So, the Kings signed Dan Cloutier to a two-year extension yesterday, and all I can say is... meh.

Cloutier is a servicable goaltender who may do well in a change of scenery. Remember, he posted three back-to-back-to-back 30 win seasons. His career GAA is 2.66. Garon's is 2.93, but went 3.22 last season. LaBarbera's GAA is an unimpressive 3.11. The Kings and Canucks had similar records last season, three points apart. But the Kings allowed 270 goals to the Nucks' 255. If they expect Cloutier to be successful, the Kings better buckle down on defense.

Cloutier's knee injury still lingers in my memory of why this signing is such a question mark. This was supposed to be his contract year, where players show off what they can do in order to pony up a big contract by the end of the season. However, the current market for decent goaltenders is crazy high. Just look at Rick DiPietro's deal. I'm pretty sure Deano is willing to take a hit now, rather than pay for another quick fix next season. This allows him to give the glut of young goaltenders in the Kings' minor league affiliates a chance to grow into big league netminders. And if there's one thing the Kings have a glut of, it's goalie prospects. Between goalies Brust, Fukifuji, and Bernier have, logic dictates one of them has to pan out.

When Bernier was drafted this last year, it spoke volumes of how highly he's thought of. Al Murray thinks he could be a Brodeur-esque goalie. According to several draft lists, he was the top netminder prospect. However, he's only 18, and he needs to work out in the minors for a couple of years. A couple of years? Why, that's when Cloutier's contract is up... Hmmmm. Let's hope he can live up to expectations. Or at least surpass the expectations of the last goalie the Kings took in the first round.

Remember Jaime Storr? He was the last goalie taken in the first round by L.A in 1994. He was "the goaltender" of the future for years, while being stuck behind Hrudey, then Dafoe, then Fiset. He got a chance to split time with Dafoe for one season, 1999-2000, then a chance to start the following season, when he posted a 19-18 record. He was pushed back behind an older Felix Potvin in 2001.

Let's hope the Kings bring Bernier and all the other goalies along gradually and let them show what they can do, rather than try to find a quick fix for a season or two. Avoid heaping on the pressure by playing with their heads and let the creme rise to the top. One of these goalie prospects must be for real.

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...in a few years.

So Dean Lombardi has done it again, by trading Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger to the Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and super defensive prospect Jack Johnson. Johnson is rated by hockeysfuture.com as the third overall best prospect currently. This is a tremendous deal, but will not affect the Kings' chances of making the playoffs this season. In fact, it may decrease it some. But, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

However, I think Deano has been looking over my shoulder when I play my EA 2004 game. You see, in this game for the Playstation2, you can run a franchise for 20 seasons in the game. You can pick a team, draft the roster and run the team, it's quite in-depth. So much so that I haven't finished it. (I've just finished year 19, with my pernnenial winger, Ilya Kovalchuk, 30 points away from Wayne Gretzky's actual all-time scoring record.) During the course of the game, you have to deal with keeping your salary low while keeping butts in the seats. It was a tough thing to do, until I read a stategy that makes it super easy to stay young while winning Cups.

You just keep track of who was the number one pick the previous year, and remember who drafted him. Then, when the season starts, you offer that team some crappy player and a draft pick in exchange for their number one pick. Rookies are usually rated low when they enter the league, so it's easy pickings. The game's AI is stupid, so it'll trade if the ability levels are the same. Hey, it's a video game... there's always a glitch.

This same thinking has allowed Lombardi to cherry pick two highly-touted prospects this preseason, first with Patrick O'Sullivan, drafted #56th overall by the Wild, and now Johnson, drafted third overall in the Crosby draft of 2005. The Hurricanes get immediate help on their blue line with Gleason, since several 'Cane D-men are shelved with injuries. And the Kings get a young defenseman who, according to Deano himself, should finish the season in Michigan and be in a Kings uni by the end of the season!

The loss of Eric Belanger opens up a spot of Kopitar, who has had a great preseason, and the Kings get a vet on defense who's good on the offensive side. As far as I can see, L.A. has Kopitar and O'Sullivan penciled in for the big roster. When was the last time the Kings had a top C prospect, top LW prospect, top D prospect, and a top G prospect in their farm system? Never. Dean clearly has a long-range plan for the club. This season may be a lost cause, but look out in the near future.

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Getty Images

The Frozen Fury preseason game may just be a slick marketing scheme to get fans to go to a game that means absolutely nothing, but this year's version may have been the best ever.

A come from behind victory is always thrilling, but this one is especially exciting. Three unanswered goals, topped by a goal from the Kings' top prospect, Patrick O'Sullivan, from a pass by the Kings' second top prospect, Anze Kopitar.

I share the opinion of many Kings fans who think that L.A. should allow these kids to mature together and play at the same level. All signs point to O'Sullivan making the club and Kopitar being sent down for a while before being called up later this season. But, I think these two should be playing and gelling together to form a formidable duo.

Could O'Sullivan/Kopitar be the next Jagr/Lemeiux, Selanne/Kariya, or dare I say, Gretzky/Kurri? I think eventually these two players will be lighting the lamp regularly for the Kings in the near future. I just hope they get the right amount of playing time together to see if it can happen. Too often, players get bumped to the big leagues before they are ready. Expectations of being "The Next Big Thing" are often heaped upon these young players, causing them to buckle under the pressure. If more than one guy can shoulder the load of being a team's "savior", it would make for a better chance of success.

One thing is for sure, the duo of Kopitar and O'Sullivan are something special to watch.

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to one purchase I made 10 years ago, I am the recipiant of the NHL catalog with all the latest clothing and knick-knacks being offered to the masses for the coming season.

This can only mean one thing: Kings fans need not look any further. All the cool stuff gets relegated to teams that made the playoffs, while the Kings gets lumped in the All teams available category of items, which consists of generic shirts and whacked-out apparel.

I get more and more irate when I flip through the catalog, looking at the haves and wishing we weren't the have-nots. It steams me even more now that the Ducks had more items that the Kings.

However, I was surprised this year. As I was flipping through the 2006-07 catalog, I came across two facing pages of a variety of merchandising grouped by room. On the left was a kids room decorated top to bottom with Dallas Stars stuff. On the right was a rec room bathed in the red and white of the Red Wings. I glanced at some of the items and saw the usual disclaimer: select teams available.

I just rolled my eyes and flipped the page and came across another two page spread. On the left was a living room donned in the black, white and yellow of the Bruins. I smirked at the goudy antique stained glass lamp and my eyes settled on the right hand page. It was covered in Kings items! I had to do a double take, so I blinked hard and looked again. It was true.

The Kings were representing office merchandise. There was a Kings blotter, letter opener, desk clock, wall clock, pencil holder, calender, cigar box... it was amazing. I had never seen such a collection of Kings things in one place. Then I realized that as cool as it was, all those things were for people who actually have nice desks at work. I'm lucky if I can find a spot for my water every day.

I quickly closed the magazine and threw it down, before I started to try and justify why I need a wooden Kings memo pad holder. I mean seriously, do I really need a $30 plank of wood with a Kings plate to hold my Post-It notes?

I don't think so.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...and all is right with the world.

Rob Blake was one of all all-time favorites on the Kings. Mostly because he was a home-grown talent for the Kings, and seeing him evolve into the Norris award-winning defenseman coincided with the Kings arrival to success.

When he left, back in 2000, it was a huge blow to Kings fans. Many felt affronted by Rob when he spurned the Kings and decided to take a shot at the Stanley Cup with a better team, the Colorado Avalanche. Many fans began to boo him. Lustfully. And I was one of them.

If you aren't donning the purple and black, you are the enemy. And Blake was the enemy. But then, it became much more than that. It became a swipe at Blake and his "greed" for more money for a lot of fans. Many simply don't understand that the NHL, out of all the major sports, have the least amount of job security. I mean, what can an ex-NHLer do? Some go into commentary and sportscasting, like Marty McSorley did last season for FOX. But, the shelf life is really small. You gotta take the big pay-day when you can. And that's what Rob did, and I can respect that.

So, I stopped booing Blake and started counting the days until his return. When Luc signed for one season last year, I knew that the Kings would bring back Rob. It just made sense. And having him out there on the ice tonight... well, it's been a long time, but... the fans were cheering him.

Even Bob Miller made mention of this, when he scored the Kings' only goal against the Sharks. Fans were standing, and clapping, and cheering for Rob Blake. And that should be music to any Kings' ears.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, training camp opened this week for the Kings, and not a moment too soon. The summer has been a long one, and last season's disappointing ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially losing to the hated Ducks.

A team , filled with promise at the beginning of last season, unraveled and left the team splintered. The casualities? Andy Murray and his staff. Dave Taylor. And the fans. It was an odd season, where many fans touted the team having their best lineup of talents in recent memory. Many were left scratching their heads and wondering what happened.

So, a new GM was hired, Dean Lombardi, and a new coach as well, Marc Crawford. Deano has a reputation of turning franchises around, his last team being the Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks. So many fans have high expectations.

Dean's first order of business? In June, he traded Pavol Demitra on draft day to the Minnesota Wild for touted prospect Patrick O'Sullivan and a first round pick, which turned out to be center Trevor Lewis. The Kings also had the 11th pick overall, and selected Jonathon Bernier, the top goaltending prospect in the draft.

July 1, the Kings brought defenseman Rob Blake back from Colorado. Four days laster, Lombardi signed veteran goaltender Dan Cloutier. The move puzzled some, since the Kings had been platooning 2 goaltenders in 2005-06. But, In Dean We Trust. He also signed veterans Scott Thorton, Ayln McCauley, and Brian Willsie, all who figure to make the club this fall.

He also resigned Eric Belanger, Michael Cammalleri, Mathieu Garon and avoided arbitration on Sean Avery. All signs point to no more mores, but the roster has been completely shuffled, in my opinion. SportsIllustrated.com gave Deano a C+ for his efforts this off-season.

I'll reserve judgement until I see the boys in action this season. In the past, the Kings came out of the gates flying, mostly do to the frantic line scrambling of the mad scientist Andy Murray. But, invariably, teams would figure out the smoke and mirrors of Murray's game plans, and the Kings would plummet back to reality: just out of the playoffs but never all the way down to snatch the first pick of the draft.

With Crawford, Lombardi, Blake and a new skate sharpener*, the Kings are ready to find their way once more. Here's to a productive preseason.

* - the skate sharpener comment is aimed at former King/current Coyote/constant pain in the rear Jeremy Roenick, who complained of being unable to skate in an NHL.com chat last season because "It's the inability of certain people to cut them the right way to get the right radius on them. I use a different kind of cut, and for some reason we just haven't been able to find that happy place."

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)