Purcell's power play

Let's hope Murray's strange system continues to bring the best out of our players.
Purcell had an incredible game and for the first time the LA power play looked dangerous with him getting a chance.
Maybe Murray will pull his head out and start giving his young guys a chance to take on a role with the team and do something other than backcheck.
Maybe a power play for that Lemieux/Ivanans hybrid you shucked back to Manchester?

Good to see the young guys having some good games, hope he can build off it and earn more minutes. I rather have Purcell in the lineup then say Calder.

I must admit, I didn't see much there when Purcell played last year and this year, but something appears to be turning for him in the last couple games. He is showing great vision on the ice and is showing glimpses a top 6 forward in the making. I hope so at least.

EAT, you hit the nail on the head...TM's strange system does seem to bring out the best in our players, particularly the young ones. He likes to demote players down to Manchester as a way of getting their attention. A slap on the head, if you will.
I think at times we've all commented negatively in some way about the head games TM seems to like to use on players, but it's sort of odd how things seem to work out with these individual players after he does. It also seems that DL, TM, and the rest of the coaches hold seniority at a high regard when it comes to the younger players, just as it was mentioned when they had to decide between bringing up Bernier or Quick. You combine that with the effort that TM is looking for in players every night on every shift, and I think you can see how he arrives at some of the decisions he's made. It's all fine with me as long as the young players continue to develop and the team continues to win.

ETR...Purcell needs to EARN PLAYING TIME, not have it handed to him.

Every one of these kids must EARN PLAYING TIME, not have it handed to them. What is it with everyone just wanting to hand jobs to 20 year old kids who haven't proven a thing?

Oh, and Murray isn't giving responsibility to the kids?

Doughty, Brown, Kopitar, O'Sullivan, Greene, Simmonds...ALL getting huge minutes, and regardless of what anyone thinks, they are all still kids insofar as their playing career's go. Even Jarret Stoll has only been around 5 years.

mrbrett,

You can't earn what you don't get, and while some of our starters are doing other things than scoring, Calder, Ivan, Zeils, and some seem to get the time despite not getting it done in areas in which we need more - scoring.
Boyle has always worked hard for this team and I find it ironic that they've been impressed with him lately because of SCORING when they said he needed to be meaner and more physical with his body.
The fact remains Murray has given certain players more space to work through learning on the job, and has been too limited in his experimentation.
Boyle was NEVER used on the power play and was passed over like others have already proven themselves when the entire team still has a ton to prove.
I think the play of Lewis, Purcell, Harrold and Quick shows that Murray doesn't really know how many tools he has. He's still discovering that he may have better combinations and skill.
Granted, there's a lot on Murray's plate, but maybe we're spending too much time on over-priced guys who aren't getting it done.

ETR: mrbrett7 is totally right. While you have your opinions of what should be happening, mrbrett7 is talking about what is actually happening.

DL wants these younger players to be defensively responsible to the team and not cost us in the small time they have before they'll be issued more opportunity.

You just don't get to play 18 minutes a game because you are talented. They use the mantra: you have to show us you won't hurt us, before you get a chance to show us how much you can help us.

Responsibility on the ice defensively is what gets you playing time. That is why Trevor Lewis is getting that 1st line time now. He is totally responsible back-checking while being offensive going the other way - something Purcell didn't do as well.

I'm not sure if you've watched the games in Manchester or not - I haven't. I'm sure there is more to his game than just scoring from what I've read in the game write-ups. It's been reported that he is controlling the game with his play. That is something the Kings wanted him to do - dominate the ice when he is out there. I think THAT is why he is getting the call-up, not the scoring.

Either way, I'm glad that he has rectified whatever the Kings asked of him with this trip down. I hope he can do it when he is up here next. I also like how Bernier played to impress with O'Connell and Solomon in attendance.

“They use the mantra: you have to show us you won't hurt us, before you get a chance to show us how much you can help us.”

This could not have been better said by a professional. We need to keep our eye on the goal. That is to build a perennial winner during the regular season and during the second season. Defensive responsibility is the core attribute to obtain the goal.
TM has had maybe 50 games with these guys. That is not a lot of time to figure out who has the puck skills, skating, maturity, and the heart to go all the way. TM will probably continue to take a peek at a few more guys during the second half. It is not at all about head games, but more about who can play within the team's system. Some will prosper, some will need more time, but many will at least have an opportunity to show they can fit on this team. I do not believe a player can ask for more than that.

Responsibility on the ice defensively is what gets you playing time. That is why Trevor Lewis is getting that 1st line time now. He is totally responsible back-checking while being offensive going the other way - something Purcell didn't do as well.

This comment, with all due respect, is pure hogwash.
Boyle played in at least a half-dozen games this year and was never a defensive liability but once - when he got sent to the line of doom known as the 4th.

Lewis was invisible until they put him on a different line and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one sent back down. When did Boyle ever get a decent shot after duty on the 4th line for a number of games?

Purcell was placed on the 1st line IMMEDIATELY upon being called up. Another opportunity Boyle was never given.
I'm the one talking about what is really going on and what is really going on is that Murray doesn't really know what he's got yet. If Boyle is playing better right now it's because he actually has the opportunity to play, and he's not being asked to hang back, hit people, and cover defensively ONLY. Do you forget that Boyle has done everything the Kings have asked him to, even playing as a defenseman in our system last year?

So, with all due respect, realize that mrbrett is only offering his opinions as well, and also don't forget, we signed up for the youth movement, but we're only just now fully diving in. We're out of a playoff spot and that's occurred by hanging with the Preissings and Calders and Labs of this team. Maybe now that the kids have supposedly "earned" their chances, maybe we'll get back into the playoff hunt. Fish, or cut bait - it seems like both philosophies include the youth now.

And, lets see what happens with the Priessing/Labs pickle that DL is now in.

They use the mantra: you have to show us you won't hurt us, before you get a chance to show us how much you can help us.

This would apparently apply to a guy who's been in our system and improving since '03 (Boyle), but not to Kyle Calder, Tom Preissing, Jason Labarbara, Drew Doughty, Sean O'Donnel, Oscar Moller, or Micheal Handzus. Every one of these players has cost us games and had long stretches where they played despite stinking up the joint. I don't want to say it, but Sean O'Donnel has played like crap all month. He and Doughty have handed games away.
So if nobody wants to admit that there are double standards, fine.
If nobody wants to admit that we're REBUILDING and that kids learn by making mistakes and coming back stronger, fine.
If nobody wants to say that we've been fed a line of bull because we have players under huge contracts and they're going to play before a kid with a manageable contract, fine.
Quit trying to tell me I don't know how to read between the lines.
If you take the words of politicians and sports teams at face value, YOU are the one who doesn't get it.
Boyle is going to get another shot because he's RFA next season and we need to know whether he's going to be here, or somewhere else. Meanwhile, we're stuck with a bunch of overpaid shite that's not producing, otherwise we'd be much closer to Chicago in the standings.

Sorry ETR...no other way to say it but you are flat out wrong.

Boyle was a defensive liability every time he set foot on the ice for not other reason than every team, every player he played against knew he was soft. It doesn't matter how big you are, if you don't use that size to your advantage, your a dead man.

Now, you mentioned "starters" like Calder, Zeiler, Ivaness. This is hockey. So, let's start there. Starters don't really exhist. You have your top line, your 2nd line, your 3rd line (or energy line)/defensive forwards and your 4th line/energy line.

Your top line forwards normally skate about 20 minutes per night, depening upon specialty teams and how many PP's you get. Your 2nd line plays around 15 minutes per night. 3rd line gets anywhere from 10-15 minutes, depending on their specialties (i.e. PK), and 4th line is lucky to get 5 minutes, in which their job is to basically piss off the opposing team, and protect their teammates.

Calder, playing on the 2nd line currently plays about 10-15 minutes per night. Regular shift on the 2nd line, and gets a shift here and there on the 2nd PP unit. Guess who he lost that time to...Teddy Purcell, once Purcell showed he could earn PP time. Playing on the PP is a reward, not a priviledge. This isn't Juniors, this isn't college, this isn't Bantam...this is the NHL. These are professionals, and if your not going to act like it, and learn from your mistakes, guess what, your not going to be playing. It's very simple.

Purcell, Boyle, Doughty, Greene, Brown, Kopitar, O'Sullivan, Quick, Bernier, Simmonds, Moller. Some have shown the ability to learn and grow, others have not, and others are beginning to show it. There are no Sidney Crosby's on this roster, no Wayne Gretzky's, no Alexander Ovechnkin's. These kids need to grow together, and learn what it means to win, together, and that is exactly what Murray is trying to do. Teach them.

If it's not happening fast enough for you, I suggest you look away, because there are going to be some REALLY ugly nights, some REALLY great ones, and some where you won't know what the hell is going on. Murray is going to experiment with lines, see who has what in their heart, and push these kids in ways we never thought possible, and I'm sure they never did.

The hope, and the object, is to see who comes out on the other end, and will be willing to throw their face in front of a 95mph slap shot in order to win a Stanley Cup. That, my friends, is how you build a winner.

ETR: I'll just agree to say that you have reasons for the way you think. I don't happen to agree with those, but that's fine. It isn't that you aren't intelligent, it's just that we choose to see things totally differently. That's okay too.

Happy New Year everyone!

Go Kings!

mrbrett7, I feel as though we went to the same school

This would apparently apply to a guy who's been in our system and improving since '03 (Boyle), but not to Kyle Calder, Tom Preissing, Jason Labarbara, Drew Doughty, Sean O'Donnel, Oscar Moller, or Micheal Handzus

Calder has slowly seen a diminished role on the team because he was not producing. Preissing was scratched for like 400 games. Labarbera has lost his job to 2 different goalies this year. We're apparently not watching the same Drew Doughty...he makes mistakes, but he learns from them and he's still the team's best (maybe 2nd behind Quincey) defenseman, and he earned that position. O'Donnell has seen his role diminished a bit lately (moving down to a 2nd pairing). Moller was on the 4th line except for the last period before he went to join his U-20 teammates in Canada. Handzus has been excellent this year, don't really know what you're shooting for there. Gauthier is the only one I can *really* see an argument for, and his role is simply there because there isn't a better option (here or in the minors) at the moment.

When did Boyle ever get a decent shot after duty on the 4th line for a number of games?

Didn't he have a stretch of like 5 games playing with O'Sullivan? He has to prove he's worthy of getting more time than Stoll and Handzus and Kopitar. He didn't. There was a vacant spot on the top line when Purcell was called up, he got a shot, failed to capitalize on it, and got sent down to the 4th. Now he's slowly regaining his footing and is seeing PP time (and doing good things with it). Boyle isn't in anyone's doghouse. He's going to get another shot, probably in a solid role, probably soon.

Eat -

You don't seem up to your usual standard of rational behavior on this topic.

(1) Boyle is not a winger, so he's not going to play on the same line as Kopitar. Lewis and Purcell can play wing or center.
(2) No matter what you think of Purcell and Lewis (both of whom have put up approx half a point per game since being called up), the fact is, they started the season in Manchester, when Boyle had his shot with the big club. All three got time on the fourth line. Purcell is there still.
(3) Boyle got sent down because he could be sent down, because he's waiver-exempt. Calder, for example, is not, so a different method of correction has to apply. Even then, Calder was scratched for some games, as were Gauthier, and (obviously) Preissing. Armstrong, too. These are the veterans on the team. So you can't really say management is favoring the high-priced guys over the prospects.
(4) Your list of players who have "cost us games" conflates Moller and Handzus (the two best defensive forwards on the team) with LaBarbera and Preissing. That's obviously not a very precise category.

But I want to make the following distinction. There's a huge difference between (1) a player who makes a mistake but who is otherwise playing very effectively (e.g. Doughty, Moller, Handzus), and (2) a player who is simply not performing effectively (e.g. Boyle). It's not that he made one mistake that you can point to; it's that, with the exception of one game that comes to mind, he didn't do what he was supposed to do at all. Players of the Moller/Doughty/Handzus group, you can address the specific mistake, but you don't have to worry about the over-all mindset. Players of the Boyle group, you have to deal with the whole way they are carrying themselves. Purcell had the same kind of issue, which is why he started in Manchester. The world is full of players with soft hands who can't cut it in the NHL. The trick is to bring them around the right way. I personally have no problem with how DL/TM are handling these guys.

Oh, one last thing. The fact that Boyle is RFA this summer means next to nothing. They're going to sign him. They don't have to take a look at him. In fact, if he stays in Manchester the rest of the year (which he won't), it's better for management (contract-wise), since they will get to sign him at a better price. Boyle doesn't have a choice. He is owned by the Kings. He can't hold out, unless he's insane. He's not going to ask for a trade. He's not being mistreated. This is what rookies go through.

mrbrett - though we've had our issues in the past on commenting to each other, I hope you weren't thinking I was getting angry. I simply have to sound like I'm yelling sometimes to make myself (and my correct opinions - heehee) heard.
I've been arguing the Boyle-case since before he was sent back down, and realize that there aren't many that agree with me. That's ok, because I think many Kings fans have grown accustomed to losing hockey and have a defeatist mentality.
There are players on our team who will get the benefit of the doubt because of where they were drafted, or how much their contract is worth. If you don't believe that, I don't know what to tell you.
Even Kopitar has looked bad this season, but has never been on anything but line 1. Doughty directly cost us that Calgary game earlier in the year, and I have a hard time seeing how he didn't cost us the last Detroit game. He's a great player and, like you said, our best defenseman arguably, but he is not held to the same standard as a Frolov, a Purcell, a Richardson, or a Boyle.
I also don't understand why you continue to resort to the "look away" or "leave" arguments like you're the only one who really likes the Kings.
Why don't YOU think about being more discerning and more critical of some of what goes on? Just because a fan doesn't like some of the decisions doesn't mean they're ready to throw the baby out with the bath-water.
We do just disagree, but I've heard the same arguments over and over and over by the Murray apologists. If Herb Brooks can win a gold medal, Murray should be able to get the Kings into the playoffs. Is that rational enough?

Nick - Calder is in his second full season with LA. I think he's been given enough time that we know who he is. He's on the second line when he should be on a grind line. Every one can see this but Murray, who for some reason has attached him to Brown's hip the way he's attached Fro to Zoos. Preissing also had all last year and some of this year to do something for the nearly 3 million dollars a year we pay him. Preissing isn't even considered worthy of spelling an aging and injured O'Donnel. Are you starting to get what I'm talking about?
Labs has had chance after chance to be our No. 1, yet it took an injury to Ersberg to force a reluctant Murray to give Quick a shot. Who's argument does this support?
I'm still waiting for someone to tell me how JZ has impacted the season. Where did JZ earn his playing time? I'll tell you...he earned it by being a guy who gave 100%, but his 100% isn't up to NHL snuff. Can you explain his playing time based on the merit system?
Or Ivan, who's played every game this season. Sure he's notched two game winners, getting the first goal in a shutout, but he was extra weight to carry for many of our losses and didn't help the cause one iota.
Yes, Boyle did get some time centering O'Sullivan and Harrold, and though he did fine, nobody seems to give a toss. All I've heard about Boyle is that he wasn't trying, he was too soft, and he got himself sent down. I totally disagree. You've got to give someone a role, not just throw them out on the 4th line with a defenseman and a forward (who was arguable getting "the treatment" because he didn't sign a contract soon enough) who is still got a lot to prove.
As for Lewis and Purcell, I'm all for these guys getting the chance to succeed rather than fail, but look back a week and see how Murray was critical and Kings Insiders were saying Purcell needs to work harder and be better defensively. What???
I know everyone is excited about these two, I am as well, but they've been given the chance to succeed, not fail. They've made a difference, primarily because they got time on the 1st line and the power play. Lewis was totally neutralized playing on the 4th line in Buffalo.
I'm sure you know my feelings on the 4th line and Murray's overall pairings. I think they're ok, but could be great.

Quisp,

Boyle is not a winger, so he's not going to play on the same line as Kopitar. Lewis and Purcell can play wing or center.

What is Harrold?

No matter what you think of Purcell and Lewis (both of whom have put up approx half a point per game since being called up), the fact is, they started the season in Manchester, when Boyle had his shot with the big club. All three got time on the fourth line. Purcell is there still.

I think highly of Purcell and Lewis (Lewis I'd never seen before Buffalo and can't believe he didn't start the season here). Yes they've put up some points. Where have they done it? 1st line and power-play accounts for probably 90% of their point totals. And, why aren't they supposed to play mean? Boyle's shot with the big club, as I feel I've proven, was strictly on the 4th line with no PP or top line minutes on a club struggling to score. Murray, himself, said he wished he had a hybrid of Ivanans and Lemieux and I can't think of a closer comparison currently in the Kings organization. Purcell is still on the 4th line, and maybe he's a better center for that line, but he's playing on the PP and being integrated into the team whereas Boyle was actually ignored and placed on the outside looking in.

Boyle got sent down because he could be sent down, because he's waiver-exempt. Calder, for example, is not, so a different method of correction has to apply. Even then, Calder was scratched for some games, as were Gauthier, and (obviously) Preissing. Armstrong, too. These are the veterans on the team. So you can't really say management is favoring the high-priced guys over the prospects.

So you're saying a players contract has a lot to do with if he's going to play. I agree. Calder sat for what? Two games? Three? He's been first line and pp fodder despite OBVIOUSLY being a grinder. Lombardi created that situation, not Boyle. Gauthier, as far as I can remember, only missed time because of injury. I don't want Gauthier sitting, as you know. I don't think he should be a scratch. I think he'd be better paired with Doughty (magic and muscle) but I'm happy to have Goat in the lineup. Maybe I'm forgetting some healthy scratches, am I?
Armstrong is our Godfather. If he's still fit enough I think he's fine being in the lineup in an area in which he can contribute, but I don't think he's going to play every game to the detriment of the kids, which is really the point.
Preissing, well, that's another one Lombardi has yet to live down. We don't really have any depth at defense so he's going to play sometimes. He and Goat have no effect on the forwards except that now Preissing can't even be counted on to allow Harrold to play forward. Again, doesn't Harrold on the wing make no sense when you're saying Boyle hasn't earned his playing time? Maybe they should send Preissing away and have Boyle play defense here too.

I don't have a BIG problem with how Murray is bringing along our players, but I think he could be doing a MUCH better job. If you think he's getting it all right, I guess you'd agree that it's good to bench Frolov in the 3rd period of that 1st loss to Phoenix, or that after that great win against the Ducks in our 3rd game (with no Doughty in the 2nd half of the game) that the lineup should have been shuffled and players that proved they would battle got shuffled to the press box. While certain players (Calder) were put back in the lineup, and others (Harrold) were converted to forwards.
Maybe it's all a part of some head games based on sparking players, but from where I sit it looks like errors.
I have to reiterate here that I'm not anti-Murray or saying I don't like him as a coach for our team. I'm simply wanting him to get it right, and I think he's got the talent to do it.

Finally, Boyle will be RFA. He doesn't have to sign with the Kings. Anyone can sign him with the Kings having the opportunity to match. Maybe nobody will want to lose the draft picks, but I'm sure there are teams who would love to have Boyle playing for them every night right now. If I were Boyle, I'd want to see that the team I've given everything asked for to give something back. Maybe the goal was to piss Boyle off enough to get him playing differently. If so, I hope it worked, but I'm sure he's pissed - at the Kings.