Bernie Nicholls took some time to chat after practice and said he didn’t know how long he would be around the Kings, but sounded willing to stay as long as he was wanted/needed. Darryl Sutter said he wanted Nicholls to “watch a couple games,” but Nicholls didn’t know exactly where he would be watching from (bench, press box, etc.) Nicholls indicated, in general, that a consultant-type role would interest him more than a full-time coaching role.
As for on-ice stuff, Slava Voynov came out at the end of practice and skated, but Sutter indicated Voynov was unlikely to play without a full-team practice. More notes and quotes to come…
Voynov is STILL on the ice skating and doing drills. Good sign!
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variable Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
@wavesinair,
good to hear…maybe this will give him the boost he needs…
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DesertKing Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
@wavesinair,
He’s young.
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Was he injured? We sure could have used him last game.
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KC23 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
@gsc, yep.
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I would love to see Nicholls as a coach. It would be great to see some Kings blood in the coaching ranks again.
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Anyone think they moved Richards to the LW, to pursue other centers via trade???
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bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
@Bean32, No, wouldn’t make much sense to move Richards from his natural position. Why not just leave Richards alone and trade for a winger? I just think Sutter’s looking to juice up our first line attack
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Bean32 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
@bringbackbutchgoring, But he has, he’s been playing LW going on 3 games now.
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Harry Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@Bean32,
We don’t need any centers at the moment. We are staked with centers. He is playing LW, because he is familiar with that position since he played it during the Olympics.
If we need to make a trade, it would be for a LW position since Gags seems to be out longer than expected. Also, since it’s his 2nd concussion, the NHL requires for the player to be out 21 days…
bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@Bean32, I know but I think it’s temporary. I think once we get some scoring and confidence, Richards goes back to center.
AZ King Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
@Bean32,
No, the last thing we need is more centers. We are so deep at the position it’s crazy. I agree with the comment above, if DL pulls off a trade (which I don’t think he’s going to anytime soon) it would be for a winger.
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Bean32 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@AZ King, If Richards stays on the left and Loktionov is expendable, I think it is possible for DL to go after someone like Carter. Im not saying he will, Im just trying to figure out why Richards has been moved to the LW.
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AZ King Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
@Bean32,
Richards was moved to LW to get Kopi going. It’s a simple as that. He told TM/DL that he would be willing to play the wing if the Kings signed Brad Richards. Some guys on this blog are just way too trade happy. This entire season how many trades have there been? A handful, and none of them for anyone really significant. These big trades that everyone is looking for don’t happen all that often anymore, especially at this point in the season.
Even taking all of that out of the equation, we simply don’t have the available cap space to add anyone significant, not Iggy, not Staal, not Parise, not Ryan, not anyone who can fit the role we need filled. JJ or Bernier would probably have to be the center of any trade being made for any high profile scorer, but losing their salary alone wouldn’t give us enough space to sit those guys. So now your having to add more names to the list to make space. What you have to ask yourself at that point is, are we are better team after the trade than we were before? If you trade Bernier, Penner, and Martinez for Parise (not that I think this would ever happen) does that make this team better? Yes Parise is a huge name, and fits the role of scoring winger, he would be a definite upgrade from Penner but what have you lost? Are Zatkoff or Jones ready to play a backup role right now, or would you be forced to make another trade to bring in a quality backup to finish the season? Are Hickey or Muzzin ready to step up and play at the NHL level if another D-man goes down with an injury? I understand that there is not reward without risk, but there are more factors here than just trying to fill one hole. If you open more holes by filling that one than you’re failed in your job as GM.
bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
AZ King, There are possible trades to be made however that don’t encroach on our salary cap. For instance, I would do Lokti, JJ straight up for Ryan O’Reilly and leave MR at wing, O’Reilly at 2nd line center. We would be a much better offensive club, our defense would be about the same and we would actually add salary cap space.
RobSD Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
@Bean32,
Pursue? Definitely not… we could be showcasing for a trade though.
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
@RobSD, Showcasing who? Loktionov?
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@RobSD, I agree with AZ King, too many people on this blog are way too trade happy. I don’t think Richards has been on that line for any reason other than the fact that we have huge holes on the left wing, and spare natural centers such as Loktionov, and Lewis.
I doubt the Kings will pursue Parise until this season is over. Penner and Stoll have pretty huge contracts that will expire, which will free up cap space without giving up too much talent. Plus, Parise’s contract is only intact for this season. (Why trade when we can offer him an unrestricted contract? We still need to consider the other contracts coming up as well. For instance, Quick’s contract expires at the end of next season. We will need cap space to lock him down then too.
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bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
@The Puck Stops Here, If you don’t think Stoll’s worth 3 million a year, there will be 25 other teams that will. Stoll will probably take a home town discount due to his weakness for supermodels and actresses…
Sutter asking Bernie Nicholls to watch a couple games is interesting. Must be for his input on the PP and the 5v5 offense. Another interesting move by Sutter. I really respect the way, albeit unconventional at times, Sutter goes about his business. Fantastic insight article by Rich earlier, and now this. Sutter is far more enigmatic thsn I figured based on what was written before his hire.
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variable Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
@40YearKingsFan,
it’s very interesting, indeed…
but i would hope that this is not the way they plan on making a bench coach change…
that would be very inappropriate and classless to do that to anyone…
i seriously…seriously…doubt that that’s the case…
but the pumpernicholl can definitely provide outside-the-box insight and get us thinking in alternative ways of entering the offensive zone, etc…
plus, he was just celebrated with his own legends night recently…and maybe luc & co. lobbied to get him more involved with the consulting aspect for the team…
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LomitaKingsFan Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@variable, Agreed about it being very classes if this is how they replace Kompon or Stevens.
However, the idea of getting an outside perspective on a consulting basis sounds very good to me. Sometimes its hard to see the root cause of problems when your so close to the game. Having someone like Nichols come in and give his thoughts and observations can help focus in on areas to work on and improve.
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bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
@variable, Frankly, I’m not sure what Bernie can offer besides a few yucks…most of the players couldn’t even spell defense when Bernie played…
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AZ King Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@bringbackbutchgoring,
Our defense is solid though, we don’t need a consultant for that. He’s all about the offensive side of the game, and that’s where we need a new perspective.
bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@bringbackbutchgoring, No, I meant the defensive schemes are so much more advanced from when Bernie played that he might not be able to add much to what DS already knows as a coach about offensively breaking down defensive schemes
bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@bringbackbutchgoring, wow that’s some lousy sentence construction…sorry for having to read that….
variable Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
@bringbackbutchgoring,
i think that’s all he can really add/offer in a very subordinate role – which, at this time, is not clearly defined…
Make Bernie the Power Play coach, darn it. AND teach Kopi the PumperNicholl.
That is all.
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Has Nicholls ever coached before?
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Sounds like Sutter and Nicholls have a working relationship going back awhile.
Good to see this type of willingness to consult to bring in a different perspective.
Also sounds like Nicholls is not interested in becoming a full-time coach, at least now.
My prediction after watching the first few games under Sutter, is that it takes 3-4 weeks for all the subtle changes to actually start showing up as tangible results for this team.
As I said before, let’s see by the last half of January if, for example, the avg. goals per game is on the uptrend, same with PP%.
The added cycling/ puck pocession in the ozone will start to pay dividends and along with that will go confidence.
Just need a bit of patience.
GkG!
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Somebody better be watching his back {Kompton}. Good move bringing in a different voice. A new set of eyes could go a long way in getting our scoring where it belongs. Sutter keeps pushing the envelope, which is a good thing. We need a new face to shake things up. We are not around the team enough to judge Kompton, but our PP has not been good for 2 years now. Players are only doing what the coaches preach. Once we get our offense going our record will be much better. I still believe we will win the Pacific. We keep hearing how the Sharks have 5 games at hand, but to me it still comes down to winning hockey games. Going to shoot outs game after game has got to stop. Winning in regulation is always better. We will get our 5 on 5 scoring going and our PP will start producing. If not, hopefully we will see the Sutter that is waiting to go off. I don’t want him to start yelling, but if that what it’s going to take then I’m all for it. Go Kings and Long Live the Kingdom!!!
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AT LEAST CANADA LOST!!!!!!
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DesertKing Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
@masterhans,
Payback/karma for Burrows (POC).
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KC23 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@masterhans, I grew up in the cold war era and it just doesn’t feel right to feel good about any Euro team beating a North American team.
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jess Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@KC23,
In the way of innovation, manufacturing and stoking the fires of small to medium sized business, Russia is steadfastly trading places with America unfortunately.
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jayrew Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
@KC23, Russia isnt euro. its actually asian. go figure.
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jess Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
@jayrew, Derpends on what part of Russia you’re in. St. Petersburg, absolutely European.
bringbackbutchgoring Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
@masterhans, But they had some serious shot mentality….
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Sebastian Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
@masterhans, I really enjoyed that, just so i could laugh at the Canadians who boo’ed team USA, even when they werent playing against Canada. What a great game to watch, BTW, even better than last years final.
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maybe a kick in the pants for JK?
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More outside of the box thinking from this revamped Kings organization. As an inventor, I like it! TM drove me nuts to the point of losing sleep some nights. Now I’m sleeping like a baby!
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slightly OT…
I think some people need to give credit where credit is due (versus blind bashing)… and this is what i mean:
If Bernie is coming in as a consultant that means the Kings are paying him.
If the Kings are paying him, that means AEG is again showing their willingness to invest money in the club.
I sorta get tired of people bashing AEG whenever things don’t go right (hasn’t happened lately, but i’m just saying) that i do think it’s important to point out that our team is afforded the resources to hire consultants/new coaches, etc… just because Anschutz isn’t seen at Kings games doesn’t mean they don’t care about the team…. they just let the hockey people do their thing and don’t meddle
Whenever there are losing streaks I see random comments of people saying AEG just cares about money (not false) and wants to keep Staples filled (also not false) and thereby doesn’t care about the team (this is what i think is false and not a logical conclusion). The fact is AEG has a vested interest in investing in the team in order to keep the arena filled and ultimatley charge more for tickets. As a fan high prices stink, but if they’re keeping a long-term view of things then higher ticket prices are generally/hopefully indicative of having a better on-ice product (i.e. the Kings being a winning team through better players and improving culture). In other words, an owner looking to make a bunch of money in Year 1 without investing in the product will likely (1) make less money and (2) not be a good owner. So far AEG has seemed to show more steps at being a good long-term investor in hockey than otherwise.
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KC23 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
@Shakes, I have to agree, but AEG bashing hasn’t happened for some time. Since DL got here I’ve seen zero evidence of AEG trying to save money at the expense of the team. There is no doubt in my mind AEG is “All In” with respect to making the Kings as good as they possibly can.
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Hey Bernie,
Jim Fox was bragging that you never got him (prank)
Since your with the team the next few games, here’s your chance.
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DesertKing Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
@OnTheFly,
Yeah, replace his “Just For Men” dye with colored water.
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Bernie,
If you can look at the Power Play.
Tell Sutter to put Stoll in the slot, circling for a soft spot to take a onetimer. Tell DS to not just put him there, but have guys regularly feed him the puck as part of the offensive scheme on the PP. Work on using Stoll as the diversion if the D tries to collapse in on him, then let the puck go strait across to the weakside for a onetimer backdoor.
Start working those cross ice feeds lower, and closer to the goalie, till your making cross ice feeds through the crease. Let the D collapse, and then low to high will work like a charm.
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Jay GoLAKings Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@Dominick, and if Stollie goes down near the net have him ready to take the puck off the backside for a goal just like the good old days…
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KC23 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
@Dominick, I got a better idea, take Stoll off the PP period.
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Dominick Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
@KC23, Just looking at strategy. The Kings have always used Stoll on the point. I just think the strategy itself would work, but Brown would work just as well. Last goal scored from the slot last season was Brown in the high slot.
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
@KC23, And/or have him practice HITTING THE NET instead of shooting it wide. I’m actually a fan of Stoll, but it drives me nuts to see wide shots, and it’s not just him. He’s just the most recent example.
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Deke'r Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
@The Puck Stops Here, …sign up JJ for that class…
jess Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Dominick, If we park stollie about 1ft. away from the net, the puck is sure to go in off the cross-bar! -Any further away and he’s breaking glass lol
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
@jess, That’s what I’m talking about! Lol! Good, it isn’t just me. =)
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Michael_DD8 Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
@The Puck Stops Here,
Those cross ice passes low and through the crease are very hard, and if your getting them through, you should be burying them..
variable Reply:
January 4th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
@Dominick,
this strategy sound like a delayed cycle on the pp…
i’m all for collapsing the d down low and to the sides, while we narrow the ice and try to capitalize on either a missed assignment or a backdoor option…
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Tristan faamaligi Reply:
January 5th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
@variable, Good call. That is exactly what it is.
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