All Quiet on the Kings Front

Free agency started earlier this afternoon, and the Kings had been linked to a number of players. So far, however, it's been a relatively quiet day for the Kings. They are rumored to have made an offer to winger Marian Gaborik, and word is they were interested in winger Martin Havlat. For the time being, both players remained unsigned.

Meanwhile, there were some other big free agent signings today. Among others, Marian Hossa inked a 12-year deal with Chicago. Nikolai Khabibulin signed a four-year deal with Edmonton. Former King Michael Cammalleri signed with Montreal for five years. Defenseman Mike Komisarek is headed to Toronto for the next five years. The Sedin twins re-upped in Vancouver for five years, as well.

For a complete list of who went where, TSN has a free agent tracker up and running.

Yesterday, Jay Bouwmeester, whose rights were traded to Calgary on draft day by Florida, signed for five years with the Flames. The Rangers traded Chris Gomez to the Canadiens for Chris Higgins as part of a six-player deal. And the Oilers and Senators agreed in principle on a deal that would send disgruntled forward Dany Heatley from Ottawa to Edmonton, pending Heatley's approval as he has a no-trade clause. So far, the deal is still waiting a decision from Heatley.

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...

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.

Streak is History...

Well, that was quick. Three games and done. Lost last night 4-3 at home to Columbus. I caught most of the first two periods, then missed the entire third. Jean-Sebastian Aubin got the nod last night and was yanked after the Jackets got their third goal of the night early in the second. Kings played decent through the first two, but obviously not good enough to win. Bright spot was Dustin Brown registering his 20th goal of the season. (Kopitar is second on the squad with 16; Cammalleri, who started the season red-hot, leading the league at one point with 10 goals, is now third on the team with 15.) Kings are now 1-1 on the six-game homestand.

Next up on the homestand: Calgary on Saturday night.