Radio change

I hope the boys can play a tiny bit better and start winning these games. They looked good against the Sharks the other night.

Rich: Can you show Tony Jackson the value that is Twitter to bloggers? Please? Pretty please?
Thanks

at least it's on TV... not like Chicago game. guess I'll have to go underground

Throughout the history of the Kings, they are treated like 4th class citizens, when it comes to TV and radio coverage.

Isn't the Blackhawks game on NBC?

No, the Kings VS Blackhawks on Sunday will be televised on RIS.
NBC will host Pitts vs Philly on Sunday, not the Kings game.

i wonder if the aladdin bail bonds people have been alerted of the change...?

lol

Variable

Funny shit!!!!!!
How much lower than having bailbonds commercials?

Hi, I'm a crook, but thanks to these guys, I'm out of jail and looking to rob your house so I can make those payments on time!
Thanks Alladin...the homeowner thanks you too.

FSN doesn't really care that much who advertises on their games...as long as their is money flowing in

Is Dustin Brown being asked to leave his family a day early during his situation at home?
Thursday's game is now meaningless, pretty much.
I don't see the point in flying out early.
Why would Murray ask him to do that right now?

nykingfan - I'm not so worried about someone buying bail bonds. I'm worried about the "bankers" and "CFO's" who have robbed our country blind.
Besides that, I find your comment above totally offensive and spoken from a position of "advantage."
Not to mention, why are you bashing a company that is willing to support your team and your sport through advertising?

Arriving in Boston at 3PM on St. Pat's Day. Good thing they have an extra day to recover!

@nykingfan

I got the joke. Although it's hard to imagine how someone couldn't.

yeah...

because it's hockey and fighting is allowed...i guess they think that there's a correlation with the sports violence and real life...

we are all just felons....all of us kings fans...these commercials are just our long awaited indoctrination into the communities of thuggery....

"yr dad has just been arrested for embezzlement and attempted murder....can i get you a muffin?"

they never show the loser, only his baby mama or "buddy" who arranged the bail

Dude,

Its a f***ing joke. Stop being so friggin sensitive to everything.
I've told you before man..I don't want to hear any kind of political or socio-economical bullshit from you or anyone else. This is a hockey blog...there's plenty of blogs that will cater to your beliefs.
"Position of advantage"..dude..do you read what you write before hitting the submit button? You don't know me...the only thing I know about you is you can be a major league a$$hole sometimes.

And while we're at it...What situation has Dustin communicated to you that he can't leave his family for his job?

Rich WTF????

nykingfan,

Your jokes are not funny.

The situation at home for Dustin Brown is that he had a very premature baby and the situation, as far as I've heard, is still shaky.
I'm sure that you'd agree (had you known) that that situation is much more important than playing out the schedule.

In other news.....

I hate to be a real downer here, but what promises do we have that this team will be better in 2009-2010?

I mean, does "another year older" make this team better?

Sure, the defense is looking better, but the goaltending situation is NOT fixed yet. Quick and Ersberg are adequate, but both are flawed and prone to give up the back-breaking goal.

Is that something that is healed in the off season?

Truly, the real holes are on offense, where Kopitar thankfully has emerged from the first half slump, but what was going on in the first half? Brown, Stoll and Handzus are good role players, but don't provide the steady offense - or leadership - that is so desperately needed.

Then there is the enigma that is Alex Frolov. He looks like a world beater on one shift, holding-off three opposing players, and then takes the next five shifts off, while he coasts around the ice.

Add all of these ingredients to a group that collectively cannot shoot the puck on net with any consistency, and simply refuses to create traffic, and you essentially have this same team and same results next season.

Sure, the Kings could pull-off an amazing trade in the off season, but more likely we will once again be subjected to the rumors of who the Kings made offers to, and deals that were on the table, but never came to fruition.

We'll go to camp with the optimism of yet another campaign. The Kings will unveil another marketing slogan, and we'll see a repeat of this season.

But at least we are the youngest team in the league......

Oh well...one less person coming to my "One man comedy show"
Now you're a friggin critic...you're jack you-know-what of all trades, ha?

the situation is still shaky?
Please tell us what you've heard and where you heard this so we can check your "facts".

I have children...I don't need you telling me about priorities.

this info from LAKINGS.com

"Seven networks – FSN WEST, FSN PRIME TICKET, NBC (HD), CBC, TSN (HD), HDNet and RIS - will combine to televise Kings games this season. The Kings will make their first appearance this season on National Television on Nov. 26 on TSN vs. the Edmonton Oilers. On Jan. 31, the Kings-Canadiens game will be broadcast on CBC and RDS (HD). The Kings - Penguins game on March 20 will be broadcast on RIS while the Kings-Blackhawks game on March 22 will be broadcast on NBC"

(warning: this is a joke. it is not intended for for those who can't take one. if you are one of those people, simply don't read it;)

nykingfan,

Your jokes are funny.

The situation at home for Dustin Brown had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with your joke about bail bonds. very lame argument, as far as I've heard, is still lame.

I'm sure that you'd agree (had you known) that someone who posts under multiple names (including anonymous), and who offers nothing more than a simpleton contrarian point of view, is a humorless chickensh*t.

now you may laugh...

lighten up Francis!!!!!! Please back to Hockey!!!

can we get the radio move permanent?

can't stand am 1150

AM radio still exists??

Btw.. 20! ie FIRST. (twenty posts on this GREAT blog, for such a inconsequential, tape delayed, AM broadcast hockey game)

Unlike a few other sorted snarks, I'm not one to blame DL, TM, AEG, LAKINGS, or Rich Hammond for this catastrophic conundrum.

GO KINGS

I just want to be the first to tell anthony and cristobal....YOUR HERO O'SULLIVAN DID THE SAME STUPID MOVE IN THE SHOOTOUT AGAIN TONIGHT AND DIDN'T SCORE!!!! Can we stop with the O'Sully loving and how we need him for shootouts finally???

I think lots of us have moved on from O'Sullivan by now, and if not, then get over it. This is a business and you lose players.. The next step is re-signing Jacko and Frolov. Oh and drafting Jordan Schroeder

Matt George -- I'm with you about 1150 -- their ads promoting themselves as a radio station are irritating and rather "adolescent-smart-alecky" -- I'd rather hear "Real Men of Genius" ads 100 times than 1150's stupid self-promotion ads once or twice

No way Quickie bails out the Kings in Beantown.Expect a blowout,after the letdown of being more than likely eliminated from the playoffs.Meanwhile Edmonton jumps up to 7th with a win tonite and a strong game from Sully on their 1st line.Good Luck Sully we will miss you.

Thanks wavesinair
I thought it was a harmless joke..
Who knows...maybe he's had to use those guys for some reason. Whatever!

AK47
I don't know much about Schroeder.
Any info on him and where he's projected to go?

Tantrum-

Regardless of what you say, it was a terrible trade unless Williams produces points equal to Sully and an equivalent 2nd round offensive player.

We essentially traded Sully and Moller for this guy. It has NOTHING to do with loving Sully; it has more to do with VALUE. Apparently, you Sully haters and the people that support this trade still seem to not grasp this very simple concept.

Think before you post.

Ersberg

How does Moller get included into this? He's still a King!

What value?
His value was so high that they wouldn't do the trade unless we included a 2nd rd pick along with Sully. To me that says his value wasn't what we all thought it was or should have been.
I don't think DL is stupid enough to include a 2nd rounder if he didn't have to.

Everyone here liked Sully. We all thought he would be the goal scorer we haven't had here for a while.
His play this year gave no indication he was going to live up to that promise.
You can say...we should have waited longer and given him more of a chance. Sure...but if he continued playing the way he was, his value would have been even further diminished. If we waited, maybe by next year it would cost us Sully and a #1 for Williams.
Williams when healthy is a solid top 6 forward who's a much, much better player than Sully...WHEN HEALTHY!
It's a gamble..like any trade you make.

Ersberg --

There are plenty of people who love this trade who are "thinking", despite your charge. You think that adding a pick is potentially some kind of disaster in order to get a stud player like Williams? Give me a break. How else do you trade for a player like Justin Williams? How else do you rise above mediocrity to land a stud player? If that's so easy to do? Such an idea that the trade becomes a disaster by adding the 2nd rounder is blown out of proportion when you consider that the Kings have been hoarding picks, in part for a purpose EXACTLY like this one.

Oscar Moller and Wayne Simmonds are both playing above their second round levels, so you can't assume that most second rounders will be Oscar Mollers, so banish that idea right off the bat. As for me, I was jazzed byh this trade the very moment I heard about it. I kwow what Justin Williams can do. He is obviously a superior, more well-rounded player than O'Sullivan, and also a more of a team leader and a true winner. This is the kind of trade you make when you are looking to turn the corner and join the ranks of the truly good teams. Justin Williams will crash the net, unlike O'Sullivan, and he can skate, play "bigger" than his size, and he will get the ugly goals & has scorers hands.

Furthermore a hardnosed JW is just a better fit in the Kings top-6 than Patrick "Perimeter" O'Sullivan, who seemed to be an odd man on any line he was placed on with the Kings this season. One writer called O'Sullivan "miscast" on the Kings and that really sums it up. Obviously Sully is an inventive offensive player but there are real and actual limits to his game that were driving me crazy watching him this season, and you can't sit around hoping he'll figure things out and expect to advance rather than retreat as a team. I wish Sully nothing but the best but you can't get players of the caliber of a Justin Williams without ponying up, not in the NHL at least.

Nyking-

Moller=2nd rounder. It was an example. We traded a future consideration for a guy that's beat up.

Sully had 22 goals last season, and 15 so far this season in a new system, in which he was juggled between 3 different lines. People(on this board) have said he's a bust. Are you going to sit there and tell me he's not going to score 20+ a season? I hope not. In fact, his numbers will go up, given he'll mature as he ages.

Gambling picks/players with a team that already boasts proven talent and is a proven winner is fine. I.e. San Jose. Gambling future players/picks with a team that has proven NOTHING is a bad bet, especially when it's on an injury-plagues player. I.e Kings.

Ersberg

Now I understand what you meant with Moller.
You could also include Richardson in that as well.

You're right...he probably would have finished with 20...but there's a big difference in his 20 and say Dustin Brown or Kopitar finishing with 20.
Sully isn't physical at all. He plays on the outside more than digging in front or in the corners..which is fine if that's the player he is...but if he is that kind of player, 20 goals doesn't cut it. If you're a pure goal scorer or a sniper, 20 is a miniscule total.
Unlike Kopitar, Sully never caught on with TM's system.
Maybe with more time he would have, but maybe not. He's really the only one who didn't improve as the season wore on..as far as picking up the system.
Everyone on this team was moved around on lines. Frolov has 28 goals while playing from 1st to 4th line.

Every trade made in the NHL or any sport is a gamble.
We can make a trade straight up Kovalchuk for Hickey. Obviously its a one-sided trade, unless of course Hickey turns out to be the next Brian Leetch and Kovalchuk's play diminishes or he doesn't help the Kings in the way we need him to.
Both are possibilities.
This may have been the best time to trade Sully...only time will tell.
If Williams is healthy, its's hard to argue that he's not a better all around player than Sully.
If you're right, then DL will have to answer for it...especially if we don't win next year and WIlliams is laid up with another bad injury.

Ersberg -

Gambling on injury plaged players is always a bad thing for the Kings eh? So are you mad we took a chance on our 4th leading scorer Stoll? How about Handzus? I'm sure you'd be ok if we picked up Marty Havlat last summer and his 58 points in 67 games this year...no? Maybe we should try to get rid of Jack Johnson because so far in two years he's been plagued by injuries?? You obviously have no idea how good Justin Williams is, and overrate O'Sullivan way too much.

Think before you post.....

nykingfan,

Here's the story copied from the March archives about the Brown's and their son.
My distaste for your joke had nothing to do with my comments about this story.

----------------------------------------------

Brown baby update
By Rich Hammond on March 5, 2009 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (43) | ShareThis
Stepping away from trade talk for a minute, I know a lot of you are interested in Dustin Brown and how his family is doing. As you probably know, Dustin Brown's wife, Nicole, delivered the couple's second child on Feb. 23. I'll assume, from some of the comments that were posted here and elsewhere, that some people weren't aware of the details. They weren't reported, out of respect for Brown and his family's privacy. Now, after talking with Brown and the Kings, it's clear that everyone is OK with sharing the details.

Brown's son, Mason Cole, was born at 31 weeks, four days, which was just more than eight weeks premature. He weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 16.5 inches long. Mason remains in the hospital, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where he will remain for the next several weeks. The hope is that, in the next few days, Mason will have his IV removed and be moved from an incubator to an open crib, although there are problems with his body-temperature regulation at the moment. The baby is on a feeding tube, but the hope is that bottle-feeding can start in the next week or two. Mason is gaining weight, which is a good sign, and yesterday he got back up to his birth weight.

I'll do my best to keep everyone updated, and I'm sure Dustin and Nicole appreciate your well wishes.

Nyking-

Kovy is a decent idea, but I was thinking DL should have just waited until the offseason to pick up a guy that's equal to William's talent minus the damage. See, we payed the price for possible talent up front for a distant shot at the playoffs. We payed too much for it. We didn't need Williams now. He would have cost less in the offseason.

Tantrum-

You're kidding me, I hope. Your comparisons are Stoll and Zus? Williams will be slotted in as a TOP SIX forward, most likely on line 1 with Kopi. He will play exceedingly more minutes than Stoll and Zus.
Williams has sustained more injuries than BOTH of those guys combined, and will play a far more intensive skating roll.

And no, I don't want Marty Havlat. Not then, not now, not ever. No, I don't want Gaborik either. No, I don't want Forsberg(retired or not).

Kovalchuk
Horton
Komisarek(D upgrade)

There are a few others, but we'd fall short on commodities available to use to pay for the product.

Yes, I know how good Williams WAS in '06. He's done nothing since, and is only older to show for it. Kings and has-beens go a long way back, if you've cared to look at our trade history.

"can we get the radio move permanent?

can't stand am 1150"

echo that. I've been complaining about that awful station for 2 or 3 seasons. no postgame on road games? they also have a pretty weak signal which doesn't work on the outskirts of LA.

I was driving back home on Sunday when the game started and it wouldn't come in. I scanned and there was no other station that had it on (thought there was one on the Kings radio network in IE or SD but no such luck). luckily I was able to switch over to the XM radio and get the Sharks' feed until I got towards OC and could get 1150 again.

it's now ironic that the Kings have an affiliate in Ontario and a "flagship" radio station that won't even reach there.

nykingfan
Your off base with your attempt at humor. You, not cristobal, were the first to raise socio-economic issues. I suggest that if you do not want to read cristobal's socio-economic retorts, that you simply refrain from such provocative and insensitive posts.

good luck to Mason, Nicole, and Dustin. eight weeks is pretty huge, it's great to hear he is already gaining weight. hope to hear about a full recovery soon and that Dustin can continue to lead the Kings while all this is going on, next season, and beyond.

it sucks that we all had to scratch our heads and wonder if everything was alright as fans just trying to support our team and hope for a playoff spot, but I respect their privacy.

"We didn't need Williams now. He would have cost less in the offseason."

Really??? How do you figure?

tantrum4,

most importantly, it was Lombardi who traded the "elite" player Pavol Demitra for O'Sullivan in the first place.
I wanted to see O'Sullivan here for the next 12 years.
More importantly in that Edmonton game, is that Dwayne Roloson is playing lights out and we could have had him for next to nothing in December before Erik Ersberg "fell apart on us."

Not to mention, Brad Boyes, Andy McDonald, and David Backes also missed in that shootout.

Williams still hasn't played for us and we're now out of the playoffs.
That is poor management.

We weren't supposed to make the playoffs in the first place.. Name one player on the Kings under 30 years old that has a stanley cup ring..? None. We need that kind of leadership, and Justin Williams will surprise most of you. O'Sullivan is overrated.

I had read that previously...but I don't see how that relates to him doing his job...which is playing hockey for the LA Kings.
I'm sure that if he had requested, the team would have let him fly out a day later...but what would that have accomplished?
God forbid something happened tomorrow or the next day or in the next 2 weeks or even if things just remained status quo...do we tell him to forget the rest of the season and stay home and take care of his family? Maybe, but that would be the Kings call as well as Dustin's.
In the real world, your bosses are sympathetic to a point....but if it gets in the way of your job, that's not acceptable. Right or wrong, its the way of the world.
My prayers are with Dustin Brown and his family and I hope everything turns out ok. As I said..I have a family and can understand what he must be going though.
But I don't see how you can say the Kings should have given him the extra day if he didn't ask for it?

Ersberg

I remember DL saying that this deal wouldn't be there after the season. I can only take him at his word that's the case.
I really don't think he made the trade for this season.
I would also hope that DL was on the phone with other teams guaging interest in Sully and it just wasn't there other than this trade..or there wasn't a better one available now or probably after the season.
DL doesn't seem like the type of guy who will make a trade for the sake of making a trade. He had to know all of his options now and after the season before pulling off the deal.

Guys,

My point is, don't trade for Williams at all. Deadline or the offseason. There are better options out there, not many, but there are. I think we would have been fine going beyond the deadline without a deal being made.

I'm all for Sully being traded, as long as we're getting proven value back that has a moderately low risk involved.

Ak-As I mentioned, we could have made a deal that would have involved a cup winner, minus the injury history. You've even said it yourself: Look to Detroit for options. I.e. Cup winners.

What's the deal with the Dustin Brown family stuff coming up again? Let him deal with what he has to then he comes back. He could always quit Hockey, then we'd be really screwed.

Ersberg -

you sure you want Horton? He's missed 13 games this season you know.....

cristobal - you're whining that we traded for a hurt player, but you're saying DL traded Demitra who you call an "elitle" player even though he's been hurt waaaay more than Williams before his trade from the Kings and every year after? come on man, talk about contradicting yourself. And would you really want a 39 YEAR OLD goaltender??? Give me a break man. If DL would have signed Roloson I can just imagine the bashing he would have gotten from fans, especially you. And what do Brad Boyes, Andy McDonald, and David Backes missing in a shootout have anything to do with the Kings? At least if they miss it's not because they do the SAME STUPID move every time they shoot. And if you think we missed the playoffs this year because DL traded away a 14 goal scorer you're absolutley crazy.....

Tant-

You're right. I don't want anyone that's had a hangnail, it might be screw up his shot.

By the way, Sully scored the other night, whereas Williams scored his last goal... Oh wait, I know, we got him for the "future". Sort of like how crystal balls work.

Some thoughts. The first three for Cristobal, the rest re Williams and picks:

(1) Demitra is not an elite player. He's a guy who scored 35 goals seven years ago who DL couldn't afford to re-sign and so he traded him to MIN, who ended up getting nothing for him when he walked.
(2) It was Demitra for POS and pick 17, which was Trevor Lewis. So now it's Demitra for Williams and Lewis, both of whom will be important pieces of the Kings team in the fall. Whereas Demitra's contribution to MIN next year is nil.
(3) Dwayne Roloson?? Are you f'ing kidding me?
(4) Williams. Probably a good idea to wait to see the guy skate before you/we declare the trade a bust. I personally expect 30+ goals, drive to the net, and some fire.
(5) The 2nd round pick issue: okay, first of all, it was Calgary's 2nd round pick, which is less valuable than ours. Second, you can't use Moller as an example, since he was a steal in the 2nd round. That's using DL's drafting skills against him; no fair. That would be like saying every late round pick equals Zetterberg or Robitaille. It doesn't.
(6) More on the second round pick: the second round pick in 2009 is an asset for 2011-12 at the earliest. DL made a decision to trade potential asset value two years down the line for value now and later. Because he thought he could afford to. Now, let me ask, why do you think this was reasonable for DL to do, from DL's perspective? One reason might be that he knows, for example, that he has so many prospects now that he's going to have to deal some of them in the next couple of years (goalies and defensemen in particular). He's much more in a position to be shifting assets around than he was the last couple of years (when he was stock-piling assets). That 2nd round pick, which of course has value, is much easier for DL to replace than it would have been three drafts ago, when he needed to move assets to get the picks in the first place.
(7) POS -- he's potentially great. I love him and support him. But I don't think his absence for the last twenty games of the season is hurting us. Purcell has picked up the slack and then some.
(8) I think it's funny that people who didn't think the Kings would get 51 points this season are put out when they don't get to 91.

Quisp-

re my stuff.
(4) I really like your positive outlook on this guy. You have know idea how much I want you guys to be right. With that said, I think he'll get injured again. I do. It's the Kings history that I'm talking about here. It's like the Boston curse. It needs to be broken.

(5 and6 ) I'd rather take my chances with a young, up and coming, uninjured 2nd rounder, than this guy. We really didn't need to make this trade. Really. We didn't.
You have to remember, it's not like we have to actually draft with the pick, we could have, like Dean did, use it as a trading piece in the off-season.

Tantrum,

I have never complained about Williams as a player, only about trading a 23 years and 13 month old talent like o'sullivan when the team is only trailing in the playoff race by a few points.

Roloson could have been serving us well for the remainder of the season, and I am not the type to suggest a trade or acquisition, and then bash a GM for making a move I agree with.
You also point out that O'Sullivan has only 15 goals, but this is only his 2nd full season in the NHL.
Don't you consider the future when thinking about these things.
Williams may turn into my favorite Kings, after Brown and Kopi, but the timing of this trade, as Ersberg points out, is just horrible and hurt our chances of making the post-season this year.
Not to mention, if DL had really acquired good talent in the FA market we could have traded vets for a player like Williams, but instead we have players like Calder and Preissing at rates above their marketability.

Lombardi, as Gayle pointed out, has one more season to make the playoffs. I have no problem giving him that, and actually like his recent drafts.
In the trade-market and the FA market, however, he has been poor.

Murray on the other hand, I would like to see gone after this season has ended.
I am entitled to state my opinions about the franchise without being insulted and abused, especially when I do not want to be deleted and censored, or guilty of behavior that Hammond has asked us not to indulge in.

Chris Kunitz has a ring and we made no offers.
Steve Bernier is scoring for Vancouver and we showed no interest.
Tuomo Ruutu is doing well for Carolina this season and we showed no interest.
Cammalleri and O'Sullivan are playing for a playoff berth, and we sent them packing.

In my opinion we are even less attractive to pending Free Agents than we were last year.
Players want to succeed for themselves and their teamates, not for overbearing coaches and GM's that are trying to put feathers in their own caps.
In Detroit, the players receive the accolades and the management and coaches support them in becoming the best players they can be.
Maybe Lombardi can pull a rabbit out of his hat next season, but I have my doubts.
It's up to him to prove he is worthy of staying on as GM of this team.
Up to this point, he's been a GM in the NHL for about 10 years now, and I think he's got about 2 or 3 seasons of playoff appearances.
That's not good enough.
After all, the playoffs are merely a threshold to becoming respectable.
16th best of 30 should be rather simple to accomplish.

Quisp.

I don't hold your opinion in the esteem you do.
Roloson could have been very good for this team this season.
The guy is on fire, unlike Ersberg who hasn't won since mid-december.
I love Quick, but I don't think it would have hurt his development to play backup to Roloson for the remainder of this year.

I'm not F'ing kidding you,
As you must have been kidding when you believed that DL could actually find a buyer for Preissing or Calder.
Also, I've never bashed Williams as a player, just the trade, the timing, and the hypocrisy of Murray and Lombardi.
I'd just point out, once again, that the Kings looked their best early in the season before they really started to learn Murray's dinosaur system.

Once again, AEG, if you are listening.
We need a coach who can make this team think like Champions.
My pick for consideration is Igor Larionov.

Oh yeah, Quisp.
I don't care how you look at Demitra, the man is an incredible hockey player.
Like Williams, he gets injured because he's a target and because he is playing to win.

Why are we assuming that there was more available for the price than what we got?
We could have made a deal with Detroit, etc...how do we know DL didn't try but couldn't find a match?
Whether it was Williams or someone else...we needed somebody to fit the top 6 role on this team. DL/TM want big physical guys with skill who are proven winners. Williams fits that picture perfectly. We're all hoping he stays healthy and produces the way he previously has. If he does, we have a huge piece to the puzzle.

Quisp.

Also, didn't you say 85 points?
Wonder if we'll make it.
Again, those predictions came before we even had 6 defensemen or had seen Doughty, Moller, or Simmonds in the NHL.
Funny you keep bringing it up.
It doesn't embarrass me to be wrong, but it seems to bother you a lot.

Anyone interested in telling me how they really feel about my comments can post them freely at

http://worldhockeydaily.wordpress.com/

I am not seeking to draw the ire, or break the rules, that Hammond has asked us to obey.
I would appreciate it if those who want to speak in this manner do it in another forum, as I'm sure Hammond would appreciate it as well.

I've read speculation that when Sully held out, he went from being part of the team to becoming an asset in Dean's point of view. Dean might percieve that type of behavior as a sign of me-first over the team. I still remember how stressful it was when the guy wasn't signing. And I can even more easily recall what a pain in the ass it was to watch his no-look passes and all those perimeter shots that the goalie saw all the way.

Maybe it was Murry's system. In fact, it probably was, given what Sully showed last year. If that's the case, he really is an asset. You could call it creative differences, to be a little tongue in cheek, but the Kings are moving in a different direction than being a team where maybe a guy like Sully could thrive. He probably will thrive elsewhere, and that does not mean he would do so here.

I've questioned Murry a lot this year, but seeing the kind of two-way player Kopi has become lays that all to rest. I thought he was good the last two years, but I say he is actually becoming elite. Putting up points is only half the equation. Kopi has recently been breaking up plays in the kings zone and carrying the puck up the ice and getting chances on net. Kopi's adjusted and is simply defensively sound in ways he never was before. Simmonds seems to naturally take to Murry's system. Shoot, I know Handzus is more healed up, but maybe Murry is part of why he's improved also.

Like Murry or not, his style is the direction DL wants for the Kings, and Sully became an asset not just for the hold out but for not demonstrating that he could fit in with that style. And like it or not, they obviously see Williams as being somebody who will fit. It's not just about potential and pts here, it's about what kind of system and team the Kings are trying to build.

-Cricket (if you actually read this, thanks. I apologize for the lack of brevity.)

Ny-

I don't about the others, but my comment about better options was for the off-season. We'll have much, much more to choose from at that point in time.

(1) Yes, I said 85 points (actually I first said something like 82-87 points, as a range, and then rounded it off). Seems like a pretty reasonable prediction, still.
(2) "I don't hold your opinion in the esteem you do" is an insult. If you're "not seeking to draw ire" then keep your insults to yourself.
(3) When I say "are you f'ing kidding me" re Dwayne Roloson, that's shorthand for what ought to be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention to the Oilers this season: Roloson has been a problem. He's not a credible option.
(4) Preissing/Calder: DL appears to have made the choice to keep Calder around, due to his much improved play etc. and the fact that TM likes him I guess, so it's hard to know what the market was for him. Preissing, I think I said there might be a market for a guy with playoff experience in a seventh d spot, but then he got dizzy, and that basically put an end to that. Beyond that, did you really think I was saying "oooh Preissing! Trade bait! Kovalchuk!!"
(5) The Kings "looked their best earlier in the season?" To me, they looked their best right before their little 1-6 run a couple of weeks ago.
(6)..."before they really started to learn Murray's dinosaur system?" Let me see if I get this straight. Team sucks previously. New coach brings in new system. Team improves, not because of the system, but -- crazy as it may sound -- but precisely because they haven't learned the system yet. Then, once they do, they get worse, by some measure that doesn't include the standings, which show the team to be basically at .500 the entire season.
(7) Igor Larionov: STILL NOT A COACH.

Wow, you guys are really getting after it today. I enjoy reading it but seems like a few of you guys need to go out and pound a few beers and put your differences behind you. I hope, that at the end of the day we can all still be Kings fans and support our team. Not through rose colored glasses but objectively for sure. I believe that this team is on its way up. I hope that JW turns out to be a star for us. I hope that we re-sign FRO and JJ, I hope that one of our goalies turns into a star. I believe we'll make the playoffs next year. I have nothing to base it off of. I don't have the time nor the inclination to lookup the stats that some of you guys are. I am not a season ticket holder, I don't even own a jersey. But I know that back on the 5th, when we won that game in overtime, the whole damn building was pumped and we were all Kings fans. Thats the hope that I've got. The fellas played with heart, with fire, and they won the damn game. They'll put it together, probably not this year, but certainly by next year. We've suffered this long, lets give them another year before the beatings begin.

Ny dude-

Nah, keep posting, man. You're of about 1 of 4/5 people I discuss Hockey with on here. Say what you need to say.

Who's Grumlegs?

Keep up the good work.

Nykingsfan -

Since your entire comment will soon be deleted for language, I am taking the liberty of preserving parts of it below. I ask your forgiveness in advance for doing so, but I wanted to comment on your comment, and it wouldn't make sense without your comment.

[expurgated nykingsfan follows:]

Gumlegs, [please stop]. Sorry Rich and my fellow Kings fans but I don't need this [aggravation] any longer. I don't understand how making a joke about a Bailbond company's commercial is insensitive [...]. I don't need "enlightened" people [who shall remain nameless] preaching to me about things other than hockey. If you don't want me posting on this blog any longer I completely understand. I'll stop commenting here if that's the case. I'm not looking to make your life difficult or that of the other Kings fans on this blog. I use only one screen name so as not to confuse others or try to fool others. I give my honest opinions on all things Kings. I enjoy talking hockey with 99% of people on here. We have nice back and forth discussions and disagreements about the team we all love, but I don't need to deal with this ancillary ["stuff"]. If they wish to take me to task over my opinions on the Kings...that's what we're here for. If they want to take me to task for laughing over an actor portraying a criminal on a commercial, pardon my french: [be fruitful and multiply]. Again, I apologize to you Rich and all of my Kings friends on this blog.

I second that. It's exhausting.

Since I have neither the time nor the energy to read through 50 long comments and figure it out, can someone please explain why it is that (presumably) rational adults can't go more than two weeks without getting into a pissing contest on the comments section of a blog?

Actually, nobody needs to answer that, because I'm not going to moderate stuff any longer. I'm just going to start banning. Thanks for your attention.

Regarding Williams:

None of us can make assessments of how this trade will ultimately turn out. If you want to argue that it hurt us in the short term (2 weeks), then yeah, I can see that. I don't think Sully would have changed the outcome of many of the games we've played since the deadline, but hey, who knows.

What gets me is that it seems many believe the motivation behind the trade was to get rid of Sully, and if that were the case, there could have been a better option or deal either at the deadline or in the offseason.

I see the motivation for the trade as the opposite. It would appear to me that DL specifically targeted Williams. Injured or not, he wanted that guy on this team. Had he not been injured, DL may have waited until the offseason to try and get him mostly with picks at the draft table. However, seeing he was injured, DL decided his value would be lowest then and thus the best time to trade for him (not sure I really agree with this line of thought, but I think its the one DL employed). O'Sullivan was the only guy who a) had good value and b) DL thought was expendable. Bing bang boom, there's your trade.

Could we have gotten someone better to help with this playoff run, definately, and I am a little peeved at DL for not doing that, but I know Williams is a beast of a hockey player and I'm extremely excited to see him in a Kings uni.

As for Horton, it cracks me up that people always bring him up as someone to trade for when there is absolutely ZERO indication that Florida would ever trade him. He's locked up several years, is young, they're best (if only real) power forward and is a fan favorite as I understand it. We aren't getting Horton, period. Besides, we have our Horton in Brown, he just hasn't been very Horton-like lately.

Thanks Ersberg and Quisp...
Quisp...you said it better than I could have. LOL
"be fruitful and multiply" Classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JDM -

I think the motivation for the trade was genuinely that DL saw a chance to get Williams and went and got it done. He could have traded POS to any number of people, if it was just about getting rid of him. We will soon see if DL was right to hold Williams in such high estimation, but I think it was all about getting him in a Kings jersey.

JDM-

Value..

Actually, Williams' value was probably higher at the deadline, since we were in a playoff race(at least from Edmonton's perspective), and we'd see some action from him prior to the seasons end. Our of curiosity, How do you figure he'd be worth more in the off-season? I'm thinking supply and demand came into play at the deadline, since there were so few options out there.

I just don't see a GM paying a guy like Sully+2nd+MORE to get Williams in the off-season, unless he/she doesn't like his/her job.

As for Horton..

I've never heard he was unatainable. Sure, he'd be expensive, but well worth it. It would not hurt us to have 2-20/30 goal scoring "Dustin Browns" on this team. None whatsoever. That's like saying Dallas wouldn't want 2 "Brendan Morrows" on their roster.

Quisp,

How you always manage to make my exact point with 20% of the words is beyond me. Bravo my friend.

Erbserg,

Its also like saying Dallas is going to trade Morrow, which we all know they won't. Also, no one has said come out and said Brown is unattainable, but that doesn't exactly mean we are about to trade him does it? Obviously everyone is tradeable, we all know that, Gretzky proved it, period. However some guys aren't going to moved unless you overpay for them, and I think Horton is one of them. Especially with his contract, he'd be uber expensive, and ultimately, not worth it. Hey, I love Horton too, and would be thrilled to have him on our team, but it aint happening.

Williams would cost more in the offseason for two reasons:

1) He (presumably) wouldn't be injured anymore. Healthy player nets more than injured player.

2) Carolina wouldn't be desparate to add to their roster for the playoff run like they were in the offseason, thus, less inclined to trade away a fan favorite and an instrumental piece in their Cup victory. The demand is actually on Carolina and Edmonton. We were the supply. They were more desparate for an addition to the roster than we were and more willing to give in order to get.

My guess is during the offseason, a healthy Williams would cost Sully + 1st, or Sully + a roster player or prospect already in development. Especially if Williams came back in a week for Carolina, scored 5-7 goals in the last games of the season and did well in the playoffs.

So maybe I shouldn't say his value WOULD be higher in the offseason, but rather I can easily see how in many scenarios in COULD be higher in the offseason.

J-

I completely understand your points about the trades regarding Horton, Brown, etc. It just makes me feel like what were discussing really doesn't have anything to do with these guys, but rather the GM's.

Without getting too much into that, I'm guessing that's what makes teams like Detroit(Holland) and the Kings(DL) what they are and where they're at.

No disrespect to our GM, he just simply has a lot more to do, and even more to prove.

"[our GM] just simply has a lot more to do, and even more to prove."

Agreed fully. He better make a splash this offseason. I like the addittion of Williams, atleast on paper and in theory, but even then, we need more.

I still think we need a middle pairing defenseman and a top 6 winger. If he gets those things in the offseason, I'll be thrilled. If he doesn't, well, he better hope the team comes through for him and makes the playoffs, otherwise he should be gone. I like DL A LOT, but next year is make or break in my opinion. Playoffs are a MUST.

AM radio still exists? But seriously, tomorrow can't come soon enough for many of us typically neurotic Kings fans..

In the meantime, I'm anxiously anticipating the Preds smacking around the quacks in a couple of hours. QUACK.

Anonymous said:
Ersberg --

"There are plenty of people who love this trade who are "thinking", despite your charge. You think that adding a pick is potentially some kind of disaster in order to get a stud player like Williams? Give me a break. How else do you trade for a player like Justin Williams? How else do you rise above mediocrity to land a stud player? If that's so easy to do? Such an idea that the trade becomes a disaster by adding the 2nd rounder is blown out of proportion when you consider that the Kings have been hoarding picks, in part for a purpose EXACTLY like this one.

Oscar Moller and Wayne Simmonds are both playing above their second round levels, so you can't assume that most second rounders will be Oscar Mollers, so banish that idea right off the bat. As for me, I was jazzed byh this trade the very moment I heard about it. I kwow what Justin Williams can do. He is obviously a superior, more well-rounded player than O'Sullivan, and also a more of a team leader and a true winner. This is the kind of trade you make when you are looking to turn the corner and join the ranks of the truly good teams. Justin Williams will crash the net, unlike O'Sullivan, and he can skate, play "bigger" than his size, and he will get the ugly goals & has scorers hands.

Furthermore a hardnosed JW is just a better fit in the Kings top-6 than Patrick "Perimeter" O'Sullivan, who seemed to be an odd man on any line he was placed on with the Kings this season. One writer called O'Sullivan "miscast" on the Kings and that really sums it up. Obviously Sully is an inventive offensive player but there are real and actual limits to his game that were driving me crazy watching him this season, and you can't sit around hoping he'll figure things out and expect to advance rather than retreat as a team. I wish Sully nothing but the best but you can't get players of the caliber of a Justin Williams without ponying up, not in the NHL at least."

I missed this one. Nice post, but, I can't help but think you'll be changing your toon regarding this trade sooner than you'd care to. Your post actually strengthened my current view on the subject.

What would rather have...

Sully-young, at least 5+ more seasons of 20+goals, around 50-60+ points a season, with no injury history AND a 2nd rounder.

or

Williams-proven winner, 2-time(only) 30+goal scorer. Has had what? 2 full seasons under his belt? Cup winner, plays with grit(we have guys that do that too, you know). And...he's COMPLETELY busted up! MCL(twice?!), ACL, broken hand, bad back(think hard here..Mario Lemieux ring a bell?).

I'll take door #1. He's a stud on paper(twice), but you've now convinced me that Sully+more could have landed us an even BETTER fish.

People...we've had cup winners on our team. Did that bring us a cup?

Boo on the broadcast time change. I was looking forward to listening on my ride to mammoth.