On rumors...
Here's what TSN said in a story today:
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One report out of Ottawa had 2008 Hart Trophy candidate Evgeni Malkin on the move from the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins, while Jason Spezza's name continues to be mentioned as possible trade bait. The latter claim was quickly disputed by the Senators' chief deal maker.
"You guys make up more stuff than I can ever imagine," Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray told reporters on Thursday. "I heard a rumour last night that Pittsburgh was moving one of their star players. I talked to their manager today to see if I could be included in the discussions and they kind of laughed at me."
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Pretty much says it all.
I'm still waiting to hear from Lombardi. Chances are, he will call about five minutes after I walk out of the office. But if there's an update to be made tonight, I'll certainly make it.
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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.
Why doesn't it surprise me. I guess the bloggers need something to write about.
TSN had Bryan Murray(Sens) on the air saying there was no truth to the rumors. Murray says he also called Shero (Pens) to ask about the rumors and if he could get in on the action and said there was "some laughing".
Less than 24 hours to go folks - lets try to remain calm.
My Predictions:
Cammy and Calgary's 2nd round pick to Edmonton for Pitkanen and Stoll.
#2 = Doughty
#28 = Tikhonov
Note that Murray did not say that Pittsburgh is not shopping the pick, only that they laughed when he (Ottawa) asked to be involved, as would be expected when one of your lead competitors in your Conference comes calling for arguably your best player. Would Lombardi not laugh if Burke came asking about Kopitar?
Shero also may have laughed at Murray because Bryan spits when he talks...
Rich, you're stealing my comment from the previous post! Good job. Love it when people follow my lead. :)
dom, you don't want Pitkanen. Injuries and questions of motivation are all over that guy. If we make a move for a young puck mover, we should try moving our older puck mover first (like say Vishnovsky for Bouwmeester). We could really use a physical shut-down type guy instead, and I'd be of the opinion if Cammi is moved, his asset would be better spent getting that type of player.
And I know all the talk about Cammi and the contract realities are there, but really this is not a guy we want to see traded. The only thing that has fans talking about him as a bad apple is the arbitration. Before that this guy was the top contender for future captain of this team.
Any move that improves the team long run should be supported by fans, but people should not be happy to see Cammi go just for it's own sake and just because they like having someone to kick around. He is a quality player.
The commentary at tsn.ca has been excellent....Barring something unforseen, it's going to be Doughty...This kid can skate, shoot, has uncanny hockey sense and looks to be the 2nd best player in the draft.
Tikhonov...I like the name and the bloodline but so much can happen at 28th which I believe DL will dangle to move up, throw in Cammy and go for possibly another high end defenseman, at least that's what I'm hoping.
TSN makes some interesting comments about DL and the "ton of picks" LA has in the 2nd & 3rd rounds. Look for DL to move those around to move up or snag a proven defenseman via trade. Also, Filatov....This kid intrigues me, he looks very good and we know DL has had chats with him and the family. Quite possibly DL can't live without him but it would take some manuvering to get him.
capt. Mat has apoint about Cammy. He is a competitor.
I am thinking Cammy is going to put up huge numbers next year because his contract is up next season and I believe he is going to be a free agent. He is going to the highest bidder. He has no plan, IMO, to resign with the Kings.
The question is at what point do you move him?
Now or at a "potentially" higher value period @ the trading dead line.
Me thinks trade dead line.
Captain Material,
Cammalleri is a gnarly player for sure. I wouldn't be happy to see him go, but of the Kings wh
Captain Material,
Cammalleri is a gnarly player for sure. I wouldn't be happy to see him go, but of the Kings who could be moved, I'd be the most ok to see him go. I want to keep Vis here, hell, he's our guy, has been our guy, and bad season aside I want him to continue to be our guy. It's sad that he doesn't pair well with Frolov however (who is a much more dominant player in my opinion), and with Brown/Kopi/Sully making such a killer line, Cammy is at a bit of a loss. He deserves to be a top line player, but I don't want to break up our great trio. Maybe with the right player added, Cammy and Fro could make up an awesome line. Ultimately though, of all our players with any real trade value, I'd be the least upset to see Cammy go. I don't want him to go, but I won't fault DL for trading him as long as it's either to move up in the draft or grab a good young shut-down defensemen.
For what it's worth, one of the hockey programs on XM radio did a mock draft. The first 2 Kings picks were.....interesting....:
#2: LA Takes RW Nikita Filatov
The commentator who conducted the draft said that if Filatov had been playing in Canadian juniors, everyone would be talking about him being just as good as Stamkos.
#28: LA Takes D Cody Golobef
I've never heard of this kid. He's currently playing at the University of Wisconsin. Was a teammate of Sam Gagner & John Tavares in juniors before going to college. You can read more about him here:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=11502
He's #48 on their list.
I would really like to get Filatov, but if we take him at #2, we have to trade picks/players to get a young defenseman.
Rich, you are a trooper and I salute you for your work.
Rich,
Thanks for all you do. This site is amazing. That said, if you leave your office and miss Dean's call, I will never forgive you!!!