Scratch Gaborik Off The Kings Wishlist

He just reportedly signed with the Rangers as I was typing out my previous post. Deal is five years, $7.5MM per year.

Yikes! Good luck with that contract, Rangers.

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.

After Much Speculation...

The Kings have selected center Brayden Schenn with the 5th overall pick in tonight's NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. Schenn is the younger brother of Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn.

Dean Lombardi appeared to be busy just before it was the Kings turn to pick. He was up and down from the Kings table several times right before the pick was made. There was speculation this pick could be dealt, but for now, Schenn is a King.

Solid pick for the Kings. If you were watching the draft on Versus tonight, the look on Toronto GM Brian Burke's face when this pick was announced was priceless! Burke and the Leafs really wanted Schenn.

The Islanders selected center John Tavares with the first overall pick, followed by Tampa Bay who selected defenseman Victor Hedman second, while Colorado took center Matt Duchene third, and Atlanta took center Evander Kane fourth just ahead of the Kings.

Also, the Ducks traded defenseman Chris Pronger to the Flyers in exchange for winger Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, two first round picks (one tonight, and one next year) and a conditional draft pick. Philly also gets a minor leaguer in the deal.

As much as it hurts me to admit, this is a great deal for the Ducks. The Flyers just got owned by the Ducks.

Lucky Luc Headed to the Hall

No surprise here. Luc Robitaille is headed for the NHL Hall of Fame. He joins a stellar 2009 class that includes Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman and Brian Leetch. Luc's 668 goals are the most ever by a left winger.

Robitaille was drafted by the Kings in the 9th round of the 1984 draft. (That same season, the Kings drafted future MLB Hall of Famer and 300-game winner Tom Glavine in the 4th round, but Glavine opted to pitch in the Major Leagues for the Atlanta Braves). He won the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1987, where he recorded 45 goals and 84 points, and quickly became synonymous with the Kings, becoming a fan favorite. Luc played his first eight seasons with the Kings, his best season coming in 1992-93, where he scored 62 goals and 125 total points. That same year, Luc helped lead an all-star roster that included Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Rob Blake, as the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first and only time in franchise history. The Kings lost to Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Luc was then traded to Pittsburgh after the 1994 season, and played there for one season before being traded to the Rangers for two years. The Rangers then traded him back to the Kings after the 1997 season, and Luc played for the Kings for four more seasons. As a free agent after the 2001 season, Luc signed with Detroit for two seasons, where he helped the Red Wings win a Stanley Cup in 2002, along with Yzerman and Leetch. Luc then returned to L.A. for his third and final stint with the Kings, which lasted two seasons.

Along the way, Luc broke the all-time records for goals and points (1,394) by a left-winger, and in his last season in the league, he set the Kings franchise record for goals and points. On the night he surpassed former Kings great Marcel Dionne as the all-time leading scorer in frachise history, he fittingly recorded the 15th hat trick of his career. On April 11, 2006, he officially announced his retirement from the game, and retired from the game following the 2006 season after 19 stellar seasons in the NHL. Luc retired as the most popular player in Kings history, and his sweater No. 20 was retired and raised to the rafters of Staples Center on January 20, 2007. His jersey is one of five retired by the Kings, along with Dionne's No. 16, Dave Taylor's No. 18, Rogie Vachon's No. 30, and Gretzky's No. 99.

Congratulations Luc, on a well-deserved honor for your hard work and dedication to being one of the greatest hockey players ever, and one of the nicest and humble people I have met.

Pens Win Cup in 7

Just wanted to congratulate the Pittsburgh Penguins on a job well done. The Pens beat the Wings tonight 2-1 in Game 7 of the Cup Finals to earn their third Stanley Cup title in franchise history. Tonight's game was perhaps one of the best games in years from what I heard. The Pens won the the Cup in back-to-back seasons way back in 1991 and 1992 during the initial Mario Lemieux years. The Pens and Wings met in a rematch of last year's Finals, which was won by Detroit. Evgeni Malkin was named Finals MVP.

On a personal level, I'm thrilled the Pens won. Whatever has to be done to prevent the Squids (Red Wings) from winning is fine by me!

One Last Item On Pronger

Found this post on the L.A. Times' Fabulous Forum blog. There's nothing to the rumor. At least, for now, anyway.

Crawford Hired by Dallas; Pronger to L.A.?

First, the Chris Pronger reports.

There are unconfirmed rumors flying around the internet today that suggest the Kings are on the verge of acquiring Chris Pronger from the Ducks for Jack Johnson and the 5th overall pick in this year's draft next month. The rumor initiated on the website HockeyBuzz and made its rounds through the internet. Some media outlets picked up on the initial report as a done deal but have retracted it since. The rumor is nowhere to be found on any of the major national hockey media outlets such as TSN.ca, or even ESPN.com.

Several sources, including Rich Hammond of the Daily News on his Inside the Kings blog, have claimed to have received word from one team or the other that no deal is in place. Hammond says he received a "Rumor not true" text from Dean Lombardi himself. And granted Hammond broke the Patrick O'Sullivan-Justin Williams trade a day before it happened taht Lombardi denied at first, who's to say the trade won't still happen?

And for what it's worth, Pronger has said he has not been notified either.

However, one source says the two players are still likely to be traded as the teams try to haggle on the draft pick going from the Kings to the Ducks.

All that aside, I think this would be a ridiculously dumb move on the Kings part if they do anything close to it. I can't see the upside behind it when you're trying to build around the youth, and Jack Johnson is part of that youth movement. Obviously this would be a salary dump for the Ducks to get under the cap, but I don't understand it from the Kings side.

Either way, well done by both SoCal teams for stealing some of the thunder of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight in Detroit.

And lastly, former Kings head coach Marc Crawford was indeed hired as the Dallas Stars new head coach yesterday, a day after it was speculated they had called the Kings to ask for permission to talk to him after the Stars fired former Kings assistant Dave Tippett.

Dallas Fires Tippett

Just in a bit ago: the Dallas Stars have fired former Kings assistant Dave Tippett as their head coach. Tippett led the Stars to playoff berths in his first five seasons as head coach until they failed to make the post-season this year. Rumors have it that new Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk has asked for permission from the Kings to speak to another of their former head coaches, Marc Crawford, who is still under contract with the Kings.

He's all yours, Dallas!

An Open Letter from the GM

An interesting read. This was posted on the Kings website early this morning. It's an open letter from Dean Lombardi to the fans.

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.

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.

**********
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.