Greene or Visnovsky?

so.

The way it stands, when this team turns the corner and gets a legit #2 center, we will have a young shutdown dman on a longterm deal to compliment Dought/JJ and hopefully Hickey, and a very good #3 center.

Or we could have had vis for too much money, and too old when it matters the most.

Quincey replaced (or compared to last season) improve on Vis' offensive stats and is playing better in his own end.

Can anyone complain about the Kings D this season? Really?

Yeah, I'd say we did ok. /rollseyes.

Sure Vis could put up points but he could not prevent goals.

Adding Greene and Stoll has been an excellent acquisition. Doughty was drafted and has the potential to be the D putting up the points. The Kings defensive play has improved a lot since last season. Greene and Stoll have contributed to this transformation. Stoll needs to provide a little more offensive because he is capable of doing so, but as the saying goes... "Defense wins championships."

I loved Vis but the trade was great for the Kings. The team needed a big tough stay at home guy more than a small offensive guy. Our D identity is much changed and improved this year and Greene is a big part of that.

I'd say it was a good deal for both teams. Both teams addressed some deficiencies in their lineups.

I still think if the Kings won the draft rights to pick 1st they would have selected Stamkos and retained Visnovsky. Getting Doughty and having Hickey in junior provides the Kings with 2 good young puck-movers which is something every team would like and doesn't necessarily have. Saying that, I think unloading Lubo's contract as well as obtaining a second line center and defensive-defenseman (Rich's favorite term)with size was a good trade. Personally, I don't think Stoll is the answer as the second line center, but he brings a good game and would be terrific as a third liner. Greene apparently brings character and leadership into the locker room, but it seemed like Lubo did too so that's a bit of a wash, but I love the grit Greene brings. When this team makes the playoffs, his experience and toughness will be invaluable.

For too long in LA, the Kings seemed to lack grit. After Deadmarsh's concussion and Allison's injuries, it seemed that the grinder type of player was not one that the organization sought. Though statistically far from comparible, the grinder, as opposed to the skill guy is the type of player that DL likes to bring in. That being said, I welcome the addition of Greene via the Visnovsky trade. The Kings have needed that grit for years.

Seeing guys like Greene, Brown, Zieler, Simmonds and others grind it out night after night gives me a sense of toughness with this team that has been absent in years past. The Kings, if nothing else this year, need to make it tough for any team to play them. Punish them for showing up. That is where this team is headed and I, for one, like what I am seeing. The development of a tough hockey club.

Judging from the article, I'd have to say it has worked out well for both teams. Although I haven't seen Lubo play much since he left LA, it sounds like he's a better fit for the Oilers and their system. When he was in LA, particularly last year, he struggled terribly on the defensive side of the puck. He was getting out-muscled by bigger forwards and was constantly being beaten back to the goal on the weak side of the play.

As for Greene and Stoll, I think we got what we needed; a tough, rugged, stay-at-home D-man and a center who can win face-offs and score on the PP. I know a lot of people aren't happy with the offensive numbers Stoll has put up so far, but you have to remember that he's had to adjust to the defensive oriented system of TM just like the other forwards. And just like the other forwards, he has struggled at times. That said, I still think the Kings benefited just slightly more than the Oilers in that we got two players instead of one, and cap space to boot.

The fact that we got two NHL weathered players for Lubo is almost good enough for me. Stoll has been disappointing though but Lubo was worse to me last year.

There's obviously no way to compare Lubo to Greene but I don't mind that trade off right now. Greene is a better fit hands down to me. When I look at the position they play Lubo is a liability to me and Greene does his job. The only benefit that stands out to me with Lubo is an accurate shot but Greene has a more rounded out game as well as Stoll. Lubo is easily replaced in my opinion.

I like it.

The trade has worked out a little better than I expected, mainly because the emergence of Doughty and Quincey has lessened the impact of losing Lubo. Stoll has been mildly disappointing to me, while Greene fits in nicely as a #4 defenseman.

I think the trade has been fairly even thus far, and it should tilt in our favor over time since the guys we picked up are younger than Lubo.

I am glad to see that Lubo is doing well in Edmonton. He's still one of my favorite players.

Edmonton got the better end of the deal, Greene makes bad decisions too often. Vis was better on the power play by far and faster.

The classic good trade for both teams, except that the Kings have more salary flexibility to re-sign core players and make a trade or free agent signing to improve the team later on. It would have been nice to have Lubo around to tutor Doughty but overall a good trade. Stoll takes the occasional infuriating penalty but brings a lot of good things to the table as well.

I'm still happy with the trade, I like stoll, I wish he'd be a little more consistent on offense but his overwhelmingly high faceoffs percentage makes up for it. His ability to win faceoffs and get back it back to the puck movers like doughty & quincey really helps the kings defense. I like Greene but I expected a bit better of a shutdown game from him, but like everyone on this team i'm sure he'll get better as he gains more experience.

Rich pointed out the obvious in that you can't compare stats with two different kinds of defensemen. The Oilers are loaded with talent up front which made Stoll expendable. LA is loaded with defensive prospects which made Lubo available.

This is one of those trades that works out for both teams

I agree 100% that if the Kings had picked Stamkos they would have retained Visnovsky (although I don't know for sure that DL wouldn't have picked Doughty with the #1 pick). I said at the time that Lubo's bad season last year at least in part made it possible for the Kings' to pick as high as they did, so in that sense, he played himself out of a job in LA. I also said at the time that, as DL obviously must believe in both Hickey and Doughty, or he would not have picked them, he must also have realized that there was not going to be room for three high-priced speedy offensive-minded top-four defensemen. That, combined with the Kings need to get bigger, tougher and meaner, spelled doom for Lubo in LA.

Then there's that whole revelation that DL had to dump salary per AEG. But I'm just going to leave that alone and deal with this as a pure hockey trade.

Interestingly, Voynov may well put the Kings in that same "three speedy smallish offensive d-men" situation before too long. Not to mention Peter Harrold, who is coming into his own quietly in the background. Something will eventually have to give there. Not a problem for this season, but next year, and certainly the year after, or whenever it is that Hickey goes through puberty.

I think as a trade it's a win-win. It's funny that (per the linked article) Edmonton misses the two guys they traded away; for the Kings, there have been times when Lubo on the point on the PP would have been a welcome addition. That's natural, from both teams' points of view.

I think both players, Greene and Stoll, are important pieces of the Kings' defensive system. Stoll has, however, underperformed to expectations offensively and (at least to my eye) is one of the more tradable assets the Kings have. I would not be surprised to see him move on at this deadline or the next one. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him stay and score important goals for the Kings in the playoffs. He's one of those guys who gets the OT goal, you know?

He's just not the #2 center he was described as being at the time of the trade. But I always thought and said Handzus would fill that role.

I was happy with the trade from the beginning, and I'm still a fan of Lubo. So, ya it was a good trade for both, maybe a little more weighted on the Kings side, but a good trade overall.

Now... nice photos BTW! Greener putting someone on there butt, and Stoll Scoring! =))

I really liked Lubo and Greene is cool by my book. I think we will be better off in the long run. Am I the only one who thinks that Doughty was the better pick for us versus if we had the opportunity to pick up Stamkos? Although circumstances led to Doughty seeing more ice time due to JJ's injury. The kid has a lot of potential and I am happy to see him playing with the big boys every night.

Sorry I'm getting off topic here but overall I think it was a good trade. Dean is like a magician out there. I am just glad that we didn't pick up a goalie in free agency , traded any our core or draft picks for one. It's fun watching the younger guys lose their green. Granted we may lose a few more games but hey, the elite goalies had to start somewhere right?

I don't think DL would have retaind Lubo if they had taken Stamkos because of his salary. I think the Kings would have still made the deal they made because:
1)Greene offers something we didn't have before. A big, stay at home D-man that's young, and leads by example.
2)Lubo's value to the team was in a decline, especially with the arrival of Doughty.
3)We also got Stoll in the deal, even though his play has been inconsistant, and he's taken some terrible penalties.
4)Lubo was part of the "old" Kings system and needed to move on(in my opinion).

At any rate, I think Greene will be a good future d-man for the Kings. The upside is that he's still young and can get better with time.

To add a note to what I said about trading Lubo and freeing cap space...The consequences of the Lubo trade may still be felt when DL pulls the trigger on an UFA signing, which in all probability would not be possible if not for loose change we freed up in trading him to the Oilers. So in the end, this trade may end up being much more substantially in favor of the Kings if we end up getting a marquee sniper out of all this.

I think this trade has worked out GREAT for the Kings. I loved Lubo's offense and puck moving abilities, but his lack of ability to hold the puck in at the blue line, specifically on the PP, and our lack of ability as a team to out muscle an opposing forward (i.e. lack of size/strength/grit) really hurt us a lot last year. Plus Lubo wasn't scoring, which made him almost completely ineffective.

I agree with JonG that the emergence of Doughty and the pick-up of Quincey has really lessened the impact of losing Lubo, but so has having a guy like Greene to clear out the crease, make some hits, stand up for his teammates, and BLOCK A TON OF SHOTS. And again we really haven't missed his offense since it didn't exist last season.

Irish Pat,
I often wonder what we would have done with that #1 pick had we won the lottery. I really think there's a good chance that DL would have traded it to get Doughty with the 2nd pick or flat out just picked Doughty 1st overall. Granted we all would have been enraged... until we saw Doughty play and realized what an amazing move that would have been.

Out with the old, in the with the new. I love Lubo. He was one of my favorite kings. In his 20's he was a bulldog and never shied away from contact. He was gritty in the corners and an offensive dynamo. Before the trade, those skills were dwindling. I am glad he is doing well in Edmonton. He's a class guy.

Greene is still a young guy learning to be a top shut down guy just like Matti did so many years ago. If I'm not mistaken, this is his first year of logging major minutes. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Stoll has been effective on the pk & late in games by winning key faceoffs. He's an elite 3rd liner.

I've been saying for years the kings need 1a/1b center. Spezza anyone? As soon as they acquire one, this team will be a force.

A good trade for both sides. While Stoll hasn't been a standout (yet), you cannot argue with his overall faceoff win percentage. Having him on the ice when we need to win a draw is huge, and it allows the team options (along with 'Zus and Kopi) at crunch time. I think he'll continue to improve and be a valuable member of the team going forward.

Stoll isn't a consistent #2 center as far as regular 5 on 5 shifts. But he is worth keeping for faceoffs. Even when he loses them they're not the kind where the other teams wins cleanly and can fire off a quick shot right from the circle.

It would be nice if like Handzus he had a better nose for the net, screened shots and fought in the offensive end for pucks.

Generally I say Kings got better end of deal. Got more grit, salary cap room to sign Sully and Kopitar and room to make a move in the future for a bigger catch. Like a vet goalie or whomever.......

Quisp,

I've also wondered if Lombardi would have still selected Doughty if the Kings won the lottery and although Stamkos will still be good player, I think that picking 2nd was actually better for the Kings. You're right about the salary dump speculation too and I don't want to poke at that either.

You mentioned Voinov which reminds me that this teams D might one day resemble the Devils D that last won the Cup. I remember Niedermeyer, Rafalski and Malakhov as the puck movers on all 3 defensive pairings and Stevens and White and Ken Daneko (although I can't remember if it was him or some other dude on the last Cup winner and I don't feel like wikipediaing it... meh) as the ball busting defensive defensemen. I'm pshyched at the future d-pairings.

As far as Stoll, I totally agree. He just might be moved as the team will eventually need an upgrade at second line center. Someone who can score, pass and alleviate scoring pressure for the 1st line. I think this is more crucial than getting another scoring winger. Stoll would be great as the 3rd line center, but his contract is more affordable for a longer period of time than Handzus and really Handzus is pretty great.

Dude, you really should start your own blog. Obviously not to compete with Rich or anyone else, but because your insights are interesting and I'm sure people would enjoy reading it.

Edmonton can not lure top level UFA's, they have to trade or develop them.

The Oilers accomplish more in this trade than do the Kings.

The Kings clear some salary and add a #5 defenseman and a #3 center (and get hosed on both extensions). The Oilers add a #2 defenseman and get a lower cap hit with a bigger salary hit.

I Think this will turn out to be one of the best trades DL will make as GM of the Kings. He filled two huge needs for us and traded a popular, but overpaid offensive defenseman..something we're overloaded with in our system.
Greene is an absolute beast on the PK. He blocks more shots than anyone on the team and they come at crucial points during the PK. He does take some bad penalties, but he makes up for them in more ways than one.
He reminds me a lot of a young Aaron Miller.

Stoll has been great on faceoffs and has shown flashes of being the #2 center we traded for, but I thought we were getting more with him offensively. I'm willing to give him the year to get acclimated and see what he comes back like next year. His brilliance on faceoffs, as well as Zeus and Kopitar, have been huge advantages for the Kings...especially on the PK.

This seems to be a classic win-win trade for both teams. Good luck to Lubo with Edmonton...provided his success doesn't interfere with our success.

For the moment, the core of the Kings D is:

JJ (age 22)
Doughty (age 19)
Quincey (age 23)
Greene (age 25)

Name an NHL team that wouldn't want any of those 4? And since JJ came back they just earned 5 out of 6 points on the road. Coincidence? Maybe. But JJ brings a different dynamic to the team. Looks like we missed him. (But we might not have claimed Quincey off waivers otherwise...sort of like the Lakers trading for Gasol because Bynum was hurt.) The again, DL might have claimed Quincey no matter what because he was a hot Detroit prospect on a crowded roster (and was affordable). #27 cost us nothing in return.

Last summer we were all bemoaning the loss of Blake and Viz. Now their names barely are mentioned. Three of the top 4 D men have all arrived since summer & fall. Blake who?

DL, we would all agree, stocked the pond with future D in Voinov, Teubert, Hickey, Piskula, Campbell, et al. Will they all work out? No. Are the tradable chips? Yes. And trading Viz gave DL cap room flexibility. Plus, sometimes a change of scenery is best for both sides. Just ask Stoll who's gettin' "home cookin'" w/ the former Mrs. Stewart in Manhattan Beach. (Maybe that's why his goal production is down? :-)

Finally, the other aspect that DL got from Stoll-Greene - besides grit - is that the two had been to a Stanley Cup Final (vs. Carolina in '06). Quincey too (but in a lesser role in '08). You cannot teach someone about the Stanley Cup if you haven't been there. Valuable experience on one's hockey resume'.

sd,

You know, I bet Lombardi would have done it and I guarantee people would have been sending tons of irate letters and e-mails to AEG asking for Lombardi's job, especially after he selected Hickey the year before at 4. He's made some weird trades and questionable signings, but you have to admit that him and his scouting staff have been pretty good so far. If Hickey, Voinov and Teubert pan out... wow. The Kings will be the envy of all the land.

The most important number in that blog is on the top of the page:

-24°C

Good trade . Lubo must play forvard , he can be Camareli .

You guys can check this out. It's a story on Steve Stamkos but Doughty figures into it too.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=264343&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_main

As far as the trade goes the only thing I've found disappointing is Stoll's proclivity for taking unnecessary and poorly timed penalties. I never like writing anyone off - and clearly there are aspects of his game that are excellent. I would just hope that at his age he can still learn to be a bit more disciplined as regards to the penalties (heretofore mentioned in earlier comments) as they have really hurt the Kings momentum in a few games I've seen this year.

nykingfan,

Greene is like a young Aaron Miller except he isn't as brittle (please Hockey Jesus... don't hurt him).

Crash Davis,

Blake who? Indeed my friend. Indeed.

Also, I would think the "home cooking" Stoll gets would be more of a confidence boost than a detriment to his game. And don't forget Quincey, O'Donnell and Gauthier have Cup finals experience also.

I'm glad I don't have to watch Vis constantly shoot into skates and watch the puck shoot towards the opposing goal and the other teams get a breakaway!

His small size and refusal to take the body makes him a D'man of the past, not the future. Good riddance and not missed one bit!

Its tough because I like all the players involved.
I'm not always very impressed with Greene's defenisive abilities, but the guy has certainly got character. And, when he follows the K-I-S-S rule and keeps it simple, he's a great part of the team.
I've never seen Lubo make some of the horrible defensive errors that Greene makes, but when I consider that we got Stoll AND Greene I like the trade more. I really think we lack a Lubo type defenseman, but as Quisp said, I really like Harrold and am thrilled he's playing so well (despite Murray thinking he can't play in the game against Colorado because of size).

Ironically, I think Edmonton could have a chance of acquiring Heatley with Lubo and one more asset. They just acquired Sabourin from Pitt, so maybe Lubo and Sabourin could do the deal. Or they package Lubo and Erik Cole, something like that.
Also ironically, I bet Edmonton could pry both Fisher and Volchenko from Ottawa, perhaps for Lubo alone. Ottawa's most pressing need has been reported to be a "puck moving defenseman."

We'll see what happens. Hopefully it's the Kings who get either Heatley, or Fisher/Volchenko.

I think both teams added elements to their team with this trade. One of the factors in Lubo's terrible stats last season was being partnered with the pylon named Rob Blake - and Lubo moved to the opposite side to accommodate Blake's presence. Unfortunately for Lubo, Blake often stood close to the net not covering anybody in particular while "playing" defense. Is it any surprise that Lubo was -18 last season based on Blake alone? He was a great player for the Kings drafted as an overager and I wish him well in Edmonton. Greene and Stoll have helped solidify this year's team and are young enough to be part of the core for the next few seasons. Nice to obtain a faceoff man and tough defender while collectively paying them less than Lubo's '08-09 salary. Kudos on the trade Dean...

Irish Pat,

Thank you for pointing out that O'Donnell had won a Cup. He did so, obviously, with the Ducks. But also went to the Finals (losing) during his cup of coffee with NJ Devils in '01. He has been a solid, quiet pickup for the Kings (and someone the Ducks wished they had back. Thus, the pickup of Hedican later.) He essentially filled the vacant Rob Blake role, but with less cap hit, for sure. No problem bringing him back another season if he wants (and Kings want).

Not sure in the case of Gauthier. He was injured in the First Round (vs Canucks) with Flames in '04 (torn acl) and wasn't an active player in their Finals vs Tampa Bay. But he certainly was around to soak up the atmosphere. Had Flames won, he would have qualified for his name on the Cup.

Lastly, it's interesting to note that Doughty, Quincey, Gauthier, O'Donnell and Greene have all been picked up this summer or fall. (3 by trade, 1 by waivers, 1 by draft.) Only JJ, Harrold and Preissing returned from last season. That's a lot of new players on D.

Well said Bruce about Blake.He should have been arrested for taking 12 million from the kings.
I think the kings,by far got the better in the trade.

two words on why trade was better for us......rachel Hunter!!!

I know Blake takes a lot of heat from the dejected Kings fans, but wasn't this a pretty poor decision (to bring Blake back to LA) by the GM in the first place?

Lombardi takes a lot of heat for the money spent on Cloutier, Zus, Calder, Preissing, Nagy, and McAuley (add gauthier at over 2 mil.), but the Blake fiasco usually goes falling solely on Blake's shoulders.
IMO, it's still the Kings who are the underachievers and Blake's strong play bookending his time here proves it.

Wasn't bringing Blake back a failure by Lombardi, if its a failure at all?
Souray would have been happy to come here and maybe would have stuck around and been a better player to play alongside Johnson at the time...plus, he's much nastier and has an equally hard shot.

Both teams got what they wanted short term from this deal.

Long term, without a doubt, hands down, the Kings win this deal going away, no discussion.

It appears both teams got what they needed. Kings needed that gritty D-man a la Matty Norstrom and though I don't think Greene shuts it down as consistently as Norstrom did, he's assumed that role and has done well, overall. He's also a salient voice in the locker room and, as the Alternate status shows, a leader. After watching Visnovsky surrender the puck as much as he did in his own end the year before he was traded, I was more than supportive of the trade.

More production would be nice out of Stoll but that faceoff statistic is important and his career stats suggest he's good for 40 points, give or take, anyway. Thus, he's ideal on the third or fourth line.

at first, just because of what a good person lubo is and how he was great with the fans, i reacted rather sadly...i knew we were getting two quality players in greene and stoll, but i always had an appreciation for a small, mobile, offensive dman like lubo, who appeared to also be a great teammate as an assistant captain...

just after the midway point and now assessing what it has meant, i think the kings have gotten the better deal...if you put age and the type of deficiencies the kings had before the season started, it was the right thing to do...

i still miss lubo and i wish that there was a way that he could have stayed...but give d.l. credit for pulling the trigger at the right time...

stoll is still a big question mark, though...
at times, he looks like he can be a true #2...other times, he can be over-matched and go unnoticed...i still wish that t.m. would ask him to shoot more at the point on the power play like he was when the season first began...

greene is young and could finally be the d-man to take the place of former king mainstay and great (i did say great) matty nordstrom...

i hope they both succeed...

Cristobal, re EDM:

Insanely, the Oilers have a payroll of $54MM+. They have barely $2MM of cap space (c.f. the Kings, who have more than $12MM). The Oilers could not trade for Heatley or Speeza without giving up two big salaries, which they aren't going to do. And why would OTT make a trade to take salary back? Just to shake things up? I guess they might, but 50 goal scorers don't grow on trees; and EDM has no reason to shake things up. They would just be creating as many holes as they're filling.

re Blake:

Yes, in retrospect I do think bringing Blake back to the Kings for a second stint was a mistake, and of course DL can take the heat for that. I understand why he did it. At the time, being the huge Blake fan that I am (not), I said, oooooookay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I don't really recall what the options were, but Blake obviously didn't do us any favors the second time around. Although my opinion on that is obviously biased.

And I did predict that our defense would be much improved this year, by virtue of his subtraction, and Lubo's as well. Nothing against Lubo. I like him. He just had a bad year.

Quisp.

I've heard they are looking for puck-moving defensemen in Ottawa.
I don't know if the money works out, but it sounds like Ottawa could use a Cole/Visnovsky or even a Penner/Visnovsky, and that Edmonton would gladly take a Heatley/Volchenko or Fisher/Volchenko deal.
Maybe the balance isn't there, but the need fulfillment is.
Just wonderings I was doing.

Another amazing fact is that Dallas currently has the highest payroll in the league. At least Edmonton is in a good market.

Re: Blake.

I was as wishy-washy on this as when I heard of Crow and Cloutier (except Cloutier I always thought would be a disaster). I personally like Blake and think he's justified if he's a bit anti-AEG (i don't think he's anti-LA). I think great players that are not supported naturally feel animosity towards ownership because every player wants to make the most of their career. I don't think Blake is greedy, I think he just wanted to go someplace dedicated, which AEG was not.
I think Lubo and Blake had tough years because of all the upheaval. I don't blame them for our struggles last year any more than I blame Dustin Brown. Players sign a contract and do the best they can under the circumstances, usually. I think it's a shame that Blake has been "demonized" by many LA fans. He served here for a long time and through some pretty desperate times.
I don't know the guy personally, however, so what do I really know about him?

PS - Did you answer my Mike Fisher question yet?

Cristobal, re Mike Fisher:

I didn't see -- and couldn't find -- the question. Is it about acquiring him? Fisher is a good, solid 20-goal defensive forward with playoff experience, knee problems and a big salary. He is, essentially, what DL hoped he was getting in Calder and what he probably hopes he will get from someone like Trevor Lewis. I don't think it helps the Kings to bring in someone like that at this point. His contract is in the Handzus $4mm range, I believe, so he's expensive as well for what he would bring.

I am in favor of the Kings bring in big firepower at the right price, but 20-goal-scorers we have coming out the wazoo.

p.s. I think Detroit has the least cap space. I believe they have less than $300K of wiggle room.

I miss Lubo, but I have always been happy with this trade.

The ice time stats pretty much let you in on who got the better defenceman. We knew that the day the trade was made Lubo was the better blueliner. In fact, the only thing that might be keeping Greene a hair above 20 minutes a game is the fact Preissing and Harrold are virtual no shows on the PK, so it's up to Greene and Doughty to hold down the right side when short handed.

DL could not unload Preissing and the team needed another center, especially one that could win face-offs. So eventhough Greene is most like a 5th on most teams and Stoll a 3rd line center, and Lubo was the best player in the deal, I still think it was a good deal for the Kings. A deal that has a chance to get better for the Kings next year. Lubo was a luxury the Kings just could not afford to keep when there were so many pressing needs.

I echo most of the sentiments. I loved Lubo, he was easily one of my top 3 favorite Kings since he joined the team. Quincey is good, and Doughty or Hickey or Voinov should more than adequately fill Lubo's void in a few years time, in fact I feel very confident that Doughty will far exceed Lubo's productive after a few years of seasoning. However we do lack what Lubo brings this season, which I think has cost of us a few games. However in the long haul, I think this is one of Lombardi's better trades, on par with the Demitra trade and just a little less tasty than the JJ trade. I think it works really well for both teams. Probably was one of the best trades in the NHL since the off-season.

Greene is quickly becoming what I consider an essential part of this team for a long time and Stoll is good. A quality player, but he needs to be controlled a little. I don't mind if he only scores 15-20 goals and 40-50 points a season, I think that will be more than adequate for his contract, so long as we get a true sniper in the relatively near future. His face-offs are invauable, and I totally agree with Quisp when he says Stoll is the kind of guy who scores the OT winner in a playoff game.

Miss Lubo, LOVE the trade.

Lubo is good, but he seemed to tail off, and his confidence faltered. They say Hickey will be the next Lubo, so Greene adds a big presence on the blue line and doesn't back down. His size was sorely needed.

Stoll makes a bonehead play here or there, but his effort can't be faulted, and he wins so many important faceoffs, he brings more value than just as a goal scorer. Same could be said for Handzus, who is having a very fine season.

Overall, I am quite pleased with how the trade turned out. Lubo was a favorite of mine, but he really slacked off last season, perhaps due to the pressure of the big contract.

Great commentary by all and I'll come along for the ride.....Hands down, I'd do this trade any day although it sounds like the Oil is satisfied. Lubo still doesn't bring the size or leadership to EDM that Greenie does to the Kings. Different style defensmen true, and LA needed a makeover defensively. One of the biggest problems last year was that the Kings could keep no one away from the net. Lubo was a major part of that problem, then when his scoring and stickhandling skills went down while his salary was going up, he became a liability quickly. Granted, the Kings defense has come along further and faster than anyone could have imagined (PS-Welcome back JMFJ) but the Kings got younger, more skilled and saved valuable cap space with this trade on their blueline. This move was a no-brainer, just for what it did for the cap. Greenie & Stollie have been added pluses for the play they have contributed.

Speaking of Stollie, I tend to disagree with most on this one, his play. Yes, he's made mistakes, but hasn't the entire team under TM's new defensive system? Yes, the shot over the glass against the Ducks was bad but honestly, it happens to everyone. It was a mistake and TM was much harder on Stollie than he needed to be on that one. Stollie has a very heavy shot, particularly from the blueline. He's a good playmaker, seems to find an open spot on the ice well and is a physical presence. Also, with the game on the line, there is no one on the Kings you want on the faceoff other than Stollie.

Good trade? Absolutely. The Kings win this one hands down.

Great trade for the Kings. Lubo is in his prime which does not fit the Kings timeline. Stoll and Greene both filled big needs for the Kings, a D that will not let his G be taken out and a center who can win faceoffs in the 3rd period. Both are touGreat trade for the Kings. Lubo is in his prime which does not fit the Kings timeline. Stoll and Greene both filled big needs for the Kings, a D that will not let his G be taken out and a center who can win face-offs in the 3rd period. Both are tough and difficult to play against. This trade was probably the biggest piece of the Kings gaining a new identity this season.
I think Edmonton will benefit from the trade during the regular season, but will find their toughness level woefully inadequate in the playoffs.
gh and difficult to play against. This trade was probably the biggest piece of the Kings gaining a new idenity this season.
I think Edmonton will benifit from the trade during the regular season, but will find their toughness level woefully inadaquet in the playoffs.

Finally, it is great to read so many insightful, positive posts. thank you

NO i dont like greene at all. i dont understand why he got the A either.
i think it wasnt a good decision. i know alot of you may disagree but i
can't stand the guy.
waste of an A!