Forum answers IV
Here's the last set of answers for now. Thanks for all the good questions this week and how about Dallas, huh? One more win and things will get really interesting...
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Question: 1.)Recently Dean was on "in the slot" and said that he was going to fill in the backend with UFA Defensemen. Which UFAs do you see us going after?
2.) who aside from Cammi do you think is on the trade bloc -- if anyone? Lubo, Preissing, Prospects?
3.) Do we trade the Dallas pick?
Answer: 1) I think we've been over this a couple times now. Expect them to look at all the top free-agent defensemen. It's impossible to just target some. There's too much competition.
2) I don't believe anyone else is being outright shopped, but that doesn't mean names can't come up. Given Visnovsky's new big salary and awful season, I doubt he would draw much interest this summer. There are so many prospects that certainly some of them could come up for discussion. Bernier and Hickey would not be among them.
3) If there's a pre-draft trade to be made, I think it's a good bet the Dallas pick will be involved.
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Question: What would it take for the NHL entry Draft to be held in Los Angeles? It seems to always be on the east coast
Answer: Well, at the moment Tim Leiweke is busy trying to get the NFL Draft in Los Angeles because, you know, there's such a huge demand for the NFL in L.A. Right. But if they had the draft in Columbus, why not Los Angeles/Anaheim? I think it's a natural.
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Question: And also, Rich, from your perspective, do you know how much of their budget the Kings have allocated to Kopitar? Best guess?
Answer: Whatever it takes. They can't lose Kopitar and they know it. That's a good position for the player to be in, as long as he maintains his strong play. I'm certainly not talking Crosby/Ovechkin $9-million territory here, but Kopitar won't come cheap and the Kings will just have to bite the bullet.
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Question: So here is the question - why doesn't AEG sell if the Kings consistently lose millions year after year after year as they are so fond of telling us? I am still in shock that my seats went up 10% after last season's nightmare, no matter how much they try to sell the value of an increase. And another thing - no disrespect to Robitaille but I am sure he never finished high school in Canada so how is he qualified to be President of the Business Division? Wouldn't a team supposedly losing so much want an experienced, educated businessman to turn things around? Or am I to blame for thinking Lies-Weekly hired him in a PR move in the belief fans would not turn on one of their own?
Answer: As much as AEG wants to cry poor-mouth about the Kings, they won't sell. If nothing else, the Kings fill Staples Center 41 times a year, fill the parking lots and keep the concession lines long. Plus the Kings give AEG a fantastic ability to cross-promote so many of their other teams/properties. The real question you should be asking these people is, what are AEG's priorities in Los Angeles, and where do the Kings rank on that list? As for Robitaille, I can't speak to his qualifications compared to others, but he's certainly no dummy. He's a bright guy who knows the sport and I believe during the lockout he started dabbling in real estate. Certainly there was a PR element involved and I guess only time will tell whether or not that was the correct hire.
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Question: Rich, any chance the fans can petition for Blake's number not to get retired? Anyone that strips their C off a King's jersey doesn't deserve to have their number retired. Let him have the Avalanche retire it.
Answer: I suppose you could petition, but I think it's pretty much a done deal.
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Question: First, was there any talk within the organization or attempt made to sign Brunnstrom? Just curious... Second, has there been any mention of the availability of Ron Wilson with the organization? Just fishing here...
Answer: Those are easy: no and no. The longer answer is, I'm sure is/was talk. There's always talk. But it's just talk if nothing else happens, right?
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Question: Also, perhaps I missed it but I haven't seen any follow up on the whole "Why are the Kings saying they're broke" question. Has anyone in the organization talked any more about that discrepancy you yourself called into question?
Answer: Stay tuned on that one.
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Question: Do you see DL being in the Hot Seat if next years performance is similar to that of last season.
Answer: Another last-place finish in the Western Conference? Yes, certainly. But if the team/organization shows solid progress, no.
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Question: In one of your answers, regarding signing free agents, you seem fairly certain that the Kings are NOT interested in going after a goalie. To be honest, that shocks me considering it's the Kings' #1 need. If they aren't going after a free agent, what do you think their plans are in net? Ersberg? Bernier? LaBabara? A trade (maybe on draft day)?
Answer: LaBarbera would have to be considered the favorite at this point, but you can be absolutely certain that Bernier will get a long, long look. In the Kings' view, this isn't the right time to trade for a goalie. And to be fair, it's not as though a goalie is the only thing standing between this team and the Stanley Cup. There's a lot of work to do in other areas before the Kings start to get to that point. And, in their view, by that point Bernier will be ready. I guess we'll see, right?
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About Rich Hammond
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
-- And to be fair, it's not as though a goalie is the only thing standing between this team and the Stanley Cup. --
But it IS a fair assessment to say goaltending is the difference between worst in the conference and a #8 seed in the playoffs. You gotta crawl (make the playoffs) before you can run (win the Cup)!
On penalty kill alone a better more consistent goalie would have gotten us that far. Not like the Kings have trouble scoring goals.
Thanks for the responses to all the questions Rich.
In regards to my question about goalies, the one you answered last, I'm not really advocating trading for a goalie, although the Kings could probably get Emery for a song.
I'm really looking at the possibility of signing a free agent. There are presumably a few "name" goalies that are going to be UFAs who could "hold down the fort" so the Kings don't have to rush Bernier. Guys like Kolzig, or Theodore would be more capable goalies then LaBarbara and would give the Kings a chance at the playoffs. Plus there are other guys out there who would probably be available via trade, like Tim Thomas who would also fit the bill.
All I know is if the Kings trust this team to Jason LaBarbara again, it won't matter what defensemen they sign. We can start talking now about drafting John Tavares.
i'm not saying the goalie position is one that doesn't need to be addressed, but one other thing to consider if you go after a UFA goalie is the length of the contract (in addition to price). Any worthwhile UFA goalie is going to want a multi-year contract and would probably receive one, especially if there are other teams bidding. If you conservatively pencil Bernier (here I'm not considering the other prospects)to make the Kings not this coming season but the following, do you really want your big UFA $$$ invested in an acquired goalie that might be a #2 and still have a couple of seasons left remaining on a big contract?
And speaking of big $ on a goalie to ride pine, i beleive any buyout of Cloutier would count against the cap. If this is the case, the cost for a potential buyout plus UFA goalie may not make sense for the possible return.
As far as the possible return a UFA goalie might provide, check out the stats below for Kolzig and Theodore. Would any of these guys really make that much of a difference behind a poor kings defense (see save %)? and if the kings defense improves, wouldn't Labs' #s improve above these other UFAs (less GAA if SV% remains the same)?
GAA SV% Salary this season
Kolzig - 2.91 .892 $5.45M
Labs - 3.00 .910 $0.8M
Theodore - 2.44 .910 $6M
regarding goalies. kolzig will not get 5.45 m and he will likely retire to get a job in the caps organisation. theodore will not get 6 mill on his nect contract and he will likely resign with avs for half the price. Emery is another avery so we dont need him. And beachballs buyout will count against the cap but it will be spread over 2 or 3 years. And they will not be an upgrade from labs. Labs need to get in better physical shape and loose some weights and work on covering up the pucks and stop giving up the rebounds.
Regarding Fabian Brunnstrom, if he's such a good player that teams would line up to sign him, why wasn't he on Team Sweden in the World Championships?
I know I'm not losing sleep over Dallas signing him.
I believe there are two important ideas to think about regarding the Kings 2008-09 season.
Fans:
Expectations. Try to decrease the emphasis on them - whether high or low. Take away the anxiety. Enjoy the organizations development and progress for what it is, a process that has no guarantees but unlimited possibilities. Choosing to be optimistic and positive is a lot more fun than insisting on being pessimistic negative. Give each guy a fair chance. Trust that the GM and Coach want to win just as much as you do.
Players:
Execution. Compete on every play, they're all important. Make the simple plays. Manage the puck and the clock. Exert your will to make the right decisions. Insist on everyone being responsible and hold everyone accountable. Old time hockey - it's not how many fights you win, it's how many you show up for - wins the fans hearts every time.
Solid defense on any team with average goaltending can somehow have a chance of making the playoffs. If J.S. Gigure were playing for the kings last season there would have been almost no difference in the outcome. The kings had an awful time containing the opposition with numerous lapses in their own zone. Defense is the most important aspect of hockey. Without it no team has a chance of success. This area for the kings needs to be remedied and DL knows it. So I think this is where DL is going to concentrate most of all to fix.
Roger
why all this talk about Labarbara? Has everyone already forgotten about Ersberg?...by FAR the better goalie of the two and I would feel pretty confident with him between the pipes for us from the get-go
Speaking of Ersberg, Rich, has there been any talk of re-signing him? Is DL even interested? Do you think they will?
Until he is signed his name in these discussions kinda has to be tabled.
I can speak to Robitaille's qualifications a bit ... Luke has always been a business man. One of his closest friends - if not closest is Pat Brisson who has quickly made a name for himself as a player agent and possible GM some day. Pat and Luke played juniors together and have always had a close friendship and business relationship even so much as a shared interest in the Iceoplex years ago. I know that Luke has learned a lot from Pat and has even helped his wife Stacia's singing career as well (not that it went anywhere - despite being one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet!). Lets face it though - it doesn't hurt that he is probably the most recognized and well liked Kings of all time. The kings are smart to get him involved in ownership/management and what he lacks in knowledge he will pick up with time and experience.
I'd like to say that even if we had Patrick Roy in net last season, we still would not have made the playoffs. The goalies can only do so much especially when there is no defense helping them out. I don't think the Kings need to trade or sign a goalie. I think we need to enlist a couple of veteran D-Men to support our golies. That's just my opinion.
Rich,
What is the salary cap for next season? What is the minimum cap amount?
Thanks, Ed
Thanks for all this info Rich, you're awesome.
I'd like to return to the Robitaille question for a bit. I don't really think having an MBA or a GED is THAT important. But given that he's spent his whole career playing hockey (not gaining business experience), I find it hard to believe that he's qualified from picking up stuff here and there. Do you get the feeling that he's actually in charge and making decisions or do you think he's still just picking it up?
I've read a lot of quotes over the years, and heard from people who've talked to him, and the stuff that you quote him as saying...it just doesn't sound like Luc. I'm sure you've talked to Luc a lot over the years, does it sound like him talking when you're there? Is he trying to "fit the part" with stuff he read or stuff they prepared as a group?
Perhaps Luc is eyeing a future GM post.
He may have to compete with Blake.
God help this organization if that happens.
I was never big on former players handed a front office job solely on the persons name or what he accomplished on the ice.
That's just plain old STUPID.
Anthony, Lombardi will be the GM of this team for at least the next 2 decades. Think Lou Lamoriello.
Luc and Blake can go elsewhere if they want to be GMs.
Lombardi will be the GM of Kings for the next 2 years
and then he will probably be out of a job. It is scary
to think that he thought 07-08 team could be a playoff
contender. If he actually believed that we should all
be scared. When I look at his drafting record in SJ his
last couple of years I shake my head. A GM is supposed
to address his team's weaknesses and after 2 years and
3 years of drafting this team is still missing size on
defence.
Yes, I agree with the last anonymous comment.
Most of Lombardi's movements have been one disaster after another (especially his free agent signings), with a few exceptions.
A few more points in the standings is not equivalant to success. At this rate, we're going nowhere fast. Won't see the playoffs for at least 5 more years.
He'll be gone when his contract is up.
Hopefully sooner.
He's no Lamoriello, nor will he ever be.
In regard to some previous comments:
1. Robitaille never said he wants to be the Kings GM.
2. Blake hasn't even retired yet.
3. The Kings have a GM who is NOT a former "name" player who was undeservedly handed the GM job.
4. Lombardi has had 2 drafts with the Kings. His 3rd draft STARTS a MONTH from now.
I said it before and I'll say it again. It is fascinating how some people bitch and moan about future events that THEY have INVENTED in their own delusional minds. The only purpose of this pathetic "game" they play is to bash on people they just don't LIKE or UNDERSTAND.
There are many wonderful highly skilled and caring people out there who can provide therapy and medication for those with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, malfunctioning brain processes and all the myriad of debilitating and OBNOXIOUS mental and behavioral problems people can have. A few of you may want to try it.
i thought you guys might find this article interesting from TSN.CA today...
it compares how detroit and pittsburg both built their teams with homegrown talent within their systems yet took very different paths in doing so.
at the very least it removed my pessimism for the day.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=238313&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl
xoxo,
jack
I would me more optimistic if Stamkos was the one.
I agree with Andre on Labs etc, and Jack Handy thanks for the perspective / link.