Moller (non-)update

as long as he's still a king come thursday morning, i'll be happy...unless he's a part of a mega-deal to land the sniper every single one of us want...

but...i seriously doubt he's going anywhere and the thought might be at this point to keep him down in the minors...oscar has a lot of potential...but does anyone really think that if he comes back to the team during the final 20 games we're going to be that much better?

he got a taste of the big leagues...you would like to think that our brain trust knows tons more than we do about what's best for oscar...i'm never one to demote a player because of injury...and i can understand many of the arguments that oscar is a victim of this circumstance...but his development is the key...and if he can play in all situations and get 19+ mins per game in the minors instead of the 10-12 platooning on the 4th line, i lean towards the side of keeping him in a situation where he can get more playing time in a offensive role...

i'm sure the play of teddy purcell has a lot to do with the kings decision...and even though teddy hasn't registered a point yet, he has played tremendously better than he has in previous call ups...

decisions...decisions...

I doubt Moller would be traded. The Kings are much deeper on the blue line and in net then up front. If Lombardi were to package prospects, I'd expect to see defensemen and a goalie included before a young forward.

Juniors will be best for his development

Paul,

This is true. If we're making a package for a sniper, we'll be including a young Dman and a young goalie + maybe brian boyle. He's the only offensive prospect I can picture being traded.

variable, you are mistaken. I think the followers of this blog can be split into a few categories: First, those that are tired of losing and want a quick fix now, Second, those that are tired of losing but love what is FINALLY happening to this team and do not want to jeopardize the core for a quick fix, and Third, those who just want to hear themselves speak.

I for one am part of the second group - no sniper at the expense of the future.

It would be nice if Moller could stay in Manchester sice Purcell is still in LA. The Monarchs certainly can use the points Moller has been putting up.

Let him go play with Hickey in Seattle. Chop chop.

I have a feeling the Moller is ghost......I think a trade will go down.

I don't believe that any of the forwards currently in Manchester are untouchable. That said, the depth on the blue line (When was the last time you were able to say that?) would make it logical that a defenseman would be a part of a package if the Kings were to trade for a sniper. Of course, one more sniper isn't going to make the difference between making the playoffs and not this season. If it were possible, I'd rather see the Kings try to unload some of their assets that might be valuable to a playoff team for the short run and get some mid-round picks for them. Even so, the buzz about Frolov being on the block doesn't seem to be going away. I hope that he's not traded and that the Kings will want to re-sign him for the long term, but I don't get the sense that he's in Lombardi's long-range plans.

i would prefer d.l. holds onto all the assets and let them compete during what figures to be an amazing training camp next august/september...let them battle it out...then i think we would have a better idea of what are prospects are capable of doing...

With core player and offensive dynamo Kyle Calder eating up 1st/2nd line minutes we don't need Oscar.

/end sarcasm

Oscar Moller, who tore up juniors last year, made the Kings out of camp, surprising even DL, left to be captain of the Swedes at the WJC, who was the leading scorer on the Kings power play when he left, who hits and shoots more and harder than most of his fellow Kings, who despite being a teenager who plays hard in the corners and is tenacious with the puck, only got tagged with good body checks maybe twice in half a season in the NHL, and who is nineteen years old, is not going to be traded. Dean Lombardi loves this kid. Deals last season were nixed because teams wanted Moller. And that was when he was just a prospect in juniors. All you have to do is imagine a thicker, grown-up, nastier, more comfortable Moller, and you will understand why DL is not going to be entertaining any deals for him.

And yes, you bring him up after the trade deadline and the team is appreciably better. Also, he gets better every game. So it's win-win.

after the Kings loss tomorrow, much more will be clearer to Lombardi, and the chance to get something integral for a guy like Handzus would be a chance to open the roster spot for Moller (NOT THAT MOLLER REPLACES HANDZUS... I get that) ...

after the Kings win tomorrow, not much will be clearer to Lombardi, but Handzus would most probably stay put, and the decision on Moller would be much much tougher.

I'm actually kinda praying for the former... rid yourself of 2 years at 4M and free up more of AEG's money to both get younger, and add that one integral piece of the puzzle that will bring some goals to this team.

This is about the trade talk above:

I caught the last few minutes of an interview with DM on NHL Live and he made an interesting point. He said, at the time, that 4 points separate last place from the playoffs and nobody wants to throw in the towel and give up. So there are no trades on the table for veterans or the sniper we all need. Secondly, he said he is really happy with Sean OD and there is no way he wants to trade him. So who do we trade and for what? I guess this leaves us the Eastern Conf for deals because the West is so tight. The Islanders are out of it but who are they going to trade? Guerin? Weight. Heck, I'm not sure if they haven't been traded yet because I don't even remotely follow them. Kovalchuk maybe the best buy out there but he won't be cheap.

Quisp,

I think Oscar is a good prospect too, but I have to think if he were to be included in a deal to get say
Kovalchuk...

We would all wish him well.

It won't happen but it's nice to dream.

By the way, why dont we play Oscar now? We have enough guys in the lineup who dont score.

Also does anyone know if Moulson is gone?

Quisp.

If Oscar coming back to LA means the team is made "appreciably better," why aren't they calling on him when we're slipping out of the playoff picture?

The Jeckyll/Hyde LA Kings have returned.

We got that "a player coming back from injury can be like acquiring a player through trade" experience when JJ got back. The polish has worn off that a bit, but why not try it with Oscar?

This "patience game" is a tough one to play.

Come on TM. Will you finally give the GRIND LINE (calder/stoll/simmonds) a chance to play together? It's just sitting there staring you in the face...what's the problem?