Category Archives: NHL

Ducks notes, quotes and lineup ahead of Tuesday’s game against San Jose

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The Ducks went back to work Tuesday at Honda Center, skating together for the first time since suffering a 2-1 overtime loss last Thursday to the Ottawa Senators in the last game of a six-game cross-continent trip that took them to the Christmas break.

The biggest topic for discussion before the third-place Ducks (17-12-6) faced the Pacific Division-leading San Jose Sharks (21-12-1) was hitting the re-set button on a season that’s featured wildly inconsistent play over the first 35 games. The midway point in the 82-game regular season is right around the corner and time for improvement is at hand.

“After a three- or four-day break with family and friends we should all be refreshed and looking forward to getting this thing going again against an obviously great opponent and a big rival of ours to start out here,” Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler said.

What needs to change for the rest of the season?

Everything.

Nothing.

“There shouldn’t be any confusion, any question marks about what is expected in certain situations,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “That’s been our message. It was our message before we left for the break and it’s our message again when they came back this morning, that we’re going to hold them accountable to that.”

The Ducks’ lineup (see below) looked pretty much the same as before the break, with Rickard Rakell back at left wing on a line with center Ryan Getzlaf and right wing Corey Perry. Carlyle broke them up in order to get Rakell moving better during the loss to the Senators.

Carlyle also said Tuesday he likes Rakell on left wing, but that eventually he’d prefer to have the 23-year-old Swede at center. Rakell’s scalding start to the season was aided in part because he was playing with Getzlaf and Perry. Rakell had 14 goals and 21 points in 24 games before the break.

Here are the Ducks’ lines, pairs and expected starting goalie.

Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry

Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg

Ritchie-Vermette-Kase

Cramarossa-Shaw-Boll

Fowler-Vatanen

Lindholm-Manson

Bieksa-Theodore

Gibson

Bernier

The Sharks skated in San Jose at their practice facility and then flew south.

Tommy Wingels isn’t expected to play, but Michael Haley is.

Kings agree to terms with forward Patrick Bjorkstrand on one-season, $667,500 contract

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The Kings and forward Patrick Bjorkstrand agreed Thursday on a one-season, $667,500 contract. Bjorkstrand, a 6-foot, 192-pound Dane, participated in the Kings’ development camp last week in El Segundo. The 24-year-old played last season for a team in Zagreb, Croatia, in the KHL. He had 13 goals and 22 points in 57 games. He also has played for Denmark in the past four World Championships. He is a left-handed shot who can play either wing. He signed as an unrestricted free agent.

Here’s the report on him via eliteprospects.com: “Bjorkstrand is a forward with nice hands and playmaking ability. Has good vision and anticipation on the ice. He also has that winning mentality.”

Kings re-sign defenseman Brayden McNabb to a two-season, $3.4-million contract

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Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb on Saturday signed a two-season contract extension with the team worth $3.4-million. The deal includes a $50,000 signing bonus on top of his base salary of $1.550 million for next season, according to the website generalfanager.com. McNabb also will make $1.8 million for 2017-18. He could have been a restricted free agent July 1. The 25-year-old completed his second season with the Kings in 2015-16, scoring two goals and 14 points.

Kings decline to respond to report that Dustin Brown will lose his captaincy for 2016-17

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The Kings would neither confirm nor deny a report Friday that right wing Dustin Brown would have his captaincy taken away from him next season. The Canadian sports network TSN said on its website that Brown was told he would no longer be the Kings’ captain, a position he’s held since taking over for Rob Blake after the 2007-08 season.

“We’re not prepared to respond to these reports at this time,” said Michael Altieri, the Kings’ senior vice president for broadcasting and communications.

Brown captained the Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and ’14, but his statistics have dipped in recent seasons. He scored 11 goals in 2015-16 for the second consecutive season, matching his career low for a full 82-game campaign. He failed to top 30 points for the fourth consecutive season after recording 50 or more for five in a row. He set career highs with 33 goals and 60 points in 2007-08.

The 31-year-old Brown has six seasons remaining on an eight-year, $47-million contract he signed with the Kings in 2014.

If the Kings were to replace Brown as captain it’s likely that center Anze Kopitar would be his successor. Kopitar has led the Kings in scoring in each season since 2007-08 and is a finalist this season for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward.

Kings’ 2016 draft picks

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The NHL draft is June 24-25 in Buffalo, N.Y. Here is a list of the Kings’ four draft picks (as of May 16):

Second round, fourth, fifth and seventh.

The Kings dealt their first-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire defenseman Andrej Sekera on Feb. 25, 2015. Sekera became a free agent after the 2014-15 season and signed a six-year, $33-million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Ducks’ list of free agents (restricted and unrestricted)

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Free agency begins July 1, and Ducks general manager Bob Murray figures to be busy. Here’s a list of the Ducks’ unrestricted free agents (those eligible to sign with other teams without the Ducks having the right to match their offers), via the indispensable website generalfanager.com:

Forwards Shawn Horcoff, Jamie McGinn, David Perron, Mike Santorelli, Chris Stewart, defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Anton Khudobin.

Here are the Ducks’ restricted free agents (those whose rights the Ducks continue to hold):

Forwards Brandon Pirri and Rickard Rakell, defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen and goalie Frederik Andersen.

 

Freeway Series Game 5: Ontario Reign 2, San Diego Gulls 1

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The Reign took the series from the Gulls four games to one and advanced to the American Hockey League’s Western Conference final. Here’s the recap from our man on the scene, Jim Alexander: http://www.pe.com/articles/pushed-802964-reign-test.html

Here’s the more Gulls-centric story from the San Diego Union-Tribune: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/14/gulls-reign-playoffs-hockey/

Game 1 against either Grand Rapids or Lake Erie is Saturday in Ontario.

Freeway Series Game 4: Ontario Reign 4, San Diego Gulls 3 (OT)

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Here’s the story on the Reign’s unlikely hero in their Game 4 overtime victory Friday over the Gulls, via Jim Alexander of the Press-Enterprise: http://www.pe.com/articles/kid-802913-plays-reign.html

Here’s the view from the San Diego Union-Tribune: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/13/gulls-reign-chris-mueller-kings-ducks/

Game 5 is Saturday night in Ontario.

LA Kings’ list of free agents (restricted and unrestricted)

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Free agency doesn’t begin until July 1, but the Kings (and every other NHL team) can give their own players contract extensions at any point between now and then. They’ve already done it with one unrestricted free agent, agreeing to terms with coach Darryl Sutter on a new deal that will kick in when his old one expires July 1.

Here are the Kings’ unrestricted free agents (eligible to sign with any team without the Kings able to match the offer), per generalfanager.com:

Forwards Milan Lucic, Kris Versteeg and Trevor Lewis.

Defensemen Jamie McBain and Luke Schenn.

Goalie Jhonas Enroth.

Here are the Kings’ restricted free agents (the Kings have the right to match offers from other teams):

Forward: Nic Dowd.

Defenseman:Brayden McNabb.

 

LA Kings and Darryl Sutter agree on a new contract for the two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach

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Kins coach Darryl Sutter talks to players during practice at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The New York Rangers will face the Los Angeles Kings for the Stanley Cup. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Kings coach Darryl Sutter

The Kings and Darryl Sutter have agreed on a new contract. A team spokesman said a formal announcement would be made Friday. Terms were not immediately available. Sutter’s three-year contract was due to expire July 1 and Kings general manager Dean Lombardi said last week there was a “very fair” offer on the table. The Los Angeles Times first reported the agreement Thursday afternoon.

Sutter is 186-112-45 in four-plus seasons with the Kings. He led the team to Stanley Cup championships in 2014 and ’12. The San Jose Sharks eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs this season, and there’s been plenty of speculation in recent days and weeks that the Kings’ roster could undergo a major shakeup for 2016-17. The head coach will remains the same, however.

“Failure is the best teacher,” Lombardi said last week. “So it’s very simple for every part of this organization right now … We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that these two things happened, and now we have to get back on that path – the innovation, the spark, the challenge that was there seven years ago and we were coming from the gutter. You’ve got to get it back.”