Defense analysis

Thanks for the good reaction over the last couple days on the analysis. Today we'll get into the defensemen:

ROB BLAKE (14 goals, 20 assists in 72 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2007-08
When a player reaches his late 30s, it's probably time to start grading on a curve, but it's tough with Blake because those of us in Los Angeles remember the youngster who dominated in the mid- to late-90s. Those days are gone. There were plays Blake made (or more accurately, didn't make) that made me cringe throughout the year, especially considering his $6-million salary, but he remains a solid defenseman, a power-play threat and, perhaps most importantly, a mentor for Jack Johnson. Hopefully for the Kings, Blake's level of play doesn't slip again next season.

KEVIN DALLMAN (1 goal, 9 assists in 53 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2007-08
What you think of Dallman probably depends upon your expectation level. If you're thinking of him in terms of a top-four defenseman, you'll be disappointed. If you think of him in terms of a guy who can give a team a few solid minutes a night, he's not bad. He hasn't shown much offensive ability -- even though he's versatile enough to jump up and play forward if needed -- and he's not very big, but he moves the puck pretty well and doesn't take a lot of penalties. Ideally, he's a sixth or seventh defenseman.

PETER HARROLD (0 goals, 2 assists in 12 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2007-08
I know there's some debate about Harrold. Kings brass thinks pretty highly of him, and thinks he might be able to step into a lineup spot next season, but some fans are skeptical. It's hard to say. He didn't show a ton in his 12 games with the Kings, but remember that he had been out of college for just a few months and was an undrafted free agent. To go from that to cracking a NHL roster in his first pro season, well, he must have been doing something right. The book on Harrold is that he's a solid all-around player, and he showed some decent offense in Manchester. We'll probably get a better look at him next season.

JAMIE HEWARD (2 goals, 6 assists in 19 games with Kings)
Contract status: Free agent
He's a nice guy, but honestly I didn't see much here. The main upside to Heward is supposed to be his offensive game, and when he arrived there was talk of how he would help the power play, but as you can see from the numbers above, it didn't really happen. To Heward's credit, it's tough to join a team in midseason and feel comfortable, but it's not a stretch to think that the Kings can find a better replacement on the free-agent market this summer. Heward is doubtful to return, in my opinion.

JACK JOHNSON (0 goals, 0 assists in 5 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2008-09
Who? Is there a guy named Jack Johnson who people are interested in? Well, under any circumstances, five games is not sufficient time to judge someone, particularly because Marc Crawford gave Johnson essentially no instruction, by design. He didn't talk much to Johnson about his philosophy, or even what they wanted to get done on the power play. He didn't want to mess with Johnson's head. He wanted him to play with instinct and just get a feel for the game. So if Johnson looked a little lost out there at times, that's probably why. Now, did I see anything eye-popping from Johnson in those five games? No. But I also didn't see anything to make me question whether he will be a great NHL defenseman. The skills are there, but they need to be molded. He's a great skater with a great shot and great instincts. Those five games helped him immensely, from a familiarity standpoint, and he should benefit from training camp as well.

AARON MILLER (0 goals, 8 assists in 82 games)
Contract status: Free agent
A year ago right now, I honestly didn't know if we'd ever see Miller on the ice again. He'd gone through so much with his back, and the hip surgery seemed like a last resort. Well, it was, but it worked. Here's what I have to say about Miller: there are many nights when I didn't notice him. And that might sound like a slap, but it's actually a solid compliment, because I shouldn't notice him. Miller's game isn't built on offense, so you're not going to notice him in that end, and if you notice him in the other end, it's probably because he made a mistake. He exceeded my expectations this season and I wouldn't be surprised if the Kings brought him back on a one-year deal to be a steady veteran defenseman.

JAROSLAV MODRY (0 goals, 8 assists in 19 games with Kings)
Contract status: Free agent
I'm still trying to figure out how he ended up with a plus-1 rating with the Kings. If somebody has the answer, fill me in, because right now I'm thinking he did it with smoke and mirrors. I'm well aware that Modry is at the bottom of the ``most popular'' lists when it comes to all-time Kings, so avoid the temptation to jump all over me when I say that Modry wasn't awful. Perhaps my expectations for him were so low that
he was better than I expected. That said, there's not a place for him on this team next season. The same issues that plagued him during his first stint with the Kings are still there, and he was a throw-in on the part of Dallas in the Norstrom trade.

JOE PISKULA (0 goals, 0 assists in 5 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2008-09
Piskula is another guy, like Harrold, who is intriguing. I was a bit surprised to see him in the NHL this season, and he got sent to the bench when Jack Johnson arrived because I don't believe the Kings wanted two college kids in the lineup at the same time, but Piskula is going to run into the same problem next season. If Harrold makes the team, are the Kings really going to have Johnson, Harrold and Piskula, three kids, making up three-sevenths of their defensive corps? Doubtful. Unless Piskula has a brilliant summer and training camp, I think it's more likely that you'll see him in Manchester, for at least one year.

OLEG TVERDOVSKY (0 goals, 4 assists in 26 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2007-08
Well, that didn't work out too well, did it? Tverdovsky had a minus-10 rating in his 26 games and really didn't do anything to show he deserved to be in the NHL, which is why he cleared waivers and got sent to Manchester in February. The Kings would do backflips if they could get his $2.5-million salary hit off their roster next season, so don't be surprised if a deal is worked out for Tverdovsky to quietly go back to Russia, or something along those lines. Either way, it's almost certain he won't play for the Kings again.

LUBOMIR VISNOVSKY (18 goals, 40 assists in 69 games)
Contract status: Signed through 2007-08
No player has been hurt, on an individual basis, more by playing on a bad team than Visnovsky. On a better team, he would be an annual Norris Trophy candidate, or he would at least be in the discussion. The fact that he managed a plus-1 rating on a team this bad says everything you need to know. Well, not everything, because he also totaled 18 goals and 58 points. Consistency was a bit of a problem for him in the early years, but those days are gone. Everyone saw how things fell apart for the Kings (even more than they had) when Visnovsky missed the last couple weeks with a broken foot. He's a top-level offensive defenseman and at age 30, still has a number of quality seasons remaining.

MIKE WEAVER (3 goals, 6 assists in 39 games)
Contract status: Free agent
I'd put him in the same category as Kevin Dallman. If you're not expecting too much from Weaver, you might get a pleasant surprise. It's doubtful that he's ever going to get much better than he is, and his skill set is very limited. He's a guy who will bump people and mix it up, but is that really worth a roster spot? He's a good guy in the dressing room and might be worth keeping as a seventh defenseman, in that sort of role. It's odd. Marc Crawford made Weaver a healthy scratch for much of the season, but later in the year, when Weaver got some action, Crawford had some good praise for his game. Maybe he will get another one-year contract.

And here's a recap of the contract situations:
SIGNED THROUGH NEXT SEASON (OR BEYOND): Rob Blake, Kevin Dallman, Peter Harrold, Jack Johnson, Joe Piskula, Oleg Tverdovsky, Lubomir Visnovsky
RESTRICTED FREE AGENT: None
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT: Jamie Heward, Aaron Miller, Jaroslav Modry, Mike Weaver

Coming up tomorrow: Goaltenders.