O'Sullivan contract

Man, that's a great deal. 3 years at a very fair price AND he's still RFA afterwards. This is pretty close to a long-term commitment from O'Sullivan.

All is forgiven! We love you again! No hard feelings?

LOL @ all those who were expecting 4 mill a year....patience grasshoppers!

well, technically he won't actually get $2.925 per year if it is front loaded ($4M first year is what I've read), that's what his cap hit will average out to be.

Happy day.

Bottomline: happy day. Just hope now POS isn't bitter about how long this took. I tend to blame the agent (i.e.: doing his job) ... and hopefully he warned Patty long ago it could go deep.

Drop the puck already. Welcome back POS!

why was this so hard to reach???

great deal for both sides!!!

see it hear first!!!

thx Rich

That's it. That cheap Bastard GM. He should have at least given him what Andrei Kostysyn received in Montreal ($3.15 Mil). They're stats are almost identical.
I still can't believe that DL pays Handzus and Calder a ridiculous amount of money, and acts cheap when it comes down to their talented corp players.
No wonder S.J. dumped him. When JJ, Kopi, and Sully become UFAs, they are as good as gone.

Lombardi just hit a home run.

The Little Lebowski says:

Nicely done DL.

We're still weak in net but Patty should help offset some of those cheap goals against.

Whoally crap...that's it? Sully caved, BIG TIME. Or his agent did.

If POS was bitter, I highly doubt he'd sign for 3 years. Right?

This, in my view is a huge signing for the Kings future.

Go POS!!!

Go Deano!!!

Go Kings!!!

Ya Baby....I feel good.

Back to chemistry:-(

Very smart move by Sully. I'm sure he'll get nothing but CHEERS from the fans!

if sully was bitter ..there is NO WAY he would sign a 3 year deal. Once again, I think that most of us read more into this impasse than was probably called for. As DellaNooch or Quisp or someone said earlier - this is the name of the game in sports these days. Lets just hope that we don't get to the point where hockey players end up like football or baseball players where they sign a contract and then hold out to re-negotiate. Of course with Bettman at the helm of the league, nothing surprises me- he's done more harm than good in my opinion.

regardless - its good to have Sully signed and let the games begin!

This made my day. Thanks Rich! Now lets hope he's ready for opening night!

Anthony:

OK now it's official. You obviously just spew out words of hatred for whatever happens in the Kings world just to get a rise out of people. It's getting really old man....

Jeez Louise, Anthony!!! Are you *ever* satisfied!?!? It's *an average* of $2.95 million, with $4 million paid the first season. The glass is half full, not half empty.

No, I'm happy he's signed.
I just think he's worth more $$$.

I think Anthony is a liability and should be traded

Nice signing by DL...and a bargain to boot...

Welcome back POS...

No winner or loser here, the right price and the right terms for both sides.

Man, I would love to be 23 years old and be making $9 mil for the next 3 years (knowing that 2 seasons ago I was in the AHL for a spell). It is great POS is signed though. And the start of the '08-'09 season brought an urgency for both sides. That's what deadlines often will do. And it's not like the money isn't fair. Stoll got just a bit above this and he has more years in the NHL. All in all, both Brown and Frolov look like steals with their contracts,

Now the next question is what kind of shape POS is in? AND...he's missed game time and a training camp with a new coach. That said, bet Kopi and Brownie are smiling today.

I rarely reign in here...but Anthony: COME ON. Seriously. COME ON.

It took DL, AEG & POS nearly 90 days to reach this agreement? To quote Frank Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond....."HOLY CRAP!!"

At this rate, it will probably take DL 180 days to sign Jack Johnson & 270 days to sign Anze Kopitar, with his paralysis of the analysis ways.

Please put DL in charge of scouting and bring in someone who can actually manage the team.

According to Cap Central at Hockey Buzz...

this year: 3,175,000
next season: 2,800,000
3rd season: 2,800,000

Cap wise the Kings aren't the lowest anymore. Nashville is, until Clune, Zeiler and Cliche get sent down.

Cap: 44,699,617
Payroll: 40,307,500

Lombardi didn't hit a home run here, but he certainly got into scoring position. When Kopitar and Johnson are locked up (hopefully during the season), then I'll think he knocked it out of the park. But this is fantastic news!!!

that should be enough to pay the billets to shut up ;)

Congrats Dustin and Anze... you have a pulse.

(and note, P O'S WILL lead the Kings in GOALS this season.)

Deano is the man and Sully isn't greedy after all.

The front-loading is brilliant: It makes the contract worth more for Sully since the 4 mil will accrue interest, and it gives the Kings extra cap room in the following two years since we know it isn't an issue this year.

so i can come off the ledge now?

Great job DL Brilliant contract for both parties. The Kings lock up Sully long term (3 yrs is long term these days) Sully gets to be UFA at the end of the deal. The $ was fair as well.
Anthony..we're in a cap system in the NHL...If you want to overpay people, eventually you'll have to get rid of guys you need. The object is to keep the salaries down in future years when you'll need the $$ for Kopitar and JJ. Sully gets the $4mil the 1st year when the Kings have the cap room. He'll get less when we need the space for the other guys.

Brilliant DL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he will be traded before the year is up!

No David. Lombardi standing his ground on this contract gives him more leverage in upcoming negotiations - agents will know that he isn't bluffing when he sets his demands (i.e. "nothing under 3 years").

Anthony, I think this a fair deal all the way around. If POS continues to get better, and there's no reason to think he's not, he will get paid handsomely in three years. 9 million now, 30 million next time around when he proves his worth on a consistent basis. He's doing just fine.

Finally! Best news in a while :)

I think this signing proves Dean was low balling Patrick at first

Crash - maybe if you had a rare talent, you'd make 3 mil a year too.

Anthony, I love your disgust for the failings of the franchise, but this is a good deal from the initial glimpse. Lombardi doesn't overpay a guy who still has a lot to prove, and he didn't destroy a relationship with a player who has those RARE qualities necessary to achieve good things in the NHL. If its frontloaded, even better as there is no need to squander the opportunity to gamble on a players health and growing pains by paying him more while the teams salary numbers are so low. As critical as I am of what Lombardi has DONE, I'm hoping he has found the handle and some of the recent news is positive. Moeller and Simmonds sound like they are very promising later round picks, everyone is talking about Doughty being mature beyond his years, and there was no wasted money this summer (though I think Stoll is a bit overpaid). Willsie is gone, Zeiler will be out of a job, and, hopefully, these young players make the team their own. C'mon Brown, C'mon Kopitar, C'mon Doughty.

Cool.

Now what will the lines look like?

Does Simmonds or Moulson go to Manchester? Does Moller go back to Junior? Do they all stay up and play and Boyle goes back to the AHL?

Where is Sully getting paid $4 Mil?
Hockey buzz has it $3.175 first season and $2.8 next two seasons.
Where does this $4 Mil come into play?

Cristobal, maybe my post didn't read how I meant it. I wasn't trying to be disparaging to Sully, just saying that he's had one and half seasons in the NHL. $9 million for 3 years is GREAT - and he's worth that - but not $4-5 million a season, not yet. I've watched NHL hockey since 1968 and realize that hockey players have a specific talent and are paid well for it. Just like certain tall athletes that can run up and down a court and shoot a basketball through a rim.

I think this is not only a great deal for the Kings, but for the NHL in general. Setting a precedent is a major part of negotiating, so hopefully this fair deal for all sides revives the "2nd contract" tactic that Kevin Lowe somewhat made irrelevant.

A positive post from cristobal! This truly is a tremendous day for the Kings ;)

Waiter ....uncork the champaign now please! WOO-Hoo!!!!

Big star in Lombardi's cap.

Good day for DL.

Gosh...if anyone can find fault with this deal....it's because you are personally bitter about something else. i mean really...contracts, players, draft, future....never looked better for this franchise. I've been a Kings fan for 30 yrs....and now i see the light. Even if it takes a little longer...I feel as though we fans are a bigger part of the future. SO STOKED!!!Way to go DL!!

anthony said:
Where is Sully getting paid $4 Mil?
Hockey buzz has it $3.175 first season and $2.8 next two seasons.
Where does this $4 Mil come into play?

And you call yorself a lawyer?

JDM - I'm not opposed to being positive about the Kings when they do positive things. This is a positive.

Crash - Perhaps I read your statement incorrectly. I don't cotton to those who say athletes are spoiled and overpaid because they want a share of the profits. Sports are big business and the ones on the field are not the greedy ones. Those who complain, like peaches, should have gotten up at 4 in the morning from the age of 5 to practice and acquire a talent that could earn them riches. Otherwise, I don't see the need to complain about salaries. There are holdouts every year, many of which do not destroy relationships. Its business, after all, at that point.

The only negative here is O'Sullivan's conditioning. Will he be ready for the pounding just 4 days from now? Will they ease him in, in order for his fitness to catch up?

Finally, for those who think O'Sullivan lost, and Lombardi won, I think differently. They both get what they need, and the Kings hold on to a guy who has proven himself at every level. He's always adapting to the play and he's always been able to score. Patio will also be able to bail on the club, if the UFA stuff is true, if they fail to build a REAL team and the mess around at the top continues to stifle any chance of the team achieving its goals. Good deal, Lumbo.

cheers

Hey Anthony, how is POS being under paid? He had half a good season last year. So if you were the GM, would you really give him 4+ million a year? If so, he'd probably tank like how Lubo did last year after getting his $$. Make POS earn his money and PROVE that he's legit before shelling out the $$$...it's a cap system now, so you've got to know who you're going to pay and how much. Next year's cap would probably be lower since the economy isn't great and that would probably mean less people going to games. So that's less revenue.

JDM - By the way, despite my penchant for negativity, I have continued to point out that the NHL as a whole seems very weak compared to the teams of a decade ago. Perhaps its just hindsight being 20/20, but there are so many young players and so many 4th line types littering teams around the league that anything is possible. I've used Washington as an example, but look at their roster and its very underwhelming. When I consider that the Kings have Kopitar, Brown, O'sullivan, Frolov, Johnson, and now Doughty; along with the steady (hopefully) addition of Stoll and all they really need to make the playoffs is a goalie that wants Greatness associated with his name and possibly one good puck moving defenseman. Heck, even with the current defense, a great goaltender could manage a good playoff run. I'll stick with my 50 point season prediction, but the weakened state of the NHL could make me look silly.

cristo - I know bud, if anything that was point, finally news so good that you are totally jazzed as the rest of us who have been optimistic with no real good reason the last 3 months.
And you're right, NOBODY loses in this deal really. Sure SUlly may have wanted a little more money, but he's getting about what Frolov's second contract paid, he still has an arbitration year left, and bonus for Dean he set the precedent he wanted to set and no one had to miss a game during the season.

Wow cristo, never thought I'd hear you say we have a dark horse chance at the playoffs. Can't bump up that 50 points to 60 at least with Sully signed and Doughty looking to be the real deal?

I agree about the NHL overall though. Sooooooo many scrubs. The last expansion really decimated the talent pool.

Baumgartner22, here's a hand to help you off that ledge! It certainly is good news, isn't it? I wonder why, Anthony, if you're so bitter about O'Sullivan not getting the $3 mill plus that you say he deserves, you don't cough up the dough for him yourself? Someone on here said you were an attorney, so you should have it unless you've been disbarred...

Whoever said he'll be a UFA when the contract is over is wrong. He'll have one more year as an RFA.

Kozak said:
I think Anthony is a liability and should be traded

Yep for Willsie LOL

Why am I , or most people not surprised by Anthony's comments. It's a fair deal for both sides. When he puts up consistant numbers year after year, then he can get his big payday. It funny Anthony , you bash DL for overpaying experienced veteran players, yet your willing to overpay a guy who has had ONE decent season and then call him cheap for not paying what YOU think he deserves. Unbelievable.

If Deano hadnt signed Patrick it would have been a huge black mark against him. Having traded our Number 1 ppg player in Pavel Demitra for POS and Minn#17th pick trevor lewis and then to lose him or have to trade him because of a contract impasse. After losing Cammi(arbitration, again contracts) this would not have looked good for our future contract RFA's coming up in a few years. Im still getting over the whole Dan Cloutier thing, and letting MGaron walk for keeping JLabarbera was a mistake.

anthony said:
That's it. That cheap Bastard GM. He should have at least given him what Andrei Kostysyn received in Montreal ($3.15 Mil). They're stats are almost identical.
I still can't believe that DL pays Handzus and Calder a ridiculous amount of money, and acts cheap when it comes down to their talented corp players.
No wonder S.J. dumped him. When JJ, Kopi, and Sully become UFAs, they are as good as gone.

Please tell me that there was some sarcasm in there. This is all good news man! Nothing bad about it... nothing!

$3 million, very fair contract. Congratulations to both sides, for getting this done!!!!

Well there are Kings fans smiling all over tonight. Sully's signing for 3 years sends a message to Kopi, JMFJ and the others that he's commited to staying. My guess, the three years worked out for both sides. DL gets RFA and probably a longer deal in the long run. Sully gets to see what his market value is three years from now and gets a front loaded contract worth about 3mil a year after just one good season. Both sides did well on this one.

It's still going to be a very long season everyone but as I've said in the past, the future is bright. Way to go DL, thanx for doing what you best, build hockey clubs. And welcome back POS!

David said: “It took DL, AEG & POS nearly 90 days to reach this agreement?”

You’re absolutely right David. Totally unnecessary and ridiculous. There is no message being sent to other players or agents or GM’s other than DL’s boss is unwilling to spend what it takes to create a perennial winner here in Los Angeles. This deal should have come long ago.

nykingfan said: “The object is to keep the salaries down in future years when you'll need the $$ for Kopitar and JJ.”

I’ll believe the big bucks are shelled out when I see it. Until then, I want you to remember your statement when the “just sign already!” chants are singing surrender next summer and calling Kopi a greedy bastard. Remember, all this money is being saved for Kopi and JMFM. Right? Right. Yeah right!

simonsez said: “This contract gives him more leverage in upcoming negotiations.”

Really? Who with, Kopitar? Because Kopitar and Patio are so similar? This negotiation did nothing but reinforce the idea that Lombardi is not a good negotiator. DL’s admittedly impatient negotiating style led to Patio sitting out all of camp for a 3 for 9 contract! Totally ridiculous. I can only hope Lombardi doesn’t let this happen next summer.

Proof said: “I think this signing proves Dean was low balling Patrick at first.”

Absolutely. No question. And that's probably when Patio said, "Ok, then I'll take a 1 year deal instead."

Bottom line: Fair deal for all concerned that should have been done a long time ago.

wavesinair

regarding contract negotiations...lets use a different sport for a moment.
In the NFL..Why are rookie contracts not signed until just prior to training camp? For the most part, negotiations move quickly when there is some kind of deadline looming. That's when there is motivation on both parts. I hope that's not the case with Kopitar or JJ, but it's certainly possible. I would seriously doubt that hard feelings will come about because of the time frame in getting the deal done. It's all about both sides compromising to get the deal done. Maybe if DL had come out in the media bashing either the agent or player and forcing there hand in taking a bad deal, you can say that...but that wasn't the case here.
Lets all be happy that the deal is done and we can get back to watching the Kings have a successful season.

Let me get this straight. It's a good deal for all concerned. But it's also evidence of DL low-balling POS. And the reason it's low-balling is apparently that, although the deal they made is fair, DL obviously offered less initially, and THAT offer was low-balling, causing all the problems.

That's called negotiating. If DL starts off offering $3MM/year and doesn't budge, there is no deal. Both parties begin negotiations at some distance from the deal they will accept finally, so that they have room to move in the negotiation. To sit around criticizing DL for initially offering less is just as crazy as criticizing POS for asking for more. You just CAN'T criticize DL for not "getting this done sooner" while at the same time saying it's such a good deal for everyone. The only way for one party to get it done sooner is to cave. I would think that would be obvious. But somehow it's not.

And, p.s., nobody has ever said anything about "saving the big money for Kopitar and/or JJ" so there's no reason to take an "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. DL is not trying to save money on POS that he can then SPEND on Kopitar and Johnson. He's trying to keep ALL of his players' salaries in check, because if you overpay one of them, you have to then overpay ALL THE OTHERS.

"That's called negotiating."

Nope. That's what YOU call negotiating. Creative solutions are not your bag, I get it. Your other points are just as narrow-minded. Saying "can't" over and over only makes it true in your reality. He could have done it sooner. He even said he had no patience for the process. He admitted his weakness to everyone. And with your limited ability to consider alternate solutions shows your weakness. In your world, it would be impossible for Selanne to be working out with the evil team without a contract, yet it happened. Just because it's business, doesn't mean it has to be contentious.

"Nobody has ever said anything about saving the big money for Kopitar and/or JJ"

What are you talking about? Many people have said this in one form or another. Your if/then statements are very limited and have no basis in fact. There have been many players overpaid by LBL, yet magically, Brown and Patio weren't!

Wavesinair --

Nope. That's what YOU call negotiating.

That's what it is, by definition. All you are doing is revealing your ignorance and prejudice.

Creative solutions are not your bag, I get it.

Just saying "creative solutions" doesn't mean you have any...

...nor does it mean there or that there are any possible, given the parameters set by the CBA. As you obviously don't know, there could be no incentives built into POS's contract, so a lot of the so-called "creativity" has been taken out of the negotiation process. Aside from how much and for how long, and the specific break-down of how much in each of the given years, there is virtually nothing of any significance that can be varied in the contract.

But let's hear about it. Give me an example of a creative solution that you would have employed.

Saying "can't" over and over only makes it true in your reality.

Your definition of "over and over" is...once? But you're right, of course. You can say it. You said it. I wouldn't say it.

He could have done it sooner. He even said he had no patience for the process. He admitted his weakness to everyone.

I really don't know what admission you're talking about. I'm sure you can cite the relevant quotes. (please do)

But it's still a negotiation about money and number of years. That's it. You think DL can sweeten his pension contribution (he can't)? Health insurance coverage (he can't)? Red M&Ms in a little bowl in the hotel rooms?

And with your limited ability to consider alternate solutions shows your weakness.

Your evidence of my limited ability to consider alternative solutions is what? The fact that I mentioned that a negotiation traditionally has two parties make offers and counter-offers and meet in the middle? That's how it works. What's the alternative?

There are two: (1) the two parties say their two numbers; one caves; (2) the two parties say the exact same number and agree.

In your world, it would be impossible for Selanne to be working out with the evil team without a contract, yet it happened.

That's not impossible in my world. It happened in my world. (he did have a contract, by the way; a try-out contract.) As you know, the Selanne situation was unique, and his agent was not trying to get the most money or the best contract for his client; he was just trying to get him signed to the Ducks. Also, he was a UFA (see above).

Just because it's business, doesn't mean it has to be contentious.

Exactly.

What are you talking about? Many people have said this in one form or another.

I was responding to a comment of someone's: "I’ll believe the big bucks are shelled out when I see it. Until then, I want you to remember your statement when the 'just sign already!' chants are singing surrender next summer and calling Kopi a greedy bastard. Remember, all this money is being saved for Kopi and JMFM. Right? Right. Yeah right!"

What I am talking about, is this: the money is not being saved "for" Kopitar and JMFJ; this makes it sound like you think DL is going to take the money he saved by screwing over POS and give it to Kopitar and Johnson. That is a fundamental misunderstanding of how the projected salary cap payroll works and what DL is saying about it. The rationale for not overpaying POS now is that to do so would mean you would have to overpay Kopitar and Johnson (and everyone else) later. It's not, "we'll save now so we can spend later." It's "we will not overpay this player now because that mistake would be multiplied many times over later and then we will lose the core of the team."

Your if/then statements are very limited and have no basis in fact.

I made one "if/then" statement. It was, if DL's initial offer was $3MM/3 years, and he refused to budge, there would have been no deal. The agent would also have refused to budge, and it would have been open warfare, the very same contentious atmosphere you have been lobbying against. For "basis in fact," ask any entertainment or contract lawyer.

There have been many players overpaid by LBL [sic], yet magically, Brown and Patio weren't!

UFAs and RFAs are different. Do you really need me to explain why?

I agree Quisp

as far as being creative...DL said it in his statement...the CBA does not allow for creativity to get the deal done...the negotiations are basically just length and $$.
I still don't understand the premise of DL lowballing Sully...The initial offer should always be your lowest offer....you negotiate off that offer. Same as Sully's agent first figure is his highest. If you're not agreeing with that premise, then you have no idea about negotiations.

I was one of those that used the phrase "saving money" I meant it the same way as what you stated quisp. It's all about keeping the contracts as low as possible so that you can fit more players under the cap.

Wavesnair: I don't understand how you can say that DL showed his weakness. He signed Sully to a fair contract that won't bankrupt us in the future...Sully's in camp and will be available to start the season and there appears to be no animosity that came from the negotiations. It seems to me that its a win-win-win...DL won, Sully won, and the fans won. It's all good.

Waaay too much time on your hands Quisp. I have neither the time nor the inclination to counter each of your assumptions, but I’ll try to clarify a couple of main points.

There are many, many different tactics in negotiations. Starting with a low-ball figure and arguing for it is just ONE way of starting a negotiation and NOT the only way. There are many alternatives. I hope you understand this. Don’t argue about it with me. It is a fact. When I mentioned creativity, which you still cannot come to terms with, I meant creative negotiating tactics and NOT creative bonus clauses in the contract. Of course I know that bonuses are now very limited by the collective bargaining agreement.

Lombardi comes across as an aggressive negotiator. That’s just my take on him. My approach would have been to use many more cooperative strategies to start negotiations. They have been shown to be much more beneficial by avoiding such emotions as frustration, which was exactly what happened. It didn’t have to be that way, as I tried to explain to you to before.

LBL said, “All the grinding that was done in the last couple days, that's where (Solomon's) experience really comes in, because he had more patience than I did.”

There you go. I’m sure you’ll interpret this statement differently than I did, but it is clear that LBL admittedly has less patience than Solomon and as a result, other agents now know this (or already did). Your if/then statement once again only shows how ridged you are about negotiation.