What A Finish!

I didn't get a chance to react here after the Kings pulled off another dramatic win at home last week against Dallas, but all I gotta say about that game was, "Wow!"

This is the second time in as many seasons that the Kings have pulled off an amazing rally against the Stars. Last season, you might recall a game in November at Staples where the Kings were down 4-0 with just over seven minutes left in the game against Dallas, and then ran off five goals on six shots to take the lead. Dallas would eventually tie it to send the game to OT, where the Kings would eventually win that game, 6-5.

Well last Thursday night, the Kings faced a similar predicament, and trailed Dallas 4-2 at Staples with just over three minutes left in the game. Michal Handzus would score to make it 4-3. Dallas committed three bad penalties late in the game, including a bone-headed one by Stars' net-minder Marty Turco. Handzus's second goal of the night came on a two-man advantage. But with just 14 ticks left on the clock, Anze Kopitar took a shot from just inside the right wing blue line, kind of a "hail mary" type shot that deflected off a Dallas defender, and scored to tie the game. The Kings would eventually win it about a minute and a half into OT on a Handzus wrap-around that just got by Turco as he slid back across the crease to try and stop the puck. Handzus' shot just got in between Turco's skate and the post for his third of the night... a hat trick!

And from there, the Kings have been on a roll again. They've won their last three games (including the Dallas win) and are just four points back of the final playoff spot in the West with 67 points. Obviously, with 16 games left, things are still iffy as the odds are against the Kings. As they stand now in 13th place in the conference, they have to leapfrog five teams just to get to the 8th spot, and they play the bulk of their remaining schedule on the road.

Either way, should be a fun ride down to the finish line!

Change of Heart on Trade

Yesterday I had mentioned I was 'ok' with the Patrick O'Sullivan trade because I felt it was a trade they made for future purposes, like maybe a precursor to them going hard after Marian Gaborik as a free agent this summer. Sully had signed a 4 year, $21MM deal last year, and I thought maybe the trade was a salary dump to go after Gaborik. I also mentioned I had done some 'research' and read other people's reactions to the deal, but I obviously didn't dig deep enough.

My understanding now is Sully's contract was heavily front-loaded, meaning he got a good chunk of his money up-front, or this year. That said, it would be almost impossible for it to be a salary dump if they've already paid him. Which brings me to the reason now I think the trade was stupid.

Sully is one of those rare talents. At just 22, he was supposed to be one of the centerpieces for the future of the franchise. As someone else said to me yesterday, you just don't trade a guy like Sully... unless you're getting a guy like Kovalchuk or even Bouwmeester. What they got back was a well-rounded veteran, but an aging player with a history of injuries and the inability to put points on the board.

So the Kings had to have had their reasons for moving Sully. Could it have been his work ethic? Or maybe his attitude? It was no secret he wasn't happy with his playing time or the frequent line changes. So could they had just grown wary of his constant complaining? Or maybe the fact he waited so long to sign his contract? We'll really never know but I do know this: you don't just give away great young talent like that. The kid is 22. You work through those issues. This deal to me was a big risk, and the timing is very questionable.

So, after giving this some thought, I've decided that since this trade tells me the Kings have given up on their season, I'm giving up on them. I'm boycotting the remainder of the season (or at least most of it) until they prove to me and show me otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I like terry Murray, and I love Dean Lombardi for most of the moves he's made to prepare this franchise for the future. I know they have a plan, but to me, they went backwards again with this trade. And I know it's only one trade, but we as Kings fans are tired of the lack of commitment from the organization. We're tired of the teasers. It's time they made a commitment to the city of Los Angeles, and to the fans, and stick to it.

By the way, for some really good analysis and an interesting story on how this deal went down, check out the Daily News' Rich Hammond's Inside the Kings blog. Some really good stuff there!

O'Sullivan Traded

In what appears to be a salary dump (at least to me, after a first glance), the Kings shipped forward Patrick O'Sullivan to the Carolina Panthers today just before the trade deadline, for forward Justin Williams.

I've been reading some of the feedback from fans at both LGK.com and some of the other hockey sites, and obviously most people don't like this deal straight up. But after looking a tad further into this, looking at some of the other factors possibly involved behind the deal, I came to the conclusion (along with a friend of mine who will remain unnamed) that this was probably a salary dump, and the Kings were probably gearing up for a busy off-season this summer. (Remember O'Sullivan signing that big four year, $21MM deal in the off-season?)

Personally, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the Kings went hard after Marian Gaborik this summer. It's the only explanation I can think of after giving up on such a promising young kid in O'Sullivan. The offense this year has been inconsistently sporadic at best, and my feeling is because they don't really have a proven veteran scorer on their top two lines to take the scoring burden off Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar or Alex Frolov.

I was also reading from the fans that their impression is the Kings have all but given up on this season. They haven't played well in the last week or two, and have fallen further behind the pack for that elusive eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with some tough losses, too many, in fact. But because there is so much parity in the conference right now, there is still hope, albeit a longshot at this point with too many teams ahead of them to climb.

Having said all that, would it be that bad to miss the playoffs one more season, then go sign that big veteran scorer they've really been lacking for a few years, and then make a serious run next season with everyone a year older and more mature? I don't. And I know Kings fans are tired of not making the playoffs, but obviously Dean Lombardi has a plan, and the best plan of is to stick to your plan and let it play itself. The Kings were never expected to be in contention this far into the season anyway. But should they manage to get into the playoffs, that would be nice, too.

A couple of other notes, both Erik Ersberg and Sean O'Donnell agreed to contract extensions today, and Tom Preissing was assigned to Manchester this afternoon after clearing waivers.