Smyth Finally Traded

Yes, he's going back to Edmonton. No, it's not the same deal that was nearly completed Friday during the draft.

In return, the Kings will get Colin Fraser and a 2012 seventh-round pick.

Fraser is nothing more than a depth forward who makes less than $1MM, so this will allow the Kings some room to find someone to replace Smyth.

That player will likely come via free agency and not a trade.

News From the Draft

This should be a short post because I won't pretend like I know who the Kings, or anyone else, drafted or know anything about them. Having said that, there was other news.

It appeared Ryan Smyth had been dealt back to Edmonton at one point early during the draft yesterday but as the night went on, it become more clear that the deal had not been finalized. In fact, the entire deal fell completely through, in large part, based on reports, due to the health concern of Gilbert Brule, whom the Kings would have then turned around and bought out or flipped to another team. (League rules prohibit a player from being bought out or traded while they're injured.)

So for now, Smyth is still with the Kings, but he could still end up in Edmonton any minute or day now, or he could still wind up in Calgary. The Flames were hot in on the talks for Smyth, but many felt they fell out of it when they inked Alex Tanguay to a five-year, $17.5MM extension. However, it appears they could still be in on Smyth now that the aforementioned deal has fallen through.

Stay tuned.

Kings Pull Off Blockbuster Deal

Kings have acquired center Mike Richards from Philly.

Philly gets prospect Brayden Schenn, RW Wayne Simmonds and a draft pick.

2011 Entry Draft is tomorrow.

Could this be a precursor to something else?

Rumors have it Ryan Smyth wants back in Edmonton for personal reasons.

We shall wait and see.

As for Richards, he is signed through 2019-2020 season.

He's played six seasons in NHL, averaging 70 points over last four.

I'm still on fence over this deal because of length of his contract and his reputation.

But here's hoping Richards can shed that reputation and fit in and help this team.

Kyle Clifford should slide into Simmonds' slot in lineup.

But it leaves a big hole at RW on 3rd line.

Let's hope Kings GM Dean Lombardi has other plans.

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Congrats to Kings Captain Dustin Brown on winning NHL's Foundation Award at last night's NHL Awards Show. The Foundation Award is given to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich lives of others in their community.

Big Win for Kings

They got what they set out to do tonight: get two points. It wasn't pretty at the end of regulation, but they got the two points.

Drew Doughty netted a blast on the power play in overtime for the 4-3 win over Colorado, salvaging what almost became a disastrous night. With the Kings trailing 1-0, Ryan Smyth tied the game midway through the first period, and Wayne Simmonds gave them a 2-1 lead late in the second. The Avs tied it again early in the third, but Smyth gave the Kings the lead back midway through the period. Then with 10 seconds left in regulation, Colorado tied it again after pulling their goalie for the extra attacker.

It was definitely an exciting game to watch. The Kings played with a sense of urgency and they proved with this game that they're ready to compete in the post-season.

Now the two teams head to Colorado and square off again in Denver on Wednesday night.

Certainly, another very important game as all their remaining 11 games are. The Kings need all the points they can get to give themselves some breathing room in the standings.

Kings Pick Up Right Where They Left Off

And it really wasn't even that close of a game.

In their first game since the break, the Kings ripped the Stars here in Dallas tonight, 5-1.

There had been some talk about whether or not the layoff would hurt Jonathan Quick. Quick was a member of the U.S. Olympic team but never once suited up. He was the third string goaltender behind starter Ryan Miller, and Tim Thomas. So Quick simply sat and watched.

Well, obviously it didn't affect him too much. Quick looked very sharp, and the Kings as a team simply outplayed Dallas all night, and it showed in the score. The Kings got goals from Jarrett Stoll, Alexander Frolov, who also had two assists, Brad Richardson, Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar with his team-leading 29th goal of the season. Olympic Gold Medalist Drew Doughty also picked up three assists on the night.

The Kings now sit in fourth place in the West at 80 points, fourth most points in the league. Jon Quick continues to rack up wins, adding to his single-season franchise record with his 36th win, which is also tops in the league.

So, next up for the Kings is Nashville on Thursday, with the trade deadline tomorrow afternoon. I don't expect the Kings to be very active, and if they are, I don't expect much more than a role player or two. And don't expect Frolov to be moved either.

Kings Rebound Nicely

After the Kings got slammed on Tuesday 5-1 against the Sharks, their second loss to San Jose on the home stand, the Kings rebounded nicely to end the home stand on a high note with a 4-3 shootout win against a very good Buffalo Sabres team.

The Kings got a lone goal from Wayne Simmonds against San Jose, while Brad Richardson, Sean O'Donnell and Ryan Smyth netted the goals against Buffalo. Smyth's goal tied the game mid-way through the third period that would eventually send the game into overtime. Neither team score in the overtime, but Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar netter the shootout goals against Sabres netminder Ryan Miller.

Jon Quick took the loss against the Sharks, but got the win with 26 saves against Buffalo. And Drew Doughty continues to play very well on both ends of the ice.

The Kings currently stand in third place in the Pacific and seventh overall in the Western Conference with 59 points, just four points back of Phoenix who are second in the division and fourth overall in the conference, and just one point ahead of both Detroit, tonight's opponent as they begin a five-game road trip, and Calgary.

Now the real test starts.

Long Layoff

When we last spoke about a month ago (and my apologies for the long layoff on my part) the Kings were in the midst of an eight-day break between games. When the mini-vacation started, the Kings were riding high, leading the division and the conference despite a 3-1 loss in Calgary heading into the week off. But during the layoff, the other teams behind them in the standings continued to play, and they continued to win. Before we knew it, when the Kings resumed play on December 26, they picked up where they left off and started the stretch losing the first three games in Phoenix, against Minnesota, and in Calgary.

When they did resume play, the Kings got Ryan Smyth back from injury. In those three games, the Minnesota loss was probably the toughest. Down 3-2 late in the game, the Kings tied the game at 3-3. But just a few seconds later, former King Eric Belanger netted the game winner for the Wild and the Kings woes would continue. In all, the Kings lost four in a row before getting back on track and getting revenge on the Wild with arguably their best game of the season in a 5-2 win in Minnesota on New Year's Eve.

The Kings followed the Wild game with two very impressive wins to start the new year, edging Washington at home 2-1, and slamming the Sharks 6-2 in the Shark Tank up in San Jose. After that win in San Jose, the Kings hosted Detroit to start a seven game homestand and played what some say was their best game in years. After trailing much of the game 1-0, the Kings got the equalizer late in the game, only to give up the game-winner shortly after, for a very tough loss. The Kings that night took 52 shots on Wings rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. He stopped 51 of them.

The next two games were probably just as tough, as they lost both by just one goal while playing well enough to win, 4-3 to St. Louis and 2-1 to San Jose. But just as quickly as they won three in a row after that four-game skid, they were back on another three-game skid heading into a tough match-up against a red-hot Ducks team. But the Kings literally fought their way to a nearly perfect game as they upended the Ducks 4-0. The two teams combined for a total of 69 minutes in penalties in third period alone. Dustin Brown also recorded his 100th career goal in the win.

The Kings then battled Boston on Saturday afternoon, earning a hard-fought win in a shootout, 4-3. The Kings trailed 3-1 in this game before battling back to get the win. Tonight, the Kings are battling the Sharks mid-way through the first period, and trail 2-0 already. The Kings are 3-2 against the Sharks so far this season.

It's been a tough stretch for the Kings since their eight-game mini vacation. They started the stretch atop the division and conference, but with a four-game skid and a three-game skid sandwiched around a three-game winning streak, the Kings actually briefly slipped out of a playoff spot in a very tight Western Conference. They currently stand at 57 points, third in the division, 15 points back of the Sharks and four behind Phoenix, but just four ahead of Dallas, and they have a tight hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.

With a win tonight, the Kings would have yet another three-game winning streak with one more to go on the seven game homestand before heading out on the road for a five-game roadie. The Kings need to start picking up points again.

Also, before I forget since I already did once in the month since I last blogged here, I wanted to congratulate the five Kings players who were selected to play for their home countries in the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver set to start on February 12. Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick were selected to play for Team U.S.A., with Brown being named one of the Alternate Captains. Twenty year-old Drew Doughty was selected to play for Team Canada while Michal Handzus will play for the Slovakian team. Congratulations to all five Kings players, and good luck in the Olympics.

(Sharks just scored again, so it's now 3-0 with about a minute and a half left in the first period. This is not how the Kings wanted to start this game.)

Random Stuff

So the Kings are off for another six days. It's been two-plus already. They went 1-2 on their trip through Western Canada, losing in Vancouver, winning in Edmonton, and losing in Calgary. They played well enough to win all three games, but of course, you can't win 'em all.

Now they're in the midst of an eight-day vacation. Wish I could have vacations like that!

So far, they've surrendered the top spot in the West because of the long layoff while San Jose keeps playing. They've also relinquished the division lead, as well. But, they did get Ryan Smyth back. So the next time the Kings play - next Saturday in Phoenix - they will have Smyth back, and Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams should be thrilled! Those two have missed Smyth immensely over the last five weeks.

In the meantime, with the long layoff, I've been trying to get my hockey fix elsewhere. But when you're a Kings fan with Center Ice living in Stars territory, it's kind tough. I don't get as amped for games like I do for Kings games. Seriously, the Stars just don't cut it for me. And some of these other games on the dish just seem to bore me to death.

I suppose the busy holiday will keep me preoccupied until next Saturday night. So until then, I leave you with a litte something-something...

This Team is Really Starting to Impress

Who would have thought that the Kings would be the first team in the West to win 20 games this year? Certainly not me, but with a three-game winning streak that includes two big shootout wins against division rivals San Jose and Phoenix this week, the Kings did just that. And, with those wins, the Kings pushed themselves to within a point of first place and the top spot in the conference with 43 points. (They currently sit two points behind San Jose, who lost in another shootout last night, this time to Dallas.)

The Kings still do have some questions, though. Their penalty kill unit is near the bottom of the league, they're dealing with injuries to key players such as Ryan Smyth, and now Wayne Simmonds, and Anze Kopitar has struggled in his last 12 to 14 games to put points on the board, mainly because of the loss of Smyth.

But they are getting solid contributions from everyone on the ice. They have the most players with at least 20 points than any other team in the league, Jon Quick has been stellar in net and is tied for second in the league with 18 wins, and they got an important player back from an injury on defense in Rob Scuderi.

Add it all up, and the Kings are off to one of their best starts in team history with a 20-10-3 mark.

And, for the Kings, the important thing is keep pushing forward, and keep picking up points in the standings. Tonight, on Dodger Night at Staples Center, they'll get a chance to add two more points to their season total when they host the Dallas Stars.

Kings Offense Breaks Through in Win Over Sens

Justin Williams took advantage of two Ottawa turnovers in front of their own goal late in the game and converted them into two goals, turning a close 4-3 lead into a 6-3 win out at Staples. With the win, the Kings have now won three in a row and four of its last five, including a 3-1 win at Edmonton last Wednesday, a 2-1 shootout win at home against Chicago this past Saturday, and a 4-3 shootout win at Staples against the Ducks two nights ago.

The Kings improve to 17-10-2 on the season, good for 36 points and second place in the division behind San Jose, who lost tonight in a shootout at home to St. Louis. The Kings pick up a very important point in the standings.

Drew Doughty got credit for tonight's game-winner that gave the Kings the lead for good late in the second period, and Jon Quick earned his 16th win of the season while in net for the Kings. Wayne Simmonds added a goal on a penalty shot late in the first period.

On the flip side, Anze Kopitar's streak of games without a goal continues to grow as it has now reached 11 games. It's pretty obvious the loss of linemate Ryan Smyth, who isn't expected back until the middle or the end of the month, has had a major impact on Kopitar's game.

As for St. Louis, they head south down the California coast and take on the Kings Saturday afternoon at Staples.

Kings Rebound Nicely

After an ugly week last week, the Kings have looked much better in their last three games, at Tampa Bay, at Florida and back home last night against Philadelphia, going 2-1-0 while posting two shootout wins in the process. But the news hasn't been all good.

Defenseman Rob Scuderi has missed all three games with a lower body injury, but he is listed as day-to-day. And before last night's 3-2 loss to Philly, the Kings learned they would be without the services of Ryan Smyth for up to a month with what is being described as an upper body injury.

Smyth was off to fantastic start for the Kings, netting nine goals and posting 14 assists. The top line combination of Smyth and Anze Kopitar had made for one of the league's top scoring lines so far in the young season. Kopitar continues to lead the league in overall scoring with 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists).

But with Smyth out for a while, the Kings have opted to move Alex Frolov onto the top line with Kopitar and Justin Williams. Only time will tell if Kopitar can continue to lead the league in scoring with Frolov to his left instead of Smyth.

The Kings, second in the Pacific Division with a 13-8-2 mark for 28 points, are off until a date with Calgary at Staples on Saturday.

Kings Win in the Desert

Final: Kings 5, Coyotes 3.

Anze Kopitar got the scoring going for the Kings with his 11th goal of the season. But down 3-2 heading into the third period, the Kings scored three times to ice the game. Ryan Smyth picked up two more goals to give him eight on the season. Along with Justin Williams, who added a goal of his own, the Kings top line poured in eight points (four goals and four assists).

With the win, the Kings improved to 9-4-2 for 20 points, good for second place in the division, one point behind San Jose. The 20 points tie them with Washington, who are without Alexander Ovechkin for an extended period time with an upper body injury, for fourth most in the league.

Kings Beat Stars Again

This is almost becoming routine again.

Anze Kopitar netted a hat trick and Michal Handzus netted the game-winner less than a minute into overtime in a 5-4 win at Staples. The Kings played two solid periods and skated out to what appeared to be a rout in the making, leading 4-1 after two periods. But they become lackadaisical defensively in the third period and allowed the Stars to hit the back of the net three times to tie the game at four apiece before Handzus's winner.

Meanwhile, to go along with Kopitar's three goals to give him a team-high eight, Ryan Smyth assisted on one of them to give the Kings top line four more points. Between Kopitar, Smyth and Justin Willaims, the top line now has 39 points in 10 games. Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov, who returned to action tonight after being benched on Monday night in Dallas, each grab a pair of assists, as well.

Next up, the Kings take to the desert to take on a revitalized Phoenix Coyotes club on Saturday.

Kings Snap Skid

So, I almost didn't go to the game tonight. Bought tickets a couple of weeks ago not knowing that the Dodgers would be playing tonight in Game 4 of the NLCS. After what I just saw, I'm glad I went. (And I took my camera but forgot I had it and didn't take any pictures.)

The Kings rolled into Dallas here tonight and ended a three-game skid with a resounding and convincing 4-1 trumping of the Stars. Jon Quick was solid in goal tonight, and the Kings first line of Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams provided all the scoring the Kings would need in the second period.

The Stars had taken a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but Smyth, Kopitar and Williams each scored in the second to give the Kings a 3-1 lead. Smyth's goal was on the power play. He assisted on the other two goals. The first line totaled six more points tonight. Wayne Simmonds scored a back-handed empty-netter late in the third to ice the game for the Kings.

The finished the six-game trip 3-3, and head back to L.A. 5-4-0 (10 points) to take on the Stars again on Thursday night.

Kings Improve to 3-1

After a couple of solid wins in which they scored six goals apiece against San Jose and Minnesota following the loss on opening night, the Kings took to the road to begin a six-game road trip and came away with a well-played defensive effort in St. Louis, beating the Blues 2-1.

The Kings were just 4 of 11 on the penalty kill going into the game, but tonight they killed off all five St. Louis power plays.

Ryan Smyth, his fourth of the season, on a power play, and Michal Handzus, his second, recorded the two goals tonight. The Kings top line of Smyth, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams has now combined for a total of 20 points in four games.

Meanwhile, Drew Doughty took a puck to the face midway through the second period and left the ice, but returned for the start of the third period.

The Kings hit Long Island in New York for a date with the Islanders on Monday afternoon.

Kings Add Scorer in Smyth

With a sudden surplus in defenseman, and a much bigger need for a scoring left-winger, the Kings pulled the trigger on a trade with the Avalanche, sending defensemen Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincy, along with a fifth round draft pick in exchange for Ryan Smyth.

Smyth is a 33-year older who spend the bulk of his 12-year career with Edmonton. A contract dispute in 2007 resulted in him being traded to the Islanders. He signed with Colorado as a free agent after the 2006-2007 season.

Smyth should provide some much-needed scoring for the Kings.

Tonight...

UPDATE (11:42pm CT): Still 3-2. It's getting late here... gonna watch the end of this in bed and comment and follow-up in the morning...

UPDATE (11:30pm CT): Handzus with a ripper @ 4:46! Kings back in it 3-2...

CORRECTION (11:25pm CT): Brownie gets the goal (#15). Credit Blakey with an assist...

UPDATE (11:22pm CT): Woo-hoo! Blake puts one in (#3) :36 into the 3rd! Kings on the board... 3-1 the team from the Rockies...

UPDATE (11:01pm CT): Much better period for the Kings defensively... still gotta find a way to put the biscuit in the basket. Anyway, end of 2, 3-0 'Lanche.

UPDATE (10:11pm CT): End of 1st period... 3-0 bad guys. Another bad start for the Kings. Defense has GOT to step it up and the offense has GOT to do better with the puck-handling and taking better shots... this is ridiculous... Not sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate that there are two periods left in this game...

UPDATE (10:03pm CT): Avs score again... 3-0 at 14:12 in the first...

UPDATE (9:45pm CT): LaBarbera is back in net for the Kings... not off to a good start... two goals (Smyth #11, Hlinka #5) for the Avs in the first four minutes... 2-0 Colorado...

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Av's in town tonight. Game's about to start on Prime Ticket. Let's hope for a better outcome than the last few games....