Initial draft poll

Svensson. He does it all. He has size, speed and skill. Most importantly, he plays left wing. If he is available...Draft him

The Kings fanboy answer will be Magnus Svensson.

#1 Tavares
#2 Hedman
#3 Duchene
#4 ?
#5 ? (Kings)

Schenn, Kane, Svensson.

I would go with Schenn. Kane has more upside in terms of offense but Schenn is no slouch either. As for Svensson, great skill, more of a passer, I think the Kings should pass. But who really knows what Dean and Co. is thinking. Should be another suspenseful draft day.

I think the Kings are young enough now that they can take on an older sniper, so I wouldn't be at all upset if they traded the pick to get a proven scorer. At this point, they should be worried about getting better, not younger.

We have depth now, Trade the pick for acorer.
Possibly Kovulchuk, Heatley, Nash, Jeff Cater.

Here's my pick: Evander Kane (stat line below)

2008-09 Vancouver WHL GP-61 G-48 A-48 PTS-96 +51 89-PM

JKaHITS:

#1 Tavares
#2 Hedman
#3 MPS
#4 Schenn
#5 ? (Kings)

Kane, Duchene, Cowen should be left over, IMHO...

Speed, Speed, Speed...

I'd take Duchene.

trade trade trade

Heatley / Nash

The more I think about the more I think I'd rather stay away from trading for a sniper. I'll still lay out what I hope happens in different situations.

Trade:

Trade pick, a goalie(Quick maybe, he played well but i think bernier will be better in long run and EE can hold down the job till he's ready) a D prospect(teubert maybe since Drewiske seems to be a solid shutdown Dman) and maybe a guy like Moulson

Get:Heatley or Lecavalier(I'd rather get one of these two than Kovalchuck and I don't think the price would be really more for one of these two. Tampa may be forced to move Vinny because of his salary that kicks in. Heatley I think is less likely to move but I would still love to get him and they have some cap concerns as well)

Draft:

1)Trade up: Probably won't happen and although I love both Hedman and Tavares I wouldn't trade up unless we dont really have to give up much besides picks/minor prospects(think Moulson, cliche, etc.) or maybe even Stoll/Handzus if Tavares replaces him

2)Trade down: Really probably not and I'd rather not unless its involved in getting one of the two guys above somehow.

3)Pick: I really like Kane the more I see of him and think he looks a lot like a young Iginla. MSP/MPS I havent seen much of but he seems like more of a playmaker than a sniper and not as physical so I like Kane better. Schenn I feel like is getting a little extra attention cuz of his brother and should be 6-10 pick prbly.

FA: I dont think Hossa comes here. He wants to win. That being said Gaborik I would like to have as long as he isn't too much. Injuries are a concern but when he plays he is a goal scoring machine. What i think is most likely is signing him and drafting Kane in terms of making a splash. Or DL grabs middle level FA's for shorter term deals and not too much and goes after people next year.

Just my thoughts. I'd love to hear you responses.

-GoKings09

Is Rick Nash available?

let the great debate begin...ding-ding...!

my vote/pick is mps or msp...depending on yr media guide...

2-5-7 +6 in 6gms at the wjc's and was the consensus best euro forward at the journey...and he's only 17...

i think that if we don't trade the pick, we are going to get a good one...

this kid has been compared to foppa (hopefully not in terms of injuries)...in sweden, they actually have started calling him lil' foppa....that's not a bad thing...he's got the most upside projected picks 3-10...
css has him currently ranked #3...i think he's the chosen one...

Old School,

No, there is absolutely no chance we get Nash unless we give up like Kopi, Fro, and Hickey or something like that which would be insane

for those who need some convincing...

please go immediately to you tube and punch in magnus svensson-paajarvi and watch this guy work...

out of respect for rich...i won't post the url's...there are waaaaaay too many amazing highlights/videos of what this kid can do...

trust me...you won't be disappointed...
IT'S A MUST WATCH IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN THEM...!

I hope you guys don't think about a one-on-one trade with Heatley or something like that. I think the Senators will ask for a guy like Kopitar or Frolov with the first round pick. Obviously Nash is a franchise player so I don't think he is available at his prime.

For the pick I'm not an European lover so I would go with the better north-american available Kane but I don't think he is NHL ready(maybe one more year in the WHL and another one in the AHL.)

This is an easy one-

We already owned a Duchene

We already owned a Cowen

We STILL DON'T OWN A CUP DO WE

You all do understand, don't you, that when you say, "trade the pick for a proven scorer," you mean "trade the pick, plus a couple of our big names, plus a prospect and the pick for a proven scorer"?

I don't think Heatley is DL's kind of player. So unless you think the wings will trade Zetterberg or Franzen (hint: no), we're talking about Kovalchuk, with his two 50-goal and three 40-goal seasons. A trade for Kovalchuk would be something like

Frolov, Johnson, Hickey and the '09 1st.

It's not worth it.

Sign Hossa.

Draft Kane, Duchene or Svengali. Or Galsvengi, if that's what he's called now (MSP/MPS, I mean).

If DL can't sign Hossa, then sign someone else. Gaborik, just to keep the injury theme going.

Gaborik/Kopitar/Williams
Frolov/Moller/Simmonds
Kane-MSP-Duchene-Schenn/Stoll/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Purcell
Boyle and xx

OR

Frolov/Kopitar/Hossa
Kane-MSP-Duchene-Schenn/Moller/Williams
Purcell/Stoll/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds
Boyle and xx

Can someone explain why MPS is so high

He has a career high of 7 goals in a season! What is there that I don't see

Variable, just a quick break from my work. You know what... my guess is no way do we get MPS. After hearing so much about him my guess is he's got Avs written all over him. Could be wrong, and there'll still be Kane or Duchene to choose from (who knows, maybe Avs go for Duchene) but I think we'd have to be lucky to end up w Duchene or MPS as sounds to me like they might go 3-4. One things for sure though, we should get a good one. And many thanks to Phoenix for beating the Ducks in a shoot out last game of the season, otherwise most probably after Tav and Hedman the other three are already gone. Fingers crossed.
Would've been a bummer if one of the teams 6-9 had won and jumped over us.

Quisp, of course I realize that you won't get a proven scorer for just a draft pick, but as I said in my post I think it's time that the Kings got better, not even younger. They've stockpiled picks in past years, so it's time to use some assets and try to get an impact guy who can help in a push for the playoffs next season. For all those touting Kane, do you really think he's NHL-ready, and do you really think he'll get off the ice once Pronger or Iginla introduce themselves to him? Dude's a midget, and I think that Lombardi wants bigger players. Everyone was saying that Simmons was too small this past season, so it's going to be just that and more if you select Kane.

#6 is correct, the top 2 are at one level and the next 3 are at another. We are lucky to be in the top five. I'll be happy with M, Kane or Duchene. We should get a great pick at 35 also.

I think it is impossible to consider any trade possibilities until we get a cap number.

deadcat -

My impression is, Kane is ready, Duchene isn't, MSRP or whatever his name is wants to be ready and might be but might not be. Kane, though, is thought to be ready.

Kane is not small. He's 6'. I'm not worried about Pronger or Iginla or whoever. Kane likes to hit and drives to the net. He's not going to suddenly stop just because there are big hitters around.

Quisp,

I completely agree with everything you've said except the fact that those guys will make the team out of training camp.. Whoever we draft won't make the team right away, they will get developed. I don't know how ready MSP is, but I know he talks lots of smack.. He guaranteed a win against Canada in the finals of the World Junior Championship. Canada ended up winning 6-1, I think..

Either way, I say we sign Gaborik/Hossa/Havlat and trade back to draft Jordan Schroeder.. Of course this is only my opinion..

Gaborik-Kopitar-Williams
Frolov-Moller-Brown
Purcell-Stoll-Simmonds
Lewis-Handzus-Parse
Boyle

Schroeder will grow and get bigger of course.. I think he's going to be an amazing player and we'd be dumb to not look into drafting him.

I mentioned trading back with the Senators for Heatley..

Frolov
Boyle
Handzus
our 1st (5th pick) Jared Cowen? Matt Duchene? MSP? (teammates with Ottawa's 2008 first round pick Erik Karlsson)

Heatley
Jim O'Brien
their 1st (9th pick) (Jordan Schroeder)

We sign Chris Neil or Travis Moen as 3rd liners

Heatley-Kopitar-Williams
Purcell-Moller-Brown
Chris Neil/Travis Moen-Stoll-Simmonds
Lewis-Boyle-Parse

What do you guys think?

White_jack and Quisp,

I agree we won't be able to trade just the pick for a sniper and as I said before I'm beginning to really not like the idea of a big trade very much because I like how our team is set up and don't want to trade away a prospect that could be a star down the line. My proposals for Heatley/Lecavalier(the two guys I would want if we actually made a trade) involved 5th overall pick plus Quick who has shown he can be a number 1 goalie and Teubert a blue chip prospect as well as some other prospect like Moulson. Maybe even throw in Stoll if we get Vinny since we'd have too many centers. That seems like it may be enough but probably not which is why I am leaning away from a big trade but how nice would it be to have our centers be

1)Vinny Lecavalier
2)Kopi
3)Zeus
4)Boyle or Moller

Very, very solid down the middle then i would say.

Deadcatbounce,

I want to get better but not if we mortgage the future for it or give up too much. I'd rather see us add someone thru FA like Gaborik if he's not asking over 6 mil per year. In regards to Kane I would say check out this article:

http://national-hockey-league-nhl.suite101.com/article.cfm/evander_kane_2009_nhl_draft_profile

He is listed at "6”1’ and 180 lbs at just 17 years of age, scouts are eager to see how much bigger he will get" which is not really that small. This past year simmonds was 6'2" and 174 lbs and he did fine this year. Kane also says he likes the corners.

"Like a good fighter, Evander Kane doesn’t quit. His mixture of skill, character, and grit have caused many to compare him to NHL star Jarome Iginla. “I like to bring an offensive part to the game,” Kane said. “I’m on the team to score goals and contribute offensively. I like to bring a physical element and you can’t be afraid to go into the corners and battle and I like to go hard.”"
He could maybe fit in next year on third line duty, prbly need another year to grow some more but he looks like he could be the next Iginla to me which is something I would love to have. Also mentions he has great character and attitude. I'm starting to get a "man crush" on him if any of you watch Brad Evans on Yahoo fantasy football.
;)

-GoKings09

Quisp - Deadcat does make a good point about DL. I can easily see the smallest guy on the team next year being 6'. I really like Kane, but I think he may not be DL's first choice. Since we have the 5th pick and not the 3rd, it is likely a moot point.

"scoring left winger," right? of the four forwards who are generally considered to form that next tier -- Duchene, MPS, Kane, Schenn -- only MPS is a winger, and he plays on the left side.

i'd be happy with anyone, though, and it might happen; AEG could intervene if they think they can save money on thread by choosing someone else.

We don't need Vincent Lecavalier.. Kopitar is already our number 1 center, we don't need 2 number 1 centers.. We need a sniper, like Heatley..

Lecavalier is not really a sniper, imo, he's more of a playmaker. Frolov had more goals then him this season.

For those of you that may think that Svensson may not be ready, consider this, he is playing in the Sweedish Elite League, which is comparrible to the AHL.

It will be interesting to see how all of this pans out.

Quisp - Kassian went from 24 to 10 on the final North American CSS rankings.
Kassian, likely the toughest player in the Draft, made one of the biggest jumps from the midterm rankings, when he was No. 24. A 6-2, 210-pound bull, he had 24 goals, 63 points and a team-high 136 penalty minutes in 61 OHL games -- but he might best be remembered for his crushing hit on Tavares in the Top Prospects Game.

I guess we will not get him at 35.

WWAMD: Magnus is a 17 y/o playing in the top league in Sweden...which is probably on par, maybe a cut above the AHL. That's why 7 goals...In the world u18 championships going on now in Fargo, he's like 5+5=10 and a +6 in 4 games. Watch some video of the guy. He's sick.

Also, no way Schenn goes in the top 5. Not enough skill.

Maybe Kassian's solid play in the tournament right now catches DL's eyes and hopefully the Kings draft him and if not, trade back and get him. He'd fit the bill..

jet -

I like Kassian a lot, and kind of thought he would be a good choice if the Kings ended up in the playoffs. I would be stunned if he was picked later than #20.

Kane is thought to be NHL-ready, I think, by at least a few scouts. I agree that Duchene is probably not ready. Schenn, I don't know. MRSP, they say he is, he says he is, is he? Again, don't know.

My preference -- always -- is to keep the pick. I'm not into trading picks for veterans. And in this case, I don't think DL wants to cash out several of his prospects.

I do think, however, that he often follows the logic of, for example, "Purcell and Moller make POS redundant, so I can make this trade for Williams and still be covered." This summer, he might reason similarly about Jack Johnson. I hope he doesn't. But I can see it happening.

For instance, he might reason as follows:

"Two seasons from now, Teubert and Hickey will be ready for sure. Voynov, too. Those three guys, plus Doughty, Quincey, Greene, Drewiske. That's seven. I have SOD to hold the fort for the upcoming season. So I can afford to trade Johnson now, sign a UFA veteran defenseman in September, like I did with SOD last season, to fill the spot."

'09
Quincey/Doughty
Drewiske/Greene
SOD/Hickey
Voynov or UFA

'10
Quincey/Doughty
Hickey/Drewiske
Voynov/Greene
Teubert

'11

QUincey/Doughty
Hickey/Teubert
Voynov/Greene
Drewiske

Or something...

Trade it for an elite Top 3.

lots of good points all-around...

ultimately...

i only hope we pick the best overall player available at the time of our pick...

so whomever that might be, i hope we do this right...

based upon d.l.'s track record in san jose and here, i really like our chances in doing that...

NUMBER 6...

good point...the avs might get msp before anyone else...they need a gm first...i guess pierre lacroix will be making the choice in the meantime...

quisp/ak/deadder/jet/etc...

i think we are very unlikely to give up anything big for a trade, especially if it's for heatley...

i can see maybe a pretty big push for kovy...maybe a slightly lesser one involving vinny...but the odds are against either of those happening...

which basically leaves us with two big matzo balls out there: hossa and gabby...

hossa is great...but not worth the $8.5 to 10mil he's going to want...he also has to want to be here...and who really knows the answer to that...

gabby...i would love to see a reasonable performance based deal done...if he's healthy, he gets paid...however, it's probably very unlikely he and his agent would go for that and something that the p.a. doesn't like to see be done...plus, you gotta figure somebody out there will be willing to over-pay for him...

i agree that we are going to get a good player...maybe even a potentially great player in the draft...the trade scenarios professed on earlier posts are very unappealing to me...

i don't think any of those mega deals get done...

I disagree..

I think Jack Johnson is in the long term plan.. Even with the emergence of Davis Drewiske or the fact that we have Teubert and Hickey..

Do you really think this D will take us to the playoffs next year? Doubt it.

Quincey-Doughty
Drewiske-Greene
SOD-Hickey

More like..

Drewiske-Doughty
Quincey-Johnson
Greene-SOD
Hickey

ak...

if jj wants more than $3mil per...i don't think he's worth it...

he has got potential to get better...perhaps great...but he hasn't really done anything significant early on in his young career...i just think we are loaded at the blueline...so maybe there's some leeway in letting him go/trading his rights if a reasonable deal can't be reached...

honestly...does anybody else really think jack should get more than $2.5-3mil at this point...?

both quispy and i previously hypothesized that the $2.5-$3mil per year figure is more than reasonable for him at this point...i still stand by those terms...

one quick thought...

i'm not saying i would be in favor of the following scenario because of the improbability in terms of money, but:

- the sedin twins: if vancouver fizzles out rather quickly in the playoffs, their demands become less and perhaps, more affordable...UNDER THAT CIRCUMSTANCE and assuming the nyuk, nyuk, nyuks are done with them, if a contract between $4-5mil could be worked out for each one per year...AND THEN:

- msp/mps is still available in the draft...

- oscar moller...

you've got a pretty, pretty good all-sweden thing going on there...

very unlikely...but since we are all throwing spitballs out there...i just thought one more wouldn't hurt....

Duchene is gone at 3. Schenn is most likey gone at 4. What does that leave us?

MPS
Cowen
Schroeder
Ellis
Etc..

What are our needs? Defense? Nope. Centers? Unless it's Lecalvalier, then probably no. RW? Williams, Brown, Purcell..nope. Goalie? Quick, Ersberg, Bernier, JK, Jones..nope. So..

Scoring
LW
Size
Speed

It seems fairly straight-forward.

Variable-

35+ goal scorers usually make more than $3m per. Zus is making 4, so you can expect him to be at the $4.5+ mark come '10.

Well, maybe I'm not being clear or precise enough. First of all, I was only imagining a line of DL reasoning. I'm not in favor of any big trades a la Johnson for anyone. But I can see DL's reasoning in dealing him now.

Part of his reasoning would be that the Kings defense for the most part was better with JJ out of the line-up, so in that sense, yes, I think he would see the defense you mentioned as being good enough.

However, I also think he thinks that Voynov may make it before Hickey, or at the same time. Or something like that.

Variable, re performance-based deal for Gaborik -

I believe he is eligible because he was on IR for more than 100 days last season and because he's played over 400 NHL games. However, and this is a big however: He can only sign a performance-based bonus laden deal if he signs a ONE YEAR DEAL. And I don't think that's something DL would want to do.

On the other hand, maybe it is.

It doesn't matter if the player's union likes it or doesn't like it; it's allowed under the CBA. Obviously, Gaborik would rather have a longer term contract, and to get that he's going to have to take less money.

Quisp-

Actually, from what I've read, Duchene is likely to be more NHL ready than Kane. Kane has actually slipped a bit in the standings for that reason. This all came from scouting on TSN, so who knows if that's 100% accurate.

I have a sneaky feeling he'll reach again, and take Ekman Larsson.

Ersberg--do you draft for need or do you draft for the best player?

Never draft for need... that is one of those absolutes where DL is concerned.

The only question is: who will be left? If Kane is there, you draft him; if MPS is there, you draft him... The Kings are at 5--those guys will be gone.

Remember, our big year will be 2010-11. DL is secure as long as the Kings are better than 82 points next year. The Kings' system is short forwards; there will be steals like Quincey due to the cap next year. So, load the system with projects and skill (NINE picks between 95 and 200), pressure the top prospects from below... And, look for the top line scorer without bankrupting the top prospects... for a long playoff run in 2010-11.

it just goes to show all of us that being a gm in today's nhl is muy, muy difficult...

none of this is easy to pull off...

draft day we might see some huge ones...and i'm talking about mega deals involving some names we've mentioned and some we haven't...

that 2010-11 cap is looking like a huge breaking point for some of the current upper-echelon teams...

here's some good cap numbers for all y'all:

Below is a list of of approximate figures for each team's payroll and salary cap hit for the 2010-11 season according to nhlnumbers.com. All numbers are estimates and do not include player/team options.

Contractual commitments for 2010-11
Team Players Est. Payroll Est. Cap Hit
Philadelphia Flyers 10 $39.8 mil $37.8
Calgary Flames 10 $38.1 mil $36.4
Edmonton Oilers 10 $38 mil $36.1
New Jersey Devils 10 $35.4 mil $34.9
Ottawa Senators 8 $33.6 mil $30.8
Pittsburgh Penguins 6 $28.4 mil $27.3
Tampa Bay Lightning 8 $28.4 mil $30
Carolina Hurricanes 9 $27.7 mil $28
Boston Bruins 6 $27.3 mil $26
Nashville Predators 7 $27 mil $26.2
Florida Panthers 9 $26.5 mil $27.9
Detroit Red Wings 8 $25.9 mil $25.2
New York Rangers 4 $24.7 mil $22.3
Washington Capitals 9 $24.3 mil $26.6
Columbus Blue Jackets 10 $24.1 mil $23.5
Dallas Stars 5 $23.4 mil $23.1
San Jose Sharks 5 $22.3 mil $22.2
Anaheim Ducks 5 $22 mil $21
Phoenix Coyotes 10 $21.8 mil $25.2
Buffalo Sabres 6 $20.8 mil $21.1
Minnesota Wild 7 $19.2 mil $18.5
New York Islanders 7 $18.9 mil $16.5
Chicago Blackhawks 5 $18.2 mil $18.4
Montreal Canadiens 5 $17.2 mil $16.5
Toronto Maple Leafs 6 $15.6 mil $17
Colorado Avalanche 3 $14.4 mil $15
LOS ANGELES KINGS 9 $14.1 mil $16.3
St. Louis Blues 6 $14 mil $14.2
Vancouver Canucks 5 $12 mil $12.3
Atlanta Thrashers 3 $8 mil $9.6

Ersberg re Duchene/Kane --

Don't get me wrong. I think Kane is great and we would be lucky to have him. I prefer Kane to the degree that I'm able to prefer anyone I've only see play a handful of times. He looks more "ready" to me. Duchene, on the other hand, I've heard it said he is the best offensive talent in the draft behind Tavares, and maybe better at certain things than Tavares is, though I can't remember what whoever it was was referring to when he/she said that. Kane, though, has the drive to the net nasty drop the gloves thing, and he's got moves as well.

Also, and this may be influencing me more than anything, every time I see Duchene interviewed, he looks like a pimply teenager. Which is of course what he is. But he looks closer to Hickey (not ready) than Doughty (ready), if I may make that comparison.

Again, take with big grain of salt. I don't really know.

Bako -

They can't all be gone. One of MSRP, Kane or Duchene will be there. Not to mention Schenn, who isn't my favorite, but other people like him.

Speaking of steals like Quincey, I just noticed that Matt Ellis is a UFA this summer. DL was pissed he lost him on waivers last year. I wonder if he'll pick him up.

The above are all good choices for # 5 but there a tougher choice at hand beyond that. Any chance to land Doug Belsheim at # 35? He has slimmed from a portly 2 bills plus to a svelt buck 85 and stands 6'1. Playing in Russia's elite Nutri system. (Above AHL Standards) He is a very heady player that has good soft hands and is a monster around the net. Looks and plays a lot older than he is. Lets continue to build that farm system with top young talent and hope to bust into the playoffs before teams like Phoenix, Tampa and LA disband. Go Kings 09' - 10'

Oops. I mis-typed. I meant, "I think Duchene is great and we would be lucky to have him."

I also think Kane is great, obviously.

bako...

totally agree...i said that exact same thing before...

you always draft the best player available...

Are we all taking into consideration what the other draftees need?

NYI-big name, marketability=Tavares

TB-dump Vinnys salary with the emergence av *Stamkos. They will get many pieces and picks for Vinny, thereby picking the second best center out there=Duchene. However, if they get a potential nr. 2 center in the trade, then they go with Hedman. This team will be the most unpredictable.

Colorado-also needs a center behind Stasny and a blue chip blue liner=Hedman/Kane

Atlanta-needs desperately a center=Schenn

I think we are in a perfect position for MPS.

Agree whole heartly with the JJ evaluations. Not worth more than 2.5/yr. Could package him and our second to move back into the top 10-15 for Kassian.

Quisp - depending on the cap, this may be a year where there is less money available for FA signings. If players (or maybe more importantly agents) believe the current Great depression/ depression/ great recession/ mild recession/ financial hiccup is a cyclical event rather than a structural worldwide change, then they may be inclined to do a one year deal. The cap number this summer may very well determine the cup winner next year. I am starting to enjoy the off season.
I agree 100% on holding off on trading too much for a veteran. The track record of Lombardi's picks and the development system in place is too good right now. Let's ride our strengths.

Tell me is magnus svensson-paajarvi a man among kids?? Could he step right in and be the LW on the first line?? Could he do the same job as Heatly, or some other 30+ goal scorer in the NHL?? If not ... then trade for someone who can. Trade Quick???? Why??? So we can gripe about the crappy job DL did on the trade ... no thanks, the kids an NHL goaltender and the best we've had since Potvin, as good and will only get better.

how/why in the world would quick get traded...?

no way, no how, not yet...

does anybody think zatkoff/bernier/taylor are the next roy/brodeur/hasek...?

quick has been the first goalie in years that doesn't make me have a malox moment when he's name is announced as the starter...

agreed...

for #$%%^ sake, he was practically our mvp...and probably would have been if he played a full season...

it's only a tuesday, so i'm gonna discount the alcohol factor for the reasons anybody would want to theorize on trading him...geez...!

al...

not many thought dd would step in and have the impact that he had this season...

so anything's possible...and i do think msp/mps has a legit shot to be a difference maker in his rookie season...

The good news is, I think we will end up with a great player any way you slice it..... Duchene looks great, but I like the edge Kane has.....

AK47,
RE: More like..

Drewiske-Doughty
Quincey-Johnson
Greene-SOD
Hickey

I think Jack has all the skill in the world, but I think maybe he is struggling with high expectations.... I think he will end up being solid, but he really has'nt played great. I dont think he is worth more then 3 mil a year and I wouldnt risk signing him to more then a 2 year contract.... On the other hand his trade value is probably less now then what it was a year ago, maybe you trade him while he still has value. especially knowing you have depth in the system at D...

Package the pick with Frolov and send them to Atlanta for Kovalchuk.

Then, sign one of the Marion's (Gaborik or Hossa). Thats not a bad team right there.

Some of these posts are hilarious. What is this, a fantasy draft? Let's trade so and so and get Kovalchuk. Or how about our 1st and Hickey for Heatley. Scratch that. Our first, Dean Lombardi and Luc Robitaille for Bobby Orr and Denis Savard. That should solve our problems. In reality, we probably won't get any of these guys you people think were going to get. So let's all stop having wet dreams over the 09-10 Los Angeles Kings All-Star team and just get our core guys better like Lombardi said. And hey, I'm no Lombardi fan by any means. I just think he has a good point. We don't need mercenaries to get to the promised land. Our core needs to keep developing to get to that elite level we know they can get to. Yes, we can and will add a piece or two. But let's be realistic here and not set ourselves up for disappointment when we just go ahead and draft the guy Lombardi wants with our #1, sign JJ for 2-3 mil or whatever and resign Fro for 6-7 mil or whatever because in reality that's the most likely scenario. Go Kings Go!

I can see Quisp' presumed DL reasoning, but under no circumstances do I think Johnson should not be a King next year.

As for his contract, unless its 4-5 years long, NO WAY does he deserve anything near 3 mill. You can't pay for potential unless the length of the contract ensures to see that potential through (ie: Kopi).

If Johnsons signs a 5 years deal, fine, give him 3 mill. If he signs a 3yr deal, give him 2.2 or so. Otherwise, Johnson should and would be smartest to sign a 2 year, $1.2-1.5 mill contract. He's got all the potential in the world, but he hasn't done squat really except blow a ton of coverage, be over aggressive and score a few nice goals. Nothing worth more than 1.5 mill at the moment in my opinion.

The Kings will get a solid player @ # 5 regardless, I think it's more important that they pick well with their later choices, it will be the difference between quicker or slower success as a team over the next few years.

GoKings09, I thought I saw where Kane was only 160 lbs., but I'll take your word for it only because I just woke up and I'm still too tired to check. I'm still of the feeling that DL will decide to move the pick for someone who's more ready to step into the lineup because, from what I've read, only a couple of the kids eligible for the draft are NHL-ready, and one of them isn't Mr. Kane.

iansez said:

The Kings will get a solid player @ # 5 regardless, I think it's more important that they pick well with their later choices, it will be the difference between quicker or slower success as a team over the next few year

Bravo iansez. We put so much focus on the top pick. Of course for a team like the Kings it's super important that that pick succeeds. But what has Detroit done? They haven't picked in the top 10 for so long I can't even remember it. Same with NJ. They find gems further down. Zetterberg 210th overall. So it really is important to find someone who develops maybe not into a superstar but a very special player from the lower picks.
Conversely I still remember Aki Berg being chosen 3rd overall and Jamie Storr 7th overall. Like I said, there is a good case in point as to why your high picks have to succeed. Hopefully the Kings won't be a lottery pick again (at least not a top 5) for quite some time.

BTW, wanted to comment on variables info regarding the cap hits for teams in the 2010-11 season. That is really interesting information. Don't know where you came up with it var, but that is quite something. The Kings are well situated along with a few other teams. But some other teams are gonna have to do some juggling it would seem to me.

Bako-

Dean's logic would normally apply, but it shouldn't, since we're picking 5th, and we do have specfic needs. The logic for choosing the best now, wouldn't be as beneficial for our needs unless he's drafting only to trade. I see why he did it in the past, but it doesn't do us much good now.

I would be more inclined to simply trade the pick, then draft a player and risk not getting as high of return. A team can do more with the pick up front than they could do with a specific player coming straight from the draft. That's unless the player is NHL ready, but there are only two, possibly three of those players in this years draft.

Regarding Schenn..

I think the reason people want Schenn is because of his size, and that he plays a rougher style of Hockey. Although this type of guy would do well for our club, I feel the next big forward we get should be through a trade. We can't wait 1-2+ seasons for this guy to develop, we need a big winger yesterday. I think a guy with size and a higher ceiling would be better for us to draft, like MPS or Duchene(if available, but probably won't be). Schenn's ceiling is rated to be much lower than the rest of the forwards sloted in above him.

Seems to me we Kings fans have suffered long enough that we should have some patience and build through the draft, which takes 3-5 years. For short term help, rather than trade the #5 pick, the Kings can sign a free agent.

DL and the scouts seem to hv done a very good job. Whoever they think is best who is left at #5. Not being a professional scout, I voted for MPS just cause the King's need a scoring left wing with some offensive flair. But all these choices can play.

Seems to me picking #5 in a deep draft, the Kings will get a good player. Trading to win now will be most likely another King's trade the pick who turns into Ray Bourque deal. Unless the Kings got an elite player (doubtful) they should keep the pick. And if we can, we should try to trade some prospects for one of the other picks.

I haven't seen any of these guys play so I can't comment on who we should pick.

I've seen some crazy stuff here though!

Trade Quick? Put the pipe down! We haven't had solid goaltending in almost 2 decades and we're going to trade the first guy that gives the team a chance to win night after night? Oh hell no.

Heatley? Forgive me but I want to feel safe driving home and that I won't get wiped out by a player that I just saw playing at Staples center while migrating to the 110 freeway.

I think DL goes with the best player and if he can make a move with that player to get us a scoring left wing then so be it. Keep the core together.

JMFJ doesn't deserve more than 3 mil yet. If he thinks he does sign a short deal for less and work your ass off to prove you deserve it in the next couple of years.

1-Duchene is incredibly well rounded from all reports. If for some reason he's there for us we should snap him up.

-------TSN-----
Bob McKenzie: ... the scouts love everything about Duchene. They like his size, strength, speed, skill and smarts. They see him as a character player, as someone who can score goals, make plays and work as hard without the puck as with it. There’s nothing not to like about the Brampton Battalion forward. Tavares and Hedman are heavy favorites to go one-two in this draft, but if there’s one player who could upset that scenario, it’s probably Duchene.
(From TSN yesterday)

2-Magnus sounds really good. I would have him second on the feasibly available at 5. I worry about the transitional problems some of the Nordic players have coming to LA and NA in general. Recently Berg and Karlson and Tukonen. Talented but fragile. .+Not all but some. Too much sunshine.

-------TSN-------
Bob McKenzie: ...Paajarvi-Svensson - that apparently is now regarded as the correct order of his hyphenated last name – is a big, strong winger who skates like the wind and isn't afraid to drive the net to score a goal. The scouts I talk to think he's a bona fide top 10 prospect who could go in the top five. The question mark I’m hearing from scouts is whether he’s going to be a natural goal-scorer at the pro level. Otherwise, though, he has all the tools to be a big-time pro-style winger.
(From TSN yesterday)

3-Trade. Give to get.

Quotes from TSN can be found here.

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=11794

(Sorry if the quotes are not permited please just don't allow the post to go up on the site, thanks Rich)

Hi Variable, you asked about who would trade Quick.
Gp Kings 09: said, Trade:

Trade pick, a goalie(Quick maybe, he played well but i think bernier will be better in long run and EE can hold down the job till he's ready) a D prospect(teubert maybe since Drewiske seems to be a solid shutdown Dman) and maybe a guy like Moulson. DL and nobody else knew either that Doughty was going to be what he is. Personally, I'm sure DL can make a trade for a scorer without giving up the farm. Everyone here is talking about players that we would have to give up the farm for in a trade. Someone mentioned Scott Hartnell: Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 210
Born: Apr 18 '82 (Age 26) Phonetic: (SKAWT HAHRT-nuhl)
Born in: Regina, SK, Canada
PHI Season: 2nd NHL Season: 8th
Drafted: Nashville's 1st round choice, 6th overall, in 2000
Acquired: Acquired from Nashville, along with Kimmo Timonen, in exchange for Nashville’s first round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on June 18, 2007.
Also, I thought the Kings were in need of a big left winger for the 1st line, MSP is a right wing. How about this kid playing for Hershy: Name:
Oskar Osala
Number: 36
Pos.: LW
Shoots: L
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220
Birthdate: 1987-12-26
Birthplace: Vaasa, Finland

Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PIM
2008-09 Regular Season Hershey Bears 75 23 14 37 11 47
Or, how about Chris Higgins from Montreal.
Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 203
Born: 02 Jun '83 (Age 25)
Born in: Smithtown, NY, United States
MTL Season: 3rd NHL Season: 3rd
Drafted: Montréal's 1st round choice, 14th overall, in 2002
Acquired: 1er choix (14e au total), repêchage de 2002 / 1st pick (14th overall), 2002 NHL Entry Draft

05-06 Canadiens 80 23 15 38 -1 26 7 3 3 148 15.5
06-07 Canadiens 61 22 16 38 -11 26 8 3 3 159 13.8
07-08 Canadiens 82 27 25 52 0 22 12 0 5 241 11.2
08-09 Canadiens 57 12 11 23 -1 22 2 2 1 151 7.9
Basically what I'm saying is, there are guys out there that DL could go after and not go crazy and I'm sure he won't(go crazy). I also understand that any trade can or cannot happen unless the other team figures they will benefit by it.

The rebuild is over and we're not picking first overall, so I don't understand why we'd even keep the pick? Don't we want to improve the team immediately and make the playoffs? Why don't we trade back, acquire a solid veteran and draft either Zack Kassian or Jordan Schroeder. With that being said, I think we only do this if MSP is off the board which is more likely then not. My only question is, will this 5th pick overall player be NHL-ready? Once again, if it's MSP, then ya, I'd said he's ready for the AHL, at least. Evander Kane, maybe, but I'm leaning towards the no. Duchene, imo, is a lot closer to ready then Kane is. Brayden Schenn is far from ready etc.

A lot of you guys mention trading Jack Johnson away, but we've just started to witness how great of a player he's going to be. Look at his statistics this year and last year, he put up 6 goals this year and 5 assists in 41 games whereas last season he put up 3 goals and 8 assists in 74 games! He double his scoring while playing 33 less games. Same goes for Trevor Lewis, it's all about being comfortable with your environment. These kids (Lewis & Johnson) will keep improving and getting better and it will be a huge mistake on DL's and the Kings management to deal Johnson away or even Trevor Lewis (doubt it). I understand we have a log jam at defense, but we want to make the playoffs, right? We need Jack Johnson.. Re-sign him to a 3 year, 2.5 million deal.

enough said

"..The rebuild is over and we're not picking first overall, so I don't understand why we'd even keep the pick? Don't we want to improve the team immediately and make the playoffs?"

Because Dean said in his interview with Rich that he doesn't feel he has to make the playoffs next season? I think he should feel we absolutely need to, because we should, but also for job security.

Al said "Also, I thought the Kings were in need of a big left winger for the 1st line, MSP is a right wing" Magnus is a left wing, but you're right, he's not going to fill the need of a first line winger any time soon. He'll need at least a year or 2 to break into the league.

I'm scared that if we select MSP, we'll have another Lauri Tukonen on our hands

AK47- Draft busts come from all countries. And to be fair, MSP is Swedish, Tukonen is Finnish.

Ersberg--

The rebuilding is NEVER over. If you have a good team, you are constantly feeding your farm system to breed replacements. There was a SiriusXM commercial recently featuring Coach K from Duke, talking about college basketball. He was saying, during recruiting, the biggest trap was to recognize your team's needs--say, a ball-handling guard--then go out and try to recruit the best one available. It becomes a self-fulfilling delusion, as you imagine any particular player inside your team and your system. It is easy to overestimate the skills of a particular player because of your need.

The Kings desperately need scoring next year, and in years hence. It will behoove DL to draft the best available players, so as to NOT fall into the self-deluding trap. Any one of the MSRP/Duchene/Kane trio will be the best player available, and only two will be taken, at max. But the impact scorer will probably be a trade, and perhaps a minor trade at the time.

I'm the one that said that the rebuild was over..

I still say we sign Marian Gaborik/Hossa or Havlat..

Bako-
"The rebuilding is NEVER over."

I realize that, but there's a need for immediate help at the LW position, and chances are against Magnus to give us that immediate help. We should still draft him, though. He'll be better than ANYTHING left, unless Schenn is available, but that's pretty much a wash in terms of their services provided.

One thing others haven't really mentioned: We could trade a bunch of the lower-tier picks, along with players, to get a sniper. I.e. the 2nd's-7th's.

So..

What do you propose? Ellis? Neg. Schroeder? No, and he's too little for Dean/Terry's needs(probably). Kane? He might be gone, but I don't see him having the same ceiling as Magnus or even Schenn.

As far as UFA's go..

I thought Dean pretty much hinted at us not signing UFA's in his interview. Did I read that correctly or did I misinterpret his comments?

Dean can say whatever he wants in the interviews, but he knows what this team is lacking and that is a scoring winger, like Hossa, Gaborik or maybe Havlat. If DL think that those guys won't fit the bill, he better pull a trade to acquire at least some secondary scoring (Hartnell, Drew Stafford)..

To BUF:
Handzus
Our 1st (Whoever they want to select 5th overall)

To LA:
Stafford
BUF 1st (13th overall=Schroeder or Kassian)

Re rebuild over/not over:

The rebuild is over because we have traded away or otherwise jettisoned all our Conroys and Demitras and Blakes, Norstroms, etc., the assets one uses to get the picks to rebuild. (I understand that Blake walked, but you get the idea.)

The rebuild is not over because, as someone else here said, it's never over. It's never over because, in the cap world, you have to have a constant stream of prospects jumping in to play on entry level contracts, otherwise, the numbers simply won't work. Look at Detroit. In order to make the Franzen situation work, with or without Hossa, they are going to be looking at skating a number of players with entry level contracts. How good you are with those players on the ice depends on how well you draft.

The cap issues are going to be so grave across the league as we approach the summer of 2010, when the cap is going to go down, that it seems to me it would be foolish to make any blockbuster trades now. Better to wait until next season, at the deadline maybe, when the Kings are (presumably!) poised for a playoff run, or at the draft, when everyone else is freaking out about their cap situation.

One of Dean's most astute moves has been keeping his cap figure low to this point. This gives him room to maneuver when everyone else is going to be mid-crisis, cap-wise.

Don't underestimate how great the player we pick at #5 is likely to be. And don't underestimate the number of assets in addition to the pick we would have to give up to get a Heatley/Kovalchuk/etc..

It's simply not going to be a pick and Frolov for Kovalchuk. The cost will be too high.

I assume we can have Gaborik if we want him. I have said this is a bad idea in the past, but I'm slowly warming to it. I still don't know if DL really wants him, is his kind of player, etc., but I have a sneaking suspicion he's DL's plan B if Hossa doesn't bite.

DL's pitch to Hossa is something like this: your first choice was Detroit, and they couldn't afford you. Everybody else is in a horrible position with the cap. This means all of your first choices can't afford you, and at best all anyone else can do is make it work for a year before it all falls apart. The Kings are in a unique position in the league to make it work for the long term, not just for a single season. There's no point in signing with a team that has to twist itself into a pretzel to make the numbers work and even then the wheels fall off in 12 months. Meanwhile, on the Kings, you can skate with Frolov and Kopitar, not to mention Doughty, and a group of emerging prospects that is the envy of everyone in the league.

Something like that.

I think he needs Frolov to make the pitch to Hossa. Accordingly, I don't think Frolov gets dealt, certainly not before the free agency summer fest has played itself out.

Ersberg,

I still like the speed, speed, speed of Duchene...

Speed kills. I still remember Demitra (and even Cammy, sometimes) stretching the defense, going to the net, the crowd roaring...

...And even, occasionally, the puck going IN the net!

(talk about self-delusion: a Kings player scoring on a breakaway!)

;)

Ersberg re UFAs:

What DL said very clearly was that he wasn't going to bring in anyone who didn't fit, just to bring someone in. That means (to me), he will do nothing rather than bring in someone just to be splashy. Also, it won't be someone who is "soft" and/or doesn't drive to the net. It won't be an offensive superstar who doesn't play a two-way backchecking game.

Hossa is the archetype of the two-way defensively-solid gritty, skilled forward. I choose to interpret what DL is saying as, he will make a play for Hossa. If it doesn't work out, he's not going to go for someone who will work "kinda-sorta."

Lets take a step back a second here.

If you were a big-named UFA, like Goborik, Hossa, or Kovalchuk(their bodies skills/your mind and personality), would you come to the Kings(yet)? Be honest.

Is Hossa 'really' going to come here? He won't take a discount to go to someone better than us? I thin he wants to win the cup, sooner than later.

Gaborik..same thing. Lets say, $6m to the Kings with no gurantees at the playoffs or $4.5m to Vancouver, who will contend.

Kovalchuk? Kovalchuk has STATED he will stay with Atlanta this season to see what they do in this offseason.

So there you have it, a realistic review of our favorite top-3 guys discussed on our boards.

Any other options? Sullivan? Sturm? Gagne? Hartnell?

I'm open to any suggestions.

Ryan Clowe?
Ryan Callahan?

Would Clowe leave SJ? I don't know a lot about Callahan, I'll gave to look into him.

Gagne? We could probably pry him from Philly. No, I'm not going there(Philly connection thing). Our 1st 09 and Fro? That may be too much. Then again, they'd only have him for 1 year.

I know we could get Sturm. He's kind of "our style" of guy.

Quisp said: "Don't underestimate how great the player we pick at #5 is likely to be."

I would say, "Don't 'overestimate' how great the player we pick at #5 is likely to be.", which a lot of people seem to be doing with any number of kids who they think will immediately make the NHL and skate on the first line because it almost never happens unless you're a can't miss prospect, and there aren't any can't miss prospects after #1 and #2.

How about trading prospects for prospects, head for head? Someone with a hot scoring prospect for one of our hot defensive prospects? All things equal, age to age, risk to risk?

among the 4th - 10th picks over the last fifteen years:

1993
Kariya
Rob Neidermeyer
Kozlov
Arnott
Sundstrom
(Deadmarsh 14, Allison 17)

1994
Jeff o'neill
ryan smith
(friesen 11)

1995
langkow
doan
dvorak
(iginla 11, giguere 13, sykora 18)

1996
(Morris, Zubrus, Sturm at 13, 15, 21)

1997
Luongo
Samsonov
(12 Hossa, 25 Morrow)

1998
(12 Tanguay, 22 Gagne)

1999
(26 havlat)

2000
Hartnell
(20 Frolov)

2001
(13 Hemsky)

2002
Pitkanen
Whitney
Upshall
Lupul
Bouchard
(13 Semin)

2003
Zherdev
Vanek
Machalik
Suter
Phaneuf
(13 Brown, 17 Parise, Getzlaf 19)

2004
(13 Stafford, 15 Radulov, 20 Zajac, 21 Wolski)

2005
Carey Price
Setoguchi
(11 Kopitar)

2006
Backstrom
Kessel
Okposo
Mueller

2007
Gagner

2008
too early to tell...

Ersberg,

Kovalchuk is not a UFA. As for the others, there are limited buyers out there. Everyone wants to win a cup. Not every team has the cap space to sign a superstar. That's the crucial issue.

And Vancouver? Look at their roster. The only signed forward for next season is Demitra.

What do you guys think of us picking Hickey over Alzner? Alzner is much a bigger boy and you guys keep talking about how much DL loves size, size size. Alzner is supposed to be 6'2", 210 and Hickey is 5'10", 186 lbs..

Maybe Schroeder does have a chance, after all..

I hate to break hearts here but the guys that you're talking about signing in the off season are more likely to go for $$$ if it means losing a million to stay somewhere. They're in the prime of their career, not at the end where they'll cut deals to play for a winner.

Bako-

There you go, that's an option as well. Teubert for ? Hickey? Don't know.

Quisp-

I know he's not a UFA. I was pointing out a guy like wouldn't have much interest in coming to LA. Does Kov have an NTC or NMC? I don't think he does, but with respect to the player(being uber elite), ATL would probably consider his feelings as to his destination if traded. Then again, maybe not.

VAN-Sedins may be gone, as I'm sure Sundin. If VAN wants Gabs, and he wants to be there, he will be.

I was just pointing out the realistic view of us signing or trading for an elite level guy like these. As you mentioned, he won't do it for the sake of doing it, and it's just not a very realistic idea(financially, mostly, from DL's perspective). Age has a factor in this as well. Hossa is what? 30-31? Will Dean sign a 31 year old offensive guy for that kind of cash? Kovalchuk would be the best bet, but he said he wants to stay in ATL until he finds out what ATL does in the offseason, so..

i think there are going to be soooo many offers for top-level talent on draft day by teams in the need...so unless the kings are going to do something huge and be willing to overpay (and i just don't think d.l. is going to part our sea in trying to get the vinny's/kovy's of this world) i think there are other less expensive players out there that he/we will consider...he didn't do it in san jose and he's all but said that he wants to stay the course as much as possible when it comes to organizational development...

NUMBER 6...

the info provided on 2010-11 nhl estimated salary cap and player commitments are from nhlnumbers.com....

and yes...we are the envy of the rest of the league if you consider that our player-to-salary commitment ratio is arguably the best in the league...

there's a lot that can be analyzed from that chart/info...

i'll re-post it when an update is provided on a future thread so that we can all break it down in our own divine, opinionated ways...

Gaborik is only 27.. We should really go after this guy. Didn't he score 5 goals in one game last season? That's ridiculous.. He's a proven sniper and I think he'd fit nicely on the first line with Kopitar and Frolov or Kopitar and Williams. Plus, we all know how much DL loves those injury riddled players..

Here's a mock draft just posted on You Tube 13 hours ago that has the Kings picking MPS/MSP. I like the logic as he gives reasons for each pick which makes MPS/MSP going to us at #5 seem probable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV3YgBqRAoI

What do you think?

cynic...

yeah...nice vid/explanations...

bad religion song, too...i like them in small doses...

Cynic: One thing I think is that I can see DL taking Cowan over MSRP.

Variable

The Offspring should not be confused with Bad Religion. It's an outright insult to BR. Anyway, Go Kings!

I'd just like to clarify because there was some criticism about trading Quick that I said before. I said I AM LEANING AWAY FROM MAKING ANY SORT OF BLOCKBUSTER TRADE but that if we do I would like to see us get Heatley or Lecavalier over Kovy or other players. Heatley I don't think will go anywhere. Lecavalier could be had I think because of TB's cap concerns and he has a NTC kick in July 1st. If we do make a trade, I'd rather that we trade a D or goalie prospect than a proven forward because we have more D and goalie prospects that look very good. I know Quick has played very well but I think a healthy EE is almost as good and I think Bernier is the long term solution still so I would rather lose him than some other guys we have is all. I'm not saying I think Quick should be traded just that I think if we do make a blockbuster move I'd rather see him moved than some other prospects because imo bernier will take that spot in a year or two.

-GoKings09

how can you blame me for mistaking clones of the damned/bad religion/etc...?

i don't want to offend...but i hate the offspring...and that was a pretty darn good br imitation...not completely surprised since they been ripping off the damned for ever...what's another band at this point...

but i digress....

Quisp, some of the other 4-10 picks from 1993 to 2004 include the following...

1993
8 Niklas Sundstrom
9 Todd Harvey

1994
4 Jason Bonsignore
7 Jamie Storr
9 Brett Lindros
10 Nolan Baumgartner

1995
6 Steve Kelly
8 Terry Ryan

1996
4 Alexandre Volchkov
5 Richard Jackman
6 Boyd Devereaux
7 Erik Rasmussen
8 Johnathan Aitken
10 Lance Ward

1997
6 Daniel Tkaczuk
7 Paul Mara

1998
4 Bryan Allen
6 Rico Fata
8 Mark Bell
9 Michael Rupp

1999
4 Pavel Brendl
6 Brian Finley
7 Kris Beech
10 Branislav Mezei

2000
7 Lars Jonsson
8 Nikita Alexeev
9Brent Krahn
10 Mikhail Yakubov

2001
5 Stanislav Chistov
10 Dan Blackburn

2002
9 Petr Taticek

2004
6 Al Montoya
7 Rostislav Olesz
8 Alexandre Picard
10 Boris Valabik

I'm not trying to show you up or anything, but just trying to point out that some top-ten selections turn out to be journeymen at best or never make it to the NHL. Many more turn out to be just ordinary. I know, I know, everybody says I'm too negative, but I like to think of it as being cautious.

GoKings-

Why Heatley over Kovy? I think Kovy is more physical, making him a better fit to our game, not to mention he's a scoring threat after 1.5 strides over the red line.

Ersberg,

Kovy I think is a great player and I would like for him. I'm kinda impartial in Heatley because he is one of my favorite players but also I think he could be had for less. If he is traded it will be about cap concerns not about rebuilding and fear of losing him to FA next summer. The Thrashers are going to want a big big package for Kovy because he is their franchise player. Heatley is great but not the face of the franchise in Ottawa where they have other stars like Spezza and Alfredson around him. I just think it would be cheaper to get him than Kovy although I am leaning away from a trade unless the Kings can get a steal out of a team like TB or Ottawa that has cap concerns.

Good points, GoKings. You know, despite all this talk about these super-stars being "Dean" material, I think it's all BS. If any of the following, Gaborik, Hossa, Heatley, Kovy, Nash, or even a guy like Gagne were affordable to us, DL would do it in a heartbeat. And I think he'd do it even if they don't play "Terry" hockey, becuase they are THAT good.

lets trade our 5th to toronto, we get luke schenn, we now have torontos pick, we sign gabby and move jj, gm for tor said he is eager to move up and nobody is an untouchable,jj and our 2nd for a left winger like a hartnell type....

malandaro,

How do we trade our pick to get Toronto's pick and Luke Schenn. Schenn has been declared untouchable by Burke. You may be mixing him up with his brother Brayden who is in this year's draft class but is a forward which would not replace JJ. Burke's only untouchable is Toronto's top pick last year in Schenn and there is no way we can get him.

malandro,

There is no way in hell Burke gives up Luke Schenn! He is what Toronto will be building around for years. And please! Schenn, Gabby and Hartnell? Keep dreaming!