Moreau’s time with Kings comes to end

When the Kings signed Ethan Moreau to a one-year, $600,000 contract in August, they hoped he would bring some grit, leadership and experience. Assistant general manager Ron Hextall talked about Moreau in terms of replacing some of the aspects that Michal Handzus brought to the table. It’s fair to say that it didn’t work out the way the Kings had hoped. Moreau had one goal and three assists in 28 games, and while he wasn’t really brought on board for scoring, he didn’t offer enough other things on the ice. In the locker room, he was a strong, positive presence, but that only goes so far, and rather than send a promising rookie such as Andrei Loktionov or Slava Voynov back to the AHL, or risk losing another player on waivers, the Kings decided to cut loose 36-year-old Moreau. I asked Terry Murray today for his thoughts on Moreau.

Question: Clearly you didn’t bring Moreau in for scoring, necessarily, but did he show you enough of the other parts of the game that he is known for?

MURRAY: “I can’t answer that with a positive, the way you phrased it, because if he did, he would be here. I needed a little bit more from him. He’s a great veteran guy. He’s been a captain. He’s had a letter on his sweater, pretty much everywhere he’s been as a player. He’s a high-character guy. I think his leadership in the locker room was, in a quiet way, very effective. He gave us everything he could. He wanted to win, he cared, he tried hard every time he was on the ice. He was great in practices. At the end of the day, though, that’s part of your job, unfortunately. You’re making a decision that effects people’s lives and families, and that’s not the easy part of the job. But that’s what we had to do today.’’