type of player. I think his effort this year was B+, but couldn’t give him an all around B+ because he would then rate as high as Kopitar, and he’s just not there. Very good player though, and I hope he remains with the Kings for a very long time.
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Helvetica Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:59 pm
@gggbd, I waffled as well, but only because his expectations were higher this year than last, and as mentioned, he needs to find some consistency in his play. It’s hard to argue that he showed some stretches of very fine play, but he did indeed disappear during some crucial moments as well.
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I gave him a B.
Brown is what he is. A smaller power forward who plays bigger than he actually is. Expecting more than a 30g/30a season out of him will always be asking too much, and that is JUST FINE.
He is a realistically a 25g/25a type of player who contributes more than what we see on a stat sheet. Teams need heart and sould type guys like Brown.
Only reason for the B is for lack of consistency and the fact that he tries to do TOO much sometimes (not always a bad thing though).
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consistently one of the more underrated players on the team
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@LaKingsInsider, Hello Insider…I have to be frank and give Dusty an A+, As Captain his skills are not only on the ice but in leadership….he’s a 4.0 in my book and I did not grade on a curve! A big Muay! to Dusty! Have a great day!
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I think Dustin sets the tone…when he comes out hitting, that’s huge for the Kings..to me his offensive skill is a complete bonus. When he became the C I kind of questioned it..but I really see him wearing his heart on his sleeve, especially after our early exit for the playoffs. He’s a passionate guy and I love that he is a King! I wanna know who grade him a D+ – come on! Really?!
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wes Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 6:21 pm
@IwantTheCup, i hadn’t noticed the D+ vote. The voter was either an ignoramus or a mere prankster.
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When he gets a skilled center, be it Lokti or Schenn, I think he will surprise us on the scoreboard.
Second line should be very solid next season.
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Minnesota Kings Fan Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:19 pm
@Token,
I agree. I would love to see how some more offensively gifted players would affect some players. Wouldn’t we all? From my mouth to DL’s ears…
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@Token, So…while watching San Jose…I got a little greedy, and started thinking of a lineup that had Kopitar as center, Lokti at center, AND Schenn at center. 3 lines of scoring ability…
Leaving Stoll, Lewis and Richardson to battle it out for the 4th line center role. Thoughts?
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Token Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:05 pm
@mrbrett7, Not happening next season. I don’t see Schenn making the big club next year. He will play a year in Manchester.
Lewis and Ritchie can both play wing and be just as effective. Same cannot be said of Loktionov.
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Puckn-A Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 2:24 pm
@mrbrett7, Lotki needs to show he can play more than 10 games without requiring shoulder surgery.
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SlimNun Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@Token, Uh, didn’t he have a pretty good center at the start of the season? And, he put up some excellent numbers during that stretch. Just agreeing with you.
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Dominick Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:59 pm
@SlimNun,
Yep, him and Kopi didn’t hit the wall till January, when the entire team hit it together. They were seperated in Febuary and no one wanted him with Kopi after that. Even to the point where they wanted Simmers there instead. Dispite having the most productive December ever. Teams focused on those two after, because all of them saw how dangerous those 2 could be together, and the Kings obliged them for the rest of the season.
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Choralone Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:46 pm
@Token, I think it may be a stretch to introduce two rookie centers to the lineup in the same season, especially with the importance of their defensive responsibilities.
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Token Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 2:19 pm
@Choralone, I agree. This is why I believe Schenn will spend most of the season in Manchester, as he should.
There is no need to rush what is likely a franchise player.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:22 am
@Token, He started out on Kopitars line until they both stopped producing and the line was broken up.
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gotts give our captain an A! he was one of our best point producers and if he can eliminate those long streaks of no point production he will eclipse 30 goals no problem. He leads by example and gives 200% at all times and that is what i admire about Brown the most.
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One thing I thought was left unmentioned was Brownie’s uncanny knack for drawing penalties. Anyone know how many penalties he has drawn over the season?
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iansez Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@danlikespez, yeah that’s a good point, last I heard on a telecast was that he’d drawn many more than he’d taken. He also seems to be very durable, particularly considering his hard-nosed and physical playing style..
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RoyalPain Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
@danlikespez, A little too much embellishment by Brownie for my taste, but that seems to be an NHL trend. I wish these guys would realize how much it cheapens the game. I don’t want it to end up like futbol where the single most important tactic is faking or embellishing a foul. Am I just naive?
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iansez Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:07 pm
@RoyalPain, I don’t think so. There are a lot more unsportsmanlike conduct calls in hockey than there are in soccer but it’s still a problem and Brown “has made it obvious” a few times for sure. Controlling bodies are able to stamp out embellishing if they choose to, sadly FIFA lets it ride, hopefully the NHL stands firm…
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39scars Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:12 pm
@RoyalPain, No but when Vancouver seem to hire an acting coach two summers ago the game changed.
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danlikespez Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:32 pm
@RoyalPain, I know non-Kings fan complain about Brownie “diving” but I think there is a difference between players that dive when they feel a stick around their skates and players that keep their feet moving while there is a stick around their feet and get tripped. Brownie excels at keeping his feet moving and driving to the net/slot to draw those penalties while using his physicality. That’s how he draws alot of his penalties. Different from playing along the boards and diving. Then there are players like Alexander Burrows…haha
Besides, saying Brownie over-embellishes is like saying Derek Fisher over-embellishes.
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you can’t win without a guy like brown on your team
you have to respect him, and all he does for the community
once TM can get him settled in he will be a force in the NHL…..remember (dec, I think) when he a Kopi were just killing it? IMO that was the result of knowing who was going to be next to you before you came to the rink.
a little more touch and a few cups and he’ll be remembered like Steve Y(#19)
love everything about his game..and proud to call him our captain
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I gave Brown a “B”. Brown has proven he is a 25-30 goal guy that could get more playing with more talented players. He is playing in a defensive first system and for much of the year wasn’t on the top power play line.
Brown is a good leader, he’s very good on both ends of the ice, he tough and always in the top five for hits. Brown is a perfect 2nd line winger and he proved that this year.
Many Kings fans were saying that Brown is more of a third line guy, but he proved without a doubt that Brown is right up there with the best 2nd line power forwards in the league.
Of course, we’d all like to see a little more consistency, but what I liked was even when he wasn’t scoring he was still hitting and staying involved. Last year I think Brown made a few more defensive mistakes and big turnovers that led to goals going the other way. I think he was much better this year at protecting the puck and giving the team something even when he wasn’t scoring.
By all accounts Brown provides as much to this team off the ice as he does on it. He had a very solid year.
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Seriously, who is trolling these polls with these F’s?
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Sebastian Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@staplescenterismycastle, some idiot, just ignore him. the ducks have nowhere to turn for this type of coverage, so they have nothing better to do than troll the kings blogs. losers
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A+, no question. He has fully embraced phase B of his career. he has the boys coming to off season workouts, he is always visable in big games he is modest beyond a doubt. Brown has become my favorite player, there is never an off night. I just hope he does a coupld of extra shoulder presses, the big shiny, silver thing looks heavy when raising it over your head.
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launch Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:30 pm
@jet,
nice
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in the B/B+ range — offensively, I think it was a successful year for him. a 25-25-50 to 30-30-60 year is his limit, and as a second-line winger, that’s a good contribution. I down-rated him a bit for his tendency to take ill-conceived penalties (hooks, slashes, interference), his bouts of inconsistency, and for the questions I have about his abilities to be the vocal captain we need (as I’ve stated before, I’d give the “C” to Kopitar).
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launch Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:53 pm
@ziggy,
I always love when fans have opinions about what happens in the locker room of a professional sports team
what makes you think that Kopi is any more vocal than Brown?
from what I can tell on the television and interviews, and the rare look into “the room” it doesn’t look to me that Kopi is anymore vocal than Brown
sorry to take acception to your comments but “down-rated” for taking ill-conceived penalties also doesn’t fly with me…..he is without a doubt one of the best in the League at drawing calls. the good outweighs the bad for sure
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launch Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:55 pm
@launch, acception = exception…sorry
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ziggy Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 3:17 pm
@launch, your point is noted on the ‘evening-out’ of bad penalties versus the ability to draw penalties (though I would be interested in seeing the #s on that). To your other point, you assume I don’t have any knowledge of a professional locker room, which is a very big assumption on your part.
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wes Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 5:10 pm
@ziggy, launch is right.
check this:
http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2009/4/13/833111/nhl-penalty-plus-minus-2008-9
and this:
http://forechecker.blogspot.com/2008/04/penalty-plusminus-final-numbers.html
keep hunting you’ll find more of the same.
ziggy, with all due respect, launch’s assumption that you’re not familiar with team dynamics is an obvious assumption to make, based on your stated opinions (hey, we can all learn to see things more clearly and to think better– thank goodness).
scroll down and see the comment i posted, it may be enlightning_
launch Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 8:38 am
@ziggy,
my bad for assuming….I admit that assumption is the least form of knowledge
dude if you are in the Kings locker room then you certainly have a perspective that I can only dream of….my point was that Kopi doesn’t seem to have this “vocal” leadership that you think Brown lacks.
please shed some light on this for me/us…what do you know about this situation that you are not sharing?
Stuart Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:17 am
@ziggy, do tell do tell. Are you really a fly?
I went with a B. If he can improve his passing skills he’d be an A.
For all the pissing and moaning I do about him, I’m definitely glad he’s a King. It’s tough love.
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I gave him a B only for the inconsistency on the scoreboard. Being a top six players means ultimately production. More of Brownies goals seem to come with a 2 goal lead than any other player they have. Aside from that his PP work was atrocious this year in general, if he at least looked like he knew where he was supposed to be it would help a ton.
A for effort and certainly he’s the captain. Locker room moving in step is all I ask for out of them.
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I gave Brownie an A for several reasons:
1) Effort. All you can ask from a guy is that he give his best, every time on the ice, during the off-season, and in the locker room. And this guy brought it. A true captain who is maximizing his gifts.
2) Look at the dudes he’s had around him. Brownie has floated between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd line without consistent linemates, and still almost put up 30 goals. When he was on a line with Kopi, he was producing points in bunches.
3) Points don’t tell the whole story. In TM’s system, his point totals are always going to be deflated. I’m very pleased with his effort at both ends, and truly, for all the talk about his point totals, everyone ignores the fact that he has become a VERY good defensive forward.
When I grade a player, I grade him against what he COULD be, not what I wish he was, and I think Brown, at this point in his career, is being all he can be.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:41 am
@puddle, I agree a very good 2nd or 3rd line winger and an outstanding captain.
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I gave Brownie a B
I think he’s a really good captain..and if thaat was the only criteria..I’d have given him a B+ to an A.
His streaky scoring is the issue. Even in the playoffs…Great one or 2 games, invisible the next few.
Consistency is a problem
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number 6 Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 3:19 pm
@nykingfan,
I don’t have to write it cause I did and thought exactly like the gentleman who wrote this bit above.
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How is Brown not considered a 1st line winger? 1 less point than Kovalchuck, 9 less than Nash. His numbers are solid, throw in the hits and he is an exceptional 1st line winger.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:46 am
@Puckn-A, why compare him to left wingers?
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I gave him a B as well…If he had any scoring touch, he’d get an A from me. There were countless times his shots hit the goalies right in the middle of the chest!! We call him “stonehands” here at my office.
He’s got the effort on the ice, no questioning that, but he has the occasional brain farts and takes some bad penalties. I’m grading him on what I saw on the ice this last season. You can’t grade on potential or what he could have done with “better” players around him. If you’re a good player, you play with the players you’re paired with and try to do the best you can with them.
There was a game in the middle of the season where he coasted back on D and the other team’s player came up from and got the GW goal b/c he didn’t hustle to pick up his man. There was a frame by frame of this that someone created on LGK.com. It was almost a Dustin Penner moment!! IF he cleans up the little stuff, then I’ll grade him out a little higher. I’m not picking on Brown since I’m sure there are a bunch of other players on the team that moments like this too but since he’s the captain, he’s gotta be aware all the time.
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Brown’s detractors continue to baffle me. They’ve obviously never played hockey, and don’t seem to know much about watching it either.
1.) No one holds an NHL captaincy against the best judgment of his peers on the roster as well as the coaching staff. To hold a team’s captaincy for years says a lot about character, which in Brown’s case there is no reason to question anyway. The questions come down to ‘who can we consistently look to in battle, especially when times are tough?’; ‘who is going to be level-headed and intelligent enough to lobby our case when it’s time to question officiating?’ ‘who holds his peer’s full respect by virtue of bringing toughness and effort?’, etc.
2.) Look around the league, you’ll see a couple of notable power forwards that, by comparison, dial-in what kind of player Brown is (these guys are both older than Brown, but their body of work makes for easy comparisons). Brown is a somewhat lesser Iginla, and a clearly greater Franzen. Here’s what I mean:
It’s no insult to see Brown as a lesser Iginla, they play a similar game but the Flames captain will be an easy first ballot inductee into the HOF! Like Iginla, Brown will make his offensive contributions, but he’ll also physically disrupt the opposition and draw a lot more penalties than he takes. This is an aspect of his game that is underappreciated by casual observers. He’s also been something of an ironman. He’s always among the league-leaders in hits delivered and in being the object of retaliatory shenanigans (usually among the league leaders in PP+/-), but in spite of this physicality will probably give you 82 intense game a season, even when he’s nicked.
He’s better than Franzen because he’ll give you similar goal/assist/shooting %, something in the order of 25/55/.120, but will do this with all the bonuses mentioned above.
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Puckn-A Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 4:21 pm
@wes, yeah this^
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wes Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 4:23 pm
correction: that 55 in my last sentence was obviously a ‘rough average’ points number, not assists number.
I also think that, on the right line Brown might score 40 goals/ 80 points. I’m not predicting that, just saying there is that potential.
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launch Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 8:45 am
@wes, thanks for backing my point on an earlier post on Brown.
I just get a little testy when people/fans don’t give our captain the respect he deserves.
couldn’t agree more about how some fans don’t look at the big picture when they try to analyze the production of said player….all they see are the stats and position in the division or conference
I would venture to say that the other 29 teams in the NHL would gladly take Brown on their rosters
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dolly Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:59 pm
@wes, Sick of the Brown haters! This guy may not have the hands of a more skilled player but he ALWAYS shows the team what hard work and effort is about. Go Brown!
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@LaKingsInsider, how would I grade Dusty? We’ll first of all I have to say he is the teacher’s pet and he gets an automatic A+. Dusty is an amazing player with awesome skills on the ice…I have seen it! Best wishes for Dusty in the off season….xoxo for Dusty!
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What can be said! He is the Capt. of this ship. Awesome job as Capt. But next year lets bring it here.
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What a Great person to have as our Team Captin. He never gives up and mad can he hit . Please stay with the Kings , We need you and appreciate you .
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