Turn out the lights...

So What did the Kings Kids learn this year?

-That LA holds a losing culture and Kings fans are cool with that!!! (ie. Taveras, MSP and other premature draft posts)
-Coach is a hard head who has an affiliation with former Flyers obviously (Topline consists of Kopitar and the rotation of Calder, Williams and Zues) PAAAALEASE!
-Once your contract year is coming up, you'll be treated like crap and be offered a low figure for your services.
-Once you commit to the Kings culture and believe in winning and take a paycut, you'll be traded for another former Flyers and Sharks who are injury prone. Who knows maybe we'll sign Lindros and Forsberg in the offseason.

What they didn't learn/experience?
-Chemistry
-Winning streak longer then 4 games
-how to score
-playoffs

Another failed season
Dean Year 1= 14th Seed
Dean Year 2=15th Seed
Dean Year 3=14th Seed (currently)

So yeah, for those who said we improved, we are basically back to square 1 and more then half way through Dean's *5 Year* plan. Keep buying in folks! Keep supporting Dean!! Soon we'll reach 13th seed....probably year 5 if we are lucky!

Go Kings!

Ahhh man :(
Let Corey Elkins see some ice time

Looks like another lottery finish. Hey Dean and Terry, great job this year! Well done! At least we're ahead of St.Louis....wait a minute...damn.

Things that irked me this season
-Oscar Moller rushed in. Should have been in Juniors and in Manchester right now.
-Matt Moulson starting on the season 1st line. Are you serious?
-Alex Frolov in the doghouse. TM making him out to be a defensive liability, when in fact he's one of the most responsible players on the team. What else..he carried the offensive load by himself. Where's the recognition? Losing him to free agency and signing with Detroit is something that should not happen.
-The ruining of Patrick O'Sullivan. Thanks a lot Murray. Looked great last season, even made Cammalleri look expendable, came into this season looking fine, THEN in the 2nd half of the season turned cold all of a sudden. Something was off. So Dean trades him AND a 2nd round pick for an injury plagued ex-flyer? A player that will only score 15-20 TOPS in this system and conference?
-Lubomir Visnovsky trade. We had a couple of holes to fill and we have to sacrifice one of our stars? Dean you know it deep down Lubo was a keeper.
-No real offense attack.

That's it for today.

Anyone remember what date we were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in the 2007-2009 season?

seabass...Feb. 16, 2008

-Johnny Kick a Hole in The Sky

Really? Moller was rushed? 7 goals and 8 assists in 38 games. Imagine if we would have actually played all season.

pobo the hobo -

5 of those goals were on the PP, which means he only scored TWO goals at even strength. Not nearly good enough. And in case you haven't noticed, he's been sitting in the press box lately. Also, they him play @ the Junior Championships during the middle of the season, which should tell you a lot.

TM understands that the only way we can hope to find any measure of success this season is with a top 3 pick. Why else would he give Calder time on the first line? What about Williams? Look, I'm not ready to give up on the guy yet. I think we're going to see a different player next year. However at 70% he is about as useless as Calder. You can't tell me that Murray isn't trying to loose at this point. But with fro out, now he's gotta find someone else to blame.

With that said, Kopi and Brown need to loose their leadership positions next year. I can see Brown wearing an A, but he's got no business being the captain. Sure he can dish out some hits, but I've seen him NOT stand up for his teammates too many times this year. And Kopi?! The only extra patch that guy needs on his sweater should say "please don't touch me." How can any man his size be so afraid contact? Its beyond me.

Kick a hole:

so pp goals don't count, unimportant? ahhhhh, ok.

and the press box? so in one post you've got no faith in TM or Deano, but the fact that they decided to scratch moller lately somehow validates his lack of readiness? not sure where your headed with that one.

"Another failed season"
29 teams will fail this season too.

"Dean Year 1= 14th Seed"
"Dean Year 2=15th Seed"
"Dean Year 3=14th Seed (currently)"

I guess you forgot the mess DT and company left him. He had to build an entire infrastructure (you know what that is right?)from scratch. He had holes to fill and nothing much in Manchester. AEG said they wanted a hybrid-rebuild of a team, while DL wanted a full blown rebuild in his first year. Guess who won...AEG aka Tim Lieweekly.
It was pretty obvious that the hybrid wasn't working, and AEG finally allowed him to start the rebuild, by trading away our vets for picks. Those picks are turning into solid players, like Moller,Simmonds, Hickey, Tuebert,Bernier, etc. He traded for Jack Johnson, a move Taylor wouldn't have even considered. In the mean time he still had to put in guys with NHL experience(bridges and fillers)while the kids grow and learn the NHL game. You really didn't expect the team to compete for the cup his first year did you? How long did it take Detroit to become the top team in the league? Did he make mistakes, sure, BUT EVERY GM DOES.EVERY!

The improvement you fail to see is that for once we have a SOLID stable of goalies and defensemen, something that no other GM in the 40 years this team ever did. He did that in a few years. What did Taylor do, oh ya, he TRADED THEM AWAY for the quick fix. We now have the assets to go after players that we want, that before would only create another hole.
Rebuilds take time, but you only see things as wins, loses and points, not the big picture. This team finally has hope, and is so much better than last year, it a shame you can't see it.

Three guys often listed (on this site) as to players we need to get rid of next year are Calder, Ivanans, Gauthier. The problem is, TM LIKES these guys. Calder gets FIRST line AND PP time; Ivanans played EVERY game when healthy; Gauthier hasn't been scratched since early on and they sent Drewiske down when Gaut came back from suspension (which I will never understand). I'm not saying these guys won't be gone, but you can see why they'd be back.

And so what if they're gone?, look who'll replace them.
What is Williams but a slightly more talented Calder? I can't see TM icing a line-up w/o a fighter, so will it be Westgarth? Whoop di doo. IF Gaut is gone, perhaps an upgrade will emerge via one of the kids, (I don't think they will sign a D-man because 1) they've got good talent just about ready to make the Kings, and 2) they're going to put their $ into a forward. So it would be a rookie to replace Gauthier.) let's say it's Hickey, who will certainly make some bone-headed plays next year, like Gaut did this, and not provide much more offense. So NEXT year how much better will we be without Gautier?

I am just looking for reasons to believe that we're going to be better next year, and I'm not sure how getting rid of these 3 guys makes that much of a difference. Don't get me wrong, I'd dump them all yesterday, but I don't think that we can assume that we automatically will be better next year.

Oh yeah, GO ATLANTA!

uknojata -

You gotta admit, if we were an actual good team with DEPTH, Moller wouldve been playing in juniors this season. Instead, his development schedule was fast forwarded and found himself on the opening roster a lot sooner. A bit too premature.
As for his play, it clearly shows. TM knows it, that's why he's sitting comfy in the box.
Two EV goals isn't good enough regardless of experience, but not only that.. he's clearly getting manhandled along the boards indicating his lack of physical strength, which doesn't come as a surprise considering his age.
Here's hoping he bulks up during the offseason, and regains his scoring touch in the minors next season. It would be best for him and the organization. No need to rush him in.

Johnny-

Considering how bad our PP has been this year, I think that does say something. As far as TM's decisions have been this year, the fact that he has Calder out there PP should say something. Moller has been praised all season for being a guy that plays a lot bigger than he is. Look at Simmonds, he's not a big guy either, are you going to talk poopy about him also?

I'd much rather have Moller out there than Harrold.

...the party's over"

rich...

i bet you have a don meredith album now acting as a beer pitcher coaster...

six seasons and no playoffs...

whaddaya gonna do...?

well...well...well...

all those who want to get off the "hope" train, please do so...
shep fairey is ready to give you yr money back...

how-ev-er...

once you exchange yr cadence, patronage and allegiance...yr not allowed to get back on he caboose...

this is the last stop on the mediocrity boulevard...

and if i'm wrong...if we don't make the playoffs and have a significant impact on the league come next season, i will take the place of derek armstrong as the dun-kee...or donkey...on "tip a king"...or "flog a fan" day...

i feel like chief brody in jaws 2 when he's hanging himself on a high-voltage line as bruce, the fake shark, darts for another human aperitif...

these posts are archived, so feel free to hold me to it...

in this case...the chum in the water has been served...i'm setting myself up to be cast in "open water 3: king-sized"...

but, hey, i believe in miracles...and i believe that we will be a force to reckon with...i also believe that kool-aid is not good for you...except if it's quisp's l.a. kings fan site...

so...naysayers...

either yr own board the peace train or yr on the orient express...
save yr disdain and "i told you so" comments for next season...

i'm also saving my aladdin bail bond coupon for then, too...

the future looks bright...i gotta wear shades...

Hi Var. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. I'm not gonna go all negative but after last night I am gonna state two things. First, regarding DL while I do agree that he's started to build a defense and (thank god) some serious goaltending, I'm very pleased with that and it is the backbone of any good franchise.

Now the problems I have. Last night I was watching the Rangers Carolina game. It reminded me of something everyone's either forgotten or is rarely mentioned. Joe Corvo was absolutely outstanding! The Rangers commentators were raving about him. Well, when DL speaks of the defense we had a few years ago he doesn't mention (and no one calls him on it) that we had Joe Corvo and he chose to let him go. So we could have started with at least a bit more in place on the back end. Instead we were forced to draft exclusively defensemen last year to build the back end.
Secondly, I am absolutely still skeptical of the JW trade. Like someone said, POS And a 2nd. That's a lot! Never mind the Zus comparisons. Even Glen Murray came back strong from ACL surgery. But we aren't talking one serious injury. It's Two serious injuries, plus assorted other injuries. Does anyone out there understand the human body. As you mentioned in your post, feel free to call you on it if they don't progress next year. Well feel free to call me on this one if JW's ends up being a30 goal scorer again. The combination of serious injuries and playing in a defensive system in a tough western conference. Back to the Hurricanes. Watching the game last night it was clear they play a very up tempo pressure system. So, it's not the same.

Finally, var can you please tell me exactly Who the Kings are gonna jump over next year. They may be magnificent defensively... no problem, but if they can't average more than 0.80 goals a game for I don't know how long now Or win at home how exactly might they jump over an improving St. L, a stronger (an less injured) Dallas, a very well coached and strong CBJ and a very solid Nashville team? Those ones all come After the "givens" of Det, Calg, Vanc, probably Ana and maybe Chic again. It may happen, but BOY are they gonna have to do better than for so much of this year. AGAIN I'm not denying the progress that was made this year, but there is another Huge jump that needs to happen if they even wanna consider the playoffs.

That was a game worthy of elimination.
A little effort would have made it worth my while to stay up and watch them. What a waste of 2 1/2 hours.

Well put 28 Kings!

Any season that you don't make the playoffs is frustrating, but there are a lot more positives that can be taken from this season than in years past.
If you're serious about building a winner...the formula in any sport is build with defense.
We're stronger from the back end..including goaltender, than any Kings team I can remember.
Let the natural progression take its course. they will continue to improve and so will the Kings.
Offensively we were pretty pathetic 5 on 5 the whole season.
The next step in the process is building an offense, which is a hell of a lot easier than building a defense.
Look at the names available either thru F/A or trade...Kovalchuk/Hossa/Gaborik/Franzen/Heatley...I'm sure i'm forgetting a whole bunch.
How many solid D'men are available? Komisarek.....that's about it.
My point is you can always find scorers...you can't find top defensemen unless you either overpay for them or you build from within. That's what the Kings have done.
Here's a question....Did anyone see anything worthwhile from Purcell to think he can be a part of the future?
Same with Boyle...
Purcell is an offensive player who showed almost no offense in his game. He was good on the PP but 5 on 5 played more like a 4th liner player or AHL player than offensive force.

On Oscar Moller....If the Kings knew he was going to get hurt in WJC, they never would have kept him on the roster. He didn't get much playing time when he got back and that makes me wonder....was the injury worse than we were led to believe or did Moller not handle the injury well? He wasn't the same guy that came out of training camp.

I was at the Russia-Sweden game, where Moller actually got injured. It didn't seem like anything too big, but they didn't have him playing too much after it happened simply because they were already thru the round robin and didn't need risking his injury. He ended up playing in all the other games, and that's to prove all you Moller haters that he's a soldier and even though he had severely injured his hand, he'll still represent his country, injured or not. That proves to me that, even though he's not the biggest kid in the world, he'll actually represent the front of his jersey and not the back of it. Oscar Moller is a team player, not a selfish player.

Let's move him back to the wing.

I'm really enjoying all of these "armageddon" posts, but they aren't very realistic. As far Dean goes, the guy came in and assumed control of the "Kansas City Royals" of hockey, so it's pretty unfair to say he's done a poor job thus far.

As far as the Kings falling flat towards the end of the season, you have to remember they are AHEAD of schedule, and that most of the teams they're playing are fighting for playoff spots and/or jobs next season. It's pretty fair to say the Kings did well this season in terms of re-build year, and to get the team ready for next season. Some key factors will come into play such as:

1) A solid draft(MSP or better)
2) Trade for a sniper
3) Sign an additional UFA dman and/or winger
4) Get healthy for the start of next season

If Terry is around next year, he'll need to not treat the team as if it's not longer an "experiment". This will include determining his standard line combos and starting goalie. He needs to end the "discovery" phase of the game. Of course he'll have call-ups, but that's expected.

As Moller goes, lay off the kid, he's young and small. Give him another season and he'll be beast. He just needs a bit of strength to go with his confidence.

Someone mentioned the Lubo trade. Please, that trade made us so much better as a team. Lubo was good, but he's not Stoll AND Greene.

Lastly, if and when they learn not to lose a game, we may get the additional 10-15 points needed for a playoff spot. This includes shaking the ever-present losing culture and the occasional "escort service" defense mentality.

As always lots of thoughts on the game last night- lets see how we respond Sat - As I said all yr the west is a monster and next yr is no guarantee of playoffs- the process of getting better has begun in earnest - If we can beat the best teams in the east which we did then there is no reason not to think top 8 is possible in the west- No1 item next yr is going to be CONSISTENCY which young teams lack- that will show real growth- the same hard effort every night has got to be expected- and I think DB has got to be more vocal as a leader and be on the guys hard when that effort lacks- 3 main areas to fix 1. better organized break outs 2. PP 3. stronger forecheck.

Ersberg I remember interacting with you on posts a week or so ago. For me your post was almost letter perfect. You know why, cause it's Realistic!! It's not trashing the Kings or management, it's also not doing the opposite (how amazing they will be next yr etc.). Every single point well made and there is reality in it. IMO your biggest point slipped under the radar sort of:

Lastly, if and when they learn not to lose a game, we may get the additional 10-15 points needed for a playoff spot. This includes shaking the ever-present losing culture and the occasional "escort service" defense mentality.**

That is a MUCH bigger issue than if they get this sniper vs. that sniper vs. the umbrella formation for the PP blah blah blah. Because everything ping pongs off of that. Bravo to you Ersberg.... and also Dirtmover, very nicely written and perceptive comments too.

BTW, even myself I get too caught up in the "shouldn't have moved Corvo stuff and will JW ever be the same player" because if they sort out Exhibit A** then a lot of other things will take care of themselves (IMHO).
Bye for now you guys, gotta get back to work.

The "myth" that the team "Dean, Dean "teen" finnish machine" inherited a "mess" from the previous administration makes me giggle. Sitnkin' revisionists. Most of the guys Dean offed from those days are on other and better teams and contributing, even Jaime Lundmark! The draft picks (and they weren't top 5 either) are on the team in important positions. The AHL coach of that era has led his NHL team from worst to first. The guys traded by Taylor are not difference makers on their respective teams. The draft picks were in tact. He never tanked the team to juice the draft. Let's compare the acquired goalies Cechmanek and Cloutier, check the records, no comparison.

If one starts from the premise that things are rosy then everything that doesn't fit that premise must be bad. No perspective.

Things aren't rosy. Especially when the most snake bit teams in the 40+ year history are demonstrably better than the "mess" we've just lived through. We need a GM who not only recognizes 18 year old talent but also can work it out with veteran players and be able to trade value for value. Dump the glorified scout. Soon.

Guys, look at the way Marian Gaborik has been playing coming off his injury and if he keeps paying well like this, other teams are going to want him just as much as us during the off-season.

The script for the rest of the season was determined on the last 2 road trips, if we could have stayed in the running (.500 at least) thing would be different; Quincey and Stoll would still be playing. So I'm not surprised of our play in the last week or so.

Still, last year, we were drinking the Kool Aid in February. At least this year, we only have to endure 5 games and 2 months of playoffs. But at least this year we have a lot to look forward to starting July 1 + we've banked a lot of talent that will have to prove themselves next year.

I agree that those Western Conference teams that don't make the playoffs this year will be stronger, but so will we. What happens in the offseason and just before the puck drops in October for the 2009-2010 season will be very interesting. We may have a couple of new faces that will take us over the top and a solid contender next year. So many teams will have "cap" issues and will have to dump talent.

It will be ANOTHER tough summer. I'm changing my "handle" to Eternal Kings Optimist.

Ak-

Wasn't Gaborik quoted as saying he'd like to play in either LA or Vancouver? I seem to remember an article in which he stated this.

Rich, you probably meant March 16. On March 15, 2008 the Kings had 62 points with 9 games remaining for a possible total of 80 if they won out. I beleve that Nashville was in 8th place and they already had 80 points, so the Kings were on the verge of mathematical elimination

The script for the rest of the season was determined on the last 2 road trips, if we could have stayed in the running (.500 at least) thing would be different; Quincey and Stoll would still be playing. So I'm not surprised of our play in the last week or so.

Still, last year, we were drinking the Kool Aid in February. At least this year, we only have to endure 5 games and 2 months of playoffs. But at least this year we have a lot to look forward to starting July 1 + we've banked a lot of talent that will have to prove themselves next year.

I agree that those Western Conference teams that don't make the playoffs this year will be stronger, but so will we. What happens in the offseason and just before the puck drops in October for the 2009-2010 season will be very interesting. We may have a couple of new faces that will take us over the top and a solid contender next year. So many teams will have "cap" issues and will have to dump talent.

It will be ANOTHER tough summer. I'm changing my "handle" to Eternal Kings Optimist.

Just have to say great job by DL this year and our team looks 10 times better than it did when he took over. Let's see in 2006 we had players like Labarbara, Avery, Waever, Demitra, Miller, Modry, Sopel, Giuliano, Parrish, Dempsey, Roenick, Belanger etc, etc, and very minimal prospects....now we have Williams, Hadzus, Doughty, Simmonds, JJ, Quincey, Bernier, Ersberg, Greene, Stoll, Moller, Teubert, Hickey etc etc....gee, doesn't look like DL has improved this team at all does it?

Our coach was crappy Marc Crawford who has no idea how to coach, and from what I've heard from some former players, is the biggest a-hole in the league, and everyone around the league agrees. We now have a coach who know how to coach, and has taught this organization something it has NEVER known before - defense. He took our 30TH OVERALL penalty kill last year, to 9TH THIS YEAR!! Ya he's a horrible coach, ha,ha. And I can't belive someone above said "considering how bad our PP had been this year...". You mean our 15TH overall PP? Ya that's pretty bad.

I can't wait until next year, and I really hope the people that are calling down this organization, the management, the coaches and the players find a new team to cheer for next year, because I'm pretty sure I can speak for the other true fans on here when I say we don't want you here when we're in the playoffs next year. Even though it looks like this board gets bombarded with people that are anti Lombardi and Murray, it's really just the same 5-10 people that do it all the time. If you look back at Rich's earlier approval rating polls, you can see that Lombardi and Murray have around a 90% approval from the fans that visit this site. They probably just don't feel the need to back it up against you guys like I do....

Ersberg,what do you mean "you have to remember they are AHEAD of schedule" - says who? The Smartest Man in the Room? What exactly is DL's schedule? At this rate of improvement, they'll be ready to sneak into the playoffs around 2014 and do some real damage by the time Octomom's kids are draft eligible.

PSP-

"says who?"

Says the guys staffing the team, and paying their bills. Aren't they ultimately who decides the teams fate?

So, what exactly would you have done differently? Minus the constant line juggling which I've already addressed. Keep in my:

1) Cap
2) Future contract signings
3) Growth of the team. I.e young guys, roster guys, mentors, etc.

I'd like to hear your take on what you would have expected the Kings do differently.

P.S. Dean has already admitted his past faults. I.e. Bad UFA signings, trades, etc, so keep that in mind.

Correction on my last post. Quincy and FROLOV would be playing.

BTW: According to XM-Home Ice, Boston wants to re-sign Tim Thomas to a multi-year deal...which might leave Phil Kessel available...21yo, 30+ goals, might be a good fit?

Hi Tantrum.

Yes its nice you can name a bunch of Kings players that went through our system. And now those names have been replaced by other names. They are JUST that..NAMES...Dean has hyped the idea of all these NEW names...Thats great, they are new YEAH!

But to claim the Kings are 10 times better?

From 1999 to 2006 The Kings have achieved no lower then 78 points, and if you take away that 78 point season your looking at 94, 92, 95, 81, 89...in that order...so Dean was left with an 89 point team

HE TOOK OVER and what happened? We got a 68 and 71 point team. The team hasn't been that horrible since 1997.

How did we get 10 times better?

Also Dean stated at the BEGINNING of this season, that it would only be fair to compare his team to St. Louis because they are at the same stage of rebuilding right now as us.

St. Louis=playoffs right now!
La=Laughing stock of the league!

COME ON, CONNECT the DOTS man! How can you make such a statement that Dean has made this team 10 times better? He's made it worse!

P.S your Crawford point is invalid since the same has been said about Murray. Murray got fired because players hated him and he hated players...caused tension and the team self-destruct....Do you foresee something like that happening here? NAH! its all good, Dean's got it under control!

CupRun-

Tim Thomas was re-signed today.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=273633

Jamie Lundmark???????????????????????
He's played a whopping 22 games for Calgary. How is that relevant?
If Willsie was playing on a contender, does that make him more valuable?
Teams have to fill out their rosters and most of the playoff teams are at or very near the cap ceiling.
The only way they can fill out the bottom of the rosters is to have players like Lundmark who make nothing. It has little or nothing to do with his talent

I'm not going to sit here and bash DT...only because I loved him as a player...as a GM...not so good.
I don't ever recall being excited about a team he was putting together. I don't ever recall seeing our farm system flourish under him.
I don't ever recall seeing him draft a goalie that could play in the NHL.
Remember his goalie draft was Matthew Biron 1st round 1998..The same year the Red Wings were drafting Jiri Fisher in the 1st round and Pavol Datsuyk in the 6th round.
at least with the Kings..DL's drafts appear to be solid.

So, let me get this straight - we are supposed to:

1. Ignore DL's past faults
2. Take his word for it that the team is ahead of his schedule, even though he hasn't outlined what the schedule is.
3. Ignore the results of the past 3 seasons and just be satisfied with his vague accomplishments.

...and if, as rumored, Frolov and Johnson are to be traded, where is the core that was supposed to be developing the last 3 seasons?

It's been 3 seasons so far with virtually no tangible progress - do you honestly see next season as the breakout year? If so, based on which players?

This team has been living on hopes and promises for the last decade - it's time for accountability and results.

I think that I finally came to the realization after watching last nights games and basically all of the games since the All-Star break that the Kings still have a long way to go. I think they have made vast improvements since last year but too bad it doesn't show in the standings. Oh well, keep passing me the Kool Aid because I still love to watch those guys play.

CupRun2010,

I doubt the Kings will trade for Phil Kessel as long as Jack Johnson is a King. A few years ago JMFJ called Kessel a "dirtbag" to the media which was part of the reason he fell to the Bruins at the 5th pick in the 2006 draft. I think the reason we all keep hearing about Kessel in rumors as trade bait is somewhat telling as well. I think it's great that he survived having nut cancer and he has an excellent release on his shot, but I'd pass on him.

The funny thing is people BASH DT,

but Dean's CORE guys are DT's pics

Frolov, Kopi and Brown are basically the only 3 CORE guys left and all 3 of them are DT

Cammy was a CORE guy and look what he's doing over in Calgary, he was also a DT pick up.

If funny you mention you could never see this team flourish with its prospects. Yet the players that you see today are a result of DT. lol!

I can't believe DEAN makes you guys believe this B.S.

Like I said WE are not getting better....Look at Burke in Toronto, they started turning around in 4 MONTHS, thats right 4 MONTHS! LA hasn't done SQUATE in 3 years with Dean as GM. St. Louis is another example.

HOW are we on schedule...under 3 years of Dean we've got 14th in west 15th in west and 14th again in west. HOW ARE we on schedule if he's only here for 5 years. Over HALF that time is already spent and we sit pretty at 14th seed in the west.

Listen DT might not have been able to feed us with BS. But man did I enjoy watching the Kings make the playoffs, upset teams and get ever so close to Western Conf finals...We lost twice in a row to Colorado in game 7...thats way cooler then top 5 pick every friggin' year.

OPEN YOUR EYES MAN, THIS team is NOT better. What do you believe FACTS? or Dean manipulation?

BOTTOM LINE IS THAT IF WE DIDNT START THE YEAR WITH LABS IN NET WE WOULD BE HOLDING DOWN A PLAYOFF SPOT RIGHT NOW!!!!

Take a good look at WWAMD's last post. What he's saying here is life was much better back in the Andy Murray and DT days, before the crappy new GM took over. Come on folks you remember those glory days right? Just good enough to make the 8th or 9th seed. Not good enough for a realistic shot at the cup; not bad enough to get an impact player in the draft (ala Malkin, Ovechkin, Crosby, Doughty).

Yea, I miss those days, the old 1 round and out did my soul good. Knowing I could see two or three playoff games before we were ultimately eliminated. Getting those great odds in vegas (100-1 or better the kings would win the cup). Knowing that deep down we always could count on staying in the black hole, never get better, never get too much worse, and never a serious consideration for winning it all. Who wants to see a young team, a really young team learn and grow and struggle, and develop right in front of my eyes (see Quick, Doughty, Simmonds, Moller, Johnson, Quincey, Kopitar, Brown, Green) when I can see a bunch of old farts phoning it in night in and night out, and really only care about things like rap music, acting careers and the off season (see J. Roenick; A. Carter, etc.). Yea WWAMD and the others are right, times were good back than.

Watching Chokemonic vs Quick; Allison vs Kopitar; Modry vs Doughty; Craig Johnson vs Brown. There is soo much to miss about the old Kings. BRING BACK DT NOW!

Rob...

lets assume that is true.

my case in point is. Murray and Dean are ruinning the team. The reason Labs started this season was because of Murray's favouritism...Yes Labs is gone now, but Murray's idiocy still remains!

nykingfan - I have to agree with a lot of what you posted. However I don't agree with your assessment of Purcell. He was in there forechecking and creating scoring chances for his linemates, including a poke check that led to a glorious scoring chance for Brown. (unfortunately he couldn't capitalize on it). I do agree with you regarding Boyle though. He has turned into a disappointment.

I think the game tomorrow and the rest of the season will be the most telling of how much progress the team has actually made. Do they have a winning attitude yet? Can they pull out those games and show us their pride in their team?

Also I don't remember who was complaining about Kopitar not being physical but, were we watching the same guy? He has become a better overall player that will help us tremendously going forward. I feel really bad for him having been stuck with Calder & Williams last night.

I really hope that Fro and Kopi play on the same line next year.

Go Kings!

PSP-

You're assuming we're on the opposite sides of the "Dean-o-meter", which is false.

Now that we have that out of the way...

I'm not hearing from you what he should have done better. Yet..

You want to know what his mistake has been this season? Not holding TM to his mistakes. He should have gotten involved when TM was doing his "juggling act". That was his error.

If Dean doesn't have a MONSTER offseason, then we have problems, because it'll be his 3rd bad season, and we all know that the "3 strikes rule" applies in most of these situations.

Let me ask you this, if we fired Dean today, who would you replace him with?

Would you fire Terry as well? I'll answer that one for you, the answer is "yes". Who would I get? I'd like to get a guy like Bylsma, if he's available.

As far as the team being better now as opposed to prior to the beginning of the season, I'd say yes. They are better, but the players often played poorly when there's no excuse for it. This has to do with the COACH, with Dean being the secondary person at fault, due to him not getting involved when there were clear problems present. Dean only needs to ensure the coach is doing his job, and respond accordingly if he isn't.

3 words-

Mailing

It

In.

By the way, for those that are interested, I took a look at the schedule, and excluding empty net goals, the Kings lost 19 games by 1 goal; coupled with the 11 OT/SO losses, that is 30 TOTAL. Those are a lot of points left on the table which were within our grasp. Say we had added a legit sniper, ONE PLAYER, who added another 40 goals, maybe that translates into 10 more games that get to OT, and maybe 5 more OT games that we outright won. That's 15 more points, which puts us in the playoffs.

I don't care what all the whiners say, this team is close. If we add a solid D man and two legit scorers in the off season, this team WILL make the playoffs. If we stand pat, we MAY make the playoffs (but probably not).

Dionne-

You're right. This team IS close. Very close. So close that if we continue down the course we're on, plus 1-2 scorers and maybe an elite d-man, we're in. That's of course our current players continue to escalate in skill and experience.

We do need a different coach for the playoff years, though.

WWAMD, you never answered my question from the other blog, if things are so hopeless, why do you stay? I'll be frank, if I hated the direction the team is heading and disagreed with everything they did, I'd stop rooting until things changed. After Gretzky left I was very unhappy with the way the team was managed. Rather than get all worked up about it, I stopped supporting the team until things changed. I was a season seat holder since 1978, but immediately cancelled and I stayed away until AEG took over. The first game I went to was the playoffs against Detroit the year we got swept. I bought season seats that very next year.

I like the direction this team is headed. I also like how accessible DL and Tim Leiweke are. I wrote an email to DT a few times, and never heard a word. I have written to both DL and TL on numerous occasions, and they ALWAYS respectfully write back to me. These guys care and they go out of their way to give back to us fans and communicate with us, believe it or not, but it's true and I respect them for it.

Dionnefan,

Thats cool that you have had great experience with TM and DL. Thats where you stand. I stand on a different spot. So I respect you for your stance on the Kings and in return I ask you to respect mine.

To answer your question as to why do I stay?

I am not a STH, nor will I ever be...since I'm Canadian :)

I love the Kings, no matter how bad they are I still love them. I watch games up till the end, even if its 8-0 with a minute left, I still watch in hope. And for me it is harder to watch games since they all start 10:30 pm over here. BUT I watch them al, never miss one.

So why do I stick around? I don't know maybe its like being in an abusive relationship eh! Like you love the person, much like I love the team, and they keep hitting you, and when your about to leave, they say...WAIT, I promise I will change lol!

But in all seriousness...I love LA, always will! and it will be BITTERSWEET when they win that shiny trophy. It will be all WORTH it then. Why do I complain alot? cause I want to see that Shiny thing become a reality.

I also LOVE the players on this team. They are so talented and I have so much respect for them. Even if I rant about Goat or Calder, I still can't do the things they do and bravo for them to get where they are. They all seem like really good guys and how can I not support that.

But don't let me hatred towards Dean and Murray confuse you. I love the team, just don't like the direction of the management. I only post what I post to bring AWARENESS, and if I get through to two people, hopefully they spread the work to two more people and sooner rather then later it gets to the ears of Dean and Murray and hopefully we see a CHANGE...thats all I ask for. I've said many times Dean is a great scout...no douby, and Murray has some good building blocks to work off of. But these two are single handley ruining mine and yours team...IN MY VIEWPOINT...yours MAY differ!

Hope that answers your question...if not I'll sum it up..I'll NEVER give up on this team that I love :)

I thought you had to wait until the end of the season to re-sign your players..? I guess I was wrong about that.

We need Gaborik, that's it and that's all. Maybe signing another dman, but that's not completely necessary..

Dionnefan - you are an optimist among pessimists. Please continue to post to remind me just how far the Kings have come.

You know, I was a big fan of TM, but one thing I encourage everyone to do is take a peek at the rosters of Minnesota, Edmonton, and even Columbus. You cannot tell me our team is not as good as those teams.

We should have been a much improved team this year. There really is no excuse for being 14th in the West right now and I agree with those laying the blame on TM's shoulders. I think, given the budget constraints he had, DL iced a pretty competitive team this year.

Lombardi may have made significant improvements in infrastructure (computer, video, scouting) and added significant depth to the blueline and stockpiled assets and managed the cap, but all that hasn't yet translated into more wins for the NHL club.

Until those wins come (if they ever do), criticism of management is warranted, especially with St. Louis finding a way to get it done.

For the record, as I've seen thi TOO many times..

IT'S T-A-V-A-R-E-S not Taveras

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tavares_(ice_hockey)

At the beginning of this season, we all said IF we make the playoffs, we'd be a 7 or 8 seed. We all understood that this is still a team in transition and that this is the first year of the up curve. When we were a few points out of a playoff spot, most of you were screaming 'Man, were overachieving this year'. Now that we are at the bottom of the pile again, it's 'TM is stupid' and 'Where's DL's 5 year plan?'.

Passion is a great thing. I have it as much as any of you for this team. I get ragin' pissed when I see a poor performance or when we find a way to lose instead of win games. What I DON'T do anymore is throw the future away on the little things that frustrate me. Believe me, lots of what some of you are harping about are LITTLE things and they eat at you to the point where you extend them into BIG things.

I would love it if someone had the time to OBJECTIVELY list all of the positive and negative things done by Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray (+ staff) respectively. It is SO easy to harp on a person's mistakes and not give equal credit to their accomplishments. I'll bet if this was done with complete neutrality, you would find a MUCH bigger list of accomplishments than failures that set us up to be nothing short of a continuous playoff contender for YEARS to come, much like Detroit.

We have a YOUNG team who is publicly stating as a group that they are playing for each other. I do not doubt that one bit. That does NOT mean they are going to win each time they do that. What it DOES mean is as they grow, they will hold each other RESPONSIBLE for their play....just like DETROIT players do. Isn't that the mentality we want?!?!

I hope the team as a whole gets together in the offseason to do some extra training as a unit, just because they want to take that next step sooner rather than later. The future looks so good, I do NOT see how people can truly bit=h. Look at last night. We found a way to lose...again. Sure I was pissed, but the majority of the mistakes were done by VETS not rookies. THAT is an easy fix. Moller's play behind the net to separate man from puck which led to the Army goal. What about Oscar's size? Didn't matter there and if you watch his entry into the zone before that hit, he made a concentrated effort as he bent down to speed his stride up to make that hit. He knew exactly what he had to do and executed. Goal.

Simmonds has been incredible ALL season long. Last night was no exception. He makes the opposition work with a hellacious forecheck. On the PK, he pushes back the opposing d-men to delay entry into their O-zone. He NEVER gives up on a play and has hard cycling down to an artform.

Someone asked about Purcell, well last night he made 3 or 4 plays that blew me away. One pass to Army in front of the net while being covered by 2 guys was especially freaky good. He is known for his on-ice awareness as much as his scoring and it shows. He's playing more dirty in the corners and learning to battle. It's taken a while, but I think he's just about there.

Boyle has been a disappointment a bit, but the last few games, he is trying hard. That move to the net out of the corner to score the game before was EXACTLY the assertiveness he needs to have. Nobody can stop him when he does that. That confidence will come. He took one to the net last night and if he makes that stickhandle, there's a good chance of him scoring.

I could go on, but you all get the point. I hope someone would have the time to doa real breakdown of positive and negative things for DL and TM. I think that might calm some people down. I've waited 29 years to have a great team, what's one more? We're on the right track for a SOLID future that will last for years. It's about time. Be happy about that.

Model-

You're right. It's called a bonified coach.

What little we gained defensively in the first half of the year, we've lost recently. In an earlier post, I pointed out that in the month of March we are averaging 3.13 goals per game against. For a team who has trouble scoring, this equates into losses.

I think Dean Lombardi has done a decent job getting us future talent. I do, however, question his obvious hypocrisy in the POS/Williams trade. We've been sold on the "build for the future" plan and it seems to have taken a step back for the moment.

Williams (more than 30 points in 3 seasons out of 8)
POS (more than 40 points in 3 seasons out of 3)

I've heard a couple people defend TM and say he's a good coach but offer little to no support of that statement. I'm going to submit actual reasons for my contrary opinion.

1. Playing JLB after two full seasons with no perceived improvement in the NHL. (Being better than JS Aubin is like saying you're the best player with down syndrome)

2. The public condemnation of players who account for 40+ points in a season for the rare crucial mistakes they make (Stoll / Frolov). Contrarily, the public praise of players known for making these same mistakes on a regular basis (Gauthier / Ivanans / Harrold).

3. Playing a player like Ivanans (2 pts) with 10 minutes or less remaining in a game whereas you are down one goal. The day Ivanans brings us back from a 1 goal deficit is the season we win the Stanley Cup.

4. The inability to instruct the offense in such a way that they maintain shape while on the ice with a man advantage. It's frustrating to see them bunch up in a corner when you have a 1 or 2 man advantage.

5. Most importantly, the ability to progress in any area over the course of a season.

GAA in November - 2.53 (Ersberg in goal)
GAA in March - 3.13 (Quick in goal)

We believe Quick to be the better netminder. Of this I do not disagree. However, if our defense is better/improving, shouldn't this number go down or at the very least stay level? It's significantly worse!

In summary, DL hasn't made the most stellar choices, but I feel like we have the talent to be competative. I'll give him some credit for that. I've given TM a year to prove himself, and I'm afraid to say that I have no faith in him.

wow...

some heavy passion being displayed by so many...

i guess this is the type of debate we all are going to have for awhile now...

NUMBER 6....

you make some valid points....

but my whole point was to give the management one more season...it will be do or die for t.m./d.l....and maybe even tim lieweke and his involvement with the kings...they have to make the proper adds/drops/drafts/trades/keepers for next season and the years to come...

WE ARE ALL TIRED OF LOSING....

but like you said, we have a real good defensive foundation and that's something we haven't had for many years....we have always had teams that were mediocre and below in so many areas for such a long time...

i want to be optimistic about what the kings will be doing...sure...i don't agree with everything that management has done...but they have created a home plate and we do have a battery of up and comers that can knock it over the staples monster...

i just want to be there to watch it happen and catch the souvenir...

the debate will continue for the months to come...

WWAMD - Kudos to you, great response and I do respect your stance.

One more question, if you live in Canada, how in the world did you become a King fan? I punish myself because I live here.

Some of you guys are putting WAAAAY too much responsability on the coach to produce a winning team. If that was true, Scotty Bowman would have never lost a single game according to you guys. Yes the coach has to teach and put together line combos etc, but ultimately it's the players that win and lose games. You guys seem to think when the Kings lose, it's Murray's fault, and I have RARELY ever seen anyone lay the blame for a loss on the players. It blows my mind how you guys have all bought into the "if a team loses, it's the coaches fault" mentality that the media loves to push. I can tell you from experience, when I played junior hockey, not once did my teamates or I ever blame our coach when we lost a game. We knew we played terrible and put the blame on ourselves for not scoring or not playing a solid defensive game. Never was it, "man we lost tonight, stupid coach should have showed us a different power play and then we would have won. Maybe if jackson was on the top line instead of Jones, we would have scored that extra goal."

Think about it guys, a coach can only do so much with the tools he is given, and for one that was given one of the youngest teams in the league, with a rookie goalie, rookie #1 defenseman, and about 5 other rookies when you include all the callups, and no superstar goalscorers, Murray has done one helluva job....

Dionnefan to answer your question

My dad and I are competitive, and growing up in Ontario your either a Leafs fan or a Montreal fan. My dad was a Leafs fan and I couldn't not like the same team as him..Montreal was not an option for me. So I had no team to follow, one day, my godfather gave me a Kings hoodie and I asked him why this team? He said the greatest Canadian plays on here. I'm like oh yah Wayne, yah he's good. But at that age I was only esposed to Leafs....needless to say I became a fan and shortly after it was Leafs vs. Kings in the playoffs...LOL I won! became hooked since!

In 2010, I will be starting my 30th year as a Kings fan. This is the first time since 1993 that I believe we have a legitimate chance at a cup run (it took the greatest hockey player 5 years to get us to the Stanley Cup Finals). Why? A solid plan, a core group and good leadership.

The wild card will always be luck. Who will be available in the draft? What UFAs will be available? Who is interesting in legitimate trades? Which line combinations will work? Can we stay healthy all year? Which rookie will have an impact? Who will have a "breakout year"?

Cynic: You have a good point about objectivity in evaluating thet team. For me, the so-called objective "experts" are those on the NHL network, TSN, XM Home Ice, etc. They all say that the Kings have a great future. I truly believe that. I don't think I've seen or heard anything negative about this season to say we're going in the wrong direction. I hate seeing the Kings lose too, and I don't agree with everything that DL/TM do, but they know more than ALL of us about the game, and they don't need to justify anything they do to me or any of us, because I KNOW for a fact that they want to win too, and they will do everything in their power to make that a reality. Otherwise, they might as well resign.

If we truly are ahead of the curve, that would indicate our destination is closer at hand. If that is truly the case, that means certain elements, such as the longetivy our current coach, needs to be looked at very carefully. If Dean feels this team is ready enough for him to be shopping for the remaining "top" players, then that should indicate this time is ready to make a playoff push.

I realize TM has playoff experience, but he's also a "teaching" coach(as per Lombardi). I would think, and hope, since it appears to be his style of coaching, we'd naturally need to evolve to a more playoff experienced coach.

He taught the kids unity, defense, and a few other tricks. Now it's time to take it to the next level.

This is an issue that won't be decided until either we get to the next level or the plan failed.

I think the reason for the 2nd half slide was the kids got tired. Doughty/Quincey/Simmonds played a ton of minutes this year. Playing against NHL players when you're 19-20 years old is not an easy thing to do. These guys had to get used to travel, back to back games on the road...these things are the intangibles that we can't see. I can understand them wearing down the 2nd half and making mistakes maybe they weren't making earlier in the season.
Couple that with the fact that we had veterans who just didn't hold up there end of the bargain this year. I'm talking about guys like Brown and Frolov...for whatever reason.
I don't care what people say or think...in my opinion Frolov wasn't the player we needed him to be the 2nd half of the season. Games like Boston when he was a no show...why? It wasn't just me that noticed...the coaches also noticed it and benched him...well deserved.
In my opinion it was never just 1 mistake that led to frolov's benchings. Frolov's indifferent play led to those mistakes which led to the benchings. For all the times people were saying that TM had a vendetta against Fro...nobody ever provided a stich of proof.
Again...that's my opinion.

NYKINGFAN: Agree with your assessment of the team and
on Fro. He's a top six and needs to play like a top six. He does need to be held accountable to a higher level of play. Next year, Kopi needs to play like a $7MM/yr player, anything less will be unacceptable.

These "kids" need to be nurtured and it takes time for them to gel, and the vets need to show them the way--that's what Greene, Zus, Stoll, Brown, OD all need to do to set the example.

The summer should be a great time for Doughty, Moller, Simmonds and Quick to get better conditioned for the regular season and the playoffs. With a full year behind them (except for OM), our expectations are high.

NYKINGFAN: Agree with your assessment of the team and
on Fro. He's a top six and needs to play like a top six. He does need to be held accountable to a higher level of play. Next year, Kopi needs to play like a $7MM/yr player, anything less will be unacceptable.

These "kids" need to be nurtured and it takes time for them to gel, and the vets need to show them the way--that's what Greene, Zus, Stoll, Brown, OD all need to do to set the example.

The summer should be a great time for Doughty, Moller, Simmonds and Quick to get better conditioned for the regular season and the playoffs. With a full year behind them (except for OM), our expectations are high.

King-

I agree with you, but I'm talking the future here. I don't regard TM as a "failure". In fact, I feel he was the opposite. He was productive this year, but we can't do the "Mark Crawford" thing again(yes, I know his case had a completely different set of circumstances). What I'm getting at here, is the time issue. The Kings orginization will lose too many precious contract years with a "teacher" leading them. With Terry coaching next year, I just don't see them elevating much more then they did this year.

Think of it like this, DL brings in an established teaching coach to give the kids a solid year of learning. If they show huge promise, like they did, you take it to the next level by bringing in the "future" guy. The "established" coach then continues developing the team to the next level, while polishing off their skills, and keeps them learning at the same time.

Also, how many established UFA's are going to want to play for a guy that disciplines his guys the way you'd discipline a pupil? They won't, I gurantee it. I wouldn't either.

One other thing..

Lets try not to give them too many excuses for a tough second half. I can't begin to tell you how many sports teams have to go through what the Kings do/did. All teams have youngsters/vets that have to travel, learn, have new coaches, get beat up, etc etc. They're all tired, but they all manage to continue on and into the playoffs.

That's the nature of the business.

WW -
Does that mean,

"what would andy murray do?"

I second what Jata said. Where is the freakin leadership on this team? How many times have we heard..."yeah, we really weren't ready for the start of that game." huh? wtf were you doing instead of prepping for the game? Why is Army the only dude who calls out his teammates (in the room, not publicly) and makes them accountable for their sub-par efforts.

And how spoiled do you have to be to not be motivated to bring it every night?

Leadership is ALL about the players and I agree 100% that it has not been there by the designated people who need to give it. 1st year captain, young, whatever...two words:

JONATHON TOEWS

Anyone who says it can't be done needs to look at him when they say that.

We do seem to have leaders on this team, it's just that none of them have letters on their chests. (Greener has been pretty good lately though).

Here's a good question. Since the leadership is in question and people have soured on the experiment...

Who do you give letters to now?

The biggest problem with this team is owner Phillip Anschutz.

When you look at the overall time he's been the owner he's been an utter failure with his whopping 3 playoff appearances in 13+ years. Since buying the team his focus has never been on the Kings it's been on his Entertainment Empire.

Anschutz has never been close to a Stanley Cup but if real estate had one he'd of won 8 by now for the projects at LALIVE, Home Depot Center, Tennis Center, the building in KC, the O2 Arena in London etc.etc. etc. The dude is so removed from the game he wouldn't know Lord Stanley unless he bought land from the dude. He hides in the shadows never showing his face or taking an interview. He's a chameleon blending into the environment and if he's faceless he can get away with what he's been getting away with.

As of today the two worst franchises in LA are still the Clippers and the Kings. We've seen this pattern as long as they've been owners. As the season winds down they're both looking at the lottery to help solve their franchise woes yet again while trying to sell a better future to their faithful fanbases tomorrow.

As a STH I find it appalling he never addresses the fan base. Every owner in this town minus Anschutz and Sterling take interviews on tv and radio. They tell the fans they care, they talk about how important winning is and then they put their money where their mouths are while Phil and Donald put theirs where the sun don't shine.

Winning starts at the very top just ask Jerry Buss.

Wow...

Wish I hadn't been on the road all day. Today's discussion has been passionate and all over the causes of the team's demise.

I'm probably too late in the thread for most of you to read this, but I believe:
a): the team is better than the record/ injuries and fatigue have gutted this team the last 10 days;
b): the coaching staff understands that they are on the bubble/ a 2-4 point improvement over last year is minimal on paper, and the fan base (i.e.: us) is EXTREMELY RESTLESS. Solid improvement next year=playoff berth;
c): the current batch of forwards is woefully inadequate when it comes to scoring/ last in 5-on-5 scoring, no one on the team in the top 30 scoring, every team knows that keeping the Kings off the power play likely=win.

But, like most of you, I think the Kings are very close to becoming powerful. I say, get a top 5 forward AT ANY COST, tradewise (not $$). No one player on this team is so great as to be untouchable. Once we have that untouchable player, then build around him. The difference is, this year we have the trading pieces to make a deal.

I think that many of us (myself included) went into this hockey season with the feeling that we could always use the Kings’ youth as an excuse if their performance wasn’t up to expectations. I said that the Kings would probably get 70 points this year, so they’re doing very slightly better than I had predicted. Next year, though, I don’t think that anybody, Kings’ management included, will be able to use inexperience as an excuse, as guys like Brown, Frolov, Handzus, O’Donnell, Green, even Kopitar, will be seasoned vets. Someone raised a good point when they said that TM and DL are managers and don’t skate. Ultimately, it’s the players who are responsible for the success of this team. TM and DL haven’t scored very many goals or blocked too many shots lately, after all. Yes, they’re the ones who get the players to perform, but it’s not DL’s decision alone. You can’t turn John Zeiler into Alex Ovechkin.

Will players want to sign here during the summer? I don’t know. Then again, it’s not this coming summer that’s going to be the real important one—it’s next summer, when the salary cap should go down significantly and many teams may find themselves having to dump players into the street in order to work with the new cap. That’s when the Kings should be aggressive in acquiring talent. With the core they have now and the improvement that kids are hopefully going to show next season, they shouldn’t break the bank just yet to try to get a cup. I don’t think any team has gone from the bottom 20% in the league one year to hoist the cup the next.

Do I agree with everything DL has done? No. Who would do better that would be available? I don’t know. Who would be a better coach for this team? Just because TM hasn’t won a cup I don’t think you can say he’s a bad coach. 29 coaches don’t win the cup every season, yet many of them return year after year to give it another try. People couldn’t tell me that Scotty Bowman couldn’t get this current Kings team deep into the playoffs.

Someone mentioned the magical season the Kings had in the 1992-’93 season, but don’t forget that they were a very mediocre team who peaked at the right time that year. They only finished in third place in the Smythe, hardly impressive going into the playoffs that season. And, oh yeah, they have a coach in Phoenix who isn’t very good,too.

From the optimists to the pessimists to the realists, everybody has great points. The funny thing is that everybody is right to a certain degree.

We have greatly improved in certain areas/ and we are certainly pathetic in others.

TM has done a great job in certain aspects and makes you scratch your head in other scenarios.

We have some skilled players, but others were exposed when not "cherry picken", for lack of a better phrase.

We have potential but much of it has not transfered to the ice.

We have lots of youth, but complain when they play like it.

Hopefully this team learns from this year of experience, but if we replace certain veterans(whoever that is) with more rookies, Teubert, Hickey, Boyle, Voinov, Moulson, Lewis, Azavado ect. we are going to be around 500 again next year. Having so much youth at one time does have a negative effect. You have to have veteran leadership to compete nightly and throughout the entire year. This team is a perfect example of that.

DL has done a outstanding job improving our minor system with players that actually have a chance to play effectively in the NHL, but the problem I have with DL is he and TM have a certain style of play they want to implement, but draft players with different skills. They want to play a tough game, but we have Kopi, Fro(had o'sull), youth like Boyle , Percell, Moulson. Not exactly rough house style players. I questioned the youth and the style last summer and I'll question it again this summer if big changes aren't made one way or the other. I don't care which way we go, changing style to fit our players, or changing our players to fit the style. One of the two has to be done.

Our future looks better than it has in many many years, but I don't think we are as good as some think. There's lots of work to be done to be a legitimate contender for the cup. Good news is with 2 or 3 solid additions we are right there. So close but yet so far away.

Go Kings

Great post Duckhunter.
I think you hit the nail on the head, although I'm (obviously) in the camp that the system needs to adapt to the players (by Murray leaving).

deadcat, I think you make some great points, and who really can say what a coach like Bowman could have produced this year?
But, in my opinion, one of the worst mistakes this season was not playing our "prospects" more.
By that I mean that DL and TM spent too much time criticizing Boyle, Purcell, and (through playing him as a forward) Harrold.
Now, we don't have the leeway to give them that growth-time next season, DL has to prove something.
I really think it's a shame that Calder, Preissing, Gauthier, Ivanans, Zeiler, and even Zus were given the bulk of time they were given while our Manchester/prospect guys were left shaking their heads.

Good job, guys and - PLAY UP, L.A.!!!

Duckhunter said:
From the optimists to the pessimists to the realists, everybody has great points. The funny thing is that everybody is right to a certain degree.

We have greatly improved in certain areas/ and we are certainly pathetic in others.

TM has done a great job in certain aspects and makes you scratch your head in other scenarios.

We have some skilled players, but others were exposed when not "cherry picken", for lack of a better phrase.

We have potential but much of it has not transfered to the ice.

We have lots of youth, but complain when they play like it.

Duckhunter, I hope I don't embarrass you, but I think this is one of the best blogs I've ever read on this site.... full stop. Especially your first sentence. I could have just copied and pasted the whole thing in here, but everyone's already read it once. Maybe this could be the "defacto" comments for this site.

I remember you saying you used to play and coach. I'm not surprised.
Well, thanks.