GM breakfast

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Sitting outside after the two-hour GM breakfast in El Segundo. Not a lot of ground broken, other than Jim Fox’s announcement that all games will be in high definition next season. You had the usual “No, the Internet rumors aren’t true” answer, some Cammalleri/O’Sullivan dead-horse beating, and some charts. Most interesting? Probably some cold water being thrown on a Heatley acquisition, a discussion of Loktionov and Lombardi’s thoughts on trading the No. 5 pick vs. keeping it. I will post a quick summary this afternoon.

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  • CiscoC

    HD! Woot!

  • Matt George

    Thanks Rich

    I also read somewhere that Luc will be “tweeting” from the draft next week… a first for the NHL… any truth to this?

    thanks again

  • Quisp

    ALL GAMES IN HD?? THAT’S HUGE.

  • Ethan

    Its about time all games will be in HD!

  • Telos

    I liked what was said. It helped comfort me that no stupid deals are going to be made and no one is hitting any panic buttons like so many are urging to do. Can’t wait for draft, free agency, and training camp. This is one exciting off-season to say the least…

  • src3

    Matt Barry covered some DL comments and sure Rich will give a more in depth view. However my take so far is that we will not be trading or signing anyone in the 6.5+ range. DL refers to our depth and cap as being keys to the future. Used the Deadmarch/Allison injuries reference to lack of depth. DLs what if …..What if, we get Heatley, then we have trouble signing JJ, Fro, Purcell etc in 2011. He also made a comment on how PHI in 2011 will have 9 players making 43 mil of the potential 48-50 cap. Whereas we have 13 at 29 mil.

    He states that he will most likely hold the pick, but expects offers they will have to discuss.

    For Mac swede

    Vet du at du kan se alle NHL kamper live p ESPN EUROPE. Bare 100+ US for hele seasongen. Jeg vokst up i LA og er Amerikansk, men flyttet til Norge i 93.
    So, waz up neighbor?

  • mac!

    Cool stuff, looking forward to your summary Rich!

    /mac! (not MacSwede, but living in Sweden nonetheless)

  • andre norway

    hi src3, Im a huge kings fan living in oslo, where do you live?

  • EncinoMan

    Thanks Rich.

    I wish the info from this breakfast would put an end to the endless and ridiculous speculations, proposals, etc, that we will continue to read from armchair GMs that keep filling up this blog and that other site……but sadly, we all know better…..

  • Johnny Utah

    Whaaaaat???!!! All games in HD???? If there is one sport that needs HD to attract new fans, it is the NHL.

    I can only assume that with the track records of The Kings, the NHL, and Fox, someone will do something to screw this up (rink-side view for the entire game anyone?). Fingers crossed.

  • Ersberg

    No interest in Heatley, interesting. So, who are we after then?

    We’re just going to ice the same team we had last season? Fail.

    Gaborik alone won’t be enough to win.

    The kids are great, but additional players are required to win. Waiting 3-5 years to let the kids get better is required, but our young guys playing now will be 30+ by then(Kopi, Brown, Fro, etc).

    At any rate, I’m still hopeful the “grand design” will lead us to the promised land.

    Thanks for the update, though.

  • Matt George

    OOPPSS!

    ok i feel like a knob

    DUH on the tweet thing … sorry bout that.

    Big deal on the HD .. very happy bout this.

    And I’m not quite sure about the “well we need to have room to sign future guys” BS.

    That’s one of those phrases that can be used for eternity with no benchmark for success.

  • anthonyy

    I wonder what kind of kool-aid we’re gonna be served this time.

  • Dom

    @Ersberg,

    Kopi, Brown etc. will not be 30+ in 3-5 years…. do the math. I love the fact that DL will not give in to the “pressure” and sign a big UFA or Trade for a big name only because we’re getting closer and most Fans are getting impatient.
    As mentioned many times before, I think the Kings are ahead of schedule in development and performance. They now need consistency and add-ons in their weak spots over time.
    Don’t expect the Kings to make the Play-offs (and go far) with only the addition of Heatley or Gaborik. They are still weak in the goal (but on the right way) and mediocre at best in Offense.
    Let the core get better and then add the perfect pieces at the perfect time. Too many posters here seem to want instant success and rush things….
    I’m with Telos here….

  • anthonyy

    Now this guys #1 excuse not sign a big time forward is that the Salary cap might be reduced in in a couple years.
    Well, has that stopped good GM’s like Kenny Holland, Brian Burke, Darryl Sutter, Ray Shero, Doug Wilson, etc…? The answer is No. Good GM’s will do whatever takes to win now.
    Terrible GM’s like this M_R_N, will just think of excuses to hold on to his job. Just keep seving the kool-aid. Just keep having these stupid breakfasts, and lie to your fans, by asking them to be patient. Give us more time. I know what I’m doing. I’m not an idiot.
    Meanwhile, teams like Columbus, Nashville, Washington, Pittsbugh, St. louis (teams that were similarly situated with ours a couple of seasons back) keep improving and contending and making the playoffs.

    I wonder why AEG keeps this dog around. Is it because they don’t want to fire him just now and pay remainder of his contract?
    I bet they wished they signed him to a 3 year contract rather than a 5.

  • Chris in Torrance

    Actually Rich, I wasn’t dead-horse beating. Cammy and POS were only 2 of the 4 examples I used in my question about why we have so much trouble resigning our free agents.

  • Matt George

    Ok honestly I do believe we are making progress and the plan is working.

    I would, however, be more on board with the plan had I not heard the same phrase ala “We’re not going to sign Blake to a big contract because we need to focus on our future” years ago when we let him go to Colorado in his prime.

    Like I said.. this thing can go on forever.

  • MacSwede

    “For Mac swede

    Vet du at du kan se alle NHL kamper live p ESPN EUROPE. Bare 100+ US for hele seasongen. Jeg vokst up i LA og er Amerikansk, men flyttet til Norge i 93.
    So, waz up neighbor?”

    Thanks src3!

    Actually I got ESPN AMERICA. I got it right before the finals, s I could watch every game there. I dont know how many Kings games they will show during the season though.. But if they continue to play theese early saturday games that they have been doing, then I surely could watch a whole lot of them. For us Europeans, or Nordics as it seems, it is great when NHL have early games, gives us a chance to watch without falling to sleep in the second period 😉

    My friend also has espn360, so I often uses his account and watch Kings games there, on the net.

    S vart bor du i Norge src3?? 🙂

    And Anthonyy….we know you dont like Lombardi, so whats new?

  • JWR

    For some reason I feel that the only deal that will happen is a 2nd or 3rd with a prospect to San Jose for Cheechoo who was stuck on the 3rd line last year.
    For a former Rocket Richard winner it seems like quite a waste ala putting Frolof on the 3rd line here.

  • MacSwede

    I dont like cheechoo at all.. If we are going to trade for a scoring forward, we need to go after a superstar..we allready have mediocre forwards.

    Besides, I watch Cheech a lot during the lock-out, when he played for the team (HV71) in my hometown (Jonkoping), and he sucked!!!! Big time! The funny thing was that the year after that he won the Richard Trophy. Id rather go for someone else…. My highest wish is still Ilya Kovalchuk…*sigh* you can dream right?

  • src3

    Mcswede

    Live in Arendal-1 hour east of Kristiansand, about 4-5 hours from Gteborg.

    Taking my thoughts a little further and with the addition of Hextals comments, we are looking at making a splash/steal next year. When the Brieres and Vinny Ls etc are killing teams caps. OOPs lets not forget the Drurys and Gomez contracts ouch!!

    Like someone previously said “KOVI”. Our depth chart will have 3-4 more prospects from this draft and we can start giving up solid draft picks for the rights to some FAs or trading with cap gorged teams.

    Some issues still remain………..If JJ wants more than what Golikowski in Pitt got, then he will be gone IMO. This will happen after the draft. I could easily see us giving something next year for Prongers services or something along those lines.

    One other interesting point……Hextal referred to Stoll as kind of a shooter. Saying that a LW with character and some play making ability may be what they are looking for. He also referred to DET as having alot of character guys. Hudler?

  • Shakes

    Now if only NHL Center Ice showed that games on Comcast in HD…

  • Cricket

    @ src3

    good last post. it makes sense to me that this team might not make a “big” trade for another season. the extra time would help really assess guys like moller and purcell’s worth, not mention get a few more names through the draft. who the D will be will also get clearer, and thus who to trade. This team is going to trade a good defensman sometime in the near future. it may not be clear to DL who that should be yet.

    Maybe the Kovi dream is just a season away…

  • Ersberg

    Dom-

    Yeah, you’re Brown will be 29, Kopi 26, and Frolov 32.

    So, at those ages, you’re suggesting we wait 5 years to HOPE that these kids are NHL ready? I highly doubt more than 2-3 of them will actually be NHL potential, let alone possess some sort of greatness. We must deal for players beyond our roster in order to do anything after 82 games.

    Voynov, Bernier, and Hickey are the guys that will most likely make it. I have hopes for Teubert, but we’ll see…

  • 28 KINGS

    “Meanwhile, teams like Columbus, Nashville, Washington, Pittsbugh, St. louis (teams that were similarly situated with ours a couple of seasons back) keep improving and contending and making the playoffs.”

    Well Anthonyy…contending and making the playoffs are two very different things. Do you know what all these teams have in common, they all build their teams through the draft.Pitt had to suck, (and I mean really suck) to get Crosby,Malkin,Fluery, and Stall. That’s four seasons of finishing last and getting a top 1-2 pick.

    Columbus made the playoff for the first time in their history… last season. It also took the unbelievable play of a ROOKIE goalie to do this too.

    St.Louis has been building too, like us, only a few years earlier and without going something like 23-5 the last half of the season, they don’t make it. Also this is an Andy Murray team, which means tons of injuries, big drop off mid season,and a late finish.Any Andy Murray team will never win a cup.

    Nashville missed the playoffs just like us.

  • jediknight329

    anthony…

    all you do is complain. that’s it. just complain over and over again. are you a season ticket holder? if you are then you knew about this gm breakfast we attended this morning. why not show up and have some balls to complain to dl in person???

    but that’s not what you do. you hide here amongst real kings fans and feel real brave by throwing s**t on the wall all the time, hoping something sticks. the only thing that sticks is all of us tired of your complaining. i’ve not been happy with all of dl’s moves or the play of the team myself over the last 3 seasons. but by the way you try to tear these guys down, why not mention a solution? you don’t have one that’s why. you are so laughable!!!

  • Dom

    Ersberg, let’s see if Frolov is around in 5 years. 🙂

    I think the core of the Kings future (signed to long term contracts, namely Kopitar and Brown) have already proven their NHL potential. The trick is now to elevate them to NHL Leaders and THEN add the pieces you need to not only make the Play-offs but to be a Contender.
    Therefore I must agree with the current route that a Trade or FA signing is only going to make sense at this point if the right Player is available and not just to make something happen because we have the cap-space.
    Making the Play-offs is pointless unless you have a real chance going all the way. Look at St. Louis. Yes, the made the post-Season but then what? Nobody expected them to go far. Is this what the Fans want? A “quick fix” to make the PO’s but then fail again?
    I believe this is a long-time Project that has only started in the recent years (under DL) and we’re actually ahead in schedule. I, for one, will not be boo-ing the Team if they don’t make the Play-Offs next Season (though I wouldn’t mind if they did….) 🙂

    I know it sucks to wait around until the Goalies mature to their top-game and to see Doughty, Kopi, Brown and now Williams to grow into their leadership positions. But just imagine this: making the PO’s with the current Team, having enough Cap-Room to sign Frolov long-term and adding two key positions next year…. THEN we can raise our hopes. But not yet.

  • src3

    I really enjoy this time of year, and like alot of you guys was hoping for a sexy signing. However as you state DOM, I too, would not mind waiting another year. As long as our boys “compete hard” every night and get better. That was a hint to Boyle if he didnt catch it from DL and Hexys comments. Expect nothing more at this point than getting Sturm for a 3rd or 4th rounder. Only 2 years left at 3.5. A signing however does cut into Moller and co. playing time. Bos, Phi and some others will be giving away 3+ mil contracts. If BOS really wants to keep Kessel, then Sturm will be given away. Hartnell has NTC unfortunately.

    Look at it this way….If Quick is even better next year and Bernier also improves as does Zat etc, then Bernier gets us something big this time next year. If LOKI, Moller also improve as show that they are absolutely second line material, then wow. Voynov, Hickey and if Teubert also shows top 4 pairing ability, then wow. We then have 3-4+players with small contracts that could be sent to another team for a real sexy player.

    Kovi in 2011!!!!

  • MacSwede

    I agree with you src3, my nordic fellow 😉

    But I would rather have Kovi after next season. He is a UFA then, and I would love if we could sign him. But it would be a lot easier if we made the playoffs this year. Otherwise he might go to a more of a contender..

    I agree with most of you that we should wait another year for big trade. BUT, I really think we should sign Gaborik if we could get a 2-year conract or something that benefits us. He would really help us this year, without having to give up something. Then maybe we finally could make the playoffs, and then easier attract FAs next year, or making a big trade.

    Gaborik is a really good player, no doubt about it. And he has an age that fits with the rest of the team.

    What do you think about that src3? (or anyone else)

  • src3

    Game for Gabby,
    But 4 mil base garunteed. With provisions for games played with a maks of 7.5 for 82 games. No more than 2 years. Otherwise go fish. If someone wants to give him 6+ garunteed over 3+ years, they can have him. I personally think Moller will be a 30g/year guy, we know Fro is, Kopi is and Brown is capable. However we have to keep the salarys down. I am hoping the players finally start realizing that when they sign a 7+ mil contract, they are actually hand cuffing the team and have a lesser chance at the cup. I am really hoping that Fro will settle for 5/yr. I seriously doubt it though. The Russians are known to be money mongers. And heh why not. Get what you can when you can. But Deano is looking for 9+ Brownies in the lineup. Kopi gets 6.8 so will Fro settle for less. I dont think so. I think Fro goes at the deadline next year for a first rounder+. “unfortunately”

  • Ersberg

    Dom-

    This team is primed for a couple of big guns right now. Forget about 2 years from now.

    If Quick/Ersberg had started all of the games Lababfail started, last season would have looked much different than it ended up being. We do need some scorers, though. We can’t wait 2 or 3 years. The problem being those top players’ contracts will cost more than they will now.

    I don’t want a quick fix. I want Lombardi to pick up 2 guys that will fit in with our core so we can compete today. There’s no possible chance all of our prospects will become NHL caliber players. Hickey, Voynov, Bernier, and possibly Teubert are the young blood of the Kings. The rest will be AHL/trade meat. Don’t worry, Lombardi will keep a deep prospects pool. My point is, we can aquire top guys and still have a nice prospect pool.

    I think we’re making strides to be a better team, but I’m concerned we don’t take the chances that need taking because of recently made trade/signing mistakes.

  • Good post, thanks

  • Wonderful to read!

  • Excellent job.