Ok, So I Was Wrong

The Kings apparently are making a very big push for Brad Richards. They sent a big contingent of top executives to Toronto to meet with Richards and his agent. AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke, team president and GM Dean Lombardi, head coach Terry Murray and the entire coaching staff all made the trip to make their presentation to Richards and his agent. Richards is fielding offers from a handful of other teams including Toronto and the New York Rangers, so no decision is expected to be made any sooner than tonight or tomorrow.

I'm under the assumption that if the Kings are able to sign Richards, a trade would almost certainly have to follow to move a center, most likely Jarret Stoll.

The Kings are also working feverishly hard to get restricted free agent Drew Doughty signed, as well. Doughty, the centerpiece of the youth movement and the defensive core, could become the team's highest paid player if all goes accordingly.

More to come... Stay tuned...

Shootouts

The Kings have lost their last two games by identical scores of 2-1. Both "losses" were in shootouts, in San Jose on Wednesday night, and at Staples to Vancouver the following night.

I've never been a big of the shootout, but I'm also not a fan of games ending in ties. Kings head coach Terry Murray doesn't like the shootout either. But losing in a shootout doesn't really constitute as a loss in my book because the losing team actually earned a point in the standings by getting the game into overtime.

So how do we solve that issue of no shootouts without games ending in ties? Some people might not agree with me on this but I think the best solution would be to scrap shootouts altogether, and keep playing five-minute overtime stanzas until someone scores, keeping the overtime format just as it is now: 4-on-4.

I'm still 'OK' with both teams earning a point for getting into overtime, but maybe give the winning team two extra points instead of just one, for winning.

Just an idea.

Anyway, Kings are back in action tomorrow night in the desert as they take on the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Coaches, Schedule, Gretzky: 20 Years Later, Dustin Brown A Dodger?

The Kings have finally announce their coaching staff, as Mark Hardy, Jamie Kompon and Nelson Emerson will round out Terry Murray's staff. Here's the official press release.

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The Kings 2008-2009 schedule was released, and as expected, Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will return to Staples Center this coming season. Here is the official press release announcing the new schedule with links to the complete schedule.

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Do you remember where you were nearly 20 years ago this Saturday? On August 9, 1988, the Kings pulled off one of the biggest, if not the biggest trade in sports history when they acquired "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky, along with Marty McSorely from the Edmonton Oilers, essentially changing the face of hockey on the west coast, and throughout the league.

The Kings and the NHL Network have dubbed this week "Gretzky Week" to commemorate the historical trade.

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Kings forward Dustin Brown will be in uniform at Dodger Stadium next Friday night August 15th against the Milwaukee Brewers. Brown will be taking batting practice with the Dodgers prior to the 7:40 game that night, and is then scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Should be a fun night all around for Kings and Dodger fans!

In Case Anyone Was Wondering...

Terry Murray is in fact the new head coach of your Los Angeles Kings.

Rumors Galore!

For over a month, we've all been wondering how long it would be before the Kings hired a new head coach, and who it might be. In the last few days, the Kings had narrowed down their search and last night it became more and more clear who that person might be. As of right now, nothing is official, but it appears former Washington-Philly-Florida head coach Terry Murray, brother of Ottawa's GM Bryan Murray (and still no relation to former Kings and now St. Louis head coach Andy Murray), will be named new head coach of the Kings, barring any veto from ownership. The deal is expected to be for three years.

I personally don't know much about Murray other than he led the Flyers to Cup Finals in 1997, and he has strong connections to Kings GM Dean Lombardi and Asst. GM Ron Hextall, who played for Murray in that 1997 Finals.

Said Lombardi as quoted in today's L.A. Times: "He's a detail guy, a good teacher, not going to play mind games. He'll tell it straight to your face." Maybe just what the young Kings need.

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And speaking of Ottawa... now for the biggie!

According to Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun today, a blockbuster three-way deal involving the Kings, Ottawa and Chicago is in the works centering around Chicago net-minder Nikolai Khabibulin. The report suggests Ottawa would send goalie Martin Gerber and defenseman Andrej Meszaros to the Kings, who would then ship forward Anze Kopitar to Chicago, who would send Khabibulin and either defensemen Brent Seabrook or Cam Barker to Ottawa.

Now just looking at this makes me laugh because there is no way Lombardi would send Kopitar in any deal of this kind for a one-year rental goalie. It just doesn't make any sense what-so-ever. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this rumor is ludicrous.

For one, Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog thinks the rumored deal is outrageously hilarious. And according to two bloggers at Hockeybuzz.com with key sources, Kopitar isn't even being mentioned by anyone involved in negotiating the deal. In fact, some are suggesting the Kings really don't need to be involved at all in this. In any case, these are the latest names being heard around Hockeybuzz.com:

Sens would get Khabibulin, Barker and Sharp.
Kings would get Gerber, Seabrook and Chris Neil or Antoinne Vermette.
Chicago would get Erik Ersberg, Tom Preissing, Patrick O'Sullivan and ether Neil or Vermette.

This one seems to have a little more fruition to it, but I still don't see the Kings making this deal with even O'Sullivan involved.

And of course, then there is this... a cliffhanger from some unreliable Senators fan with his own blog who claims to have inside sources from outside the "circle"?

This is getting very juicy and kinky all at the same time! Stay tuned...