KEVIN WESTGARTH
This year: 25 games, 1 goal, one assist, minus-3 rating.
The good: Westgarth has no illusions about his role on the team. Although he’d like to play more — anyone in his situation would — Westgarth understands that his role on the team is subject to the whims of the coach and the desire to have an enforcer in the lineup (or not). For an enforcer, Westgarth has a credible all-around game. He doesn’t take nearly as many bad penalties as previous Kings enforcers, he moves well for his size and he has some offensive instincts. The highlight for Westgarth came on Nov. 23 in Dallas, when he scored his first NHL goal. Westgarth is a positive locker-room presence.
The bad: On a personal level, Darryl Sutter’s hiring was worst on Westgarth. Terry Murray valued having a heavyweight enforcer in the lineup for almost every game, but Sutter but a greater emphasis on being able to roll four lines. That meant Westgarth, who is limited in his ability to play more than a handful of minutes, played only eight games from late December through mid-June. Westgarth simply doesn’t have the all-around skill level of other fourth-line options such as Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan. It’s tough to envision him ever playing more than five minutes or so per game.
Going forward: At this point, it’s rather doubtful that Sutter will alter his philosophy in terms of rolling four lines, which creates a bit of an awkward situation in terms of Westgarth. He signed a two-year contract extension, meaning he’s under contract through 2014 at an average salary of $725,000 no matter where he plays. Assuming the Kings’ roster remains static for the rest of this summer, what will Westgarth’s role be? Nolan came in and locked down that fourth-line right-wing spot, and showed himself to be a guy who offered size and a willingness to drop the gloves. What does that mean for Westgarth?
Good thing he has a Princeton degree.
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rumpa #19 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:59 am
@Kopi Bryant, Dont be a dropout hater.
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Kopi Bryant Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:53 pm
@rumpa #19, So I’m a hater cuz I said its good that he has a Princeton degre? SMH
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firesone Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:07 am
@Kopi Bryant, LOL I love westy and not be be harsh, but i think hes useless in todays NHL.
Well i cant say he’s completely useless, he is on the NHLPA negotiation team.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:27 am
@firesone, Just might be the most important King we got – if we want to see timely hockey in October.
Better be cheering him on, right?
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CAA Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:50 pm
@firesone, He’d probably be perfect playing the Yotes – he can fill in anytime one of their goons get suspended
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gene Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 3:30 pm
@firesone, How can you say he is useless? Almost every team in the Eastern Conference went out and got enforcers for next year. Including Florida which signed the Ducks inforcer “Stash”. If a team does not have a guy who can take on the bigger fighters wheather they can skate or not, that team will get run a majority of there games. Look at what Boston did to Van two years ago in the play offs.
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D +. Not an important part of the team really. I was impressed how much he improved, but with an organization this deep in talent and the trend of the league going away from enforcer types I don’t expect to ever see him play on the King’s any time soon.
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:03 am
@KC23,
If you judge whether he’s valuable based on his worth moving forward, then your not judging based on what he actually did when he played. Moving forward we won’t see him as much under Sutter, but his grade should be based on the games he did play, and whether or not he did what was asked of him, or was a liability when he was deployed.
I personally gave him a B. He did everything Terry Murray asked of him, and gave constant support to his teammates whether he was in a game, or not. Which was his job for his role on the team.
He will still get used a small amount moving forward also because the depth will take a few hits over an 82 game schedule but not hard enough that Westy will see 60 games over that span.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:08 am
@Dominick (defrim65), So you’re saying he’ll make the team? Go up and down? Not be picked up on waivers?
As you said, he performed admirably for what his role was. But as Rich alluded to, it’s about rolling 4 lines and I don’t see Sutter going away from what worked so very well. Why would he?
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:14 am
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Injuries. Also every once in a while….you do need WAMD’s just to keep the other team honest. We have a few, but it isn’t going to hurt the team to carry a spare.
I am sure if he wanted to go to another team, the Kings would expose him (or whatever), but as of this moment, the Kings will hang onto any player that helps the chemistry of this team until they see no other options.
Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:25 am
But Dom, that time is NOW. If what you say is true: “Kings will hang onto any player that helps the chemistry of this team until they see no other options.” Then Nolan and/or King will start the year in Manchester (waiver exempt) and Westgarth will make the team because that IS AN OPTION. Otherwise, something has to give. Lokti will likely go down and Westy will be the odd man out unless the Kings decide not to carry a 7th D-man, which isn’t going to happen.
Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:28 am
As for the injuries/long season argument, I don’t buy it. There are plenty of guys to fill those spots who can PLAY in a ‘rolling 4 lines’ system. As for the ‘keeping teams honest’ well, I think this team did just fine with that in the playoffs my friend. Sutter has shown he doesn’t want or need a goon. …and it’s not that I dislike Westy (quite the contrary), it’s just that he doesn’t have a place on the team as I said above.
Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:18 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), Your not comparing playoff hockey to regular season are you? Games are played a little differently.
Purple and gold Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), not many enforcers see time at the end of the season, and even less in the playoffs. We were basically in a playoff run for the last 1/3 of the season. Westy fills a role, a role that has not been eliminated and he will be needed against certain teams. Noone Else has stepped in to fill those shoes yet. Plus why resign him with a raise just to drop him on waivers.
Stuart Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:21 am
@Dominick (defrim65), I’m with you Dom… I went with a B as well. He did what he was/is supposed to do. He might not have been the greatest or most feared but his presence in the room and the support and comic relief he provided for the boys cannot be overlooked. He was a big team player, just not on the ice. And, I do think that his game has evolved and if he can get his legs moving with better stop-n-go, he might continually push Nolan for that 4th line spot. He has decent hands for a big man and I do remember him setting up teammates that didnt cash in. He’ll be the healthy scratch because he is the “enforcer” and because I can’t see DL finding the value in healthy-scratching some kid that should be playing everyday in MAN??
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:27 am
@Stuart, I agree. He is useful in preparing during practices also. Filling in on all kinds of situations as needed for a practice or 2.
I can’t see the Kings calling up a player from Manch just to fill in for Kopi’s line during practices while Kopi’s getting treatment for some nagging injury for 1 or 2 practices.
I don’t know. Maybe having Lokti here sitting on the bench for a whole season would help Lokti more than constantly playing in Manch till we need him.
Stuart Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:32 am
@Dommer, at the least it might keep him from becoming injured…but then there’s always practice.,
KC23 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 12:59 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), I grade on results to salary ratio. Sorry, it ain’t there. I don’t subscribe to the … but they didn’t give him a chance to play enough or the tried and true … he did everything they asked him to. One has to earn ice time and in the eyes of the coaching staff he did not. What ice time he got I was not impressed with either his fighting skill, intimidation of the other team or hockey effectiveness.
I just don’t see it.
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rontheking Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
@Dominick (defrim65),
I agree. For his role, he did pretty much what was expected of him and maybe more. But I don’t really see a place for him on this skilled team.
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Helvetica Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:09 am
@KC23, I gave him a C+ because he showed some improvement from last season and did everything he was asked in a tough position. With that said, I agree that we have probably seen his last days in a Kings jersey.
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IceGuy Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:45 am
@Helvetica,
C+ as well.
Grade him for his role. He got a little better at his role. Good for him.
Future with the team, though — cloudy. (Geez, I sound like an 8 Ball!)
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debra turull Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:55 pm
@KC23, D+ really? He did what he was supposed to do, be a goon. I still see him being played a small amount. The nice thing is that he is there if a team gets too physical. If you dish it out, you need to be willing to take it too, so there is a high chance he and Clfiiy may be hurt at times when they are sent out to be the enforcers.
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Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:34 pm
@KC23, What is he paid to do? Did he do his job? Do you grade Kopi on a goalie save percentage? Each position has its own role. Did teams take runs at or take liberties with Kings players? If they did was Westy willing to respond? I remember a few years ago the Kings didn’t have a tough guy and the Ducks of all teams were just taking runs all night long at the Kings. You won’t see his effect until he isn’t there. He doesn’t even need to play to have an effect, if we play division rivals 8 times a season they are going to do something stupid when he isn’t in the lineup because they know he will face them later.
Do we need him in the future? Do we have enough team toughness to survive without him? Do we want some of our other players to be fighting? Do we need a true heavy weight? We will see, but Westy did his job no less than average. He isn’t paid to score.
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D. That may be harsh but I grade on expectations. After the 2011 playoffs where Westgarth played and didn’t hurt the team that badly he took a step back this year on terms of hockey skills. When he did play it was mostly under TM. When we had that dreadful stretch on which we were not scoring who knows if it might have helped if he’d tried to “mix it up” with an opponent? Too often he was a fighter that wouldn’t fight.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:50 am
@HockeyNerd, On -> In.
If you don’t see any posts from me for a while it will mean I threw my stupid iPhone against the wall….
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rumpa #19 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:55 am
@HockeyNerd, Thats progress for you.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:03 am
@HockeyNerd, Operator error, don’t blame the tool
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:06 am
@HockeyNerd, How much of that non-fighting was actually Westy? and how much of it was actually Terry Murray trying to make him a player first who doesn’t take penalties?
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:16 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), TM was trying to make him a player first that doesn’t take penalties? I know there’s a lot of hatred for TM here but…….. WOW. If you’re trying to blame TM for THIS one you’ll have to make a better case.
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Purple and gold Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 11:23 pm
@HockeyNerd, You don’t send out your enforcer for a fight when the score differential is a goal, his hands were likely tied by the lack of scoring from the rest of the team.
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Gave him a C , TM wasnt making his roll clear when playing him that much. He was willing im sure.
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As nice and as smart a guy as he is, he’d better bank that $1.4 mill he’s going to get over the next few years, as I don’t expect him to earn any more, at least not from the Kings. Maybe he can get an enforcer gig somewhere else, but DS doesn’t have any time for it. And surprise, surprise, for all the people who have said you had to have ‘toughness’ in the lineup, you don’t miss it if you’ve got a couple of bigger, more skilled players. Turns out you can win the cup without a designated goon, as we’ve seen.
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KC23 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:53 am
@Donald_S, Perfectly stated.
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Belexes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:35 pm
@Donald_S,
I’m pretty sure just about every club had a “designated goon” in their lineup last year. Just because those type of players don’t get a lot of playoff ice time doesn’t diminish their roles with the club, and more importantly, their popularity with the fans.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:19 pm
@Belexes, I’m with Donald_S here. If enforcers are so important why do Stanley Cup winning teams do without them COMPLETELY when everything is on the line?
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Belexes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:02 pm
@HockeyNerd,
They don’t. Did you watch the Bruins win the cup last year?
Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:36 pm
@Donald_S, Don’t confuse regular season with playoffs.
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if he plays more than 40 games next year, that would be a lot…imo….
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:19 am
@variable, Even I’d complain if we saw Westy 40 games!
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Stuart Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:25 am
@variable, LOL I was thinking 15 would be a lot… unless injury to a bottom 2
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rogiesbackup Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:52 am
@Stuart, Seriously, FIVE games is a lot!!
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It’s hard not to love Westy. His goal against Dallas was one of the highlights of the season for me…until that 16-4 run!
In Westy’s case, he is what he is and he’s not going to get much better. And since Sutter has no intention of playing an enforcer anytime soon, Westy is like going to get the DD2 treatment and play in less than 10 games next year. I sort of wish that the Kings would do him a favor and trade him for a low draft pick
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One of the best decision that DS made…TM lost reality on how to win in this league…A staged fight doenst help you win games….
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Stuart Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:26 am
@neil, agreed. Westy should take a note from Nolan and try to be more spontaneous…
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:33 am
@neil, Would love to see Westy become more of a menace out there, and force the other team to take him off the ice. Hard to do with 5 or 6 minutes though. Should be enough if he had the reputation for running goalies over though.
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Ian Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 12:06 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), I don’t want him running into goalies every time he gets on the ice. The last thing we need is payback coming on the other end.
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:37 am
@neil, +1
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KC23 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:55 am
@neil, yep. Well said. Those days of goon hockey are long gone.
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neil Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:59 am
@KC23, in reality ..he’s not a very good player(in relation to other NHL players)he is not a good fighter(doenst put fear in the other team),,he doenst hit….not really needed anymore(except to help with the cba)…
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Belexes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:37 pm
@neil,
Thought Dwight King’s staged fight did quite a bit to help the Kings beat the Blues…
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:01 pm
@Belexes,
How? He was just standing up for himself after the previous game when he hit Pietrangelo. He landed most of the punches on Crombeen, too.
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Belexes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:15 pm
@Gustavo,
” He landed most of the punches on Crombeen, too”
Exactly. Crombeen was going out there to make King pay, but the move backfired on him and the Blues. The point I was making was once again, that it was a staged fight. Since his name wasn’t Westy, then everything’s ok. Point being that Westgarth needs to get a little more credit for standing up for himself, and his teammates.
Kings dont need him .he may be nice guy but its all about winning and making the deference .
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C
He did score a goal!
I doubt he’ll be playing with the Kings once the season starts.
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Westy is definitely a good dude, but his ‘muck’ style is a bit antiquated for the kings new speedy forcheck system. I don’t know how to grade him, and I’m not sure he fits into the team (on the ice) right now, but having his personality around the organization / lockeroom etc. (for support and PR) is worth it’s weight in gold IMO, if there is such a thing. I could actually see him somewhere in King’s management someday.
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jess Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:57 am
@jess,
Aw hell, he gets an ‘A’ -only because after a fight, he applaudes himself -which is very thoughtful of him so I don’t have to set my beer down
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@jess, haha classic
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@jess, haha classic
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Purple and gold Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 11:30 pm
@jess, I hope he replaces Patrick o’neil on the fox broadcast at the end of his NHL career.
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Do the Kings just send guys down to the DMV to get their photos taken? Some of these player photos have been brutal. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted a different picture of Quick up on the NBC broadcasts during the playoffs, that one photo didn’t do justice to Quick at all, he looked like the middle schooler sent to the principal’s office for a mugshot.
Hopefully more time is taken on next season’s photographs, after all they will be the defending STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:55 pm
@NMKingsFan,
What else do you expect from the Nothing But Crap network?
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Jack Aubrey Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:07 pm
@NMKingsFan, Great comment, I’ve been thinking that the whole season (actually going back years)… Someone with some concern for how the players are perceived by the public should have oversight and approval of those mugshots! Quicker looked like a lost little boy and Willie Mitchell looked like a serious thug!
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With our talent and diversity in players, we can roll FOUR SCORING lines….forget a forchecking line per say; Kopitar, stoll, brown, williams are actually good forecheckers they play a good 200 feet of hockey yet they’re good snipers; out with the old style and in with the new-ALL LINES a scoring line!!
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Since he looks like Wolverine’s cousin, I would recommend he start taking acting classes and get an agent.
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jess Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 12:01 pm
@DesertKing,
Good point, I could also see him doing infomercials, -like the new ‘slap-chop’ guy?
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I dont mind having an ‘enforcer’ available per se, but Westy never even played that role well. All his fights were ‘staged’ ones of of faceoffs, and I dont think he ever ‘intimidated’ anyone on the opposition into not taking liberties. His mold of player is pretty much gone from successful teams.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:21 pm
@bbb7, +1
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Westgarth will be waived to Manchester. King, Richardson and Clifford all must pass through waivers if sent down and all would be claimed. Nolan is the only waiver-exempt forward on the roster and he is way more valuable than Westgarth. Maybe a team will claim him and save AEG $750,000 per season.
Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Penner-Richards-Carter
Gagne-Stoll-Lewis
King-Fraser-Nolan
Extras: Richardson, Clifford
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@Sydor25,
I thought King was still exempt. I thought wrong.
I see it pretty much exactly as you do other than I consider Lokti as another ‘waiver-exempt forward on the roster,’ who will likely start in Manchester.
And if Westy goes down, an interested team may wait to claim him on re-entry waivers to save half that 750k.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:49 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Some eastern team would definitely claim Westy to offset Parros who went to the Panthers
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:53 pm
@Sydor25,
I like that you left Pancakes in the 2nd line. Carter took full advantage of DP ‘clearing the deck’ for him during the playoffs. That hat trick in AZ was brutal. DP was planting his massive humanity in the zone and could not be move.
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Go Kings Go!
Is summer over yet?
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@Gailweb, 2 months, 3 days, 7 hours, but who’s counting?
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kings of SB Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:19 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), I am!! Can’t wait. Already looking at hotel rooms in the city for the home-opener!!
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Westy didn’t play a lot last season but, with little chance he would get much/any more ice time, he appeared to train hard and maintain a great attitude right the way through.
There’s no doubt that he is a total quality individual.
Always one to give lots of time to the kids for photos and autographs, and more than any other does so with a big, natural smile and makes them feel he is genuinely happy to be out amongst them.
KW wins extra points for, along with JW, DB & WM, being the last player celebrating at Staples on SC Gm 6 night and he and the latter two were the ones that took the Cup in the limo bus to the bar in Hermosa.
A great club man and a fine advert for the Kings and the league, and Amhertsburg, ONT.
One of my very favorite LAKs!
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I don’t mean any disrespect to Westy, after all he did find a way to get himself to the big show, he’s a bright guy who’s participating in the negotiations with the league, he’s well-liked by teammates and fans, and he’s been a stand-up guy who’ll do whatever is asked of him.
But his skill set doesn’t fit the model for this team and we all seem to agree that he’ll never climb past any of the young upcoming talent to compete for a regular fourth line spot playing actual hockey.
And I’ll put this out there for discussion: was he really ever that good at the tough guy role? I seem to recall quite a few ineffective scraps, and none that really stands out as showing the kind of dominance that turns a game around (though I admit I’ve probably seen less than half the games over the past few years). The one that stands out in my mind is his bout against John Scott in 2010, where Scott swung him around by the neck for about 90 seconds and hit him with enough bombs to the face that he looked like his head had been broken in half. Granted Scott is a monster, but it’s not inspiring when play has to be delayed so that they can scrape your enforcer’s blood from the ice.
So unfortunately for Westy he just doesn’t seem to bring much to the NHL table, and in this fan’s opinion he didn’t execute that well in his limited role. D+ for being a stand-up guy who tries his best at whatever he’s asked to do.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:22 pm
@responsible D, Very well put. Exactly the way I feel.
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Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:42 pm
@responsible D, They do pay him to skate, shoot, pass, or score. His skills are fighting. How is Quick’s slapshot? Different positions and different roles.
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Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:55 pm
@Osaka, They don’t I meant to say.
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@Mr Armbruster et autres,
So how credible do you rate blockbuster Kings trade rumor tweets with rwaruns@HockeyInsiderr under them?
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Michael J. Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:02 pm
@Duncanz,
What? To land Nash?
He suggests trading Gagne and Williams for Bourque, Diaz & a pick? Why not throw in Bernier too!
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:06 pm
@Duncanz, I have no idea what you’re asking.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:27 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Well, I noticed this tweet on KND is all.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:34 pm
@Duncanz, What tweet?
saydaysago Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 12:21 am
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), Ha! Im so confused as well…
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Hard to judge Westgarth given he played so little and not at all under Sutter. I went with C+ in that his game is so limited and he really doesn’t do his job in that he doesn’t really hit that much. He did score a goal and that alone was enough to get him the C+.
I know he is good in the locker room and all so he probably stays around, but I don’t imagine he will see the ice much with Sutter behind the bench.
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Off topic. I was reading the bleacher report and how the King’s are actually very high on Doan’s list of teams to go to. Largely because it is so close to his current home. I really haven’t let myself imagine what that would do to our line up recently, but geez.
The article made up an interesting line.
Brown Richards Doan
All 3 can score, forecheck and hit like trucks. Scarey line. Talk about a line other teams wouldn’t want to be on the ice with. I’m sure it would never happen, but it is fun to imagine.
If we got Doan I imagine the lines would end up something like the following:
Brown Kopitar Williams
Penner Richards Carter
Gagne Stoll Doan
King Fraser Lewis
That is one scarey group.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:08 pm
@KC23, And then there’s this… Shane Doan in New York visiting with Rangers http://bit.ly/PkwVqX
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:13 pm
@KC23,
Compared to Doan and Brown, who hit like Mack trucks, Richards only hits like a 4 cyl Ford Ranger
My biggest reason to want Doan here is DURABILITY. Not only his own, but how his presence would help the rest of the team during the grueling 82 game season. Minutes would be spread more evenly among the lines. Yes, with Doan we’d also multiple the amount of hits we dish out to the opponents, but more importantly, we’d have another strong player to absorb some of the hits that otherwise would go to Brown, Kopi, Carter or Williams, among others.
It would not really matter who’s on line #1,2,3 or 4 if all of them get similar or fair amount of productive ice time. I remember DS saying he does not like calling the lines by number, anyways.
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Anyone up for a pig roast tonight? Yeehaw! Story on Sutter’s day… http://bit.ly/O7Mf8V
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:32 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), and he’s earned it too, so proud of Daryl and how he lit the fire on this team
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I love this line from Sutter: “that will be good for a lot of the old people to see”
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Duncanz Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:44 pm
@Paul Armbruster (VikingNewsDaily.com),
“The best part for me was watching with a four-goal lead and four minutes left to win the Stanley Cup. The best part was watching the players.
“It was pretty neat.”
Pretty neat!
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Wonder if Westy can become a blue liner. It would be like, Dave Hutchison, from the old days.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:12 pm
@magnum69, All signs point to ‘not a snowball’s chance in hell.’
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:38 pm
@magnum69,
No, No way Jose and Hell, no!
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Internet reports that Shane Moan is visiting the Rangers and Philly. Going to make our life here in the Western conference much easier.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:37 pm
@DesertKing,
No big news there. Doan is or was in NYC for the NHLPA negotiations. So it makes sense to sit down and visit with those who presented offers for his services.
The only chance the Flyers have of getting Doan is if Nashville does not match their qualifying sheet. Doan wants a chance to win the Cup NOW!
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I have voted for the players for what the skills they have and the contributions they bring to the organization. Whether the coaching staff wants to use his talent or not, it’s another story entirely.
Westy may be the single exception I make based on his off ice contributions as he is in the NHLPA negotiating team. Drop the gloves on Bettman for me, please!!
And give hell to the fragmented owners who can’t seem to get their head out of their rear ends and always look to the players to make concessions so they can be saved from themselves.
Solid B.
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This is tough. Westy is one of the most approachable and really nice guys we have on the Kings. Given that, it’s hard to not grade him high. However, I have to give him a “C” simply because he was nothing more than average. At best he is a fringe player that can probably easily find a job with other teams. However, finding a job with our team seems a huge reach because we have many other players who are able to play 200′ of the ice and not just provide a”specific role”. Gone are the days of Tiger Williams, Dave Schultz and Matt Johnson (damn could he fight). Our 4th line as is, can do it all. Sorry Westy–I hate to see you go but I think it is inevitable that it will happen.
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tim chaney Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@plywood, matt johnson was the man… stu grimson too.
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Westy is a little too nice and honest to be a tough guy. He needs to be a wild man that is unpredictable and other teams fear. Needs to play over the edge a little. A little more like Torres where he is always on the line and sometimes crosses it. Hell, even Pronger has been suspended 7 times.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 8:54 pm
@Osaka,
So now you want Westy to take cheap shots and go around headhunting?
Raffi Torres???…really???
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Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:54 pm
@Gustavo, A little dirty? Of course! Why wouldn’t you?
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Gustavo Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 11:35 am
@Osaka,
Torres is not a ‘little dirty’. He is way beyond anything acceptable in the sport. He’s also a coward who refuses to fight after injuring opponents.
No, I do not want any LAK players to act like Rafi Torres. Karma will get that goon. On the ice or crossing the street when he’s not looking for that bus coming from his blind side. Just the way he hits people.
Osaka Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 4:59 pm
@Osaka, Well Westy’s job is to fight so he can back up what he dishes out. OK, no Torres, Matt Cooke or Claude Lemieux. I would like to see him cross the line a little bit, be a disruption on the ice. Even Doan is more disruptive and plays a little closer to the line than Westy. Contrary to what many Kings fans think, breaking the rules is a part of hockey. Getting the other team off their game is a part of hockey, Brown was a great example in the playoffs. The hit on Rosival was a little dirty, right at the line. Kings’s hit on Pietrangelo was a little dirty….
Did karma get Claude Lemieux? 4 Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy. This isn’t soccer.
Don’t get me wrong. He’s a really great guy. But he is absolutely worthless to this team. The Kings have enough size and strength in their lineup to not put Westy in. He can kinda fight, but he is slow and brings little skill and little defense to his game.
He is a nice guy though…
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I’m curious, what does anyone think about the advantage of an enforcer vs. rolling out all four lines? I know many people here say TM was bad for the team, but DL was adamant that it was not TM’s fault that the Kings were not scoring – it was the players’ fault. So, I’m curious to other people’s opinions of the advantage of TM’s system vs. DS’s system (besides the fact that the Kings won the cup under DS).
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HockeyNerd Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 8:20 pm
@Robyn, Not sure if this exactly answers the question but IF (as the Kings did in the last part of the season and the playoffs) you can roll 4 lines and that 4th line INCLUDES a Clifford or a Nolan who CAN stick up for his teammates AND play some Hockey then what on Earth do you need the enforcer that CAN’T play Hockey for?
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Gustavo Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 9:01 pm
@Robyn,
I’ll never agree with DL that is was the players fault…not entirely, at least. I suspect they gradually tuned TM off, specially when he benched Quick after 3 SOs, so if you want to put that on the players, go ahead. But with TM there was no scoring, with DS there was no scoring until Carter came and Johnson went.
As for the other part, yeah…as much as I like Westy, 4 faster lines are better than one enforcer.
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I rated him as an “F”. I never saw him as anything but, well a body. His game sucks, his skating sucks, his fighting sucks, his celebration after he fights sucks, and overall he sucks. Can we trade him for a bag of pucks or just send him to the KHL? Stop wasting a roster spot on this guy.
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saydaysago Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 12:02 am
@Mike J., 100% agree, waste of a roster spot
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As an enforcer he stunk, I can’t remember a time when he won a fight. He was always on the short end of the stick. I questioned his toughness the first time Bertucci backed him down. The Kings should have left him down in Manchester. He brought nothing to this team as a player.
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it would be one thing if westy could actually fight and be a good enforcer. But the truth is, he sucks at fighting and Im pretty sure has never won in any of the fights he has had in the NHL. He either has a fight that makes you want to yawn, or gets his ass kicked. I would be happy to never see this guy on the ice again….at least in a kings jersey
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Being a super cool nice guy is not going to cut it. No room for weak links on this monster team!
Put him on waivers.
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By far the best poll of them all. Just look at the symmetry. It’s a beautiful thing. High points in mid ‘C’ range and tapers off in a lovely matter just above and just below. Imaging if they were all like this….. especially for all the best players. It would be extremely bizarre. But in this case I can understand it.
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Kings are going to be doing a lot more looking over their back this next season (if there is a season this year). Especially Brown – many players have a target on their back now. Westy my get more play than expected if from injuries if nothing else…. or less play if he is unleashed and gets earns a suspension.
Westgarth’s contribution to the NHLPA negotiations needs special acknowledgement – a real and tangible contribution to his teammates, some of which may feel sadly they “don’t have the time.”
“Nolan came in and locked down that fourth-line right-wing spot, and showed himself to be a guy who offered size and a willingness to drop the gloves.”
Yeeeea… ya know for some reason I don’t see Nolan taking on Scott or MacIntyre. Nolan’s limited NHL fights have been underwhelming thus far. And Clifford??? Riiiight.
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His role has long passed. The guy is an enforcer who isn’t even good at fighting. Constant positional mistakes make him nothing but a liability. The one positive is his energy in the locker room it seems. Throw him in with a trade or put him on waivers
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I’m not going to take jabs at Westgarth, but playing a more skilled hockey player instead of an enforcer is something, I have argued for since the Ryan Flynn, Ken Belanger, and etc era. Although I will admit watching good old Kip Brennen throw down and celibrate on his way too the penaty box was a guilty pleasure I certainly enjoyed.
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