The Kings are on the ice, with the 22 skaters split evenly in white and black jerseys, more of a scrimmage-type look, and so far that’s what the drills suggest as well. Mike Richards is once again skating, and he’s actually involved in high-tempo drills and taking shifts with a set of wingers. The Kings are rotating three centers (Kopitar, Stoll, Richards) among two sets of wingers (Gagne/Brown and Penner/Richards). Willie Mitchell is practicing alongside Jack Johnson, so that bodes well for his chances of playing tomorrow. Here’s how the third and fourth lines, and defense pairs, look…
Clifford-Loktionov-Lewis
Richardson-Fraser-Westgarth/Hunter
Scuderi-Doughty
Mitchell-Johnson
Drewiske-Greene
Martinez-Voynov
Why do I continue to be a glutton for this punishment?!?!
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tornado12 Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:51 am
@Sancho, you are a Kings fan, just like the rest of us
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:14 am
@tornado12,
Amen…
“Have you had enough or are you thirsting for more?”
–Home Alone
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Great to hear Richards involved in hight tempo drills
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do my eyes deceive me? Richards on the wing?
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tornado12 Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:44 am
@DEH, i think Rich means Williams there
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DEH Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:46 am
@tornado12, yeah, same… but then again if the whole accountability thing comes to fortune Stevens may have opted to bench Williams.
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Kings king Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:46 am
@DEH, They’re probably looking at him on the wing with kopi. Rich also said he’s center as well in the practice.
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DEH Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@Kings king, Yeah, seems interesting, but I would prefer the roles reversed. Richards is better taking faceoffs and some suggest that Kopi is more suited for the wing.
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There must be some mistake Rich. But it would be interesting to see:
Penner – Kopi – Richards
Gagne – Stoll – Brown…
with Williams on the 3rd line instead of Lewis…
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DEH Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:45 am
@outsider, I would prefer
Gagne – Richards – Kopi
Penner – Stoll – Williams
Lewis – Lokti – Brown
Clifford – Fraser – Westy <-(the goon line)
Richards is better at taking faceoffs than Kopi, so I would prefer him as center.
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Scuds better ride DD’s behind if we want the $7 million dollar man to come through.
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The players should spend part of the practice trying to find their sacks. Every one of them lost it about a month ago. Look in the corners. Look in the goal. Maybe they’re in the penalty box. This team is made up of a bunch of guys w/o heart, guts, drive, or desire. In addition, I think that Deano has overestimated the talent. We are just not that good and no coach is going to be able to change that. What a huge disappointment (again) for this franchise. EVERY year there’s some reason why the Kings can’t quite turn the corner. We made the playoffs two years in a row, I guess it’s now time for another five year rebuild.
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tornado12 Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:55 am
@Jeff, The fat lady ain’t singing yet…but yes the players need to take a good long look at themselves in the mirror…I am very hopeful Sutter will make sure they do and get this train back on the track again.
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VBunker72 Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 10:59 am
@Jeff, Agreed! Not a big fan of Sutter becoming the coach. However one thing he brings is grit. This team has been lacking grit.
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RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS
PIERRE LETOURNEAU-LEBLOND
MAGNUS PAAJARVI-SVENSON
JEFF DROUIN-DESLAURIERS
OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON
AND NOW…
TRENT USELESS-HUNTER
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I wonder if Sutter has any say on what to do today as far as practice goes….Also wonder if Sutter has any knowlege(i know he asked for a scouting report on the Kings)on how his players are???? Does he realize that Hnter/Frasor are useless? Does he know that Kopi disapperars at time..that Brown played better when he was hitting everything in sight????
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:34 am
@neil, Whether you happen to think Hubter and Frasier are useless, Darryl Sutter might think differently. He gets everyone to play a lot better, from top to bottom. Just look at how Calgary did so well, it wasn’t just because of Iginla. Every one else bought in and played hard and possibly even above their skill level. That is a big reason why I like this hire, from top to bottom he gets everyone to play above their means and if they don’t they are either sitting in the press box or sent out. There will be accountability now.
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At the game last night in Detroit, many highlights……
-great fun prior and during warmup
-team visit afterwards (downstairs)
-seeing Rich during 1st intermission doing a radio show (I suspect)
-Bob Miller and Foxy
Finally just some observations from the stands………
-in our D zone, wrong side of the puck often
-Red Wings move the puck so well, we need a tighter gap control to succeed with them
-being at the arena the players who showed heart last night with some drive…
clifford, penner, stoll, lewis, scuderi
beyond this it was slim pickin’s, we have such great talent and some guys just are not committed to a simple game plan,
perhaps Sutter can pull that piece of the game out…
-stops and starts
-poistional play in our end
-carrying the puck over the blueline in opposition end, not always shooting in
-goaltenders get sharp early
Good experience given I’ve never seen the Kings play prior, they are working hard however at times without any fruit for their effort..
Go Kings Go, it will come folks don’t loose faith in the boys………….
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tornado12 Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:00 am
@Harty, did Cliffy give you the VIP tour?
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Harty Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@tornado12, met up with him for conversation, not much VIP look in the Joe Louis arena (oldest in the NHL now)
Players want to win, you can feel it, see it and sense it big time. As true professionals they acknowledged many however the focus is hockey and wins for sure.
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Harty Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@tornado12, met up with him for conversation, not much VIP look in the Joe Louis arena (oldest in the NHL now)
Players want to win, you can feel it, see it and sense it big time. As true professionals they acknowledged many however the focus is hockey and wins for sure.
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IceGuy Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
@Harty,
It really doesn’t mater if we/I have given up on “the boys”.
They have.
And I ain’t got no cure for that.
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Harty Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
@IceGuy, I can say they have not given up, I say they will come out in the second half and run some streaks of 10 wins in a row.
We will make the playoffs and then some noise will be made, optimistic and very confident.
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old man Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
@Harty, 45 years of waiting, i`m starting to lose my faith.I said it three years ago wrong coach wrong system, again just my old opinion.
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Here’s what I would prefer.
Columbus:
Prospal-Carter-Brown
Huselius-Vermette-Johansen
Brassard-Pahlsson-Umberger
Mackenzie-Letestu-Boll
Tyutin-Wisniewski
Johnson-Methot
Martinez-Martinek
Bernier
Sanford
LA:
Nash-Kopitar-Penner
Gagne-Richards-Williams
Richardson-Stoll-Boll
Clifford-Lewis-Westgarth
Mitchell-Voynov
Scuderi-Doughty
Drewiske-Greene
Quick
Mason
In other words..
Rick Nash, Steve Mason to LA for Jon Bernier, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Alec Martinez, Lokti, 1st. Having a stocked cupboard is not going to do DL any good once he loses his job by missing the playoffs, having not made a big trade. He might as well trade in a combination of these assets for something big. Both teams need a major shakeup.
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Scot Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:11 am
@Scot,
I meant to include Boll in the trade to LA, & replace him on their 4th line with Derek Dorsett. Oops. The Kings are too SOFT, especially with Richards out of the lineup.
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FRO Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:18 am
@Scot, It’s interesting that you put Boll on both teams. other than that, absolutely not.
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BringbackButchGoring Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:29 am
@FRO, Give up five young players and a 1st for Nash who does not want to leave Columbus and who is not having a good year (by far the worst plus/minus on his team). You must be a Columbus fan….
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Scot Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:41 am
@BringbackButchGoring,
I assume that was supposed to be to me. I’m going to break down your logic. “Giving up 5 young players and a 1st for Nash…”
First of all, just because a player is young does not guarantee he is going to be an amazing player, or even a good player. Nobody knows that yet.
Secondly, Brown is not young. Not in NHL terms. He is what he is, and it could be argued he has already peaked.
Thirdly, it’s not just giving up “5 young players for Nash..” It’s also acquring Steve Mason and Jared Boll, who, by your logic, are also young. So it’s 5 young players for 3 young players. Steve Mason won the Calder trophy his rookie year.
Fourthly, the team who acquires the best player is said to win the trade. We would get Nash, who is by far the best player. He’s a world class player in fact.
Fifthly, if you can prove to me that Nash doesn’t want to leave Columbus, I’ll give your post some credibility. He may have said that in the past, but come on pal, every athlete not named Dany Heatley says that. Of course he would like it to work out in Columbus, but it’s not going to, and he is eventually (if not already) going to want out of Columbus. My guess says he’s ready to move on now.
Also, him having a bad year just shows how bad the team is around him. They need to use their biggest asset to acquire a bunch of “young assets” to sprinkle around their lineup and make them an all around better team. And the Kings need to use some of their extra chips to fill one GLARING need. Scoring.
BringbackButchGoring Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:53 am
@BringbackButchGoring, Ok then:
1. Nash just signed a 8 million per year contract for the next 7 or so years. What more could he do to show you he wants to stay in Columbus. That’s proof in my mind.
2. Do we want to spend 8 million per year on Rick Nash and pay additional money to replace the starters we just sent over to Columbus to get 1 starter.
3. Rick Nash is not a great 5 vs 5 player which is why he does not have a good plus minus rating. We need guys that can score 5 vs 5. A team’s best player should not have their worst plus/minus rating
4. If Brown is not young by NHL standards, then neither is Nash since they are the same age.
5. We don’t need either Mason or Boll.
6. “Also, him having a bad year just shows how bad the team is around him. They need to use their biggest asset to acquire a bunch of “young assets” to sprinkle around their lineup and make them an all around better team” Are you trying to prove my point that it is a good trade for Columbus. If so, I agree.
Scot Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:31 am
@FRO,
Hm. Good support for your disagreement.
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:40 am
@Scot, Why should we trade Bernier, especially for Mason who hasn’t played well since his rookie year. Right now we have Quick and Bernier and it is going to stay that way until after next season. Most likely what is going to happen is Quick will be traded for offensive help, as he is a UFA and will mostly command a contract just like Pekka Rinne signed. We are already up against the cap, then you add in a possible Parise. There will most likely not be enough Cap space to pay Quick what he will be asking for. I happen to think that Bernier is the better of the 2 and the one that should be chosen as the #1 to lead us. He hasn’t shown it yet, mostly because he hasn’t played much.
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Scot Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:46 am
@Jeff,
OK, so trade Quick for Rick Nash then. ????? What’s your point? My point is, we need to trade a goalie for a scorer. But there are other details that go into trades like these to balance the books.
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lowegirl Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
@Jeff,
Re Quickie, he should get whatever he wants (within reason) for his next contract. See, HE’S earned it. Doughnut, on the other hand, not so much. I remain irritated with the contract fiasco with him.
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Has Sutter signed yet? I believe that until the pen hits the paper, he has no say on how anything goes with the LA Kings. He can have opinions just like we can. I’m sure he’s not sitting on the sofa watching CSI but doing his homework on the team.
I’m sure Sutter can see the things we see wrong with the team and more. He probably has ideas and a direction on what to do with player roles, positions and plays. But until he signs, he’s just like us and only can have an opinion.
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:42 am
@Scarletcat, Sutter has signed a contract of multi years. The only reason he isn’t showing up yet is legal issues, with immigration. Once that clears, most likely Monday, he will be free to come to the US and join the team.
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:43 am
@Scarletcat, I also think he can if he wanted too make decisions. However I don’t think he will do so, until he shows up for practice on Tuesday. I think he rather and watch and learn before then.
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Put brown back on LW!
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miracle.on.manchester Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@Jim,
Indeed!
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:45 am
@Jim, Starting with Thursday’s game you will see a different team, with Sutter as coach. Hopefully it will be one with Richards in the lineup.
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@VBunker72, Agreed about Sutter. Can’t get rid of the two mindless dimwits behind the bench now fast enough. They are an embarrassment.
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Jeff Reply:
December 18th, 2011 at 11:46 am
@40YearKingsFan, I don’t think he will be getting rid of Stevens or Kompon, at least to start with. Maybe with Sutter as coach, they will look better (Kompon at least)
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Scuds kick DD’s butt into leadership form.
Mitchell teach Johnson defense.
Drewiskie go 3 for 3.
Greener take peoples heads off, but watch your stick.
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Glad to hear my favorite player is skating with the team again! I hope he’s not sacrificing his body prematurely.
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