The Kings took their swing, but the biggest name is now off the free-agent market, as Brad Richards has agreed to a nine-year deal with the New York Rangers worth $6.67 $6.5 million per year, as reported by TSN.
As noted throughout yesterday, the Kings invested a lot of time and effort in Richards. As of a few days ago, they believed they could offer Richards an average salary of $6.5 million (or perhaps a bit more), while still leaving enough room for Drew Doughty’s contract. It was strongly presumed that Richards’ tendency was to stay in the East, but the Kings believed they had a shot to win him over, thus the expensive presentation, which included breakdowns of the team’s travel and potential living arrangements on the West Coast.
So now, the Kings still find themselves needing a left-wing replacement for Ryan Smyth, meaning they will need to dip their toe into what remains of the free-agent market or start looking for trade possibilities.
It was to good to be true
[Reply]
Ryan oliver Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:11 am
@Airwaves, All I can think of is he wants to stay in east closest to his parents. Other than that I just don’t get it. I heard the kings offered him more money too
[Reply]
MiniKing Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:13 am
@Ryan oliver, CRAZY cause Kings offered Gabroik and Luongo more money too!
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tantrum4 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:23 am
@MiniKing,
Luongo got traded to Vancouver, he wasn’t a free agent signing
MiniKing Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:47 am
@MiniKing, He was a free agent in Vancouver. Remember he signed with Vancouver cause Sedins signed first, and he believed VAN would be cup contenders but ended up sucking for a few years.
NoDoughty Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:49 am
@MiniKing, LOL….Lugongone still SUCKY a lotty!!!!!! he,he,he….
Scott Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:47 am
@Ryan oliver, Good attempt. First real attempt to of LA trying to get a big name since Gretz. But this might backfire as putting too many eggs in one basket and too little too late.
I would have loved to see Fleischmann come to LA, but FLA grossly overpaid at 4mil, he should have been closer to 2-2.5mil.
I’m glad LA didn’t get Leno at 4.5mil. Although I would have taken Cole and Ryder for a combined 6-6.5mil (but they went for closer to 7.5-8mil)
The deal that will go unnoticed is Sullivan at 1.5mil. That could have been a great pickup for LA. Good work by PIT.
I hope LA acts on one of the best available FA LW’s. Sterling would be an awesome addition at .7-1mil. Whatever LA does, I hope it doesn’t interfere with cap space needed for DD.
[Reply]
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:24 am
@Scott,
But how do you go after the big fish and at the SAME time sign the small ones?
BobKnob Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
@Scott,
It’s probably a good thing we missed out on those overpaid UFA’s, and we probably weren’t willing to pay them as much as they got anyways.
DLB Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 am
@Scott, it’s not too many eggs in one basket if we already have Mike Richards.
Roger Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:39 pm
@Scott, agreed Pit did a good job so did the Caps and Dallas
rogiesbackup Reply:
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 am
I’m actually in the minority on this one. I’m really disappointed for the Kings in EVEN trying to go for a Brad Richards type of a player. Stanley Cups are won by a REALLY good SYSTEM and or a GRINDING type team.
I will never forget when the L.A. Kings threw away their defensive and grinding system in the 70′s and went after Marcel Dionne. I loved Dionne as a King and gave us lots of excitement, but let’s be honest it doesn’t win Stanley Cups. These high scoring players give you “FALSE HOPE” in winning a cup. They become to easy of a defensive target and the other team members start to rely on them for scoring.
We didn’t give Ponikorvsky too much of a chance; Simmonds is gone, and Handzus is in “The Tank.” This was our most grinding and exciting line in 2010 season. KIngs management need to stay in focus of their identity and don’t get “sold” on marquee players!
Honestly, the kings[Terry Murry] system is very close to winning the cup. Seems we have the personel to get it done. Just a few bad bounces and a little immaturity caused us some games and the season. Got to let these players continue to play with each other and don’t futz with the chemistry too much. AND, have patience for these young players to “grow up” as far as hockey sense. They’re ALMOST THERE!!
Matt George Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 am
@Airwaves,
I pretty much thought Brad was going to the Rangers before the AEG pitch.
After that pitch I genuinely thought … “well … who knows?”
Looks like these free agents make up their minds before July 1 and then just look for ways to reinforce their decision.
Thank You to AEG and Dean for swingin for the fences on this one!!
[Reply]
Brownkingsfan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@Matt George, Trade for Parise!
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Hadley Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 am
@Brownkingsfan, sign Brett Sterling — he’ll score 40 goals with Dustin Brown and Mike Richards
Kings fan in Grapevine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:35 am
@Brownkingsfan,
Why is Jersey trading Parise again? Oh yeah, they aren’t.
dayle91/08 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:04 am
@Brownkingsfan,why nobody talking bout Andrew Ladd 29 g 30 a hes a rfa wonder what it would take to get this dude
Donald_S Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:01 am
@Airwaves,
Kings fans are SMART. In Rich’s poll, 43% picked the Rangers as Richards destination. The pundits should have called us.
[Reply]
dayle91/08 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:01 am
@Airwaves, not a done deal yet
[Reply]
Chuck Mozena Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:12 am
@Airwaves, I’m starting to think all of this is just a show. “Hey look, we went after Kovalchuk”. Look we went after Richards. Not our fault they went elsewhere”. Then they settle for the lesser players. Last year Ponikavrosky & Mitchell, this year Gagne.
[Reply]
858King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@Chuck Mozena, Mitchell is a pretty good “lesser” player. A goal saved is the same as a goal scored
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c4sraser Reply:
July 4th, 2011 at 7:24 am
@Airwaves, whoa, two years in a row DL couldnt make the big deal
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Well it is NY I guess that promise to play with Gaborik for the 36 games he might play next year was just to much to pass up.
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Ziggy33 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:05 am
@VegasKingsFan, +1
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 am
@VegasKingsFan, I was looking at the map last night, and Brad is from a small town in Canada that is quite close to New York, a few hundred miles or less…so I had a feeling….
[Reply]
tantrum4 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:25 am
@rontheking,
What are you talking about? He’s from PEI which is no where near New York
[Reply]
-J Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:38 am
@tantrum4, It’s only a 2 1/2 hour flight (~650 miles) to PEI from NY. That’s a hell of a lct closer than LA.
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 am
@tantrum4, Sorry further than I thought…but still a few thousand miles closer than LA,..which would have been the absolute furthest possible destination.
cpmc29 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:57 am
So what? He wanted to be closer to mommy & daddy. I thought pros wanted to win above all else.I put him next to Kovalsuck. Money first or mommy first.
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:45 am
@tantrum4, A lot of these kids are from small towns in Canada or elsewhere (Kopitar’s from a small country), and they value their roots. That means they have character and humility…which is one of the biggest reasons I like pro hockey players and find hockey attractive…sometimes when you live in a place like LA that sort of thing really works against you….
If it had been all about winning another cup, then he most likely would have chosen here, because of the bright future the Kings have. So it wasn’t all about that.
Good luck Richards!
[Reply]
ike Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:57 am
@Chris, His mouth guard was beginning to bother me.
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Chris Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:33 am
@ike, Haha, yea I agree, I kept seeing pics all over the place and it was buggin me as well!
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jonsey Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:13 am
@Chris, I’m not bitter. He made a choice, an odd one, since the Rangers are going to be terrible for years to come, but hey, it’s his life and at least it didn’t last all summer.
[Reply]
Chris Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:40 am
@jonsey, True, I dont see what everyone seems to be so upset about? DL will make the right choices for the benefit of the team. He cant decide for the players, its ultimately up to them. We have options and plenty of time, it will all pan out and the N.Y. Richards will be wondering why he decided on the Rangers as apposed to Kings when were opening the play-offs as the first place team in the West!!!
[Reply]
Chris Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
@Chris, *opposed*
I know we were swimming up stream on this one but its frustrating to yet again lose out on a big fish UFA. What needs to change here to make this a more desired destination?
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5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:16 am
@SLOKing, Three time zones.
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jp Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:50 am
@5thLine, This
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pitty Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:16 am
@SLOKing, NY is closer to his home town, so what needs to change for this to work, the Kings location. In other words there was no chance unless LA would have given him some insane deal(money wise) and that wasn’t going to happen. To be honest i’m ok with it.
[Reply]
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@SLOKing, We need to import real snow and crappy weather….
[Reply]
BigKidNick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:33 am
@rontheking,
In the words of Daniel Tosh’s response to Canadians that visit SoCal but say they couldn’t live here because they like the seasons too much, “I like the seasons too. That’s why I live a place that skips the sh@tty ones. So why don’t you ice skate your @$$ back up to your log cabin and drink your maple syrup.”
[Reply]
loskingpride Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 am
@BigKidNick, I watched that episode last night
Roger Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@BigKidNick, well put A
DLB Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:03 am
@SLOKing, change immovable facts of geography.
We have enough through prospects and trades. We’ll be fine.
[Reply]
CupRun2011 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:48 pm
@SLOKing, Thought it was a long shot, but you’ve got to try…I give to AEG and DL that they made a big effort–much appreciated.
I think we may underestimate what we’ve got so far…we really didn’t mess around too much with the core getting M. Richards…if you could call Simmer part of the “core”, but I think Cliffy showed what he’s capable of…Schenn was still the future–the net effect is I think M. Richards for Smytty is a good exchange and a HUGE upgrade to Smyth (and Stoll)…Stoll is an upgrade over Zeus (althrogh I still like Zeus) on the 3rd line–better faceoff, faster, better shot (when he can hit the net and better in the shootout). If Parse and/or Penner can have a better season than last year (which SHOULDN’T be too hard), we’ll be just fine even without someone really replacing Smyth on LW. I just might give one of the “kids” a chance to be a regular…like how Martinez and Clifford were last year–a pleasant surprise and a regular in the line up. Sign DD and maybe we get lucky with whomever is left on the FA market.
[Reply]
So, who is left?
[Reply]
JoeH Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:16 am
@Cup B4 I Die, Guess we might go after Gagne, but he is an East Coast guy as well. I say make a trade for N.J. RFA Parise.
[Reply]
Gary Livingston Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 am
@JoeH, Parise can’t be traded until his hearing in late July. Also, he’s only signed thorough a year depending on how that hearing goes I read.
[Reply]
ArmChairKingsFan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 am
@Gary Livingston,
The Devils filed for arbitration. Hence they are obligated to honor the $ awarded to Parise for one season. If they choose to trade him after the hearing, that’s a different story. But I don’t see it happening.
Bama Kings Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:26 am
@JoeH, What woud you trade?
[Reply]
5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:17 am
@Cup B4 I Die, Gary Shuchuk
[Reply]
Eberlin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
@5thLine, In terms of heart, Shuchuk and Warren Rychel combined = Kyle Clifford, I think (and hope).
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Ah well. We do have lots of cap space now don’t we.
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5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:18 am
@KC23, enough to ice another team.
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OC King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:14 am
@KC23, about 16 million
[Reply]
Oh well. Hopefully we can get Gagne at least
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I think we all knew, deep down, this is how it would end. Always the bridesmaid.
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5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:19 am
@Tookie13, never a cup contender.
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Kristie Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 am
@5thLine, We would have been if he signed with us. He chose a coach over a cup. Whatever, we are used to being kicked in the face by these athletes. Oh well, f the league. DL, go gangsta and sign DD, then slap an offer sheet on Stammer!
[Reply]
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:25 am
@Kristie, He chose the closest place to where he grew up…not a huge surprise or something for the Kings to take personally….
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 am
@5thLine,
Never? We’ll see eh!
Boston proved it’s all about chemistry, depth and goaltending.
[Reply]
Drew Doughnut Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:46 am
@5thLine, You guys seem to forget we picked up a pretty decent player also by the name of Richards. we were cup contenders without BR with him we would have been nasty to play against but its ok. Hopefully DL trades for booth or signs gagne. I’m just tired of NY always being the sexy pick when realistically they are not a cup contender this next year. They just got loads better but they still aren’t a cup contender. Maybe a middle of pack in a weaker East.
[Reply]
typical dean falling behind once more it’s kovy all over again
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Christian T Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:14 am
@KOPITARRULEZ 11, No not this time.
[Reply]
The Batman Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 am
@KOPITARRULEZ 11, This wasn’t the same at all
[Reply]
KOPITARRULEZ 11 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@The Batman, yeah be will still lost the big fish. What really grinds my gears is that he took less money to go play with a team that is cursed and won’t win a cup for awhile when we have the chance now.
[Reply]
Hadley Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 am
@KOPITARRULEZ 11, we need to be careful of wishing for people like Kovalchuk or Brad Richards. Kovalchuk had a dreadful season in New Jersey — he was a Minus 26, worse than even JMFJ for the Kings. Kovalchuk is now Minus 101 for his career.
Brad Richards is a Minus 72 for his career.
By contrast, Wayne Gretzky was a Plus 518, Jaromir Jagr is a Plus 275 and Dave Taylor was a Plus 181. Dave Taylor is the Kings’s all-time leader. Btw, Mike Richards is Plus 39 for his career thus far.
I wish Brad Richards in New York all the success Kovalchuk has had in New Jersey.
[Reply]
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:22 am
@Hadley, Brad Richards is a good guy who went with his heart. I think it’s crappy to wish him the luck of Kovalsuck.
[Reply]
Hadley Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:48 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, you are absolutely right — Brad Richards is a class act and I quite misspoke if I seemed to be wishing him ill — Kovalchuk is a jerk. The point I was trying — however inartfully — to make is the Rangers might be overpaying for Brad Richards, just as the Devils got fleeced by Kovalchuk.
It was not meant as as attack on Brad Richards personally. Despite his wobbly career numbers, on a personal level he is a credit to the game.
His contract will expire before the Rangers contend for the cup.
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:08 am
@brian, Yet another very good player going to NY to become average.
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Joe from Gardena Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 am
@KC23, He went to NY because he didn’t want to have to play any defense. Fine. Whatever. GO SIGN DOUGHTY!
[Reply]
NorCal Mike Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@Joe from Gardena, Agreed!
Well I guess he really DOESN’T want to be on a winner.
[Reply]
Jack the Lad Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:13 am
@Bailey’s House, Exactly
[Reply]
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:48 am
@Bailey’s House,
Correct! He already has his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup.
[Reply]
At least he made his decision in one day, instead of dragging it on for months like Kovalsuck.
[Reply]
408kingsfan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:19 am
@kostamojen, Exactly gives DL time to react
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5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 am
@408kingsfan, to what? who is left?
[Reply]
kostamojen Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:26 am
@5thLine, Gagne
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
@5thLine,
Or trades. Malone seems to be available – maybe Booth as well.
If not Parse starts the season as LW2 again.
garry Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
@kostamojen, It still bugs me that we waist time on a free agent that most everyone on the inside was aware that he had made his decision for N.Y. It at least gave most a few short happy heartbeats! Now let’s get on with that L.W.
[Reply]
We all really knew this right?
[Reply]
5thLine Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@Bean32, unfortunately, yes. Look up definition of insane….
[Reply]
jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:12 am
@5thLine, believing the Rangers have a better shot at the cup than do the Kings?
[Reply]
ziggyfan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:25 am
@Bean32, yes we did. We had no chance.
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 am
@Bean32, yup i knew it since DL started going after him
[Reply]
a more desired destination? In what way? east coast hockey i guess is more popular but really. We are a better team.
However, with that said….now we can get 2 guys, sign drew and we will be just as good.
As you can see putting all ones eggs in one basket is a risk anyway….ie kovulchuk…I like that we try. It’s all you can do.
[Reply]
Marbles Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:11 am
@tellmeY,
Not just as good but better than the Rangers. Kings have a way better shot at winning the Stanley Cup than the Rangers right now.
[Reply]
The Kings will win a cup before Kovalchuk and Richards win one.. and thats pretty much a guarantee.
[Reply]
JMS Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:43 am
@Who Knows?, Richards already won one with tampa. That basically why he moved to NYR money and torterella(who was the coach at tampa when they won.) i think…
[Reply]
Actually relieved, we can use the money to be a 4 line team now..and sign Doughty already!
[Reply]
therocknroll80s Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:57 am
@dave, That is true. Our sole focus should be signing Doughty not making any trades or signing Richards or any other free agent that we did not draft!
[Reply]
Doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results – DL So now that we didn’t get Richards and the best of the LW UFA’s are gone, what is the plan now?
[Reply]
Christian T Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:16 am
@Puckn-A, Paying the LW’s the money they got yesterday would have been… It doesn’t matter we’ll be OK and like many have said above, we will contend before NY.
[Reply]
IntheSinBin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:28 am
@Puckn-A, Have you ever heard of something called trades?????
[Reply]
gralx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:50 am
@IntheSinBin, trades are great! you end up with what you wanted, err, penner. And, you get to give up assets like our last 3 1st round picks.
[Reply]
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:53 am
@gralx,
Err, Richards!!!
Puckn-A Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:23 am
@IntheSinBin, Yes, I have, however I think it is better not to give up assets to get a player that might not want to be here. I also would like to say landing the big fish has done wonders for the Rangers, Drury, Gomez, Redden (LOL), Gaborik, have won countless playoff series for that organazation,right???? All I am saying is that we missed out on some decent upgrades at LW , you know the position that DL said he was focused on filling the last few years.
[Reply]
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
@Puckn-A,
The fact that DL went for a big fish two seasons in a row is great sign! Means we oh so close
[Reply]
What is up with Parise? I have not heard…is NJ looking to clear cap space? I wouldn’t mind a trade on that front!
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:21 am
@bryanagee, NJ sent his contract to arbitration. This apparently means no one else can put on offer sheet on him and he becomes an UFA next July. Getting Parise now would be nothing more than a rental player until July 1 2012.
[Reply]
King Alex Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 am
@KC23, Parise is out for 3 months due to his knee anyway. Parise is not the answer this year.
[Reply]
TradedForAPick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:31 am
@KC23,
Which means we already know next year’s offseason heartbreak
[Reply]
therocknroll80s Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:59 am
@therocknroll80s, Heck, Parise is better than anyone in our organization!
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HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:11 am
@therocknroll80s, Then anyone?????
[Reply]
therocknroll80s Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@HockeyOnly, Yes.
HockeyOnly Reply:
July 4th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@therocknroll80s, I thought it said Parse, not Parise, I totally agree with you, he is one heck’uva player.
[Reply]
therocknroll80s Reply:
July 5th, 2011 at 10:00 am
@HockeyOnly, Yes he is! Boy, it sure feels nice that someone other than SCepin on this board sees the way I see things!
Wasn’t surprised at where he landed just really surprised that he didn’t get more than 7 mill from a desperate team .. Can’t wait see gaborik , redden , and Richards playing in the AHL ahaha
[Reply]
Best of luck, Brad, but you made the wrong choice if you want another Cup. Let’s move on.
[Reply]
jdm1977 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:19 am
@Eric K,
Well Said.
[Reply]
all the other wings are gone now as well
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KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@SVIK, There is always a trade possible and I think Gagne is still out there isn’t he?
[Reply]
#1faninvegas Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:24 pm
@KC23,
Yes, Gagne is still out there
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it wasn’t meant to be…im ok with that…we got lots of money now!
[Reply]
Airwaves Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:18 am
@tellmeY, Any suggestions in using it?
[Reply]
KingsFan61 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:06 am
@Airwaves, Lower the season ticket prices . . . LOL
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cheers to DL for the effort. good luck winning a cup with NYR B.Rich!
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ok well that’s over, so now let’s announce the Doughty signing so we can have a great holiday weekend.
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It’s fine people. Kings will still be good. We didn’t really have a chance at Richards. He would have picked the Rangers yesterday had the Kings not come in and surprised him. It was nice of him to act like he had a tough choice after the Kings’ presentation, but it was going to be the Rangers no matter what.
Lets sign Gagne.
[Reply]
McCheese Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:17 am
@Scot, Agreed. Kudos to the organization for the effort though. Definitely made a big push to sign him. I’d like to see the infamous video though.
[Reply]
DL better get on the phone with Gagne, ASAP.
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Jim S. Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:34 am
@kostamojen,
I wonder if Gagne prefers to stay on the East Coast too???
[Reply]
HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:51 am
@Jim S., Yup, he does
[Reply]
pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@HockeyOnly,
everybody does, thats the problem.
I knew that Kompon would screw things up for us. They should have sent Heidi in his place.
[Reply]
Jadedtool Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:42 am
@Buster, Haha, agreed. That Kompon character can’t do anything right.
[Reply]
King Doughnuts Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:49 am
@Buster, +2
[Reply]
Drew Doughnut Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:52 am
@Buster, Why not Bailey?
[Reply]
#1faninvegas Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:26 pm
@Buster,
ROFLMAO! Now that is funny!!! I was drinking water when I read that and it came out of my nose!! Thank you, I needed that!
[Reply]
So, Rich, any chance you might have any insight (I know it wouldn’t be specific) that you can share regarding the notion that the Kings actually have a Plan B, C,…? It sure seemed like they were all in on Richards.
[Reply]
Token Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:22 am
@22Sargent, Plan B: Parse
Plan C: Richardson
Plan D: Clifford
[Reply]
garry Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:11 am
@Token, Plan B: We look for a teams with young wingers and pull a trade for one of our young D’s in the farm system. No RFA’s are worth anything. Parse could surprise and we have a couple of kid’s in our system that may also have a chance. There was a time when we needed a whole team and now only one good and young L.W. What do you think one of our goalies would fetch?
[Reply]
Token Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:36 am
@garry, Our goalies aren’t going anywhere this year. When contract time rolls around in a couple seasons, one will get moved.
Besides, there is a glut of goalies on the market and we only have ONE proven starter. Bernie is still just an unproven prospect.
Deano is likely done for the summer. We have enough roster players to contend for the cup this year.
BobKnob Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am
@garry,
Andrew Ladd is a good RFA.
big mistake for richards. I thought for sure if deano unloaded a decent portion of our roster that a guy like br was in the bag. wrong! Not pessimistic now by any means but whats the plan dl?
[Reply]
I was reading NHL.com and they were saying that the Rangers didn’t even go down to meet with Richards and his agent, while the other teams made presentations in person to them. They said all they did is make a phone call to show their interest. I think Richards was set on going to NY all along, the rest was a dog and pony show.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 am
@E-Dog, Brad grew up in Canada in a place that is just a few hours from New York…that’s what this was about and little else….
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Ravens Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:11 am
@E-Dog, Rangers had to know all along they didn’t have to do anything, but may have gotten a bit nervous after the Kings made him sleep on it over night
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:26 am
@E-Dog, I am sure the coach made a call. maybe even a couple of weeks ago
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Never understood what the Kings saw in Richards anyway so I’m glad he’s going to NY. I wonder if he considered how much of an a$$ Avery was before he agreed to the deal?
Next target for the Kings is Gagne, but I expect him to sign in Vancouver. Actually surprised he didn’t yesterday. I think DL has some other move in mind that nobody has thought about. Maybe trading for Alex Semin?
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:10 am
@PaulHB, I’ve been thinking a deal for Semin is possible too. It’s really one of the only power moves that makes sense. Semin has star qualities, and has been on the block the last couple years. The caps are pretty tight against the cap now with some of the signings they made yesterday. I would not be surprised by a Bernier, Voynov, picks package for him.
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Dave Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:41 am
@PP Anybody?, He is on a 1 year deal and is not at all a DL type player. I’d be shocked if we got him, let alone at that ludicrous price.
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John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am
@Dave,
He’s a RW anyways
PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:37 am
@Dave, This is true, but he’s still the biggest impact player out there that might actually be available, even if it is only for a year. We won’t be trading for Parise, or Malkin or any other pipe dream meaningful players, and Booth in florida is half the player and would probably cost us twice as much in return. Semin’s contract is around the same money as they were going to give Richards, and he is totally capable of putting up the same numbers. So, in actuality it is quite a plausible scenario. Will Deano pull that trigger? Probably not. I’m guessing we’ll be hearing DL in a few days telling us how he expects Parse to step into that 2nd wing spot and show us what they think he is capable of. Wait, that sounds familiar…
I ain’t even mad. I wasn’t expecting the Kings to even go after him after the Mike Richards acquisition. When I heard about the Brad Richards wooing, I actually got a little nervous. He had major concussion issues last year, and he’s 31. I firmly believe that within 4 years, NYR will be looking for a way to dump this contract. They are a long way from contending. Priority #1 for the Kings right now is to re-sign Drew Doughty. Yes, we have a hole at wing, but of all the holes to have, that should be the easiest to fill. Better than having a hole in goal, on defense, or at center.
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gralx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:56 am
@Gabby, I am not mad that we did not get BR either. What bugs me is a laundry list…. We were 2nd, again. We wasted day 1 of FA to chase a big fish that wasn’t coming here no matter what we did. Here we are, yet again again again again, with nothing to show for the 1st day of free agency when you can improve your team without having to give up anything but cap space. Leino and Fleishman (sp?) would have been fine, both or either, as an addition to the top 6. Spinning our wheels again. Overpaying in every trade we make. Yep, that makes for a great GM.
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:35 am
@gralx, Just like we expect the team to go all out, you do not just give up if another team is ahead in the chase for a FA. management gave everything to make it happen. The players see this and will also continue to give their best. the effort was not wasted. The expectations for effort is clear theoughout all levels of the organization.
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Gabby Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
@gralx,
Did you see the ludicrous contracts that were given out yesterday? I for one am glad about the Brad Richards “distraction.” It saved us from a financial headache in the not-too-distant future. And if your team is going to pursue a free agent, aren’t you glad they went after the best one? It’s not Dean’s fault that he chose to sign in New York. The Kings gave it their best shot, and Brad Richards decided to go with someone else. And as a UFA, he earned that opportunity. More power to him. I’m still very happy with the team we have.
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King of Sorrow Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:30 am
@Gabby,
Agreed…… We had already traded for the Richards that is the best fit for our club and he is only 26 years old! Dean and company will fill our holes and probably with someone that we are not even considering. I hope some of our kids step-up and make themselves the best available choice. I am looking forward and can’t wait for the season to start…… Go KINGS!
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Up the offer and try to pry Booth out of FLA.
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lostjedi Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 am
@Jack the Lad, prolly wont work well considering what mike richards did to him 2 years ago
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Drew Doughnut Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:00 am
@lostjedi, Remember what JJ did to smyth the year previous to the trade?? Of course not as bad as Booth hit but I think thing worked out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjb9Xy2UnWc
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NorCal Mike Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:31 am
@Jack the Lad, After yesterday I think that FLA is trying to make themselves into a serious team. I think Booth is staying with the Panthers, at least for now we’ll see at the trade deadline.
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Oh, and somewhere Bob Miller is breathing a sigh of relief.
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underactive Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Jack the Lad, Hahahahaha
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Matt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:28 am
@Jack the Lad,
TOO funny!!! Was thinking the same thing.
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Jadedtool Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:46 am
@Jack the Lad, Party at BM’s house!!
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JontheFish Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@Jack the Lad,
“Richards to Richards, over to Richardson, Back to Richards, to the other Richards”
That sure would have been great though! hahahaha
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The Rangers are not really close to being contenders so it’s about the money I guess……Let’s move on and get a good LW and see how it goes…I am ok with this team.
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Everyone mentions Gagne but Miettinen or Connolly might be a good fit for less money. Or even two of the 3.
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Jack the Lad Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 am
@Christian T, NO to Connolly!!!!!
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TradedForAPick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:23 am
@Christian T,
Miettinen would be in TM’s doughouse by the time he stepped off the plane. And I would only sign Connolly if his contract was determined by how many games he plays
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DarenV Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:52 am
@TradedForAPick, I lived in Buffalo when Connolly first got traded there. His work ethic was horrible and he played like a 10 year old girl. Great skater, passer, stick handler but no balls. Getting Connolly would be a bad move.
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-J Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:44 am
@Christian T, Neither of those guys are LW’s or high point producers, that’s why no one’s mentioning them.
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therocknroll80s Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:01 am
@Christian T, How about giving our prospects a fair chance of showing what they can and can’t do at the NHL level?!?!?!
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Token Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
@therocknroll80s, Never under TM’S reign!
I think Holloway is way overdue.
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Whats he gonna do when Torts gets fired. Oh well we tried
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Oh well, NEXT! At least we didn’t have to wait for a month or so. For all the people whining about DL, it’s not his fault. The player’s ultimately have the decision where they want to go no matter how much DL sweetens the deal. I guess our next target will be Gagne now.
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gralx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:00 am
@tacomakingsfan, Really, not DL’s fault? All, and I mean ALL in on one player in FA. Ignored at least 4 or 5 other players that could have helped our team and cheaper. We are empty handed on the first day of FA for, what, the 4th (at least 3rd) straight year. He has not been able to get the job done. He cannot find a way to help the team without having to overpay in a trade.
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Andrew Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:38 am
@gralx, actually everyone overpaid for your cheap midlevel guys.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:50 am
@Andrew, Yeah, for example Ben Eager–what a useless slug he proved himself in the playoffs–they had to pull him out of the lineup because he was such a liability…I can’t believe anyone wanted him at all, but especially at…what? 1.5 mill a year? Are you kidding me man?
PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 am
@Andrew, Even if we over-payed for some mid-level guy like Upshall or Kennedy, we’d still have paid half of what we would of given Richards and have a fuller line up and more money left over.
BleedingRoyal Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:44 am
@gralx, And Leino, Cole didn’t get overpaid? Comical!
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
@gralx, what makes you think teams underpay in the FA market? We are at a place were we need top end players.
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John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:41 am
@gralx,
DL IS getting the job done! Just because you can’t see that, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
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Wow, First game of the season…NYR vs Kings.. too bad its oversea’s…better be on TV.
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Richards wants to play in the big apple instead of La La Land !!!!! Thats fine by me…..I believe that this is to our gain…..I will not lose any sleep over this at all……
My name is Yves, and I am speaking live from Canada in Ontario….long time Kings fan for over 20 years !!!!!
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:51 am
@Yves, welcome aboard Yves. do you have any neighbors who play LW?
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Why is it we can never get a FA to sign here? LA is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Hockey World… No Respect!!! NY can have him. Too much money, too long a contract for a 31yo. Can we now concentrate on the wingers we need. DL got us the better, younger Richards anyway!!!
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M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:24 am
@King Alex, advance past the 1st round and then we can cry about getting “no respect”
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 am
@King Alex, Going on part of 6 decades without EVER winning a Stanley Cup, is not a great selling point for free agents. We as fans can dream about how awesome our home team and organization is the greatest ever, but in reality, outsiders don’t see any real evidence of that.
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Let’s move on. Good news is Bob Miller won’t be having such a hard time calling Brad Richards, Mike Richards and Brad Richardson.
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Joe from Gardena Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:48 am
@JFont, Yay! Now Bob’s brain won’t explode one shift into the season. Bob Miller is waaaaayyy more important than Brad Richards!
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I think it had more to do with Torts than anything.
Its tough not to be upset about this – I was really hoping. A little worried about the holes we have to fill.
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Has Segal signed with anyone yet? I wouldn’t mind seeing him come back.
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therocknroll80s Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:23 am
@Buster, I would rather see a King’s prospect get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level then bring Segal back. Having said that, Segal was a very good player for us. I think is is very good player period.
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unbelievable… one more time… Dean has put his eggs all in the same basket and what happened? he lost! now he turns around, surprise!!!! nobody’s left to fill the holes. I guess we’re gonna finally see if Dean is rights about Parse becoming the 40 goals sniper….. or Bernier and/or Johnson are gone for someone to fill that spot
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HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:56 am
@matt1982, or Doughty + for Stamkos …… of course I’m dreaming
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gralx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:03 am
@HockeyOnly, would not give up Doughty + for Stamkos. First of all Stamkos is a C, which we do not need. 2nd, 1 pick seperated in the draft. They want Doughty, the price should be Stamkos straight up. Again, under your scenario, we would be overpaying in a trade. Oh, that’s what DL does. So, you may be correct.
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Bama Kings Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
@gralx, What? I’d move DD for Stamkos in a heart beat… in a heart murmur. One has consistently gotten better and the other is up and down.
I knew this was going to happen. The Kings also presented Richards the idea of playing the left wing with M. Richards. Brad didn’t want to play win, there wasn’t any room for him in Los Angeles. Now the Kings will go after walking injury Gagne or even Tim Connolly. Maybe we can get some value and trade our walking injury Lokti? With Weal not far behind, I think we can move Lokti, if it brings something good back..
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Props to the Kings on once again making a legit run at an high profile UFA. Sadly, the fact still remains that LA doesn’t seem to be the #1 destination for these guys. Add BRichards to the list of Kovy, Hossa, Drury, Briere, Gomez…… Looks like trade and draft are our only options to improve the team.
Oh, and I still would prefer Lieweke stay away from my hockey team.
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Gabby Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:25 am
@EncinoMan,
Thank God we didn’t get Kovy, Drury, Briere, or Gomez. I predict we’ll be thanking God about this, too, in the not-too-distant future.
GO KINGS!!!
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:57 am
@Gabby, true, good point
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Mark Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:37 am
@EncinoMan, I agree on Lie Weekly. His comments after the presentation were transparently car salesmanish.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
@Mark, Yeah, you have to wonder if Leiwicke and 8 corporate lawyers surrounding Richards–and the imposition of Kobe–didn’t actually have a negative effect on the negotiations. He probably couldn’t wait to get out of there and take a shower….
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Whew … for some reason I’m more relieved that we didn’t get him then I was worrying about filling a LW. Grab Gagne on some short term, sign Doughty, AND GET PARISE NEXT YEAR! Depending on how much NJ pissed off Parise with filling to arbitrate, he might be available before the trade deadline.
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ArmChairKingsFan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:41 am
@kevinebel,
Actually NJ filed, so they could guarantee they keep him for 1 more year.
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ArmChairKingsFan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:44 am
@ArmChairKingsFan,
Helps if I read it right. Parise’s availability may not even come to that. NJ showed they didn’t want to lose him to an offer sheet while negotiating. That’s points for them, especially considering they almost made the playoffs (in a weak East, but still) after playing like crap most of the year. That may be enough for them to extend him once they get their cap figured out.
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kevinebel Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:14 pm
@ArmChairKingsFan, Sorry i don’t buy for one second NJ filed arbitration because Lou didn’t know what the cap was going to go up to … they filed what, three days before it was increased? Hell new papers and web sites were already printing what they thought it was going to be. Sorry but it doesn’t pass the smell test.
Either they filed because, as you pointed out, they wanted to negotiate free of other offers (which implies weakness on thier part). Or they (NJ) got the feeling it wasn’t going to go well so they held him to “get something rather than nothing”.
I could be just projecting my feelings too much into this … for the last 2 years i have been eyeing Parise and thinking about how much better we would be with him.
Totally expected, moving on.
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Well, we did our best.
He didn’t get an insane paycheck from NYR.
He didn’t waste time.
Nothing but respect for Brad Richards.
Now let’s CRUSH Rangers in the opening game.
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By the way, I’m just kidding…
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Folks, we have a very good team. We just got another pretty damned good Richards in Mike, who is younger and more of a bulldog than BRichards could ever be. Smyth screwed us and now we have 2 LW holes to fill, but we have the tools to do it. Just breathe Kings fans.
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Typical Dumbardi. Wastes a trip and concentrates on Brad Richards so much
that he loses out many free agents the Kings could have had instead.
Same as last year when Dumbardi went after Kovy, and then all the good
free agents were snatched up. Mike Richards was all the splash we needed
at the center postition. Why waste time and energy on this guy. We need
RW % LW guys with talent, heart & soul, sprinkled with toughness.
You dont go from Mike Richards awesome trade to not signing any decent
UFAs. Now Dumbardi will get these sub par FILLERS wasting millions
like last time…>Sturms,Poniks,Halperns,Modins…and Penner sucks.
Dumbardi needs to make a trade for something good instead of FILLERS
to make this team great. Trade Penner asap if we can. I mean, how the
hell does Florida of all teams pick up 5 to 6 UFAS easy, and the Kings
will end up getn mere table scraps of left over players wanting a vacation
in LA for a few years. Blah. Fix it Dumbardi.
The Future Kings GM Hath Spoken
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masterhans Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:39 am
@Kings Fan Since72, would you really pay cole 4.5 per? or fleischman 4 per? or ward 3 per? there was only one decent UFA and that was richards. we made a play but he decided on comfort rather than a challenge. o.k. we still have a ton of cap space with trading options. we’ll move onto bigger and better things while he’ll be stuck on an average team for 9 years.
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Bama Kings Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:36 am
@masterhans, I agree. We haven’t missed out on anything. Drury and Gagne would make strong additions and we have assets to trade in Bernier, prospects and…… DD if he wants $6M.
We’re great.
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Deaderhead28 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:43 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Wow. After reading that, I feel inclined to sue you for 50 seconds of my life back.
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DB9 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:50 am
@Kings Fan Since72,
LOL…Do u even know where Florida was with their cap space before they signed all those guys? They had to overpay for all those players just to get up to the minimum salary cap, which they haven’t even reached yet!
The time is now to win, which FA’s should they have been going after? Exactly. The best player available to make a legit cup run was B. Richards.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:59 am
@DB9, Upshall, Kennedy, or Jokinen, would all have been solid, affordable upgrades to this team. Furthermore, by signing one of those players, we’d still have more money left over than if we signed Richards. The frustrating aspect of all this, is that most people really didn’t think Richards would come here anyway, so why not grab somebody else the first day that was actually attainable and would’ve helped flush out our real needs, which are secondary scoring wings. After a few years, the track record is there. The Kings can’t punch their weight yet in the elite FA market, so go after someone their own size.
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Branzilla Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Kings Fan Since72, No. Just no. First of all, we just got Penner 5 months ago, good luck traded him so quickly. You forget that hockey players are humans too and it’s not easy to just pack up and move to a new city at the drop of a ball and then adjust immediately, whether in real life or in a pro sport. Give the man some time. And Florida is Florida. Tell me you would rather live in the LA area than in the Miami area. And that’s nothing against LA, but I mean, come on man. It’s Miami. And with all of their pick ups, it’s hard to imagine they will be a stepping stone again. They have some good pieces there, so I can hardly fault any of the people who signed there for doing so. For the love of Kopi, I hope someone with your mindset is not the future GM.
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Bootz Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:14 am
@Branzilla,
It’s Miami? Like that’s a good thing?
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King Cobra Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:56 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Rather harshly said, but mostly true….
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HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:58 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Nice hindsight.
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:08 am
@Kings Fan Since72,
Florida overpaid… It’s really easy to overpay someone.
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Thekevman Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:36 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Seriously man you have to give Penner a chance… guaranteed he will work out this season, he had time to train and practice with the kings. And none of the other UFA’S were that great… I have respect for DL he is making steps to try and improve the kings roster and he already has done a lot in getting Richards. I am sure he has something in mind and will surprise you.
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Centericeman Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:42 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Well we can all hope that the kings never get desperate enough to hire someone that can’t read the papers or do some homework, at the dm position!!
Florida had the cap space to do so because they have, had, nothing on the roster!
I was a big Richards supporter, but we gave it our best shot. It was telling that the rangers had been given the ability to match any offer. As many have said they will be in the same boat as the devils in a few years having to trade the young talent because of cap issues. Does ANYONE think the rangers are going to compete next year? Hardly!!
I hate to say it but Richards did this just for the long term money!!! And because he wanted to stay in the east. I guess that is why he said Dallas was out of the question. I really think we were as well.
If all he wanted was money, I’m glad the blah shirts have him!
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Well, mixed emotions on Brad. Some kudos for possibly not just taking the most money on the table. Unfortunately, he’s also shown the world that a chance at winning another Cup didn’t figure into his decision at the end. Looks like he and Torts must have the same kind if man-love thing going on that Crow and Clouts used to share. Good luck Brad, and hope you enjoy finishing 9th next year. But hey, the travel wasn’t so bad. I expect you not to be too tired to stay up to watch Dustin Brown lift the Cup center ice at Staples.
Now with that out of the way. You do have a back-up plan, right Dean? Dean?
[Reply]
lvkingaholic Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 am
@Bluline77, fricken chuck norris………………
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This is just me being optimistic, but deal is not done yet.
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I gotta admit B. Richards is a classy guy, didnt let this thing drag on like Kovalsuck, but we all know he made the wrong decision. Lets be honest, signing him didnt make much sense after we got Mike Richards. Lets go find us a solid winger, re-sign Drew and were good to go! We will win a cup before the Rangers do, and Brad will be banging his head, have fun with Tortorella (is it just me or does torterella remind you of the Fonz?)
How could you say no after seeing Kobe and the Great One?
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Ochoniko Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:20 am
@Otto Ped, Ya but he has more championships than the whole kings roster and Gretzky combined, lol
[Reply]
Dave's a Killer Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am
@Ochoniko, Uh, Gretz alone has four Stanley Cup rings
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OC King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
@Ochoniko, kobe’s got 5 rings. not like it matters anyway
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Oh well… the same ol´ July snub!
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Airwaves Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 am
@Jim S., yep!
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As much as L.A. has going for it in terms of lifestyle considerations, we’re often at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to bidding for UFAs. The burden of travel probably poses a major impediment to some of these guys. For many of them, L.A. is farther away from family than any other NHL city.
At least we can take heart from knowing that the organization made a serious effort to land Brad Richards. But now we’ve got some holes to fill.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 am
@Salamano, Bingo!…look at where BR is from in Canada–it’s quite close to NY.
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Could it have been the new logo that turned him off?
[Reply]
jess Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Buster, haha!
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Jack the Lad Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Buster, Too funny, we may have the worst unis in the league now!
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:00 am
@Jack the Lad, What is even funnier is it seems that the only people not liking the new Uni’s are us kings fans……It appears that everybody else loves them.
[Reply]
Matt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:01 am
@Jack the Lad, I Agree!
[Reply]
King Cobra Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:02 am
@Buster, Like the black, but the road sign nightmare logo has to be made better. Bring back the crown!!
[Reply]
Buster Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:10 am
@King Cobra,
From now on, I’m going to refer to that logo as the Superdud logo but it REALLY ain’t that super.
[Reply]
KingsFan61 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:14 am
@King Cobra, The Home Plate Nightmare…
[Reply]
LowerAkronKing Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:12 am
@KingsFan61, Couldn’t agree more. Truly awful everything. 93 was great with Gretzky and the finals but lets move on. Plus I’m not a big fan of gangbangers and/or the Raiders. The current home uniforms are one of the best in the league with the Crown!!. And the Crest should be the 2nd uni. I’m living in a world I don’t understand.
PaganHagen Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:26 pm
@KingsFan61, I think we would have a bigger gang proble if we went with Dodger blue
PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:04 am
@Buster, We will not sign ANY FA’s this year with that new uniform!
[Reply]
I really am starting to hate the Free Agency period.
[Reply]
maybe his concussion is affecting his decisions…..
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Ok here’s my take. If we signed Brad Richards, we could have been a very legit cup contender instantly. A top six of Anze, Mike Richards, Brad Richards, Dustin Penner, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams would have been lights out. Power Play would have been excellent.
At the same time, Richards is 31 and he probably has a few more top years followed by some decline. A nine year deal is tough for a 31 year old. So, he would give us a few years of a cup run followed by inflated Ryan Smyth-like cap hit vs. production.
Overall, I would have liked to sign him because I got a glimpse of being legit cup contenders (not that we aren’t, but we’d be more so if we had B.Richards). That being said, hats off to the brass for making a legit run at him. Good luck to him in NY. I still really don’t see the Rangers as cup contenders with him.
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Well its strike 3 for this Organization if you count Hossa,but we have plenty of time before camp to fill our holes in D.L. i still trust.
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Now what the hell are we going to do with the 16MM we have in cap space?
[Reply]
KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:36 am
@Who Knows?, We still have to sign DD, Martinez, Lewis and Richardson. I’m thinking slightly more than half of that is gone already.
[Reply]
King Cobra Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:04 am
@Who Knows?, Not to worry, we never spend to the cap max…..
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We don’t need Gange. We can do so much better in trades. Let’s get Statsny from Colorado for Jones, Voynov or Hickey and a first round pick. Or Moller,Jones or Voynov and a first. Also, Booth is another guy we can get for some of the assets Deano has built in our farm team. Point is we have a lot of options now that we’ve never ever had in the past and still have a kick ass team as it sits right now.
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rabidhockeyfan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:36 am
@IntheSinBin, Bottom line – We still must do something before the start of the season.
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matt1982 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:29 am
@IntheSinBin, I’m not sure that David Booth would want to play with Mike Richards after what happened between them…
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Mickey Keenan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:44 am
@IntheSinBin, Florida is not trading Booth, they are building here team, not trading young guys. And if Stastny moves, it will be a trade deadlint deal to a team that needs the push. The Avs are not entirely stupid, they will hold him until his value is the highest.
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OC King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
@Mickey Keenan, The avs already labeled stastny as untouchable. Trade for malone, sign gagne short term. Get parise next year.
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Trade, JJ and Bernier to NJ for Parise.
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KingsFan61 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:16 am
@frank dracman, Too Much . .
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pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:37 am
@frank dracman,
way too much! Just one of them is too much for a rental. it would have to be a sign and trade just for one of those guys.
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OC King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:40 am
@frank dracman, parise cant move until his hearing next year. hopefully by then NJ royally pissed him off
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:05 am
@frank dracman, Sure.
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It wasn’t the management presentation. It was Kompon’s attempt to sell his “power play.” Let’s imagine how this went, shall we?:
BRichards: Wow Dean, that was a great presentation. I’ve played against you guys for years and I gotta tell you, I am very impressed. And now with you getting mini Rich in Mike Richards, I can see you are a player like me away from a cup.
Kompon: Let me jump in here Dean. Richie, and I can call you Richie, right?
BRichards: Um, no…
Kompon: … Ok thanks. Richie, my powerplay is the best in the league, but let’s face it, DL keeps signing really slow forwards who simply don’t have the ability to beat a guy to the puck on the dump in. The dump in is the most important part of my PP system. With you, I know we can confidently bring the puck slowly up the ice, and after we lull the defense to sleep with how slow we bring it up, dump it in and your speed can retrieve it!
BRichards: Umm..Dean, you sure you don’t want to take over…
Kompon: And after you pick it up, provided you weren’t just pasted into the boards by the D, just send it to the point and quickly skate to the other side of the ice because Jack will blast it 8 feet wide where you will be on the half boards to pick it up and fire it into the net! The element of surprise! I call it the “we look slow but we’ll get you on the dump in” powerplay system!
BRichards: Ok everyone, thanks for a great 2 hour presentation. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.
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jess Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 am
@Kristie, sooo funny
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Krusher Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:01 am
@Kristie, Love it!
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King Cobra Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:08 am
@Kristie, Would not be so funny if it was not so true!!
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Time to roll the dice and trade for Semin.
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Cup B4 I Die Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 am
@Robbordson,
For Quick or Bernier?
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Branzilla Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:46 am
@Cup B4 I Die, The Caps have goalies. Seeing as how they traded Varly, I’m sure there are more than happy with Neuvirth and Holtby. We would not have to give up Bernier or Quick for him.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:12 am
@Cup B4 I Die, I’d say Voynov might be on their radar. I think they are starting to tire of Mike Green, and might be willing to shed some salary by trading Semin for a guy like Voynov who plays similarly to Green and might be able to take that spot in the future. Of course it would take more than just Voynov, but who knows, might be the type of trade that benefits both teams. As for Semin being enigmatic, sure. But I’d rathr take a chance of him scoring 35-40 goals, than waiting for Parse to see if he can score 15. Just sayin’.
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King Cobra Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:09 am
@Robbordson, No thanks, Semin is a head case..
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ESPN_Burnside Although Richards deal has already appeared on CapGeek under Ranger team grid am told no deal has been yet signed
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to me the key to next season is Parse and Penner.If they can score 40 goals between them and play both ends..we will be a contender..if not?????
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
@neil, agreed!
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Kings Fan Since72 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
@neil, your high. Parse and Penner are not the answer to the Kings. If you cant trade them, put both on waivers. They are not the type of player that gets you to a Cup. All you Kings fans out there have a lot of WISHFUL thinking about certain players on the Kings, that will never ever pan out to be what we really need.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
@Kings Fan Since72, What’s wrong with giving Parse a fair chance before condemning him? I don’t understand all the Parse haters…sure he’s not a superstar, but he’s shown a lot more talent than some of the other guys the Kings have shipped off who then became starters and impact players elsewhere….
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 am
@rontheking, I thought Moulson and Purcell had more talent than Parse has shown. Really, the guy has never impressed me much. Also, I see him and Richardson as struggling to find their scoring touch under Murray.
neil Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:14 am
@Kings Fan Since72, Penner has a cup….
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 1:35 pm
@Kings Fan Since72, As John Lennon once said about Parse (he could see the potential even then: “All we are sayyyy..ing….is give Parse a chance.”
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Lock up DD8.
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Dean should just stop bothering with top free agents and focus on guys that can help like Upshall instead, it’s clear now that few if any top free agents want to come here, even though we were the best team in the running and would have been a very legit contender for the Stanley Cup if not the favourite. Couple of years ago it was because we weren’t good enough but it’s pretty clear now it isn’t that, free agents just don’t find LA attractive for whatever reason.
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Puckhog Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:46 am
@ikn, I agree. If the Kings never participate in free agency again I am happy with that. I am not worried abaout getting B Richards but sick of the black eyes every time we anounce we are going after a top free agent. The Kings are batting a 00 % and brings the perception of the team down even further. What does it say to the fans when players will take less to play for someone else.
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So dissapointing. Looks like we need to become a winning contender first before top tier free agents will show intrest in coming here. Now what? we’ve lost 5 guys that played important roles last season and had high expectation for this year. Smyth gone…Handzus…Simmonds…Porikarovsky..Shenn…all of them skilled smart players and all we have is Mike Richards. Dont get me wrong Mikes a great player, but now were forced to make some trades or land some lower tier free agents just to fill holes. What felt like a leap forward a week ago now feels like a step backwards.
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:13 am
@Phillip, L.A. is at a disadvantage for free agents,because of the travel, etc. So DL needs to do 1 of 2 things to get them to come here. 1 is to over pay, which he has done with the free agents he has actually signed and 2 you need to build a winner. Now so far we are close to the winner category, but still guys see 2 first round losses, even though we were super close to actually winning both series. Until we make it to the 2nd round or further, say win the cup, guys won’t have L.A. as there #1 choice. The best way to get players, until that winning happens, is via trades or lesser free agents.
That being said, I think getting Zach Parise will be much easier then these other guys, provided that he becomes available next July 1st. He happens to be friendly with Brown and JJ so we have that in our corner. Also out of all the free agents that have been available since DL became GM, Zach will be the best UFA the Kings go after, the best fit. I am sure that DL is going to keep a close eye on the situation with Zach, as maybe he can make a deal with Lou via trade for him between after the arbitration hearing and trade deadline.
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@King Cobra, my fellow kings fans have had me laughing non stop this morning –fell off my chair twice already
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Until we become a legitiment cup contender,we are not going to lure the top tier FA’s. We are on the right track though.SG will fit nicely, but his agent knows it will be desperation time and he will be over priced.i’m more concernd with the DD situation, and his feelings of loosing his best friend (Simmons)The BR situation could be a deal breaker .I forsee Phili making an outrageous offer to him.
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doug Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:47 am
@wideleft, I agree but i also disagree. The Rangers are not a cup contender but yet theyve signed Drury, Gomez and now Richards. Some free agents i belive feel if you don’t play in the East you won’t get the recognition.
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HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:07 am
@doug, Marcel Dionne is a great example of that. When this team kicks the crap out of everyone and the agents start asking if there’s room for their player, I’d tell them to take a number and don’t call us, we’ll call you IF we think you’re good enough to play for us.
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Puckhog Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:48 am
@wideleft, and Rangers are a cup contender? I think not!
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wideleft Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Puckhog, I neversaid NY was a contender.Only until we become a ligit one (getting past the 1st round at least)there will be no ligit interest.BR is an eastcoast guy, and is closer to home.I really don’t fault him.Ido believe with the current rosters, we are a contender, more so than NY.i do believethat what ever comes down, it will be today,
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bmova Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 8:52 am
@wideleft, Philly has no money; just under $1M below the cap.
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:15 am
@wideleft, We need to sign DD,and give a offer sheet to Simmons?
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Can we please sign Drew Doughty NOW? I can see the Kings screwing this one up next. Please keep Leiweke away from the negotiations.
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With all the planning, all the charts, all the video’s we still can’t close a deal on an top notch free agent this year or any year.As the movie quote goes” Put that cup down, coffee is for closers”. And sorry when it comes to free agencey DL is not a closer.
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so far on the fly has covered every other worthless team in the nhl except for the kings this morning
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:17 am
@jess, That is becayse the Kings have done nothing on July 1st. The Kings big offseason move has already happened and been talked about, the Mike Richards trade. The only thing left is signing Drew and that will happen, but until it does what is there to talk about? Nobody is going to offer him an offer sheet, so what do you expect those guys on the fly to say?
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maka maka. well there are still LWers available and plenty to sign DD.
go kings!!
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I hope he regrets his decision one day (soon).
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pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:39 am
@PuckHead27,
when we are kissing the cup next year, hope thats soon enough for you.
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OC King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:52 am
@pesus, I think more along the lines of the first game in sweden vs NYR, where Mike puts Brad through the glass so hard he will never want to go anywhere near scandanavia ever again. Thus instantly regretting his decision. That right there is satisfaction not a moment too soon
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Ok Kings fans that’s enough whine let’s move on
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:18 am
@King Doughnuts, That would be a huge chunk of cheese.
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The guy knew the whole time where he was going. just another ego maniac like the rest. We will raise a cup befor this guy will in ny.
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I am sure Bob Miller is relieved, not having to call out two different Richards in a game.
I do appreciate the Kings efforts and I am sure BR will regret the decision, NY always seems to turn into a cesspool even when they do land the big name free agents, ie Gomez, Drury, Redden
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Glad we didn’t sign him as his Kovalsuk persona showed itself in the end:
“I want to go somewhere that is ready to win now” – he chose the Rangers
“I want to go somehwere where the team has a future” – he chose the Rangers
“I want to be part of an organization with a plan” he chose the Rangers
What he really meant to say was – “I want to be the highest paid star on the team and be the center of attention so everyone will look at me” – he chose the Rangers.
Turns out the “nice guy” and “humble team leader” was a fake and full of cr@p. Enjoy your remaining losing years in NY while cashing thos checks. Now we can move on and sign a real team player.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:21 am
@DesertKing,
Honestly, I have to agree with this. His soundbites were full of you know what.
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BakoCAKingsCondorsGuy Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:28 am
@DesertKing,
Absolutely.
When I heard the fatigue in his voice in discussing the Kings’ proposal, I knew he wasn’t coming to the Kings. It makes little sense to go to NYR…
Brad Richards blows cheese.
Via Con Dios…
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
@BakoCAKingsCondorsGuy, hey, great night life in NY
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:19 am
@DesertKing, i agree, the rangers ready to win now? hah yeah right. gaborik isnt that great. he’s acting like he didnt know NYR throw out stupidly huge contracts.
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Im starting to think LA’s great weather all year long is actually a negative. Most of these players we go after are from places where its cold. Im thinking they like cold winters and love to be able to play hockey outside like they did when they were kids. I remember DD saying he loves it out here but does miss the cold winters and the snow.
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Settle down everyone, its not the end of the world! We dont need BR. Yes we do have a couple holes to fill; but its a 2nd and 3 rd line winger were missing. We have the top end talent already in place, remember Kopi and Mike Richards, 2 solid goalie and with drew signed we will have a solid D as well.
I have a feeling we might be shopping Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll to help us get that winger were missing, i wouldnt mind getting rid of those contracts, but thats my opinion… Either way we will contend with the best the west has to offer!
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I sincerely hope his choice was more family and less about the coach. He signed for 9 years. This is NY. Torts has one hell of a strong personality. And we all know they are nowhere near a cup in the East. He’ll probably be fired after next season if they don’t win the cup. So Richards will have to deal with another coach at some point in his 9 years. Coupled with the ridiculous expectations that come with NY and the NY media, and the fact he has never played in a media market like that, he will definitely be in for a rude awakening.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:22 am
@Kristie,
Very true.
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jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:38 am
@Kristie, but great night life
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I hope Dean gets mad and offer sheets the crap out of someone.
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@PaulHB, I’m a Kings and Caps fan, I’d be okay with a Semin deal on both fronts but I’d rather see DL make a move to try and pry Stasny out of Colorado. Forget Connolly, Kings are good up the middle, going after Brad Richards at center was an exception because he was the ‘big fish’. If DL is going after a UFA winger, Antti Miettinen or Simon Gagne are the best options…or take a flier on Nikolai Zherdev. He has amazing skill but is even more enigmatic than Semin.
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What this comes down to moreso than anything is the Kings style of play. It’s dated circa 1970s and doesn’t lend to the style of play that the league had geared itself to when they changed the game. It doesn’t excite players to want to come here. We’re a good team and can make some noise but like DL says it has to be the right fit cause most star players don’t fit in this system.
For TL to say we’re one of the big boys is really jumping the gun..saying ain’t doing. We’re not as good as we think we are. That’s like the Clippers saying it, cause over the years, like the Clippers, we’ve been a doormat. We need to go further than the first round over a period of time to really become one of the big boys.
Good luck to BR he made the right decision for his style of play.
Now go trade some of this “talent” for the right fit.
GO KINGS GO!
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pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:16 am
@KOHO,
please dont compare us to the Clippers. Its very hard to get free agents to sign here for alot of reasons. no one is giving us a home discount cuz no one plays hockey here. Our lack of winters is probably a negative. This Kings team and ownership is trying to build a winner, now, and for the future. Nothing like the Clippers owner.
I am not a fan of the style of play TM makes us play either and also feel its outdated, but dont think its a the reason B Richards didnt sign here. He’s alot closer to home, likes the coach and will be the #1 center. and dont forget alot less travel.
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KOHO Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:51 am
The Clippers are trying to build a winner..just ask their fans! ; )
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fsd1 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:19 am
@KOHO, So what you are really saying is you didnt watch the Bruins run to the Stanley Cup. Circa 1970′s, LMAO
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KOHO Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
@fsd1,
Of course I waatched it but that was Tim Thomas moreso than anything. How far would they have gone if TT didn’t stand on his head. I’m not saying that style can’t win a championship but will they repeat? If Crosby and Malkin were healthy you don’t think they would’ve been competing for the Cup again. LMAO
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Pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 am
@fsd1,
They played great D but dont forget bos was 2nd in the east in goals for
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O well time for plan B, o wait plan B was signed elsewhere
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Andrew Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
@Zigi17, Simon Gagne signed?? oh wait no he didnt
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i give credit for anothe sincere try. but i am po’d once again that every summer we get turned down by the big part we need and we are left with the cupboard bare.
‘fool me once, fool me twice’is what i am feeling. this year it would have, without knowing any details, but from past experiences, better to go after the 2nd or 3rd best, se we hedged our bets and got at minimum a quality free agent. getting an experience FA beats trading and empting the stockpile of future help.
i am just really, really frustrated. eric cole would have been a great pick-up and addition to our team. again, i don’t know if he had already sent out msg.s he already had a plan, but, i just feel like we need to adjust our thinking and accept we are no one of the top list of players, first choice. damn.
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I think we’ll have to wait until the trade deadline for addition of consequence. We are already substantially improved with Richards 1. Bob Miller is probably relieved. Dean, have a good fourth. Drink some beer and play golf. You deserve a rest.
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i hope brown drops him every game he plays against us.
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:06 am
@jonjon, and i hope gaborik only scores 5 goals next season.
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I wonder if they are dubbing “THE TAPE” to changge all the Richards to Gagnes or insert name here.
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jess Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:11 am
@RLane420, haha
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In looking at the 3 remaining LWs that have ANY goal scoring rep, we have Samsanov, Zherdev, and Gagne. I’ve proceeded to break them down below. Age and previous salary are in parenthesis.
Gagne (30 $5.25 mil) Played 63 games last season, scored 40 points (17-23). His previous season was cut short due to injury but he produced when healthy. 58g 40p (17-23) followed 79g 74p (34-40). There is no question if Gagne is to stay healthy he is the type of player who can put up points in bunches.
Samsonov (31 $2.5 mil) Put up 40 points in 78 games last season splitting time with CAR and FLA. He ended the season on a crappy FLA team with 14 points in 20 games. Not bad if you want assists (3-11). He didn’t produce in CAR in 2+ seasons after he went off for 32 points (14-18) when he was acquired from CHI mid-season. That includes his CAR high of 48 points in 81 games. He appears to be a far cry away from the 70+ point man he was early in his career with BOS.
Zherdev (25 $2 mil) Another Philly cat. He only put up 22 pints (16-6) in 58 games last season, but he’s 25 and only two seasons removed from putting up 61 (26-35) with CLS. He also had a decent season with NYR prior to last season when he dropped 58 (23-35). The guy can score, having topped 20 goals 3 times in his short career. The question may be his health, but again he has shown he has the potential to put up points in bunches, and he is only 25.
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HockeyOnly Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:14 am
@ArmChairKingsFan, The knock on Zherdev is he takes time off while still playing, Samsonov starts out blazing, gets comfy and he also takes time off and Gagne is a total east coaster.
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:19 am
@ArmChairKingsFan, And Parse can match or maybe even surpass all of these expectations at a fraction of the cost.
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ArmChairKingsFan Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:24 am
@miracle.on.manchester,
Valid point. However, I posted this as an appeasemen to the “SIGN SOMEBODY!!” crowd. I agree that Parse has the potential to provide the same numbers. But the argument is that he hasn’t shown much when healthy. In that regard I would say Zherdev is a decent option and probably wouldn’t be asking for much of a raise. He is the only one of those three I would actually consider.
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
@ArmChairKingsFan, Zherdev would be a risk. he’s super inconsistent and probably wouldnt play more than the 3rd line. we need a high skilled guy. forget scott parse he’s a dud, dont believe everything you hear. dustin penner would be a better 2nd LW so i’d say go after a 1st liner.
miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
@ArmChairKingsFan, Zherdev is a cancer wherever he goes! DL will not sign him!
bbb7 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 am
@ArmChairKingsFan, What about Alex Tanguay for a year or two, if we cant sign Gagne?
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Another year another lose out on the big fish. In the meantime we lose out an all the best available UFA’s. What do we do now for a LW?
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SLG1013 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:23 am
@blueniler,
Could just be my opinion (although I don’t believe that’s the case based on some other posts), but would you really want to pay what these ‘best’ available UFA’s were given?
Cole – 4.5M/year (4 years)
Upshall – 3.5M/year (4 years) – Would you give Simmonds a contract this size?
Ward – 3M/year (4 years) – Never scored more than 30 points in one season
Fleischman – 4.5M/uear (4 years)
Leino – 4.5M/year (6 years)
These are all good players who are way overpaid; a result of teams having to spend to reach the cap floor…
The guy who screwed himself was Jussi Jokinen, a relative still at 3M/year for 3 years. He could easily have gotten at least 1M/year more on the open market.
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:41 am
@SLG1013, you completely left out simon gagne. and yeah he’ll probably want 5 mill for one year but hey we have the money to spend and still a gaping hole at LW. you’ve got to pay the big money to get these guys theres no way around it. the whole point of UFA, big money. upshall would still be a great fit, you wouldnt give simmonds a contract that size because simmonds is still young and never showed much more than work ethic, he took a big step back and still didnt prove himself as a solid consistent 3rd liner. if you watched ward in the playoffs you saw its not the scoring he brought, its the kind of player he is and that can be just as valuable to a team. upshall has offensive upside and speed to burn. id laugh at you if you said you didnt want him next to stoll and clifford. remember we have 16 million left on the cap this year and doughty’s hit will probably be around 6 million. so 10 million to sign 2 players? if it fills your roster good, i say give them all the dang money you need to.. also with the players we have in place the UFA’s we sign wont have to make such an impact, they can be more complimentary players. we have the money stop worrying about that, pray we get players.
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John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:21 am
@jonjon,
The point is long term. That’s why you CAN’T over pay for average players.
jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 am
@John, Gagne probably wants a 1 year deal, we could negotiate after if he wants to stay. and if we got upshall and put him on the third line it would be more than average. give gagne 4 million for 1 year, upshall takes a 3 million cap hit that leaves 3 million to resign lewis, richardson and martinez to decent contracts after doughty is signed. a lot of players are locked up already and guys on this team have taken pay cuts to get everyone signed. gagne and upshall can be signed to good deals and are above average.
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They shouldn’t have spent any time on this and with that said neither should we. I believe the Kings got the better Richards. Antti Miettinen, Sergei Samsonov, and Alexander Frolov (deja vu) are still left. But at what cost? Gagne is too much of a risk at that pay scale.
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:13 am
@Puxfreak, big risk for sure especially with williams being injury prone as well, but if he plays 82 games he puts up 30 goals, easily. we make it to the playoffs and he puts up a point a game easily. and he’s one of those guys, bigger the game bigger he plays, as far as i know the kings dont have any guys like that. maybe mike richards but we need more playoff players. might be worth it
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ok Holloway and Dwight King, here is a golded opportunity, go hire an ice skating coach and shoot pucks all summer.
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M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:19 am
@Ravens, yup. good luck, bud!
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Always the bridesmaid.
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Pesus Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:39 am
@jonsey,
What comes after bridesmaid? cuz I dought we were his 2nd choice
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I say try and take a shot at simon gagne if he is still out on the market. whatcha think?
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petemagoop Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:30 am
@TommyG, the best out there, but well documented health issues
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:10 am
@petemagoop, so does justin williams. im starting to think it may be risky, if williams and gagne go down we’re dead in the water.
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I am not too worried nor upset about BR signing with NYR. I wasn’t emotionally all in on this signing. As for everyone else cryng about, lets look at the situation logically.
Winning LSC is the ultimate goal but it doesn’t have to be for just this season. DL said he doesn’t want to be a 1 and done team (like Chicago). We have a window that spans about five years (give or take 1-2 years).
Getting MR to go with JMFJ, AK, MQ and soon DD, the Kings are a young team growing together that is poised to make several runs at LSC during that time frame. Parse, Loki or even a player that will step up and surprise us from within the organization well only serve to improve this team in the fashion that DL had crafted.
From there, as the team improves in wins and the nucleus matures and improves, F/A starting from next year’s crop (which is a lot better than this year’s) will be champing at the bit to come here.
Penner will also have to play a big role if he is to salvage his career being that he is a F/A after this season. If not, then that is more money off the books for next year’s F/A crop.
The Kings had 5 20-goal scorers last season and can easily match that this year. If one or even two of them hit 30, than the Kings will be on their way to becoming a elite offensive force. All that without having to shell money for a 31-y.o. who would only be servicable for a few more years at an outrageous cap hit.
DL made the right call as he has said he wants a contending “team” not just a collection of high-priced players.
[Reply]
Chris Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:22 am
@miracle.on.manchester, Bang!!!! Finally someone with some sense, well said my friend!
[Reply]
bluesince62 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@miracle.on.manchester,
Yeah, if Penner doesn’t pan out more money on the books.
That way, they’ll be 20 mil under the cap when the next top UFA whizzes on their forehead as they do every year.
Sorry, but tired of hearing the same line every year that “NEXT YEAR” is the year the top FA’s will be stumbling all over themselves to come to LA. Time to really start looking at the fundamental reasons why each FA period the Kings can’t get a penniless and blind one legged fat woman to give them a peck on the cheek even though they’re tossing millions of dollars at them.
Organization? Coaching staff? What?
[Reply]
petemagoop Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
@miracle.on.manchester, Kopi and Richards will both get 30
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Well we are 0 for 2 when trying to attract big name UFA
I’m also happy though DL didn’t offer a stupid long term contract ( 8,9or 10 years) to a player in his 30′s, sucks he didnt sign here but what do you do. Good luck to you BR.
So now what? If the kings actually invested a lot of time and effort into this what is their game plan now?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
GKG
[Reply]
So who will be this year’s 5 goal scoring 3 million dollar Plan F?
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bluesince62 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:28 am
@PP Anybody?,
Ponikafrolov
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Miller29 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:37 am
@PP Anybody?,
LOL, that was my question when I first learned we were in on Brad! Doesn’t With all his charts and graphs, isn’t he able to spot a trend here? Lets trade away more prospects for ho hum players and hope we don’t get ripped ala Edmonton.
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What about Chad LaRose? Not a big fish but a guy that could fit well and he plays LW!
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Joe Dirt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:28 am
@shorthanded,
No thanks and he’s already signed with Car if im not mistaken
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TRADE! UFA’s were never going to be the answer this year, anyway, class was too thin. The Kings still have a ton of resources at their disposal that have been stockpiled for years…utilize those to get a player that the team really wants and don’t just sign someone for the sake of doing something. Who expected Mike Richards to be dealt? There’s a lot that goes on that we never hear about. Think big, guys! Semin, Parise, Malkin, Sharp…everyone is available for a price. If the Kings want to win now that their window is legitimately opening, then the “potential-type” players need to be packaged and dealt, just like Schenn. Gotta give up value to get value back, right??!! At least this is evident on day 2 of free agency and not at the end of the summer like last year. Give DL a little credit, the team is miles beyond where it was 4 years ago.
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…Brad Richards is not worth that kind of bucks – never scored 30 in a year and only 4 times registered more than 50 assists – once in the last 5 years – I for one am glad the Rangers signed him, they can have him
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jonsey Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:31 am
@petemagoop, Really? The guy is a point per game. He’s better than any Kings player has been in the last 10-15 years.
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He better not over react and get another Ponikarovsky (a la Zherdev or Samsonov). Just sign Doughty. The Kings have a great team right now despite the loss. We can always get another LW around DEC when the Rangers are losing.
[Reply]
Ugh.
We now have lost Simmonds/Schenn/Poni/Zeus/Smyth and gained Richards. And why we didn’t go after Belanger or Cole is mystifying to me.
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jonsey Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:32 am
@carol vadnais, Offersheet Simmer. Unless we don’t have the picks.
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:35 am
@carol vadnais, Simmons is a RFA,WE can get him back .Correct me if Im wrong?
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:08 am
@rumpa#19, .. we lost simmonds, a replacable player who took a step back this season. and clifford basically overshadowed him. Schenn with luck would have only turned into mike richards. poni gave us 4 goals for 3.4 million dollars. and smyth is a dinosaur. if you dont think we’re a better team now youre sadly mistaken.
gagne??-kopitar-williams
penner-richards-brown
clifford-stoll-upshall??
westgarth-richardson-lewis
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PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:27 am
@jonjon, Upshall signed already, so you can scratch him out of your line-up.
rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:42 am
@jonjon, I agree we are better,and that Schenn is MRs unproven comparable ,with slightly more offencive upside.I was just stating that he is signable,and maybe that would get DD to sign.Not getting it done with DD would be a disaster, and may make us no better if not weaker. Thats all i was saying ,as i agree with you.
John Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
@carol vadnais,
How do you know we didn’t? And anyways, they both signed stupid contracts!
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
@carol vadnais, Why would you want Belanger? Don’t we have enough centers already? Before you say Brad Richards is a center, he is a special case as he can play any forward position. Cole is someone who got a lot of money for a long term, when it appears he only plays well in Carolina. He moved to edmonton a few years ago and bombed out, going back to Carolina. What makes you think that would change, going to Montreal. Pni/Zeus/Smyth really are of no loss, that one of the kds can take over or sign Gagne or trade for younger faster. Simmonds was expendable with the emergence of Clifford. Seeing Cliffor make the team out of camp and how he did during the season, I knew that Simmonds days of being a King were numbered.
We are a much better team now then we were at the end of last season. This is true even if we don’t make any more moves and go with the Kids in our remaining spots that are open.
[Reply]
Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:20 am
@Jeff, Sorry for some of the missing letters in some of the words. The laptop I am using is old and the keyboard is funky. I should be getting my new laptop sent to me by the end of next week, or early the week after. Not sure, with the holiday and all. I hope I get it by Friday though. I hope it is before my select a seat though, as it is online this year.
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as expected… wasted us a day.
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:10 am
@zdfun, How did it waste a day? Whom exactly that signed yesterday would you have wanted instead, at the term that those said players signed for?
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Zdfun Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:27 am
@Jeff, DL can’t do anything before he says NO to us except talking to DD8? He could prepare but not proceed. He wants to join NYR since he’s FA, all 4 teams presented on the first 6 hours of yesterday, and NYR’s contract was reasonable, he should announced at 4 or 5 pm, so we could start our plan X. So I don’t think he’s ‘that’ classy. but compare to last year, he is.
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Losing out on Brad Richards is tough, but looking at what is left available there really isn’t anything. Maybe Simon Gagne is the only one left, in the UFA pool, but he has a problem with staying healthy. If he can play 70+ games then he would be worth it on a 1 yr deal. That is really the only move I see Dean making via UFA…..The other option is to trade, but who exactly is available. All the talk is on Booth, but with all the moves Florida made yesterday do they really want to trade him?
Another option can be, now I just might be silly or naive, but what about one of the kids coming in and taking that spot. How about a guy like Kozun or Toffoli. I really think they can help. There is actually one guy out there that nobody seems to be mentioning, that I think just might be the answer. I really think he might be the most NHL ready out of our prospect pool. The guy I am talking about is…….
Maxim Kitsyn……
I really think he is ready. I don’t know how many of you guys watch the Memorial Cup, but he was Missiaguas (sp?) best player n the tournament, especially in the final game. Yes they lost, but he was awesome in that game and nearly helped them tie up the game. Anyway I really think that given a chance this fall, he just may be the one to surprise come opening night.
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:38 am
@Jeff, Kitsin is signed in the KHL,thats why he wont be in Manchester this year.
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
@rumpa#19, I would think he’d try out for the Kings before going to the KHL. He just might make it. If he doesn’t then he have his choice to go where he wants. He be better off in Manchester though. Have the Kings signed him to an entry level deal yet?
[Reply]
Kingsfanone Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 am
@Jeff,
You’re not listening. Kitsyn is signed to the KHL, where he must play. 1 year I believe.
JMS Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
@Jeff, I like your thinking about Kozun. Kitsyn and Toffoli but that still doesnt make them a #1 #2 winger.
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:05 am
@JMS, They may not be #1 or #2 but they can start off like Clifford did last season and if things go well, then they can move up. It certainly would be a cheaper option for us.
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Can’t say this was a surprise. Kovalschmuck all over again. Oh well. Guess it’s time for plan b…..errr, plan c…….errrr….
And if DD isn’t signed this weekend, well, better get ready for plan d.
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:08 am
@vplaza, This was nothing like Kovygate….The Kings knew going in what Brad preffered and they gave it their best shot in trying to change his mind. Didn’t work oh well….The Kings are still stacked. Whatever Drew s waiting for it really doesn’t matter when he signs. I am sure it will be soon though. It might take until Stamkos and Webber sign though, as t appears he is waiting for them two before he signs.
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Good try DL, etc. He would have been a solid fit, but that concussion issue still lingers. That’s now the NYR problem.
In the end this came down to money
The Kings could go no higher than 6.5 while still keeping DD. NYR came back a little higher and he jumped at the higher offer.
Maybe it was family, coach..who knows but in the end, keeping DD is way more important than signing BR..if that’s what it was coming down to.
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Last season’s 20-goal scorers…
DB = 28
AK = 25 (before he got injured)
RS = 23
JW = 22
JS = 20
This season’s 20-goal scorers…
AK = could (should) easily reach 30.
MR = see above.
DB = maybe regresses to low 20′s but hopefully matches last season’s totals.
DP = scored 20 combined on a bad Oil team and an uneventful stretch with Kings last season.
JW = as long as he remains healthy, I predict he will have the biggest jump in goals.
JS = Reaching 20 from C3 position will be tough but manning point on PP helps.
SP = If WS could score 14 last season, I imagine Parse could do better in a healthy compaign.
DD = If the progression is what we all imagine it would be, he doubles last season’s goal totals.
If these things all come to fruition, then I believe the Kings will attain that next level we all hope for. And it will be a fun season!
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jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
@miracle.on.manchester, i agree to an extent. dustin brown isnt going to regress. he was playing his best hockey at the end of the season and if you remember he missed an empty net in edmonton so he could have had 29 and maybe 30 later on, he’s in his prime i expect to still see a lot from him.
AK=30-35
MR=25-30
DB=25-30
DP=20-30
JW=25-30
JS=15-20 (which is awesome for a C3)
KC=15 possibly
DD & JJ need better shot from the point before i put any number on them.
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:41 am
@jonjon, I think we are in agreement regarding DB but just for argument’s sake, I was just saying that even “if” DB regresses, he will still be a 20-goal scorer. If he continues to progress and even he scores 30, then the Kings would have 3 30-goal scorers.
I don’t think any other team could say that for last season.
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:08 am
@miracle.on.manchester, I like your attitude…I’m tired of all the hand-wringing, finger-pointing, and what-ifs. Suck it up and let’s get on with it.
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Hope this guy likes being under a microscope. The media will be all over this poor b**tard. It will be all fun and games until he hits a slump.I hope brown and the real richards punish him the first game in europe.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:06 pm
@king1jason,
The real Richards, I like that
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Way to go kings!!! All your eggs in one basket again and no luck!!!! I am a frustrated kings fan!!
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DL has a plan. If anyone on here says they saw us acquiring M. Richards before we did they are probably lying. Oh and we have the better, healthier, and younger Richards. Blessing in disguise. GO KINGS…
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Miller29 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:40 am
@VegasKingsFan, Would like to see the plan for scoring wingers…can’t wait.
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i’m not going to read the 100′s of anti-DL comments because the sky is not falling. i am disappointed like everyone else but this has nothing to do with DL. he made a great offer and did everything he could to land Brad Richards. Richards wanted to play in NY and he will. unfortunately for him he’ll play on a mediocre team and rarely make it past the first round. he’s a good guy that made a bad choice.
now DL needs to re-sign his RFAs and test the trade market. overpaying for Gagne is not the answer. DL has a ton of assets to move so if the right player becomes available it would be time to make a deal. if not, the Kings have plenty of players that can fill 3rd/4th line roles.
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This was very much expected. DL even offered more money. Nobody wants to play hockey on the west coast. Who in their right minds would wanna play for a guy like Terry Murray when they’ve seen how he treats players?
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All I have to say is that I feel better about FA this year because we got the trade for Mike Richards, which is a huge upgrade to our second line. I think its down to Gagne or play the team we already have and make a deal at the deadline if we need to.
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Darn. This stinks
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Interested to see what happens next. Its just a major bummer, but again were kings fans so we should be used to it. Its a bummer that our home game against the rangers is in europe.
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So the NYR sign Bran Richards… Do they even have money to sign theyre other players hence Ryan Callahan, Dubinsky, Brian Boyle. I think we will either trade or get gagne but who to trade and who to trade for?
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Alen Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:51 am
@JMS, Gagne wants to also stay in the east coast but maybe Mike Richards can change his mind. I really wouldn’t mind Gagne for 2 years or a year. I mean we always have free agency next year with bigger names available but at this point DL shouldn’t be putting all his eggs in 1 basket anymore. Nobody likes our eggs apparently, they are poisoned by a bad time zone and a coach who plays a defensive system nobody wants to play in.
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JMS Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:42 am
@Alen, I completely agree with you here but i mean who would we get for a trade say we dont land a player like Gagne or someother LW out on the market. Who else is there. No Cole. No Leino. A few post back everybody has been talking about these players now they are all taken. I mean who do we risk trading. Lokti? Bernier? or may Hickey or do we risk trading more draft picks. or do we save cap and get someone at the deadline or wait for next years Free agents.
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Whoever says crap and calls Brad Richards names isn’t very smart. The guy took less money to play for the NYR. He simply went where he wanted to go, I can respect that.
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Lanny McDonald's 'Stache Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
@Alen,
Except for the fact that he filled his whole TSN interview with soundbites about how it was all about finding the situation that gave him the best chance to win. It was all BS.
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Alen Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:56 pm
@Lanny McDonald’s ‘Stache, Maybe he thinks NY has a better chance, West is tough as nails.
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Why don’t we slap an offer sheet on Brad Marchand from the Bruins? He’s young, fast, has great hands, and good hockey sense. Sure he’s no Brad Richards but he really impressed me in the playoffs.
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We have a good team. we need to let the younger players play. Sign Gagne if you can. I think that we have a move left with one of our goalies. that should get us another player. I believe that DL knew this might happen. Until we start winning and knocking teams Like San Jose, Chicago, Vancouver and Detroit out of the playoffs. top name players are not gonna play here. If not for the loss of Kopy and the end of the yr we would have done some damage in the playoffs. LA fans be patient our time is coming. And when it does lets show class and style.
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once again….we are used to this …right (?) …This was a high priority for the Kings and a high priority for AEG and ownership,” ….and ? …it is simple !!!!To get player like that you do not need presentation …Kobe (???) Gretzky…12 man delegation to …It is not about east cost. It is all about MONEY!!! This was a high priority for the Kings and a high priority for AEG and ownership,” REALY?????
back to more answers than….We need wingss and this is getting BIG PROBLEM. They are gone!!
another “strike”???Now ? who’s turn is now to be traded…or just Pars on first line Harold on second…Try Loktianov one more time /year on lw…This team played one full line wo first line.
The only first line RS KOPI WILLIAMS was “destroyed by TM . For the 3-4 months he just experimented with that.
This was a high priority for the Kings and a high priority for AEG and ownership,” …well Lucky uck promissed us stanley …maybe he is coming back on that “well known” LW. Who knows ?!?!?
[Reply]
Joe Dirt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:58 am
@flexx,
FYI he took less money to sign with the rags. He signed with them because of the location and the coach.
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flexx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
@Joe Dirt, I do not buy that !! If that is not true…what was the idea to spend hours with oher teams??..NY paid more than others. That is it
One more time this organization fail to sign Super star player .In this case “a high priority ”
We have 2 big holes and now facing tough realty.Leino ,cole ,jokinen …fedotenko..GONE
Handzuz is gone to SJ TOO BAD …Now Dl will solve the problem much the same way..like last year ..poni. sturm …
This is failure .100% failure to accomplish a high priority goals.
[Reply]
Joe Dirt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:25 am
@flexx, Check for yourself man. After the contract is registered with the league it will be up on capgeek. Either way I am happy with what management tried to do. I am usually a critic of Lombardi’s but can’t fault him this time. We made the big push and offered higher than the competition.
Good try Deaan
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Want to get your mind of this Richards. NHL channel showing a replay of Buffalo and Philly from the playoffs. Commentators have nothing but praise for this guy. Definately reminds you of how good this guy really is.
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let me remind everyone…
Penner-Kopitar-Williams
Parse-Richards-Brown
Clifford-Stoll-Holloway
Richardson-Lewis-Westgarth
Doughty-Mitchell
Johnson-Scuderi
Martinez-Greene
Quick-Bernier
i’ll still put that lineup against any other in the West. and let’s not forget DL has three outstanding D-prospects in the minors that he could move to upgrade somewhere.
and FLA spent all that money because they had to. they could trade someone for prospects as they are thinking long-term. they are doing what DL did five years ago. sign guys to fill spots to get to the floor and accumulate assets.
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flexx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:29 am
@Dave, Holloway
wesrgarth ??????????? realy WAit a minute ..Holloway …Holloway ..is this the one who still
trying to make NHL…and then Westgardd …we miss drago and than Penner …hope he will become the one …Hope is everything !!! still need at list 2 wingers I mean 2 good wimgers and replacment for West(NO) gard
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Dave Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:38 am
@flexx, Westgarth will play 70% of the games whether we like it or not. it’s TM’s style so we have to deal with it.
i do think DL will go get someone to play RW3 but there are guys that could step in there. i’m just saying even if Holloway plays on the 4th line and Richardson plays on the third i still like the team.
[Reply]
flexx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:35 am
@Dave, ..Hmm Tm style …Tm destroyed (now the old) original first line of rs kopi jw
for half sesson experiment…and we still deal (?!?!)with that.It was his false opinion
about Fro and than we lost a origanal king, 25-30 goal scorer to guy like poni $3 million waste…Hey ,most pepole here are afraid by to not onerepay guys like Kovi or Brad richards…But wasting “only” $3 million to Pony ( or $5 millio to Roneck or ..nee)d more) I would replace TM first for his out of date style and making DB the capitan of Kings ..Drago was better than Westgard,Fro was much better than poni ,I think Rs was better than upcoming player X,Loktianov is not a winger…and time will show if M Richard is better than ..Simmi+ Snenn+ first round pick????
Hadzuz is hard to replace…This young team need some exerianed ,wise guy like him.Some of idiots “blame” him slow. He does so many thing much better than then the rest of fast guys…remember #20 same thing…
I know westgard will play 70% or more..I know I know brown ,tm ,dl,aeg….this is the same old la ,I know.
Ari Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
@Dave, Agree – switch holloway and richardson
jonjon Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:32 am
@Dave, yeah i’d put that line with any in the west, but really.. parse isnt playing, he’s not good. all talk and hype.
[Reply]
Dave Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
@jonjon, if healthy Parse is definitely playing. he’s never really played with talented players (always 3rd or 4th line) and he’s put up some numbers. Parse will get his shot in a top-6 role – there is no other reason for him to be on the Kings.
[Reply]
PP Anybody? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 am
@Dave, Parse hasn’t played a full healthy season in the NHL yet, Richardson isn’t even signed yet, and Holloway has NEVER played a single game with the big club. I like your plan.
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Not disappointed to see LA miss out on the big FA guy for the 3rd straight July. Honestly, I don’t know why management continues to go after these types.
Still not a DL fan and I don’t beleive we’re a contender, especially with Kompon still here.
Would like to see a forward prospect like Kitsyn come in with a big impact.
I’m still waiting for DL to live up to his hype.
Funny to see NHL teams splashing so much cash around. You’d think hockey was actually profitable.
[Reply]
22Sargent Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:10 am
@Cristobal, Thought I read that Kitsyn is playing in the KHL this season.
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Love and Respect to all my fellow Kings FanAddicts!
Thanks Rich for all your hard work….
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You’ve got to give BR credit for making a timely decision. He entertained the offers and had an answer the next day. Now, let’s let DL and team make the deals and stop throwing out names like Gagne, Booth, and Parise.
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Well at least we got a good return on the Smyth trade….oh,oh wait…..
[Reply]
rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:01 pm
@chuckrocks, We dumped 6.75 mil ,and we can do better than RS for that. We need cap space for DD,Richie,ect.
[Reply]
i don’t think there’s a need to be upset with any of this (not signing brad richards or putting all our eggs into one basket).
re: brad richards
he went where he always wanted to go. familiar coach and close to family won him over. dl and staff made the decision harder, but richards went where everyone knew he would. good luck to him and i hope he enjoys watching us celebrate twice as many times before the rangers get anywhere close this.
re: putting all our efforts in brad richards and not signing anyone else
i don’t think this ufa class was worth feeling this way over. who should we have signed and at what price? the overpriced contracts florida gave out was ridiculous. joel ward got almost what dustin brown makes for one good playoff run. fleischmann gets 4.5M, for what? potential? to pay for his blood clotting medication? leino at 4.5M for one great playoff run? wiz (not quite ufa) for 5.5M? the market price was ridiculous and i think dl and staff knew it would be and didn’t feel any of those guys were worth signing for those prices. that’s also why i think we’ve heard him mention the word “trade” more often than signing in recent months.
i don’t think it was a case of putting our eggs in one basket. i think it was more of a case of not wanting to buy anything other that the big fish. i think with who was avaialble in house vs. what was out there at current contract pricing, we made the right choice. go all in for the big one and if we miss, we miss.
much props to dl and the kings for trying. now let’s see if we can get something with the assets we’ve collected over the past 5 years. whether that means in a trade or if that means using their skills in our lineup.
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:03 pm
@syup99, Smart cookie bro.
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Andrew Ladd
[Reply]
What else is new :/
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This is what I got up earlier for! Sarcasm. To find out he sign with NY! I did get up at 7:, then I thought ‘he won’t pick L.A.’, duh I posted that last night. And went back to bed.
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Once again – just like last year – Deano tilted at the big windmill (who was NEVER coming to LA) while players who might have come here – who could have lifted the team to the next level – went off the board. Now only damaged goods (Drury, Gagne, etc.)remain and the Kings depth is FAR less than it was last year. We are now stuck with another year treading water. Deano is a good GM – better than what we used to settle for – but maybe we’re seeing what the Sharks saw – a fatal flaw that prevents us from getting over the top. The lesson needs to be learned – obviously last year’s fiasco was not enough.
[Reply]
FKA PakiFro Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 am
@BringBackKozak,
Did you forget about MIKE Richards????
[Reply]
jet Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:06 pm
@FKA PakiFro, that Willie somethingorother on defence was better than average also
[Reply]
Now that Rangers got Richards I think there’s
no way they can afford to keep Prospal.
A trade with Florida could bring Booth here. Maybe
DL will go after Kaberle too. They need to do
something before there’s nothing to do.
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the only good thing about Richards going to NY is the fact he is out of the western conference. With bryzgalov and Richards out of the pacific we are much stronger against our division. Dallas took a huge step back and so did phoenix. Regardless if we didn’t get a huge fish we have enough depth and talent to lock up the pacific with the only real challenge being SJ. Penner parse clifford are fine as our wingers to start the year, the sky is not falling. I’d bet DL is going to ride out the LW’s as is until 1/3 of the way through the season to see who becomes available for a cup run. Gagne doesn’t excite me, and there is nothing else out in UFA that makes sense for the kings. Once our RFA’sare signed we are in a great position to start the season.
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:32 am
@oldthunder, Amen!
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:08 pm
@oldthunder, We still have to watch out for the Yucks bro.
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Just took a look at the Rangers line up. Looks like the Kings are better still than the Rangers even with them getting Brad. Not impressed with their roster what so ever.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
@KC23, Agreed. He made this decision with his heart, not his head.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,
Exactly right!
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Once again Lombardi took a swing and missed. The last few years i’ve been upset with him but now i see its a systematic issue. No one wants to play in the Pacific Time Zone unless A. they have no choice B. Its an outrageous offer or C. They are looking to revive their career n a 1 yr deal. Now we are stuck with the bottom of the barrel of FA choices (sorry Gagne was great 10 years ago before his body fell apart). NHL needs to realign to help ease the travel. I think a major reason is that in LA the Kings are about 5th fiddle to the Lakers, Dodgers, USC, UCLA, even soccer due to the large Latino population.THis is good for someone like Mike Richards who has runins with media but bad if you are trying to market yourself and be a businessman rather than just a hockey player NY, Philly, Wash, Pitt, and all Canada teams are much more deirable destinations. I agree that B. Richards made a mistake in going to the NYR. I bet he thinks he can be the messiah like so many before him. Look how much Florida/Buffalo/Columbus have overpaid this off season for marginal talent. You MUST overpay to get top tier players to Non-hockey markets as much as i hate saying that. Its a catch 22 on whether you want the star players but cap issues, or a solid team game like the Kings have. We’ll see. We have a pretty darn good Richards, I don;t like Penner on this team, but maybe we get lucky and someone steps up. Oh and STOP MENTIONING PARSE!!! What the F has he done to deserve this love from you guys??
[Reply]
tony Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:18 am
@Dustin, totally agree with you. DL should have gone after a realistic target and sign doughty already! but mostly i agree with you about Parse. All the people on this site that keep mentioning him show their ignorance. he is at best a fourth line player. get over it people
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wideleft Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:30 am
@Dustin, That’s why we made Dustin Brown the Team CaPtain
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:33 am
@Dustin, Just to answer your Parse question:
Parse potted 11 goals and 13 assists in 59 games as a rookie in 09-10, and a very favorable +/-. Last year in 5 games (probably playing hurt) he had 1 goal and 3 assists–almost a point a game. That’s WTF he did. So never mind…I’m sure your intuition overrides all facts to the contrary.
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:38 am
@rontheking, you just answerd my questions. hahaha 11 goals watch out!!!! He’ll be challenging Stamkos and Perry for 50 goals next year!! I’m not saying he’s garbage or anything, i just don’t see it in him. Hey, if i’m proved wrong and he scores 30 goals i will GLADLY eat crowe!!!
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neil Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:33 am
@Dustin, If you believe the coach and DL…then Parse is a top 6 player….If you believe your own opinion..then he is not…I will trust my coach and G.M.
miracle.on.manchester Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 am
@Dustin, The Kings don’t need to Parse to score 30 goals or to even challange for the goal scoring lead. Parse can score and when he breaks the 20-goal barrier, I remember you and your comments and tell you that the Parse wagon is full, so you will have to wait for the next one.
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:51 am
@Dustin, As a ROOKIE, remember, in 59 games…that ain’t chopped liver for a rookster–that’s top shelf. As I said, he’s no superstar…but he also might be pretty good.
In the immortal words of the mortal John Lennon: “All I am saying….is give Parse a chance.”
Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
@rontheking, I give him a shot. Now that we have Gange, and if hes healthy, the kid can find his role and not need to put up big time numbers
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Something in the back of my mind told me he wouldn’t pick the team that’s built to win long term, no matter what he says, and he’d pick the east because it’s closer to home, and supposedly a “hockey environment.” I’m happy for him that he went with his heart and not for the cash, and he didn’t hold all the teams hostage through a long process, though. In the end, I’m sure we all think he made a big mistake. This team will continue to get better anyway, and I don’t think the Rangers will.
This has to sting, in a couple of ways, for Kings management. First, they haven’t yet reached that level where players necessarily see them as objectively as they might hope. Second, they’ll apparently have to win championships (perhaps several) before anyone ever considers the Kings (especially in the context of the city of Los Angeles and the state of California) a hockey town.
Given all the players who moved yesterday, and the opportunities the Kings missed in this bold attempt, the only consolation is how much everyone else overpaid. Then again, with the last piece or two not obtained, that might not be much consolation. I’m sure management will keep pushing, and I hope the doubters will now swallow their tongues about them being seriously interested in winning.
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KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, True on most all counts, but the Kings have a lot of assets and a lot of cap space. Sooner or later someone is going to feel the need for a defensive/goalie prospect and be willing to give up a top 6 forward. Lots of time left before the beginning of the season. Kudos to Brad for not stringing everyone along like that Kolvabucks POS.
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Alexb20 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:34 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, I have always felt the Kings have been in hockey limbo, on the reputation scale. The Kings definitely are not categorized with the likes of the Panthers or the Jackets – teams that almost never compete for a cup and don’t have much of a history – but the team also isn’t held as in much regard as a Detroit or Boston. The East Coast bias is very real. Kopitar and Quick do not receive as much respect as they deserve, and Doughty is only recognized because of his Norris Trophy nomination and Gold medal for the Canadian team. The position is unfortunate. I think once the Kings win the cup, perhaps once or twice, the team will be more legitimatized to the broader public. I think we are already held in higher regard than the Ducks without the cup – or maybe that’s just my Kings bias speaking! In any case, I think we have a chance to surprise a lot of people.
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Why isn’t anybody talking about the possibility that the Kings sign either Miettinen or CHRIS DRURY?!?!?! I’d like to se Richards and Drury play together on the 2nd line for a season. So Deano sign Drury to a 1-year deal at 3.5-4.5.
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:24 am
@McSorley, I would be in favor of Drury, Great Leadership!!!! Stanly cup rings, lives in the South Bay, all around great dude. Obvously his injuries are a concern, but on a one year deal, i’ll take that risk now that we lost out on Richards and Smyth/Handzus are off the books
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Dave Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
@McSorley, i do like the sound of Miettinen – nice 3rd RW.
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Good now we can sign Doughty.
17 years, 112 million sound about right?
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Who Knows? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:25 am
@Spanky, I wouldn’t mind that deal.
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LF13 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
@Spanky, How about 10 years 50 millions?
1…3
2…3
3…3
4…5
5…7
6…8
7…7
8…5
9…5
10…4
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:57 am
@LF13,
He will still he in his prime in ten years.
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It’s all about $$ and travel. Hockey players don’t like Hollywood. They’re small-town Canucks.
Good luck finishing in 8th to 10th in NY
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it will be more of the same next year with parise
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Kings win, Ducks lose Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:31 am
@Too Raging To Cheers, Is that true? If Parise (RFA) signs a one year deal w/NJD this summer, is he a UFA one year from yesterday? I keep reading his name on this blog, but wonder why? Why would NJ get rid of their future?
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:34 am
@Kings win, Ducks lose, because they made a horrible deal with Kovy and they need to shed cap space i think. Plus, do they want to lose Parise next year for nothing like Dallas did with Richards. Parise is also Dustin Browns good freind from team USA.
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KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:36 am
@Kings win, Ducks lose, From what I understand, because NJ sent his contract to arbitration they have him locked up until July 1 2012. So he is basically already signed to a one year deal with NJ. Only thing that is not set in stone is the amount which will be formed by the arbitration.
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Kings win, Ducks lose Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:32 am
@KC23, NJD most certainly will sign him long term before then and risk zilch in return… Zero chance he becomes a UFA next July
Dominick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@KC23,
There is the possibility that New Jersey could not like the award, and simply walk away from it. If the award is too high, New Jersey (who is in cap trouble) might not be able to except the ruling, and would be forced walk, leaving Parise free to go wherever he wants. I imagine if it’s high, but still within their league sanctioned offseason cap cieling (which I believe it will be), they might sign him and start dumping salaries, or trade him, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. That ruling will be interesting, but I would be weary of giving the world to get him for one season.
KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:54 pm
@Kings win, Ducks lose, Except you are assumming Parise is happy in NJ. I’ve heard otherwise since the Kolvabucks situation. I think Parise is gonna test the market, especially after what he saw all the attention Brad got. I think Parise is a better player than Brad myself.
@dominick Possible, but I doubt it because Parise had a down year due to injuries. It’s likely the arbitration won’t be that great for Parise. That is why NJ’s brass set it to arbitration … they can pay Parise far less than he’s really worth and still retain him without looking like the bad guy to their fans.
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lol i knew it
Another Bad Move for DL at least he did tryed something but too focus on one fish now most decent fishies are gone
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I’m starting to get tired of This offseason stuff. Can It be October already?
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:36 am
@kingsfaninsb, i am too y u think i didnt get my hopes up so high cause i already know when it comes down to Kings all the number one star say no.
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Simon Gagne has a career +/- of +131.. but that might change if he signs here and is on the ice at the same time as JJ.
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
@Who Knows?, plus/minus is one of the most overrated stats in sports. ASk any hockey person and they will tell you the same thing.
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deadite77 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 am
@Dustin,
Until a player’s abritration hearing
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:20 am
@deadite77, Can;t argue with you on that. THats what it is a negotiating stat. It goes noth ways, i heard somone in hockey say those very words on NHL live i can;t remember who, but it wasn’t some caller or blogger like us. Hahaha
rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:58 am
@Dustin, Yeah, except don’t ask any NHL coaches…they do seem to think it matters.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:37 am
@Who Knows?, i dont care get him at least we fit someone in the hole we got.
Dl instead of going after a fish we can get he goes for the biggest ones.Yeah i do like it that he trys but whne he put all his focus on him all the decent fishies are gone.
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I haven’t read all posts, but this is why Dean keeps saying he wants to change the culture. The culture is coming to play hockey in LA just doesn’t have the draw other cities have of playing hockey in.
It’s changing, but it hasn’t changed. It’s a problem. It’s not like being offered a deal for the Lakers.
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When Richards said he wanted to play for a winner I didnt realize he was talking about winning 20 games a season, I mean who wants to have to play in all those extra playoff games at the end of the year when you can be on vacation spending all that money your making.
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Off Topic
Anyone seen the episode of Jarret Stoll on MTV Cribs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyBESTczXmc
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
@Who Knows?, I met him when i installed that zinc bar top&range hood.It was 2 weeks before the playoffs last year.I told kill em all,no prisoners.2games latter he shot a puck that hit someone in the throat, and i was like what did say.
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It would have been nice to have B Richards join the team, this would have shot the Kings immediately to elite level and contenders or at least the perception of contenders. That definition is a little murky to me as you can have a team, which on paper, is an undeniable contender, but which in reality lack the heart to go all the way (think San Jose, Canucks).
Whatever the reason, he chose the Rangers. He’s a great addition to any team and I’m sure in the minds of many it now makes the Rangers “contenders.” They have a solid #1 goalie in Lundqvist, a couple of good forwards, and a respectable “core” but it’s questionable whether this is a team that can go deep in the playoffs in the coming 2-3 years. At 31 his time to win is limited; 5-6 years barring injuries.
As for the Kings, the addition of M Richards is great and solidifies the top 2 center positions. The kings lose scoring and leadership with Smyth gone and depth with the departures of Simmonds, Ponikarovsky and Handzeus. I’m not including Schenn in this as he has not played any significant minutes and can only be a loss as an asset to the team’s future development. As much as we enjoyed Simmonds play and would have enjoyed watching him grow with the team, I think he can be replaced relatively easily by another in the system. Handzeus may be considered the toughest loss as he is a great two-way player and a tremendous asset on the PK.
So, moving forward, Lombardi will most likely try to find a good trade. The Kings still, as is, is a very good team and still bordering “contender” status.
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we need to replace ryan smyth hole on the team what are we waiting for.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 am
@brian, we are not waiting there no one out there that good enough..
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Maybe we can bring up some of those scoring phenoms from the minors to fill a couple of slots.
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crashin' da net Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:44 am
@carol vadnais, you mean Schenn?
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AZ King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:54 am
@crashin’ da net,
Yeah, cause Schenn dominated the minors while he was there…
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I don’t see why anyone could be mad at Dean. I for one was shocked about how HARD we actually did pursue Brad Richards, but was pleasantly surprised by the efforts. DL and his staff knew it was gonna be a long shot to land him here, but that’s why the took every step you can to TRY to get him here. In the end, Richards made his own decision, and just like everyone said, he obviously had NYR in mind.
We still got Mike Richards, and we will get another player to make us contend for a cup. My honest opinion was Brad Richards and Mike Richards was too good to be true. We can still go for the cup with a healthy acquisition that can play. Wether it be Gagne, or through trades (I feel trade route), we will add a player that will help this team. Will be interesting next couple days
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Joe Dirt Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:45 am
@Michael_DD8, I agree with you there. But I think first things first. Gotta lock up Doughty long term. He is the key.
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As expected. Now to “Plan Q”. Let’s hope Dl has something up his sleeve.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:48 am
@crashin’ da net, agreeded
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M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 am
@crashin’ da net, plan Q? ah, right…that’s when Quick breaks Tim Thomas’s GAA record and learns to stand on his head EVERY night
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Just a shout out to Kobi and Gretz to thank them for helping with the video. Nice to see them try and help.
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M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:59 am
@KC23, Kobe.
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flexx Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 am
@KC23, Brad was really upset that magic Johnson did not say anything.he dod not bought the exuse that the video editor by mistake guy erase the “invitation” of former governore of the state ….
Me too..no excuse for dl for his 3rd faillure to sign big fish…More holes No Smithy ,no Hadzuz, still no Penner …no Lws ,But wait a minute who programed Lucky Luck to prommis Stanley for LA ???
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Who can we trade with that has depth in offense but WEAK in goaltending and defense?
Colorado…..? Bernier and Jack Johnson for Matt Duchene…..? Or Paul Stastny…he’s pretty solid.
…crap…i just realized Colorado had just got Varlamov from Washington…and Giguere…OK forget that pipe dream…
Toronto for Phil Kessel…????
Bernier is trade bait anyway you look at it. Not entirely NHL proven. HUGE upside. But most likely you are going to have to throw in something else.
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KC23 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am
@BobMillersHair, Detroit.
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M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:56 am
@KC23, not trading Bernier until at least the trade deadline…hello Mr. Parise.
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BobMillersHair Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 am
@KC23,
i guess….Franzen @ 31 or Filippula @ 27. Franzen better numbers but he is often injured. Hard for me to analyze that one…for i hate Detroit. Skunks.
Often forgotten Ottawa, Milan Michalek. Everybody says who but the guy has put up decent goal production when he played in San Jose…
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Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:10 am
@BobMillersHair, If we trade Bernier, the best place to do so is in a package to New Jersey for Parise. With Brodeur about to retire, Bernier would be an awesome replacement for him. A #1 for years.
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BobMillersHair Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:12 am
@Jeff,
Thats Genius….
Approved. Make he call to DL.
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YoBro Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:08 pm
@Jeff, NO, NO, No, KEEP Bernier and trade Quick instead. jmho.
Go Kings
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lets give an qualify offer to stamkos… lol
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What’s worse- making the playoffs only to get bounced early, or off season in LA.With that said, i feel it’s time to unload some of the young talent (we do have a stock pile) and trade for our needs.We are one of the few organizations who can say that.Forget the UFA’s and their over priced salaries.I agreewith packaging Bernier withsome prospects. That should net us a quality winger.
[Reply]
I commend Brad Richards for making a choice in 24 hrs. He’s weighing lots of factors, and he made his choice. Still a class act.
I think we’ll make a lot of teams jealous one day, though, but that’s just me.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:08 am
@DLB, yea when they actually want to be Kings LOL
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Brad Richards made the wrong choice. I still consider him a stand up guy. He could of easily strung us out, and made this whole event even more painful for the Kings, and their fans, but he didn’t. I had a feeling he wouldn’t, and I’m very greatful for that. I know it was the right choice for him, and he has his reasons, but the match here in LA would have been spectacular. For him, and his family, it might have been the right choice, but the hockey world just lost out on something special. Good luck Brad Richards in New York, and no hard feelings.
[Reply]
Michael J. Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:40 am
@Dominick,
I think it was a pretty difficult choice for him. Ultimately he chose the East over the West. And yes, he made the wrong choice IMHO.
Unfortunately, that is how it goes, and probably always will be. Players don’t like to travel during the season and the Kings travel a lot. If the Kings go deep into the playoffs they may become a more attractive option. Nobody should blame DL for not signing BR. Signing free agents is an uphill battle for the Kings.
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Waiting for Zach Parise. He’s going to arbitration at the end of July. After that dean needs to pounce and offer a trade.
Arbitration is hell on players. They have to be in the room with a bunch of lawyers, an arbiter and all of management. The o ly good things he will bear about himself will be from his agent or representative. Then he has to sit through management’s barrage of why he’s not worth the money he is asking for. The process is not fun for either side. So. Pounce Deano. Offer up Bernier and a couple of prospects and then sign Parise long term. He will flourish in an environment that actually wants him to be a star. He will be out from under the shadow of Kovalschmuck and into the sunshine of Los Angeles.
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Dominick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:47 am
@Blue liner,
I think that would be a mistake. Parise would cost this franchise a huge chunk of the future, and we would only have him for 1 season. If you’re one of those that believe New Jersey can sign him to a sign and trade deal, for 4 or 5 years, don’t hold your breath. There won’t be any deal like that, because Parise has no reason to sign that kind of contract now, with free agency only a year away.
It would be compounding a missed opportunity (Brad Richards, not signing), with a bad choice (Zak Parise, temporarily, for the piggy bank).
[Reply]
Jeff Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:45 pm
@Dominick, You wont be costing the future by getting Zach. The Kings are stacked at every position, except for LW. That is a position that NJ most likely won’t be looking for in a trade. Right now they would be looking for a goalie, PMD defenseman, and a forward. They may also want a draft pick. These are areas where we have a plethora of prospects at, son losing a few won’t hurt. As for the draft who cares, we have so many youngsters it won’t hurt to lose a pick, no matter what round it is in. Most likely we will be picking very low any ways (mid 20′s or hopefully 30)…..
Bernier
Voynov/Hickey
Kozun/Vey/Toffoli/Weal
Stoll
Draft pick
When it comes to forward I want to be able to keep Toffoli. Hopefully NJ would except one of the others or Stoll and a draft pick.
This is not a lot to give up. We have a number of goalies who can take up the backup position. We also have a ton of forward prospects, so giving up one won’t hurt. As for Hickey and Voynov, don’t know if they will ever make the team with what we have on the roster now.
If DL makes the trade for Parise I believe he will sign here. I don’t think DL makes the trade unless he has some assurance that he will sign here. There are also not a lot of teams that can afford what Parise is gonna command. That is gonna help us to sign him. Plus the fact that he has Team USA friends here.
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Hmm, Lombardi fails again to bring in a big free-agent. What else is new? But he’s still a genius to King fans, of course! Wonder what crappy left over they’ll sign now? Strike two!
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Thank you, Rich.. Now, wheres the good news/cream filling? Enjoy your weekend Rich. You deserve a nice beach session with a mojito in one hand and a mermaid in the other.
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Every year!!! All top forwards gone now! Forget plan B; what’s plan C?
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AZ King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:12 pm
@punkgothdoc,
Yeah those Gagne and Stamkos guys are real slouches…
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What a joke……
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Lets not get ridiculous and call the off season a failure. We did get Mike Freakin Richards of all people. He’s a top line Center on any team in this leauge (besides ours. hahaha). He will make us better, no doubt and that deal took a set of brass friggen bowling balls to move Schenn and risk him being a 100pt guy in the future. THat said, I was shocked we went that hard after Richards who i did not see signing in the west. I hoped we’d oush harder for a winger like Leino or Jussi Jokinen but they stayed east as well. We need to replace Smyth and be prepared for a Poni type year out of Penner. I think its too late for the in FA and i dunno if DL wants to get rid of anymore prospects or change the chemistry anymore. I dont see them moving Bernier, you never know when Quick could get an injury and be done for the season, God Forbid
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:47 am
@Dustin, There is no way we should have paid that much for Leino. Most of the signings were crazy. If Penner can score 20goals being a lazy out of shape player, then when he comes into camp in shape and ready to play he will be a force.
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Dustin Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
@Joemv8, i totally agree about leino, he got a ridiculous offer cant turn that down
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rontheking Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:03 pm
@Dustin, Ironically, if Penner with his skills played with the intensity of Poni I think he would put up some huge numbers and terrorize opponents….
[Reply]
Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:30 pm
@rontheking,
Sad but true
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Now they can sign a decent player with upside, that could fill an actual hole in the roster. A nice left winger like Thomas Fleischmann, maybe; probably could get him for only 4 years or so at about 4 mill-ish. Ooops! Well, still can resign Handzus…. doh! How about a gritty playoff performer, someone lacking on this team – they do need to replace 3 wingers, and Sean Bergenheim could be had for less than 3 mill. Damn! I can’t help it. A team playing for the present now, and screwing ANOTHER FA-Day up, again!
[Reply]
Can we make a pitch for Gagne now…please
[Reply]
AZ King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:04 pm
@Kingshane,
I’m sure it’s already in the works. I believe the main obstacle is going to be getting him away from the east coast. Maybe having Richards here will help.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:11 pm
@AZ King, You beat me to it.
[Reply]
AZ King Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@Dominick,
Great minds think alike my friend.
Dominick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 pm
@Kingshane,
I have a feeling the Kings already have. There is no way they’re sitting on their thumbs right now. DL is not the type to procrastinate. Right now he’s looking over all options, and making every effort to fill our roster. I’d put money on it.
[Reply]
People
We are still the envy of the league. We are young,with good prospects and a 1-2 punch down the middle with Kopi and Richards. The Richards with heart. We can now sign DD long term with lots of cap space left. If we signed Brad we would end up like the devils. We have guys that can step up and play on the top 2 lines. If DL overpayed now we would be handcuffed later.
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you know, the rangers haven’t officially announced the signing yet, not even on their website
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Oh well, thanks to Mr. Richards for not dragging it out. It’s just a shame because ya know, I truly believe he missed out on something special that’s happening here in Kingland, but hey, that’s his choice and more power to him. It will be an interesting Oct.7th in Sweden when we open the season against the Rangers. As of now, what do our lines look like? Anyone?
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Looks like DD wants his contract to be loadded up front for the first 5 years of a 10 year contract is the rumor?? For a salary cap of 7mil a year. (The forth Period.com)
If he can play like the first 2 seasons, making a little more then Kopi is OK with me, but if you only plays half a good season like last year, hes not. More like 6 mil.
So DD if you do get that much cash, you better be in the best shape and not get lazy like you did last year and show us you are the next Bobby Orr you could be… Or us fans will be all over you for the money you make.
Kopi never ever had a bad season and has earned every dollar, if you can do what Kopi has done, then you also deserve every penny.
DD is on notice by the King Fanssss… Good luck DD and wish you a great year, show us those Orr plays again.
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:52 am
@Sammuch, I agree 100% with you on DD. Maybe trading Simmer was the best thing to do. It was a wake up call for DD
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Hope you enjoy New York Brad. It’s a nice place to watch the Kings hoist the Stanley Cup from.
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:55 am
@SaveByCechmanek, New York will not make it to the finals. They would have to go thru Boston Philly Pitts TB Wash. They are not deep enough.
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SaveByCechmanek Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 pm
@Joemv8,
Signing in NY means he was never serious about winning. It’s a cash move and I don’t begrudge him for doing so but I don’t want to hear him say he also did it because he wants to win. Buffalo is closer to winning that NY and had he signed there, I could see it.
The Kings are a better team with or without him. Look how they dominated the Dallas Stars when he was playing there. The Rangers have no depth and no goal tending. LIke you said, good luck beating Boston, Philly, the pens, etc.
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:27 pm
@SaveByCechmanek, Agreed. There have been more bad move big name signings on July 1st then good ones. Sather should know because he is responsible for most of them
Andrew Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:31 pm
@SaveByCechmanek, Lundquist is a hell of a goaltender. but your right they have no depth and gabi is way injury prone.
M.T. Netter Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:32 pm
@SaveByCechmanek, NYR have no goaltender? really? Henrik Lundqvist is a top 5 goaltender.
DarrenDreger: Leafs offered a 6 year deal with a higher annual average salary. Richards wanted the term and to play for John Tortorella. About to sign now [via Twitter]
See it? he’s made his decision since he’s FA… I don’t buy that he’s claasy guy…
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TRuskowski Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 11:56 am
@zdfun, In English that means what?
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BR contract. 9y, 60m. 6.66 a year. 666 sounds lucky to me.
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color me shocked! Now that the entire management team wasted their time yesterday with BR instead of someone being around to pursue plan B can we just move directly to plan C and D and get the pain over with? Thanks.
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“Wasted their time???” Please think before you type. According to Dregger as of this morning the Kings and Rangers were “neck and neck”. Nobody accomplishes everything they attempt to do. If they do they aren’t trying to attempt anything difficult. The easy thing would have been to pass on BR and sign one of the guys they will sign this week yesterday.
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Dominick Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:17 pm
@Michael J.,
Panic is setting in. 1 day of free agency and the worlds gone to hell in a hand basket. It will pass, as viable options become available. Right now your just seeing those who can’t see that far ahead, and want it handled now.
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well blah… so cause of the vested time we are going be weak on the Left… lets hope there is someone that can fit the bill
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I hope Brad Richards likes microscopes, because he’s going to be living under one in NYC.
His home will be a NYC petri dish, with the Manhattan Fans’ Electron Microscope
always hovering, above.
BR will be seen by some fans as a “savior”.
For a while.
It will get old, fast.
BR better bring a cup to NY.
The penalty of a big, expen$ive incoming star NOT winning a championship in NYC can be steep.
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Tim Conolly signed with leafs.Don’t think he was a good fit.Pretty much down to Gagne or trade.
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
@805kings,
2 years 9.5 million. Wow are the leafs desperate. 13 goals last year.
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1- The last time this happened (Kovi) it worked out pretty well for us.
2- I question some of the things BR wanted in a team. The Rangers are a few players from being a contender. Seems obvious he just wants to be close to home. The choices close to home were NYR, TOR, BUF. NYR is the closest of the 3 to being that team he wants. BUF looks pretty good after all the moves they made, but the chemistry of those moves has not been proven yet. I think that had something to do with not wanting BUF. TOR just needs help and Burke wasn’t even available to speak with him.
3- I truly believe us going all in after BR and losing was the best thing for us. We might have ended up overpaying for someone else as most of the deals that took place were pretty over the top. Now we have lots of cap space, we have lots of scoring talent in the minors and someone could very well step up and be that scoring threat we need. Skinner did it and he was 18 at the beginning of last season. I see this as an opportunity for the kids like Toffoli, Vey, Holloway, King, Kaunisto, Azevedo, Kozun, etc…..
Good luck Brad. Thanks for not dragging it out. I think you’ve done us a service by choosing NY and I don’t mean that disrespectfully.
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I never liked his teeth anyway.
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@RoyalPain,
And if him and his bad teeth do not want to play here then we do not want him
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Woke up expecting good news fell back asleep with nuthin. Hooray for being young haha. Any news on dewy ??
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we just reached a verbal agreement with gagne
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LAKings reach verbal agreement with left wing Simon Gagne on two-year contract. More details to come
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#LAKings reach verbal agreement with left wing Simon Gagne on two-year contract. More details to come. anyone know anything about this??
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nate101 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@nate101, now there saying its done deal???
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nate101 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:38 pm
@nate101, Gagne agrees to 2yr deal with kings. Good addition, he will do well in LA
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Joemv8 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:45 pm
@nate101,
Good things come to those who wait
I dont see what the fuss is all about, Kings Management to a good swing and missed, but you cannot say they didnt try, unlike other season where all the fans are crying “Give us a owner who cares”, “why dont we have a pro active Ownership”. We got one of the best players in a Trade “Before” the draft!( How soon we forget). Sure we need Left Wingers, but really look at who was available on July 1st and look and what some of these B & C grade players got in most cases most got retirement contracts for middle road play.
My only gripe i have is that i wish Ryan Smyth was a little less vocal about a trade only because i think we could have gotten more for him.
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Gagne signed now will you please all stop naning lol
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Everyone keeps saying ‘we’re going to get someone in a trade’ well, who??? Who’s ready to trade a quality winger right now? Or do we wait until trade deadline day and get another ‘steal’ like Penner? And what do we have to trade? A backup goalie who hasn’t proven much beyond being a backup goalie? Or MORE 1st round picks?? Or all those defense prospects who haven’t panned out? Or the last quality prospect in Derek Forbort? Ya, get rid of him too, might as well. Where are you getting all your faith from? I’ll take the 2009-2010 forwards over the guys any day.
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What am I going to do with my 2 front gold teeth NOW? I know I will give them to one of the wanna be rappers handing out cd’s at Venice beach.
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Helen Elliot – we got Gange!
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Gagne 2 years 7 million. Worth the risk considering Conolly got 9.5 million
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I love Gagne, thats who I wanted… this guy will get us 30 to 40 goals if he plays all 82 games… We really needed a LW and we got are guy and he plays like a champ in the playoffs… Way to go DL and TM please let him play his game… Its a great time to be a King fan… Its like thoses Gretz and Dionne days are back Baby…
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rumpa#19 Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 1:09 pm
@Sammuch, He was a boston killer too.Kings over Boston game 7 2nd overtime?Please dont wake me up.
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Anybody else checkout the breakdown of the B. Richards contract?
Richards year by year: $12m, $12m, $9m, $8.5m, $8.5m, $7m, $1m, $1m, $1m. $10m SB+$2m the salary first year, $8m SB + $4m salary the second
Last 3 years at $1 mil per. How is that not circumventing the CBA? I think the Devils have quite a complaint on their hands if something’s not done about this. 2 of the last 3 years should be stricken from the contract, in my opinion.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:23 pm
@Jon, I tend to agree, but somehow I’m not as bent as I was with Kovi and the Devils.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:35 pm
@Jon, …doing the math, it’s more like a 6-year contract at $9.5M/year. I’d say all of the last three should be. They’re obviously bogus. You can see the others logically trailing off as one might expect, but the last three are token entries to falsely bring the numbers down.
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Funny thing about this whole situation is that the Kings play the Rangers in the first game of the season. The irony!!
Too bad the game is not here in LA.
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