ALEC MARTINEZ
This season: 51 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, minus-1 rating.
The good: It’s not easy playing in the shadow of a top defenseman such as Drew Doughty. Even rookie Slava Voynov got more deadlines than Martinez, because of his solid first season. Don’t sell Martinez short, though. In a third defensive pairing, with Matt Greene, Martinez is making excellent progress for a defenseman who doesn’t turn 25 until this month. Martinez is a good puck-mover and passer and his ability to get point shots through from the blue line make him a valuable power-play contributor. Martinez scored a big goal in Game 2 against New Jersey, when he read the play well, jumped up and poked in a loose puck.
The bad: Martinez missed 31 games this season, in part because of a minor injury and in part because, briefly, he was made a healthy scratch in favor of Slava Voynov. The question with Martinez might be, where is his ceiling? For the past two seasons, the Kings have asked him to play roughly 15 minutes per game, and he has handled that well. If injury, or anything else, required Martinez to step into a higher-profile role, would he be able to handle it? The Kings would also be thrilled if Martinez could make more of an impact on the power play. He had only three power-play goals, and he’s capable of more than that.
Going forward: There’s a feeling that Martinez has strong long-term value. That’s not to say that he’s underachieving now, because he’s not. He’s a player with a strong skill set who is simply being asked to fill a relatively small role right now, as a third-pair defenseman and sometimes contributor on the power play. Martinez is just about to turn 25 and still has plenty of room to grow. He’s not the strongest, most-physical of defensemen, but he’s not asked to fill that role. If he can move the puck well, make good decisions with it and create some offense from the blue line, he will thrive. By all accounts, he’s a keeper.
Ooo first vote AND comment?
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Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
@FKA PakiFro,
Which is??
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MArtinez gets an A from me. love his game.
Rich, Im pretty sure it was Game 3 where he scored the first goal of the game after Dwight King drove to the net. I was there and jumped so high i hit my head on the rafters and spilled my entire beer all over people around me.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 10:54 am
@Sebastian, It was game 3, good memory. Of course, Devil fan still thinks Brodeur should have gotten an earlier whistle. The fact is, in game 3, the Devils had so many chances on the powerplay, including a 2 man advantage, and couldnt score. The Kings penalty killing and goaltending were huge the entire playoff!
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rogiesbackup Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
@puck73, mBrodeur’s body language of looking for the puck made refs feel he did not CONTROL it either so refs didn’t whistle….Good NON-call.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:01 am
@Sebastian,
Let us not forget his game winning assist in the Clincher!
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I like Martinez and feel he would be a top six defensement on a lot of other teams. He plays a solid game and gets his shot on net. Ultimately, he could wind up being trade bait considering the Kings depth at D with young defensemen in the system.
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Donald_S Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:25 am
@HeyChief,
Top 6? You probably mean top 4. We talk about top 6 forwards so often.
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Shuchuk Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
@Donald_S, Marty is top 6 material, for sure
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HeyChief Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
@Donald_S, Yes, I did mean top 4.
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Huge improvement fromthe year before. He is a keeper.
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I think Alec Martinez made great strides this season playing with Matt Greene. Both of these players played well under Sutter, and both played even better after JJ was moved to Columbus.
What I saw from Alec this season was muturity and confidence. He is a better skater then some give him credit for, and more importantly, his reads this season got clearly better. He has been brought along the right way in this organization, and it is starting to pay off for him and the fans.
Looking back, Jack Johnson would have been much better off playing in Manchester and learning the nuances of the game the way Martinez has. Really looking forward to this coming season. I think Alec will definately improve at least 3% like Lombardi is hoping for.
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bbb7 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
@puck73, Agree. My ‘comfort thermometer’ is how I feel when a particular duo is on the ice and none of the Kings three ‘D’ pairings gave me many palpitations on a regular basis. This especially says a lot for DD, who WAS giving me heart palps in 2010-11 and early this past season. By the time the playoffs rolled around – none, only confidence.
A Mart came a long way these past two seasons, as will VV over the next couple.
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IceGuy Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
@puck73,
There will soon come a time when Mitchell, Scuds and Greene will be gone.
Alec Martinez, I feel, is going to step into the role played by one of those men.
AMart is a keeper.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
@IceGuy, +27
Good call!
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Sammuch Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
@puck73,
I agree he’s just getting better ever season!
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Sammuch Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 11:16 am
@Sammuch,
Correction: every
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Never been a fan, but he definately impressed me more and more as the playoffs went on.
With the depth we have in the AHL I could see him being the odd man out in the King’s line up.
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KC23 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:12 am
@Perro, I think many people under-estimate Hickey. Voynov and Martinez will be looking in their rear view mirror at the on coming of Hickey. He is taking the proper course of action in learning his trade through serious minutes in the AHL and becoming an AHL top defenseman in the process. Last year pre-season Hickey look very good and it is likely he’ll be looking even better this pre-season.
Unfortunately for Hickey it will probably take a lengthly injury to DD, Voynov or Martinez for him to really show his stuff at the NHL level. Or a trade of course.
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I gave him a B+, I think he’s pretty underrated. He makes some real smart moves sometimes that impress me. I remember last year against the Sharks as a rookie he played a 2-1 perfectly, things like that. Good instinct with him most of the time, and he’s only getting better.
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Elac Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
@Bluecoconuts, I also gave Martinez a B+ and for the same reasons you mentioned. He seems to have excellent instincts and knows what to do with the puck when he gets it.
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he can get stronger physically, and the more he plays, more confidence comes….and he will contribute in scoring…I don’t know why they keep making points of our players not scoring enough…well, we fixed that with Sutter didn’t we? it shouldnt be even a consideration when looking at how our players played.
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IMHO he maturing at the usual rate. I expect more next season. Did well in playoffs. C+
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Many won’t remember but it was Marty’s play in game 6 when he chipped it in and followed the play along the board that allowed M.Richards to get possesion and pass it to Brownie for the eventual HUGE 2nd goal game winner that Carter tipped in.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:13 am
@Kopi Bryant, That play in some ways symobolizes the maturity of Martinez. Being able to determine the right time to pinch in.
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Kopi Bryant Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:24 am
@puck73, Indeed, and looks more comfortable out there too.
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Martinez gets an “A” from me because of how much he exceeded my already high expections for him. He was phenomenal both defensively and offensively.
The only reason I wavered between an A and B+ is because I still believe he can improve even more, specifically in turning his brilliant offensive game into points.
But to be clear, he was an easy “A” for me. What more could you ask of a “6th” Defender. He and Greener were brilliant together.
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B
I think Rich hit it perfectly with his “goring Forward” take…
The only thing I notice with martinez is he tends to get beat phydically in the corners. He needs to improve his strength, but otherwise he’s progressing nicely. He fit well with Greene.
I would expect continued improvement and also think he can be a long term keeper with the Kings at a reasonable price going forward.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:23 am
@nykingfan, Remember this though, Martinez and Voynov do not have the physicality that Doughty has. I dont see Alec as ever being super strong. He will need to learn to use angles the way Scuderi does as his career goes along.
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nykingfan Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
@puck73,
I agree with you. Both guys need to get stronger and with experience will learn to play angles better. I don’t think either of them will ever be compared to DD when all is said and done. Doughty’s a beast with and without the puck. He’s a complete defenseman. Martinez/VV are both good offensive defenseman but neither is as strong as DD nor can I see when they will be able to match up with the elite offensive players in the league on a nightly basis the way Doughty is used.
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Who gave him a D+ and does that person actually know anything about hockey? Or speak English for that matter….LOL
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Speaking of unsung heroes!
Matt Greene and Colin Fraser get due credit, but many a night Alec Martinez gets the job done with little fanfare and maximum efficiency.
Much was made of the advent of Carter, King, Nolan and Voynov as lineup regulars that helped turn the Kings’ season around in 2011/12, but little if anything of Martinez.
When you look at all the teams that have invested the bulk of their salary money into their big-name forwards and are barely making do at the back, the Kings are tremendously fortunate, albeit savvy and deserving, to have the luxury of a solid guy like Martinez that comes at a super affordable price (for now) at their disposal.
There is no doubt the Kings have about the best all round defensive corps in the league, not least of all on account of the excellent young offensive D set.
This guy is a rising star in the NHL and any notions of him as trade bait should be well and truly shelved.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Alec Martinez should be an LA King, and a prosperous one, for many years to come.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 11:44 am
@Duncanz, A rising star? Anything is possible I guess. I dont know if he will be a star or not, but I definately see him improving each of the next few seasons.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
@puck73,
Keep your eye on him.
I’ve got a really good feeling about this guy.
Why? For the same reason one sees a bright future for Dwight King, he has a strong read on the game and bags of confidence.
As made out above, I think he’s got great scope for development, especially as he learns the finer points of playing the point and starts lifting his numbers in turn.
Not that I think he’ll be seen this way for too long, but I feel he is already one of the very best no. 6 defensemen in the league.
It’s situations like this, i.e. no glaring defensive weaknesses, that turn your team from just one of the pack into a rousing Stanley Cup victor.
And that yearly improvement you anticipate inevitably ends up making him a star.
Like I say, keep your eye on him.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
@puck73,
Well, upon checking back, you already see a lot of these qualities yourself so I guess I was preaching to the quasi converted.
As his D partner would say, Andale muchacho!
Real 7 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
@Duncanzespanol, you must’ve been closer to Mattie than I was….I’ll listen-up next time
KC23 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:21 am
@puck73, I think it is possible he could become an offensive star. He has good reads on his pinches, but just needs a tad more strength to complete a higher percentage of his pinches against the bigger forwards. With DS’s system of forwards rotating back to cover the pinches it will allow for more aggressive pinches like we saw in the playoffs.
Alec is as good as any of our defensemen at getting the puck through to the net from the point and rarely gets slaps shots blocked that end up coming back at us as a turn over (a la DD).
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Mike Green re-signed with the Caps…..3 years 18 million and change. Wow, he is one or two hits from retirement. Not even close to the player he once was.
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KC23 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:22 am
@McSorley is King, Yeah, that is absurd.
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Marty had a solid year and he’s just turning out just fine. But I have to agree with others, Marty’s play makes him a target to be included with a Bernier trade. With both Hickey and Deslauriers in the AHL, they may be ready to step into Marty’s place, which makes moving Marty easier.
But I am more than happy with Marty’s play and will be very happy to have him out there for years to come if that happens.
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rogiesbackup Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
@KHenry14, So……….WHY even considering trading him? I’m sure you and I are not the only ones more than happy with Marty’s play.
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I think he will become a solid regular defensemen in the NHL. My guess is that he will put up around 25 points next season
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I probably would have given Martinez a “B” if he wasn’t scratched for all of those games. It wasn’t really his fault, but tough to give better than a B to any player that only played 51 games.
I was all about trading Martinez but he has shown his value. But it does make me think that IF there is an injury and Hickey gets a shot we will finally see both play at the same level and see who has the better long term value to this team.
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Sebastian Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@Dave,
Martinez – 115 NHL games – 26 NHL playoff games – 1 Stanley Cup – Age 25
Hickey – 0 NHL games – 0 NHL playoff games – 0 Stanley Cups – Age 23
Like Rich said, Martinez is a Keeper.
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Dave Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
@Sebastian, i agree, Martinez should start the year the same place he ended last year. just saying it will be interesting to see if Hickey gets a shot this year and the two can be compared playing at the same level at the same time.
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KC23 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:25 am
@Dave, DD, Voynov or Alec will likely have to go down with an injury before we see a good look at Hickey.
i’d say martinez is the most undervalued player on the team. b+.
and you didn’t even talk about his speed. he’s got some great “make-up speed” allowing him to get back into the play after a miscue or challenge some of the faster skaters in the league when they thought they’d have a clean breakaway.
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FdoFmFull Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
@Bickleton Wigglesworth III, Concur!
There are subtleties to Alec’s game that tend to go unnoticed, such as his speed and positioning.
One thing I noticed during the playoffs is a willingness to occassionaly dish out the big hit. He actually surprised me a few times. With time, I see this aspect of his game improving. I believe that in the next 2-4 years he’ll add 15-20 pounds of muscle and become better rounded on physical play.
My prediction for Alec is that he’ll someday make an excellent #3 DMan. He has the game to be the second choice behind DD for most of DD’s roles including offensive/PP responsibilities. He’ll just never be a shutdown DMan.
I’d call him a poor-man’s Paul Coffee, with the potential for better defensive play.
Cheers!
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“B” from me. Pretty much did what was expected of him but he was a healthy scratch a few times when both VV and JJ were on the roster.
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King signs 2 year deal
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Sebastian Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
@Jorgen, awesome, i wonder how much.
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DesertKing Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
@Jorgen,
Anither part falls into place for DL the master.
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Sebastian Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
@DesertKing, so thats everyone, who played this year. Scott Parse is the only one without a contract, and i would be shocked if the Kings offered him one.
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I was just reading my local on-line paper and saw the head line under the Sports section “Kings Acquire Johnson” at which time I was n’t sure what to think but then it all became claear withthe second part “From Raptors For Draft Pick.”
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
@DesertKing, Ha Ha! That would be unbelievable if they wanted Mr. Minus 81 back!
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
@DessertKing,
“Only Nash to LA” gave me more of a scare.
All respects to @Defrim65 !
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by the way, Rich… I think you meant “HEADLINES” not “DEADLINES” early in your article
Love Martinez’ game. Think he has upside.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
@Marc Nathan,
These things happen when you’re under so much pressure from the publishers!
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This guy is a stud; so underrated in that he plays fairly aggressively but rarely makes a mistake. He was incredibly poised as a rookie last year and continued that this year. He’s just seems unflappable out there. This year, after what I considered a slow start, he just continued that but added additional toughness and strengh in the corners. I remember when DS was hired, AM became a healthy scratch for several games in a row. Obviously, AM must have shown him what he was about in practice because when he started again, he never looked back. Plus, he has some obvious skill on the PP; it will be quite interesting to see if Voynov or AM will eventually earn that second spot on the number 1 PP if DS uses two dman. Obviously one of the best 5/6 dman in the league. A from me, without a doubt.
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I gave Martinez a B only due to his experience. He’s above average at both ends of the ice, skills are good and will only get better. If he puts his mind to it, works hard, should be an A rated D-man in a couple of years.
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I like martinez a lot. He fits his role well. The major knock on him is that sometimes he waits too long in our defensive zone to make a breakout pass, and sometimes it leads to turnovers, so I would like to see him clean that up a bit. Other than that I think he will excel with more PP time, but when our top unit has only doughty on D, and 2nd unit is mitchell and voynov, i see his role being the same for now. no sense rocking the boat!
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AM has made great strides in his career culminating in an excellent playoff series (along with everyone else). I think his benching in mid season served two purposes, the main one being taking a look at our other talent and the second, motivation. The maneuver though, for what ever reason, worked out well. AM is a strong, young and very smart young player that is improving rapidly. If he keep improving the way he has this past season, it solidifies his spot on the team and makes some of the younger d-men trade bait. B+
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
@plywood, Good post.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
@plywood, Yup.
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Way to hard on Martinez. Watched a lot of play-off hockey and the Kings could do a lot worse. Even NBC and Olcyck noticed him on the PP at the point at times. Give him 25 minutes and you’ll see the numbers. Athletic, fast, great shot and tough. Personally, I think he’s better then Slava.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
@Poppa K, I agree with everything you said except the part about Voynov. I think that has yet to be determined. Still, Martinez was definately better then Voynov in the playoff run this season, though Martinez has a little bit more experience.
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Poppa K Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
@puck73, I hear you…
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KC23 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:32 am
@Poppa K, I also think Martinez had a better playoff run than Voynov, but to be fair Voynov had much tougher assignments the majority of the time. As others have said, find me a better 5/6 defensive pair in the league as Greene/Martinez … good luck with that, because there isn’t one.
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Poppa K Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
@KC23, Disagree a little…Slava benefited from being with Willie33 which took a lot off him. AM and Grennie are prob my fav combo. I’m biased!! lol Love our depth there…
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Martinez was the most underrated playoff contributer…you’re doing pretty well when he’s your 6th defenseman.
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puck73 Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
@JohnnyMak, Concur. He was good this season, and he will get even better for sure.
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“B” – A far cry from Randy Jones…
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luc20rules Reply:
July 16th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
@Michael J., A far cry from Randy Jones could be a C-. Randy Jones was terrible, but made worse by his misuse by TM as a top 3 Dman. Randy Jones is a guy that you put in as a 6th or 7th Dman and plays 2 shifts 5 on 5 and only plays more if you go on the power play, and of course you don’t have him on your team unless your other Dmen are terrible PP quarterbacks. Now that I had my Randy Jones Rant, Martinez should really get an A verse expectations. I really think his D has been solid and he may be used to replace Scuds or eventually Mitchell if he retires or opts UFA in 2 years. I know right now he is the puck mover/offensive guy, but his development and play on D is solid. I think he can play more minutes and is coachable and has the temperment to play D first. We have all seen Greene go AWAL getting to offensively aggressive(for Greene’s O-skill level anyway), but Martinez always has his back, and position covered.
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King Cobra Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 7:17 am
@Michael J., Why would you taint Amarts thread with the smell of Randy Jones….
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When Martinez 1st came up a few years ago he was a disaster, he got turned faster than a two dollar hooker. And he was sent down.
This year much, much better, but if the play cycles in the defensive end to long, he still gets lost and starts chasing the puck or just standing in the slot, next to no one.
He had a very solid playoffs, and he should get better.
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I give Martinez an A.
The idea with line changes is kind of like indy car racing, when you shift, keep the R’s and stay on the pipe. He filled his transition role very well and kept the forward pressure on the other team. I had my doubts about him, but he pulled through with flying colors.
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I gave Marty an A…he seems, as ALL kings defensemen, have such outstanding poise and great gap control with their stick against the opposition.
I hope bloggers gave ALL the kings D-MEN an A!! They are the true armor for our team as Quick himself would attest.
Remember earlier part of the season our offense didn’t score many goals, but our defense THROUGHOUT the season didn’t allow TOO many goals either!!!
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All starting Kings D men get A’s!!!
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I’m a big AM fan, but I will admit that I gave him an A so my daughter will talk to me.
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B+…had a B for him but my wife wanted to give him an A….so….she also reminded me of that awesome hit he put on whats his name from the Devils in the finals….seriously AM has come a long way
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This guy is talented. Don’t underrate him. I just get the feeling he dosen’t want to be a king. Martinez and Voyo are a top line defensive pairing in their own right, you will see.
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I think his defense got better but I was always of the opinion that he was a defensive liability and didn’t want to hit people. He definitely was better in the playoffs, but hustle and hard-work are contagious. I gave him a C+
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