Defense pairings

Please no more Harrold in the Top 6

No more Harrold period. Harrold is our new versatile version of the great brad chartrand

Should be greene and harrold. Let Gauthier sit in the press box.... not the penalty box.

I have to agree with Jonny.Harold brings quickness to go with greenes toughness.You know the saying to slows don`t make a right.If nothing else,please sit Ivanas.

Playoff hopes, numbers, etc.

At this point, it's long odds for the Kings. The first and most important requirement: they have to go 10-3-0 to finish the season.

88 points.

Now, here's how we need everyone else to do, no better than:

EDM 6-6-1 88pts
MIN 6-4-2 88pts
DAL 6-3-2 88pts
STL 7-4-1 88pts
ANA 6-1-4 88pts
NSH 5-5-1 87pts

Nashville is almost certain to finish with more wins than the Kings, so we don't want to be tied with them. Everyone else, we will prevail in the tie-breakers (although it's possible there's a combination of a 3 or 4 way tie where the against-tied-teams record burns the Kings; however, the Kings are 11-3-3 against the teams they're chasing, 14-5-1 if you include the Ducks, who I really don't think will make it to 88).

CBJ and VAN are effectively out of reach. So obviously we want them to win. Those two teams play STL five times between them. That's another reason I don't think STL will make it to 88.

The Kings probably won't either. 10-3 is a tall order. At this point, it's still doable. But they haven't done themselves any favors lately.

Win the next two, Boston and Pittsburgh. If they can do that, Williams comes back and 8-3 is not out of the question. However. If they don't do that, we'll be looking at a required 10-1 finish, and that's -- even for me -- a bit much to hope for.

Why is it that the voice of Reason always comes from Old Man?

I think Jack Johnson would make a pretty good lw.It would give him more freedom to throw his weight around.He has some decent moves,and he has a cannon for a shot.He would look good on a line with Stoll and Brown.Imagine the carnage they would create.All three of them can thow some devastating hits.Worth a shot.

ALL RIGHT..

so who we drafting?

Draft--
Well, I would like to see (Bob Miller & NN will kill me for this) Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson drafted by the Kings if they can get to the top 4 or 5 picks. This guy would fit perfectly with the Kings, although he probably won't be ready for the NHL for 2 or 3 more seasons. He's a LW (which we need desperately), good size, 6-1 and a smooth skater and playmaker.

The Kings need to win at least 9 games to have a realistic CHANCE of making the playoffs, meaning that winning 10 games would still mean we have to have the other games go our way. But of the remaining 13 games, 11 are against teams above .500/ahead of the Kings in the standings. The other 2 games are a home-and-home with the Coyotes, and the Kings historically break even in those situations with PHX.

The Kings play against STL, DAL (2x), NSH, and EDM. That's five games where the Kings need to go 5-0-0, leaving 5-2-0 left.

Your remaining schedule also has @ BOS, @ PIT, @ CHI, @ CGY (Kings haven't beaten yet), @ VAN, and @ SJ (Kings haven't beaten yet), it's hard to think the Kings could go even 4-2-0, when they're a combined 3-9-2 against those teams. But it's not impossible. The best chance would probably be CHI, and I'm curious as to how they'll play against BOS and PIT the next couple days. But if the Kings can at least get some of those games into OT (which won't hurt the Kings because none of those games affect the standings if they're three-point games, then 3-1-2 seems quite possible.

Then, all they'd have to do is win both games in the home-and-home with PHX, and we could be in good shape.

Rich or anyone else,

Does anyone know if the Kings are going to practice this Saturday in Chicago? If so, at the United Center or Bensenville (where the Hawks practice)?

I doubt MPS will be available when we pick, unless we somehow manage to trade up. I doubt Dean will do that, though, since teams like Montreal will struggle to sign all of their pending UFA's, ultimately making it more desirable for us to swoop in make some nice pick-ups.

Yup, there's a guy named Mike Komisarek that will be available July 1st. We should take a nice look at him..

MPS won't be available when we draft, but Nazem Kadri (lebanese player) and Jordan Schroeder will be.

Yeah, that was my thinking all along. We lose Goat, trade Zus, pick-up Mike K(He'll be about the same amount re-signed as the 2 before mentioned combined), then grab a guy like Moen(chip player), which is a younger Lappy. After that, sign a big gun(no, Williams isn't the end-all answer), like a Hossa, etc.

Kadri might be a good pick-up, but what about Kane?

Ersberg -

Kane is indeed playing great hockey. Granted highlights are just that... and they tend to exaggerate any player, but still I've been very impressed. A lot will depend on where we finish; I doubt he'll be around when we pick.

Hossa would be a very nice FA signing. I'm guessing that he's going to walk. It makes more sense for the Wings to sign Franzen. If they somehow swing both of them, well, they'll have become the NHL's version of the Pats.

Who will DL draft? I would assume a first round pick between 6th and 14th overall. Also, assume he's not going to pick a defenseman (although you never know). I would put my money on one of Peter Holland or Zach Kassian. Obviously, if the Kings pick higher, there's the possibility of Brayden Schenn or Evander Kane.

quisp - Kassian is a pick in the second round, right? Kadri in the 1st round can play left wing and would fit in as a DL type player.

Jet - depends where we draft. He's ISS ranked 19th right now, so he's not likely to be around in the 2nd. Yeah, Kadri, I agree, but Kadri also might not be around by the time we pick. I should have put him on the list though, for sure.

Playoffs??? HaHa
Instead of "Don't Stop Believin" Kings should use another Journey song instead "The Party is Over"
It will be a stretch for this team to finish at .500
with the remaining schedule. Seriously too many teams to jump over and not enough games to do it. St. Lous played .750 hockey for 20 games and only picked up 7 points in the standings. They will probably not make it
either despite the hot streak.

Everything's a stretch. Obviously, if they play merely .500 hockey from here on, they will fall short by 6-8 points.

It's not a matter of how many teams there are to jump over. Everyone's in a clump. But focus on this: anyone who is hot from this point forward will make it. Anyone who is not, won't.

We need to win these two games, tonight and tomorrow. While the Kings are doing that, there are the following games between now and Sunday:

EDM/COL, EDM/CHI (back to back)
STL/VAN, STL/CGY (back to back)
ANA/PHX
NSH/SJS
MIN/NJD
DAL/SJS

At best -- going into Sunday's action -- we could be a game and a half behind Edmonton, a game behind Nashville and Minnesota, even with Anaheim and Dallas, and a game ahead of St. Louis. With eleven games to go.

Now, the best-case-scenario is not going to happen, right? But it doesn't have to. It's actually quite reasonable to expect our competition to hurt each other down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Kings just need to put wins together. They've done it all year, win five and it seems like we'll never lose again, lose a bunch and it's all gloom and doom.

Now it's win two, get Williams back and see what happens.

Are we likely to make the playoffs? Obviously, no. But ask yourself which of the teams "we have to leap over" are likely to make the playoffs.

I said before, I think Vancouver and Columbus are likely. They're out of reach for us.

The rest, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota, St. Louis, Anaheim, Edmonton... not so much. They're only "likely" to make it if they play well above .500.

Anyone who stumbles is out. The Kings need to win two games. Then we can re-evaluate on Saturday.

Quisp
The point you are missing is that chasing more than one team is what makes things near impossible for the Kings. If they were in 9th place they would have a shot
but they need Minnesota,Anaheim,St.Louis,Edmonton, Dallas and Nashville to go into the tank.Throw in the fact that some of these teams will be playing each other meaning someone (if not both) teams will be picking up points and it becomes near impossible.Kings have been streaky but at what point this season have they shown themselves capable of winning 10 of 13?