Forum answers I

We’ll get it started with the first set of Open Forum questions and answers…

—–

LAfan13: So rich… Keep Schenn, Clifford, or both this year? whats your opinion as of now?

Answer: Good first question! It might be a different answer, if you’re asking me what should happen or what will happen. At this point, I tend to think the Kings will keep both players. The big hint, for me, came the other day when Terry Murray talked about how he didn’t think young players needed to be every-game players in order to develop at the NHL level. Because for me, that’s the question. Are these guys better off playing big minutes and high-profile roles in junior, or playing fourth-line roles — and sometimes being healthy scratches — in the NHL? There are two schools of thought on that. I tend to think a player such as Clifford might still be able to develop his game more at the junior level, but Murray also indicated the other day that Clifford is being seen as a good teammate, and the Kings might not want to mess with a good thing right now. Putting a young, talented player a year closer to free agency is a tough call to make, but it’s hard to argue with the way things are going.

—–

Blake asked: What do you think about these ignla talks, and what would the kings be willing to give up.

Answer: Which Iginla talk? With whom? Assuming that the Calgary Flames would ultimately be interested in trading Jarome Iginla — and there’s zero evidence of that, beyond oh-so-reliable Internet rumors — I really have no idea what the Kings would be willing to give up. I saw the suggestion of Jim Matheson, one of my all-time favorite writers, that the Flames should listen if the Kings were to offer Schenn or Teubert and Simmonds and a first-round pick, and I thought, “and” Simmonds? I get the feeling that the hockey world, outside Southern California, underestimates how big of a part of the Kings’ future Simmonds might be. But that’s a tangent. Anyway, while remaining respectful of your question, you’re asking me to cut through two huge levels of hypothetical. In general, I think we’ve seen that there is a core of players that the Kings won’t be willing to discuss, for anyone — and Schenn might now be within that core — and beyond that, the depth on defense and with draft picks would allow them to build a nucleus for a trade if the correct situation presented itself.

—–

Kings x asked: Will the kings trade for a top six forward and will they do it before the trade deadline? Don’t want to disturb team chemistry, but that top six forward is needed but also needed for depth for the playoff run. Yes we have player depth but they are rookies who are not NHL ready.

Answer: I’m not exactly sure how to give a decent answer to this question. The best I can do is give you the same answer as always. Dean Lombardi would still be interested in making a move, but only if it’s the right fit and for the right price. There’s no meeting that takes place in El Segundo, in which the braintrust collectively says, “OK, we’re trading for a top-six forward before the deadline.” It’s all about how the trade market develops and what people are asking for. In general, I think the consensus is that the Kings are still one more “big piece” forward away from being big-time contenders. Will that piece be available at the right price? Nobody can realistically say. One thing you can bet is that Lombardi isn’t going to pay a huge ransom just to take a one-time shot at winning. The Kings have done too much slow building to try to get reckless now.

—–

Donald S. asked: What’s the buzz about the Kings around the league, or is there any? First in the NHL ain’t bad, but I don’t think I’ve seen any stories talking about the Kings other local media.

Answer: Actually, I’ve seen the Kings mentioned quite a bit, in terms of hockey publications, TV shows, radio shows, websites, etc. From the wording of your question, I’m not exactly sure if you’re talking about within the L.A. market or outside of it, but it’s worth noting that Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times did cover last night’s game and wrote about the Kings’ rise. In terms of national coverage, the folks at SiriusXM give the Kings a lot of coverage, and there’s good interest from ESPN.com, Sporting News, etc. The reality is that Candian-based media is usually going to focus on Canadian teams, and that’s natural. I don’t think it’s a “bias,” necessarily. They’re just providing their core with what they’re most interested in.

—–

Nic asked: Hi Rich, is it just me or are Parse, Loktionov, Richardson etc. just acting as placeholders until the Kings trade for an established winger for the first line? If Dean does make a trade for a significant player, do you think he would have to involve current players in a deal or could picks and prospects work? Team chemistry is obviously great now.

Answer: To label them as “placeholders” would suggest to me that some type of preordained move is in place, and that the Kings are just waiting for the prescribed day/time to pull off their pre-planned trade and plug in that first-line left-winger. As I noted in an answer a couple questions above, that’s not really what’s in place here. If the Kings see an opportunity to add a first-line left winger, at a cost that makes sense for them in the short term and the long term, they’ll do it, and most likely that player would step in and replace Scott Parse, etc. If that doesn’t happen, they’ll try to fill that spot with the best internal option. Right now it’s Parse. That’s pretty much the bottom line. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to answer the other question. It’s a very general, hypothetical question, and it depends very much on the other team involved in the hypothetical trade. One team might be looking to rebuild, and would seek draft picks and young players. Another team might be trying to keep its deck fairly full, and want established players. That’s why, again, it’s all about finding the right trade partner and the right price. Nothing is preordained or predictable.

—–

doughtyfan_08 asked: why do u think kopitar has kinda been in the shadows as of late? hasnt been the GOAL SCORER we need him to be.

Answer: Well, he does have four goals in his last nine games. That’s not exactly chopped meat. Remember also that helping to prevent goals can be just as important as scoring them. Is he off to the red-hot offensive start he had last season? No. I would offer that he’s been “in the shadows” in part because of how productive the second line has been. The one area the Kings certainly need more production from Kopitar on is the power play. Somebody needs to take ahold of that thing and really start producing, and there’s no better candidate than Kopitar.

—–

Rob asked: Update on Colten Teubert please

Answer: Still recovering from the hand surgery — the second surgery — he had late in the summer. Not back on the ice yet. Not sure of the timetable there. He will be in Manchester when he’s ready to play.

—–

Shakes asked: Rich, any thoughts on having an informal gatherings/ meet-ups while on the road? I know your schedule tends to be busy between planes/buses/hotels but for those of us outside of LA it would be pretty cool. I live out here in NY and aside from the games in the area this year, I’ll be making the trip up to Boston in a few weeks and then down to DC and Philly. Also what’s the best way of saying hi to Bob and Jim and you at visiting arenas?

Answer: I’ve been thinking about ways to do this, in some form, but you’re correct in saying that the time gets really tight. In some cities, it’s hard to get out of the hotel, between the early-morning arrival, the early-afternoon practice and the work that has to be done until dinner, and often beyond. It’s amazing how little of some of these cities I’ve actually seen. But it would definitely be good to set up some type of gathering and meeting. Perhaps someone in a particular city could take charge of setting up something at a place/restaurant/bar near one of the arenas, or even inside the arena — if several people are going to the same game — and it would be a lot of fun to get together and say hello. As far as seeing the broadcasters, every arena is really different. Just thinking back to the last road trip, the difference is huge between Phoenix, where you go straight from the arena level to the press box, and you’re totally kept separate from the crowd, and Dallas, where the TV guys are essentially right out in the middle of the crowd. Your best bet would be to try to find the broadcast/press-box area, of whichever arena you’re visiting, and see if it’s in a public area. They truly vary, widely, from building to building.

—–

doug asked: Are Bob and Jim employeed by the kings or fox sports? Have you or anyone had any discussions with Bob about his feelings on not being able to cover a stanley cup final if the kings make it? After all these years it has to tear him up inside… Would Versus allow Bob and Jim to cover a stanley cup final if the Kings were involved?

Answer: The broadcasters are employed by the Kings. I haven’t had any specific discussions like that with Bob and Jim, but from what I know of them, they would merely be happy to be able to witness the Kings winning the Stanley Cup. Calling the action would be secondary. And no, NBC and Versus have contracts with their own announcers, so those announcers would not be stepping aside for any local broadcasters of any teams in the Cup Finals.

—–

Jeremy Smith asked: Any idea why the Kings’ organization didn’t present Ryan Smyth with a silver stick before Saturday night’s game (tradition for players who reach the 1,000 game milestone)? Is this something they’re planning to do at one of the next couple home games?

Answer: There will be a pregame ceremony for Smyth before Thursday’s game. Presumably, the “silver stick” will be a part of that, yes.

—–

MiniKing asked: You mentioned the Kings played a game with pink tape on sticks that they were auctioning off. I see some of them at NHL.com, but u also said they would auction a helmet. Any word on that?

Answer: I’m going off memory here — and that’s always a very dangerous thing for me — but I believe they did that helmet auction during the game. Somewhere deep in my mind, I remember hearing about it over the public-address system. Perhaps someone who attended that game can confirm that for me and you.

—–

DesertKing asked: Is the coaching staff planning on doing anything to improve our power play? It seems that this is the only area where the team is performing at a below average level.Thanks and GKG!!!

Answer: Persistent practice? That’s about the only thing they’re going to be doing. Murray believes in the system and wants more of a shot mentality. Beyond that, he could make minor personnel tweaks — Scott Parse could be added to one of the units at some point, for instance — but there aren’t a whole lot of moves to be made.