Williams update

Hey Rich,

How about running a poll on this trade?

Thanks.

As long as you run another poll at the end of the season after people have actually SEEN Williams play, not just looked at his stats and injuries and have no idea what kind of player he is....

What time is practice today?

Run a poll? So we can confirm that LA thinks this is a bad trade cause pos got shipped off?? No one here ever watches Williams. This kid is a stud. You think Hurricane fans are happy he is leaving? I can tell you that they are NOT. They also say he is not injury prone, just has bad luck and a change of scenary will do him good.

I cannot wait till next season when he is back to true form and everyone has to eat crow.

Man the Kings have a lot of right handed shots up front.

I think it's awesome that the only guy NOT throwing a tantrum over this trade happens to be named tantrum.

Rich, I don't know what us die-hards would ever do if this blog went away. I really appreicate your ability to get us this type of information so quickly. Thanks.

I agree, I'd love to see a poll. better yet 2 polls: a "before" he plays and "after" poll seems to be the way to go.

Hey Rich,

Are you able to shed any light on the whole, Edmonton was not happy we got Williams out of this trade?

I find so many aspects of this deal fascinating and if they were indeed pissed about it, it is so reminiscent of the Hickey draft when Boston was upset that we selected him before they had a chance.

Thanks for everything.

Yeah, we definitely need a poll.

Good to hear Williams will be in the lineup in only a couple weeks. Considering the fact that he needs some time to get used to the Kings style of play and coaching anyway seems to come at a good time.

Rich - heads up, Moller's WHL team is Chilliwack (Bruins), not Seattle.

-Fletch

tantrum. 3 goals in 32 games speaks pretty loudly. So does a career of goals per season that reads: 12, 17, 8, 6, 5, 31, 33, 9 and 3.

Yeah, we definitely need a poll.

Good to hear Williams will be in the lineup in only a couple weeks. Considering the fact that he needs some time to get used to the Kings style of play and coaching anyway seems to come at a good time.

Many of us know all about the quality of play Williams has brought to the rink. The cup run for Carolina is not obscure. He is a 70 pt hardnosed player and an oft injured 3 goal player. The Deadmarsh comparisons are plain scary.

I'd like to run a pole up Dean Lombardi's...

God, I hate this. Calder for Williams... fine... makes way more sense. Two guys who had good years a while ago and have sucked for the past two years... both with something to prove. O'Sullivan... not as much to prove, but now... GO OILERS!

Rich,
The tsn.ca website reports that the Kings got Calgary's second round pick.
"The Kings Get: RW Justin Williams and Calgary's
second-round pick."
It also does not show the Kings giving up any picks. Can you clear up what the actual terms of the deal are?

I am a big fan of POS. I especially like players that have to overcome some off the ice obstacles, it makes them better players in the long run. But we ALL knew that building this team was going to be tough sometimes and that means making some difficult decisions. POS is strictly about fitting a box - as DL calls it. We have plenty of POS type players both in size and talent. Williams brings another dimension to this team - a player with size, grit, and a scoring threat. POS has talent - there is no doubt, but like Cammy, he is relatively one dimensional. I urge those of you who think that this is a bad trade to look at it from a team perspective rather than an individual perspective. We all like POS but it is the team that is and should be our ultimate focus.

how does quincy feel about his buddy leaving?

You think Calder would have gotten Williams out of Carolina?

Are you on rock?

O'Sullivan and a 2nd only got Williams because A) he was injured and B) Edmonton was PISSED when they found out Willams was going to LA, as they would have taken him for Cole straight up instead of taking O'Sullivan.

Yes, run the poll after we've seen him play, and also after we see how well Sully does on his new team.

The Kings traded Calgary's second round pick from the Conroy trade, jrf.

Fletch,

Chilliwack traded Moeller's rights this season to Seattle. If Moeller were to be sent down to Juniors, he would report to Seattle instead. Where he would suit up with Hickey.

Fletch,

Actually, he got his rights traded to Seattle.

http://www.seattlethunderbirds.com/news/index.html?article_id=111

Deadmarsh had concussion problems. Way different than a hand or leg injury, which can be dealt with surgically. You can't operate on a head to solve post-concussion syndrome.

Give the new guy a chance. Sounds like he has the speed, shot and mentality the Kings need up front. I'm always (always!) yelling at the TV, "Somebody puh-leeze get in front of the net!" Too many on the current roster (except for Brown, Handzus, Calder) seem to think they need to play on the perimeter. But if you don't screen the goalie, tip a shot or put yourself in position to get the puck and then shoot, all it is is cycling and recycling in the corners or along the boards.

I like the way Lombardi explained it. Go back and read it over again. He started this team's rebuild from the back out. First, a goalie (or goalies) who can stop the puck. Next, a sold defense to clear the puck and move it up to the forwards. Now, he is rebuilding the attack and trying to find players who complement each other. His explanation makes perfect sense. I loved watching Luc Robitaille play, but if you had 9 Luc Robitailles playing forward, that would never work. Later on, in the offseason, Lombardi still has the cap room to go after a big-name scorer - let's hope he does that, since if he can, that could be the final piece in the puzzle that is turning the Los Angeles Kings into a perennial contender.

GO KINGS!

go oilers?

I meant to write Moller, not Moeller.

@tantrum4, great post, I agree

@Dave, No tantrum here, I like the trade

@Brian, but I do wish the "know-nothings" on this board WOULD go away

@Mark Nathan, get Center ice & follow Patricia all you want

Having his own scouting team in place for the first time last summer paid dividends for DL and the Kings. Look at the draft we had: Doughty, Teubert, Campbell, Loktoniov and Voinov (sp?). 4 out of 5 of those picks might be NHL players soon. Doughty is already wearing #8 and there is not ONE NHL team that wouldn't want him on their roster.

In past interviews with Rich, DL has mentioned how hard he works at "due diligence." The top scouts for the Kings all say that nobody works harder than DL and that he requires his people to burn the midnight oil. He has a drive about him. That's what impressed Lieweke in the first place. That hard work pays off, he said, when you have to make quick decisions like the team did on draft day last summer. A prepared, war room mentality.

Now, knowing how hard DL works and the plan he has in place, do you not think for one moment that he and his staff had their sleeves rolled up for the Justin Willams trade? Bet on it. Every trade is a gamble. You could say that Deadmarsh came with a label as a bang bang player who got hurt too but had size, grit and heart. Was he worth it? Sure. And we'd all agree another 4 seasons of a healthy Deader would have been great.

All trades have risks. Period. Look at the Oilers with Lubo. He's now hurt. Risks.

If the Oilers were pissed that they couldn't get Williams, that says a lot. And it could well be that the 2nd round pick DL added (or was asked for) sealed the deal over Edmonton's request. We'll see.

Rich can you get a feel from the team as to what they think? Will they be candit or is that just wishfull thinking. Going back to dl's comments about sully not quite fitting in W T F !
I seem to remeber a line a very good line last year that kicked butt. A line that other teams needed to watch out for a line that put up points in fact they were are only scoring line we had. AI line that never really got a chance to work together this year because TM wanted more depth. How come we couldn't keep Kopi Brown an Sully together and just find someone to play with Fro ? We still have the same problem as last year if you put JW on the first line. We need a top player a real top 6 forward not an apple for a apple and personally I would take POS over JW . This off season is make or break. We need real help not just more apples god please help DL make my kings a contender please

anyone having a problem viewing video's on nhl.com? I keep getting a connection error and I cant watch them.

So, people that are questioning the trade are throwing a tantrum? Is that how you view those who don't share your optimism? It's called a discussion.

It's interesting to see how people view opposition in discussions.

It's almost as if they are having a...tantrum. :-)

The only possible way DL could have done a little better here was to make that pick a conditional '10, probably based on games played...but then again, maybe it was "take it or leave it" from the 'Canes...

Willaims,
He's a hockey version of what poor boxers call a "glass jaw"
Its not going to take much to put him down and out.
BUST!

Ryan Callahan is a RFA at the end of the year.. If DL were to go after a restricted free agent, I think he can be one of those guys that can play the 1st or 2nd line.. He has lots of upside and is a good player.. Same with Brandon Dubinsky, but I'd rather Callahan.

Ryan Callahan played a year in Guelph with Dustin and played with Drew Doughty in Guelph too, so he knows some of the guys on the team. I think he would fit our system nicely..

Frolov-Kopitar-Justin Williams/Ryan Callahan
Lewis-Moller-Brown
Purcell-Stoll-Justin Williams/Ryan Callahan
Richardson-Handzus-Simmonds

This is a very tough lineup to go up against..

Of course I don't think Rutherford would have wanted Calder for Williams straight up... he's seen him play, I'm sure. But, the idea is, both guys have pretty much underperformed WHEN HEALTHY over the past two years. O'Sullivan may have regressed a bit this year under Terry "I won't play you with the same line throughout an entire game, and whatever line you're on at even strength will not be the unit I send out on the power play" Murray but at his age, in his classification, he has way more upside than Williams. Two good seasons with Carolina, playing in a division with Atlanta, Florida and Tampa... I'm very interested to see how he does in the West. I think this trade blows, and I'm not throwing a tantrum. The day they traded Larry Murphy for Ken Houston and Brian Engblom... that was a tantrum...

A big bust with this trade is certainly possible but I like the potential upside. Look at how well Handzus has come back this year. We'll see how JW does next season. I like the gamble.

Here's one of JW going to the front of the net and taking an elbow to the face in the process of scoring.

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlp=8468508&event=CAR1202127

Hmm, maybe what's really going to transpire is between what we've been discussing. Read what this guy says about our trade:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/24099-Screen-Shots-Grading-each-team-at-the-trade-deadline.html

O'Sullivan is going wear #19, just in case anyone cares..

To txkingsfan, you hit the nail on the head!

If you look at the kings now...again I like PO'S--he's got some speed and great hands AND not doubt when we play them he'll probably have a 2 or 3 pt night (as most former Kings do...BUT, we are small on the wings. If you look at the team as a whole, this deal makes sense about building your team and filling in DL's boxes.

I'd like to see how we'll feel about JW not at the end of this season, but at the end of next season. Give the guy a chance to see if he'll have some impact on the team. We need something to get the guys who are left a lift...I don't think PO'S has that quality--that's why he was moved from the first line to #4...

I really hope someone is keeping track of Anthony's quotes in some type of log. They will be great to have will it all comes back to biting him on the ass.

From ersberg's link: "Bottom Line: The Kings caught fire after the all-star break, yet remain a long-shot for their first playoff appearance since 2002. Dumping O’Sullivan for Williams actually adds to their salary cap issues in the short-term, but one NHL agent speculated Wednesday that Williams – along with a number of other roster players – could and would be peddled again in the summer."

That's nuts.

Also. What salary cap issues?

There are so many restricted free agents we can go after..

David Booth (FLA)
Matt D'Agostini (MTL)
Kyle Chipchura (MTL)
Phil Kessel (BOS)
Ryan Callahan (NYR)
Brandon Dubinsky (NYR)
Travis Zajac (NJD)
Drew Stafford (BUF)
Rob Schremp (EDM)

Alex Goglioski (PIT)

With the money we have, if we were to sign an offer sheet to any of these kids, it would be extremely tough for their GMs to match the offer.. More specifically teams like the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, teams that have no cap room.. I know DL isn't known for going after RFA, but why not? This is a special summer for restricted free agents, and maybe he'll back after one of Kevin Lowe's players again (Robby Schremp)..

Personally, I think Ryan Callahan would be the nicest fit

with jw coming back in two weeks and probably needing about that much time to get into game shape, we still really won't get a complete look a jw at full capacity on the kings before the season ends...

next year will be telling...
this season is a wash...that has to be considered because even sundin needed about 3-4 weeks to get into game condition...

after sleeping on it....

the only tremendous edges sully has is his age and the ability...albeit in a much shorter period of time...to stay healthy...and that's not small potatoes...good edges to have

jw brings grit, a ring and a nice overall game...
in carolina, he played with:
staal, brind'amour, recchi,cole, weight and sillman in '05-06 and recorded his career high in points on his way to a cup...his playoff stats were as follows...:
gm g a pts +/- pims
25 7 11 18 +12 34

i really think all of us need to take a deeeeeeeeep breath and wait and see...
i don't like that phrase either too much...it's a bit scary...

but like so many have mentioned at this point, when healthy, jw IS a better player than POS at this point...can POS be better over time? perhaps...

but...

POS needs to have the puck to be effective...many of us have knocked him for going into a coma at times when he's not w/the puck or participating in a cycle...
one of POS's great skills was his play on the PK...jw during his best year had 4 shorthanders and 6pts on the PK...

for those who expect jw to be a bigger/better hitter...well...
in '05-06...the cup year...
jw had 32 hits in 82 games (yes, he's capable of playing a full year)...however, jw does score more of the dirty goals which is something we desperately need more of on this team
comparatively...
POS had 60 hits in 62 games so far this year....

what does this all mean...?
who knows until we see him play about 15-20 games at full speed and health and find out the following things:

- can he play a more physical game than POS and contribute those "dirty" goals that POS couldn't?

- chemistry and his locker room presence...does he click w/kopi or stoll or (UFA/FA)? is he vocal enough?

- will he still have all the speed in him after sitting out more time time than he's played?

and...

- can he stay healthy?

high risk/high reward...

did d.l. take a big gamble? yeah...he did...

does jw give you more return on yr investment than POS?

i seriously don't know...and i think that's the $64 thous....wait...$3.5 million dollar question...

d.l. hasn't put the future on this...so anyone thinking POS was a franchise player...he wasn't...like he said last night...anyone can be traded...
gretzky was twice....and he was a generational player...sorry...an once-in-a-lifetime player...

so d.l....

the riverboat and the felt tables have met...and you've decided to put a fair some of talent and money on the table...this is yr biggest/boldest move since you've become gm....

now yr tupac...all eyez are on you...and yr bet on jw....

time will tell....

That list of RFAs, I'm sure BOS, NJD, BUF, and MTL would match any offer sheet unless DL offered WAY too much.

I still think Gaborik, Tanguay, or Hossa could all fit nicely with the Kings, and we'll see if the Kings have any interest in them (we all pretty much know Gaborik won't re-sign, Hossa might cost DET too much, and I have a feeling MTL might be willing to part ways with Tanguay).

Anon-

Isn't that crazy? But think about it just a sec..

1) Dean gets rid of a player he fills won't cut it(from his point of view).

2) Dean gets the best value he can for an underachieving player at the deadline. He wouldn't be worth as much if he dealt him in the off-season - that I agree with.

3) He takes on a guy that is a proven player, although at a cost of an added pick, that he can use as a trading piece that will have an increased value in the off-season(he should be healthy by then).

4) Dean flips JW+players/prospects+picks to get a really big gun.

I posted something similar in the poll post, but I didn't list it out like this.

Thoughts?

What? He's only out 2 more weeks?? I thought everyone on this site that was opposed to the trade said he was out for the season??....guess they didn't know what they were talking about. I wonder what else they have no clue about....

@ Anthony i get what you are saying but if DL made every move that you have requested we would be looking up at the islanders dude you know nothing about the game stop being so negative.just support

Q#1 have you ever played hockey before

Q#2 on the ice or ?

Q#3 ever been on a team in any sport

AK, re offer sheets:

DL isn't going the offer sheet route. He's the enemy of offer sheets. I'm actually curious if he's going to "help" Ken Holland solve his potential offer sheet vulnerability re Hudler. Also, keep in mind, even if DL were the offer sheet kind of guy, that would have to be the last piece of the puzzle, because there wouldn't be any money left. With the Kopitar contract kicking in, as well as Greene's raise (at least I think it's Greene's; somebody got a raise), the Kings are going to have a cap hit around $47-48MM, and that's assuming Calder, Gauthier and Armstrong are gone, and Preissing is at least partially off the books.

There were several pissed off Hurricane fans on XM today. The fact we don't see Williams much makes it hard to grade for sure. Sully, for all his good points, always seemed a malcontent and had plenty of time to show skills. Perhaps he will be a star in Edmonton, who knows. I think Moller should stay on his own merits, and not because Williams is unable to be in lineup. I love that kid. DL got off to a bad start with McCauley, Cloutier etc as someone pointed out, but has more than redeemed with the draft (a Kings first getting bona-fide future stars on OUR side), the trade for JJ, and the Lubo dump/pick-up of two excellent team players. SO, I tend to give DL the benefit of the doubt. The guy is good and I think really good. It will be an interesting off season. It was another painful year, but they had SO many one goal, or one mistake games which should have been wins. I think we are close to a contender with the pick up of a legitimate star player to go along with excellent core. I hope Frolov is not moved too.