As noted earlier, the Kings intend to stay with the same lineup as last night, and that includes the new-look defensive pairings of Jack Johnson with Drew Doughty, Willie Mitchell with Slava Voynov and Rob Scuderi with Matt Greene. This morning, Terry Murray gave his thoughts on how the pairs played last night…
MURRAY: “The D pairs played fine. There was a lot of play in the third period that required 3-on-3 hockey, some good reads, strong on those big bodies that they show on their top line. We handled it pretty well. Overall, I thought Voynov played very well, fit in with Mitchell. Mitchell had a good game. Same with Jack and Doughty. It’s the same time we’ve had them together in 5-on-5 for a while, and they seemed to be excited about it.’’
They only make each other better. Great movement yesterday, the flow was perfect. We want to use that kind of flow to lull and sorta hypnotize our opponents and strike quickly.
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Excellent, wish DL could find away to trade some players so the two Russions could stay up with the big boys. They deserve it.
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Dominick Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
@gene, So do the players who came from Manchester the last couple of years, and worked just as hard to get to the NHL. No easy answers, but that’s the beauty of having a plethora of NHL ready defensemen.
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gene Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
@Dominick, I agree but the two Russions are by far better than some of the other D men or forwards already here.
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Dominick Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
@gene, Based on 6 games? Martinez was called up last year, and spent an entire season here. Voynov isn’t going anywhere, and the Kings haven’t identified exactly what they need, or how to upgrade it without taking on more payroll, or gutting this teams depth to make space in the cap for a top flight player.
Duckbasher Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
@Dominick, I agree. The Kings are in an enviable situation with the depth at D they have. I don’t think it would be a bad thing to keep VV up, and then instead of having a player who never plays, they could let some of the vets have a game off every so often and rotate VV in on a regular rotation kind of thing. The Kings can’t just willy nilly trades when they have a long season ahead of them and we know injuries can and will happen. If they keep Voynov up, then the only choice I can see them making is to send DD2 down. Then they risk losing him to waivers. Glad I’m not DL.
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LA_1968 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
@gene, DL would need to package Penner and a bottom center and get a wing upgrade back. Then he would have Laktionov at center and a more dependable winger. Penner has got to have a little hot streak for that to happen. When it does, then DL gotta move quick.
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number 6 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
@LA_1968,
I’m not sure why everyone seems to think that he can package Penner….. a complete bust so far for the Kings and someone else who is not substantial to get an upgrade? This isn’t about trading in your old computer. It’s true that not every nhl gm is a ‘top gm’ but I seriously doubt any of them out there are that naive to take on a huge salary of someone who has been either dry offensively and/or injured just to part with one of their better players. It makes no sense.
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Deke'r Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
@number 6, …it works on the video games. I particularly like the Penner for Parise comments.
KFII Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@number 6, The old computer comment had me LOL for reals.
Kings x Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
@number 6, Penner plus bernier for parise
LA_1968 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
@number 6, Penner is bound to find the net a few times before the trading deadline. He will have some value. Some team is going to be greedy and justify his performance by systems and injuries. P.S. I think trading an old computer is pretty hard.
number 6 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
@Kings x
Tell Lou Lamoriello….. don’t tell me.
ChiTownKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
@LA_1968, If we were to package Penner I could see him going to Columbus with a lower round draft pick and a C for Huselius.
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ChiTownKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
@ChiTownKingsFan, *DL, not we. haha
fsd1 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
@ChiTownKingsFan, C as in Captain? NOT
Shotongoal Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
@ChiTownKingsFan, why would CLM want another problem? Hasn’t their season been enough of a disaster without adding a BIG salary with NO goals? Again, looks great on NHL12, but this is the real world…
Ian Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
@LA_1968, Penner? Hot streak? And what center comes out to make room for Lokti?
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LA_1968 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@Ian, I think you’d have to consider moving stoll down to fourth line and putting Lokti as 3rd center.
nykingfan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
@gene,
Perhaps, but I’d like to see a larger sampling from both before we commit to carrying 2 rookies in prominent roles while expecting to win the cup.
Just my though
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OldKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
@gene, Package Penner with Hickey and see if we get any takers. I would say Dreweski and I think we would have a better chance of dumping Penner if we package him with a prospect. It would be cool if we could get a trade with Columbus or Winnepeg. I don’t want a bag of practice pucks and used game equipment.
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GKG, look out tonight, the quacks are still mad from last night and will come out all fired up.
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Eric Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
@gene, Good. Fire roasted duck is the best!
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gene Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
@Eric, Right On GKG
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Deke'r Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
@gene, Somebody needs to punch the old man…
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Lotki and Voynov need to contribute to some 5-5 scoring to force a management decison
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Dominick Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
@Krash, That would help. I think DL is too patient though to make brash decisions. He’s been more of a calculating, planner, and has a plan in place already. Maybe even if they did, DL would still show patience, and wait for the right moment. When that is, is anybodies guess.
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
@Krash, Couldn’t hurt!
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JJ and DD looked good last night. The two calls against Jack were kinda weak. His takedown on Teemu was awesome though.
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Dominick Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
@LomitaKingsFan, 1 of the calls wasn’t even his. It should of been called on DD.
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Stuart Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
@Dominick, yeah, JJ got the raw end on that one…
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KingMe20 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
@LomitaKingsFan,
Yeah, I like how we’re getting to see more of JJ’s strength and physical play this year. He’s definitely improved.
Anyone else read Murray’s quote and think: “Little diddy… ’bout Jack and Dough-teeee,” or am I the only one hearing John Cougar Mellencamp when I read that?
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
@LomitaKingsFan,
I’m still not sold on the pairing yet. I think they are better off competing against eachother on separate lines.
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Hadley Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
@jess, most people who have watched JMFJ play over the years find his style a tad idiosyncratic. He is unpredictable and therefore difficult to play with. He does not complement Drew Doughty’s play and the two should not be paired — unless the coach is trying to give Rob Scuderi some sort of reward for enduring the JMFJ pairing for so long.
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Other than a PP, the Ducks didn’t score so I would sat the pairings worked just fine. of course offensively, we didn’t score either except foa 5-3 PP, but that is a story for another thread.
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LA_1968 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
@DesertKing, That shot by Kopi that hit Hiller in the forhead was awesome. It’s one of those shots that you aim right at the head and know you’ll miss by a pinch on either side normally. Brown had a tap in that he missed. Plus his shot fron down low that bounced off the bottom of the cross bar and inside of the post. Those all coulda woulda shoulda been goals so I’m feeling pretty good about the offense.
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CupRun2012 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
@LA_1968, also remember that Quick made some clutch saves from shots coming from the slot and a couple of giva-aways…could have gone either way last night…it’s just that the Ducks aren’t getting the bounces like the Kings weren’t getting during that 5 game losing streak.
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Murray tried DD-JJ together a few times in the last couple of years, with mixed results. This could be the year they can click and form a true top pair, and one of the best, in the NHL. We’ll see, it’s only happening because of Martinez’s injury, but I like the one game so far.
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it’s always nice coming on here after a win…
everybody seems more lucid and optimistic…
i think we can slide the defcon meter from 3 to 4…
let’s hope for another great performance tonight…
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
@variable, -great news so now I can take my gas mask off?
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variable Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
@jess,
you can…unless you work in sanitation…or in the quacks locker room…
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wavesinair Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
@variable,
Would you like to play a game? How about a nice game of chess Dr. Falcon?
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variable Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@wavesinair,
hehe…
they filmed one of the opening scenes of that movie at a video arcade on ventura blvd. at a place called lyons (i think)…
i remember getting excited about that…”that’s where i play galaga!”…i think i boasted…lol…
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Kings x Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
@variable, Joshua is that you?
I wouldn’t mind Voynov staying up and Drewiske going when Martinez comes back. I agree and understand about the importance of depth but I like Voynov’s quickness and energy. At some level the best active roster outweighs other circumstances.
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LB Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@Pili,
Agreed. Puting out the best possible team on the ice should be priority number 1.
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Harry Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
@Pili,
Drewiske has a 1 way contract. So he would have to clear waivers in order to be sent back to Manchester. I’m pretty sure he will get picked up before he can head back to the minors.
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LB Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
@Harry, He can be traded, possibly for a depth winger.
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CupRun2012 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
@LB, How many “depth” wingers do the Kings need? Moreau, Hunter, Richardson, Lewis, Parse, Penner…both Lokti and Voynov go back down to Man when someone comes off IR.
Kings x Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@LB, A depth winger is better than a depth center
Pili Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
@Harry, I know. Not saying Drewiske is completely expendable, just that Voynov, in my opinion, should be on the ice. The trade idea is better than losing him outright.
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IceGuy Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
@Pili,
Here’s my suggestion.
Keep Slava up, and do something/anything with Drewiski. Sorry Davis, time to move along.
Why? I’ve been saying for a while that A Mart can be groomed to replace Greene. yeah yeah. Greene’s tough. He’s a leader. He’s a character. But youth has to be served. HOWEVER, with both AMart and VV with the big club, that gives ample opportunity during the season to REST Scuds/Greene/Mitchell on a rotation, so when we finally DO get to the playoffs again, they will be a lot more rested and ready to go. If each guy has 10-15 games off, odds are there’ll be a lot less wear and tear and much fresher legs when we really need them.
All seven of these guys firing on all cylinders would be a real problem for opponents, just like rolling 4 lines.
Just sayin’.
Why do I get the distinct feeling we’re seeing a repeat of the O’Donnell/Doughty pairing from a couple of years ago in Mitchell and Voynov?
I just hope it doesn’t end the same way…
I liked OD a lot.
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
@wavesinair, They do seem dynamic
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variable Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
@wavesinair,
i see more potential with mitch and slava, though…
willie can bring it if he chooses to…or perhaps, when he’s allowed to…
but he’s the stay-at-home dad in this duo…
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
@variable, “The stay at home dad” haha… does he cook dinner and change his diapy’s too?
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Osaka Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@wavesinair, Mitchell is a good mentor to have.
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Off Topic, but I would like to officialy welcome @KevinFromToronto to So Cal. It is also our pleasure to announce that we will be bringing him amd @Tyler as our guests tonite to the Honda Center.
Anyway, hope we see alot of you Kings fans out there tonite, Bring the Noise!
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
@puck73,
Welcome to Cali @Kevin!! Wear your camo, stock up on cartridges and set out yer decoys!
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
@puck73, Welcome Kevin. Love watching the Kings fans behind the Ducks net at Honda Ctr celebrating when we score. I’m thinking 5 goals tonight. GO KINGS GO!!!
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OldKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
@Forum Gold, The only way this team get 5 goals is if Anaheim plays 60 minutes without a goalie and we have 5 power plays. Becuase we can’t score 5 on 5. How many times have we scored more than 2 goals? Thankful Quick is a world class goalie or we would be 5-10-3. He has single handedly kept us in the top 8.
We may win 3-2 at best. Please reread the 1st line.
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@OldKingsFan, This probably older Kings fan is just trying to stay positive as I saw a great effort last night and feel this is going to carry over. Color me Forum Blue if I’m wrong. GO KINGS GO!!!
Michael J. Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
@puck73,
Have a great time tonight. I can’t go tonight because of class. The irony is that i will be less than a half a mile from the puddle. Cheer loud so I can hear when the Kings score
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IceGuy Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
@Michael J.,
Puck – don’t forget that Kevin has a little package waiting for him at your house
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variable Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
@puck73,
welcome, kevin…(!)…
enjoy the game…
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BrokeKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
@puck73, Ill be there! got my tickets yesturday…I debated it for quite some time about whether i wanted to go see the game at Staples or Honda center and decided i would get more pleasure cheering for the Kings on away ice and being that obnoxious Kings fan that wont shut up. Ultimatly I had to represent in enemy territory!
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King Alex Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
@puck73, Show the boys a great time in the OC puck! Hostile territory be dammed. Rock those Kings colors and help bring us a win guys!!!
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KC23 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
@puck73, Looking forward to meeting Kevin and some others I haven’t met on Friday. Cheers and have fun in So Cal Kevin!
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I didn’t check but do we have to listen to Hazy tonight? like I said a couple of days ago,but I can’t stand that Quack Hack.
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
@LVKINGS88, No, we have the broadcast on FSW with Bob and Jim. GO KINGS GO!!!
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LVKINGS88 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
@Forum Gold, Thank the all mighty above,thanks FG also.
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
@LVKINGS88, Your welcome. 7 pm face-off. GO KINGS GO!!!
Watched Voynov closely last night at the game. Had the perfect seat for it. Man, that kid is special. He’s got that special gift for reads of when to pinch and when not. In his own end he is strong enough for the big forwards, crafty enough to stick handle out of trouble and a good enough passer to get the the counter attack going without coughing it up.
DD and JJ looked great together. Scudes and Greene looked rock solid. Gotta give TM some credit on these pairings. They looked pretty darn good.
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
@KC23, Great job by all leaving our zone without the risky cross ice passes. And it appears our Captain is back. GO KINGS GO!!!
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OldKingsFan Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
@Forum Gold, Captain is definitely back. A perfect pass and he wiffs on an open net. I am looking forward to tonights game. To see if this team can hit the net and not the ducks logo on Hillers chest.
I don’t mean to be negative and we paid DD 7 mil and he has what 1 goal. Who do we have who can score that critical goal when we need it? We don’t have anyone I feel confident is a go to guy. Luc is the last player we had with that ability.
I had high hopes going into the season and those feelings have tempered with each passing game. The Duck have 3 regulars on IR and we can’t score. We had 38 shots on goal and Hiller saw them all no net presence and when we had an open net we can hit the net, everything around the net and NO NET.
Lets See What they bring tonight. I hope for a 5 goal nite.
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Forum Gold Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@OldKingsFan, You convinced me, I’ll settle for 4. I am sure no one felt worse than
Brown on that miss. I just thought he really hustled at both ends of the ice. GO KINGS GO!!!
LB Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
@KC23,
Is it too early to call him the next Alexei Zhitnik?
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puck73 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
@LB, That would awesome unless Barry Melrose comes back to coach. Then Barry can bench him, and accuse him of being a drunk.
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jess Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
@puck73, LOL
Belexes Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
@LB,
His poise reminds me of the next Lidstrom
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Anyone else notice that all of VV’s shots actually get through and on net also creating rebounds. He’s got great eyes and instincts.
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tim chaney Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
@TheRussianKing, he stays for a long time i say… we’re going to be in a good position to deal at the deadline…
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KC23 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
@TheRussianKing, He is sneaky on his fake shots and has kind of a slide to the right move that opens a lane on the short side or he makes a safe pass or dump in. You’ll notice he doesn’t do the big wind up like JJ and DD telegraphing his shot. Quick release from the point not unlike Pronger and Lingstrom.
To DD’s credit, he has been practising using a shorter wind up and quicker release. Once DD gets a feel for it he’ll start getting more shots to the net imho.
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I will be in 201. Kopitar and brown jerseys. See you kings fans there. GKG
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Voynov looked a little uncertain at the beginning of the game last night, but then really settled in. I don’t know how you send this guy back to Manchester. He already looks to be a true top 4 defenseman. Something has to give somewhere…
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puck73 Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
@rick, I dont disagree with you. Voynov is a top talent for sure. His gamespeed and Hockey IQ are tops. That being said, I am sure Dean Lombardi will hold on too as much depth that will fit under the cap.
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