Is this the day?

Go Dean go, go Dean go. It is critical a deal gets done now, these one on one's should have happened months, or at least weeks ago.

Please please please let this be the day and let the deal be a good long one.

Whether this team finishes 15th in the Conference with or without O'Sullivan is irrelevant (as well as a foregone conclusion, even if the games have yet to be played.) This guy is ready to become one of the elite scorers in the NHL, and will most probably lead the team in goals this season.

While the Kings 2008-09 highlight reel will most probably fit on a 3x5 card, if I'm spending as much money as I am to support the product (while watching my sport of choice,) I certainly want to see O'Sullivan's upside realized. I know Kopitar and Brown can't have this negotiation completed soon enough!

It's about friggen time. I guess it's better now than later after the season starts.

Which agent is Dean talking to? Mark Guy, Pat Morris, or maybe even Don Meehan??? Sounds very positive. Can't wait to see what the contract is gonna be!

1 year = Deano folding and Patio gone next year.
2 year = compromise and Patio possibly being a King for a long time.
3+ year = a huge win for kings fans, Deano, and possibly Patio depending on the numbers.

Rich,
How about starting a poll to see who thinks if O'Sullivan will sign a short term (1-2 years) or long term (3 or more)contract.
If he ends up signing a short term contract, I wonder if he will get booed a lot at the Staples Center.

well I don't care how good he is, I have had it with holdouts. I want to go to the games to cheer my team, but when they are spoiled greedy pigs, then, sorry, it is impossible. He is 23 - he will be rich, far far richer than 99% of any of us, and he is holding out? To hell with that, I will boo him, from my upper deck, season ticket paying,arse. Get rid of him and bring in someone who wants to play hockey.. and we wonder why we have 40 years of failure here.

Dear Santa -

Please provide early presents to the suffering Kings fans:
O'Sullivan signed today
Kopitar and JMFJ extensions done before camp opens next year.

thanks for listening.

I'm curious peaches (sweet name!), I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the way you do, so I'm wondering, what do you think about the other side of the coin? Do you think O'sullivan should just sign what Lombardi offers him first? Do you think it's possible the people who own the team might be far, far, far, far more greedy than an NHL player can ever be? And that it might be a good thing to be tough in negotiations with a juggernaut like that? What would you do in that situation?

Maybe if we all write a letter to Santa it may work!!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2008/10/not-quite-fit-f.html

Sounds promising.

The more this O'Sullivan drama goes on the more I love Dustin Brown for making a 6 year commitment to the LA Kings. He's got more experience with this team than POS and he could have taken a shorter deal and gotten the hell out of here for more money. He didn't because money is not his first priority, the team is. If Sully stays out much longer, send his butt packing. He's not God or Ovechkin or Crosby. This kid had one good full year in the league and now I'm assuming his agent is telling him he deserves superstar cash. B.S.! Prove your worth before you start making demands. If Brownie can take $3 mil a year, then POS should be happy if he's even close to that. Grow Up! I wish I had 1/10th of that for a salary.

Wavesinair and Peaches --

It's not binary. It's not either POS is greedy or AEG is greedy. Of course, AEG is greedy; they're a business. But you don't need to bring AEG into the argument, since DL would have to be insane to give POS a deal that would undermine the very next big deals he has to negotiate.

And, as far as Patrick O'Sullivan goes, there are many possible interpretations of why he might hold out for a bigger contract. My interpretation is and always has been that his agent has advised him to wait till as close to the season opener as possible to get the most out of DL and Patrick said, okay, go for it. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that POS has (forgive in advance the psychobabble) issues with "father figures." I think it's far more plausible that he's simply trusting his agent to do right by him.

I don't think people (Peaches aside) are going to boo Patrick O'Sullivan. I sure won't.

As far as predictions of what any forthcoming deal might be, here is mine:

Chance of a deal under three years: 0%
Chance of a deal between $2.8 and $3.8 million per year: 99%

If DL signs him to a short term deal, he has a lot of explaining to do.

Hey Peaches,

POS isn't holding out. He doesn't have a contract and team management instructed him to stay away from training camp until the issue is resolved.

I'll take any contract at this point, but I can't imagine it's less than 2 years or else I'm fairly sure Dean would let him sit some games out, he certainly seems totally prepared for that. I'm just glad to finally have some positive news, instead of the "well, it's not negative" type news we've been getting all summer.

If today is the day, then today is a very good day.

This is great news if the deal comes through today. I wonder if he signs today, if he would be in the lineup Saturday?
I would be completely shocked if the deal isn't for 3 or more years. It it's for less, then what was the delay? Either way, lets hope this moves the process along for a Kopitar and JJ deal.

I don't understand why would you boo Sully? the guy is looking out for himself and trying to get the best deal for himself. I don't blame him the same as I don't blame DL. This is called negotiations. I don't think anyone here who works would want to take less than they should, just to be nice.

This is very bad news. I was hoping to get some work done today, but now it looks like I'll be hitting the refresh button all day.

Seriously, I'm hoping for a three or four year deal; a one-year deal just sets up the same drama next summer. The Kings are asking us to pay for potential, so Lombardi should be prepared to do so as well.

Don't forget DL pulled this poop when he was working with San Jose also

Not Impressed & Peaches:

That sounds like a good idea. Why don't we boo O'Sullivan to make SURE he doesn't want to play for the Kings when his next contract is up because he hates it here. That would be a great way to get more UFA's to not sign here as well. Everyone loves playing in a city where they booed because their agents were greedy and because the GM of the team told you not to come to camp even though you wanted to. In case you weren't aware, it's not his choice weather to sign or not. These kids are told by their agents not to worry about contracts and they'll get looked after. Do you really think any kid in his early 20's wouldn't want to sign a contract to play hockey for $2 million dollars per year for 10 years if he could?

Booing a young player is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Maybe a vet like Blake who can make his own desicions or Radulov who obviously had a say in wanting to leave Nashville, but O'Sullivan? He's never said one bad thing about playing for the Kings or Los Angeles as a city, only that he's frusterated because he doesn't have a deal yet which he has no control over. Leave the kid alone and applaud him when his agent and GM finally allow him to get back on the ice

Peaches, et al.

I agree with your sentiment about hold outs. Of course he is considered a hold out. He hasn't signed a contract and is still negotiating, so yes. That's holding out. *What* he's holding out for is the $64,000 question. I don't think it's a matter of $$$. I've heard it's more the length of the contract. He wants a short contract and the Kings want to lock him in for longer. In my mind, that's even greedier than wanting money. It looks to me like POS wants to capitalize on the exposure he'll get as a top forward on a weak team (kind of the big fish in the small pond mentality) so that after a couple of years he can bail on them and go elsewhere for much more money. Why would that be attractive to the Kings management? What precedent does it set for future negotiations with future RFAs? The Kings have nursed this kid and paid big (Dimitra) to get him because they thought he would be a great player for them to have. And how does he repay them?

I won't boo him *when* he returns (I can't boo my own team, even Blake) but he's going to have to regain my trust and affection. Right now he reminds me of a very young Eric Lindros refusing to play in Quebec because he would have to pay higher taxes in Canada than in the US.

I sure hope this is the day, because, in the immortal words of The Duke, "it's getting to be re-goddamn-diculous!"

Don't boo Sully. I think it's safe to say that almost all of us want to keep him here and playing at his top level.

well ..here is the thing..I have been in this situation before (sort of)...I was a member of the Second City, and was making, okay money when the owner came and said, sorry everyone we are reducing all your pay by 50%. Now, I coulda quit, I coulda filed a complaint with Equity, I coulda had my agent get on the phone and make a scene, or I coulda gone to the press, and made a stink to make them look bad,....but what I decided was I really wanted to be there, I wanted to get better ( and after all they were the ones who were giving me the break I needed)
and IF I was any good at all then the money would come eventually. So, sorry, this guy is not a UFA, he has only 1/2 a decent season under his belt, and I had my ticket price upped. To hell with him. I am not a robot who just loves all Kings. O' Sullivan is a fool. And do not give me this crap about aeg. We know he is being offered in the millions.

I only brought up the question of booing POS or not. I think the majority already said they would not. But it all depends on the lenght of the contract. If POS signs for 1 year only and DL caved, I think POS will get plenty of boos...

Why would PLENTY boo Sully?

If DL gives him one year, would you boo him "NOT IMPRESSED?

and WHY?

Peaches - I have to say, you're all over the place.

You complain about O'Sullivan and being greedy when the BILLIONAIRE Kings are raising your prices for a team that's finished bottom 3 the last 3 seasons?

You complain about O'Sullivan being greedy because he's not willing to sign for less than he could possibly get elsewhere? This isn't Second City and there are 29 other teams in the NHL alone who would possibly ink the guy for 4 million + per season.

You complain about O'Sullivan, yet you are ONE season seat holder spending how much? If you don't like huge sports contracts, why are you funding them with your "hard earned" money?

Too many drama classes, not enough critical thinking.

Harry,
If Sully signs for 1 year, I would interpret that to mean he wants out of a last place team with rebuilding going on long into the future. And I can hardly blame him. But I'm a Kings fan, not a Sully fan, or any one player. I hope he signs a long term contract. If he wants out, I will boo him from my livingroom.

Sorry, Cristobal, but 29 other teams already had the chance to tender him an offer and none of them dead, so this reason is moot.

cristobal said:
Peaches - I have to say, you're all over the place.

You complain about O'Sullivan and being greedy when the BILLIONAIRE Kings are raising your prices for a team that's finished bottom 3 the last 3 seasons?

You complain about O'Sullivan being greedy because he's not willing to sign for less than he could possibly get elsewhere? This isn't Second City and there are 29 other teams in the NHL alone who would possibly ink the guy for 4 million + per season.

You complain about O'Sullivan, yet you are ONE season seat holder spending how much? If you don't like huge sports contracts, why are you funding them with your "hard earned" money?

Too many drama classes, not enough critical thinking.

Cristobal,

There's not a lot I can do about the "billionaire Kings" (by which I assume you mean AEG) except to not give them my money. I *do* give my hard earned money because I love the game of hockey and I support my team, win or lose, first place or last place, right or wrong. I would have no problem with O'Sullivan going to another team, if that is his choice. But has he declared that he isn't interested in playing in LA and to please just trade him? Not that I've heard. He's a 23 year old, with less than 2 full NHL seasons under his belt. He's played in 126 games, showing 72 points and a -14 rating. Are these the numbers of a superstar? Someone who could and *should* demand top dollar? I understand it's probably not about the $$$ the Kings for which want to sign him but the length of the contract. Tell me honestly, what NHL team is going to give a relatively untried player a short term, multi-million dollar contract without some guarantees he's going to stick around? As I mentioned in another post, this reeks of Eric Lindros. The Kings have been very good to Patrick and I just think he could show a little more respoct for his team, his teammates and the fans of this town.

I still think that it is in POS's best long term interest to sign a three year deal. Murray knows that this year is for building a long term team. If POS has a one year contract, does POS really believe that Murray would put him on the top line knoning he would be gone next season. No way, Murray needs to find who has the ability to play off each other this year. POSs production will not match his "end of the season run" last year if he is with Stoll and Frolov. Would you want to go into a contract year with your production down and possibly the economy heading south.

Deadcatbounce - It is not moot because he is not unrestricted. Signing a restricted free-agent can lead to the loss of numerous first round draft picks, Lombardi's Peanut butter and jelly.

Yes, it is a moot point because 29 other teams could have signed him and none of them offered him a contract. What don't you understand about this??? I'm glad the Kings inked him, though!

deadcat - what I don't understand is what you don't understand. A RESTRICTED free agent, if offered 4 million a year and signed, would cost the team much more than just the salary. Do you not understand RFA rules and that?

Yes, good they signed him. Glad its done.

Cristobal, when you were flaming peaches, you wrote,

"You complain about O'Sullivan being greedy because he's not willing to sign for less than he could possibly get elsewhere? This isn't Second City and there
are 29 other teams in the NHL alone who would possibly ink the guy for 4 million + per season."

Well, none of them offered him a contract of any kind. It's easy to speak out of both sides of your mouth, but please try to be consistent.

deadcat -

Find the rules about Restricted free agency.
Under compensation, see the 1st round draft pick rules.
Compare the salaries of players like Stoll, Finger, Campbell, Penner, Hossa.
Know the rules.

You have to understand the rules of free-agency.
Other teams would love to have the guy for 4 million, but the compensation....
Unrestricted, the guy would go to the highest bidder.

cheers