Murray discusses Penner’s first day

After practice today, Terry Murray talked extensively about the Kings’ addition of Dustin Penner, including Penner’s first day with the Kings, the decision to put Penner with Anze Kopitar and Wayne Simmonds and what he expects from Penner on the ice…

MURRAY: “He made it in yesterday afternoon, and we spent some time with him in the afternoon yesterday, just reviewing some of the special-team play, and just getting to know him, getting to talk a little bit. And I’ll do the same here a little later this afternoon, when things settle down, to start to review the team play. It’s an opportunity for him, coming to the L.A. Kings and playing on a top line with Kopitar. He’s in the prime of his career, in my opinion, at (28) years old and a lot of great hockey ahead of him. I just want to see him keep pushing it up, and keep becoming a good player for the L.A. Kings.”

Question: His first day seemed to include a lot of conversation out there…

MURRAY: “It’s just a lot of new looks for him here, on the first day. It’s probably been pretty hectic, going back two or three weeks. I know his name has been out there in the media for quite a while, so it’s been hectic. A busy day yesterday, and he’s kind of comfortable coming immediately here because he does spend the summers in L.A. and has a home here, so that’s a real good benefit from our side of it. So he will be able to get settled in and be a player, probably a little bit faster than checking in and out of a hotel all the time.”

Question: How much thought, or debate, went into the decision to put Simmonds on the right side?

MURRAY: “I think Simmer has played very well there. He’s a young guy that, when he plays his game, he’s a very good player. As a young player, sometimes there’s a tendency, you can back off on that hard work and the intensity and doing things the right way. You want to get a little creative, get away from something that’s working for you and try something that you think might be a little bit better. So, the consistency is something that I’m talking to Simmer about on a pretty consistent basis, but when he plays his game, I like it a lot. He’s a great guy. He’s a gritty guy, a tough guy and can play the skill game. So we’ll see how it fits, we’ll see how it goes over the next few games.”

Question: What are your impressions of Penner on the ice?

MURRAY: “He’s a good player. He plays an offensive game that is a cycle, puck-protection game. He can make good plays. He’s got great hands, to be able to make plays and to finish. The other parts of the game, he’s been killing penalties in Edmonton. He knows how to do that. He didn’t kill, I think, in Anaheim. He was a power-play player. I think there’s a lot there still, to get out. I think there’s a lot of that word `potential.’ I think he’s coming into the prime of his career, and this is an opportunity for him to come in and just be a good hockey player. I’m not looking for him to be the savior of the franchise. Don’t put things on your own shoulders. We just want him to be a good player, to fit in with everybody else, and if there’s a high-quality leadership that does come out, eventually, down the road as he does get more comfortable, that’s a real benefit.”

Question: If there’s been a question about him, it’s been his consistency and getting the most out of himself. How do you deal with that?

MURRAY: “I think that falls on my shoulders. As a coach, that’s your job, to get your players to perform at a high level all the time. It’s the importance of following up, on review, whether it’s in team review or an individual player being called in to talk about how things can be done differently, with more purpose, more intensity, and to keep pushing him to reach his level of being the best he can be. That’s our job, and we’re accepting that. We want that challenge.”