Interesting item today from TSN guru Bob McKenzie, who notes that Ryan Smyth might seek to return to Edmonton for the final year of his contract. Of course, as Bob notes, it’s not that simple. Smyth has a salary-cap hit of $6.25 million and is a 35-year-old winger who, realistically, has a ceiling of 50 points. It’s a bit of a reach to think that the Oilers would be willing to give up anything of substance in trade, although Smyth remains revered in Edmonton. Here’s one possibility: a buyout. The negative for the Kings would be that half of Smyth’s cap figure would remain on the books for 2012-13, and they would get nothing in return (except cap space) for what is still a top-six winger when healthy, but the Kings do have Dustin Penner, Scott Parse and Kyle Clifford on left wing, and of late they’ve been kicking around the possibility of having Brayden Schenn break in at left wing, particularly if they add a center through free agency (Brad Richards, anyone?). So, as Bob notes as well, it’s still a very fluid situation, and we’ll see what develops over the next 10 days or so…
[UPDATE) Smyth told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal today that he has ``not asked for a trade.''
[UPDATE 2] Based on exchanges with a couple sources, while the semantics can still be debated, as to whether or not Smyth actively wants to be traded, the Kings and Oilers have indeed talked trade about Smyth. At the moment, there’s no type of framework for a possible deal.
Tell the Oilers to give Teubert back to the Kings, then maybe.
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Orphios Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
@BluLiner,
that is one option
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lafan13 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
@Orphios, Oh no Rich is starting to fling poo now too….
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Whodawat Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
@BluLiner,
** UDPATE
“Holy Cow…that’s the first I’ve heard of that. I have not asked for a trade. I have a year left on my contract. We’ve got some good things here,” Ryan Smyth
**** UPDATE ON THE UPDATE
TSNBobMcKenzie Bob McKenzie
For the record, I stand by my story 100 per cent. Totally accurate in every regard. Not much else I can say beyond that. Speaks for itself.
[Reply]
LBlocal Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/124166023.html
Hockey diehards will be drooling all over Xcel Energy Center this weekend.
It starts with the fact that every NHL “Who’s Who” will be on one draft floor at the same time. If you attend the entry draft this weekend in St. Paul, you’ll see (to name an absolute few) everybody from Steve Yzerman, Scotty Bowman and Luc Robitaille to Mark Messier, Ron Francis and Cam Neely.
If you’re lucky, you may see Hall of Famer-turned-agent Bobby Orr or former players-turned-league execs Brendan Shanahan and Rob Blake scooting by you in the stands.
You’ll have the privilege of witnessing tomorrow’s stars as baby-faced, pimply, clammy-hand 17- and 18-year-olds.
But perhaps the most exciting part of the draft is when Commissioner Gary Bettman steps to the mike and utters those magical words: “We have a trade to announce.”
With the 19th pick, Edmonton trades…
gKg!
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Why is he stating “preference” in the article? Sounds more like he’s been asked whatteams he might consider being traded to and not that he wants out.
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
@Jorgen, My sources say he asked DL to move him to EDM at closing interview at season’s end…but only in a “perfect world” was they way it was presented. He’d like to finish his career in Alberta near his home in beautiful Banf, is how I heard it! Who can blame him…he is astute enough in hockey terms to know he is “no help in the lack of speed department” for this team! He is a Class Act and rightly named Mr Canada!
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OC Hip Check Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:46 pm
@5holer, WE will give them Smyth under one condission. they have to take Penner back too
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OC Hip Check Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:47 pm
@OC Hip Check, OMG that was horrible. *CONDITION.
Wow i was typing faster than i was thinking.
That’s also three straight posts by Hammer that end with “…”
That has to be some sort of record…
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The only positive that could come of this is if this allowed us to sign Brad Richards…
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KINGFANX18 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
@McDonalds, i agree
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lafan13 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:35 am
@McDonalds,
I dont think richards wants to play here. We’d have to blow all the other teams outa the water with huge contract for him to even look to the west IMO…
with the extra 5 mil in sal cap this year, we’re guna have to bully NYR and TBL from the game. I belive we have way more cap room them both of those teams. (combined?)
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I think this could be a good thing regardless of how we like RS as a King, as RS liked being a King, or add your own here… I think this opens the door for the Kings future. In particular next season.
RS is a class act. He will be missed if he does go. The thing that comes to mind was DL’s remarks about getting a top 6 either FA or trades. Maybe RS was aked if it were a possibility if he would like to be traded?? Maybe he knew this might be where the organization is heading?
We shall see!! GO KINGS!!
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Orphios Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
@Kings Fan Vancouver, WA,
the problem is RS comes off the books at the end of the 11-12 season. Do we want to add the extra cap money on that following year? Not sre we do.
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centericeman Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
@Orphios, Warning…CAP GEEK seen in the house.
We need cup space, not cap space.
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You da man rich! Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
@centericeman, that shelf has been collecting dust for decades now. Will it even be able to hold the weight of the cup?hey AEG, screw the NFL in el lay, build a vault for the cup to be displayed in! At least u won’t lose as much $ when the NFL team sucks and splits town. Again.
I hope someone in public relations gives you a pat on the back every time you use “see what develops”.
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I think the only way Edmonton takes Smyth is if they can unload some salary back on us. The 2 forwards that make the most money are Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky. Horcoff’s contract is HORRIBLE, I mean absolutely HORRIBLE, so there’s no way DL takes him back in a trade. DL wanted Hemsky at the trade deadline, but Edmonton wanted Schenn and that was a deal breaker. Mabye add some young guys along with Smyth to make a trade for Hemsky more feasible. IDK, how about Martinez, Jones, and Moller’s rights along with Smyth for Hemsky. That would give us 2.150 million more in cap space, not counting Martinez’s cap hit because someone would have to take his spot. I don’t like the idea of Schenn moving to L.W., he didn’t play well alongside Kopi and Brown at the beginning of the year. The only way I would want to buyout Smyth is if we sign Brad Richards and need the extra cap room.
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quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
@CB14,
Edmonton is $11MM below the cap floor. they have to spend that money one way or another.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
@quisp, Didn’t realize the cap floor was that high. In that case Smyth makes perfect sense for Edmonton because of his high cap hit 6.250, yet smaller salary 4.5 . People on here have talked about Souray being boughtout, but that doesn’t make sense if they need to get to the salary cap floor. Couldn’t the re-signing of their RFA’s and simply having Souray on the roster bring them up to the cap floor? If so, why would they buyout Souray and only have half his salary count against the cap?
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
@quisp, Moncton(my name for Oilers, Canadian only Joke!) has 9 players to sign to get to minimum of 23 Roster Players. They are at $37ML now with only 3 signed D-men, 2 GTs and 9 forwards under contract. The Province of Alberta will not stand for a Floor Cap Team in Oil Town! The Cap space is Not the problem with moving Smyth to Oil Town, its the value difference to the Kings(= Higher Value) versus to Tambellini & Co(= much lesser value)! LAK have an abysmal record of securing UFAs as it is, so don’t count your chickens on Richards or any other top tier UFAs to LA. First LAK is a 45+ year loser Franchise and LAK have the worst Travel in Pro Sports History each year! Hard sell for “Sweater Pride” in LA just yet! Culture is still not established with 2 years in 1st round only! Get to 3rd Round in Play offs and that will change! Its a tough story, but the facts are loud! Had to say it!
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quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
@5holer,
I basically agree with everything you said. However, I think the Edmonton fanbase will embrace the idea of Smyth coming back, which, I believe, is why we’re hearing about this story now.
Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@quisp, And Smyth’s salary next year is only 4.5 so Edm can raise their team cap hit without actually spending that much.
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quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
@Osaka,
yep. i made the same point over at http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com
some fan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@CB14,
WAY too much for Hemsky.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
@some fan, Why? Moller and Jones are still prospects at this stage of their careers, and Martinez is never going to be more than a 5th or 6th d-man. Plus we already have 2 top young goalies and plenty of defensive prospects. Moving Martinez would open up a spot for one of them. Moller isn’t going to see ice time with this team while TM is head coach, and is planning on playing in Sweden next year to prove my point, while Jones will never be our number 1 goalie as long as either Quick or Bernier is here. Even if we might be giving up way too much, are any of those 3 guys important to our team in the near future? I don’t think they are. Plus Hemsky would give us a play maker and save us over 2 million in cap room next year.
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some fan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
@CB14,
I think you underestimate Martinez. In my mind, he is what everyone hoped JMFJ (Jack Minus Forty Johnson) would be. He just doesn’t get the hype. Martinez is younger then Johnson and, in my opionion, will become the better player of the two. Personally, I’m hoping Johnson gets “Lubo-ed”- signed to a long-term deal to increase his trade value, then sent packing like they did with Visnovsky. But that is a whole other debate.
Hemsky is injury prone.
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
@CB14, No way you can assume that about Martinez. He is still very young and the improvement from two years ago to last year was amazing. He’s better than JJ imho.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
@some fan, and KC23, That’s fine if you guys feel that way about Martinez, I just happen to feel differently. I don’t feel he is or ever will be better than JJ. JMO though.
broncokings Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 1:43 pm
@CB14, I have higher hopes for Martinez, i thnk he is going to be pretty good what about 44DD with Smyth, and thats it. No more than 2 players for Hemsky.
broncokings Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 1:46 pm
@CB14, I do agree with you that JJ is underappreciated..He may be a minus player but thought his numbers this year were pretty good. Hell they were better than doughtys..
dayle91/08 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 10:14 pm
@CB14, dude i dont know jones is sick between the pipes dumb ass move to dump him this early who knows he could break out this coming camp
CB14 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 10:31 pm
@dayle91/08, Jones may break out this coming camp, but no matter how well he plays he’s not going to take over for Quick or Bernier. Thanks for calling me a dumb blank for suggesting we trade him, I appreciate that. NOT.
centericeman Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
@CB14, “”IDK, how about Martinez, Jones, and Moller’s rights along with Smyth for Hemsky”"
Hey, why not throw in Kopitar for a FORMERLY good left winger that has bad concussion issues along with dropping numbers.
The Edmonton Oilers would leap at that deal so fast it would make the Great one statue in front of the staples center’s head spin!
Ah, maybe not!!…No I retract that…..DEFINATELY NOT!!
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@centericeman, As I posted right above your response, who out of those 3 are we going to be missing next year or there after? A 6th d-man, no, we’ve got 3 NHL ready prospects in Manchester. A 3rd string goalie, no, you only have 2 on your team and Bernier and Quick aren’t free agents for at least another 2 years. A prospect who’s playing in Sweden next year and will not see ice time under our current head coach, no, we’ve got some of the best prospects in the game as evidence by our #1 rating by Hockeys Future. You can’t play every prospect we have, you have to use some of them as trade bait, and if we’re going to trade a top 6 forward, we need to get one in return, and Hemsky fits the bill.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
@CB14, Hemsky is too injury prone to make that deal – i’d much rather clear the cap space and go after a game changer like Richards.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
@Dave, I would too, but if DL is going to trade Smyth before free agency, he better bring back a top 6 guy in return. That’s all I was trying to say. I love Brad Richards, but what I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t trade RS for cap space until after we sign Brad Richards, if we do so before, or after BR signs with another team, we need a top 6 guy in return for Smyth. That’s all I’m trying to say.
RLane420 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
@CB14, if you are talking about giving up 4 players for 1 I would hope he would come from New Jersey and be worth 4 players. It doesnt matter if we are going to use the players you still need to get fair value for them. You dont trade all your players for 1 piece just because you have them to trade.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
@RLane420, Fair value means different things to different people. We’re Kings fans so we probably value our players and prospects higher then other teams do. That’s why I put all those guys with Smyth to get Hemsky. Just because you or DL think that’s too much for Hemsky, doesn’t mean Edmonton’s GM does. Every player is valued differently by each individual team. If DL thinks that’s too much then don’t include one of those players in the trade. I’m not a GM, and don’t claim to be, just a fan who likes throwing out trade proposals. If they seem reasonable to most everyone, Great, if not it’s no big deal to me.
Christian Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
@CB14, No way you give up those 3 and Smyth for injury prone Hemsky. Jones will be the backup when we decide to let Quick or Bernier move on. Smyth traded makes sense for financial reasons. I don’t think we get a top 6 forward in return. It would probably picks starting only as high as the 2nd round. That being said I love Smyth and his attitude but understand this move his good for both sides.
Martinez better than JMFJ? Crazy talk! You’ll see.
[Reply]
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
@Christian, I don’t know where you got the idea from my comment that I think JJ is better than Martinez, in fact I believe the complete opposite.
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Christian Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 5:43 am
@CB14, the Johnson comment is related to an earlier post by a different Kings fan. Sorry for the confusion but glad to hear that you think Johnson better than Martinez. Hopefully he can have a seaon that quiets some of his critics. I will say Martinez isn’t bad but I think in a top 4 role he looks more like a 5-6 defenseman.
CB14 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 10:32 pm
@Christian, I agree completely.
why buy Smyth out? why not just take a pick for him? the Oilers have tons of cap space this year and then he’s off the books.
DL loves mid-late round picks – he’s turned them into good players and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t get at least a 3rd for Smyth.
my concern isn’t moving Smyth but finding a quality top-6 guy to replace him. i don’t feel very comfortable with Parse as a #2.
my thoughts…
the cap is going up $4-$5M plus Smyth’s $6.25M. trade Smyth for a pick, offer Richards 7 years/$50M and then offer Leino 3 years/$10M.
penner-kopi-williams $16M
leino-richards-brown $13M
cliffy-stoll-simmonds – $6.5M
parse-lewis-richie $3.5M
westgarth
doughty-mitchell $9M
johnson-scuder $7M
greene-martinez $5M
quick-bernier $3M
$63M – under the cap with a little room to manuever.
give schenn and loktionov a full year in Manchester
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some fan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
@Dave,
I’ve got my eye on Leino too.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@Dave, Little side note, Scuderi and JJ make 7.757, not 7 even, plus you need 23 guys on the roster. Westy, DD2, and lets say Kozun make a combined 1.6+ million. That has to be included in your roster. The highest i’ve heard the cap going up to is 63 million. So that wouldn’t give you much wiggle room.
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number 6 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@Dave,
Dave, I still don’t understand all this stuff about Leino. I follow hockey very carefully and don’t even think I knew who he was till a year ago (was he even playing in America before that)? OK, I just checked. Seriously…. he had 19 goals last yr. Figure in your TM quotient…. that’s a 14-15 goal scorer (plus he played w much better forwards in Philly no offense to the Kings).
Riichards, for sure, though not convinced we’ll get him but who knows. But that’s what they need… another go to guy…. not an unknown quantity like Leino. We have enough Stoll like sort of 2nd line but not quite players.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
@number 6, i wouldn’t go crazy for Leino – he just has a lot of skill which the Kings lack. Parse would be OK on the 2nd line if he’s playing with Richards. and as Rich mentioned Schenn might be broken in as a wing so that could work as well.
the focus would be on Richards, not Leino. there are a few other guys i mentioned somewhere else of guys that DL could go after that he could get relatively cheap that could play top 6.
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
@Dave, No Cigar for me either! Leino is NO FINISHER. He May be quick but he’s not a Speed skater. Kings do not lack skill as much as Finishers or a Snipper type shooter. LAK have a SPEED Problem up front especially; no true #2 Center and no 2nd line combo period. DL needs to add speed and goals in 3 of top 6 forwards, overall team speed upgrade, find a left-handed shooting goal scorer, and faster puck movement up to neutral zone and beyond. Its a Junior “B” breakout system in our end that “kills you” when there is NO SPEED and No Pace to the skating on attack. Looks like freight trains lined up for a drag race with slow, slower and slowest waiting for a pass on the half wall to break out. Two years of this is enough already. This line-up today cannot compete for a Cup run IMO. Say what you like, but proof is in the play off records, 6 and out we go! DL needs to stop falling in Love with his Players and make some hard decisions to get better this off season without timidity! Trades are only chance as I see it!
Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
@number 6, He has become the name everyone throws out, I don’t get it either. I bet he has more fans in LA than in Philly.
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Crown Royal Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
@Osaka,
Leino is overrated by most hockey fans. 5holer made some good points in his post. The Kings need more speed!
Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
@everyone,
how can you say Leino isn’t a finisher? his shooting percentage last year was 16.2%. if he’s anything he’s a finisher. Leino has skill – the Kings lack skill. Leino isn’t super speedy but he’d bring a lot more speed than Smyth does.
if you put Leino on a line with Richards he’s a 20-25 goal scorer, no question about it.
plus he scored 21 points in 19 games in the 09-10 playoffs. he was playing mostly 3rd line in Phily which is why his stats weren’t great.
i wouldn’t go crazy for him or overpay, but he’s got some size, he has very good hands and he plays well in big games. yes please.
5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
@Dave, Sounds like you are saying it should be another “Cammalleri, or Moulson, or Lubo give away” by DL! We had had enough of those already with ZERO returns in most cases! How do you replace a legit goal scorer LW with a 3rd or 4th Rnd draft pick? You do NOT! LAK need something younger and faster back for him or keep him and take what you can from him this last season of his contract. There is nothing in AHL to replace him and Not enough UFA’s that are willing to come to LA either! We do not need more holes to fill. Too many to fill now for goals! Take it for what its worth to ya!
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
@5holer, the point is to clear the cap space and use that space to go after Richards. in essence, we’d be trading Smyth for a 3rd rounder and Richards.
now, if DL doesn’t think he can get Richards then you don’t make the deal. giving away Smyth for nothing doesn’t make any sense, so in that i agree with you. but if DL is clearing space for someone (Richards or maybe a trade for someone like Carter) then you make the deal.
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Christian Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
@Dave, Pass on Richards. I get nervous about concuss’d forwards at very high dollar amounts. Adam Deadmarsh injuries cause ms nightmares.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
@Christian, his concussion wasn’t really any worse than Doughty’s. do we not re-sign him?
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Hey Quisp or crew, how do conditional draft picks work in this case? If the Kings gave Smyth in exchange for unlikely conditional draft picks like we did with Modin two years back (7th round pick from the Jackets if we won the Cup) does that get us full cap relief for effectively no additional sacrifice by the Oilers?… Sorta a happy middle ground versus the buyout angle Rich mentioned
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
@Shakes, i don’t see any reason why EDM wouldn’t give up a pick this year…
they have 2 firsts
1 2nd
2 3rds
2 4ths
1 5th
1 7th
i would think they would give up one of their 3rd or 4th round picks for Smyth.
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quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
@Shakes,
well, when you’re traded you’re traded, and the cap hit is traded with you. conditional picks can be conditional on anything, but it wouldn’t affect the cap math. i think the mckenzie article is overstating the “problem” with EDM taking on Smyth’s salary. They have $11MM to spend to get to the floor, and they have to spend it. They have eight bodies left to sign or acquire, I think.
I’ll take our first round pick back and call it a day.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
@quisp, first round pick would be great but i’m thinking it’s more like a 3rd this year and a conditional pick in 2012 if Smyth re-signs (or something like that).
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Crown Royal Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
@Dave,
I think you’re dead on with the third round pick.
jet Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@quisp, this is actually the exact situation the Oilers need, with the cap hit beening 2M greater than the salary.
Symth does not fit long term, but it would be tought to give up his playoff determination.
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@jet, EDM can increase their cap hit without actually spending the money, brilliant.
Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@quisp,
That would be awsome.
To Edmonton
Quincy
Priessing
5th round pick
Visnovsky
Tuebert
Conditional 3rd round pick
Smyth back
Lats 3 will still be in Edmonton next season. Our biggest losses there are Quincy and Visnovsky, which we replaced with DD and Martinez. Smyth can be replaced by extra capspace to get agressive in signing a replacement.
To the LA
Stoll
Greene
Penner
1rst round pick back
$6.25 mill in free’d up capspace cap space
The room to make a deal in free agency is huge right now. The only real question mark is wether Penner will pan out, and wether we can make the extra capspace pay off with a guy like Richards.
Basically they’ll only have Tuebert, a conditional 3rd, and Smyth (who they traded in the first place) left over in all their dealings with us. Meanwhile we could have everything we traded from them, and more.
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Christian Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
@Dominick, Penner will show up if for nothing else a new contract. I’m pretty sure Dean knew that when he made the deal. As for Smyth it would be nice to get a 2nd but I think it will be a 3rd and hopefully a 4th. But those picks may move quickly. I almost see DL doing more with a trade during draft than waiting for free agency.
http://youtu.be/OKp8mYzsQzo gKg!
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The fact this has been spoken out loud to others and now the media means Smyth doesn’t want to be in LA just as much as he wants to be back in Edmonton. It might not be much but ship him north. Take anything you can get. No need to have that hanging over the team all season, ESPECIALLY if he begins to under perform. I absolutely love him on the Kings, but if he doesn’t want to be in LA, don’t keep him around.
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Tullskull Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@Nickdoh, That is how I was seeing this…. This is not good PR for the Kings and someone of Smyth’s reputation as a good team guy wanting out will not help the image of the Kings at all.
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DLB Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
@Tullskull, well, I have the opposite view — this news came from the Kings’ side. It’s no secret Smyth’s cap hit is causing trouble, even if he is a useful player, and someone would have to be moved if they acquired anyone this offseason (or even just wanted more room for Schenn around).
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
@DLB, Check your Cap numbers! LAK are losing $8.1ML in Cap without Zues, Harrold and Pony contracts(UFAs) on July 1. We are at $47.8ML with 16 Roster Players under contract after that. We will sign Dewey, Simmer, Alec and probably sign Lewis and Richie, maybe Pony if deep discounted enough and no other options out there. LAK are 11.5ML under Cap now with Cap going up to about $63.5-64.0 ML making it about $15-16Ml under threshold. This is about the same as last season in real numbers. A Good spot to be in with room for a our re-signs and a couple UFAs of value or a Richards type and a couple mid levels! That’s not to mention trading potentials to refine the roster as needed. DL has to steady his trigger finger this year and take a few shots at something good! Repeat after me…I do NOT Love my players on this roster…once again Dean say with conviction now. I love players that produce when called on to produce. Anze’s absence was not the reason we fell out of the 1st rnd again. No excuses in hockey!
DLB Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
I have checked ‘em. The cap just went up (that’s great); but Doughty won’t be cheap, we need to sign the rest of the guys you mentioned, and on top of that still need replacements for Zeus and (probably) Poni. If you do all that and add Schenn (no bonus cushion), where is the money for a Richards type?
Even if they don’t land someone as pricey as Richards, we’d probably have to move somebody before we think about adding that top 6 player Lombardi talked about.
Smyth adds value to the team, just not to the level of his cap hit.
Dilapidus Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@Nickdoh,
Naw.. that’s not what I see. Smyth, like every veteran, knows that he could always be traded. Like the rest of us, he also sees that there are situations right now that could make this a good move for the Kings.
By saying publicly where he like to go if traded, he is :
a) Doing the professional thing in acknowledging and accepting the possibility in public. That is good for the Kings, they know they can make their moves without a struggle if need be.
b) Doing the smart thing for himself. He has just increased the chances that EDM will be interested in him if he gets dangled as bait. If you are gonna go, go where you want to be.
I think the guy is a class act every inch of the way.
[Reply]
CUP4LA Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@Dilapidus,
Not true. Smyth would have to approve a trade. He has a NMC.
[Reply]
Tullskull Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
@Dilapidus, I want to say I understand that this could potentially help the Kings on paper regarding their salary cap but I am talking about how this looks to other players. We have no idea yet if this is even true but I would like to remind you of the rumors this past season of a King’s player asking to be traded. If that was Smyth, I would definitely want to know why and how I could correct the situation based on his criticisms. This is a heart and soul warrior and his’ opinion of the Kings could carry weight throughout the league. I hope that whatever the situation, the Kings will deal with it with integrity.
This also has potential to go down paths that I certainly don’t want to take. Sheldon Souray, hello?
[Reply]
We will take eberle or hall for RS
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Russ Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
@jkking, I’ll take a 7th rounder to get rid of that cap space…more room to resign RFA’s (Doughty, Simmonds) and more room for UFA’s (Richards)
[Reply]
BobKnob Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
@jkking,
yeah, that will never happen.
[Reply]
Hall for RS
[Reply]
kingme81 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@Dan SanDonkey, I like hall and would add speed to our team but the guy gets in one fight and is done for the season. Kings need durable players. (see Clifford for example)
[Reply]
Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
@Dan SanDonkey, this is a joke, right?
[Reply]
Dan SanDonkey Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
@Dave, Yes
[Reply]
Scot Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
@Dan SanDonkey,
Not many people have a sense of humor on this site, which is why it’s hard for me to post anymore.
Apologies to you, DesertKing, CB14, and a few others who consistently make me laugh.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
@Scot, Apology accepted.
quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
@Dan SanDonkey,
I seriously thought you meant Hall of Fame.
[Reply]
okay honestly keep smyth and sign brad i mean they played good this year… if u would trade smyth who would u trade him for and why?
[Reply]
lafan13 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:51 am
@KINGFANX18,
your pretty much only trading smyth because of his 6.25 mil cap hit for his 50 pt ceiling.
the fact smyth played 82games + playoffs year was pretty surprising to most.
I’m assuming we wont get much in return if we do trade him, but we do get the flexibility of making a HUGE(overpayment) move for a UFA if possible.
Dean and crew also talked highly of parse, and claim he is top6 material. So if we dont sign anything, we could potential fill the spot internally. Who knows, maybe parse is the next brad marchant?
[Reply]
A lot of people seem to think that the Kings can just give Smyth away to Edmonton for a 3rd-round pick, but I think that if Edmonton does make this trade they’re going to insist that the Kings take Sheldon Souray in return along with that 3rd-rounder. Yeah, they have cap space, as somebody said, but does a reasonably sane organization keep money on the books just to keep money on the books? The Kings could buy out Smyth and let him sign with Edmonton, but they don’t get anything in return. At least if they get Souray and a pick they can buy out Souray and still keep the pick. It’s good for both because the Oilers rid themselves of a cancer and the Kings get a pick. It’s called a trade, not a heist, so you have to think about what’s best for both teams, and what’s best for Edmonton is getting an unwieldy contract off their books.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
@deadcatbounce, Souray couldn’t get on the ice for Edmonton, a team with one of the worst records in the league, and you think DL would trade him for Ryan Smyth, who just scored 20 goals last year. I don’t think so. I know we would buy Souray out, but I don’t think DL trades Smyth for a guy we would buyout. We would only be saving a half a million in cap space after the buyout compared to buying out Smyth, so I don’t think DL does that. Plus unless we sign Brad Richards, or trade for someone of similar stature, we can’t afford to let a 20 goal guy go, regardless of his cap hit.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
@deadcatbounce, Smyth only has one year left on his deal and the Oilers aren’t going to contend this year. bringing Smyth in would be good PR and he would help the young guys learn how to be pros. he’s a perfect mentor for Hall. plus, i would guess Smyth stays with the organ-eye-zation after the season.
souray is dead weight – EDM will buy him out and spread it over 2 years. no biggie to them. DL won’t take Souray, no way, no how.
[Reply]
Marc Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
@deadcatbounce,
If we traded Smyth for Souray it would be Edmonton who’d have to give up more, not us. We have no use for Souray and would only be buying him out. With Smyth they’re actually getting a productive player while also being relieved of Souray’s cap hit. What do we get out of that? They’d have to give up something of actual value like a high pick or a good prospect to make it work for us.
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DLB Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
@deadcatbounce, Yet Edmonton does need money on the books to make the cap floor.
His caphit is 6.5, but is only paid 4.5 next year.
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quisp Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
@deadcatbounce,
yes, but EDM has to spend to get to the cap floor. they have $11MM to go. so they do have to add salary. so salary that pays 66% of cap hit is a good thing for them.
[Reply]
deadcatbounce Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:18 am
@quisp, I think the thing some people are missing is that the Oilers won’t lose too much in the way of salary cap space if they can unload Souray for Smyth because, in actuality, Smyth’s hit is larger than Souray’s, and I really do think that Edmonton would be stupid if they didn’t at least try to force the Kings to take his contract in return for Smyth’s huge contract because they would still come out ahead as opposed to just buying him out. Why buy Souray out if you can unload him? Again, this is what Carolina made the Kings do with the Williams trade, although on a smaller scale. I’m just trying to look at it from an Oilers point of view. Call it the cost of doing business.
[Reply]
quisp Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:24 pm
@deadcatbounce,
the problem is that Souray has to clear re-entry waivers in order to be traded, and it’s possible someone would want him at half price.
deadcatbounce Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:35 am
@quisp, That would be the Oilers dream come true. I’m not advocating the Kings acquiring him if they don’t have to, but Edmonton would desperately love to dump his contract and get him out of the organization any way they can. Making someone take him in a trade would only be one way.
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deadcatbounce Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 5:58 am
@quisp, I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I just wanted to expand a bit on Souray. The Oilers had chances last season to buy him out or expose him to re-entry waivers, but didn’t. If they’re dead set on eliminating him from the roster for next season why not at least make the attempt to do so in a trade, thereby relieving themselves of the entire contract? It’s like if you found an old piece of junk that might have some intrinsic value at home, but didn’t want. A lot of people might explore unloading it at a thrift shop or putting it up for auction on EBay before tossing it in the trash. The Oilers still have to meet the salary cap floor, but this could be done without too much trouble since they still need to add depth to their blue line and to their third and fourth forward lines. You could argue that Khabebulin’s contract is dead weight, but he’s not the derisive force that Souray is.
If Souray is claimed, then all the better for the Oilers. If the Kings would expect a third for Smyth, why not sweeten the pot and offer a second if they’ll take Souray with it?
[Reply]
smyth a thing u should also realize is that LA is way better than the oilers… i know u were drafted into nhl from that team but face it… next year kings are going to win the stanley cup and u can be part of it or not.
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I thought Brayden Schenn said that Ryan Smyth made him a better player and helped him develope. I think having RS around would help Schenn. Unless the King’s think it might be another year untill Schenn makes the club.
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
@OnTheFly, No Schenn might take Symths job on LW.
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50 point ceiling? That still would make Smyth one of Edmonton’s top scorers. I don’t think LA is in that weak of a negotiating position that they have to give him away for nothing. If Edmonton wants him they need to be the ones making a good offer. Yeah he’s 35 but a fitness conditioning nut that could be playing until he’s 40. His veteran leadership and fact he only has 1 year left on contract far outweigh any concerns about his cap hit.
Now that I think about it isn’t it better that his cap hit is higher than actual salary? From Edmonton’s perspective they get over cap floor w/o having to actually pay that figure in real dollars.
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Just don’t give us Souray in return. Amen.
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How about a package deal of Smyth and JJ for Hall?
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Sebastian Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
@krash324, and why would Edmonton throw away their future by trading away one of their most talented players. Hall is a guy you build your team around. He has huge potential to be in the top of the league in scoring. there is no way edmonton trades him.
[Reply]
Eric K Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@krash324, This sounds vaguely like all the Toronto fans proposing Komisarek+Orr for Brayden Schenn. In other words, not happening.
[Reply]
deadcatbounce Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
@Eric K, Yeah, it’s kind of like all the Kings fans who want to get something for nothing, re Parise, Carter, Hall, you name it. I wish some people would actually think before they started proposing trades.
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KingMe20 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
@krash324,
Taylor Hall will not be traded from Edmonton this early in his career. That would be career suicide for Steve Tambellini.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
@krash324, Taylor Hall will not be traded – no way. If the Oilers take Smyth they won’t be giving up much because they know they are doing the Kings a favor. They have 2 3rd and 2 4th, there is no reason to think EMD wouldn’t give up one of those picks to get Smyth and that frees DL up to make a run at Richards.
it’s nothing more than that – EDM won’t do the trade if they have to trade their young guys.
[Reply]
I say Find a way for edmonton to take ryan smyths full cap hit and go after Brad Richards as well as Devin Setoguchi. I think a player like setoguchi could play well in the Kings system.
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bickleton wigglesworth III Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
@kingme81,
Setoguchi is the worst. He’s got skill but no smarts at all.
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tornado12 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
@bickleton wigglesworth III, slapahoochie sucks. there is no way I want him on the Kings
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
@bickleton wigglesworth III, I’d take his “dumb ass” any day!…he’s a burner like we haven’t had for many years around here! Gooch has a cannon shot with some edge to his game. He can become a top 3 with some “reigning in by TM” which will come naturally by itself with experience and age! He’s all mine if you don’t want him! We got nothing like him…he’s Clifford with Speed and a hammer shot! His ceiling is not even in the sight lines yet! If only Dougie Wilson was so Stupid to let him go on an offer sheet!
BTW- Parise and Weber are out of reach for an offer sheet because of extended offers for Salary Arb by their teams…so stop those dreams folks! It’ll take a big trade to pry Parise out of Lou’s Devil Land! Forget Weber altogether, Poile is too smart to lose him. Richards will wear a Ranger Sweater this year! Simon Gagne anyone? NOPE! Laich, Fleischmann, Connolly and Upshall are only UFas with some speed and finishing sticks up front…but some good quality fast D-men with offensive upside may be there and tempting! Puck moving with speed is so important in our system! Take it or don’t!
[Reply]
bickleton wigglesworth III Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 2:01 pm
@5holer,
Or his lack of hockey sense could put a cap on all those abilities and he could be the new jonathan cheechoo. i don’t think he’s worth the gamble, not for what it would take to get him.
Osaka Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:40 am
@kingme81, Hell yeah, bring on the Gooch!
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WOW! didnt see this one coming. Im not gonna jump to any conclusions but hopefully we come out on top in this situation if he does go. RS is a solid player and i like him alot (total character guy) and we really cant afford to lose a top 6 forward (even though he is 35 and as Rich staed has a point cieling of 50) at the moment but if we can get one in return or something = in terms of compensation than I wont be opposed to it. As some have hinted it might be due to the kings asking him about trade options and if thats the case then i would love for him to go back to were his heart lies and retire as Captain Canada in Canada.
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I wouldn’t mind getting Smyth’s salary off the books next year, to pursue a better winger in his place, but can’t get behind a buy-out. Sure he’s not worth the $6.25 but he’s still a valuable piece and I see no reason why the Kings should pay to not have him on the team. If he really wants to go back to Edmonton and the Oilers really want him than a deal for “future considerations” would be fine but buy out just doesn’t make any sense.
[Reply]
Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
@bickleton wigglesworth III, 100% agree – keep Smyth if you can’t trade him. buying him out doesn’t help. he’s still a valuable player to the Kings and you only move him if you can replace him with something better.
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
@bickleton wigglesworth III, Yeah, but there ain’t much out there to get to replace him. Pairse out, Carter’s contract is absurd, Richards will end up in Toronto or NY. Our top 6 guys are going to end up coming from Manchester.
[Reply]
Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
@KC23, not sure NY will have the cap space with not being able to buy out Drury. and neither team is very good – i would think Richards would rather have a shot at a Cup, no?
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
@Dave, Dunno the details about NY cap space, but I just kept reading that it was a high possibility. If Smyth goes, perhaps he may rethink the Kings. Sometimes I think you are almost better off if your team isn’t mentioned. Seems agents hype up the teams that they just want to use for leverage to get the best deal from a team they are really interested in. Okay, so I’m a dreamer.
pesus Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
@Dave,
richards has a cup, I think he’s thinking its time to get paid. we thought kovalchuk wanted a cup but he took the money.
I would do either Smyth straight up for Edmonton’s 2nd round pick #31 or else Smyth & our 2nd round pick #49 for Edmonton’s 1st #19, which was the one we traded for Penner.
[Reply]
kingfish Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
@Marc,
thats what I was thinking too.
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TRADE HIM TO WINNIPEG!
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DesertKing Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
@jkking,
They can’t. Selanne is going to go there and fill that cagey veteran roll
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don’t forget that smyth doesn’t HAVE to go directly to EDM from LA…there’s always the possibility of swinging a 3-way trade with another team that’s willing to give us something for Smyth, then they turn around and parlay smyth to edmonton.
EDM may not want to give LA much for Smyth, but if we were able to trade him for a late 1st rounder and a prospect, maybe something can be worked out with someone else then.
the biggest appeal Smyth may have to EDM is just as BM stated in his ability to bring along younger players more quickly. add on 50 points to that and he becomes more valuable than most players his age.
[Reply]
Hall is obviously out of the question but i wouldnt mind seeing Eberle or Paajarvi in a Kings uni! Im not convinced we could get either in a trade for smyth but i can dream right?
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
@BrokeKingsFan, any quality young player in return for Smyth is a dream.
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
@Dave, True, Smyth starait up not a chance in hell but we do have prospects aplenty and a nice package deal might work. IMO we can afford to let some of our young guys go if it gets us one of those guys
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SLIM Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
@Dave,
Let’s get Gilbert Brule …at least he’s Bono”s friend…
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rick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
@BrokeKingsFan, And dreaming is exactly what you are doing. Smyth at his age and with his contract isn’t going to net very much in return.
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@rick, like i said above package him with prospects and you never know. Its really not that far fetched IMO. we have a ton of young guys we can give them in return to help there biuld for the future.
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Why wold he want to go back there? He doesn’t want to win?
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jkking Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
@Nickcypress, actually i see edmonton winning or going further then the kings. They are building a good team.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@jkking, Next year NO. 3-4 years from now, possibly, but remember Edmonton sucked 4 years ago when they signed Penner and haven’t improved since then.
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DLB Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
@jkking, not without some serious depth upgrades before next season…
[Reply]
Michael_DD8 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
@DLB,
They are not in line to win for a couple seasons. For the kings, it can be as soon as next season depending on how this summer goes..
dMan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@jkking, the Oilers have some great young talent. There is no denying.
Unfortunately, this team will not amount to much, mainly because of the internal culture. We have to consider ourselves very very lucky to have Team Lombardi running things. Less than a handful of teams are building (or have been built) properly; i.e. for long-term success.
Vancouver and San Jose are bursting with talent. On paper, they would clearly beat any team, but they just have not been able to go all the way. Tampa Bay will be very good and I predict they and the Kings will be rivals for the Cup for years to come. But Yzerman is the GM and Boucher is coach; that’s a great combination. Yzerman has a history of winning and understands that having a solid foundation and culture is key to success. First thing Bylsma did went he took over the coaching reigns in Pittsburgh was change the culture and he won the Cup. Look at Lamoriello and Lemaire, though Lemaire was not able to duplicate his success with the Wild.
Steve Tambellini has been GM for 3 years now and is already on his third coach. I don’t think that’s a good sign of stability for young players. Comparatively, Lombardi is starting his sixth year and is on his second coach. And what did Mr. Tambellini do prior to joining the Oilers? He was Assistant GM for the Canucks.
Now, I know the naysayers will say that Lombardi and Murray have not won a Cup, and it’s true, but a winning history is not the sole criteria; see Gretzky and Phoenix or Crawford and well pretty much any team he’s coached after the Avs. Understanding that a culture and a framework must be established and implemented is key and both Lombardi and Murray realize that.
And there’s also no denying that up until Lombardi’s arrival here, the Kings were one of these teams flailing along trying to fit pieces of another puzzle into their own.
[Reply]
Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
@Nickcypress, He’s from that area.
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If the Kings had Brad Richards, Richards is also a hell of a left wing. Makes more sense to move Penner to the #2 slot LW, Richards to the #1 slot LW, and Schenn (or Lokti) to stay in the middle, splitting time between the 2nd, and 3rd line Center positions. IF this is a real possibility, and Smyth does want to leave.
I’d kind of like to here confirmation from Smyth first, before I go jumping the gun here. No ones confirmed that Smyth even wants to go, just some “here say”, and some “he said she said” stuff, without naming any sources on the situation.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
@Dominick, the article says the dreaded “sources”, but i don’t think McKenzie reports it if it doesn’t have legs of some sort.
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tornado12 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
@Dominick, i agree. I think this whole thing just opens the door to sign BR a bit more. If we need the cap space and have BR signed and delivered already, then and only then do we consider moving Smyth.
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
@tornado12, Like minds huh?
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
@Dominick, I’d like to sign Richards before even thinking about trading Smyth for only cap space. If we could do a package deal to get a top 6 guy in return I’d be fine with doing it before signing Richards, but not if it’s just for salary cap room that we wouldn’t need if we don’t sign someone this offseason. Smyth still scored 20 goals last year, and at the very least is a good mentor for guys like Schenn and Lewis.
[Reply]
Could style of play be more of a factor in Smith’s (alleged) preference for Edmonton than mere sentiment?
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@JackKent Cooke, Nail on head.
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Kings Win, Ducks Lose Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
@JackKent Cooke, Absolutely! If he’s looking for one more contract after this one expires, he needs to have a big year offense-wise… I think he sees the writing on the wall that if TM is coach, The Kings are not the team to showcase your numbers!!!!
[Reply]
some fan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
@JackKent Cooke,
It very well could be. The Oilers have some good young players that play an exciting style of game. And Renney lets them have fun and not play like robots. I could see how that would be an appealing environment for Smyth who’s career is winding down. Penner seemed pretty bummed to be leaving Edmonton. Maybe they have something going up there.
But is Smyth giving up on the chance to win a Stanley Cup?
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I’ve been reading a lot about us (the fans) wanting Brad Richards. My concern is the fact he is going to want a 6 year deal. Given his injury history, I am not sold on his. I agree that his performance would be perfect as a second line center but how long do we expect to get that type of production. 2 years more? 3 years? At 34 we have to figure he is going to slow down. His production will drop. We’ll have the cap hit another 3 years or so as we play out his decline years. My oldest friend is a Rangers fan and I grew up in NJ so I watched that franchies for years. i dont want Richards. the fact is (to me) we are going to have to take on a six year committment and, in all liklihood, only get 3 years of top six forward production for a first line player cost. It is the riight player at the wroong age. We need a 28 year old BR type of player, not a 31 year old, especially if we are taking on 6 years. As of now, I wouldnt deal RS until/unless we have a legit second line forward to replace him. To be blunt, if we deal him and get another top 6 forward through FA/Trade we are still one short of what we need (though I acknowledge any 2nd line FA we get may outproduce a secind line RS)
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number 6 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
@Orphios,
Orphios, you speak great sense. Theo Epstein – GM of the Boston Redsox who has done a reasonably adequate job in building his team, said in an interview that the height of a players ceiling was around 27 years old and that eventually as they were older there was a decline. I think if the Kings were on the verge of a Stanley Cup I’d be more inclined to try and get Richards. But as much as I love the Kings, I don’t think they’re on the verge of a SC.
I do think they have enormous potential if many right moves are made and the young guys develop as we hope they will. Also, I was thinking the exact same thing as you wrt Smyth. A year ago they eliminated Frolov’s minimum 18 goals and potential obviously to be more around 23 or so. Then they eliminate Smyth this year? That’s almost 45 goals. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve seen no one on that roster that has come in and said (symbolically) I’m gonna replace those goals. Add to that the fact that both Simmonds and DD had lower goal totals. I’ll believe the stuff about Simmer being a 25 goal scorer when I see it. That doesn’t mean btw that I don’t like Simmer. I do, but he as TM has stated has to play a certain way to be effective and he didn’t do enough of that this last season.
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EDM def wants him back because they are so young, bringing “captain canada” home to those kids would be the idea for their management staff. It also gives us a chance to def grab that player we need, ALOT easier. RS was amazing for us at times, did alot of little things, but is definitely someone we can give up.
[Reply]
If we do move Smyth, then maybe we resign Handzus so that we still have at least one cagey, veteran leader that parks in front of the net.
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some fan Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
@Choralone,
booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
[Reply]
tuan jim Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
@some fan,
We needn’t lay out Zus’ $4-mil/year hit to re-sign him. I think he can be gotten for less.
The real booooooooooooooooooooooooooooos should go to those who dream of signing Parise or BR — both of whom were injured over the course of last year — to long-term cap-squeezing contracts and are willing to trade away the guts of the team to do it.
[Reply]
Goring 19 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
@Choralone, that’s a possibility, but I’m getting the impression the Kings want to get a little faster while upping the skill level. We know RS game is growing a root in front of the net but the lack of speed factor isn’t healthy in today’s NHL, Zeus is in that class too but he does so many other things well I have a feeling he’ll be re-signed.
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number 6 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@Goring 19,
You’ve been studying
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
@Goring 19, If Smyth is unloaded Zues becomes at least a possibility.
[Reply]
Choralone Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:26 am
@Goring 19, Yeah, my feeling going inot the summer was that we would only keep one – and I assumed that was Smyth and Handzus was gone. But when I read all the stuff about Edmonton today, I figured that if we dealt Smyth, then resigning Zues to a cheaper short-term deal makes more sense. We still have a very young team, and if Smyth and Zues both go that leaves Stoll and Williams as the relatively old forwards. The Kings are still a very young team, and a smart mentors who *play the right way* are always valuable, even if they are as slow as molasses.
[Reply]
how many LWs does Edmonton need
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
@jet, 6 million
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Chip Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 1:30 am
@KingsFanFTW, 6.25
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 6:12 am
@Chip, lol u got it they have too many
“Holy Cow…that’s the first I’ve heard of that. I have not asked for a trade. I have a year left on my contract. We’ve got some good things here,” Ryan Smyth on ‘asking to be traded’. this is from the edmenton blog and its in qoutes so i assume its his words
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/06/20/wrighting-a-wrong-in-the-smyth-trade/
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CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
@tornado12, So much for everthing that has been written the last 4 hours. Oh well.
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jkking Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@tornado12, they can have penner back.
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tornado12 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
@jkking, lol…i havent heard that before
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Dude Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
@tornado12,
Did TSN Bob jump the gun???
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
@Dude, Bob said he is sticking to his story.
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
@Osaka,
TSNBobMcKenzieBob McKenzie
For the record, I stand by my story 100 per cent. Totally accurate in every regard. Not much else I can say beyond that. Speaks for itself.
CB14 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
@tornado12, Rich’s next post will be titled, “Report: Scratch that, Smyth doesn’t want a return to Edmonton”. LOL!
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Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
@tornado12,
This is what I tried to warn against when the story first broke. Unconfirmed reports. Good job 12.
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NO way I buyout RS contract! As much as I would love to move his $6m cap hit off the books, I’m not in favor of moving RS. If we can turn this into a bigger deal and get some depth from Edmonton that improves this team immediately…that’s a deal I can live with.
RS brings a lot of leadership on and off the ice which is something this team is obviously lacking and the reason Edmonton would want him back. You can’t teach experience and his play in the corners and in front of the net is invaluable…especially to all those who think this team has a shot at the cup next season.
I would much rather keep him and let the young guys watch and learn a thing or two over the next year, along with his 20 goals and 50 pts…this future HOF player still has one or two good years left. And who’s to say we can even improve at that position.
Everyone assumes we’re going to sign B. Richards or some high scoring free agent. The last 3 summers have ended up the same, so much so it staring to feel like groundhog day all over again.
I totally believe in what DL is doing…but he can’t make players sign with the Kings when they rather play elsewhere. Hopefully that will change, but until it does just plan on landing one or two tier 2 free agents that we will once again have to over pay to get them to play in LA.
And even if we are able to sign that one super star FA, there are still many questions to be answered…..
Injuries…can JW repeat last years performance.
Can Kopi return to the same form before the injury?
Which Penner shows up next season?
Is Parse ready?
Is Schenn ready?
Injuries
Can Clifford shake the ever present sophomore jinx?
Did I mention injuries
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Deadmarsh Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, I thought I just heard you say “future HOFer.” Oh god, that was good.
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Barry's Mullet Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:04 am
@Deadmarsh, I’m not a huge RS fan, just a fan of his style of play over the last 10+ years from afar. Since your only comment was to mock his chances of being a future HOFer, I will assume you are only a hockey novice and probably never watched RS play in his prime up in Edmonton or for team Canada. Thats too bad because you missed watching a hell of player…there’s a reason why they call him Captain Canada.
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5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, You raise some XLT points about the failures in FAs signings and with RS situation. It is what it is with a 45 year perennial loser and in far away LA with travel issues every season, but…I do not see this club competing for anything except a play off position with this roster. The 09-10 team was better then the 10-11 team in results across the board. Last season was very inconsistent in all areas of the game. The other 29 teams have the same questions to answer as LAKs do this year and this off season. That is the results of a Hard Cap payroll system with fixed contracts. Each year is transitional for all teams with the “Caponomics” to a large extent. 23 players cannot average 3.0ML each on contracts, so you have issues with unproven players to contend with to fill your roster out. We have a “gun shy GM” to contend with. Fear is not a good motivator for GMs IMO, but that seems to be the MO around here. Fear of failure is good for individual endeavors, but not in team sports management. With +/- $16ML in reserve you gotta load the gun, put up your chips and take your best shots if you want to get to the big dance. RS cannot go for a song or a case of Labatt’s, I agree totally. He means more to LA then he ever will to “Moncton”! Oilers are miles from the Oil Kings of the 80s and RS ship will be dry docked well before it happens there again. He is a good mentor for our kids here too, a pros pro! What we have on the roster now has to get much better this season…from Kopi on down has to get better up front, and the D has to be better from Dewey to Quicker and all in between. No one had a stellar year in 10-11, not one guy except maybe JW, but he just returned to his old form really! This team doesn’t believe it can score enough to win anything….to a man I have seen that body language among them! You cannot win every game 1-0 or 2-1, as shown in “le coupe di Stanley” in this year’s POs.
My take is not so unlike yours!
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Really surprised, yet not surprised. Strange that this is out there in the media – Smyth doesn’t seem like the type. Yet, I think Smyth knows this will be his last year and might as well finish it our with the traditional franchise team. Don’t mind him leaving if we get the salary relief and ability to add through free agency, although there’s not a lot out there. We’ll miss the down-low presence and creativity, but won’t miss the lethargic neutral zone legs. I wouldn’t call him a defensive whiz either.
In any case, he’s a good guy and the Kings should try their damnedest to honor his wishes.
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Eric Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
@Brian,
Judging by Dean’s history of signing, or lack of signing, free agents, the Kings will not sign an impact player, nor trade for one.
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Smyth plays very good in the first half of the season but is almost nonexistent the rest of the way, including playoffs. He doesn’t get it done in the playoffs anymore, and I thing that has to do with his body taking a beating year in and year out in front of the net and in the corners.
Trade him for a 2nd or 3rd rounder and then swing that pick along with Lokti, Hickey and/or another draft pick and get a quality winger to play with Kopitar already. Kopitar’s talent in getting wasted under Deano’s watch…
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Rich,
I certainly don’t doubt McKenzie’s connection to the Kings. I am concerned with the perception that Smyth is the one initiating the trade. Can you confirm wether it was Smyth asking to be traded, or Smyth just giving a prefference due to the Kings expressing interest in trading him?
There’s a huge difference between the 2.
If Smyth is forcing, then there’s an issue where he’s not happy, and wants out. If Smyth is waiving his NMC to allow the Kings to persue a top end scorer, then it is in itself, a selfless act that in my mind makes him a hero.
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tornado12 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
@Dominick, see my above post. He did not ask for a trade
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Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
@tornado12,
I caught it after I posted, and replied once I read it. That was my original fear, now realized. Some even had the good riddance attitude already forming.
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
@tornado12,
TSNBobMcKenzieBob McKenzie
Ryan Smyth denies my story today reporting he asked LAK about a possible trade to EDM.
TSNBobMcKenzieBob McKenzie
For the record, I stand by my story 100 per cent. Totally accurate in every regard. Not much else I can say beyond that. Speaks for itself.
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Osaka Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
@Osaka, Bob on Twitter said Smyth DID ask for a trade. DL confirmed he did have some talks with Smyth but would like to keep the discussions private.
5holer Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
@Dominick, The latter is closer to the case then the former. He is a real pro. He wants to finish up in his home Province like most aging athletes do! His family is his #1 concern, as it should be. But it is telling in that he wouldn’t go if he thought we were seriously in contention..you know he doesn’t see that happening in his tenure here! No more Cammalleri deals though! Gotta get something of value to the NHL Roster in return or skip it. Hemsky for Smyth works for me…I’ll take the Speed and sacrifice the corner work and net presence.
Schenn may take his spot or something else from the outside with Kopi. Kopi is the best kept secret in the NHL while he is in LA!
No forcing of hand by RS, rather it was an offer to management that he would love to finish up in Alberta with Oil Town and call it a career. He is one head injury away from retirement with his speed and size now! Less of that risk in “Moncton” with the bottom feeders there!
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
@Dominick, i don’t think the article said he asked for a trade – just that if it presents itself in an ideal situation he’d rather be in Edmonton.
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Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
@Dave,
“Sources tell TSN the 35-year-old left winger has indicated to the Kings his preference would be to play next season in Edmonton if a trade can be worked out”.
That’s a direct quote from the article. Smyth later replied “Holy Cow…that’s the first I’ve heard of that. I have not asked for a trade. I have a year left on my contract. We’ve got some good things here”. You make up your own mind what the article was implying, but for me, it seems quite clear.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
@Dominick, i think Smyth can easily say he hasn’t asked for a trade (because he didn’t directly according to Bob’s story) and keep things cool with the Kings if there isn’t a deal made.
i’m guessing either way DL is wishing this didn’t get out. makes things harder for him.
to me it makes sense that Smyth would want to go to EDM, that EDM would be happy to have him back and that DL would love the cap space.
Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
@Dave,
I agree with you there, but for me the real issue is did he, or didn’t he? It does make sense for all parties involved (in my mind anyway), but the integrity of the information is in question, not wether it’s a legitimate trade proposel. It could have been easily written without making it look like Smyth is the one looking to bail.
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Dave Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
@Dominick, according to Rich the story sounds legit.
KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
@Dominick, Seems obvious to me. He wants to be near his family at the end of his career. What is so hard to understand about that?
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Dominick Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
@KC23, What does that have to do with wether McKenzie’s claims that Smyth asked for a trade, are correct, or Smyth’s claims that he didn’t?
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KC23 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:33 am
@Dominick, Sounds to me like ownership getting together with the player to try and make everyone happy by throwing a story out to stir up interest. Smyth makes a comment how he’d like to be up with his family, but careful not to come across like he wants out just in case he has to stay. Makes perfect sense to me and I’d bet money that is exactly how it went down.
Why Smitty, Why?! Was it the mullet wigs?
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Helene Elliot: “Dean Lombardi confirms he had talks with Ryan Smyth “but I would like to keep those discussions private.” other source: smyth wants out for family reasons kings and oilers have had trade talks but talks have dragged.”
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Whodawat Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
@brandyn,
TSNBobMcKenzie Bob McKenzie
For the record, I stand by my story 100 per cent. Totally accurate in every regard. Not much else I can say beyond that. Speaks for itself.
Personally, I believe Bob Mac over the Edmonton Journal…
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brandyn Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
@Whodawat, I read that one. This was posted by Helene 25 minutes ago, backs up what Bob is saying.
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Role player.
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I can understand why Smyth would want to go “home.” He is probably nursing some nagging injury that limted his speed and ability last season and he knows it isn’t going to get better. He is “Captain Canada” and it would be really great for him to play with Hall and the other youngsters this year and then join the Oiler coaching staff next year and continue their development. No matter what happens, he has been a great King who has helped our club develop into a play-off team and one of those terrific players who recognizes the importance of the fans. I have already noticed Westie copying RS’s pre-game routine of flipping pucks over the glass to fans after warm-ups. He is a class act and I would feel bad if he left because I just now really learned how to spell “Smith,” err, I mean “Smyth.”
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
@DesertKing, I’ll miss him as well, but that guy is such a class act and at the end of his career. Give the guy a break and let him go home.
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Osaka Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:20 am
@DesertKing, Nothing but good things to say about Smyth. I wish more people in this world were like him.
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Most Oiler fans would like to see Ryan the warrior back home were he belongs..Maybe we could punt that Souray character to L.A..Afterall that’s were he wants to go (west coast) to be near his ex that has the kids in LA..It would be great if the Oil could get that deal done done and unload that full of himself Souray so we can boo him many times a year.
That would be funny if it happened because we would have unloaded two wastes of skin (Penner) on the same team that we compete with for a playoff spot…Get,er done Tambo!!
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willie Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
@Total Buffoonery,
“the same team that we compete with for a playoff spot”….. really?
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psst…we kind of told you this a week ago
http://lakingsnews.com/2011/06/20/ryan-smyth-to-the-oilers-i-would-never-say-i-told-you-so/
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well Smyth i liked u..u got old and still pretty dam good even tho u didnt score but u get close to..It will be best if he retires at home
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I like the sound of UPDATE 2. Maybe we’ll trade him. Yeah, great warrior, yeah, great team guy, but we have a whole room full of them and not enough selfish guys -selfish guys score goals.
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O heck! is that better?
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You would think a veteran with 1 year left, who has never won a cup would want to stay for one last chance, right? We all think we are a few pieces away from cup contention. He must believe in TM system just as much as I do. If he thought we had a chance wouldnt he stay? Not gonna do much but lose in Edm, that cant be a fun farewell tour. Is anyone else worried that this is telling us how much the players believe in our chances? He might as well say I’d rather play for a loser at home then a loser out west. Hope Im wrong…
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KC23 Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
@Pesus, The chances of the King’s winning a cup next year are very slim. He just wants to be close to his family. Who could blame him.
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deadcatbounce Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
@Pesus, A lot of people, not only hockey players, want to go home someday. I wouldn’t exactly call Smyth an itinerant, but he has played in three different cities in the past few years, and if that were me I know I’d be feeling homesick, too. If he’s doing this purely for personal reasons, I applaud him. From reading a lot of the posts on this board, I get a feeling that a lot of people feel like hockey is more important than family. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the Kings ever win anything because I’ll still have my family. Hockey is entertainment–my family is my life.
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Osaka Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:11 am
@deadcatbounce, Well said! Great post brother.
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DesertKing Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:23 am
@deadcatbounce,
Everything I have seen about Smyth and his non-hockey time indcates that he is a very family oriented guy with several small children. If I could retire at 35-36 and still have the opportunity to work for a franchise close to my home (aka Oilers) and be a regular dad, then I would go for it.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
June 20th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
@Pesus, I actually think Edmonton is on the right track. Sure, they need to figure out their goalie situation of the future, and could use a real number one center, and a couple bruiser stay at home d-men, but there’s a lot of young talent over there. It looks like the beginning of something fun. I’m guessing that’s one reason why Penner was disappointed in being traded here too.
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Osaka Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:07 am
@Pesus, Maybe, just maybe their is something a little more important than playing for a playoff team in Symth’s life. Maybe he put his family’s needs first. Why does it have to be a knock on either Symth or the Kings. It isn’t telling about the Kings organization, that is a very big stretch on your part.
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KC23 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:43 am
@Osaka, It would be like saying our beloved Luke had problems with the Ranger locker room when he wanted back to the LA Kings. Did NY fans hate NY management or Luke because he wanted to go back to the Kings? Smyth is to the Oilers as Luke is to us. Find a way to get him back home.
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Great player and class act. We should grant him his wish so he can go out in style. He has been a great player for us but they love him in Edmonton! Let him get his fan appreciation. He deserves it!
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Osaka Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:08 am
@Kingsblack, Well put bro!
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I’d like to take Edmontons pic in the first round for Smyth, give a d-man prospect too, go hard after TJ Oshie for speed on LW and maybe Lieno. Might need to keep Zues and his legth for a veteran presence, and now the reports that we might be kicking the tires on smaller contract for Poni make more sence
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After seeing the responses I got for suggesting we should include Martinez, Jones, and Moller along with Smyth for Hemsky, I would like to know what everyone else’s plan is to get in return for Smyth? I understand a lot of people don’t want Hemsky in return for Smyth, but what are you going to get for him? A third round pick that won’t see our roster for at least 3 years? How does that help us right now? It doesn’t.
Unless DL signs Brad Richards, you can’t just dump a 20 goal scorer for nothing in return to help our current roster. Aside from Richards, the free agent market is very thin on forwards. There’s pretty much no other sure fire top 6 forward that would sign with us. Selanne is going to sign with the Quacks or retire. Tanguay is talented, but extremely inconsistant. After those three that’s pretty much it on the free agent market, so all that cap space we saved trading Smyth for a pick is going to waste because there’s no one left that’s decent to spend it on. Leino isn’t bad, but he couldn’t score 20 goals while playing with Phili, who has a better crop of forwards than the Kings do, and scored 47 more goals than the Kings did. With all due respect to Jarret Stoll, do you guys think he’s better than Giroux, Richards, or Briere? Those are Phili’s top 3 Centers, and Leino was on a line centered by 1 of them last year while scoring 19 goals. Should we think he’s going to score more goals with Jarret Stoll as his Center? I don’t think so.
Hemsky was DL’s first choice at the trade deadline, so you know DL likes him, but Edmonton valued him higher than Penner and thus wouldn’t trade him for the same deal DL offered for Penner. EDM wanted Schenn instead, DL wisely turned them down. EDM was the 4th lowest scoring team in the league, yet Hemsky averaged near a point a game, 42 points in 47 games. I know he has been injury prone these last 2 years, but before that he was pretty reliable, sound familiar JW? The biggest assest Hemsky has is his play making ability. This team needs someone besides Kopi to make things happen for their teammates. Hemsky is the kind of guy who gets double the amount of assists compared to goals. We need guys like that.
Our in house candidates don’t thrill me. Parse played in only 7 games last year, that’s 35 less than Hemsky BTW. Schenn didn’t look very good as a rookie on the left side early in the year while playing with Kopi. I love Clifford, but not in a second line roll. Putting Brown on LW and moving Simmonds up didn’t work last year so I’m not inclined to think it’ll work this year. Bud Holloway has scored in the minors, but has yet to even get a shot at the NHL level. There’s got to be a reason why he hasn’t been with the Kings even though we needed a scoring LW most of last year.
So who are we going to get to replace RS if we trade him for a draft pick?
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Dave Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:31 am
@CB14, i don’t think anyone is suggesting to trade Smyth for a 3rd rounder unless there is a plan in place to invest that cap space into a different top-6 winger. we know DL is not interesting in acquiring “assets” anymore and is wanting to put pieces in place for a long run in the playoffs. so the Smyth deal must come with a corresponding deal for a top-6 player for it to make sense.
cap space is huge right now – if DL can add $6.25M to his cap space before July 1st he can make a run at Richards but he can also look at making trades for a big name guy (iginla, nash, carter, etc.
none of us know how Schenn is progressing and if Rich is right about him playing LW next year and DL really is that high on Parse, it is conceivable that the Kings could go into the season with the cap space available and run Parse out there as the #2 LW for a while and see how things go.
but i have to believe if DL is seriously considering moving Smyth then he is going to go hard after someone. he has so many assets to work with that if he can’t get Richards he will go hard after someone via trade.
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number 6 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 3:29 am
@Dave,
Like most everything you said except the trade suggestions…. Nash? For who, Kopi or Doughty? Really and that would probably be plus a Kings first rounder at least. Nash is one of the top forwards in the entire league. No way does Columbus let him go. Em-poos-ee-bla. Iginla, yeah, but again it’s that issue of age. Carter is good but he has as I believe you know an 11 year contract. He might be a big goal scorer for another 3 or 4 years, but extremely unlikely that the last 4-5 years of the contract he’s anywhere near his usual totals.
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Dave Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:21 am
@number 6, i was just throwing out guys that can score that have big contracts. i agree, Nash is unlikely, but with Columbus struggling so much you never know.
i don’t think Carter’s deal is that bad – 11 years is a lot but he’ll still only be 37 when the contract ends. and in 11 years the cap could be $100M so $5M+ a year may be a bargain by then.
tuan jim Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:27 pm
@Dave,
Not Carter. No! Not him!
He is anathema!
And his contract is cruel. We could never unload it if things go sour.
colo king fan Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 1:26 am
@CB14, ^^ winner.
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kingfish Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 1:31 am
@CB14,
actually we are lucky if edmonton would take him because no one will take smytty’s 6.5mil hit and we need the cap room now badly in case there are other moves to make. This is one of those where we arent going to get much back. When hes UFA end of next year he walks, so we might as well try to use the cap room to do something with this offseason. Im a big fan of Smyth, hes brought a lot to the team and if he wants to jet the kings should let him.
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I heard RS had internal issues during the second half, where he asked to step up…he also got upset for not wearing the A…therefore he wants to go back home…
The next 2 weeks should be interesting…Stay tuned for more information, From Rich – The Real Kings Insider!
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fsd1 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:50 am
@Harry, Where did you hear that? Link?
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Richards is now a must. Cap room is not irrelevant if we spin Smyth for a draft pick. The cap has gone up $5.5 million, and Richards’ cap-hit would only be a little higher than Smyth. Plus with the extra room, we can double up. But, remember, Doughty and Simmonds play into that cap space now. So we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.
http://the110report.com/2011/06/21/kings-offseason-gets-interesting-ryan-smyth-wants-out/
I don’t know if Leino is an answer like others, especially with Schenn and Kitsyn and Loktionov all trying to break camp come September.
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pleae get rid of him, we need the cap space, I would gladly go after a brooks laich over smyth. Love what he did, but he’s the downside with a horrible cap hit, let’s buy him out, please LA
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I find this very interesting that a stand up quality hard working guy like Smyth would want out from a “supposed” Stanley Cup contender in the Kings to go to a team with virtually no chance of making the playoffs in the Oilers. It leads me once again to believe “Lombardi/Murray Koolaid Drinkers” that there exist considerable management leadership issues that are directly reflecting on the play of the team. I feel Murray destroys offensive players with his grinder system. 1 More Year is my continuing relentless battle cry with both Lombardi and Murray. They must win a round in the playoffs this coming year, or in my opinion, if they don’t, give them both “the boot”. Too many years producing too few results.
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fsd1 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:46 am
@Poorman, Welcome back, more koolaide please!
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KC23 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:50 am
@Poorman, Except that Smyth has denied he “wants out”.
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Sebastian Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:54 am
@Poorman, my own humble opinion, unless there is a significant move made this summer, there is NO way the Kings are Stanley Cup contenders. no way!
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Dave Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:23 am
@Poorman, if Smyth thinks this is his last year (which he might) then why is it so hard to think he’d want to play at home? he never wanted to leave EDM in the first place. why does it always have to be about management?
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Dave, lol everything that players do is about management.If Goalies mess up its management fault.If a player doesnt score its management fault …So that why its always bad to be a GM of any team cause they get the finger pointing at them 99% of the time..They block out all the good things that DL made to make this team.But at times u have to agree its been awhile with DL as a GM and we made it twice in the playoff and been booted the same game at home game 6..So for me am in the okay my last year state of mind if we get the boot in round 1 again then am going to get alittle mad about it.But not having a 40 scorer wont be his fualt only small amount of good players out there.
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fsd1 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:37 am
@Dave, That is his MO
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tellmeY Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 5:00 pm
@Dave, check the wife issue…
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:29 am
@Poorman, hey i thought u were lost for once i agree with u on TM part not DL he still doing good…But if we are not out of the first round or not make the playoff then i hope DL fires TM and the PP coach ….if he doesnt then i agree on firing him for not wanting to win a Stanley Cup.This team can win it if they have the right system to score.Yea i like the Defensive mind set of the team but u cant win if ur just in ur own zone most of the time
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fsd1 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:52 am
@KingsFanFTW, did you watch the stanley cup this year?
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:23 am
@fsd1, yea i watch it this year and last year.Yea i know Boston didnt really score on the PP but still be nice to score on the PP mostly the 5 mins one that was a killer lol.
Poorman Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 10:39 am
@fsd1, Yes, a little. When the Kings aren’t in it, I’m not as interested. I knew Vancouver would choke. How about you?
DLB Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:47 am
@Poorman, but you get addicted once you have a sip of the purple stuff…
Yummy yummy
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Re: DD contract, Helene Elliot says that DL was ‘blistered’ twice in his meetings w Don Meehan. That’s her words, not those of DL, but that doesn’t sound incredibly encouraging. But I imagine he’ll find a way to get it done. That would be a bit of a drag if he had a problem getting Doughty signed.
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KC23 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 7:52 am
@number 6, Sounds like typical posturing by DD’s agent through the media during negociations to me.
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This article seems like a pretty good update on the Smyth situation.
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/06/21/despite-conflicting-reports-kings-and-oilers-have-talked-about-deal-centering-around-ryan-smyth
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DesertKing Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:41 am
@KC23,
Great article. I learned two things:
1. Rich Hammond is the “go to” source for King’s information (as always)
2. Hemsky’s contract is as bad as everyone said it is. The article said it ran through “2102.” I wonder how a 90+ year contract got past the NHL, the NJ management and Kovalsuk’s agent?
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DLB Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:49 am
@DesertKing, it just shows how much the league HATES Jersey
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I have no complaints about Ryan Smyth since the Kings got him.
He’s been a solid player and has shown true veteran leadership in helping the younger guys (ask Braydon Schenn)
If he wants to finish his career in Edmonton, I hope they find a way to make it happen. He’s been a class act all the way and I’ll miss having him on the Kings.
Hopeully DL can get something worthwhile back for him.
If he is going back..all I can say is thank you Smytty for the quality player/person you’ve been since you’ve been a King.
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fsd1 Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 9:05 am
@nykingfan, 2nd that!
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tuan jim Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 12:40 pm
@nykingfan,
Thoid that!
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I’ll drive him to the airport
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von_swine Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 4:51 pm
@Russ Allison, and I will carry the bags…. Adios Smytty.
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Total Buffoonery Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@von_swine, And I will pick him up at Edmonton International and all his bags!
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von_swine Reply:
June 22nd, 2011 at 2:42 pm
@Total Buffoonery, outstanding! I feel like we’re all in GM finishing school or something, lol. I doubt they’re all this cordial w/one another tho…
We give Smyth back to the oilers only as long as they take back Dustin Penner too.
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Total Buffoonery Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:54 pm
@Nyck, No Way Hos-way..He is all yours…Have fun with that bum.
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Its confirmed…Ryan is coming home to Edmonton..Welcome home Smitty.
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Sorry but Cliffy has shown next to nada as far as finishing skills. We better find a better 3rd line option than Cliffy, at least for now.
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