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.

Kings Get Best Of Ducks

And a big win, too. Last night's game might have been their best of the season, effort-wise and result-wise. The timing of it all was perfect and fitting, and it resulted in the Kings getting two very important points in the standings. I suppose the best part of it all was that it happened against the Schmucks, and it happened on their home ice in Anaheim.

The thing that stood out to me more than anything was the play of goalie Jon Quick, who was very impressive in net last night. The little skirmish he had with Scott Niedermayer in third period showed how much Quick has matured as an NHL goal-stopper. As he went back behind the net to play the puck, Niedermayer came in and ran him over. Instead of rolling over and letting him get away with it, Quick went after Niedermayer enough to the point he drew a roughing call from Niedermayer. On the ensuing power play, a 5-on-3, the Kings got what would prove to be the game winning goal. Quick was smart enough to back off after getting one little punch in, mainly because there were enough players who got involved and in between him and Niedermayer. That led to the Kings 5-on-3 that would be the turning point in the game.

For once, the Kings played 60 minutes of solid hockey, and not just 40, or 35, or 30, or whatever. If they play like they did last night, with a little more sense of urgency in them, they should be in good shape for a playoff spot. If anything, last night's win got them two big points in the standings, and kept them right in the thick of the race. If they do get in as a 7 or 8 seed, the rest of the conference better be careful not to overlook this team because it is capable of being a very dangerous team you don't want to face in a seven-game series.

But we'll save that for when they get to that point. In the meantime, nice win, and another big division rival game tonight in San Jose.

Tough Loss Last Night

This little blurb that led off this mornings "Wake-Up Call" on the L.A. Times' Fabulous Forum blog pretty much says it all...

First things first: If the Kings could find a way to play the first period the way they play the third, imagine where they would be now. Last night's game, which they lost 7-6 in a shootout, is a case in point. They played horribly in the first and magnificently in the third, eventually coming back from a 6-3 deficit to tie the score with only a few seconds left. Now consider the games in which they came out sluggish, scrambled back late but lost in the end. Add this: They've lost 7 of 10 shootouts; imagine if that were reversed. Put this all together and their record might be 35-18-2 (or something close to that) instead of 24-22-9. And that would put them in the playoffs. If only the Kings could think -- and play as if -- every period is the third.

Now, if only the Kings would follow this advice, things would be A-OK!

Kings Lose Game, But Get A Point

So much for the four game winning streak. The Kings lost their second in a row today, 3-2 at Staples to Edmonton, in a shootout, which means they still managed a very important point in the standings. The game was very physical, and it showed early on. In the first period there were several squirmishes; the Oilers led 2-0 after one period. Kings got one in the second, and then Dustin Brown tapped in the equalizer on a shot from Alex Frolov with about 26 seconds left in the game.

These are very important games for the Kings, who are still fighting for a playoff spot in the West. Their defense continues to be a strong point for them, and they did get a goal today from a defenseman, Drew Doughty, who recorded his fourth of the season. The goaltending has been solid for most of the season, thanks in large part to the solid defense in front of them, but the Kings have got to win these close games, especially at home.

Another Road Win

The Kings continue to roll as they picked up their fourth straight win tonight in New York, defeating the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. The Kings finished the just-concluded road trip 4-1. Jack Johnson scored the game-winner in the last round of the shootout to give the Kings two more very important points in the standings. The Kings got goals from Wayne Simmonds, Anze Kopitar and Alex Frolov, with his team-leading 22nd goal of the season. The Kings currently have 55 points, and are tied for 11th in conference, two points behind the eighth and final playoff spot, three point back of seventh, and four points back of 5th place, currently held by Dallas and Anaheim.

Next up for the Kings: a three-game homestand starting Thursday night with Calgary. Edmonton (Saturday) and Atlanta (Monday) follow.

Kings Rock Jersey

Great win by the Kings tonight Jersey, as they scored three second period goals for a 3-1 victory. Great defensive effort and a solid performance in net by Jon Quick. And more importantly, two huge points in the standings in a hotly contested Western Conference. Kings continue to inch back upwards, and now have 53 points, tied with three other teams for 10th in the conference, just two points out of the eighth spot.

Jarret Stoll, Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan got the goals for the Kings, with O'Sully's coming unassisted. Kings take their three game win streak into NY for a matchup with the Islanders Tuesday on Long Island before heading home.

Kings in DC

Nice win by the Kings tonight in DC. I didn't get to see much of the game since the Lakers took priority tonight in Boston, but what I did see of it was a solid game plan to attack early.

Caps scored first before Anze Kopitar netted the equalizer mid-way through the first. The game was tied as the second stanza started and two quick Kings goals (one by Kopitar, one by Micahal Handzus) gave them a two goal lead. The Caps would get a quickie back before the Kings would add another in the 13 minute mark of the second. Alex Ovechkin would tally his 37th goal mid-way through the final period before Kyle Calder would give them a two goal lead again with about a minute and a half left. That would prove to be the game winner with the final score of 5-4.

The Kings have been playing solid hockey most of the season despite battling three teams at the bottom of the conference. However, with so much parity at the bottom end of the conference standings, and the teams closely bundled up, the Kings are not out of the playoff chase. The true test will most certainly come in March and April, when they finish the season with 12 of 16 on the road. In any case, we'll deal with that when it comes. In the meantime, the Kings climb over the .500 mark with a 22-21-7 record, good for 51 points, a tie for 12th in the conference but just three points back of the eighth and final playoff spot, with a date in Jersey Saturday afternoon/evening against the Devils. Game time is 4 PM PT.

Brown an All-Star

Earlier today, Kings captain Dustin Brown was chosen to represent the Kings in this year's All-Star game in Montreal at the end of the month. While it seems the fans continue to vote for their favorite players to start (this seems to be a growing problem in baseball and the NBA, as well) rather than for those who actually deserve it, it's nice to actually see the league recognize players who should be there. Brown, who has 13 goals and 13 assists in the Kings 39 games this season, has been a mainstay on the Kings top line for several years now.

The young nucleus built with and around Brown on the Kings has them headed in the right direction, with players like Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, and Patrick O'Sullivan on offense. And despite a very tough schedule the second half of the season (they finish the season with 12 of their last 16 games on the road), they are right in thick of the Western Conference playoff chase even as they sit in last place in a very tough Pacific Division, just one point behind fourth place Dallas.

The Kings have played some very good hockey this season, especially against some of the top teams in the league, and have gotten some rave reviews from some of their opponents this season. They recently took both San Jose and the NY Rangers to overtime before losing both games, one in a shoot out, and beat Philadelphia last week in a shoot out. They boast one of the league's best and best young defenses, and their penalty kill ranks 7th in the league, thanks in large part to the return of Sean O'Donnell and rookie Drew Doughty. And they have two very good young goaltenders, Erik Ersberg and Jon Quick, with Jon Bernier getting some experience and waiting in the wings with the Kings AHL affiliate in Ontario, CA.

The Kings appear to be in great shape for the future, and have their fans excited about hockey again. Now if they could just find a way to beat their crosstown rivals once in a blue moon, all will be good in Kings Hockeyland!

Season Underway

CORRECTION (6:18pm CT): Tonight's game time is 5:00pm PT, not 5:30 as mentioned earlier.

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The 2008-2009 is officially underway and so far through six games, the Kings seem to be holding their own. They picked up their third win of the season last night in a very hard-fought, well-played game, a 4-0 blasting of the Blues in St. Louis. Patrick O'Sullivan, who recently signed a new contract with the Kings, picked up his team leading third goal of the season. New Team Captain Dustin Brown also scored a goal in the win. Brown currently leads the team with six points through the early season. Goalie Jason LaBarbera, who has started all six games so far for the Kings, got the win.

Meanwhile, 2008 second overall pick in the entry draft, Drew Doughty, continues to impress. While he only has one goal in six games, he has logged nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game, and has really impressed the coaching staff, his teammates, and others around the league. The Kings will continue to give him ice time over the next three games, and then they have a decision to make: do they keep him on the roster and continue to play him at the NHL level and pay him for the remainder of the season while he learns the nuances of playing in the NHL, or do they send him to junior hockey where he could benefit from playing there, as well as on the Canadian World junior team again (and where they won't have to pay him his full first year's salary)?

Stay tuned. Should be an interesting decision coming up.

Also coming up, Kings in Nashville tonight at 5:30pm PT.

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...

Kings Trade

The Kings have acquired defenseman Denis Gauthier and a 2010 second round pick from Philadelphia in exchange for two minor leaguers, defenseman Patrik Hersley and left winger Ned Lukacevic. More details to come.

BREAKING NEWS: Visnovsky Traded

The Kings have traded 31-year old defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Oilers for 25-year old forward Jarrett Stoll and 24-year old defenseman Matt Greene.

The Kings essentially dumped 5 years, $28 million on Edmonton, while getting younger, and creating some salary cap space. Stoll will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and Greene has two more years before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

It's likely the Kings will re-sign veteran free agent defenseman Rob Blake, and sign defenseman Brad Stuart, whom they traded to Detroit at the trade deadline this past march, once free agents can officially sign with new teams. The Kings, however, are not expected to be very active in the free agent market with top-tiered free agents.

Stay tuned Tuesday evening for a recap of Day One of the Free Agent Frenzy!

Tampa Hires Former Kings Coach

Yup, you guessed correctly if you said the "Mullet Man" himself, Barry Melrose. Melrose, who coached the Kings for three seasons from 1992-1995 and lead the Kings to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance in his first season as head coach, was hired away from ESPN by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Melrose had been an ESPN studio analyst since he was fired from the Kings in 1995. He replaces recently fired John Tortorella, who is being courted, ironically, by the Kings to be their next head coach.

Entry Draft - Day One

The Kings were very busy on Day One of the Entry Draft yesterday, first, taking offensive defenseman Drew Doughty with the second overall pick, then trading captain Michael Cammalleri to Calgary as part of a three-team trade with Anaheim that netted them the 12th overall pick. That pick was then traded to Buffalo to get the 13th pick, where they selected another solid defenseman, Colten Tuebert. Both Doughty and Tuebert are expected to make immediate impacts on the Kings starting next season.

Here's TSN.ca's take on both picks:

• Bob McKenzie: "[Doughty's] got a level of hockey sense that cannot be measured. His smarts are off the scale. [He's] an offensive player, but his defence is under-rated. This is a guy that will absolutely be in the NHL next year."

• Pierre McGuire: "[Teubert] is such a good pick. Put that pick with Drew Doughty on defence and you've really got something in Los Angeles. He's physical and he loves to get after people. The Kings are building the smart way - strength on the back end, just like Detroit."

And Gare Joyce of ESPN.com:

• "The Kings had to decide between Doughty's hockey sense and [Zach] Bogosian's toughness. Score one for skill and first-pass offense."

• On taking Teubert 13th overall: "Hard-rock ying to Doughty's skilled yang. Kings goaltending and blue fine fully reloaded. [GM Dean] Lombardi can go to the market for immediate first- and second-line scoring."

As for Cammalleri, my thinking is the Kings made the move to clear cap space, knowing they probably were not going to re-sign him after this upcoming season as he is an unrestricted free agent. There is the possibility that Lubomir Visnovsky could be next, as well. In the meantime, Dan Cloutier was placed on waivers and the Kings are expected to buy out the remainder of his contract. Stay tuned...

Crawford Fired

Well the Kings finally undid a mistake they made two years when they hired Marc Crawford as head coach: they fired him. Crawford was fired on Tuesday after a two-year run and a last place finish in the division and conference standings this past season. Crawford still had one more year left on his contract, but it was obvious with the team in a youth movement that Crawford wasn't a good fit; he never really was.

So where do the Kings go next? Well, several other teams are looking for new coaches, including Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and Atlanta. Several other coaching vacancies were filled in recent days, leaving the Kings number one rumored candidate according to the St. Pete Times via The Fourth Period still available: John Tortorella. Tortorella led Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004, the year before the lockout, and could bring in a style of play that would fit the young Kings.

Stay tuned...

Checkin' In!

Just thought I'd check in since it's been about a month. Nothing's changed for the Kings, and they still have the worst record in the league! However, they're in a battle with the Lightning for that dubious honor!

By the way, I'd mentioned before that I had been to the first three Kings games here in Dallas against the Stars, and was disgusted with their play each time. Well, I decided I didn't have the time to go to the last of the four here this past Saturday (being Easter Sunday weekend and all). Having said that, the bastards came into town and beat the Stars 4-2, to take the season series lead 4-3, and become the first road team to win in the season series! Now they have a shot to actually win the season series against the Stars for the first time in two years when they play at Staples at the end of the month. Woo-hoo! Something to be excited about!

Ok, that's really about it. I know guys like Frolov, Kopitar and O'Sullivan, just to mention a couple off the top of my head, are having solid seasons, but it'd be even better to celebrate their excellence if the rest of the team was doing well...

Frolov Nets Hat Trick Against Blues

Well, that was a fun game last night, wasn't it? Alexander Frolov scored a hat trick, Patrick O' Sullivan had five points and Anze Kopitar added a goal as the Kings routed St. Louis 5-1. A week ago in St. Louis, the Kings looked lost and weary. Last night at Staples, they looked like Cup champions as they rolled all over former King goalie, Manny Legace for four second-period goals. And while the Kings are still at the bottom of the standings, they're certainly not playing like a team in the cellar of late, if you remove three of the last four games before last night's win.

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In case anyone missed it, Jaroslav Modry was shipped off to Philly on Tuesday for a third round pick in this year's draft. Modry will be sorely missed... NOT!

Not Much Has Changed...

Well, It's been another long month since I've had a chance to post anything regarding the Kings, and not much has changed. The Kings are still the league's worse team according to their record, although they are in a dog fight with Tampa Bay to avoid that honor. Since the January 3rd loss at home to Columbus, the Kings have gone a respectable 8-6-1, including another home win over Dallas (the season series is now 3-3 with the home team having won all 6 games) and big road wins on the current 8-game road trip against both New York teams, and Detroit. In the Detroit game this past Thursday, the Kings trailed 3-1 after two periods and scored four unanswered 3rd period goals to take the win, 5-3. They followed that up with a horrific performance yesterday in Pittsburgh, losing 4-2. The game wasn't really that close.

All-in-all, the Kings are playing better. Michael Cammelleri has since returned to the lineup from is injury, but Rob Blake is out now for another week with a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle. Speaking of Blake, his name has come up in trade rumors and he's been linked to Detroit and Colorado (he played for the Avs for five years between his first and current stint with the Kings). Speculation is even if he is traded, he does become an unrestricted free agent after the season and there is talk that he would re-sign in L.A. anyway to finish up his career in L.A. (he said when he signed in L.A. before last season that he intends to retire a King). Stay tuned for more on this one.

Kings have two games left on their current 8-game roadie where they are 3-3. They play in Columbus tonight at 6pm PT, and finish up the trip in St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Second year forward Anze Kopitar played in this year's All-Star game in Atlanta, but didn't record a point in the loss. This should be the first of many All-Star game appearances for Kopitar, assuming the league continues with it. There was talk over the All-Star weekend that a lot of changes could be coming for the festivities, including possibly eliminating the game altogether because of a lack of interest from fans and whatnot. It would be such a shame for this to happen as the league struggles to regain its image after the lockout several years ago.