It's getting interesting in Manchester, NH

(photo courtesy of: www.verizonwirelessarena.com)

The Los Angeles Kings AHL affiliation has been based in Manchester, NH for the last five years. The Monarchs boast a team that has historically been very competitive, reaching the AHL play-offs every single time out of Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. The Monarchs pre-season started on September 24 with 36 players fighting it out for a place on a final opening day roster.

The funny thing is that while the Kings are stacked up the middle with Conroy, Belanger, Armstrong, McCauley and relatively weak on the wings, the Monarchs are structured exactly the opposite way. Manchester's major scoring line center (Anze Kopitar) might not even start the season in AHL, as this highly touted prospect has already opened some eyes in LA. Behind him, there's really little to write home about. While Matt Ryan is pencilled in for second line duty and Gabe Gauthier can adequately man the third or fourth line, they are relatively less exciting than several Monarch wingers.

Depending on how soon Lauri Tukonen regains full shoulder strength after the injury he suffered last season, himself and Konstantin Pushkarev form a thrilling Euro duo on the first scoring line. The second one loses just half a step with streaking newcomer Matt Moulson on the left wing and Dany Roussin possibly moving over to the right. The checking line should be one of the most exciting (also on the penalty kill) as it features sleek skater Ned Lukacevic and agitator Peter Kanko centered by either Jeff Giuliano or Gauthier. There is plethora of options at fourth line wing with Greg Hogeboom, Noah Clarke, Kris Korchinski and Ryan Murphy vying for final spots.

Some of the center-wingmen balance between Los Angeles and Manchester might get offset with a quite a surprising roster move. And I'm not taking about sending either Mathieu Garon or Jason LaBarbera down as discussed by Monarchs General Manager Ron Hextall.

Much rather, given his quite mediocre pre-season play and the emergence of Kopitar, veteran Derek Armstrong could be heading to the East Coast. A blue-collar worker on his best days, and invisible coaster when he's off his game, Armstrong could jump into the pool of youngster wingers in Manchester to dramatically improve their production right away. And Dean Lombardi and Hextall would not exactly be losing a valuable asset here - a casual glimpse at other teams' rosters assures Armstrong should pass waivers with no second thoughts from other league GMs.

So there's definitely a lot of decisions coming up in the next three days on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Time zones and jet lags will not prevent both teams from paring down their rosters and shuffle players to get ready for NHL and AHL seasons.

Confidence of management nets Cloutier an early extension


I have every reason to believe in the eye for talent and personal confidence in Dan Cloutier of Kings GM Dean Lombardi and head coach Marc Crawford. After all, they have opined players for and signed them to contract extensions before. It is only the timing of Cloutier's new deal that kept me awake all night last night.

Dan Cloutier was acquired by the Kings from Vancouver Canucks on July 5, 2006 in exchange for a 2nd round draft selection in 2007 and a conditional pick in 2009. The move united the goalie with his former coach and most vocal proponent - Marc Crawford. Both were in similar shoes as they approached the first year with the Kings organization. Cloutier was in the final year of his contract, seemingly on the rebound and with something to prove after his Vancouver days.

To mitigate the negative side-effects of acquiring another goaltender to an already goalie-rich organization (with Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera splitting duties last season) Lombardi and Crawford came up with the 1A and 1B starter concept. Garon as 1B could expect up to 40% of playing time, given the long travel routes in the Western Conference and some tough back-to-back games on the schedule.

It all changed with one stroke of the pen yesterday morning PST.

While the the actual length of the contract is acceptable (2 years starting after this coming season), its value (3.1 mln per year) - debatable, the timing of Cloutier's deal was plain wrong. It most likely killed all internal competition and might effect in demotivating both Cloutier and Garon.

Both Cloutier and Garon were in the final year of their contracts and seemingly had everything to play for this season to get the attention of the new Kings brass and secure new contracts. Not any more. By renewing Cloutier the Kings management signaled which side their bread was buttered on. In plain text Garon was just told he had nowhere to go as a King. 1B is as high as he can get this year and any hopes of starting in the NHL might require relocation as a FA next season. That's providing he is not traded during the season. And, if he sticks around his motivation level might be at all time low. Why fight, when the result of the battle is a foregone conclusion?

The surprising twist is Cloutier might have gotten demotivated as well. Had he not been extended he would have had something to prove in the contract year. New team, new city (and a non-hockey one, as the traditionalists would put it), new start. Well - it was then. And this is now: why fight, if his staying on top as No 1 goalie is a foregone conclusion? This is what an untimely thumbs-up from the big boss does to the organization.

The thing that baffles me most with the timing of extension, given the apparent Lombardi's attention to detail, is the fact that the league-wide interest in Cloutier's services after this season would have been reasonably low. Perhaps at the level of Manny Legace, three years Dan's senior, who stumbled into the NHL contract in St. Louis only on August 8. The risk of Cloutier's value suddenly sky-rocketing beyond reasonable expectation after this season with the Kings was (and remains) negligible. In this unlikely event, Lombardi still would have had the first shot at extending Cloutier past this year.

All in all, it is mostly the timing of the extension that makes this deal difficult to bear for the Kings fans. Especially given little first-hand evidence (save for a couple of preseason games) that Dan Cloutier is the true missing piece between the pipes for Los Angeles. I hope this contract extension does not come back to haunt Dean Lombardi come spring 2007. And 2008. And 2009 for that matter.

Season tickets by hand delivery on the Isle

In case you missed it, the New York Islanders came up with a great PR move and asked their top players, including Miro Satan to hand deliver season tickets to top notch paying customers - firms and corporations.

I like the idea! How about having Matti Norstrom check in for a slice of pizza in your law firm backroom on the third floor of that glassy steel and glass building in Torrance, CA? Or a visit from timid Dustin Brown who could help put final touches on this sales presentation you're working on?

Probably the only guy I would not like to see on my doorstep is Craig Conroy. No hard feelings there, but I'd rather he took a raincheck and sent his wife. Sizzling hot - that's what she is. Rewind - that's what I heard she is. Speaking of deliveries, it's the irst time google left me, ekhem, empty-handed.

Scoring by committee in the LA-LA land

(photo: inside the Staples Center. Courtesy of wallmate.net)

There has been a lot of talk of how much this year's edition of the Kings lacks a bona fide scorer. You know, the likes of the Ovechkins, the Kovalchuks and the Jagrs of this world. The consensus so far has been that the 'nominal second line forwards', such as Michael Cammalleri, Dustin Brown, Alex Frolov or even greenhorns Patrick O'Sullivan and Anze Kopitar will have to provide scoring by committee.

Since the above as well as ocassional human sparks such as Eric Belanger or Brian Willsie claim they've mastered new ways of finding the back of the net, let me offer a whole new spin on the "no-scorer" thingy.

But first, let's file some evidence, shall we?

Says Cammalleri:

"[Last season] made not just others, but me realize, that I could be a leader and an offensive leader."

His probable top-line partner Frolov is sure that:

"[...] we have a couple guys who can score 30 or more goals. I think I'm capable of doing that if I do the things that are necessary."

Even the 19-year old youngster, Slovenian phenom Kopitar claims he might jump right in to the Kings scoring chase:

"It's for the guys making the decision to say if I'm ready. My personal thought is I am ready. I feel comfortable and I'm confident that I can handle the physical play."

Now, onto my spin. It's OK for the Kings NOT to have one big-time scorer. NOT to have someone the opponents can take out with one cheap shot in the open ice. NOT to have the go-to guy others will be trying to feed the puck to in the offensive zone.

It's OK as it means a number of players need to step up, shoulder the scoring burden, imitate the Alpha-dog and lead this team to victories night in and night out. Much like this year's version of the Los Angeles Dodgers, folks. I'm confident this was the original idea behind the team concept of Dean Lombardi and Marc Crawford. It also explains why the Kings did not chase a star *forward* in the FA market this offseason.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, meet your cardboard silhouette Kings with no star scorer onboard. But if they prove the cardboard is thick enough to keep out the dagger of big-time scorer opponents, this team will take all of us for a ride. Even though we might be surprised to see they've been driving by commitee...

Kings stage another comeback to beat Ducks in OT shootout


If you had been in the stands with Dr O'Malley of Grey's Anatomy for this game, you'd probably be prescribed anything from large doses of tylenol (start to 0-3) to a regular CPR session in ER (completed when Eric Belanger charged JS Giguere's goal with what turned out to be a game-winning shootout goal).

I must admit I woke up half way through the second period with the score Ducks three up and nowhere to go but here. No internet radio broadcast, nothing on the telly (dream on)... Kinda makes you think twice how come teams like Minnesota Wild apparently have full preseason media coverage, huh? Anyway, it was all Ducks at the time and I did my pushups in hope to get the fire started not only in my abs (incidentally ;)), but first and foremost on the King side of the rink.

I was in the middle of 6:30-ish a.m. breakfast preparation when the boom-boom-boom-kaBOOM started. Four in a row from Anze Kopitar (it's welcome to LA-LA, isn't it by now?), Kevin Dallman (comiserations to Mike Weaver), Tom Kostopoulos (speechless at center for the night) and Mike Cammalleri (centered by Kopitar) got the Kings ahead 4-3. Later on the Kings managed to overcome an equalizer from MacDonald and my sandwich and I got ready for the shootout.

Try following one online hitting F5 like a madman - it only works when your team wins.

Actually, not to brag or anything, but I called the E-Bel's game winner. I just knew he was gonna fool around and someway somehow find the back of the net. Good old-fashined come-from-behind win against the cross-town Ducks. Yuppi!

Hey, on the spur of the moment, let me be the first to spell it out: what if we have Ducks' number this season? Ducks fans, unite and call 911! I heard Dr O'Malley is on-call later today.

Stevie Y moves into vice-presidency in Hockeytown


On the heels of Stevie Y becoming a vice-president of hockey operations for the Detroit Red Wings (no surprise here, really), I thought how cool it would be if the Kings offered a similar management position to their recently retired star Luc Robitaille. Let's say, for starters, a place where he could develop young players to the extent Doug Gilmour does so in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

Luc is certainly up to the challenge:

Robitaille expects to stay in the Kings organization in some capacity, although no deal has yet been reached with the club.

''I want to learn the business side of the game,'' he said, before adding with a laugh ''they always said they didn't make money, I want to see that now.''

What do we have to lose? Nothing. To gain - that's a different story. Just ask yourself what *you* remember Robitaille best for. Words like sportsmanship, dedication, drive, team spirit come to mind. A world of virtues to be passed on to the future Kings prospects.

So, give it a thought, will you? And then petition to Kings front office to help them make the right decision. The Red Wings already have made their move. We'd better not lag.

Ian Laperriere: my favorite ex-King


There is a number of former Kings that I cherish, with probably Top 3 being made up of Tony Granato, Mattias Norstrom and Ian Laperriere. There is a great chunk on Ian being torn between the Avalanche (his current team) and the Kings during the Frozen Fury. I just wanted to make sure you don't miss it.

Manny Fernandez epitaph


Manny is the backup goalie on my fantasy team roster this year (behind Tomas Vokoun, I might add). There's recently been a Q&A with him published in St. Paul Pioneer Press. One thing I would like him to be able to say about how he elevated my team to the top of the standings is this:

I want my epitaph to say: "Here lies Manny Fernandez, who overcame a lot and was a guy with a lot of heart."

Not a bad karma, eh?

Predators' Disney World thing

Hockey players and teams have their 'things'. You know - superstitions, rules of conduct one needs to adhere to, playoff beards and the like. The Nashville Predators though have taken 'the thing' to a whole new level - what they do is visit the Disney World in Orlando, FL as a team. It's done every couple of years in hope of finding a family-like bond that would strengthen them and help create bonds capable of taking Preds to the ultimate hockey plaground - the Stanley Cup. And it works - at least it did back in 2003 , when Nashville claimed their first-ever playoff birth. With high hopes to to recent regular success and acquisition of cornerstone players like Jason Arnott and JP Dumont, there was enough reason to revisit the Florida panhandle. Says Arnott:

"I think you'll see a lot of team-bonding kind of things, guys getting together in groups and hanging out. When you're part of a winning team, the group tends to be really tight. So this is an opportunity for us to get away from Nashville for a little bit and just really focus on ourselves.''

Head coach Barry Trotz is there to ensure that the escape to Disney World is not all fun and no work:

"We'll be looking at line combinations and defensive pairings, that kind of thing. Obviously we'll be working on some facets of our game, such as forechecking, neutral-zone play, special teams and defensive coverage.''

"We're going to have a sense of purpose. We want to come out of Orlando having that focus and having that approach to our goals for the season.''

Rangers and Panthers sunbathing in the Caribbean, Predators wheeling around in Orlando, Kings and Avalanche betting their wages in Las Vegas' casinos... Picture-perfect off-season bliss. Enjoy it, guys, while you can. By the beginning of October it's back to bone-crunching and frost bite (well, up there in Canada, anyway). You'll need all the Micky Mouse memories of late summer you can get.

Ice hockey played south of Miami

As James Mirtle rigthly points out, last night's New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers affair was a very first professional hockey game (NHL style) played south of Miami, FL. While the score in this pre-season game was probably secondary to having fun for the three thousand plus spectators, it's noticeable how many fans came prepared to watch ice-hockey in the tropics:

There were several Mark Messier and Mike Richter jerseys in the crowd, along with those of the Islanders, Devils and several other NHL teams. The crowd was clearly pro- Rangers, applauding every board-rattling check.

What's next? How about a pre-season game in Poland? I say Kings vs Maple Leafs might do ;).

First! Kings Frozen Fury comeback win in Vegas


What a great comeback game if you're a Kings fan!! What a terrible meltdown if you're coming from the Rocky Mountains! I could only image what Rob Blake must have felt being a part of this game in the Kings uniform :).

I switched the radio on in the early hours of this Sunday morning and set up all possible live scores and Kings message boards at the same time not to miss a second of the third period. The first news I got was bad: the Kings were down 0-2 after two and seemed paralytic on their powerplay (0-for-7, including at least one 5-on-3 opportunity that I know of).

Then Lubo Visnovsky's slapshot made it 1-2 and poured some hope into Kings' hearts. With a little bit less than three minutes to go Alexander Frolov tapped home the rebound to tie the score. While both teams seemingly were heading for overtime, Anze Kopitar had other ideas. He fed Patrick O'Sullivan with a perfect pass and the MVP of the previous AHL season converted it for a score to the delight of rabid Kings fans in MGM Grand. Second later Frolov scored an empty-netter when the Avalanche pulled Budaj, but he was caught slightly offside for the 3-2 Kings final score.

You can find the full game thread (to relive some of the excitement on LGK or hfboards). I'm going to go back to some of the conclusions from this game as I saw it as soon as I get the download completed.

Bruins Kessel a tough nut to crack

Phil Kessel is Boston Bruins' Anze Kopitar. He's young, explosive, very skilled and vying for a spot on the NHL team roster. His presence is felt to the extent that leaving him with the Bruins AHL affiliate team in Providence might seem a disgrace to New England fans and hockey in general.

But if he makes the Boston roster, he might be pushed out of his natural position (center) as the Bruins have Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard pencilled in up the middle on the top two lines. Also coach Dave Lewis might be forced to give Kessel a lot of ice-time and talent around for the youngster to continue to develop:

"He's the kind of player that if he's going to be up here, he's going to have to play on one of the top lines," agreed Lewis. You don't want him up here sitting, playing six or seven minutes a night."

There are a lot of question marks hovering around Kessels head as the team prepares for minor league roster cuts. Says Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli:

"Will he play enough to develop his skills? Can he play a subordinate role, if necessary? With Phil, we're dealing with a lot of variables. There have been a lot of young guys who have come into the NHL and have their development delayed, or even nullified, because too much was asked of them too soon."

As much as Dean Lombardi with Kopitar, Chiarelli has a tough nut to crack on his own with Kessel. If they are given a chance for most of the NHL season, Kopitar and Kessel will challenge Evgeni Malkin for the Calder Trophy. One thing is sure - if it was up to them, the pre-season waiting game would be over in no time.

More power in the PP, more kill in the PK

Apparently - at least according to Eric Belanger (not my first choice for a PP rifle, though). Says Eric:

"For one thing, we got more players who can play on the power play. Last season, it seemed like it was the same guys who knew they were going to be out there, even if they didn't score."

I guess adding the likes of Rob Blake, Brian Willsie and Patrick O'Sullivan helps, but somehow I'm not expecting the Kings to rise several storeys higher than last season's woeful penultimate place in the NHL. Now, on the other hand - I do look forward to seeing a much grittier penalty kill unit made up of players willing to sacrifice, such as Scott Thornton, Alyn McCauley, Derek Armstrong and Kevin Dallman.

The Kings' highest jump in the rankings might not be in the regular season conference standings, but rather in PK rankings.

More AHL cuts

No surprises, really as I scan the list of players whom the Kings have just sent to Manchester Monarchs for the AHL training camp. If you missed it somewhere else, there you go:

Ryan Munce – G (not sure the guy will win the Monarchs backup position)
Barry Brust – G (good for the AHL, not really NHL backup any time soon)
Yutaka Fukufuji – G (if you asked me, I'd give him a shot in Monarchs)
Daniel Taylor – G (see you next year)
Bryan Schmidt – D
Doug Nolan – D
Eric Werner – D (very serviceable AHL D-man)
Greg Hogeboom – RW (projected for the Monarchs' third line )
Petr Kanko – RW (I'm really surprised he did not linger longer at the camp)
Gabe Gauthier – C (I'm quite high on him in Manchester)
Shay Stephenson – C
Chris Korchinski – C
Ryan Murphy – C

What does Lombardi mean?


The mastermind behind the Los Angeles Kings off-season makeover, GM Dean Lombardi cleared any doubt over where rookie sensation Anze Kopitar is going to play once the regular season starts:

"You have to have an open mind," Lombardi said. "He has a big body and great skills, but he's still only 19. It is very dangerous to put expectations on him. I've learned in this business, that you got to let guys play."

Now, 50% of the rabid King fans believe he meant Anze is staying with the big club, while the other 50% bet their grandma's life Lombardi will have Kopitar start in Manchester.

My personal opinion: how old is Alexander Steen of the Toronto Maple Leafs? 22? So he's made a successful move from the Swedish SEL league to the NHL last season when he was 21 and never looked back. Can Kopitar do the same after graduating from the SEL? You betcha.

Play the kid in LA (50%+1). After all, the Kings are dying for a legit second line center, remember?

Domi hangs them up


It was an afternoon full of memories in Toronto yesterday as Tie Domi, a long-time Winnipeg Jet and most notably Toronto Maple Leaf, announced his retirement from professional hockey. The 16-year veteran and mighty left-handed enforcer moves on from the rink to screen:

"During his retirement announcement, Domi confirmed that he is joining TSN as an analyst for the network's comprehensive NHL coverage, where he will appear weekly during TSN's in-studio panel discussions and debates."

Known more for his actions than words so far, I'm sure he'll pull up a couple of juicy punchlines from his sleeve next time we see him. My mistake - hear him.

Up and down after the first two

Much like cross-town LA Dodgers do on regular basis, the Kings split their first two games of the preseason. While the 7-1 route of the Ducks certainly left some heads shaking around the league, yesterday's 1-3 loss to the Sharks cooled things down quite a bit.

Newcoming defensman Kevin Dallman, former Bruin and Blue was the outstanding player of the game in Anaheim. Apart from positioning well on defence, he does not mind chipping in on offence from time to time:

"That's my game, just getting into the play like a fourth forward out there," Dallman said. "Finding the openings, making the pass and getting shots through."

Many believe Dallman might challenge Mike Weaver for a seventh d-man spot on the Kings blueline this season. Coach Marc Crawford is certainly paying attention:

"The difference tonight was that Dallman was really good on the point," said Kings coach Crawford. "So was (Lubomir) Visnovsky. When you have guys that can play the point like that on the power play, you can make things happen."

The Staples debut of the Kings featured the returned of the much-booed former fan-favorite Rob Blake. He scored the shutout-breaking goal and had some key plays on offense, while he's defensive efforts left something to be worked on. While not rusty by any means, Blake is showing signs of his age against the quicker forwards. The Kings have a game-break until Saturday, October 23 when they face the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas' MGM in a Frozen Fury contest.

First cut wasn't the deepest

As expected the Kings made first cuts from the training camp after four full days of on-ice practise and additional day of conditioning. There were hardly any surprises in the cuts:

Returned To Junior Team:

John Seymour – LW (Brampton – OHL)
David Meckler – C (London – OHL)
George Holloway – C (Seattle – OHL)
Ryan McGinnis – D (Plymouth – OHL)

Released From Training Camp:

Kevin Henderson – LW (Kitchener – OHL)
Chad Greenan – D (Kootenay – WHL)
Craig Schira – D (Regina – WHL)

The Kings have 58 players remaining on their 2006 preseason roster (34 forwards, 16 defensemen and 8 goaltenders).

Ok, perhaps the only player from the above group that I'd like to see some pre-season action was Craig Schira. But at 18 years old he's young to take his time this time round.

As stated by coach Marc Crawford earlier today, the Kings will further trim their roster to 30+ players after Tuesdays game against the San Jose Sharks.

Day Four (preseason camp)

A lot of good news broke out in the morning of day four. Firstly, both Dustin Brown and Tim Gleason signed to very reasonable (though two-year only) contracts. As it turned out later in the day, Brown will make 2,35 mln over the next two years, while Gleason was priced at a little bit more than 2,0 mln.

(photo: Tim Gleason)

While they are not exactly Alex Frolov type of contracts (four years at two million each), I believe they are fair for both sides, the club and the players. In two years time, we'd have a six million yearly coming off the books due to the completion of Rob Blake's contract and the Kings will be in a supposedly for now convenient situation to give both of these young players the money they would deserve with their play in the meantime.

Another good news regards the comebacks of Alyn McCauley (knee) and Lauri Tukonen (shoulder hurt last season) to on-ice practise and probably a preseason game against the Sharks tomorrow morning my time. All in all a good day. And here's a look at the training camp crimmage lines and pairings (all info thanks to LGK, again):

Team Murphy
28 Clarke......... 11 Kopitar........ 24 Frolov
29 Kostopoulos.... 19 Avery.......... 43 Jackman
41 Ivanis......... 73 Zeiler......... 67 Murphy
72 Henderson...... 52 Gauthier....... 34 Hogeboom

56 Ryan........... 04 Blake
06 Gleason........ 68 Werner
64 Greenan........ 38 Dallman

35 LaBarbera
32 Brust


Team Goring
13 Cammalleri..... 22 Conroy......... 12 O'Sullivan
70 Moulson........ 25 Belanger....... 48 Kanko
55 Roussin........ 62 Korchinski..... 71 McLaren
15 Cowan.......... 61 Lewis.......... 58 Meckler

47 Mormina........ 03 Miller
49 Harrold........ 37 Buckley
42 Schmidt........ 57 Nolan

31 Garon
01 Munce
33 Fukufji

Game One
PS - TM - Gauthier.. - missed penalty shot
01 - TG - Belanger.. - (unknown)
02 - TM - Frolov.... - (Kopitar) - 24:00
03 - TG - Schmidt... - (unknown) - 19:30
PS - TG - Mormina... - missed penalty shot
PS - TG - Conroy.... - missed penalty shot - 05:22
PS - TG - Cammalleri - missed penalty shot - 04:00
04 - TM - Frolov.... - scored penalty shot - 02:59
05 - TM - Greenan... - scored penalty shot - 00:49.6

Team Murphy won Game One 3-2


Game Two
01 - TG - O'Sullivan - (unknown) - 29:19
02 - TG - Conroy.... - (Cammalleri) - 20:03
PS - TG - Roussin... - missed penalty shot - 15:12
03 - TG - Mormina... - scored penalty shot - 10:15
04 - TM - Gleason... - (unknown) - 04:25
PS - TM - Hogeboom.. - missed penalty shot - 03:23

Team Goring wins Game Two 3-1


Shootout

Goalies
TG - Fukufuji
TM - Brust

TM - Frolov.... - missed
TG - Conroy.... - poke checked away
TM - Kopitar... - save
TG - Cammalleri - score
TM - Clarke.... - missed
TG - Belanger.. - score
TM - Avery..... - save

Team Goring wins

Day Three (preseason training camp)

Around El Segundo and LA-LA land there is already some talk regarding the extent to which Sean Avery will be able to control his temper this season. Especially in the light of one of his first brief encounters with the media after the scrimmage yesterday. I, for one, don't think the journalist was teasing him - but Sean's self-control is indeed a work in progress so far. It's gonna take some conscious decisions not to give in - in a similar way that Patrick O'Sullivan is putting his past behind him.

Here's the recap of the team/lines during some of the scrimmages on day three. As usual, the good people at LGK shared some pictures from day three drills and scrimmages.

Team Murphy (white jerseys)

Frolov-Kopitar/Avery-Clarke (I wonder how this Avery-Frolov connection would work...)
Kostopoulos-Avery/Kopitar-Jackman (not much of a match for Anze)
Henderson-Kopitar-Hogeboom (Kopitar centering his third line in the same game - gotta be a mistake, though Hogeboom would certainly benefit from it)
Ivanans-Zeiler-Murphy (hmmm, I don't know, really)

Blake-Gleason (the quicker they will form a pair the better)
Greenan-Werner (Mr. Greenan is a total mystery to me. What's his major move?)
Dallman-Ryan (Kevin Dallman will gradually become the steady 7th d-man, tell you what)

LaBarbera, Brust (I'm very unconvinced by Barry Brust as our No1 Manchester goaltender)

Team Berry (black jerseys)

Brown-Armstrong-Stephenson (this is how you punish Dustin for not signing this offer sheet before the camp ;))
Giuliano-Holloway-Pushkarev
Lukacevic-Thornton-Willsie (I actually like this line very very much. Tough, speedy and gritty, with ability to score)
Seymour-Gauthier-Pushkarev (Pushy on two lines?)

Norstrom-Buckley (is Buckley projected to top-4 in the Monarchs this year?)
Visnovski-Weaver (can Weaver become a Petiot-like injury-sub this season?)
McGinnis-Schira (I'm as strong Schira promoter as there is)

Bernier, Taylor

First pre-season radio night !


It's a beautiful dusk in Northern Poland as I set my radio for the first live pre-season NHL broadcast. I don't care that it's a Bruins at Devils game - it's live NHL, and in a little bit more than thirty hours, I'd be able to listen to a Kings pre-season starting game.

And what a game it's gonna be! Against the Anaheim (formerly mighty) Ducks at the Ponda Center - well worth getting up at 4:05 a.m. to catch the puck drop ceremony.

This is for a healthy and prosperous year for the Kings and their fans worldwide!

Days One and Two (preseason training camp)

The Kings are without Petiot (more on his condition should be known as soon as the beginning of next week), Lauri Tukonen (shoulder) and Alyn McCauley (not fully back after off-season surgery). Dustin Brown and Tim Gleason, still without contracts (though it is said they are inching closer and closer to signing their offer sheets), did practice with the team. They were apparently with good humors, and Brown was spotted chatting and making fun with Dean Lombardi.

Here are some lineups that I managed to find (thanks to hfb onlookers) for day one split into three teams: Goring, Murphy and Berry:

Team Goring

O'Sullivan-Conroy-Cammy (refreshing to see how Crawford mixes veteran and rookie/sophomore talent. I like this line a lot)
Moulson-Belanger-Kanko (I guess Moulson would have to create a lot of shots/positions for himself with EBel centering this line. I like the way the presence of Kanko offsets size/toughness disadvantage)
Cowan-Lewis-Meckler (did somebody speak to Trevor after the game how he felt centering this line. I'd be playing Roussin on Lewis' wing for Danny to rebound a bit)
McLaren-Korchinski-Roussin (ouch! it hurts to get stuck with McLaren and Korchinski - too bad for Roussin)

Miller-Mormina (poll: which one is more stationery? ;))
Sopel-Harrold (I'm surprised with myself actually liking the potential of this pairing)
Schmidt-? (hmm, who was the mysterious "?" Craig Schira?)

Garon, Munce (from what I saw from the bits and pieces of 25 MB of practise video, Garon looked pretty steady. But - how telling would 20 seconds be?)


Team Murphy

Zeiler-Kopitar-Hogeboom (Zeiler might have more scoring touch than any of us could think)
Frolov-Avery-Henderson (they do stick with Avery at center, that's good)
Ivanans-Kostopoulos-Murphy ("break your bones" line. I wonder how mobile Ivanans is. I did see him in a couple of games with Hamilton Bulldogs two years ago, and he was surprisingly quick for his size)
Clarke-Avery-Jackman (good to "see" Noah back, but Avery couldn't possibly center two line at the same time, could he? ;))

Blake-Ryan (Ryan is said to be very slow, folks)
Gleason-Werner (I like that pairing, very adequate to say the least)
Dallman-Greenan (I admit I know nothing about Greenan. Anyone willing to help out on his playing style?)

LaBarbera, Brust (is Brust really our first option in Manchester?)

Between Norstrom and Blake...

...is where Sean Avery is sitting in the King's dressing room this season. A seasoned no-bullshit Swede and a body-guard like veteran should provide ample backdrop for Avery who needs to keep his head cool as ice if he really wants to have a shot at 60 point season with LA.

Seems like the team has all bases covered with regard to focusing on on-the-ice practise. Now - just to stay away from the injuries...

Lombardi buying into a "Moneypuck" theory?

I need to think more about the whole sabremetrics thing converted from baseball to hockey. In the meantime, perhaps you got anything to share on that?

Just before the first day of camp

The Kings are the first team to start the preaseason camp with expected 65 (minus Richard Petiot on crutches) players fighting it out for places on both Los Angeles and Manchester rosters.

Some early-bird tidbits:

"[Dustin] Brown and [Tim] Gleason have yet to agree to new contracts, though both have one-year qualifying offers that have been extended twice this summer. Brown is believed to be close to agreeing to a new contract….

Defenseman Richard Petiot injured his knee during the rookie tournament this week and is not expected to practice today….

[Alyn] McCauley, still recovering from off-season knee surgery, will not skate today. Rookie forward Lauri Tukonen will be limited to non-contact drills because of a shoulder injury.

From the group of players very recent to the Kings system, I believe it makes sense to watch two guys fighting it up for a spot at Manchester: left winger Matt Moulson will make some heads shake, while 19-year old defensman Craig Schira might be able to sneak in for his first NHL season.

And here's the exact schedule of activities for the days ahead:

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
6:30 a.m	Medicals/Testing	*
7:45-8:30 am	Practice - Team Goring & Team Berry goalies	NHL
8:30-8:40 am	Video - Team Goring & Team Berry	*
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Goring	NHL
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Berry	Olympic
9:30-9:45 am	Flood	NHL/Olympic
9:45-10:45 am	Game - Team Goring vs. Team Berry	NHL
9:45-10:00 am	Video - Team Murphy	*
9:45-10:45 am	Practice - Team Murphy goalies	Olympic
10:00-10:45 am	Workout - Team Murphy	*
10:45-11:30 am	Workout - Team Goring vs. Team Berry	*
11:00-12:30 pm	Practice - Team Murphy	NHL

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
7:45-8:30 am	Practice - Team Goring & Team Murphy goalies	NHL
8:30-8:40 am	Video - Team Goring & Team Murphy	*
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Goring	Olympic
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Murphy	NHL
9:30-9:45 am	Flood	NHL/Olympic
9:45-10:45 am	Game - Team Goring vs. Team Murphy	NHL
9:45-10:45 am	Practice - Team Berry goalies	Olympic
9:45-10:00 am	Video - Team Berry	Olympic
10:00-10:45 am	Workout - Team Berry	*
10:45-11:30 am	Workout - Team Goring vs. Team Murphy	*
11:00-12:30 pm	Practice - Team Berry	NHL

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
7:45-8:30 am	Practice - Team Berry & Team Murphy goalies	NHL
8:30-8:40 am	Video - Team Berry & Team Murphy	*
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Berry	NHL
8:40-9:30 am	Practice - Team Murphy	Olympic
9:30-9:45 am	Flood	NHL/Olympic
9:45-10:45 am	Game - Team Berry vs. Team Murphy	NHL
9:45-10:45 am	Practice - Team Goring goalies	Olympic
9:45-10:00 am	Video - Team Goring	Olympic
10:00-10:45 am	Workout - Team Goring	*
10:45-11:30 am	Workout - Team Berry vs. Team Murphy	*
11:00-12:30 pm	Practice - Team Goring	NHL

SUNDAY, SEPT. 17

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
7:45-8:30 am	Practice - 3rd place team goalies	NHL
8:30-8:40 am	Video - 3rd place team	*
8:40-10:00 am	Practice - 3rd place team	NHL
10:00-10:15 am	Video - 1st & 2nd place teams	*
10:15-11:00 am	Practice - 1st place team	NHL
10:15-11:00 am	Practice - 2nd place team	Olympic
10:15-11:00 am	Workout - 3rd place team	*
11:00-11:15 am	Flood	NHL/Olympic
11:00-12:30 am	Game - 1st & 2nd place teams	NHL
11:45 am	End of 1st Period/Flood	NHL
12:30 pm	Rogie Vachon presents the Rogie Cup	*

MONDAY, SEPT. 18

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
8:30 am	AHL/Rookie Practice	NHL
10:30 am	NHL practice	NHL
12:30 pm	Bus to Anaheim (Rookies)	*
4:00 pm	Rookie Game at Anaheim	Arrowhead Pond
7:00 pm	NHL Game at Anaheim	Arrowhead Pond

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19

Time	Activity	Ice Surface/Venue
8:30 am	AHL/Rookie Practice	NHL
10:30 am	NHL practice	NHL
4:00 pm	Rookie Game vs. San Jose/td>	STAPLES Center
7:30 pm	NHL Game vs. San Jose	STAPLES Center

As ready as Patrick O'Sullivan

I admire young people and hockey players such as Patrick O'Sullivan. His adolescence was definitely a tough one, he managed to put the ghosts of his troubled family upbringing and aggressive father behind him to focus on his major league career in professional hockey. He's ready not to field any more past questions:

"I do try to separate the situation," O'Sullivan said. "It really has nothing to do with me being a hockey player.

What I tell people when I'm asked is it was something in my personal life and I dealt with it. I'm in a much better place now than I was back then."

Yes, he is. In a much better place, that is. Getting ready to his first NHL season with a good shot at LW on one of the top lines. I'm happy for him, d'you know?

Kings offered Chara more than Bruins did?

Thanks to Gator Mike for breaking the news resulting from Zdeno Chara's radio interview. Apparently, there's a number of reasons that made the Slovak defenseman go for breezy Boston rather than sunny SoCal. Here's what G-Mike reports:

1. The Bruins got former players such as Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, and Bobby Orr to call Chara personally and convince him to come to Boston. Marc Crawford was the only person from the Kings organization to contact him.

2. He had a personal relationship and thought highly of new Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli, even though he was prohibited from negotiating.

3. He felt more comfortable talking on the phone with Scott Gorton (Assistant GM) and Dave Lewis than he did talking with Marc Crawford

4. He was more familiar with the city of Boston than Los Angeles, and thought highly of Boston. According to Chara, parts of the city remind him of his hometown.

Hmm, the No 1 reason might indicate the Kings were not *really* very heavily after Chara. I understand they could still use some more leverage on the management front to make sure Zdeno felt right at home with the Kings. On the other hand, as far as I remember, Chara signed very soon into the free agency period, which means that perhaps Dean Lombardi was courting some other big-money d-man in the meantime ("Hi, you've reached Rob Blake. Leave the message after the beep") and could not find time to get the country code for Slovakia ;).

No 2 - Anybody, who thinks higher of Chiarelli than our own Lombardi, is not worth a contract with the Kings (wink wink).

Reason No 3 - perhaps zey rili spouk wiz ze accent hee kud understand?

There's no point in arguing reason No 4 though. There are very few cities in Europe, let alone Eastern Europe (not to mention Slovakia) that would resemble LA...

The final word on the PDS in El Segundo (game day four)

The Kings did win the final game against the Phoenix Coyotes' prospects 4-3, and then promptly lost the championship-deciding overtime 0-1. With the recurring shoulder injury to Lauri Tukonen (which might keep him away from league contact play for a couple of weeks in the beginning of the upcoming season), we probably saw the first scoring line for the Monarchs out on the ice. I really believe that given some time for chemistry to kick in Moulson, Kopitar and Pushkarev could get something going very soon.

Here's the full line-up from last night:

Moulson-Kopitar-Pushkarev
Zeiler-Lewis-Meckler
Roussin-Lukacevic-Murphy
Stephenson,S.-Gauthier-Hogeboom

Mormina-Schira
Harrold-Ryan
McGinnis-Werner

Bernier

Matt Moulson is really making a name for himself in the AHL. Also, it's almost too good that all Kings prospects are not panning out at the NHL level at the same time - it's gonna be sweet to wait for Trevor Lewis in the Kings uniform.

The boxscore is again courtesy of the Coyotes home page (I sometimes wonder why lakings.com could not come up with something as easy as this...)

Box:

1st Period
Scoring: 16:20 – LA – Kopitar, 2, PP (Pushkarev, Harrold)

2nd Period
Scoring: 3:15 – LA – Lukacevic, 1,SH (unassisted)

3rd Period

Scoring: 1:06 – LA – Moulson, 3, PP (Kopitar, Pushkarev), 3:15 – PHX – Latendresse, 2, PP (Yandle, Hanzal), 12:57 – PHX – Lindstrom, 1 (Mueller, Thomas), 18:26 – LA – Moulson, 4 (Kopitar, Pushkarev), 19:22 – PHX – Garlock, 1 (Latal)

Playoff Period

Scoring: 9:05 – PHX – Mueller, 1 (unassisted)

Goalies
PHX – Tordjman: 36 of 40; LA – Bernier: 14 of 18

All in all, it was a very exciting tournament to follow. Now we just turn around and start off fresh Monday with the series of preseason games for the big boys. Boy, you live to see that!

Implications of Richard Petiot's knee injury

The word is on the street. Richard tore the ACL in his knee during the Pacific Division Shootout game and it's bad, it hurts and will keep his away from the rink for the better part of this season. If not all of it. Ouch. Whole-hearted comiserations to Petiot.

Now, this obviously changes the landscape in the defensive corps of both Los Angeles Kings (where Petiot were to challange for bottom-pair / seventh d-man spot) as well as Manchester Monarchs (defensive stallwart there). It seems that former Blue Kevin Dallman takes Petiot's place on the depth chart (probably primarily serving as the seventh defenseman), while Craig Schira (who recently signed a try-out deal with the Kings), in the light of his outstanding effort at the PDS, secures the place on Manchester blueline. Chances are smallster Eric Werner can also be moving up the chart in the Monarchs organization.

Coach Crawford propensity to subjective judgement and quick hook

A friend of mine and a Canuck fan posed this question to me the other day. Before I tell you what I answered him, let us play with some ideas among Kings fans.

His original question was:

Given the recent history of negative subjective judgement
and quick-hook management of some players,
do you think such attitude by coach Marc Crawford
might inhibit Kings' chances in the upcoming season?

Here's some more contextual explanation that I received:

"I mean - trashing some players as a result of "I know better" preconceptions. [...] The attitude you see in an excerpt of the recent Todd Bertuzzi interview for the Vancouver Sun, where he talks about how Crawford handled Brad May:

>>He never played him. He never gave him a chance to show what he could do. Here was a guy who was a 15-year war vet, a warrior, a guy who had fought every tough guy in the league and yet he was never put out there in any other kind of situation. And this was a guy who could handle all kinds of roles in the league. That really bothered me.<<

There are more Canuck-based mismanagement traits:

- Artiom Chubarov scores 12 goals pegged into a checking line and never gets a chance to play any higher. As a result, he is offered a contract in the Russian league, which the Canucks decline to do anything about [...].

- Jiri Slegr, a defensman, is on fire, then gets benched and plays some 16 games for the Canucks. His next two seasons are pretty good... with the Boston Bruins, though.

- During the 2002/03 season Brandon Reid is tearing the AHL up, gets the call-up to the NHL, scores five points in seven games (!) and is promptly relegated to the AHL. He makes only three appearances in the following season and as a result defects for Germany and Switzerland, where he turns out to be a point-per-game player.

- Brendan Morrison, ironman, is never really liked by Crawford, but manages to keep his place in the lineup thanks to great chemistry with Naslund and Bertuzzi.

- Proverbial backup aversion on the part of coach Crawford, also towards pretty good backups, such as Peter Skudra - top Russian league goalie right after he left Vancouver, Johan Hedberg - dependable for the Dallas Stars or Mika Noronen, who played just one game since he was traded to the Canucks." [...]

Now, I'm not following the Canucks as close as the Kings, but there seems to be some first-hand evidence of subjective judgement and history of quick hooks on players. Do you think it was Vancouver-specific (team coach Crawford spend a couple of years with and one supposedly on the brink of imminent playoff success, which never really materialized)? Or can such attitude affect the Kings this year?

PDS in El Segundo (game day three)

The Kings have been killed by killing penalties called graciously against them by the refs, and spent most of the time in a 2:4 loss to the prospects of the Phoenix Coyotes in penalty kill units. The team was missing several key components (Kopitar, Petiot [on crutches, will not come back], Pushkarev and Tukkonen [his shoulder injury effects still prohibit him from playing]). It looked that past the first scoring line of Danny Roussin - Trevor Lewis - Greg Hogeboom, the Kings had almost no-one to look up to.

Possibly with the exception of Ned Lukacevic (two assists) and John Zeiler (goal and assist). Zeiler as well as free-tryout defensemen, Craig Schira, have really made cases for themselves during the PDS. It's gonna be exciting to see how, and if, they pan out for the Kings.

Here's the full lineup:

Roussin-Lewis-Hogeboom
Moulson-Lukacevic-Holloway
Stephenson,S.-Korchinski-Zeiler
McLaren-Seymour-Murphy

Mormina-Werner
Harrold-Ryan
Greenan-Schira

Taylor

Unfortunately goaltender Daniel Taylor is on the hook for two Coyote goals, especially the one where he misplayed the puck on a pass to his defensemen and let the slap shot from across the blue line beat him out of position. Not a good way to keep Dean Lombardi (watching the game) and the rest of the crew happy.

Islanders sign Rick Di Pietro to a 15-year contract

It's even funny as long as you are NOT a New York Islanders fan. From disbelief it's been actually happening to madmen's dispair is what I have witnessed so far today from my online NYI friends. I wholeheartedly share their disilussionment with Charles Wang, Mike Milibury and whoever else was behind this critically exhorbitant move.

I think the Isles management did it only to prove a point - yes, they can be creazier than only take on somebody else's grand mistake (Alex Yashin, anyone?). They'd make one of their own - mind you, firmly entrenched in the salary cap reality. Wow.

Yes, Rick is 25 years old today. I could understand that for the next 6-8 years Di Pietro might, just might, be worth a hefty sum of 4.5 mln USD per year. But what with the other half (or grossly 10% of your yearly team cap?) These foggy questions hover around Long Island this morning... They are gonna to for a long long time, I presume.

PDS in El Segundo

The Kings beat the prospects of the San Jose Sharks 3:2 in the second game of the tourney thus creating a two-game mini set with the Phoenix Coyotes. First they will play the 'yotes as the final game of the round robin tournament, and then on Tuesday both teams will square off in the championship game.

The news of the day is that Richard Petiot has a sprained knee muscle and will undergo MRI later today. On the other hand, Lauri Tukkonen will most probably not play due to his renewed discomfort in the injured shoulder.

More on PDS later on.

Pacific Division Shootout in El Segundo

It just started last night in Toyota Center; the Kings host the Ducks, the Coyotes and the Sharks' highly touted prospects in a round robin tournament.

The Kings young guns (potentially heading to anywhere from Manchester to Reading and Bakersfield) beat the Duck's prospects by the score of 6-5.

Here's a quoted scoring summary from HFboards/LGK.com onlookers:

1st period scoring 3-3
1-0 Gabe Gauthier (LA)
2-0 Anze Kopitar (LA) slapper from the right wing
2-1 Drew Miller (Ana)5-3 PP 9:30
2-2 Ryan Carter (Ana) 5-3 PP13:50
3-2 Chris Korchinski (LA) nice breakaway feed from Holloway
3-3 Ryan Miller (Ana) 5-3 PP

2nd Period Scoring 5-4
4-3 Matt Moulson (LA) 2:30 went straight to the net after face-off
5-3 Matt Moulson (LA) 12:00
5-4 Colby Genoway (Ana) 5-4 PP 16:39

3rd period scoring 6-5
6-4 Eric Warner (LA) (deflected blast from Mormina) 5-3 PP 5:25
6-5 Ryan Carter (Ana) 5-3 PP 11:45

A couple of quick observations of mine:

Firstly, I find it a sign of the things to come that the Kings never trailed in this first game. If anything these young prospects need to learn how to get in front, dominate and add to their lead.

Secondly, it's easily noticeable that *all* Duck goals were scored on PP (including four of them on five-on-three powerplay). While statistically it doesn't bode well to the Kings, it bails out Jonathan Bernier, who was otherwise pretty dependable.

Thirdly, can Matt Moulson take the second line wing position in Manchester this season? That might even be timely, as Ned Lukacevic showed some serious grit and commitment on the penalty kill and could be moved to the third/energy line in Manchester with a little more defensive role.

Right, now to the actual lines:

Forwards:
Roussin-Kopitar-Holloway
Lukacevic-Gauthier-Meckler
Moulson-Korchinski-Zeiler
McLaren-Stephenson-Hogeboom

Defensemen:
Petiot-Schira
Mormina-Harrold
McGinnis-Werner

Goaltenders:
Bernier
Fukufuji (DNP)

Roussin on a top line - might be given a prolonged "last" chance to rise and shine, really. Otherwise it might easily turn out the AHL is his ceiling. I'm also looking forward to having Hogeboom finally play up to his potential. As for Mormina and Harrold, they might easily form a pair in Manchester.

The news of the day though is Anze Kopitar and his marvellous vision, precision and skating skills level.

Lots of things to come as the Kings play San Jose Sharks tonight. There might be a chance to see the likes of Konstantin Pushkarev, Peter Kanko and Trevor Lewis on the ice. The word is Lauri Tukonen is nursing a minor injury and might not play more than a couple of shifts.