Hitting a lull

Rich,

Any idea who that big name would be?

Rich,

What do you think the Kings will do? Not asking you tip any hands but I'd like your opinion on what would be a good move for them to make.

Rich,
IF you were DL would you be looking at Orpik, Hainsey or someone else?

Everyone is assuming the Defenseman "Who Shall Not be Named" is Brooks Orpik, and it might very well be...

But, what if it were actually another defenseman, say a skilled Russian two-way defenseman who has good size (6'3" 205), is a LEFT SHOT, can log a ton of minutes, is the same age as Orpik and happens to hail from the same town and played youth hockey on the same team as a RECENT KINGS' SECOND ROUND PICK?

What if that were a possibility? Cuz it is...

Exactly what top defenseman are left? Orphick coming to
LA? I kinda doubt it unless the Brinks truck backs up to his house. I would also not classify him as a top
defenseman but he is useful. Looks like AEG cut Deano's
allowance after last years FA binge (giveaway) and he is missing out on all of the fun of overpaying mediocre
players millions more than they are worth. Montreal
could not give Ryder away last year and Boston signs him for 4 million. I guess the NHL is doing okay if all
these bridge and gap players can make this much.

Teamhasholes, who are you suggesting?

Dmitri Kalinin??

I blame Sundin for the lull. I respect his right to take his time and ponder his future but this isn't senior year in high school for some 3.0 student. He is wanted by teams that need solutions immediately. If you are the Canucks or Habs, how long do you wait for Sundin? While they are waiting, will some other teams snatch up all the other scoring forwards? Time is of the essence, big guy.

haha, thats my guess too... I think Kalinin could be a good choice, he is big and good in both ends of the rink..

Markov, lawl.

teamhasholes, the only person i can think of would be Dmitri Kalinin but would you really call him a two-way a skilled defensemen.

with that said, i wouldnt mind having him in the fold.

Daniel!

I think youre frustrated of waiting, dont try to fish for excuses to blaim Sundin.. He has all the right in the world to wait before he makes his decision, the guy dont even know if he wants to continue playing yet..

TeamHasHoles,
Intriguing...
A player fitting that description on the list of "big name" available UFA's is not jumping out at me.
Might this "Defenseman Who Shall Not be Named" come by way of an FA signing OR a trade?

Paul Mara could be a good addition as well..

trying to figuere out what lombardi is going to do is like trying to guess tonights winning lottery numbers. i just want something to happen cause right now i feel like a Jehovah Witness on Christmas morning.

By the way, "skilled" might be the wrong word, but he's offensively savvy and definitely plays a good 2-way game. He won't be a PP QB, but he'll make the good first pass out of the zone and he has great poise. Pretty good skater too.

Remember DL wants a LEFT SHOT as he stated to RH, all the other comparisons and things he has in common with Voinov are great too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Kalinin
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/players/Dmitri_Kalinin/

Rich,

When you spoke to DL, did you get the impression that by his comments they had pitched an offer already? Or by have their eyes on, did he suggest that they were mulling whether or not to submit an offer?

No, they're serious about this guy. Already talked to him. It's definitely not just a ``mulling over'' situation.

Sundin would be a jerk for not resigning with Toronto after he refused to waive his NTC before the deadline last season.

Kalinin sounds like he could be a good buy, if Orpik doesn't happen (and definitely sounds like the one they're pursuing right now)

I agree with that tsaiguy, maybe not on the "jerk" part, but I think he will not be popular in Toronto if he goes to another club after he stated before deadline that he had his heart in Toronto and "It wouldnt be the same to win the cup for another team".

Looks like the Kings are just gonna sit back and watch every good player go elsewhere again. Not one top offensive player will be left, by the way don't they have like 84 defensemen on roster already? WHO is going to put the puck in the net, maybe the new coach- oh yeah we don't have one of those either.

Right Danny, because scoring was an issue with this team last season, and we didnt bolster our second line center possibilities PLUS we don't have three potential stud forwards battling for a job come fall, right? RIGHT?

stay the course, Dean. Don't listen to the naysayers!!!

Kalinin has missed A LOT of games the last 5 years with injuries. Not a good idea to sign him, IMO.

I wouldn't worry about injuries. You can't predict them and short of a physical stating that the guy has a potentially recurring injury, very few GMs worry about it either. They focus on talent and fit for the team.

Kalinin is a good fit and has talent, is the right age, a left shot, etc.. etc...

Since this seems to be the most crowded thread at the moment, I just want to take the opportunity to ask a question to all of you. How come you starting to cheer for the Kings?? How long have you all been kigns fans. When I started to take interest in hockey my idol was Gretzky, and when he was traded to Kings, so was my heart. Since then I have been cheering for them, and following them for better or for worse..

Unrelated but...Is it too late to buy out or trade Handzus? Hate to be pessimistic but does he provide the experience, leadership, grit, scoring, (fill in the positive attribute here), to justify his salary? I heard a lot of talk at seasons end about him "bouncing back" but he's got a long way to bounce. Hasn't the acquisitions of Stoll kind of made Handzus obsolete?

Don't get me wrong here, I will always be a Kings fan. But watching the free agent frenzy last season, when the Kings slept in on day one, and finally caught a break signing Brad Stuart- only to dump him later in the season, my frustration is finally rolling off my tongue. Also Brooks Orpik will not help this team, unless he packs Crosby in his suitcase.

Danny,

You do know this is a Kings blog correct? Did you notice last year we couldn't keep pucks out of our goal? Did you notice we had no D'men that could throw a check? Which 84 are all-star caliber?

our D still sucks and will suck all season unless these dealings are done, 1 + Blake (assuming he offers the Kings a reasonable price). the only question is who will be the 1.

the only F I'm concerned with is O'Sullivan and I know the front office is doing whatever they can at the moment.

Swede - two answers for you.
First, my comment re: Sundin did respect his right to be a free agent. My point is that is it not just about him. Teams have lightening quick decisions to make. July 1st can not move just for certain teams or players. He has to be as prepared as the others. If he is not ready, then declare retirement until he achieves some form of clarity. That's all.

Secondly, I first got into the Kings during Luc's rookie year. But I became a true fan of hockey during Gretzky's first year. My dad took me to a game against Winnipeg at the Forum. They won 2-1 in overtime. Just watching how the line shifts rotated on and off the ice was an eye-opener for me. It was my first live game. Just shows what you miss when watching on TV.