Moller returning
Oscar Moller is scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles from Ottawa today, so it's likely that he will return to the lineup for Thursday's home game against the Ducks.
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J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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Hmmm, me thinks thursday be interesting.
Moller in, Zeiler out?
Bad game tonight by Boyle or Purcell and one of them goes back down?
Maybe scratch Calder?
Hmmm, me thinks thursday be interesting.
Unless I'm miscounting, no-one needs to be sent down. We have, with Moller, a full roster of 23.
POS/Kopitar/Brown
Frolov/Handzus/Simmonds
Calder/Stoll/Purcell
x/Boyle/Moller
The seven d and two goalies, we all know.
Obviously, no-one knows where Moller will skate. Could be with Boyle. Could be with Stoll. Now that I think of it, I would prefer
Purcell/Boyle/Moller
Calder/Stoll/x
where x = Zeiler, Ivanans or Armstrong (the other two are scratched)
Yeah, go with that. (He won't.)
Yes, the numbers are correct, no one is required to be sent down, but...
Do they healthy scratch Boyle or Purcell? Me think not.
re: x, Who do you choose?
For Ducks, me like:
POS/Kopitar/Ivanans
Frolov/Handzus/Brown
Moller/Stoll/Simmonds
Purcell/Boyle/Zeiler
Yeah! (He DEFINITELY won't go with that!)
Ivanans with O'Sullivan and Kopitar? That's wishful thinking. I know that he has two GWG in the past couple weeks...
But you know what? We're on a winning streak! I say put Ivanans on the #1 line and see what happens.
I'm glad to have Moller back. Hopefully he's healthy.
If I were coach...
Moller/Kopitar/POS
Purcell/Stoll/Brown
Frolov/Handzus/Simmonds
Army/Boyle/Ivanans
Zeiler is a liability. I would keep him out of the next 2 games since they are very important divisional matchups. I would like to see a trade for an experienced grinder in a package that would include Preissing, Zeiler, and perhaps a draft pick. I would think that can bring in a really good character guy to help shore up the bottom half of the forward lines. Preferably someone with the same size as Boyle and Ivanans. Imagine having a gigantic 4th line to punnish the opposition when needed. Any thoughts?
Totally agree with TB on Zeiler. He needs to be scratched out of this league.
I don't think Zeiler sits tonight. He brings grit and against the toughness of the Ducks you need some of that in your lineup.
tonight:
Sully - Kopitar - Simmonds
Brown - Stoll - Purcell
Frolov - Handzus - Calder
Ivanans - Boyle - Zeiler
Thursday:
Sully - Kopitar - Moller
Brown - Stoll - Calder
Frolov - Handzus - Simmonds
Ivanans - Boyle - Zeiler
Forwards: Defensive liability depth chart (from most to least)
1. Armstrong
2. Boyle
3. Purcell
4. Moller
5. Zeiler**
6. Ivanans
7. Simmonds
8. Calder
9. Kopitar
10. O'Sullivan
11. Stoll
12. Frolov
13. Handzus
14. Brown
**not the biggest liability on this team.
Release Zeiler.
Why did DL sign this bozo to a four year contract.
Not only that, 3 of the 4 years are a one way deal.
What joke this GM makes himself out to be.
i cannot see preissing or zeiler having more than nominal trade value, so don't count on them bringing back any player really worthwhile.
as for boyle and purcell, boyle, having been just recalled, will probably get some decent opportunities. one bad game won't get him sent down, but it would be a very bad omen. purcell's play in the last few weeks has improved enough that he's probably got a decent margin of error as well.
so who sits? my guess is zeiler or calder.
i wouldn't be surprised if we see frolov on the 4th line tonight.
Don't know why people continue to hammer Zeiler at least he does something (hits) unlike say Calder who continues to be invisible on that 2nd line. If this team wants some offense he has got to go. I don't understand "EARNING" a spot for guys like Teddy and Boyle when hes penciled in every night and imho hasn't earned it with his play.
Anonymous,
The reason why the likes of Calder ang Gauthier get so much undeserved ice time - they played for TM's beloved Philadelphia Flyers.
No other coach would do it.
But it'll be over very soon.
Calder will be gone after this season.
Gauthier, even sooner than that. JJ wlll be back after the all star break.
Unfortunately, with the Ducks, you need to have Ivaness in the lineup to deal with their bruising style. He may not be much of a fighter, but at least he will go with Parros.
I would imagine Moller will step into the lineup on Boyle's wing with Ivaness on the other wing, and possibly slip into some PP time kinda like Purcell did when he was on the 4th line.
I imagine at some point, Ivaness needs to get scratched...we are starting to run into a numbers game (a good thing), where we have too much talent and not enough room up front.
Once Jack Johnson returns, I would imagine either Gauthier or Harrold sit, but I would prefer Gauthier...I like his toughness, but you he really is the 6th d-man at this point. Harrold brings more to the table with his offensive ability and skating.
I think once Johnson returns you'll see Harrold playing mostly up front while he's here. I think he might be a guy that gets traded along with guys like Calder or Preissing. He has the most value of the three since he makes little money. Too bad because I love his versatility. Another guy to watch out for as the deadline apporaches is OD. He might have value with his style of play and the 1 year contract.
Denis Gauthier has won WJC Gold but Moller hasn't?
wavesinair, re defensive liability depth chart:
I understand your overall point. However. Moller, I think, is probably the second best two-way forward (i.e. defensively responsible forward) on the team, behind Handzus. Simmonds is a close third, in my opinion, though you could swap them. The fact is, there haven't been a lot of Kings players who have been a chronic defensive liability this year, so the ranking is misleading for that reason as well. Kopitar and POS -- maybe Frolov -- have been known to be defensively sloppy in that Luc Robitaille sort of way, but all three have been cleaning up their acts pretty solidly. I personally don't think that Zeiler or Ivanans are that big a problem on the defensive side of the puck, but unfortunately, if you had to pick players who were the least defensively skilled, they would probably be it. Probably Ivanans more than Zeiler.
In any case, I see no reason for people to bash those two guys. They work hard. They do their jobs. If they get ice time instead of a player we prefer, it's only because the coaches think there's a good reason to do that, and I guess we can all imagine what that would be.