As a follow-up to the playoff recap video from last week, the folks at KingsVision have released the extended interviews — director’s cut? — with Terry Murray and Jack Johnson, talking about the lead-up to the playoffs and the first-round series against San Jose…
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Anyone catch what’s going on over at the Kings facebook page? From the person running that page, and I quote, “Can we agree that the Sharks need to represent California by bringing the pain tonight?”
330 comments in less than an hour… Let’s just say it isn’t going over well.
[Reply]
IceGuy Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:15 am
@wavesinair,
My only choice here is to hope Teddy & the Bolts make it to the Finals against the ‘Nucks.
Reason?
At least some “King” is involved, and Canada will go nuts if a team from Florida wins!
Now that’s what I call revenge!
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:18 am
@IceGuy, Yeah, regardless eastern conf. all the way.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:34 am
@wavesinair,
I don’t particularly want San Jose to do it either. If I had to choose between them or Vancouver, I’d take Vancouver. Luckily there’s 2 teams in the East who are playing pretty good hockey, and I have no reason to dislike either of those teams, so Go Eastern Conferance!
Harry Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
@IceGuy, I second that!
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
@wavesinair, My ernest wish is that this series goes 13 games–impossible, yes, but I want them to beat each other up so badly that the winner has absolutely no chance in the finals.
Of course I’m bitter!
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
@wavesinair, I can never go for an Eastern team. OK if the Ducks were in the finals is the only time I would go for an Eastern team. SJ or Van, as long as we have a Western winner.
[Reply]
Ravens Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
@wavesinair, Hi Waivesinair,,good to hear from you….The Sharts already have brought the pain……The pain of having no choice but to watch them in the playoffs
[Reply]
I am with you Terry, 100 percent. This is a team that started 12-3, they had the road success after the All-Star game, they had a great chance to win against San Jose without Kopi, and we can realistically expect to not just make the playoffs but contend for the division title in the toughest division in the league.
Yes, there was the home stand, and the power play struggles, but the direction is up, the accomplishments were neither trivial nor accidental, and this next year is gonna be another roller-coaster ride, except this time the results will be even better.
Way to go TM, as the Cisco Kid used to say, “You da mang.”
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:05 am
@Player-X, YAY! agree 100%
[Reply]
quisp Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
@Player-X,
Except the roller-coaster ride is not required, or desirable. See Lombardi’s comments after the Sharks series.
[Reply]
Player-X Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
I can see how the context might be misleading, but I meant roller coaster in that there are bound to be swings of wins and losses, as it is doubtful that they will win 2 of every three games in succession without variation. Every game is a roller coaster, every week, etc. I guess now I need to make it clear, I did not mean to endorse losing streaks. aye yai yai.
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
@Player-X,
Except the roller-coaster ride is not required, or desirable. See Lombardi’s comments after the
Sharks series…
wait a minute, I think Quisp already said this.
In any case, you might enjoy the ups and downs of the roller coaster, but actually I don’t find it either fun or productive. Yes, every team has a rough patch during the year, but please….. I mean you put yourself in a position where every single game from beginning of February on is critical or you don’t make the playoffs?
Thanks….
but no thanks.
[Reply]
jet Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
@number 6, Hey, with 6 rookies another 6 with a taste of the NHL and that is what you get. I am sure TM would rather have 6 good players who have 500 games, but you go with what you have.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
@jet,
Smyth 1069
Zues 844
Mitchell 643
Williams 625
Ponikarovski 554
Stoll 515
Brown 513
Penner 424
Scuds 455
Does that count?
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
@jet,
Jet, thought I’d do some research on that just to check it out. Up front the rookies were Clifford (who was one of their best players) and Westbrook (who evidently played well considering his level, and wouldn’t have affected matters that much anyway). Then Martinez, who in fact did get exposed. Bernier didn’t play.
Come on Jet. At least be clear about it. We can spin things however we would like. They had problems in the playoffs last year and I’m fine with that. This year, well, I won’t go into detail. They did well for sure given no Kopi. But sooner or later (preferably sooner) where do they take responsibility.
With DL’s forwards who aren’t on the team yet, we’ll be able to say they are young for the next four years.
So you’ve got it at 12 players who either have just a taste of nhl play or rookies. I’m having difficulty finding them.
Penner, Smyth, Stoll, DD and Johnson (yes fairly young still but both did play in the Olympics), Scuds, WM, JW, DB, Simmer, RIchie, Greene, Zues.
Are they a young team? Yes, fine. But let’s call a spade a spade. They aren’t this group of kids just finding out what the nhl is all about either.
jet Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
@Dom, I was looking at the players with a lack of experience.
Muzzin
Clifford
Westy
Lokti
Schenn
Martinez
Lewis
OM
King
DD2
Parse
JB
jet Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
@jet,
Hey #6,
I do think we were young even without the new dozen above.
Players like
Simmonds
DD1
Richie
JJ
quick
are also very raw granted their limited pro experience prior to the NHL. I have no problem with playing the youth, but I also realize that a young team will have ups and downs, will blow big leads in big games, will take some dumb penalties and will take some time to fit in. Without TM and the system we played, there is no way we are a 100 point team playing the second hardest schedule in the NHL.
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
@jet,
I know, but I couldn’t help my self. My girlfriend says I screw around too much.
13 out of the 23 man roster are over 25 though, not including the 2 bench warmers. Some of those 10 left over, are under 25, but have over 200 games of experience. The Kings have been young for so long that guys like Kopi are considered veterans now at 23.
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
@jet,
Jet, dude. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be ‘mean’, but seriously, do you expect me to respond to this? Really. And I’m a very nice guy, but come on. Get your stuff straight if you’re gonna do this. We should respect everyone’s opinions, and I try to do that but, 6 rookies, 6 guys w not much experience.
Alright.
We’re supposed to be talking about the roller coaster and ups and downs. Fine. Let’s get that straight.
Muzzin – how many games did he play?
Clifford – played great, nothing more to add
Westy – he shouldn’t even be playing in a sense… they don’t need a fighter but the amount of time he did play didn’t impact the ups and downs that much
Lokti – average on the wing, excellent at center, then got sent down
Martinez – very successful year
Lewis – nothing but improvement including the playoffs
OM – hardly played
King – basically didn’t play
DD2 – basically didn’t play and when he did he did well
Parse – didn’t play
JB – thanks to him they made the playoffs more or less
And adding on your comments from below if anything, I agree that DD1 and Simmer dropped off rather substantially imo, so there your point is well taken.
But if you’re gonna make it about essentially 12 players who due to lack of experience make it an up and down thing, then your argument is not exceptional.
Oh, I forgot Schenn. He only played the first 9 games and the Kings were like 7-2 in that run as well.
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
@jet,
Jet, I’m gonna apologize to you in advance for the above thread. I feel like I’ve been harsh. Although if you look at the evidence I’ve given you, because we aren’t in the same room and able to speak (so you can hear a voice rather than read words) maybe you take it wrong. If so I’m sorry.
All that said, I really can’t agree with you that this is some super young team. If we’re gonna see it that way, fine. But then I suggest you get your head around the fact that the team will continue to be very young for around the next five years – so if they don’t make the playoffs or get bounced, it will still be a convenient excuse.
Two Points:
One: Smyth, Zues, maybe Scuds (who knows) may be gone in around two years and they will be replaced w maybe Toffoli, Lokti or Schenn, Deslauriers. And guess what! They’re young!! And Clifford, Martinez, Bernier (maybe), Lewis, will Still be young. So really. There is a point (which there was two years ago and last year, and a Tiny bit this year) and then there’s a point.
Two: If you want to be a realist, Chicago won the SC last year with their key players being Patrick Kane (who at that point had the identical experience that Simmer did this year), Toews was a relative infant (who captained his team) and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were respectively 25 and 24 I believe when they won it. So the ‘young’ argument only goes so far for me.
quisp Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
@jet,
yes, and then the kings will go directly from youthful inexperience to old age without stopping in the middle.
Osaka Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
@number 6, The Kings had the 6th youngest team in the league this year, so yes they are young. The five teams younger Tor, SL, Edm, Atl,and NYI all didn’t make the playoffs. The four teams still in the playoffs are all in the top 15 (top half) for oldest teams. The Kings are also very inexperienced at the key position of defense with DD, JJ, and AM. It is much easier for a young forward to play in the NHL than a young defenceman.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
@Osaka, Yes they are young, but so are other defensemen on other playoff teams. JJ is 24, AM is 23, and DD is 21. Vlasic and Demers from San Jose are 24 and 22. McQuaid from Boston is 24. Hedman from Tampa Bay is 20. I know neither of those teams have as many young d-men as the Kings do, but only Martinez is inexperienced. DD has played for 3 years now, JJ for 4+ years, so I wouldn’t say they are VERY inexperienced on defense. I do agree with you that it’s easier for a young forward to play than a young d-man.
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:30 am
@CB14,
There are a couple ways to answer this, how many of those guys lead their team in ice time? What kind of minuets do they play? Drew not only lead the Kings in average mins. per game, he was 5th in the league. Second on the Kings was Johnson. In fact Johnson averaged more mins per game than any other player you mentioned. Hedman does log a lot of mins for his team but I noticed TB has the 5th oldest defense core in the league. Vlasic has played 5 full season in the league but doesn’t log JJ or DD numbers.
Another way to look at it is do think JJ, DD, or AM have reached their full potential? I think DD at 29 or 30 will be a much better player. With Drew I think it is more of a maturity thing than anything else.
They say you learn more sometimes from losing than winning so I expect a lot more consistency from those boys. Let’s hope the roller-coaster ride is a thing of the past.
CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:48 am
@Osaka, All Very Good Points. My thing isn’t really with them being young and being a big part of our team, I just don’t understand why people say the Kings are the youngest team in the league and that’s why we lost in the playoffs, when all of our key players are either older veterans or young players who have years of NHL experience. Yes they are certainly young and haven’t reached their potential yet, but look at what Chicago did last year. Kane and Toews were both under 23 years old when they won the cup. Kopi and Brownie are both older than that right now.
I agree with everything you say about them not reaching their potential yet.
Osaka Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
@Player-X, I see it, Kings will win the division.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
This is not a post directed at Osaka, but a post that pertains to the subject at hand.
The whole “were to young” theory is self defeating to the Kings original agenda. The reason the Kings have bought and paid for the Manchester Monarchs is to provide a training ground for young players to learn the Kings system, so that they can (in theory) already have the tools necessary to compete in the parent teams system.
The Kings have invested large amounts of resources to aquire, through the draft, said prospects, so that the Kings (in theory) can have an endless supply of prospects that can restock the parent club.
In a sense the Kings have the capacity to stay young, longer than any team in the NHL, for as long as they hold these foundational principles together.
Waiting till the core reaches 30 before you spring your trap of offensive domination, or solid play, doesn’t add up. With the steady stream of youthful players being added every year, we’re never going to reach our potential, ever, because we’re always going to be waiting for younger players to develope properly.
The main stalling point, for the Kings to reach greatness, that most people bring up is “we’re too young” and “we’re not ready yet”, but if that truly is the case then we’ll never be ready following the Kings current retooling philosophies.
In order for the Kings system of restock, and supply to work correctly, the Kings must,
A) have a system that is independant of any one player dragging down production.
B) find players that can make the transition smoothly.
C) Rotate out older or less efficient players for younger more efficient players.
D) Provide an atmosphere where all temporary players will be competetive.
E) provide players who can place perspective for young players trying to find their game.
To break it down to it’s most simplistic form,
A) is system.
B) is Draft picks or prospects.
C) is swapping out vets for (B).
D) is a culture of winning.
E) is leadership.
In order to make this system work, we have to ditch this “we’re not ready yet” mentality, and function as a team that is ready.
Feel free to poke holes in my post now, and carry on.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
@Dominick, They are grabbing their poking sticks right now! Great Post Dominick.
Player-X Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
@Dominick, All teams have farm systems. The relevant fact of a player’s age is only somehwat enhanced by starting younger. What I mean is, even though some guys starts at 18 and has played 4 years, he is still only 22, and the experience can only supplement the player’s mental and physical maturity. Experience, or tenure alone is not the only or even the main determinant.
That is not to say that there is no benefit to experience: when a player reaches the golden years (roughly 26-33, I am sure there are actual studies I could find and quote but the gist is clear) and also has the benefit of those few extra years from starting early, then thhat experience is a huge bonus. Also, playing big minutes, in big roles, also creates an experience bonus.
But, actual chronological age cannot be dismissed, and that is why I expect Dustin Brown’s hands to continue to catch up to his feet, Kopi will grow into more of a leader, Doughty will learn to take the game seriously and avoid selfish penalties, Johnson will learn to distribute and continue to develop defensively, etc., etc. Eventually, they will mature physically, mature intellectually and at that time have the foundation of experience already built in.
I do believe you need a mix of youth and veteran presence, both on ice and in the salary cap. I agree you need to make room for younger players to develop, but especially this year, when there were so many first and second year players, it really isn’t fair to complain about an drop in offensive production.
Murray developed a system that would keep the Kings in games while investing ice-time in Lewis, Clifford, Bernier, and the host of left wing attempts to find a player for Kopi; in my mind, we had between 4 and 5 top 6 guys when fully healthy, and the team still did well. It can only be better, because now these guys know they belong and have some real pain from blowing an opportunity (the San Jose series) to draw on.
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
@Player-X,
Bringing them in at 18 is supposed to give us the advantage in earlier developement. To place them on the same level as other 18 to 25 year olds from other teams (even though they’ve played 5 more years) is IMO flawed. Other teams with young players don’t have 1/2 the experience. Our young players are phenominal already. How many teams have a 21 year old D man that can lead the league, or be in the top 5 in TOI for a defenseman? Only 3 other D men had more points than JJ on the power play. Quick, absolutely unbelievable. Brown, a solid lead by exaple type. Kopi I can’t even begin to explain his greatness. The list goes on.
There will always be areas of their game that needs to improve. Even when their 30, but everyone of them (Kopi, Brown, JJ, DD, Quick, Greene, Martinez, Richardson, Lewis, and Simmonds) along with some savy veterans is a solid enough group. This is the group that will bring up the next group, regardless of their developement. I say they’ve been ready.
number 6 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:25 am
@Dominick,
Dominick, what an excellent post. You don’t deny the reality of maturing and experience in your post, but point out that sometimes one can grab onto ideas that really don’t do anything to further the cause.
I’m a believer in as much as possible seeing the reality of a situation.
Player-X responded by saying that DB’s hands will catch up w his feet, Doughty will learn to take the game seriously, Jack Johnson will develop defensively, etc. The problem imo with this is that it’s all speculative.
No one knows how any of these players will develop or not. Just a year ago Doughty and Bobby Orr were being mentioned in the same breath. No one was mentioning them in the same breath this last season.
We all do that. We all say, with a year more under their belt…. but the fact is that there is no ‘straight line’ development for any player. One example. Stamkos as we all remember started out very shaky. Well, he got it together big time. I’ve seen him interviewed and he’s very mature and clearly takes the game very seriously. Yes, I know I know, it’s easier for a forward to develop. That’s not the point.
The truth is that the Kings have a lot of good things in place but Clifford could take a step backwards next year and score 5 goals, or he could score 18 and be a team leader. Unless you’re clairvoyant you don’t have a clue how these things will play out.
Finally coming back to your thread, it can become very convenient to find ‘outs’. The age thing has been in play for four years now. The first three there can be no question this was more a reality, and there Are young players still on the team. But just taking the core group, averaging in all the ages and saying they are 3r youngest, or 6th youngest just becomes a game after a while.
Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:04 am
@Dominick, and number6-
I am not saying youth can still be an excuse, I am saying though that it can be seen in the inconsistency. These guys are old enough to play the man’s physical game, they are old enough to understand the game intellectually and they are old enough to handle the professional lifestyle of training commitment and emotional acuity. They even have some years behind themselves to draw on. One can say that they COULD be equal to older, stronger and more experienced leaders, but to say that they SHOULD be all the way there is unfair.
I am gonna explain what I call the “dresser drawer” theory. Remember in cartoons, they try to close one drawer, but it pushes open another drawer. So they try to close that drawer, but it pushes open two more drawers. Then they close the two, and the first drawer is pushed open. Finally, the guy whacks all the drawers in anger and they finally all stay closed, then they all pop open at once.
Same thing can be seen with the Kings. These guys know how to do every little part of the game, and every big part of the game, but they struggle on various elements intermittently. The previous season, it was slow starts, bad PK and decent PP, second periods were our best and we held leads going into the third almost perfectly. This year, it was fast starts, excellent PK but bad PP, second periods were our worst but we still held leads going into the third almost perfectly.
More specifically, look at these stats year-to-year…
Went from 9th overall with 101 points to 12th overall with 98.
Went from 10th at 5/5 goal ratio with 1.07 to 13th with 1.05.
Went from 20th on PK with 80.3 to 4th with 85.5.
Went from 7th in PP with 20.8 to 21st with 16.1.
Went from 9th in Goals per game with 2.82 to 25th with 2.55.
Went from 9th in goals against with 2.57 to 6th with 2.39.
Went from 22nd in shots taken per game with 29.1 to 23rd with 28.8.
Went from 3rd in shots allowed per game with 27.6 to 3rd with 27.9.
Some stats reversed themselves, some stayed about the same. The offensive numbers relate directly to the power play; offensive totals down, but 5 on 5 about the same, so it is specialty teams, and even the dramatic increase in PK ability did not fully offset the PP number’s drop. The same supposedly stifling offensive system that this year was 25th gave us 9th last year; hardly anemic, stultifying, stifling, handcuffing, harnessing, etc.
My point here is shown in the numbers, and it is the dresser drawer theory at work, which I attribute to the overall age and experience level. These guys can do whatever they work on the most, they are capable and have the talent and system to learn to excel at any part of the game. But, the focus of having to learn something detracts from focus on other things. My belief is that now that they have already learned the various areas of focus and accomplished them, it will become much easier to adjust focus as needed during a season; “we gotta pick up the PK boys” or “We gotta make sure to focus on the shots against a little more.”
Instead of learning these things from the start and practicing them over time, they should now know how to do them and only need to be reminded of how they did them successfully in the past. Then, all the drawers will open and close one at a time.
Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@all, Hey all, I know I’m jumping into this party late but:
I think our situation lends itself not so much that we’re a “young” team, but an inexperienced one. Yes some guys have 100+ games under their belts and that’s fine and dandy, but meaningful games for our young guys are more 5-10 games. I think what hurt us most about AK’s injury was that he’s still stuck on 6 postseason games (and one series) while the rest of the crew has 10+ now (which isn’t even worth mentioning when you think that someon like Vlasic who was mentioned further up has 5 years of experience but 63 postseason games played…63!).
My take on the “age” thing is that while we all know age is just a number, it usually is a great starting point when talking about someone’s maturity level. For sure when we meet an 18 year old who seems to have their head on straight, what’s the first thing we say “wow, they are very mature for their age” because young people aren’t usually aware of their place in the world or take responsibilty for the things they do or are even responsible for. When I think of how young our team is I think of our lack of maturity (which IIRC Scuds mentioned). And all the coaching in the world wouldn’t change a person’s maturity level, and IMO that’s why DL is so high on getting character people, because to me character= maturity and that’s one of those intangibles that takes teams/players a long way down that path of progression that so many people believe is the natural way that chronological time plays itself out. So, while we can sit here and talk about “one more year under their belt” I think we really need to talk about the increase in our young guys maturation process w/ re: to DD, WS, JJ etc…
Token Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:51 am
@Dominick, Great Thinking.
Out of the points listed, which one(s) do we lack, in your opinion.
I’ve personally been on record that the only thing missing is the culture of winning. Too many players are nonchalant about losing and they are not getting the ever popular “learning through adversity” myth.
I would argue that our team profile suggests we need to teach via winning, not via adversity. My generation gets the adversity concept; momma had a rubber hand with a wooden spoon in it and dad had the belt. Today, kids don’t get that. There are no spankings before supper for the sins of the day. Only things kids get these days is positive messages of encouragement, star stickers and other assorted B F Skinner based operant conditioning voodoo science.
Parenting was so much easier back in the day and with all these hockey stars that are plucked out of home at the age of 15 or so, that’s what coaching boils down to.
/end rant
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 11:32 am
The way I look at it,
What happens when the rookies from last season get a few more years, and all the rookies between now and then aren’t ready? Do we wait another 5 years for them to catch up? I should hope not. We’re always going to have guys that are young, we’re always going to have guys developing.
Giving it to them in baby steps just leaves the new guys rooted in what ever section of developement we’re in at that moment. Currently we’re at the “defensive responsibility stage”, With the “We’ll open it up later” stage coming next (I hope).
All teams have young players. What makes us unique and exciting is that our young guys are leading the league, now. Kopi, DD, JJ, Quick, are all leaders in the league, and dominating players for their age brackets. All teams have players in those age brackets, but not all teams have so many, at the same time, dominating in those same brackets.
We’re way ahead of the game, and should be taking advantage of it.
@token,
You and I graduated from the same “Dad had the belt” academy I see. LOL
Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 11:51 am
@Stuart-
Like it, well said.
PP Anybody? Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
@Player-X, Crosby won the Cup when he was 21. Kane and Toews won the Cup when they where 21 and 22. Seems bringing them in as early as possible helped them to develop in the “right way”.
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
@Dominick, Dom not the case at all. I don’t forsee a rookie playing in our top 2 defense pairings or number one offensive line for years now. It is not just young players but where they play and how many mins they play. Every team will always have a young player, but having so many young players play big mins is where it puts you at a disadvantage. Also we can afford to have guys stay in Manchester a little longer. Rookies on a team like Detroit were usually 24 years old not 19-20.
Our young players are dominating but are still in the process of putting it all together. Kopi the last two seasons had huge scoring droughts. Still I see Kopi more a constant. JJ and DD are the two I see that determine how the Kings go. Both of those guys need more consistency in their game. IMO
Quick is solid.
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
@Dominick, That’s all fine and dandy, but Rookies aren’t in the #1, or #2 defense pairings. Consistancy? Thier all leading the league in statistics for their positions. Are you saying we have to wait till there games are absolutely flawless? Their already at the top of the league for young and old players alike.
Rookies have been in a revolving door on the first line for 2 years now.
Also everybody is saying JJ, DD, Kopi and company are not ready, I’m claiming they are. Rookies are always going to be there, do you suggest we wait for every single one to develope? I’m claiming it’s impossible, since new players come in every year.
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Ooops, I didn’t finnish a sentence. Rookies aren’t in the #1, or #2 defense pairings, JJ, DD are, and doing a really good job at it.
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
@Dominick, I don’t know where this waiting stuff comes from. We are not waiting, going for the cup. We are explaining why the Kings are going to kick ass next year. DD, JJ, and Kopi are ready. The whole conversation was on the young core (meanning they will only get better). Consistancy: Jack Johnson was a -21, Kopi didn’t score in the month of Feb, DD needs to play to the highest level like he did in game 2 off the playoffs more often……. Agreed we didn’t have a rookie play 25 and 23 mins of defense a game but we did have a 21 and 24 year old. They can handle it, we are not saying that. They are two of the best, agreed. I am saying they will be better. They will be Lidstrom or Niedermayer good. I think this whole line of conversation was brought up as the reason for the Kings up and down season last year. Not a excuse, just an observation for inconsistency. You see another reason for the ups and downs, that is fine. You may blame the coach or his system, fair. I see it as a young core, mostly young defensemen. Doesn’t mean we will always have an issue with youth. Doesn’t mean next year if Schenn plays we will be inconsistent. Just we’re saying what happened last season IMO. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact the Kings made the playoffs 2 years ago and then last season got off to a great start. Sometimes when young players have success they forget what it took to get that success. It is like it comes too easy, or you start thinking you are too good. They battled through the growing proccess and I see a more mature team especially in the way they are focused. I think now this team is hungry. I think the hardest thing in the world for Kopi was watching the playoffs. DD wants to be the man. He wants to be talked about for the Norris again. JJ will put it all together this season. He has always shown confidence, but now I see a calmness in making the right decisions consistently.
IMO
Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
@Osaka-
Yes, well said. to Dominick, the thinking about youth was not to say that we aren’t old enough to win yet, it was said to explain why the team can be so good, and so bad, and why I think Murray is not the problem, the system is not the problem, and that actually there really isn’t much of a problem except the natural maturation process needing two or three years to become consistently productive.
No excuses are needed for this team and their performance last year, we need one more top forward and we need a better power play, and we also need to let these guys put all the things they learned over the past two excellent, ahead-of-schedule, surprising and satisfying seasons into one we-know-we-can-do-it-so-lets-stop-fooling-around season.
These guys can now come out knowing what it takes to win, knowing they can do what it takes to win, and also knowing what it feels like to blow it when they had a huge chance for a series upset. Ain’t nobody waiting for nuthin’, just people saying so many bad things that are, to me, off the wall.
Fix the PP and our offensive numbers will increase significantly, as well as our ability to win on a consistent basis. You can improve the PP and still stay within TM’s “defense first” system.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:51 am
@DesertKing,
I think improving the power play would go a ways to healing some woes, and easing some worries. I would be absolutely shocked if he wasn’t here next season, because I believe he has the confidence of Dean Lombardi, so agree with him or not, he is the coach.
[Reply]
DesertKing Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
@Dominick,
I concur, we need to keep TM and just need to swap out the assistant coach ala Stevens for Hardy and hope for the same results.
[Reply]
Harry Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
@DesertKing, Really? Stevens coaches the Defensive side… Kompon or however you spell his name, coaches the PP unit. Stevens has done a great job so far… Harpo was great, but Stevens is not bad.
DesertKing Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
@Harry
Exactly. We switched Hardy with Syevens and we saw a tremendous improvement in our defensive play. My suggestion is to replace Kompon with a new coach who can improve our PP and overall offense, just as Sevens has done for the defensive side. Harpo was good, but based upon the change we saw last season, Stevens has been better. If we could only get that same level of improvement on the offensive side, then we would have a great shot at the ultimate goal.
FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
@DesertKing,
Mitchell> OD
Martinez> Jones
That had much to do with it as well. (taking nothing away from Stevens)
DesertKing Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
@FKA PakiFro
Excellent point and I concur!
I just want to voice my opinion on this one matter. Fix the PP and it will make a huge difference, etc.
I’m not saying it won’t, but it certainly isn’t written in stone either. Neither was ‘grab a Four goal lead vs. SJ in a playoff game in the 2nd period to boot and you’ve got it in the bag’.
One of the biggest if not the biggest issues with this team last season was the psychological aspect of their game.
Remember, they had this nasty little habit of scoring some wonderful goals and were so excited that they couldn’t wait to return the favor for the opposition. So, that being said, having a better PP might help, but if the PK doesn’t stay at the same level then it’s really a wash.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
@number 6, I know i’m going to get hate for this, not necessarily from you, but isn’t that the coaches fault? It happened all year long, and EVERYONE noticed it, yet it still kept happeneing. That’s on the Coaching staff IMO. People might blame it on our young team, but I don’t agree with that. I’m not saying we’re not a young team, we are, but we are also an experienced team. Our young players have alot of experience. AK and JJ have 5 years, DD and WS have 3 years, and DB has 6 years. They might be young, but they aren’t inexperienced. Our rookies, TL, KW, KC, and AM are all 4th line or 3rd defensive pair guys. They had the least amount of playing time on the team per position. So you can’t blame it on them exclusivly. The blame IMO falls on the coaching staff failing to get the players focused and ready to go after we score a goal.
I know some people have pointed out that once we got the lead we played not to lose, rather than play to win, and I think that mindset has alot to do with all those goals being scored within 3 minutes after we score. Lets not all forget the quote, “The best Offense is a good Defense”. It’s a great line that IMO fits this team perfectly. Perfectly as in we did the opposite. JMO
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:28 am
@CB14, giving up a goal after scoring is NOT EVER the coaches fault.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
@fsd1, You seem to disagree with me and everyone in the anti-Murray camp, yet you never explain your reasoning why you disagree with us/me. I’d like to know why you think it’s NOT EVER the coaches fault when HIS team gives up a goal immediatly after scoring one. Please explain to me how a team that was 6th in the league in goals against per game allowed all of those goals immediatly after the other team scored? It is the coaches job to identify a disturbing pattern that is bad for his team and fix it. That’s what coaches are suppose to do, and he failed at it IMO. Just like with the PP failures all year long. He did nothing to improve the PP. It was bad at the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and at the end of the year. If we didn’t have good enough players to have an effective PP I wouldn’t have a problem with it being so bad. However, we were 7th in the league 2 years ago on the PP, yet only 21st this year. The reason for the decline of the PP is because it was Amazing last year in the playoffs against Vancouver and everyone around the league noticed it and realized they had to come up with a way to stop it. Guess what, THEY DID. They realized how to defend it and that’s why our PP was so bad this year. TM did nothing to change it up, and that’s why it never got any better as the year went on.
The goal immediatly after we score was the same type of thing. They happened all year long. It’s Murrays job to figure out why it kept happening and figure out a way to stop it. He failed to do that. That’s his job, and he failed in that facet of his job.
Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:54 am
@CB14, I’d have to argue that we are NOT an experienced team. 3-5 years does not make one “experienced” in my eyes. It makes the not a rookie, but not quite experienced. I addressed this further up on the lengthy discussion that took place. I find it hard to believe that there are very many MEANINGFUL games in an 82 game sched. Experience is built in the playoffs. Going through the motions day-in-day-out doesn’t necessarily build experince, it’s the same thing they’ve been doing since they were 10. If you asked me, I’d have to say that all these guys have 2 solid years of experience, I would’nt count those first years for DB, AK, and JJ as experience builders, they were more like eye-openers. just my take.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
@Stuart, Good Points. I think there needs to be a word in-between inexperienced and experienced, because I think you’ll agree with me that that’s where guys like DD, JJ, and WS are. Not inexperienced, but not yet experienced.
PP Anybody? Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
@CB14, Actually the quote is the other way around. The best defense is a good offense http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_best_defense_is_a_good_offense
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
@PP Anybody?, Whoopsie Daisy, that’s what I meant to write. Thanks for noticing my mistake.
jet Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
@number 6, YOuth will be served and there is only one solution, let them play.
[Reply]
Token Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:58 am
@number 6, One could argue that improving the power play would do little more than reduce the number of shootouts we have won.
I think that it would be a zero sum game. More PP goals, fewer sootouts, we win most of those anyway, zero sum in the regar season.
Only place it really counts is the playoffs.
If I had to choose, I’d go with improving the two shifts after we score.
[Reply]
Lets try to have a thread where nobody mentions Pucell and Moulson. Please?
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
@Sebastian, You just did, so that can’t happen. Nice Job.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
@Sebastian,
Nobody did till you brought it up. LOL
[Reply]
Sebastian Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Dominick, hahaha. crap!
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
@Sebastian,
Who is Pucell?
[Reply]
Hat trick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
@number 6, Isn’t he that Russian player that’s gonna give Ovechkin a run for his money soon? I think Dean’s trying to pick him up. I heard he’s a pond hockey genius as well.
[Reply]
number 6 Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@Hat trick,
You deserve your moniker mate. Well done.
Hat trick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
@Hat trick,
I thought pond hockey genius would be a dead give away.
vicarious Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
@Sebastian, Who is this “nobody” character and why do you want he or she to please try and mention Purcell or Moulson?
(kidding I had your same thought)
[Reply]
Steve W Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:38 am
@Sebastian, How about Jones then!
[Reply]
its been what 26 years sense the floopy heads have won the cup?? Lets not start now, will never hear the end of it. Also do we really want a fenese team on the cup?? Grr i hat the canukes…
[Reply]
The goal for next year, and every year, should be an automatic “Bring the Cup to LA”. JJ said the goal is to go deep in the playoffs. Does that mean he’d be happy with a 2nd or 3rd round exit? I guess I don’t understand how any athlete can settle for anything less than winning it all.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
@Niko,
Just curious, do you really see that comment as he only wants to go 1 or 2 rounds next season?
[Reply]
Hat trick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
@Niko, I hope that game 3 loss and another 1st round exit never heals for anyone of the boys. And the only way to get rid of it is by winning the cup.
[Reply]
Hat trick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
@Hat trick, With the Kings of course!
[Reply]
Laura Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
@Niko, he of course made the comment because we’ve been ousted the last 2 yrs in the first round…so of course that’s his goal…do you really think JJ doesn’t want the cup?! Come on. Just because he didn’t say it?!
[Reply]
IMO consistency is what the Kings need to learn and get to the next level. When we were good, we were really good and when we we bad, we really stunk. Stay on an even keel & don’t get too high after the big win & don’t get too low after the big loss. As a long time fan, I can honestly say we should challenge for the cup next season. Let’s start the “WE WANT THE CUP” chant at the home opener this season so all the players know exactly what we fans expect from them next season.
[Reply]
Murray should cut the hair growing on his ears..
Then again so should I….
At least he doesn’t have a unibrow….
also my dislike for the Sharks and Nux overcomes
my logical mind..Therefore Bolts all the way…
[Reply]
Ravens Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
@SLIM, my new hair trimmer just broke….I feel your pain!
[Reply]
Hat trick Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
@SLIM, It’s already painful enough that the Disney movie turn NHL team wins the cup before LA but to have the other CA team win it before the Kings is just too much to bear.
[Reply]
Ravens Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
@Hat trick, The Sharkboys ain’t going to win that series,, but your right.
[Reply]
Ok I was just joking when I said that in a series between Nux and Sharx that I would vote for the refs to win….but maybe they will (LOL) lets hope they go into 6 overtimes and have all of the knees fall off….by the way Damn does Hamhuis have some good stick work and positioning
[Reply]
Oh how sweet it is. Sharks choke once again. I feel better now.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:08 am
@KFII,
I feel relieved. I can’t feel better though, because the hockeyfan in me says they fought hard, and endured long enough to see some great teams fall apart.
I’ll feel better when I rub it in during the summer. LOL
[Reply]
Steve W Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:42 am
@KFII, Yes but the team with the green condom fans won. Go Bruins/Lightning!
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:43 am
@KFII, But they beat us.
[Reply]
FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:42 am
@KFII, That was the weirdest goal I’ve ever seen…but I’ll take it. I hope the Canucks take the Cup.
[Reply]
KFII Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:53 am
@FKA PakiFro, I have to admit, the Nucks are a very good team this year, but I hope I never ever have to root them on again. Go TB!
[Reply]
3-2 Yucks. Good by Dead Wings, Good by Sharts!!!! You take a career, Todd Bertuzzi, you take a life, Danny Heatley, you never win a cup!
Now let’s hope the East wins the cup.
[Reply]
Ravens Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
@Jack the Lad, Kesler might have whiplash after that open Ice hit by D. Murray,,,lets hope that game did Van in….the east is having a picnick compared to the west, in normal times I think Van wins any day against Bos or TB, but the hard fought games could be the west’s undoing
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:35 am
@Jack the Lad, Huh? We are a Western team, never root for the East.
[Reply]
wow i was watching a unbelive game cancks vs Sharks and of course Sharks chokes again and lost in OT2 so they record was 5-0 vs a 2-2 OT record and not its 5-1 Canucks 3-2
yup the Canucks beat them in their own game was fluky goal tho dont blame them for it but still
and the Head Coach say we damage the Sharks players with our awesomeness Checks of doom sure blame us and Detroit for ur lost in round 3..
[Reply]
Glad to see SJ out of the playoffs. Anyone who beats us is our enemy. Don’t care for VAN either, since they beat us last year. Go TB or BOS!
[Reply]
knee Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:14 am
@jonsey, that’s pretty pathetic way of thinking TBH.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:21 am
@knee,
I’m not condemning it or condoning it, but that’s how fans from all teams look at it.
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:38 am
@jonsey, Only Western teams can beat Western teams. Those are our bi-ches. Go Vancouver!
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:07 am
@Osaka, I kind’a agree there. I personally want the East to do it, but the West has been far better than the East this season. I have a sneaky suspicion we’re going to see the East fight hard, just to see them get creamed by the West.
Go Boston! lol
[Reply]
SLIM Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:10 am
@Osaka,
Yes we are in the west but they aren’t my bi-ches…..
Dislike the Nux and their arrogant fans…
Glad they beat the Sharks though…
But Tampa for me is the way to be…..
[Reply]
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!good to see the sharts get eliminated…….i really enjoyed that………
hope the west wins the cup and not the east………..
next year is our year
GO KINGS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Off topic. But if the Trashers become the Winnipeg Jets, what happens to the alignment? Jets to Western-Central and Preds to Eastern-Southeast? That would make sense, right?
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:41 am
@KingTrojan,
It’s just my pipe dream, but I was hoping for Detroit to the East, and swap out Dallas for Colorado in our division. Winni can play with Edmonton and Vancouver.
Doubt it happens though, and 3 Canadian teams in the same division seems unlikely. Still want Dallas out though.
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:05 am
@Dominick, y u want Dallas out?? and yea kinda hoping Winnipeg get a Hockey team
Atlanta doesnt even want the Thrasher and the NHL might make a plan to keep them there cause they are taking forever to agree on it the owner and Winnipeg already made a agreement to sell it they just taking forever to say we are moving Thrasher to Winnipeg
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:48 am
@KingsFanFTW,
Colorado is a lot closer, less travel. We’ve held our own against Dallas because Crawford sucks as a coach, but they’ve owned the Kings for years. Colorado has never been the same since Patrick Roy retired.
KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 11:10 am
@Dominick, oh i see i hope so LOL
[Reply]
Jack Johnson said exactly what I feel: “It is unacceptable for us to lose in the first round”. It seems like everybody in this blog is satisfied with the growth of the Kings not the fact they lost again in the first round. Even TM in his interview seemed fine with it. It was nice to see Jack wasn’t. Losing in the 1st round two years in a row is not growth. Interesting, the architect of the current Kings DL was also the architect of San Jose. San Jose, like the Kings, is horrible in the playoffs.
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 5:59 am
@Poorman, San Jose has a group to win it…We dont yet so we knew teams like Sharks Canucks Detroit could beat us they werent a hard team..
teams we could of beat was Coyotes,Ducks,Preds thats it
yea am not happy about losing it twice the same round even didnt even win one at playoff home games..Its never a good thing at all.
But we are nothing like the Sharks ok they been in the playoffs way to long and they haven’t even gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals and u want to say we just like them please we are no where near them after all this our second year back in the playoff without Kopi and a half injuried JW and then got a guy back from injury for the past whole season..Come on u got to know the Kings were going to have it rough and had to battle it off and see if they have the right players step it up but u cant when ur a dying injury team.
So saying we just like the Sharks that wrong….Yea its unacceptable to lose twice to two different teams but u except Sharks to be a team like a walk in a park heck no they wanted to prove to the Nah sayers that they can move on to the Stanley Cup Finals and it soo happen to be us to be their First Victim…Yea we could of won it but they failed at the end Sharks had too much Offense to handle..When we get a right healthy team we will do damage in the playoff..So i dont want to hear another Kings Fan saying we are no different to the Shark because the Sharks been in the playoffs for my guess 6 to 7 years now and u see them in the Stanley Cup Finals yet??Thats the real Choker in the playoff of all Hockey History..Yea Kings been in there once they fail and fail at times again and again but they were missing what the Kings have right now Heart and passion…Next seaosn they learn and i see them in round 2 maybe round 3 that if they make it to the playoff and they will
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@Poorman, So if you pout it means you want it more?
[Reply]
Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@Poorman, I don’t hear anyone who is satisfied with losing in the first round, what I hear are people going off the deep end because we didn’t win the Cup, and saying Murray has to go, the team sucks offensively, and we are doomed to mediocrity under the current regime. When people refute that and point out positives, it doesn’t have to mean they are fine with the status quo.
Why do you look for the idea of people settling for less? It isn’t here, and it is way over-simplistic.
[Reply]
Poorman Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
@Player-X, It is simplistic. Did you win or did you lose? DL’s had 5+years to start winning in regular season and playoffs. He hasn’t. How many more years do we hear excuses before someone else gets a chance?
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
@Poorman, I feel the same way you do, only with TM instead of DL. I understand your feelings towards DL, I don’t agree with you, but you have to realize how bad this team was before he got here. We had DB, AK, and JQ who were all 20 or under, and that’s pretty much it. Tampa Bay, who you often compare us to, had Lecavalier and St. Louis in their primes, plus Brad Richards. You blame DL for drafting worse players than Tampa Bay, yet they’ve had better spots in the draft the last 3 years, so of course they are going to draft better.
2010: TB 6th, LA 15th after originally being at 19th.
2009: TB 2nd, LA 5th
2008: TB 1st, LA 2nd
Player-X Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 7:47 am
@Poorman, If your only basis for “winning” is the Stanley Cup, then DL is a failure. That is an unreasonable standard, and no, I am not gonna further respond to those who think that “if you don’t win it all it’s not good enough.” Of course, you want to win it all, but if you don’t, you hardly deserve condemnation for vast improvement, gritty effort, heart and commitment in a valiant attempt.
I also wonder if people that apply this standard to their sport teams also adhere to it in their personal life, because if they are not President of the United States then they are also abject failures.
The Sharks’ miracle comeback just got less miracle-ly. Fortunately there is a God and he is not a Sharks fan. Perhaps he’ll be Kings fan next season. No cup for you Thornton. None for you Heatley. Zilch for you too Marleau.
[Reply]
Poorman Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:41 am
@SaveByCechmanek, Don’t get too excited dude. Sharks formed by DL, Kings formed by DL. Both choke in playoffs.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:58 am
@Poorman,
2 appearances, 1 wounded. There’s no pattern established yet for the Kings. Also San Jose’s DL team has been retooled by another GM so DL is not responsible for what San Jose has done for the last 5 years. Unless you consider Dave Taylor still responsible for todays Kings team does. Then I don’t know what to tell ya.
You can’t hold DL responsible for what San Jose does for the rest of their franchises existence. Would you give DL credit if they won the cup? how bout the fact that they made it to the 3rd round? I think not.
You critisize the Kings for not making it pass the first round, then credit DL for San Jose not making it to the 3rd round. 26 other teams didn’t make the conference finals. Is DL worse because he is responsible for 2 of those 26 teams?
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:02 am
@Dominick, I meant San Jose didn’t make it out of the 3rd round.
IwantTheCup Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:26 am
@Dominick, Thank you for posting that. I agree with you 100%. I’m sick of hearing everyone blaming everything on DL. I LOVE that the Sharks lost in 5 games, ha ha! I actually don’t mind cheering on the Canucks. It’s their year.
gmo Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
@Poorman,
true we might be the next sharks….chokers………..but how many of current sharks players are the works of DL? either by draft,trade or free agent signing? not many i think
[Reply]
im only upset that the sharks didnt lose the series at home and Bieksa didnt skate down the ice and slide on his butt blowing kisses to the sharks fans.
[Reply]
KFII Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:54 am
@Sebastian, LOL
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:42 am
@Sebastian, He’ll get his chance in the next series. LMAO!
[Reply]
why are many of you actually equating wins and loses to God, Voodoo, Karma, Cosmic Screews. God or whomever is not a fan of any team, God does not hate DL, DL doesn’t create teams that don’t do well in playoffs. The Kings and Sharks didn’t win in the playoffs becuase of any other reason than they aren’t as complete a team as Van, neither team has 4 lines that can knock you out, and the Kings went into two post seasons with Williams either out or should have been out, as we as Kopi. We are not damned, neither are the Cubs (LOL)……ok the Cubs are…The kings havn’t won because they have never had the debth to get by with some of their better players either hurt or out,and I’m not just talking about the last two years. We have never, until now, had a complete dedication from ownership to the players, coaches and AHL.
[Reply]
@Player-X
That’s a good post you put above. I do understand what you’re saying. When the argument stays within those perameters ot does fine. It’s the stuff I alluded to that for me presents problem because a lot of people seem to know how things are gonna go next year. They could win the division, then again, they could not even make the playoffs.
But again, your drawer theory makes sense.
[Reply]
Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
@number 6, thanks number 6… First, we bought clothers, then we leasrend to fold them, now we are working on getting full drawers of clothes to all open and close smotthly.
[Reply]
A gem from Down Goes Brown (http://www.downgoesbrown.com/) which goes through how you can tell if a player is diving:
When all else fails, the easiest way to tell that a player is about to dive is by:
a.) His attempt to make eye contact with the referee first.
b.) His use of his hands to brace himself for a fall.
c.) His old mattress that he dragged out onto the ice for a softer landing.
d.) His Canucks jersey.
[Reply]
Ravens Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:25 am
@Shakes, funny stuff Shakes, thanks
[Reply]
I’m still shocked that we are on a 5 game home, playoff losing streak. That’s completely unacceptable. What’s the record?
[Reply]
Compensation adjustment could lead to more offers for restricted free agents
PUBLISHED 39 minutes and 54 seconds ago
Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-05-25/compensation-adjustment-could-lead-to-more-offers-for-restricted-free-agents#ixzz1NOJVASC0
A relatively weak unrestricted free-agent class means general managers may have to get more creative this summer in how they spend money. One option is signing a restricted free agent and the new changes in compensation, obtained by Sporting News, may make that option more attractive.
“Find a team that is near the cap and you can really (mess) with them,” one NHL source said.
Devils forward Zach Parise, who fought through injuries last season, can become a restricted free agent on July 1.
The numbers and compensation are tied to the average league salary, which is $2.3 million.
2011 restricted free agent compensation
An offer with a $1,034,249 annual cap hit or less: No compensation
$1,034,249 — $1,567,043: Third-round pick
$1,567,043 — $3,134,055: Second-round pick
$3,134,088 — $4,701,131: First and third-round pick
$4,701,131 — $6,268,175: First, second and third-round pick
$6,268,175 — $7,835,219: Two first-round picks, a second and third
$7,835,219 and higher: Four first-round picks
Interesting… gKg!
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Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 11:57 am
@LBlocal,
Man! pretty soon the league will get rid of RFA’s all together, and make it a signed or unsigned league. Putting restrictions to lower compensation is only the first step, in what could lead to more restrictions in the future. Good news for the league, bad news for the NHLPA (maybe I got it backwards, I’m not sure).
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Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@Dominick, This is good for players and NHLPA, players can be offered larger contracts. GM’s have an unwritten rule that you never offer another team’s RFA a contract (see Brian Burke).
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
@LBlocal, bottomline: so if someone were to offer DD a phat contract are we screwed?
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LBlocal Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
@Stuart, It’s subjective. Do Four first-round picks mean that we are screwed?
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@LBlocal, hmmm, since you put it that way, maybe maybe not. But we would be up against to match so we would likely lose him, which is bad. And those picks would be in consecutive years? So we would be out a star Dman with more prospects (down the line) in return. I think that’s a screwed for us.
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@LBlocal,
I know it’s a different time, different place, but the Gretzky trade is the only one that comes to mind. That compensation didn’t help an already deep Edmonton Oilers team rebuild to be another Cup contender further down the line.
During that time the Kings rode into history as a team of hopes and dreams, where anything imaginable, could be possible. Unfortunately the all to real crash afterwards left us licking our wounds for a decade.
I think as far as RFA’s I can’t remember any that significant, or ballsy as to match 4 #1 picks.
FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
@LBlocal,
I’d think it’d be $6,268,175 — $7,835,219: Two first-round picks, a second and third. So yes, we’d be screwed, though I think Lombardi would be a fool not to match for Doughty.
LBlocal Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
I’m cautiously optimistic that DL will have signed DD8 prior to free agency.
Parise(NJ), Stamkos(TB) on the other hand… Anyone’s guess.
Osaka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
@Dominick,
St. Louis signed RFA Scott Stevens from Washington and recieved 5 first round picks. The next year St. Louis sign RFA Brendan Shanahan from NJ but didn’t have any first round picks for 5 years so it went to arbitration and NJ was awarded Stevens.
Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Osaka,
I’m sure it happened, I just said I don’t remember any.
Token Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:10 am
@LBlocal, Getting a bunch of picks for the Prima-Donna named Doughnuts would be a blessing in disguise!
Doughty has undeniable talent, but the Kings org has undeniable depth in puck-moving defensemen.
Can we replace the raw talent of Doughty from current ranks? No, not likely.
Can we survive the absence of Dougty’s blunders, excessive lip and ego, and still maintain top five defense with prospects from the current ranks? You bet your donkey!
Not to mention Simmonds would likely get allot better …
But it ain’t gonna happen. Doughnuts sells way too many jerseys.
gmo Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
@LBlocal,
DL better sign DD before july first, before another team decides to throw a curb ball to him and give DD an offer sheet…………that would screw the teams cap space…RAFALSKI is set to retire…what if LIDSTROM retired too, then the wings would be out with purpose trying to sign some grade A dmen………..althou i doubt HOLLAND would do such a dirty thing……
go kings go
[Reply]
Something interesting that struck me last night after the Cantnucks win was during the Panger interview with Bieksmuck he made mention to the long process that has culminated in their 1st trip to SC with this group and he said that they’re core players have been playing together for 7 years… granted, they got passed the 1st round in those 7 years, but would our fandom be patient enough to wait another 3-4 years for our 1st trip to the SCFinals??? Just something to mull over…
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CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
@Stuart, I would be OK if we didn’t reach the finals for another 3-4 years. I wouldn’t be happy, but I wouldn’t be going crazy either. As long as we are playing as a top 3 team for those years. It’s sort of like San Jose. They’ve been a top 3 team the last 5-6 years but haven’t made the finals in any of those years. I wouldn’t be pleased with the lack of a finals experience, but this is Hockey, and the best teams don’t always win in the NHL playoffs. Teams get hot, goalies get hot, fluke goals happen. Just look at the Bieksa goal last night. That was a crazy way to win a game and a series. I know Van outplayed SJ and deserved to win, but imagine that being game 7 and losing in that fashion. That would suck, but those types of things happen in hockey.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
@Stuart,
I guess the Flyers, B’s and Sharks fans have had to deal with the same thing. Gratned the Flyers made it to the finals last year, but I think our (us fans) expectation is a championship team, not just a contender.
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Michael J. Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
@Stuart,
I believe that there are some fans that are certainly patient enough to wait that long. I am one of those fans. I also have a few years on many who post here and might just be more patient in general. I do understand that it takes time to build anything worthwhile. Whether it is a sports franchise, a business, or a structure, if you want it built to last it will take time. Yes, there are shortcuts that can speed up the immediate process, but the results will be short-lived.
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Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
@Stuart, excellent catch, and yes, I can wait as long as I see progress on an individual level. Eventually, that will come together as a team and translate to wins.
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Michael J. Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
@Player-X,
I like the fact that this comes from an NHL player. It really helps to understand the process. I expect the Kings to make progress each of the next few years, with their first realistic chances to win the cup coming two years from now. I think that the potential addition of three or four rookies next season will try our patience as fans once again.
One might hope that things would all pan out in a best-case scenario. Unfortunately, we live in a real world that will see next years rookies (Schenn, Lokti, Voynov?, Hickey?, others?) struggle as they make a huge jump into the NHL.
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Back to my usual rant about team speed. Brian Rafalski retired (as you may or may not know), During his presser he was asked about what was important for a team (sic) to succeed, or in any case to succeed in the nhl.
The First Thing he talked about was how speed is always at a premium and how the most successful players had speed.
I didn’t get that exactly as he said it as my memory has never functioned in a ‘word for word’ way. More of a ‘get the gist of this’ way. But it was unmistakeable. Speed Counts!!
So if we do have Smyth (we will) and Zues (unknown) next year, and Greener (we will) this team still has some very big issues that, if they are serious about winning a Stanley Cup in the future, will need to be addressed.
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Michael J. Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
@number 6,
I think that overall team speed is more important than an individual’s foot speed. Also, it is important that the player learn to use his speed at the right times to be effective with that speed element. What can be lost is the fact that most teams have slow players on their roster, if not all teams.
On the positive, the Kings should continue to get faster over the next few years. Should Lokti, Schenn, Voynov, Hickey, and some of the young guns on the wing make the roster the team’s overall speed will increase.
If we think these issues through to the end we cannot be anything but optimistic about the King’s future in all aspects of the game.
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number 6 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
@Michael J.,
Yeah, makes sense. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve heard that Toffoli for one needs to work on his skating.
But I suppose they’ll integrate in some more speed overall.
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Player-X Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
@number 6, That’s why I wish the league would adopt my proposal for a crowned center ice area, so at least some of the time players can be skating downhill. Sure, it would be tough to get water to stay high in one spot while waiting for it to freeze, but c’mon, we are America and we can do anything…
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@Player-X,
But then they would have to go uphill as well…
Can you imagine what kind of scheme supercoach aka guy Boucher would come up with if he had that to work with!!?
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Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
@FKA PakiFro, If I remember correctly, there was an outdoor roller hockey league that had ramps, but against the walls. I went to a few games right on the beach and had a blast watching. At least I think it was on the beach.
FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:48 am
@FKA PakiFro, I do remember that. Pro Beach Hockey. Marty McSorely’s brother used to coach a team and they used to play with a ball that had liquid in it.
Dominick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 10:36 am
@FKA PakiFro, Ha ha! That was it exactly. It’s all coming back to me now. Thanks!
@Player-X,
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Wow Purcell is ripping it up for Tampa. He just scored his 6th goal, CBC announcers just said LA Kings must be shaking their heads. I hope DL is. He got a rental player in halpern and we gave them Purcell and a pick I believe wow. Worst trade by DL in my eyes. I’m 100% convinced now that under TM and his system young gifted players will never be allowed to develop offensively or to their full potential and those offensively skilled players we get through trade or as free agent signings will just suffer offensively ( ala Penner, ala Poni). We have so much young talent and extremely good prospects, hope we dont ruin or waste all that talent or even lose it TM is a good coach but will never get us to the next level, hope this is his last year as a coach in LA.
Go Kings Go
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Purcell: Two More Goals DL. Nice. But then the Kings are progressing, right? I’m sorry, but 5+ years to get the Kings winning. How many more years does this GM get before he’s held accountable?
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
@Poorman, dude clam down been two years back in the playoff..u exept a Stanley Cup to come out that fast come on really get real
the progress will come when the players start making it happen.He made a good team give him credit to this team..if it wasnt for him we wouldnt be talking about Stanley Cup thats progress open ur eyes….. am tired of u disrespecting this team.to me ur not a fan to pick on the Kings that hard and fast since we didnt make it to round 2 or Stanley Cup Blame us for the Sharks not to make it to the Stanley Cup ,blame us to not get to round 2 seem fair enough but blaming us for the Sharks errors really..Now u saying DL made a bad chocie on letting Purcell go not his fault he was going no where with the Kings so how would he know…There is good trades and therre is bad trades that the way of Hockey…U pick on Quick for everything bad thing then u pick on this whole team so i wonder who u fans with Bernier and Purcell or just Bernier??
Come on Stop it Purcell is long gone..This team still needs to grow up and they on the right path to it..DL doing a great job u just being inpatient..U expect us to be Stanley Cup today that be nice but wake up we are not there yet..We are close.But saying he a Bad GM u totally out of line.A Bad GM would trade Lokti Schenn Bernier Quick Doughty JJ all them would make a bad GM…U dont see what DL see no one that has nothing to do just sit and watch Kings has no clue what DL sees knows or doing..All we have to do is believe in this team and support it
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Stuart Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:42 am
@KingsFanFTW, AMEN FTW! Poorman sounds grumpy.
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CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
@Poorman, What did Purcell do in his time with the Kings to prove he was worth keeping? Answer, not much at all. If you’re going to blame someone for getting rid of Purcell, you’re blaming the wrong guy. Purcell, along with Moulson and Boyle all failed to perform under Terry Murray, and that’s why Dean Lombardi got rid of all of them. My only problem with DL is the fact that he’s kept TM as head coach this long.
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Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
@Poorman, Do you want an exact timetable, or just one that’s rounded off?
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xeropoint Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
@Dominick, What kind of day would it be without a little DL bashing?
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dMan Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
@Poorman, so if I understand this correctly, you believe that trading away 1 player who was never drafted in the NHL and who’s had 20 goals and 60 points in 100 games with Tampa and has managed to turn hot at the right time for one playoff series far outweighs everything Lombardi has accomplished in building this team over the past four years? This is what you mean by accountable?
Purcell was traded at the deadline for Jeff Halpern which was admittedly a questionable move, but then had he not acquired Halpern, impatient fans like you would have criticized him no end for not doing anything at the deadline.
How about we see whether Purcell keeps this scoring touch in the regular season and the playoffs up for the next 3-5 years and judge then.
Some of you guys fail to remember that at the time, Lombardi didn’t have the assets he has now and will have in a couple of years, he had to build the defensive side first and any trade had to involve an asset that was most likely a forward and one that age wise didn’t fit into the long-term plan, knowing full well that other skilled players would eventually crop up and replace any lost (i.e. traded) asset.
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Tony Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
@dMan, They talked about this during the broadcast. The bolts knew they had an extremely talented player who had some deficiencies. They worked on those deficiencies and have created a player who is a valuable asset. Our coach and GM have absolutely no clue. Purcell is just one example of our organization’s complete lack of appreciation for skill. They’d rather have a grinder and teach him skill than take some one with skill and teach him defense and positioning. I got news for TM and DL: you can’t teach skill!! I got news for the rest of you: TM is a terrible coach and DL is at best adequate!
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Poorman Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 4:26 am
@dMan, Please answer my ? if you don’t mind. How many more years does he get until the Kings have to win a playoff series?
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fsd1 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 8:44 am
@Poorman, probably until his contract runs out
puck73 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 10:35 am
@Poorman, Wow, I have been off the blog a couple of days, I come back, and @poorman is kicking Dean Lombardi in the mouth, wow, shocker ! Ya know Jimmy, I warned you that if you continued trashing DL that some of the more experienced bloggers who have forgotten more about hockey then you will ever know would line up, and destroy you with facts and reason. I think I will say it again, I think you need to be a fan of another team because you are not happy with this organization and your posts clearly show that time and again.
Dominick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 10:07 am
@dMan,
Poorman doesn’t usually complain about that. I’m sure he has his views on it, but I don’t see how you figure to further the Purcell arguement out of that. If you have an agenda, find a post that at least pertains to what you want to talk about. Don’t twist some elses post up.
He’s usually only concerned with wins or losses, and wether we’re seeing a pattern. He feels DL is responsible for us not being a cup candidate , and exiting the first round twice in a row (not my views, Poormans).
[Reply]
fsd1 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 10:58 am
@Dominick, and @poorman states the same “stuff” on every freaking thread.
Stuart Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:16 am
@fsd1, and wasn’t that against the rules that are clearly posted to the right of the screen??
fsd1 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@Stuart YES!
Dominick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:30 am
fsd1 Now your getting personal. I don’t state the same stuff, but and your knee jerk reaction is duely noted.
Stuart Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:33 am
@Dominick, I don’t think the comment about spewing the same vitriol was meant for you but rather for pobre.
fsd1 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:34 am
@dominick Not meant for you sir.
Dominick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:43 am
@fsd1,
I apologize for my comment. I do enjoy your posts, and took it very personal.
@Stuart,
thank you.
Interesting, I am watching the game on CBC and Kelly Hrudey said Gretzky was the best he’s seen at dumping the puck in.
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CB14 Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
@Osaka, How is that interesting? Gretzky was the best at pretty much everything offensivly, except for checking of course. You know the reason why Hrudey didn’t say Gretzky was the best he’s seen at passing the puck, is because everyone already knows he’s the greatest passer in the history of the game.
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Hat trick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 6:51 am
@Osaka, ??? I’m not sure I understand what that means? Dumping the puck into the zone isn’t that hard.
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Stuart Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Hat trick, to the naked eye, but it’s all about puck placement and how hard the dump-ins are…I think if Gretz was that great at dumping with a purpose then he should share with our team the finer nuances of the dump.
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Player-X Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
@Hat trick, dumpin easy, retreival hard
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Wow Tampa’s players are not as good as the Kings but they actually have a coach. Mark my words, Guy Boucher will be the next Scotty Bowman. TM? No comment…
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
@jess, LMAO u made me laugh about TM no comment but u are soo true about TM i dont think he can make this team get a Stanley Cup but i believe he can make this team go to round 2
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xeropoint Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
@jess, I do love their style. The Bolts are an exciting team.
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Sebastian Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 8:07 am
@jess, im pretty sure their players and their coach are better than the kings. thats why theyre still playing and the kings are not. you dont get this far in the playoffs with crappy players. then again the East is super easy conference to win in according to what ive read on here. Pittsburgh and Washington are super easy teams to beat.
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Mississaugua won their game today..
And better yet so did the Bolts..
Game 7 and Tampa wins…then beat the Nux…
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Ravens Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
@SLIM, Kitsyn got another point, they’ve been showing them on NHLN the following mornings
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My wife just read my post’s to see what it is I do on here all the time…she called me a dork!
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Dominick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
@Ravens, Find out if they have a blog for Sex in the City.
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Ravens Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
@Dominick, Ha!! no kidding
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dMan Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
@Ravens, she called you a dork?! Did she tweet or share that info on Facebook?
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Hat trick Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
@Ravens, I would take that as a compliment. At least you have interests!
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Dominick Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 8:49 am
@Ravens, Tell her it’s better than porn.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:16 am
@Dominick,
Ask her if she’d rather you spend your time on porn or here. I think she would take a different outlook about being on this blog!
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something tells if DD is not signed, he will be offerd something in 6 mil a year. I hope DL gets him signed before July 1st
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Token Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:14 am
@Sammuch, I hope he gets a $7.5M offer sheet and DL takes the picks.
Just make sure the halfboard door doesn’t hit him in the doughnuts on the way out.
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Stuart Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:45 am
@Token, ummm, I didn’t see the sarcasm font there Token. What does it all mean man?
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I heard from a guy on the corner who talked to a scout for an unnamed hockey team in Reseda that the Kings are going to trade DD and AK to NJ for Kovalsuk and then package him in a deal to Montreal for Camallerri and then send Bernier to Tampa for Purcell and Quick to NY for Boyle while Schenn is beng traded for Moulson and 2 draft picks in 2024. Penner was mentioned to several teams but the best offer the Kings could get for him were a 6-pack of PBR, a pound of sauerkraut and the entire N-Sync CD collection (I heard DL is still considering it if the other team is willing to take JK also). The other tip he had was that TM was going to be fired and Phil Jackson brought in to deal with the former-and-now-new-King superstars and implement the new triangle PP offense. How many more days until the new season starts?
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Kingsfanone Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 9:20 am
@DesertKing,
Wait a second. Did you say the ENTIRE NSYNC collection?
Let me ponder………
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fsd1 Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 11:15 am
@DesertKing, LMAO! good one!
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DesertKing Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
@fsd1,
It is a long way until the start of our Stanley Cup run next season and we need to have fun being Kings fan until then
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Player-X Reply:
May 26th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@DesertKing, vewy nishe, thweeeeet
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Two Things:
Have No expectations for next season, just do your job, which is to ply hockey for 3 full periods, every shift every game 100%.
Improve playoff record @HOME, 1-6 over last 2 years will not do.
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