Hope everyone had a good weekend. It should be a fun week, as we transition into the draft and, shortly after that, the start of the free-agency period. For now, here’s the start of the Dean Lombardi interview from Saturday. As posted the other day, a variety of topics were discussed, so I’ll break up the interview into segments. That should allow everyone to focus and comment on one issue at a time (as well as prevent massive eye-strain all at once…) So here’s the first part, and the part that probably has generated the most curiosity of late: the status of the Kings’ contract negotiations with Drew Doughty…
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Question: What is the status of the Doughty contract talks?
LOMBARDI: “It’s fair to say that, particularly over the last three weeks, we’re at the stage where you would consider them to be serious discussions. I think the situation is probably unique, or maybe it’s not unique and it’s just the nature of the way the game is now. But traditionally, in the past, a lot of these contracts for restricted free agents often didn’t get done until the end of August. There was an old school of thought, that a lot of GMs would say, `What’s the sense of talking in July and August? Nothing gets done.’ Because traditionally, in any negotiation, whether it’s a player contract, the CBA or a TV contract, it always comes down to the end. But in this case, we’ve tried to accelerate it, not only because he’s certainly a player that you envision being a cornerstone of your franchise.
“There’s two things. One, you’d like to get it done so you know what you can do to improve your team. So you don’t want to go out, with the whole theory of `the grass is always greener,’ and not take care of your own. That doesn’t apply here. You’ve got to take care of your own, particularly if you’ve got a player of this caliber. But, that said, you’d like to say, `OK, it’s done, and let’s go out and improve the team.’ So, given the magnitude of the contract, you’d like to put that in place. Secondly, I also think it’s important because my experience in this area — and I guess I have very good first-hand experience, because arguably it cost me my job in San Jose, where there was a group of young players got together and held out. It’s not only the holdout. What happens with young players is, it really disrupts their focus and their routine in the offseason. So not only did those players hold out, but their learning curve kind of became stymied, because it took away from the critical part of their career when they need to totally focus on getting better. Also, particularly in Drew’s case, we’ve still got some work to do in order to get him to the area where he prepares to compete. Nobody questions that when he puts on a pair of skates, he competes. But part of being a real pro is preparing to compete, and that’s what so many young players have to learn. So I’m expecting him to take a step here in his conditioning.
“It’s somewhat like Kopitar. Remember Kopitar’s first couple years? He was at the bottom of all our conditioning charts. Last year was the first year that he moved up to average, overall, and I expect him to take another step. Drew is kind of similar, but we’re trying to accelerate it here. I think whenever you have a young player with the uncertainty of a contract or whatever, it really disrupts their focus. Then, particularly if they hold out and don’t show up to camp, it’s not about how good he’s going to be this year, it’s about whether he’s going to be here. So those are the two years we really accelerated this, to get this done now, was to prepare to build the rest of our team and to ensure that he is focused on his preparation, in taking another step. So, like I said, this started… I went up there (to Toronto) four weeks ago and opened up the dialogue (with agent Don Meehan). It was very clear, at that time, where it looked like it was headed. We came back and did our planning, looked at our options and what we could offer him, looked at the market, went to the GM meetings and then I flew up to Toronto from those meetings for another meeting (with Meehan). When you have the first meeting, you’re kind of laying the ground rules or whatever. This one was a little more focused. Things become clearer and we say, `OK, if this is going to get done, this is probably where it needs to be.’ Then I think we made a very serious offer to him this past week. I’m hoping to really push this forward at the draft.”
Question: Does the prospect of an offer sheet concern you at all?
LOMBARDI: “It’s something that enters into the equation. Let me just put it this way. Anything can happen. I don’t think it’s likely. And it didn’t have any bearing on us trying to bring this to a close quickly. I gave you the two reasons that we were moving quickly. One, to build the rest of the team and, two, to get Drew focused. Getting serious about this offer, versus letting things drag out throughout the summer, the offer-sheet part was not entering the equation. So, are you concerned about it? It could happen, but it wasn’t a factor in us trying to get this done. It’s more of a byproduct. This is a very significant offer anyway, and if you’re going to make offers based on the threat of someone giving an offer sheet, I think you’re going to have real trouble. it’s hard enough, as it is, putting your payroll in order, the way salaries have gone for young players. Now if you’re going to add an offer-sheet-potential inflator, you’re not going to be able to build your team.”
Question: There are some other RFAs there — Wayne Simmonds most notably — and then you have a make a decision on whether to bring back a guy like Handzus…
LOMBARDI: “That kind of all ties in, right? We certainly want to try to improve our team, but our ability to address some of these other issues, in large part depends on getting Drew’s number solidified, so we know exactly what we can and can’t do. So that ties into the reason number one about why we’re doing this (Doughty contract) now. It’s very difficult to answer those questions now.”
Thanks, Rich.
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LBlocal Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
http://youtu.be/Uav5N84pSnA Seems like just yesterday… Oh, the memories…
My fav quips are between 4:45 – 5:00 and 6:11 on…
Hey Drew. A promise is a promise. Don’t (EVER) give up on childhood dreams!
gKg!
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LBlocal Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:43 am
Via Twitter_ESPNLeBrun Pierre LeBrun 12:35P EST
“Speaking of Meehan, he’s slated to meet tomorrow with Kings re: Doughty and Lightning re: Stamkos” Sheesh!
gKg!
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Its good to hear that Green is influencing Penner to get in shape. It would be great if that guy came in as the power forward that his frame allows him to be. Plus the scoring threat that he has been.
I see him and kopitar and Williams being a really good first trio. Then if we can lock up another top scoring forward…Zack Parise?…Then it would be watch out Sharks, you may just have some killer whales after your crown.
What I can say at this point; October where is your place?
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puck73 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:59 am
@centericeman, I dont think Penner wants to be on Matt Greene’s bad side.
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DesertKing Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:01 am
@puck73,
Yep, Matt can take all of his money during those ping-pong tournaments.
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Bluecoconuts Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@puck73, He’s probably more afraid of Mitchell. He tells it how it is, and has fought teammates at practice.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
@Bluecoconuts, true that no one wants to be on mitchell or Green bad side they get destroyed
KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
@puck73, i dont think anyone wants to be on Greens bad side he a monster lol
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:47 am
@centericeman, Devils are sending Parise’s to arbitration. That means no other team can put up an offer sheet and he becomes an UFA and the end of next season. There is still the possibility for a trade, but Parise becomes basically a rental player if you trade for him.
Looks like Parise is off the table for now, but I’m still a newbe on this stuff so I could be wrong.
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DesertKing Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
@KC23,
What if you work out a deal with NJ where they sign him to a multi-year deal that they cannot afford but we are happy with and then work out a trade with us? Other posters are correct in that to get someone like Parise, you have to give something up. There are not a lot of Parise’s out there, but there are quite a few Simmonds, Leiws’, Richardson’s, etc., with some even being in our current farm system. We have a significant amount of talent ready to come up from Manch, with smaller contracts than our current players, but with tremendous upside inthier skill sets. Itis going to be fun to see what happens.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
@DesertKing, NJ has enough cap space to sign him with cap going up $5M. i’m guessing they will sign him to a one-year deal and then try to re-sign him to a long-term deal when they get some relief next year.
Parise isn’t going anywhere.
Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
@DesertKing,
The Kings could not offer multiple years till they have the rights to negotiate those years. NJ still owns Parise’s rights for 1 more year. The arbitration is to set a price for that 1 year. Based on the results, the Kings can sign him to an offer sheet (which is doubtful, because they have their own RFA’s to deal with, and wouldn’t want offer sheets being made on their players), but the Kings can’t make offers past that.
KC is right,
If you trade for him, your only trading for that 1 year. After that, he’s a UFA, and can walk. So giving up everything to aquire him now is too risky for just 1 year. No gaurantee that after we bring him here, we could sign him long term, and if it doesn’t happen, then next summer we’re back at square 1, minus what we gave up to get him this summer.
Sounds like they put a bug offer on the table, hopefully drew takes it and gets focused on becoming great.
He really needs to come back in condition and ready to work hard, and not fancy
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:49 am
@stillkingly, DL also said Kolvabucks off was big, but in relative terms it wasn’t even close. We’ll see.
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Action Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
@KC23,
It was big. Wasn’t it $85M over 10 years?
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@Action, Not even close. Here’s the link to a story by Rich that shows what we offered.
http://lakingsinsider.com/2010/08/12/poll-time/
It says DL offered 15 years for 80 million total, while NJ offered 17 years for 102 million, which was really like 13 years for 100 million.
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
@Action, That was NJ’s offer not the Kings.DL offered something like 6.5mil a year for several years.
jmsalsa Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@Action,
i think action’s right — NJ’s offer was $100M+
RLane420 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
@KC23, If the deal we offered Kovalchoke wasnt big to you, you must be Mr. Anshutz. Because 13 years 80 mil is a hella offer to me. Your paycheck must be staggering, can I borrow some loot.
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damn iphone, BIG offer not BUG offer
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Shakes Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:48 am
@stillkingly,
that’s funny haha, i was like “that’s a new term, ‘bug offer’, must mean small which is not how I read Dean’s comments at all”
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Melissa Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:06 am
@stillkingly, stupid smart phones
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I love that DL is focusing on the prep work over the summer with everyone. This is where they start pushing this team to the next level. Would love to see DD come back a few lbs lighter and quicker. Is it October yet?!!
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Rich,
I thought there was a good possibility that DD might be signed to a one year contract, then deal with the big payday next summer… Reading this from DL, it looks like the Kings want to nail him down long term now… is that your take on it too?
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lafan13 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:36 am
@Kings win, Ducks lose,
i think ur right…..
Drew had a sub-par season last year… so his value went down… making LA want to sign a long term deal @ this lower value’d doughty…
Well Drew knows this, and he wants a short term (maybe 2 year?) contract so he has an opportunity to be another Norris candidate, and get a bigger better richer contract when hes an UFA in a few years…
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Kings Win, Ducks Lose Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:41 am
@lafan13, I think they also know that the Kings will be shedding a lot of cap space one year from now with Smyth, Penner, Stoll, & Mitchell all due to be UFA’s… There should be more money to disperse next year
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DesertKing Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:44 am
@lafan13,
I agree with both of you. Part of the reason for DD’s sub-par year was the concussion he recieved at the beginning of the season. After that, he wasn’t quite the DD of the past two seasons. Hopefully the time off has helped him recover fully. Inoticed that DL mentioned the need to get him “focused” which could be an indicator that he is still recovering.
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Jay Wad Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
@DesertKing,
“Focused” had nothing to do with his concussion. “Focused” meant cutting back on the long nights in Hermosa and the poor eating habits. Also, he’s gone this far without having to workout because he is so talented naturally, so getting a guy to become a workout warrior at his age and at this stage in his life is difficult. On a Friday night, he’s not at the gym, he’s crushing it at Sharkeez.
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:52 am
@Kings win, Ducks lose, DL could do what the Devils and Preds are doing with Parise and Weber … send the contract to arbetration which locks em up for the year, but then they become UFA a year from July 1st.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
@KC23, I don’t think DD qualifies for arbitration yet. All we have to do is offer him a qualifying offer that is 10% more than he made last year. DD’s not eligable for UFA until he’s 28. Parise and Weber would be UFA’s after next year regardless of recieving arbitration or not. I think that’s all correct, but quisp would know better than I do.
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Action Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
@KC23,
Not this year. You need four years of NHL experience at minimum to be eligible for salary arbitration.
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
@Action, ah ty. Didn’t know that.
Gretz98 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
@KC23, As far as I remember, the Kings and Doughty can’t opt for arbitration. Those rights aren’t reserved for players coming off of their entry level deals. Plus, Doughty’s not eligible to become an UFA for at least another 3-4 years.
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I’m glad he learned his lesson from the SJ debacle. I hope it gets done really quickly.
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jayhay Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:37 am
@FKA PakiFro, how did the SJ thing go down?
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Jorgen Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:11 am
@jayhay, SJ’s CEO forced DL to dump salary by getting rid of their star players. At the same time; Nabokov and Stuart held out for better contracts and did not show up for training camp. That lead to his firing.
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jayhay Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:24 am
@Jorgen, thx.
kennynakamoto Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:35 am
@Jorgen, lol and we all know where Nabokov landed…. or do we?? LOL
I think this will be a huge year for Doughty. He went thru some adversity last year for probably the 1st time in his hockey life. The great one’s use that to build character and become even better.
I expect that from DD.
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jayhay Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:10 am
@nykingfan, maybe i’m pessimistic, or a cynic, but DD using the adversity as motivation, or as a fire? i dunno, i’m not holding my breath. i hope i’m wrong. i just think we’re a couple years away from a mature, professional Drew Doughty; what “they” call a pro’s pro.
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bonvivant1 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:44 pm
@jayhay, someone previously posted that DD is still so good even without being a “pros pro” that he makes average, well conditioned defenseman look subpar. That’s a scary thought. He loves LA and he knows what it takes to win. Sign the guy, get him the best personal trainer and wait until next year. If I were making 6mil a year I would be up at the crack of dawn slamming raw eggs, running 10 miles, hitting the gym, sucking down protein shakes and skating. All this before noon. Afterwards I would call other players and hit the gym again then slam down some more protein shakes.
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PK Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
@nykingfan, DD’s play and drive are in his hands. He is not a smart hockey player and really showed it this year. Management wants to see him grow mentally and psychically. The upside to DD is his talent and age. It’s a matter of time before his mental clicks with his psychical. He will be a great player for years to come, however at the moment, DL will try to use that as a bargaining block.
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nykingfan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@PK,
Not a smart player? No way
Immaturity perhaps, but hockey intelligence is there. You don’t do the things he does without having hockey smarts.
He’s playing the toughest position for a young player to play and being asked to carry the heavy workload for the Kings.
Don’t mistake youth and immaturity for hockey stupidity.
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RLane420 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
@PK, What nykingfan said!
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Doughty’s contract really sets the stage for the rest of the off-season. if he signs quickly for a decent cap hit then DL can quickly re-sign the other RFAs and possibly go get someone else and maybe even work a trade or two to make a run at Richards.
if Meehan plays hardball and this drags on it will put DL in a tough situation. it will tie his hands on UFAs and may cause him to have to make a move he doesn’t want to make at the draft.
hopefully Doughty realizes his contract directly affects his buddy Simmonds and whether he is re-signed as well as the rest of the team. i don’t know much about Meehan but i hope he cares more about Drew and the Kings than he does about putting up a big number. i hate that an agent can directly effect the course of the offseason for the Kings.
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Kings Win, Ducks Lose Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:36 am
@Dave,
Jack Johnson represented himself for his seven year deal… Kinda refreshing
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Goring 19 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:48 am
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, was thinking the same thing. Jack gets it, he knows what’s happening here and wants to be a part of it. I was kinda hoping Drew would have felt the same way. Oh well, we’ll see what happens.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:00 am
@Goring 19, i can’t blame Drew for having an agent, but hopefully he’s telling the agent what to do instead of the other way around. if the agent is calling the shots then it becomes all about the money and that’s when things can go really bad.
i’m hoping Drew’s desire to be a King and his close friendship with Wayne is enough to get him to sign a cap-friendly long-term deal. it is better for everyone to sign a Keith-like long-term deal than to sign a short-term deal and have to do it again in a couple of years. with all the major head injuries in the NHL and considering Drew’s concussion last year one would think both sides would benefit from a long term, cap friendly deal.
say $55M over 10 years – that sounds pretty good to me.
jayhay Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:02 am
@Goring 19, these guys’ personalities seem like they’re night and day from each other.
puck73 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@Goring 19, Jack Johnson definately wants to be here, nobody questions that. Him signing here without an agent shows that. That being said, Jack Johnson at the present age of 24 couldnt carry Drew Doughty’s jock when it comes to hockey IQ for a defensemen. Even though Doughty is still a little inconsistent, he is miles ahead of JJ in positional defense in his own zone and his plus minus shows that.
Goring 19 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:15 am
@Dave, I can’t blame Drew for having an agent either. From what I know about the Drew Doughty story, he always wanted to be a King from the time he was a kid, the Gretzky thing etc. And we all know this is a business, however, I share Dean’s concern about this dragging on until August or September and the player losing focus and the off season routine getting out of wac, I don’t think it will but the concern is there. If the agent gets him a good deal, more power to him. I just think maybe DD could’ve wrote his own ticket. But whatever happens happens, let’s just get the deal done.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
@Dave, I don’t think DL will let it drag on. All he has to do is offer DD a qualifying offer that gives him a 10% raise from the previous year. DL knows that he can simply threaten to cut off negotiations with DD on a multi year deal, and just offer him the qualifying offer, so that gives him leverage in the negotiations. DD can’t go anywhere unless another team signs him to an offer sheet, and we could match any offer he got. The downside to only offering him the qualifying offer is that he would be pissed off at Kings Management, and potentially hold it against them in future negotiations.
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Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
@Dave,
I’m glad that is why Dean is tackling the problem early. Traditionally the 2 sides would only be looking at preliminary talks right now. DL has already stepped it up to a serious offer. Hopefully the 2 sides are in the same ball park, and a deal can be hammered out soon.
No one should look at this as DD’s doing the negotiating personally. DD is just waiting like everybody else to see what happens (comparison to JJ is unfair, because JJ’s case was very unique, in that most players never go that route during their whole careers, so holding everybody to JJ’s standard/example is wrong, because it won’t happen very often with very many players, if at all) I’m sure the longer it drags out, the more concerned he will be too, and that concern is the distraction that DL is talking about (that could make him lose focus).
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You hear all the player speculation and thoughs on this blog, and there’s a good number, (Waves, Bako, Token, only to name a few) That are dead on. Then there’s the crazies calling for doughty’s head after last season or ragging on Jack after locking up his contract and then playing.. well we’ll go mediocre.
All I can say is, thank god for Deano, This man -really- knows what he’s doing. Always love reading what he has to say.
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puck73 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:12 am
@Tmik, Phil Anshutz and Tim Leiweike’s hiring of Dean Lombardi in 2006 was the best thing that could have happened to this organization. As far as some people who think Phil is cheap, trust me, he’s not. If we didnt have a hard salary cap in the NHL, Phil would outspend anyone, ask David overpaid David Beckham.
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Stuart Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:09 am
@puck73, I’m pretty sure you know how I feel about AEG, and I must say that using Beckham as an expample of Uncle Phil’s willingness to spend on an athlete is a little skewed. While Uncle Phil did in fact way overpay for said footballer, it had more to do with the fact that AEG own HALF of all MLS teams and stadiums and he has a much greater vested interest in having soccer “stick” here in the states. Everyone must remember, owning the Kings was just a stepping stone into getting his hands into the land/stadium pie that was Los Angeles.
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man, i hope doughty does the “adult” thing here and signs this contract….
him holding out for big bucks will do nothing but handcuff this team’s cap room, divert mgmt focus to away from draft… and leave a sour taste for fellow players.
Dean is right. In order for DD to properly prepare for next season, the contract signing needs to be behind him…
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Paul Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:13 am
@lafan13, “Adult” how about he does what best for him and his family the way any “professional” would
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lafan13 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:04 am
@Paul,
you are correct…. but he also must take into account the promises and commitment he has made to this team. The # at which DD signs for is going to be very important for this team.
IMO drew should be the highest paid defensive men on the team And top 10 at least in the NHL.
But at the same time, it needs to be reasonable to give the team room to improve.
its hard to say what drews intentions really are when the details of the contract are unknown. But i can assume dean wants long term contract for an undervalued drew… and drew wants short term contract to attempt to raise his stock next year.
Time will tell
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PK Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
@lafan13, promises and commitment??? wtf. This is a business. Take your heart out of it for the moment and look at it as a hypothetical. You think the Kings have DD’s best interest in heart? No. They are a business, making a business decision trying to get the best deal possible. DD has an agent trying to get him the best deal.
number 6 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:07 am
@Paul,
His family? His family is his parents. Is that what you’re referring to?
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I think this is about as optimistic and upbeat as Lombardi can get in a discussion about contracts, and I”m happy to hear it. That being said, I’m much more concerned about Simmonds getting an offer than Doughty. Clearly Lombardi would match almost an deal offered up, and if for some reason he didn’t it would cost the signing team dearly in picks but Simmonds could be one of those players that other teams could overpay for (i.e. Penner a few years back) and the cost to do so (future draft picks) wouldn’t be as daunting. I certainly hope Lombardi is pursuing Simmonds’ signature as quickly as he is Doughty’s.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:56 am
@bickleton wigglesworth III, hopefully Drew understands this – if he plays hardball it may mean that Wayne is somewhere else next year.
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408kingsfan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
@Dave, there is no loyalty in proffesional sports. Players go where the most csh flows period.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
@408kingsfan, not always – but i agree more times than not.
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
@408kingsfan, Mitchell didn’t.
Here’s what I read thru Deano’s long winded answer…
Doughty needs to get in shape!
And I concur. The only time he really got in shape was before he was drafted. since then, it’s been too many Big Macs.
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Paul Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:14 am
@dahack11, He weighed 240 lbs when hes was drafted
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Steve Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:36 am
@dahack11, Le Big Mac
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Shakes Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:52 am
@Steve, I prefer Royale’s with Cheese.
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Stuart Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:13 am
@Shakes, what do they call a whopper? I don’t know I dind’t go into Burger King…
one of the most classic dialouge’s in the history of cinema!
KOHO Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Maybe his weight is an issue because he drinks way too many sodas! Statistic came out the other day saying one soft drink a day over a years time is worth an extra 10 lbs on the body..how many does drink a day?
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I too read through the lines about the conditioning issue with DD. Not just him apparently though with Dean mentioning Kopi as “average” shape last year. Sure he wasn’t talking about Penner? I hope Kopi’s on the bike right now. We’ve only got 3 1/2 months till the season starts. I wonder what a super-conditioned Kopi-Doughty-Penner would look like? Think we’ll find out this year?
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:36 am
@Goring 19,
Perhaps they’d look like Stanley Cup Champs? This team has talent, they just need more dedication and level-headed-ness…oh and another top-six or two.
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Shakes Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:55 am
@FKA PakiFro,
and Kopi has to learn how to make his ankles more bendy. But seriously folks overall i think a top 6 forward is the key because it can:
(1) bail us out of a game that we don’t deserve to win – and when our goaltending is generally quite good, that is not asking too much we could probably add 4-5 more wins by getting 15-20 more goals from someone actually.
(2) blow open some of our close games so we never have to goto a shootout (and give up points) or play our top guys for big minutes in the 3rd period of mid-season regular season games
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:05 am
@Shakes,
The Kings need someone like Ziggy Palffy. Who’s available? Parise is going to arbitration so no offer sheet for him and Lou won’t trade him til after that at the earliest. Maybe Setoguchi? But he’s only a 25 goal guy. Iginla is a lifer in Calgary. Gaborik showed promise his first year in New York as far his injury history was concerned but quickly returned to his old self this past season. Perhaps someone on the Caps?
http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/points/sort/goals/year/2011/seasontype/2
Looking at the goal leaders, I dont know who’d be available that is a semi-decent game breaker.
number 6 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:09 am
FKA PakiFro:
No one is available that would fit the description of what the Kings are looking for. Available in the sense of a trade? Maybe, but if it’s someone good you’re gonna give up something good so it’s sort of a wash.
Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:37 am
@FKA PakiFro
Unless DL finds a way to move Smyth we won’t be seeing another impact top-6 forward this year unless Schenn or Loktionov become that guy.
we are stuck with a top-6 of Penner-Kopi-Williams and Smyth-Stoll-Brown for at least one more year unless DL finds someone to take some salary. the cap it going up $4-$5M so the few teams that were bumping up against it will be able to keep most of their players (flyers, canucks)
but with a healthy parse and hopefully an in shape penner that is more comfortable with the system it will be like we signed two scoring forwards compared to last year’s lineup.
Brownkingsfan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
@Goring 19, Kopi can’t get on a bike or do any serious cardio for another month or two. I think he mentioned August in a recent interview. Right now he is using a “hand bike” thing.
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Goring 19 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
@Brownkingsfan, I was half-joking
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Thing about getting in shape is that there is basically always “better” shape.
Last year’s team started 12-3 without Doughty scoring too much. He did not need to play up or score in the first 15 games. Doughty said in an interview that he felt he was playing better, just not scoring. Makes sense to me.
Then Doughty got concussed and he said in an interview that it took awhile before he felt right after the injury and time off. Last half of the season, Doughty started putting up better offensive #’s.
Looking at Doughty’s season with these points in mind, Doughty’s offensive numbers fell off but his last season was a pretty good one overall. His defense has really improved IMO and it seemed to me that I saw teams choosing to avoid attacking on Doughty’s side of the ice.
Lombardi’s doing his work. The O’Sullivan negotiation fiasco really set back Patty O. Seems to me it behooves Doughty to take a little less $ so he can have a stronger team around him–hopefully Doughty and his agent have similar views. My $.02 uninformed prediction, long term contract around 5 mill a year.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am
@vicarious, everything that could have gone wrong for Doughty last year did – hopefully that’s a good thing in the long run for DL. if he can sign Doughty to a long-term deal for a little less because of last year that is only going to help the team. i hope your prediction is right – it sounds pretty good to me. Duncan Keith deal sounds about perfect for Doughty.
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red49er Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
@vicarious, 6.5, 6.5,7.5,7.5,8.5,8.5/yr. my prediction to what his numbers will be.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
@red49er, i hope not – that would tie DL’s hands completely.
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For those of you who think Meehan has DD’s best interests at heart, let me tell you the facts. Meehan wants the most he can get (for his 10 or 15%)and could care less about the team. He represents many players from different teams and the team means nothing to him. The $$$$$ are what counts to an agent. Remember the negotiations with O”Sullivan wherein his agent wanted an exhorbitant amount for a 1 year Player! That sent POS off the Kings roster and the mixed up kid is now in hockey oblivion. Let us pray that DD has some insight into Meehan’s tactics and knows how to speak up for himself.
On that note, October cannot come soon enough!!!
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dMan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
@poe, Meehan is one of the top agents in the game. Yes, he wants top dollar for his clients, but he knows how and where to draw the line. He also wants to keep his clients which means they have to be happy not just about the money, but where they want to play, etc. It’s a balancing act.
The bottom line in any negotiation is what’s fair to all parties involved. If one side agrees but still feels cheated, then there will always be bitterness and resentment. Good agents know and understand this. They present their clients with the offer(s), discuss the pros and cons and it’s up to the client to agree or disagree.
I believe Lombardi negotiates in good faith and is fair and reasonable taking into account short, mid and long-term financial impacts to his organization and he lays his cards on the table.
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On a sidenote i just want to make sure that we’re careful of not labeling people good or bad because they have agents or people handling the business side of things. Most players have them and frankly, if I were a player I’d want someone else handling all the details, as long as I helped guide the overall ship if i felt a contract looked okay (as opposed to being completely hands-off)
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I like the frank discussion regarding player conditioning and it would be nice to expand on that. It seems to go back to a broad question about maturity and mental toughness that i think some people see as a big question with this team. Lombardi has mentioned it before and pretty much hit the nail on the head when he said,
“we’ve still got some work to do in order to get him to the area where he prepares to compete. Nobody questions that when he puts on a pair of skates, he competes. But part of being a real pro is preparing to compete, and that’s what so many young players have to learn.”
I can see why Lombardi puts so much emphasis on “character guys” You need these guys to pass on the right mentality and work ethic to the younger generation (which may ultimately be the bigger of the two evils by bringing in Penner). If your team’s character guys can pass on attitude, their value becomes infinitely greater than what you see on the stat sheet. And vice versa, if the team leaders cannot find the right combination of methods to properly mentor and motivate the young guys, they have pretty much failed… I want to see this team show the same compete off the ice as they claim to demonstrate on the ice. Then i’ll know we’ve got something special. Right now it just seems like a bunch of gifted athletes still stuck in college mode…
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DL really needs to have HBO’s 24/7 follow him around. Gotta love a GM like DL and his honesty. I’m not sure how many GM’s in this league would give so much info to their fans. Rich you and DL should write a book.
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Shakes Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
@PK,
HBO would run out of microphone tape, the people who write close captioning would strike due to the overtime work that they have to put in writing everything Deano says down, and HBO would go bankrupt.
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Thank you Dean & Rich. I wasn’t sure I needed a new prescription for eyeglasses, until now.
We don’t have a lot of ‘Absolutes’ about the current situation, other than a ‘Big’ offer has been made to Drew. Right now, I think this simply comes down to what Drew wants for his career. Does he want to be the first to lead this team to a Stanley Cup? (Something even Wayne Gretsky couldn’t do.) Does he want to continue to evolve and elevate his game like the great players do? (Which is clearly the attitude DL wants from him). There are a lot of questions that Drew will eventually answer one way or another.
I DO like the fact that DL is approaching this with aggression, laying it out on the table for Drew here. He’s publicly admitted in this interview that Drew basically has the leverage as his decision will influence where DL goes next. I certainly think DL’s point is valid about the necessary focus Drew needs right now and why doing this early is so important.
Ball is in Drew’s court & hopefully Drew is willing to sign it and get to work winning us that Cup.
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You got to love that Lombardi challenges his players. The ultimate goal is to win a Cup, you want to win a Cup with us, we need you to take this seriously, come into camp in shape cause it’s a long grueling season and the playoffs will tax you even more. You don’t want to take it seriously, then maybe this isn’t the team for you.
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Just for fun:
Predictions for next year
1. Kings make it to the 3rd round of the Playoffs
2. Penner shows up in great shape and regains the chemistry that he had with Kopitar.
3. Penner scores 30 goals and has 30+ assists.
4. Quick maintains his shootout dominance but will not go undefeated.
5. We will have a big break out scoring wise from an unexpected source such as a rookie out of training camp.
6. Schenn gets 15 goals and 25 assists with most of his scoring coming in the 2nd half of the season.
7. Lewis continues his groove from the playoffs and challenges for the 2nd line center job.
8. Kings finally find high octane offense and have a player break thru that wasn’t expected giving us the ability to win the close games in regulation.
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DesertKing Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
@Big Rob in Dallas,
Heck, with the 45 goals by Schenn and Penner that we didn’t have last season, we would move up at 4 positions as far as offensive ranking in the league. We can only hope it happens, but lets change #1 to say “Kings win the Cup.”
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Big Rob in Dallas Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
@DesertKing, We win the cup in two years! This year we have to pay our dues a bit more.
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Unrelated, but it looks like Smyth wants to play in Edmonton this coming season:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=369517
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Wow! Look who might want to leave LA a year early:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=369517
Very interesting…
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Ottoking Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, I was just about to post this.
They say: “For starters, Smyth is an integral part of the Kings’ offence.” Hmm, true perhaps, but that says more about our offence than about Smyth. His cap hit is $6.25m. I wonder how much Brad Richards will sign for…? That would clear up quite a bit of space.
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blahblah Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, you beat me to it! i just came on to share the link. interesting, indeed.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, i was going to say the same thing – if the Oilers are willing they can take Smyth for not very much and DL can really go after Richards.
that $6.25 could go right to Richards and add another $1M or so and we’re good to go. let’s hope EDM shows some interest. my guess is Smyth is thinking this year is it for him.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
@Dave, i think Smyth would be a great fit in EDM with all their young players. and LA would certainly miss his leadership, there is no doubt about that. but with Brown and Mitchell and Greene and Scuderi there are enough leaders that i think the team would be OK.
i think DL would take a 2nd round pick for Smyth or even possibly a 3rd. or one of those 3rd this year and 2nd next year type of deals.
as long as DL truly believes he can bring in a top-6 guy to upgrade Smyth (and not default to Parse) this could be big.
there really is only one impact forward that is UFA this year and that’s Richards. there are a few intriguing names that could produce similar numbers to what Smyth produced, but no slam dunks. Leino is the most intriguing to me but i also would be interested in Cole, Kopecky, Upshall, Langenbrunner, Filppula, Poni, Brunette, Sullivan, Vrbata, Gagne, Bergenheim, Knuble and Laich.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
@Dave, I agree with you Dave, but I think Edmonton would want us to take on salary in the deal. That’s why I’m not so sure a deal gets done between the 2 teams.
puck73 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
@Dave, one guy you left out was Fleischman, that guy is a left handed shot, and can score.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, I like the idea of getting rid of Smyth’s 6.5 mil cap hit, but there’s not a great fit for a deal. Edmonton would want us to take back salary in the deal, and the forwards they have are either young guys they want to keep (Gagner, Hall), overpaid veteran (Horcoff), or a guy who they wouldn’t trade us at the trade deadline (Hemsky). There’s NO way DL takes on Horcoff’s contract, and I don’t think Edmonton would make the deal without unloading some salary. The one deal that seems possible, only if Edm would give him up, in a salary and talent way is Smyth, Martinez, and Martin Jones for Hemsky. That would give the Kings an additional 2.150 in salary cap room, and save Edmonton 500,000 in actual salary. I’m not factoring Martinez’ contract in the cap numbers because someone, Voynov/Muzzin/Hickey, would have to fill his spot and would cost about the same. I know Edmonton wanted Schenn for Hemsky at the trade deadline, but now that they know we’re not trading Schenn, they might loosen up their trade demands for Hemsky. Plus Smyth would fill the same top 6 spot Hemsky does right now. I don’t want to get rid of Smyth, but if it leads to us gaining cap room to sign Brad Richards, I say do it.
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dMan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, Is Smyth not happy in L.A. and if not, why not? Is it the socal lifestyle or is the team/locker room or is it just that he misses Edmonton!?
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rick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, Do it, Deano!!! Smyth at this point is worth less than half his cap hit. A great player in his prime, we got him too late in his career.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose,
Maybe Smyth knows his cap hit is gonna hurt the Kings improving themselves, & he is offering an “out” to just throw it out there? It just could be Smyth really is one of the truly good guys?
Seriously, does anyone really think the Oil would take on his contract when they are trying to rebuild?
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Yeah, what would be the reason for him to go from a playoff contender to a bottom feeder? Perhaps Rich can dig deeper for us.
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BobKnob Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
@deedub,
He’s from Alberta, was drafted and played many years in Edmonton. It’s home for him.
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I love the way DL says things::for example
” I think the situation is probably unique, or maybe it’s not unique and it’s just the nature of the way the game is now”.
HuH! ……He would be a great politician….
Speaking of D men..Lidstrom re-signed today for 6.2 million…What he got last year..
Lot’s of Wings fans are saying he should of given the team a discount so they could get a “Richard’s”..
If you look at other teams blogs they are all hoping they can get Richards and figuring out what it would take..
This is how most player’s operate…Money is important to them…This will affect Drew..
and finally the best news is that Schenn is working out with Gary Roberts…
Chances are good he’ll come into pre-season a “Beast”..
GKG..
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I want guys who are big and fast and smart.
And why do people keep angling to unload Stoll after next season? He’s the most versatile player we have — giving us solid minutes on PP, PK, 5-on-5. He plays all the ice, WINS US EXTRA POINTS IN SHOOT-OUTS, is our best face-off man and one of the real character guys we have.
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soyokaze Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:56 am
@tuan jim,
Me neither. I think it’s because his sleeves are too short for some people. =P
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@Kingsfanone, Trade smyth for some draft picks. We traded our 1st round draft pick and teubert for Penner. Hopefully we can get a 3rd round or 2nd if not that Get Sheldon Sourey but then that leaves who to keep in starting roster… Martinez or drewiski? Also. If we dont get Richards or even a Parise i know hes only a 20+ goal score but get Loui Erickson from dallas. Him and Kopi had amazing chemistry at the all star game like 2 years ago and probably loui will get a 30 goal season. I dont know these are my thoughts. hey.. im only a kid
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Drew if you want to learn to be a pro, you can learn from Lidstrom. “…a year-round workout that includes exercise before practice and after games along with a sensible diet …”
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The fact that Lombardi is still dwelling on his San Jose firing is troubling to me. Move on Dean, it’s been over eight years. The landscape of the NHL is certainly a lot different today than it was back then.
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