Is this the season in which Andrei Loktionov makes an impact? Before each of the past two seasons, the Kings have had high hopes for the young center, but both seasons have been interrupted by shoulder injuries. Last season, Loktionov had four goals in 19 games for the Kings, then was assigned to AHL Manchester and was nearly a point-per-game performer before he injured his shoulder. Now, Loktionov is healthy and back in training camp, but faces a tough road to the NHL. Thus far, Loktionov has appeared to be far more effective as a center than a winger, and the Kings are deep at center, with Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Trevor Lewis and Brad Richardson already lined up with NHL experience. Still, Terry Murray said he likes what he is seeing from the 21-year-old forward…
MURRAY: “Loktionov is looking very good. This is a young player that I’ve known now for three years. He’s just maturing now into a solid player, a solid man. He tests so well in all of his scores, physically. He’s very strong and he’s a skill player who likes to have the puck on his stick, sees the ice and makes plays. The veteran players that are with him, they enjoy playing with a player like that because they know they’re going to get the puck. He just continues to climb the ladder. It’s going to be interesting for me to see, as we get into the exhibition games, how he’s going to deal with it.”
Let’s hope he stays healthy. Great young player for us.
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I just don’t see him making the Kings this year at all, even as a spare. Makes way more sense to have him in Manchester with the likes of Kozun, Weal, and Vey, so they can all develop even more together. I don’t see him fitting a fourth line role, which is all that’s available at center. That’s not his game, and I honestly don’t think it would help him or the Kings to play that role this year.
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It’s too bad for Lotki…. I just don’t see where he fits. 4th line? Maybe. Can’t mess with Kopi-Richards-Stoll.
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It’s going to be a long tough road for him to crack this line up, but I can’t wait to see him on a regular basis.
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if they didn’t keep wasting time and effort with guys that have no up-side (Moreau, Hunter), then Loktionov would be a shoo-in and skilled guys like Moller and Holloway wouldn’t be bolting prematurely for EU.
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CB14 Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
@Marc Nathan, I’m all for skilled guys like Loktionov in the line-up, but last I checked both Moller and Holloway bolted to Europe BEFORE Moreau and Hunter were brought in.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
@CB14, I see your point, and understand, but I assure you that the guys who left for EU knew that there was a snowball’s chance in hell of their getting a fair shot in camp. I’m mightily impressed with the level of talent in the organization, and just wish we’d let some of it show its stuff at this level… I’ve seen enough of Moreau and Hunter just watching the NHL over the past decade. Sure, they’ll contribute to the team, but come 2012-13, they’ll be distant memories…
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Player-X Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
@Marc Nathan, Those guys are wingers, Lokti is a center and Murray is even on record that he likes him at center, so I don’t see how Moreau or Hunter are in any way impeding Loktionov.
CB14 Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
@Marc Nathan, That’s true that they won’t be here for long, but I would rather see young guys like Holloway and Moller have to beat out a proven NHL player for a spot, rather than a minor leagurer. Plus you can never have enough depth. Remember last year when Dwight King was our 1st line LW for 10 games or so? He got the spot because people got injured, and that could happen this year as well, but we’ll have proven NHL vets like Hunter and Moreau ready to take their spots if the need arises. Also most of our top tier forward prospects like Toffoli, Vey, and Kitsyn aren’t NHL ready yet.
Riofan Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
@Marc Nathan, But if skill was all that was needed then guys like Patrick O’Sullivan would be all-stars.
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SDGolfer Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
@Riofan, exactly. Moreau is a leader on and off the ice, hunter is somewhat proven, but some want to put unproven
players into the lineup?
doesn’t make sense.
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Romjan27 Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
@Marc Nathan,
He’s a center and the two you mentioned are wingers.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
@Romjan27, they’re all forwards, and the way Terry Murray plays his hand, they’d probably all have a shot on D if Doughty were to hold out past September. (/sarcasm)
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art Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
@Marc Nathan,
It isn’t 1992 anymore. Players need a lot more grit now and can’t get by with just skill. It’s not going to help us in a 7-game series if our forwards are getting knocked into the boards and injured by guys like Shea Weber, Doug Murray, and Zdeno Chara. We need to fight back and be the aggressors. We wont have to worry about the Sedins skating by our D and scoring on us if we punish them physically the way Boston did last year. I think the additions of M Richards, E Moreau, and T Hunter will help keep those guys looking over their shoulders. They wouldn’t have to worry about getting hit if our line was say Moller/Loktionov/Parse. While those guys may be “skill” players, they simple don’t have high level skills like the Sedins and would be a liability on the ice. I’m not saying that I don’t like the kids, but if you want to be a top 6 center on this team, you will need to outperform Kopi and Richards to earn that spot. It’s not likely going to happen any time soon. They still need more time to develop into Justin Williams and Dustin Brown type players. I think if we are contenders for the cup, we need guys like Moreau and Hunter and we are not “wasting our time” with these types players, we are are adding needed grit, defensive responsibility, leadership, depth, and most importantly hunger and willingness to do what it takes to win the Cup. Moreau and Hunter are here to play hard and win. Those are their priorities. The priorities for the young guys are probably more like score a pretty goal and get a big money contract. Clifford made the team last year because he was willing to work hard, accept his role, and do what he had to do to help the team win. It proves TM and DL are willing to give the young kids a shot, but they have to earn it.
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gene Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
@art, Awesome blog, agree 100%. Give Hunter and Moreau a chance; both are big and strong; both go to the corners and in front of the net. The young players like Loktionov and the other young inexperienced players are not that physical and do not fight if needed. I am 100% in favor of Moreau and Hunter. Hope the KINGS Management keeps them this year. We need them both on and off the ice.
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Riofan Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
@gene, Absolutely! The Kings lost a lot of size with Handzus and Ponikarovsky gone and I think Moreau and Hunter fit the strong board game Terry Murray requires of the team at a considerable lower price tag than the $7.5M we spend last season for Handzus and Ponikarovsky.
I have no problem with Moller going to Europe, Holloway on the other hand had a legitimate chance to make the team out of camp or be a candidate for an early call up but he chose otherwise. If the prospects can’t beat Moreau and Hunter out of a job, then they don’t deserve to be in the line up. Moreau and Hunter have absolutely nothing to do with the ability of Loktionov earning a spot, the isssue is the dept at center on the 1-3 positions.
This is such a great problem to have. The depth of this team is unbelievable. When DL wanted to model this team after a team like the Red Wings, He has succeeded. No the only thing missing Deano is Lord Stanley’s Cup. GKG
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art Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
@IntheSinbin,
Also still missing the perennial Norris Trophy candidate.
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Player-X Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
@IntheSinbin, agreed, as far as the depth of the organization modeling like Detroit, but the Kings are shaping up (pun intended) to be a much more physical team with playmaking ability, while Detroit is a finesse team that can deflect physicality without losing tempo.
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Sorry for the typos. Now..
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He looks SO much bigger this year. He really did add some size, and this kid has always been my favorite prospect. Hoping for the best for him.
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SLIM Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 6:51 am
@Michael_DD8,
Right on board with you on this statement..
Give the kid a chance…
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It doesn’t make any sense to play Loktionov on the wing. He is a center and should play there. It’s far better to have him play in his position with skilled guys on his wings and tons of minutes in Manchester than to sit in the press box and play out of position in L.A.
Stoll is in the last year of his deal. My guess is if Loktionov can pay well and get better on faceoffs this year in Manchester he will have the edge to take the #3 center position next year. And if there is an injury this year to either Kopitar or Richards he should be the first guy called up.
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puddle Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
@Dave, Spot on, every single word.
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Crown Royal Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
@Dave,
Excellent post. Lokti is one of the five most talented players in the entire organization.
I don’t seeing him making the big club this year unless there are injuries. Has the potential to become a great player if he can stay healthy. The kid needs to keep working hard and have some good luck.
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Mr. Bettman can the league allow 5 lines please.
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I love JJ but this just made me love him more.
Defenseman Jack Johnson, who negotiated his seven-year, $30.5-million extension without an agent, was ready to use his experience to help Doughty.
“I kiddingly told Drew I would have done his for free,” said Johnson, who now seems underpaid compared with Tyler Myers (five years, $38.5 million) and other signings.
“I enjoyed it. I thought it was easy to do. I sat down with the Kings’ management. I told them I don’t want to play games with them or anything. I’m not doing this high-low stuff. Let’s be fair and get it done. It was easy to do…..But everyone’s different. Everyone has different needs.”
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jess Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
@Subby,
While ever improving his game, the most important thing is already there and needs no improvement. Integrity.
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Andrew Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
@jess, and to be humble.
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3rd line – Clifford Loktionov Stoll
Lokti should center the 3rd line and Stoll should go to RW. This puts creativity in the center (Stoll has none) and it allows us to have Stoll’s speed and shot on the wing where it can be more effective.
If Lokti needs help in the face off department then Stoll can step in for those and we know he’ll be defensively responsible which would help out the young center too.
Seems like a pretty obvious combo to try out.
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KingsRule99 Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
@UpperV,
Nice. I like it.
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Dave Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
@UpperV, You still have the problem of Loktionov having to play on the “defensive” line. I’d rather let him develop more skill in Manchester playing a lot of minutes with quality wingers and see if he can make it through a year without any injuries.
Stoll fits that role perfectly and he won’t be asked to score as much on the 3rd line.
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Nyck Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 3:02 am
@UpperV, I don’t think Stoll has ever played on the wing in his NHL career. He’s much to valuable an asset in the faceoff circle.
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Lokti sure impressed the hell out of many AHL followers last year, so let’s hope he can “bring the magic” here….
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He’s mouse-sized. Talent? Plenty of it. But he is a mouse.
Don’t tell me Marchand and St. Louis are mice who are successful. They’re tough and have proven to be so. Lokti is a mouse that gets broken just about every year. One good bop and he disintegrates.
I want monsters on my team. I want opposing defensemen to think about the Kings forwards and start throwing up on their shoes. I want them collapsing into fetal positions, sucking their thumbs and losing all bladder and sphincter control.
Lokti will never be a monster. He cannot be a monster. D-men will kill him with flyswatters. He is a mouse. And there’s an end of it.
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being a season ticket holder in windsor, ontario I got to see a lot of young Loktionov. He impressed everybody who was in he crowd almost nightly.
I do not know how many times I heard people comment on how good he was and how he almost played on a different level than many other junior prospects. He was playing on a stacked junior team and a lot of nights looked better than taylor hall who obviously went #1 in the nhl draft.
Andrei will be a stud in the NHL one day. Pavel Datsyuk started out in the NHL on the 4th line when Detroit won the cup in 2002 and look at him now. 4th line duty would be better than Manchester for him IMO. There is a lot to be said about learning more about the speed of the NHL, the travel schedule, and just how much of a grind the NHL is and I think that experience is invaluble, regardless if he is playing 6-8 mins a night.
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I say let lotki play in manchester this year, and let him take stolls place next season. I really like jarrett stoll, but it would be a waste to keep stoll once his contract is up and leave lotkionov in the minors.
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Instructions on how to turn a Stanley Cup Contender into a Stanley Cup Favorite.
Starting Ingredients: Two balanced scoring lines. One defensive line. One checking line.
Add: Prospects. Left Wing Threat acquired via trade.
Mix well.
Cook until you see three balanced scoring lines and one defensive/checking line.
You should see something like:
Gagne – Richards – Williams
Parise – Loktionov – Brown
Penner – Kopitar – Parse
Clifford – Stoll – Richardson
Let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
Share with friends.
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8doughty8 Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
@CabbagesAndKings, Yeah, Kopitar on the 3rd line makes sense to me, Loktionov is way better. And the only way we’re getting Parise is if Doughty doesn’t sign (which better not happen). Parise would be nice to have though.
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CabbagesAndKings Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
@8doughty8, Well, I wasn’t really listing the lines as 1, 2, 3 — but rather just concerned with having three balanced lines that are each a scoring threat and defensively sound. I can rearrange the order if it puts you at ease?
Essentially, that would be three #1 lines. Each playing 12-14 minutes or so a game while the 4th line took in 6-8. (For the math majors — special teams minutes aren’t included.)
And yes — I did factor in Drew being traded.
So it goes…
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