Friday practice update

As you might expect, there were a few angles to cover after practice today. Mike Richards said he was happy to hear about the Kings’ trade for Jeff Carter but had only exchanged text messages with Carter so far. Carter is en route and Darryl Sutter said he’s planning on having Carter in the lineup tomorrow. Carter will wear No. 77 with the Kings.

Dustin Brown addressed the fact that his name has surfaced in legitimate trade reports but essentially said it was part of the business and that he wasn’t distracted by it.

The Kings are expected to announce this afternoon that Willie Mitchell has agreed to a contract extension. More notes and quotes to come…

171 Comments

  1. Doughty2Simmonds says:

    Willie!!!!!!!! GREAT MOVE

    [Reply]

    Simarosa Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds,

    Yes, that’s great news!!!

    [Reply]

    dahack11 Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds, Curious about the $$$ & years, but very good move.

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds, Fantastic, I think that’s something we can all agree on!!!

    [Reply]

    joan fondell Reply:

    @40YearKingsFan, Definitely! I’ve been following the KIngs for 45 years….guess I have more gray hair than you! Glad that Mitchell will be around longer. He’s the best D man we have…and a shot from the point that is better than Martinez, the supposedly more offensive defensive. At least with Mitchell, the shot is on goal, gets through, and is available for a deflection or rebound attempt.

    [Reply]

    LA_1968 Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds, Sweet! Willie is our best d-man. Definitely love this signing.

    [Reply]

    wavesinair Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds,

    Fantastic news. With all this talk about Schenn, I was thinking Willie might be gone.

    [Reply]

    Belexes Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds,

    big, big props to the Kings and to Willie for making this happen. Willie came in here as a question mark with his health, but has stayed in the lineup and been a great player for us. Good Times!!

    [Reply]

    IceGuy Reply:

    @Belexes,
    Great move!
    Did Dean throw in a 1st as well?

    [Reply]

    Dilapidus Reply:

    @IceGuy,

    Ok… I’ll give you this one.. that was really funny.

    pitty Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds, Willie haven’t you heard no one wants to sign in LA. Very happy to have Willie a quality player and a quality person.

    [Reply]

    spidey35 Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds,YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    [Reply]

    Buster Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds,
    It’s always nice to see Willie have some pretty paper thrown his way.

    [Reply]

    MindGeyser Reply:

    @Doughty2Simmonds, Very happy about this signing, even if it is for a slight overpayment. Sometimes you gotta pay the cost to get what you want, because there aren’t suitable replacements available.

    [Reply]

  2. Donald_S says:

    Willie Mitchell extended? Wow. His play has been great, but with salary concerns and the number of guys they have in the system, I would have thought he might be gone. Dang, if DL is fired his replacement won’t have any cap space to work with.

    [Reply]

    AZ King Reply:

    @Donald_S,

    Mitchell is vital to the success of this team. I agree that the cap is tight, but between Stoll and Penner coming off this summer it’s not that bad.

    [Reply]

    Marbles Reply:

    @AZ King,

    +1

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @Donald_S, The amount of players more important to the Kings than Mitchell can be counted on one hand. This is the best thing DL has done all year by far.

    [Reply]

    Lake Forest Reply:

    @Donald_S, Would you have not extended WM? As you can see from the comments, 99% of us agreed this had to be done.

    Also have you noticed our record when WM is not playing? It’s horrible (yes even worse than we have been playing lately).

    [Reply]

    Nikko Reply:

    @Donald_S, this tells me we are nervous with the D position. I like Willie, so I like the move. Man these moves HAVE to mend and produce goals otherwise we are fukt.
    Go Kings!

    [Reply]

    FKA PakiFro Reply:

    @Donald_S,

    Penner and Stoll still fall off at year end so there will be about 8M between them two freed up. Adding Carter and taking away JMFJ is about 1M increase so you’re looking at about 7M freed up net, assuming Mitchell stays around his 3.5M cap hit.

    [Reply]

  3. Nikko says:

    damn so according to ESPN, the Kings actually tried to get Carter and Nash in a big blockbuster trade and I think Nash rejected it.

    [Reply]

    DJ KDL Reply:

    @Nikko,

    I wouldn’t of liked it either. if Nash and Carter didn’t click in Columbus… Doubt they would click here…. our top 3 are pretty much set.

    gagne kopitar williams
    Carter Richards Nash

    Would be nice Top 6

    [Reply]

    Snoop Dogg Reply:

    @DJ KDL, How is the top 6 set? Gagne? You are kidd’n yourself. He’s not coming back and if he does he’s going to be no where near the level he needs to be at.
    Gagne is done! Look at Richards. No one brings it up but dude has to still be feeling the effects from his concussion.

    [Reply]

    Pesus Reply:

    @Snoop Dogg,
    Think u are right about mike’s concussion

    Danny of Pasadena Reply:

    @Snoop Dogg, yep…concussions are career ending. Gagne will most likely be bought out. Thing Is. Kings want Schenn and I see the pancakeman going along for the ride. That would be quite a coup for botb teams, and I wonder if…you guessed it…Phanuef would be coming along with Schenn…..

    number 6 Reply:

    @Nikko,

    That makes perfect sense. If they didn’t click in Columbus I can see why DL would’ve thought ‘we’ll turn em around’,

    [Reply]

    mrbrett7 Reply:

    @number 6, Really? If they were both here…Nash would be the LW with Kopitar and Carter the LW with Richards.

    [Reply]

    Gary Reply:

    @mrbrett7, uh, Carter is going to play RW. But, you’re right, it would be totally different here. They put Carter at C. He is a shooter, that wasn’t what Nash needed. Now, Kopitar could have fed Nash and Carter. Or, at least Nash, with Richards feeding Carter.

    JJ$Pres Reply:

    @Nikko,
    My guess would have been Brown, Johnson, Bernier, Penner (for cap) + 1st Round, 2nd 2013 to get Nash & Carter.

    [Reply]

  4. Puckindnet says:

    Please dont trade Dutin Brown. I get it they want to give Richards the “C” just make the change and keep Brown

    [Reply]

    Anjin Reply:

    @Puckindnet, agree 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000%

    Want Brown on this team but want Richards to have the C. Just the thing to turn this team around!

    [Reply]

    friarking Reply:

    @Anjin, Richards doesn’t want it. He’s said it a bunch of times. Plus he’s done very little as of late and has even got an unsportsmanlike for chirping at the refs

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @friarking, Tend to agree with you but it seems like an unpopular decision on here. Richards has said he doesn’t want it and I can’t see what he’s done to earn it. He’s got a lot of work to do to get back to the same level of productivity he was at before the injury and everyone seems to just give him a pass.

    Bluecoconuts Reply:

    @40YearKingsFan,

    That’s just a case of the grass is greener thing.

    red49er Reply:

    @Anjin, mitchell get the C, kopitar keeps the A and richards get the other A

    [Reply]

    joan fondell Reply:

    @red49er, Agree. I see Mitchell as the C. Dustin is not the right personality to be a Captain. Most of the time he mumbles…. Actually Justin Williams is good C material. He plays hard, with energy and is always trying to make something happen. As is Kopi. Dustin was an odd choice, but at the time he may have been the best choice…they were all young…and he’s serious…but not a good communicator…and sometimes isn’t playing his heart out.

    KingMe20 Reply:

    @Puckindnet,

    I think Willie Mitchell should be the captain. Steady, reliable, smart, and the impact he’s had on this defense is impressive. The penalty killing really rounded into shape after he got here.

    [Reply]

    ten for instigating Reply:

    @KingMe20, Finally, someone figured it out. Even Williams would be a strong choice.

    [Reply]

    Gary Reply:

    @Puckindnet, who is this “Dutin” guy. And UPI.com is reporting Kings have traded for “Jack Carter”

    [Reply]

  5. Merit says:

    Buzz is that DL said Brown was off the table. (about 5 minutes ago)

    [Reply]

    Kings x Reply:

    @Merit, Sources?

    [Reply]

    Merit Reply:

    @Kings x, It’s all over twitter currently. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2012-02-24/dustin-brown-trade-rumors-nhl-trade-deadline-los-angeles-kings?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Plenty of heresay but quite a few known reporters are echoing the release.

    [Reply]

    KingMe20 Reply:

    @Kings x,

    Elliotte Friedman, CBC: “Trade deadline craziness: Lombardi telling inquiring GMs that Dustin Brown is not available. Can’t wait until this is over.”

    10:48 AM – 24 Feb 12 via web · Details

    [Reply]

    Gary Reply:

    @Kings x, I think Dean has to make sure DB can concentrate on playing tomorrow. Clubs are asking CBJ to decide who gets Nash tomorrow, so they can move on (maybe to Brown).

    [Reply]

    Cruiznblue Reply:

    @Merit,

    or maybe DL is playing it smart and making teams put up bigger offers to try to lure DB away…you never know.

    [Reply]

    Merit Reply:

    @Cruiznblue, I highly doubt it. If I had to guess DS asked DL to pull this. Hopefully light a fire under him. When motivated he a pure heart.. I just hope this gets him moving again.

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @Cruiznblue, If Dean’s playing it smart it’s by accident. I think he way overpaid to help CBJ solve their roster problems. But I’m over it now and letting it go. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s game!

    [Reply]

    Nikko Reply:

    @Cruiznblue, Yep, or to see what sort of offers he can get THEN move him in the offseason.

    [Reply]

    Bluecoconuts Reply:

    @Merit, I hope so.

    [Reply]

  6. J-Ro says:

    Looking fwd to Carter’s Hat Trick tomorrow!

    [Reply]

    Merit Reply:

    @J-Ro, Don’t hold your breath. He still needs to get his physical final. Following the cluster with EDM last year. Everyone will be taking their time and looking much more closely at him. I wouldn’t expect to see him until next week.

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @Merit, Does anybody know if Carter has any concussion history? After Richards and Gags I would think that would be the first thing Dean would have already looked into.

    [Reply]

    John Reply:

    @J-Ro, I’d be happy with just a win! :)

    [Reply]

    Lake Forest Reply:

    @J-Ro, What is a hat trick? If you are a kings fan, you wouldn’t know.

    [Reply]

    DiggerRocket Reply:

    @Lake Forest, …it’s what Richardson does in Colorado.

    [Reply]

    PVHockeyDad Reply:

    @Lake Forest, For us it’s a game with 3 goals scored, by anyone!!

    [Reply]

  7. Kings x says:

    I’m sure brown isn’t affected a bit. Good to hear about WM extension. Great UFA pick up. Really worked out well. Bet VAN misses him.

    [Reply]

    What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:

    @Kings x, You bet Vancouver misses Mitchell. He has suddenly become way underrated, from what I can tell.

    [Reply]

    Leatherface Reply:

    @What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, let me roll my eyes at this. Vancouver is doing just fine and does not miss Willie Mitchell.

    Honestly man, just look at the standings FFS.

    [Reply]

    What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:

    @Leatherface, I guess they couldn’t use him.

    LMAO!

    wavesinair Reply:

    @Kings x,

    Hate to say it but I think van is perfectly happy being in their position without Willy.

    [Reply]

    number 6 Reply:

    @wavesinair,

    Good one waves. Probably variable told you that I’m less than thrilled with the state of affairs.

    [Reply]

  8. Cruiznblue says:

    OMG today and yesterday have been fun days on this site! Yeah Willie!

    [Reply]

    Forum Gold Reply:

    @Cruiznblue, LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond ROCKS. GO KINGS GO!!!

    [Reply]

  9. KingMe20 says:

    Great work on getting Willie Mitchell re-signed. Now, about this Jonathan Quick fellow…

    [Reply]

    AZ King Reply:

    @KingMe20,

    Can’t negotiate a new contract for Quick until the start of next season.

    [Reply]

    KingMe20 Reply:

    @AZ King,

    I know, but I’d love to see them announce an extension as soon it’s legal to do so.

    [Reply]

    AZ King Reply:

    @KingMe20,

    Absolutely!!!!

    Jeff_R Reply:

    @AZ King, Actually they can do it starting July 1st.

    [Reply]

  10. Cup B4 I Die says:

    Sweet news about Mitchell! Love that he wanted to stay!

    [Reply]

  11. Stuart says:

    GREAT news for our Dmen, currently on the roster as well as those that will be coming up in the next few seasons!!!

    Thank you for staying Willie!

    [Reply]

  12. Cory says:

    If DB doesn’t get traded, I hope the KINGS are still looking to “pull the trigger” on another scorer. I think Richards needs to wear the “C” ASAP in order to help save the locker room and the season.

    [Reply]

  13. What's the frequency, Kenneth? says:

    Now give Mitchell the ‘C’ and end the controversy over Brown.

    [Reply]

    Michael J. Reply:

    @What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,

    If they did remove it from Brown I think Mitchell is the guy too.

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, +1

    [Reply]

    colo king fan Reply:

    @What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,

    totally agree. 100 percent.

    [Reply]

  14. friarking says:

    77? He’s no Coffey. Doesn’t DL hate high numbers?

    [Reply]

    Kings x Reply:

    @friarking, For his Flyer boys? Anything. Plus, with king and nolan it could be “that 70′s line”

    [Reply]

    FiG17 Reply:

    @Kings x,

    hahahaha +1 :)

    [Reply]

    puddle Reply:

    @Kings x, Damn, I wish I had thought of that line! Good one!

    [Reply]

    Jose Reply:

    @friarking, Don’t know why he didnt take 17..he wore that in Philly…Does Morreau still have rights to that number?

    [Reply]

    Jeff_R Reply:

    @Jose, Maybe he wants to forget all about Philly.

    [Reply]

    Jeff_R Reply:

    @Jeff_R, Or maybe Bernier to Philly for Simmonds :)

    Kasper11 Reply:

    @friarking,

    He’s certainly no Rod Buskas!!

    [Reply]

  15. KC23 says:

    Mitchell resigning is the best news I’ve heard this entire season for me. I have been extremely critical of DL lately, but a tip of the hat to DL on this one. Great great job resigning Mitchell.

    [Reply]

    What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:

    @KC23, He’s solid pretty much to the point of being invisible most of the time.

    [Reply]

    Lake Forest Reply:

    @KC23, 100% agree. Very good news for us.

    Glad to see Willie get an extension

    [Reply]

  16. Michael J. says:

    Mitchell extended! That is great news!

    [Reply]

  17. vplaza says:

    Finally, some good news. WM signing an extension. DB not affected by the rumors (and potentially, him being off the block).

    Yet another “big game” tomorrow. We’ll see how this team reacts to what’s happened over the last 24 hours.

    [Reply]

  18. Soureen says:

    Thank you dean for stopping the bleeding and not trading brown

    [Reply]

  19. Marbles says:

    Great news that Mitchell is re-signing. Now figure out the Brown situation, it’s going to be an interesting weekend.

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @Marbles, I think the Brown situation is over. I think he was part of a big deal to get Nash, but it fell through.

    [Reply]

  20. Alanj21 says:

    Very good news on Willie.

    [Reply]

  21. wes says:

    turns out Bob McKenzie was wrong. Lombardi says he has no interest in trading Brown and won’t be returning other GMs calls in that regard. good on DL, trading Brown would be stupid, really stupid, on several levels. the team would have nothing left in working order except it’s dysfunction.

    [Reply]

  22. KOHO says:

    I want another head to roll! This team is soft and uninspired..fire away Dean!

    [Reply]

  23. Todd says:

    Hopefully it is a 2 year deal at $3 million a year again. I like that the kings gave an extension to him. I would think when Green and Scuderi’s contracts expire they won’t return. Hickey can replace at least one of them.

    Now that Willie Mitchell has been re-signed I don’t see the Kings interested in Luke Schenn probably.

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @Todd, Pretty sure the Kings were never interested in Luke.

    [Reply]

  24. Cynic says:

    AWESOME news about Willie! We need him to pair with Voynov for the next few years! Those 2 are great together. Interested to hear $$ & term.

    Brown shouldn’t go anywhere. I would not be surprised if Dean had a talk with Dustin and asked him to part with the ‘C’ and take an ‘A’. Kopi should lose his ‘A’ and just be the superstar he is.

    C- Mike Richards
    A- Dustin Brown
    A- Matt Greene or Willie Mitchell (Either are good choices IMO)

    [Reply]

    AZ King Reply:

    @Cynic,

    I think if you’re going to take the “C” away from Brown, than just take him out of the leadership group all together.

    [Reply]

    Cynic Reply:

    @AZ King, I don’t think you can reasonably. He’s been our captain for a while and he belongs in the leadership group as he is a heart & soul guy on the ice. Guys on this team do look up to him, he’s just not press savvy.

    He’s a Matty Norstrom type. He should have retired a King too. I don;t think there are any benefits taking him out completely.

    Kopitar though, he doesn’t need the added pressure. The original ‘pancakes’ needs to focus on one thing: SCORING.

    [Reply]

    KOHO Reply:

    @Cynic, Not a bad take on that..you’re right Kopitar is regressing bad and may need a wake up call.

    [Reply]

    Roger Reply:

    @KOHO, Lets rumor we are going to trade him

    [Reply]

  25. nykingfan says:

    Great news about Mitchell. He’s been the Kings best blueliner all year by far!
    Also glad to hear that Brownie will be off the market..at least I’m hoping. I love the way he plays. not many guys in the league play that way.

    All of this trade talk and stuff has made me forget about the dismal play over the past 2 games!!nothig wrong with that :)

    [Reply]

    number 6 Reply:

    @nykingfan,

    All of this trade talk and stuff has made me forget about the dismal play over the past 2 games!!

    No it’s actually over the last ten games, but who’s counting?

    [Reply]

  26. Michael_DD8 says:

    Can ANYONE show me where Richards said he didn’t want the Captain other then the fact of him respecting Dustin Brown as having the C. Yes he said he would enjoy ‘just playing hockey’ but at this point lots has changed, and he was coming off of being a captain for the Flyers, which is way more pressure filled then being a captain in LA. Im open to the fact he might not want it, but to say he has said numerous times he didnt want to be a captain i believe is false.

    [Reply]

    Shuchuk Reply:

    @Michael_DD8, since Richards is the ONLY guy to man up when one of his players has been cheap shotted I’d say that Richards is ALREADY THE CAPTAIN. PERIOD.

    [Reply]

    AZ King Reply:

    @Michael_DD8,

    I heard duing one of his phone interviews. They asked him if it would be strange to not be the captain, and he said something to the effect of he was looking forward to just going out and playing hockey without a big spotlight shining down on him.

    [Reply]

  27. kingszzz says:

    We are still incredibly weak at the forward position. Don’t think Carter does much to right the ship.

    [Reply]

    number 6 Reply:

    @kingszzz,

    I agree with you. They went from being incredibly weak to being weak and without much depth. So I suppose it depends on point of view. I say it all the time….. and Rich evidently doesn’t have a problem w me saying it. Dean Lombardi drafted dmen, goalies and centers and a very significantly small portion of wingers. Very few. At least that was the case for the first four years. I don’t have the stats for after that.

    [Reply]

    RobSD Reply:

    @number 6,

    Carter and Richards led the Flyers to the Finals. Add Kopi to the mix and that is a good 3 to start your top 6. Everyone is slumping. If people were living up to there career stats then this would be a much different story.

    [Reply]

  28. bbb7 says:

    Great news that the management recognizes that Mitchell is the cornerstone of this D. He’s been the best addition in years and years to the team.

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @bbb7, yes, and the best bargin (glairs at DD)

    [Reply]

  29. friarking says:

    http://www.jackjohnson3.com/index.html

    I didn’t know he had a webpage. Show’s nothing but class in his latest entry. Sad to see him go

    [Reply]

    KOHO Reply:

    @friarking, Jack put the MOFO in Johnson…great guy gonna miss that dude.

    Atleast we still have him on TEAM USA!

    [Reply]

  30. LA_1968 says:

    Jeff Carter = 77

    I wonder why he didn’t take Ethan Moreau’s 17. Maybe a new start. I like the style of his 77 selection.

    [Reply]

    KC23 Reply:

    @LA_1968, Was also surprised to see him take 77. I’m thinking King and Nolan like it. :)

    [Reply]

    The Batman Reply:

    @LA_1968, I dont think he can take 17 since Moreau used it already on the year. So prolly next year he will switch back

    [Reply]

    Simarosa Reply:

    @The Batman,

    Don’t you know, Moreau is holding on to #17 in LA and Manch.

    [Reply]

    Jeff_R Reply:

    @Simarosa, Simmonds. Philly needs goalie so we send them Bernier and we get Simmonds back,. He learned all about scoeing and will being it back wirh him. Party time. :)

  31. KingsFanFTW says:

    NOOO Wilie Mitchell leaving us next year…oh wait he agree on another Contract..Hell Yea!! Willie staying!!!!!!!Great move

    [Reply]

  32. Capt Jam says:

    I wonder if Carter actually requested a “7&7″ and the Kings’ office took it to mean he wanted jersey no. 77.

    [Reply]

  33. LVKINGS88 says:

    I mentioned that they were working on this about two weeks ago. Thanks Willy and welcome to LA Carter.

    [Reply]

  34. brymaster1 says:

    Good to hear WM extended, hope it was for a reasonable cap hit.

    [Reply]

  35. BringBackKingston says:

    For as many questions lingering over the team about whether it is a contender or pretender, it is great to see a guy show his belief in the team by re-signing. WM could have waited to see which perennial playoff teams would be interested in his services, but instead he decided to let it ride here.

    [Reply]

    DEH Reply:

    @BringBackKingston, if Brown gets traded he set himself up to be the next wearer of the C

    [Reply]

  36. Jody says:

    Nolan gets 71, King gets 74, Carter gets 77, next will be 80.

    [Reply]

    Kenny44 Reply:

    @Jody, Antropov?

    [Reply]

  37. DEH says:

    well of course they extended our future Captain!!

    [Reply]

    Jody Reply:

    @DEH, That would be nice.

    [Reply]

  38. The Batman says:

    I’m totally buying a Johnson Columbus jersey. So much class from that guy

    [Reply]

    Forum Gold Reply:

    @The Batman, Hopefully next year they will be out of our division and I can feel better about rooting for him. You know on March 8th he will score against us. GO KINGS GO!!!

    [Reply]

    TeamJMFJ Reply:

    @The Batman, not a jersey…a shirt yes but not a jersey lol

    [Reply]

  39. Patrick says:

    Don’t trade Dustin Brown! He is a GREAT hockey player and it’s doubtful the Kings would get anybody better at this point in the season (too many teams still in the playoff race and not willing to give up anything).

    [Reply]

  40. The Puck Stops Here says:

    Stoked that Mitchell is staying! Good job DL!

    [Reply]

  41. DBking says:

    Who’d a thunk 3 weeks ago that we’d have three players on our team wearing 70′s. Craziness.

    [Reply]

  42. MickSorley says:

    Poor Lokti. And he’s the 4th wheel at the sushi restaurant.

    [Reply]

    KingsFan Reply:

    @MickSorley, That was HILARIOUS!! One of the best episodes of NHL36 yet…GKG

    [Reply]

    Simarosa Reply:

    @MickSorley,

    That was quite funny, poor Lokti.

    [Reply]

    Simarosa Reply:

    @MickSorley,

    That was quite funny, poor Lokti.

    [Reply]

  43. Poorman says:

    OK Blog Bros! This isn’t about Bernier. The Most Exciting News Yet! Penner Survives! Pancakes On The Poorman!

    [Reply]

    MickSorley Reply:

    @Poorman, Lombardi wants to milk every last dollar out of the nag that is Penner

    [Reply]

    KingsFanFTW Reply:

    @Poorman, yea am happy that a trade that had nothing to do with Bernier int he packages always good news to have him still even tho he wasting his talent on bench…

    [Reply]

    IndioKingFan Reply:

    @Poorman, This was supposed to be Penner’s contract year. I would be surprised if he even gets an offer for next year. He would have tough time making an ECHL team

    [Reply]

  44. KC23 says:

    I’m glad to see both Nolan and King stay up. I have liked what I’ve seen of those two. Big guys that aren’t afraid of the dirty areas. Sure be sweet to see Gagne make it back.

    King – Kopitar – Williams
    Gagne – Richards – Carter
    Brown – Nolan – Lewis
    Clifford – Stoll/Fraser – Westgarth/

    [Reply]

    vinny Reply:

    @KC23, liked em better when they played on the same line tho

    [Reply]

  45. kenny says:

    Fantastic news Willie!!!

    [Reply]

  46. kngfan004 says:

    WM is the 2nd best defensemen on the team behind Quick. Signing him is paramount to the success of their Defense. They have plenty of cap space…Penner and Stolls contracts will pay plenty of other dividends…Quick is the next signing and is the biggest peice of the puzzle. Then they can trade Bernier.

    [Reply]

  47. King Alex says:

    Resigning Big Willy Mitchell was a no brainer. Slava will get to learn from one of the best and when Slava jumps in the O zone attack, Willy will have his back. Great move DL. JJ was and always will be nothing but a classy guy. I hope you do well in Columbus JJ! As for the C, A & A, I’ll leave that up to the players in the locker room where nobody on this site goes or really has any idea of what goes on beyond those doors. If we are going to open up our offense, getting Carter is definately a step in the right direction as he has proven skills. I would still like to see Lotki center King & Nolan. Hopefully after the roster expands, I will get my wish. Let’s get back on track against the Blackhawks on Saturday with a big win!

    [Reply]

    Lime Reply:

    @King Alex, Hell Yeah! The timing could not have been better I have seats behind the bench for Sat!

    [Reply]

  48. MindGeyser says:

    Dear Dean,

    Thanks for signing Willie Mitchell. Now, if you could keep Dustin Brown unless someone severely overpays (talking Godfather offer: one you can’t refuse), that’d be great. Thanks!

    [Reply]

  49. KingMe20 says:

    I think that Dean isn’t done dealing, by the way. I think if there’s one piece he’d like to add, it’s a gritty, pain-in-the-rear, sandpaper third or fourth liner to just make life miserable on the opposition. I think that is an element they have not had in a long time. Not that I want a guy who takes a lot of penalties (Steve Ott) or takes stupid, suspendable runs at players (Raffi Torres), but someone along those lines that gets under the other team’s skin, and has enough skill to put the puck in the net from time to time.

    What do you folks think?

    [Reply]

    PW Reply:

    @KingMe20, I’ve been saying we need a guy like Hartnall (Flyer coincidence) Peanuff, or Lucic. That mix of scoring and toughness/PM. I wouldn’t mind a guy like Ott. I’d like to see the Kings bring a more east coast grind to their team. They already have the goaltending and defense.

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @PW, ESPN says Steve Ott’s available.

    [Reply]

    letswinthecup2012 Reply:

    @KingMe20, Milan Lucic

    [Reply]

  50. PP Anybody? says:

    My favorite part in all this drama, is that DL would prefer to risk potentially trading half of his core away, rather than risk a subtle shift from such a defensive system/philosphy/structure, to one that also considers opening up some offense. Blows my mind.

    [Reply]

    PW Reply:

    @PP Anybody?, Isn’t that coaching more than GM?

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @PW, I think in our current arrangement with Sutter and Lombardi there isn’t as much seperation between the two positions one might normally expect. This due to the facts that Sutter and Lombardi are friends from way back, Lombardi brought Sutter here because he’s fighting for his life, and Sutter has GM experience. Those two are in the bunker together making decisions together knowing that the only way either survive this is if they both survive it.

    [Reply]

  51. PW says:

    Willie is the most under rated player on the Kings. When he went down last season in Nov/Dec is when the kings played like crap. His offensive play this year has been much better too.

    [Reply]

  52. SlimNNunn says:

    77? Let him center Nolan and King. The 70s line.

    [Reply]

  53. 40YearKingsFan says:

    Off topic:
    Will JJ jerseys be discounted not? Where’s the best place to look for one?

    [Reply]

    40YearKingsFan Reply:

    @40YearKingsFan, I meant discounted now.

    [Reply]

    PW Reply:

    @40YearKingsFan, Get a JJ team USA jersey. Win/Win

    [Reply]

  54. PW says:

    Loki is going to be good one day. Once he realizes the importance of defense and securing the zone he will he just fine.

    [Reply]

    zulov Reply:

    @PW, He has been very good defensively. Its his offense that hasn’t been as big as they hoped. The reality is he has been playing with terrible scorers.

    [Reply]

  55. Kingsfan602 says:

    Glad u decideded to stay a King Willie. I dont know y some ppl dont see how much of a special player Brown is. Is they traded him this team would lose its identity. Brown is a huge part of this team. Ppl can argue about the C but this guy puts in work every time he is on tge ice. We should try to trade lewis, richardson penner dd2 etc for another winger and we should be good. Not saying move all those guys but some of them for a decent talented hard working winger. Please do not trade Brown. This team needs his game.

    [Reply]

  56. MickSorley says:

    If we look at the Carter acquisition as just a few more goals, I can see where it might not appear to have “game changer” implications. However, I believe there is more to it. I see three potential upsides:

    1. More goals (obvious)
    2. Heats up Richards and get’s him back to his old self
    3. Takes the defensive heart off of Kopi’s line

    On 3. As we know, the opposition thus far has only had to worry about our first line. They can easily get the matchups they want with little worry about lines 2-4. But now, They have 2 lines to worry about. This should loosen things up for Kopi and JW to do their thing.

    [Reply]

    MickSorley Reply:

    @MickSorley, *defensive HEAT, not heart – typo

    [Reply]

  57. Elijah says:

    the word is that Penner will be joining the ice crew.He will still be allowed to wear a pink jersey with hearts for numbers. im guessing that we will all still complain about him in the postgame shows because he missed a spot of slush on the ice.

    [Reply]

  58. zulov says:

    Great news on Willie. Bad news about Loktionov. Stoll is absolutely useless.

    [Reply]

    Canadian King Reply:

    @zulov, Well not as useless as Lokti is, at least Stoll is still one of the best faceoffs guys in the league, and come playoffs that is a huge asset.

    [Reply]

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