JUSTIN WILLIAMS
This year: 82 games, 22 goals, 37 assists, plus-10 rating.
The good: Williams has proved himself to be reliable and dependable in all situations. In 2010-11, he had 22 goals and 35 assists. This season, he had 22 goals and 37 assists. “Fit’’ is a big word for Dean Lombardi, and Williams is a great fit for Anze Kopitar on the first line. The two have good chemistry and enjoy playing with each other. After concerns about his health, when the Kings acquired him from Carolina, Williams played all 82 games this season. He’s not a high-flying winger with a rocket shot, but he’s an extremely hard worker who is smart with the puck and very rarely makes big mistakes.
The bad: This hardly made Williams unique on the Kings this season, but he was prone to long stretches of scoring unproductivity. Williams didn’t score a goal in the month of November, and at one point went 17 consecutive games without a goal. Williams finished strong with nine goals in his final 17 regular-season games, but the long stretch without a goal was a major reason why the Kings ended up in a big hole. The fact that Williams has been able to put together a couple healthy seasons is a good sign, but he does have that history of injuries and now he’s entering his 30s.
Going forward: There’s nothing to suggest that Williams can’t put together another season with a goal total in the low-to-mid 20s, or perhaps more if he can avoid the prolonged scoring droughts. The Kings’ late push was largely due to the excellent play of the first line, and Williams’ play was a big part of that. Williams makes a lot of small, smart plays that might go unnoticed but contribute greatly to the Kings’ success. His work along the boards is a big part of this. It’s very important for Kopitar to be surrounded by wingers who complement him well, and Williams is at the top of this list.
Love j dubz
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Shuchuk Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:41 pm
@Cortex949, yeah, I gave him a B. he is solid and he fits in with this team. nice mix of everything. and he scored some giant goals. he goes through slumps, but all of our players seem to.
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centericeman Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:25 pm
@Shuchuk, He is the best passer on the team. Take a look at the goals that the first line scored. Most of them came from a direct result of a perfect pass from Williams.
He reminds me of another cat that we had on our team that was a pretty goog passer. He didn’t have great speed, or a high velocity shot but when it came crunch time he was fearless even though he wasn’t all that big!!
He got a solid A from me!!
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mash-ola Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:55 pm
@Cortex949, But what about all those peeps who said that Patrick O’Sullivan was the next coming of God???? Where is that guy these days anyway???
JW is a class act, a warrior and the Kings’ Mr. Clutch two seasons ago. A very underrated and valuable ‘piece’…
GO KINGS GO!
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rontheking Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 12:21 pm
@Cortex949,
I love him too–he has a great character and presence in terms of his personality, poise, calm, and support of team.
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His scoring might not have stayed consistent but, you rarely saw the guy not giving his all while on the ice. He was always competing very hard. As long as that stays consistent its a positive.
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Gary Livingston Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:43 pm
@Gary Livingston, *it’s
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TJM Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:12 pm
@Gary Livingston, I thought so too. Only complaints were the aforementioned streakiness, and I thought he took some penalties that made the coaches groan a little more than necessary. Not a perfect season, but dammit did he have Brodeur on his heels the whole final series.
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I hate hearing “History of injuries”..every player gets injured…some its happens a couple of years in a row….Mitchell and Williams both were injury concerned and nothing happened….Good player….nice man off the ice….good interviewer…One of my favorites!!!! Its a Neil pick!!!!!
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cjms Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 2:48 pm
@neil,
The rejoinder to that would probably be Simon Gagne’s ‘history of injuries’.
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ExcelentA
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An A for all around game and nice scoring touch. Also a great teammate. Stories coming out about the passionate speech he made to the team before game 6 of the SC Final. GO KINGS GO!!!
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One of the smartest players on the team. He is the one to always start the play in the neutral zone that mostly goes unoticed on the stat sheet.
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deepsea_drumz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 7:15 am
@GMB3, He wins majority of his face offs too. Good fit for this Kings team. Glad to see this team stay intact one more season. Wonder who the new assistant coach will be.
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deepsea_drumz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 7:15 am
@GMB3, He wins majority of his face offs too. Good fit for this Kings team. Glad to see this team stay intact one more season. Wonder who the new assistant coach will be.
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regulate Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:29 pm
@deepsea_drumz,
“He wins majority of his face offs too.”
He took 25 face offs the entire season. And he won 44% of them.
????????
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Aafter watching Justin Williams play here the last couple of seasons, it is easy to see why DL loves this guy. Never takes a shift off, full of character, and enjoys playing in big games.
For me, its an A
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:06 pm
@puck73, agreed
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Shuchuk Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:42 pm
@letswinthecup2012, on another team he’d easily wear an A on his jersey
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@puck73, yes. Hit the nail on the head
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I love the chemistry our top line has developed and the healthy, motivated Justin Williams is a major part of that. Remember this amazing play? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoLli-U1zo8
Of course you do
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Crash Davis Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:23 pm
@jp, and THIS amazing play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DNukZ9sVBY
Williams does all the little things (often unnoticed) that make others look great.
You cannot teach that. And…there is no price tag on that.
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:10 pm
@Crash Davis, marty, the floppin fish, brodeurrrrr
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Shakes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:44 pm
@Crash Davis, That never gets old
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Shuchuk Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:47 pm
@Crash Davis, all I got to say is that championship DVD will not be lacking in marvelous goals. what a freaking playoff run. still can hardly believe it.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:57 pm
@Crash Davis, uhhhh…I went forehand
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letswinthecup2012 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:07 pm
@jp, love it!
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A for sure. He’s a great proof that DL kicks a$$. Smart gamble, and where is POS now ?
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The slump Rich mentioned bothered me but I gave him an A anyway. I grade on expectations and here was an injury prone player who played the whole season. Besides his point totals he does a lot of little things that go unnoticed. And that pass to Kopitar to win SCF game 1 was AWESOME!
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neil Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:34 pm
@HockeyNerd, Slump = TM coaching……. for everyone!!!!
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puck73 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:43 pm
@neil, Ha ha ! Thanks, I needed that…J. Belushi, Animal House (1978)
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DesertKing Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 7:18 pm
@puck73,
“I’m a zit!”
Hard not to give him an A, but I gave him a B+. he’s playing with an awesome center and a heavy wing, and only gets 22 goals? But factor in TM, and now I’m starting to think he was an A…..
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puck73 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:46 pm
@JohnD, Hmmm, starting to see this TM guy in alot of posts. I am beginning to think that many are having revelations now about Leslie Neilson.
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I gave Williams an A. I am not concerned with his lack of goals, the whole team lacked goals. There is a reason we barely slide into 8th place. I really like Williams, straight shooter, team player and he and Kopitar have an uncanny unspoken communication. There were times that Kopi passed the puck and didn’t even look, he just knew where Williams would be, kinda like that “twin” thing, that omni presence. We know that next season will be magic for those 2.
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QueenInVan Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:00 am
@debra turull,
Yup, Kopi is twins with both Brown and Williams.
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King Cobra Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:30 am
@debra turull, Yes, some of those no look drop pass set ups for goals with these three were money!
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I give three guys an A on this team-Quick, Scuderi, and Williams. If not for injuries, this guy would be much more well known across the NHL. While not spectacular, he does everything well and rarely makes mistakes. Every team needs a player like Justin Williams.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:36 am
@East Coast Kings Fan,
NO A for Mitchell???
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LT21 Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 12:44 pm
@East Coast Kings Fan,
I completely agree with you. I, too, also see the benefit in Scuderi as well that others seem to overlook. Scuderi and Williams are the silent work horses that tend to get overlooked but am happy to see the reviews of Williams are still positive. He works his butt off every shift and it shows with his playmaking highlights. I won’t forget that soccer kick on goal by Williams in Game 6 of the Finals. Perfect example of never giving up on the puck. What a great fit with Kopitar and Brown.
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A all the way for J-Dubs. One of the hardest-working players on the team, if not the league, plus a passion for winning and tremendous leadership. No doubt about it in my mind. One of my all-time favorite Kings.
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Will we ever forget that pass he made to Kopi in Game 12 of the Finals? Nuff said!
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Jon G Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:46 pm
@DesertKing, I bumped up his grade by one notch just because of that pass.
I don’t think it happened in Game 12 of the Finals, however. The series just seemed longer than it was because we had to listen to Pierre Mcguire so often.
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DesertKing Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:03 pm
@Jon G,
Gotta love those smart phones.
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Add to that tremendously well-spoken and insightful. He’ll be a great coach someday methinks.
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Watching the replay of the 4thfirst game of the season amd JW just put it in on the PP. Man, the Kings in that game dont look anything at all like the Kings in the playoffs.
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Stuart Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:59 am
@DesertKing, i thought the same thing! not even close to the Finals product
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Off topic but does anyone else think the Flyers offer to Weber is a pretty scummy thing to do? Not only is it basically an unwritten rule not to make an offer to an RFA but then they intentionally screw the Preds by structuring the deal to pay the guy 27 million in the first year when they know Nashville can’t pay that. I’d be pissed if I was a Pred fan.
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Ashykon Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:20 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, It may be an unwritten rule to not do that but it is a written rule that you can do that
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BringbackButchGoring Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 4:40 pm
@Ashykon, Yes but my point is it violates the fact that all other GM’s including Nashville’s did not do that to Flyers RFA’s for the past several seasons. I have a feeling you might be a little less reasonable if it was Kopi being snagged a year before he becomes a UFA rather than Weber.
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puck73 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:52 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, I agree with you. but @Ashykon is right also when he states that it is not against the rules. We have already seen in the past that GM’s like Doug Wilson and Kevin Lowe have gone this route. Gotta admit that I am surprised that Holmgren went this way, but what it also tells me that Chris Prongers concussion is probably worse then we first imagined.
BringbackButchGoring Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:58 pm
@Puck73 I wonder if the Flyers were planning to offer Quickie something outrageous if Quick didn’t sign with us first. Oh wait, never mind, they already have a great goalie Bahahahahahahahaha
Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:10 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, Nobody can snag a player that doesn’t want to leave. Weber signed the offer sheet, didn’t just receive it. That is the reason Quick was resigned a year before his contract was up. Nashville could have resigned Weber to an extension at any point during the season.
Osaka Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 11:03 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, So they players are really not RFA’s? Your saying they have no rights at all until they become URA’s? It was only Philly that screwed Nashville? Weber did sign the offer sheet, he could have turned it down. Nobody wants to lose a RFA but to say it is scummy for a team and a player to exercise their rights…..
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BringbackButchGoring Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 8:46 am
@Osaka, I’m only saying that its slimy to take advantage of the fact that nobody tried to snag their RFA’s because there is essentially a gentlemans agreement among teams and GM’s to allow a team to negotiate with their own RFA until they become UFA’s and then Holmgren breaks that gentleman’s agreement when it suits him. Not only break it but intentionally structure the agreement so Nashville can’t match.
Does DL go after other teams RFA’s? Why not? Yes Weber signed the offer sheet. Maybe Quick would have signed a 100 million offer sheet as well with a 27 million 1st year salary. You would have been okay with that. No hard feelings at all?
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Osaka Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 4:39 pm
@BringbackButchGoring, What if, what if…. That is life. Quick could have gotten a lot more money if he wanted to go to free agency next summer, he took a pay cut to stay. If Quick wanted to leave so be it. The players don’t have rights because you want to keep your team together?
If the GM’s had an agreement that they would go after other teams RFA’s that would be collusion and against the law. GM’s try to intimidate other teams not to give an offer sheet to their RFA’s, DL said a couple years ago if another team gave an offer sheet to one of the Kings young players he would do the same to their players. It is just blowing smoke and gamesmanship though, nothing you can do about it.
Because I like or don’t like something doesn’t make it right or wrong. Nothing slimy about offering ANY player (including any Kings’ players) an offer sheet. The player have that right.
KJ Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@BringbackButchGoring,
If there is an unspoken rule about offer sheets to RFA’s, similar to a handshake agreement, then I agree that it is a scummy thing to do. It may not be legally wrong, but it’s still kind of slimy.
King Cobra Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:39 am
@BringbackButchGoring, There is no doubt Holmgren is a major A hole!. Look what the guy did to Carts and Richie. Gets them to sign super long term home team discount contracts then trades them right before the no trade clause kicks in (great for us I might add).
I hope all this guy does backfires and he gets fired…
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Gustavo Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:53 am
@BringbackButchGoring,
If you remember last summer, Weber went to arbitration because Nashville did not want to pay him what he’s worth. He got $7.5 mill for one year. I suspect he remained pissed at management for not giving the extension he sought.
Add Sutter leaving for MN and I would be willing to bet he instructed his agent to encourage certain teams (Flyers, Sharts, etc) to present offer sheets to get him out of Nashville.
Another aspect to consider is the Flyers’ desperate need for Pronger II in front Illya ‘Swiss cheese’ Bryzgalow. That alone would be enough incentive for Holgrem to cross that fussy line. I’m sure it’s all a calculated move of taking chances for Holgrem, knowing Nashville will try to do the same to Giorux, Simmonds and Couturier become RFA within the next 2 or 3 seasons.
If the Flyers win big, it’s a fair assumption those three young players would want to stay in that big market with a winning club.
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BringbackButchGoring Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 7:59 pm
@Gustavo, Good points. I think this is more about money or ego to Weber than leaving Nashville though. If Weber really wanted to leave Nashville, he would have waited to become a UFA. After all, it’s possible that Nashville may match and Weber will be there for 14 years.
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number 6 Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 6:13 am
@BringbackButchGoring,
Never mind being pissed as a Preds fan. I’m pissed as a ‘hockey fan’. It’s a joke. I personally don’t give a toss what the rules of the CBA are….. what they were a month ago, or what they are until there is a new one. If Gary Bettman had the slightest backbone (which to his credit he actually probably does have to go out and face so many booing fans), he’d follow David Stern’s lead from the Chris Paul trade that was annulled and he’d flat out veto the offer sheet. Not complicated….. you just say it’s as pointed out above, structured in such a way that a small market team would be hard pressed to match. Makes the NHL look a bit…… (a bit something…. I haven’t found the right word).
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“A”
This is why, among many other reasons you peeps already stated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NktXOXod3bo
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Still trying to understand how he got the nickname….
J Dub…This guys has great hands and dangling ability..
Here’s Rich’s 1st interview with him…I think..
Check out names of commenters….
http://www.insidesocal.com/kings/2009/03/justin-williams-interview.html
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Shakes Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:46 pm
@SLIM, Well it’s pretty straight forward:
Justin Williams= J.W. = J “double-u” = j dub
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EllieMurray Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 9:13 pm
@Shakes, We just called him JWill in Carolina. =S
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JW is a very smart and hard working player. He’s not going to blow you way with flashy moves, you have to appreciate him for the smart, subtle things that he does. The videos linked above of his assists on two big goals in the finals illustrate perfectly what you get in this guy. And he really stepped it up in the finals when Brown was (apparently) ailing and the line needed something extra from him to keep the pressure on. Like the rest of the team, he struggled in the middle of the season, but he was also one of the guys whose production took off once all the pieces were in the right place late in the season. Look for him to make a run at 70 points in a healthy season.
Grade: A
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B+ from me. Just an amazing puck handler in traffic along the boards. Not a big guy, but he usually comes away with the puck along the boards.
That back pass to Brown, that set up Kopitar’s goal in game 3 was one of the all time awesome goals in King’s history.
Nice to see him get a complete season in healthy. Hard not to give him an A, but needs to avoid those long periods of being unproductive during the regular season.
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puck73 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 5:54 pm
@KC23, Solid post as usual.
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Love WIlliams but sometimes, he’s make the worst decisions with the puck . . at least 2 or 3 a game, but he makes up for it in different ways
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Birds just put up 12 in the seventh against the Cubbies. Sorry, Rich.
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A baby
Go Kings Go!
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Pili Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 9:28 pm
@Gailweb, Go Kings Go. Always.
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B+
Did he bring his compete?
Yes, with a shot mentality
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DesertKing Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 10:14 pm
@Lake Forest,
And a kinda heavy stick.
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puck73 Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 12:15 am
@Lake Forest, These phrases will stay with us for along time, much to the chagrin of R. Hammond.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@purge73,,
… who in turn has the ability to make things not stay for a long time.
Don’t wake up in a roadside ditch …
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New topic- Ryan Smyth was sighted at The Home Depot Center in Carson. Wait, my bad, that was Ryan Smith of Chivas USA against your MLS champions LA Galaxy.
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Williams is the best interview. Down to earth and straight forward.
He stays away from the canned cliche BS answers.
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KC23 Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 7:14 am
@King Cobra, I think Penner and Greene are also right up there with JW, but point well taken.
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Williams is an unsung hero and always a threat
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A
Gotta love JW..one of my favorite Kings
He’s always hustling for loose pucks and like Rich said, makes some very smart plays that go unnoticed. Probably the best trade of DL’s era.
The fact that he played 82 games + with his rep with injuries was a pleasant surprise. Let’s hope it continues. He deserves it.
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Regarding the Weber deal:
“..Philadelphia’s offer sheet isn’t exactly the same circumvention as Ilya Kovalchuk’s first contract with New Jersey, which was rejected by the NHL for violating the “spirit of the salary cap,” but it is a blatant “spiritual” circumvention nonetheless and a giant middle finger from Snider to all small-market teams…”
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/48092-Shea-Weber-contract-magnifies-disparity-in-NHL-markets.html
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Duncanz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:53 pm
@Gustavo,
Great article, this one.
One aspect it didn’t touch upon is that, just as there is wanton competition between the owners – especially those that are satisfactorily and smugly sitting above the glass ceiling – for the top signatures, there is also a ruthless race going on within the ranks of the superagents and the unashamed superstars they represent.
That’s why, regardless of rises and dips in fortune on the ice, players like Jonathan Quick will always earn more respect from their much less humble, and higher remunerated colleagues …
Of course, at the end of the day, it is the owners, as a smaller, supposedly tighter-knit group that “hold the reins” and can generate/manipulate the salaries in whatever direction they like.
The essential ease and inclination of undermining the spirit of the salary cap is symptomatic of something far greater, anyway.
When the big boys get there hands on stuff like sport, the creation turns to recreation and then destructiveness.
Spirit and sport go nicely together alliteratively, don’t they – but not so neatly as profit and profiteering, or snake and Snider, for example.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 8:51 pm
* ” … earn more respect than … ”
Go on @Dommer, tear me a new one!
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BringbackButchGoring Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 9:09 pm
@Duncanz, All valid points but many owners in markets like Philly, NY, Boston, Toronto are under tremendous pressure to field not only competitive teams but outstanding teams. They take all the financial risks and most of the reward is realized in the eventual sale of the team with that price obviously predicated on the success of the team in the years prior. Of course some owners are greedy bastards (as well as some players)but most owners are understandably in this to make money not lose money. I believe AEG bought the Kings as an investment and their investment probably is worth a heck of a lot more now than then.
Duncanz Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 1:18 am
@BringBackButchGoring,
Like myself, all good points
I agree about the profit motive, but the trouble with people that get to that level is they don’t know when to stop, the lines get blurred and perspective gets lost.
As far as the financial risks, yes but everyone is taking a risk every time they make a financial decision.
Anyway, these people never truly end up on the scrap heap. There’s always a way to get more credit and get something else going.
It’s really a case of he who dies richest wins, and that’s where I agree with you most.
GB doesn’t only stand for our favorite commissioner.
Aynt life fun?
Here are the results of the player evaluations, as voted by YOU! http://bit.ly/Oee3Zp Please let me know if I missed something or how I might improve the ‘breakdown.’ Enjoy!
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variable Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
if yr grading the season in it’s entirety and the playoffs, then those who voted did a pretty good job, with some generous grades here and there….
but the voting was only for the regular season…(i believe)….and in that case, how don’t richardson, penner, loktionov and maybe cliffy receive lower grades…?
obviously, this poll should have been done the final week of the regular season….and then you could go into a more complete “season in review” after the playoffs are over.and get intricate with opinion, CORSI stats, etc….
i think many who voted – and for the record, the only vote i casted was for quick – got caught up in the totality of what the team accomplished….and that’s okay…i know it’s human nature to exaggerate grades after you win the stanley cup…
but many of our players had career lows in points and many struggled until about game 60 of the regular season….the fact that bernier and penner got a B and C+, respectively, is suspect to say the least…
but it really doesn’t matter how you start – in this year’s kings case – than how you finish….and they will have to start all over again (CBA permitting) in a few months anyway….
for the long-term memories, we are the champs – and that’s (y’know) awesome…
for the short-term memories that have now faded, like the style we used to play pre-sutter,..they have forgotten already how perilously this season was and how it came down to game 81 to make history possible….
and either way, that’s okay, too…
STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS….(!)
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:18 pm
@variable, That pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. Clearly the grading is bias beyond belief and as you indicated, it’s naturally expected. There was no instruction as to how to grade so I think everyone did their best to incorporate both the regular season and playoffs. It would have been fun to have 2 polls, side by side. One for the regular season and one for the playoffs. I think we’d all agree the biggest swing would have been Penner who would probably go from and F to an A!
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Duncanz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:07 pm
@variable,
Funny, because JQ was the only one I gave a grade, as well!
I wonder what the deeper reasons for doing that are?
I had been thinking of going back (after reading all the profound objectivity and wisdom) and giving grades in retrospect, but I don’t know if I will.
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DesertKing Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 1:49 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Thanks Paul. With gtades like that, you would think our team played in Anaheim
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toughd Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 pm
@DesertKing, yep if u ever seen the ducks message boards, ud think they were winning the cup every year.
williams always amazes me with smoke and mirrors moves along the boards like ryan smythe, but with some speed and quickness.
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KC23 Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 1:51 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
I like Fraser, but B+? Stoll and Bernier at B are another couple of homer calls as well.
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
@KC23, For what he brought to the team as a 4th line center and how he performed in that particular role, I actually think he deserves an A!
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Duncanz Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:02 pm
@Paul Armbruster (FrazNewsDaily.com),
That’s fair.
Why do people have it in their heads that he should be scoring goals?
He does plenty of damage to opponents without having to put the puck in the net too much.
As a not-so-big 4th line “mucker”, I really like him.
Lets just say that Willie is a prototype DL fit! Another Philly pedigree player that works for Philly West, Oops the LA Kings I mean. All sarcasm aside( its hard to do but…) this is a quality NHL Winger on a team that requires playrrs of his ilk! No Cup(s) without the Willies of this group! Not his stats in a season, but nothing short on doing whatever it takes to win for the team! A B grade for stats on a lean stats team for offense, but an A+ for team play! A Keeper!
Just a note on the Weber Fiasco! Glad it was Philly East & not here! This contract amounts to one of the most assinine mockeries of the outgoing CBA to date! It is a harmful Offer Sheet to the entire league, a blow filled with fodder for the new CBA negotiations to go in the tank, and as much a mission of vengeance by Holmgren as there has ever existed in pro sports! Of course in this day and age of an ever increasing entitlement attitudes Holmgren has taken it to a whole new benchmark! Oh yes indeed it is apparently legal by the narrowists of margins! Or is it? Circumventive language with booby traps of self anhilation cover the pages of legalese, but certainlh they are cloaked in “legal by the letter of the law of Offer Sheets in accordance to a microscopically narrow view of the wriiten rules”!
A simple warning sound to articulate here, “these atrociously written deals with precisionally sharp knives attached to every point in them, which are designed to exterminate the rights holding team of a lesser market value franchise will be the final nail in the coffin of NHL respectability! Couple this atrocity with the LeBron Jamesesque manipulations of messers Parise & Suter in Wildland and you have the makings of the Tom Foolery of the NBA now in our New NHL! Somebody protect the GMS & Teams from each other or its a slow but arduous death resulting in unattainable entitlement takings from greed! Sounds too much like the New USA in the making!
My slant on a troublesome topic with disaster written all over it!! BTW-Philly East is no better with Weber as long as they cannot keep pucks out of their net in goal!! Philly East Losers! I pray so!
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Nov-DS was a slump for everyone.
DL will say ultimately its the players,
but if you have a coach noBody is responding to;
Well you know the rest.
That said, even with what happened, we won the cup.
The players ultimately stepped it up and showed up when needed.
I expect a good playoff run next year with the team returning intact
And I know they are hungry for another cup!
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REVIEW: Kings’ Cup DVD ‘On Par’ with HBO’s 24/7… http://bit.ly/PClOtz
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The long scoring drought was the only thing keeping JW from an A for me. I gave him a B+ and hopefully with Sutter’s more aggressive system, he should be able to be a bit more consistent offensively. He does the hard work and makes the little plays to make that first line go. A healthy JW = a strong 1st line for the Kings.
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Grade A forward!
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22 goals for last years team was like 40 on any other team. For whatever reason the offensive numbers just weren’t being manufactured for anyone. Let’s just hope the mystery problems of last years scoring are gone this upcoming season. My feeling is the few personnel changes that have been made this summer win benefit the Kings’ goals for.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 7:38 am
@Bickleton Wigglesworth III,
Terry Murray out
Daryl Suter in
Jack Johnson out
Jeff Carter in
Scoring problems solved. (Even though Johnson was not at fault for the lack of scoring.)
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Brown bringing Stanley Cup to Ithaca High School… http://bit.ly/MRbmh9
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DesertKing Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 6:53 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Just need it in Toronto at the HOF on 08/21.
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B+ = much better than average – even when he wasn’t scoring he was skating hard and working hard to dig in the corners.
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About the only negative that I saw all year with Williams is that he does appear to pick up bad penalties in the offensive and nuetral zones. Uses his stick to try to dislodge the puck from the opponent and therefore is in danger of cheap hooking and high sticking penalties.
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The past 2 years Williams has met expectations and some how provided something more. Leadership, great speech before game 6 of the Cup Finals. A grade all the way.
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