Post Kings staff conference thoughts (plenty of)

I enjoyed reading the transcript of the Kings management press conference. There is a number of issues I would like to address, perhaps shed some of my perspective on, so the easiest way would be to post a direct quote and comment underneath.

"Question to Dean Lombardi:
Dean, regarding any additional -- adding to the roster before training camp, is there any possibility that you might add a couple of guys or one other guys, like a Carter at this point, or are you just locked into what you have right now?

Answer from Dean: I'd say right now we're in a hold position unless something really hits us."

To be honest, this is really good news. That means Anson Carter, an opportunistic, but not really creative forward is not coming over. Again. I do believe it's smarter not to risk 2.5-3.0 mln of your ever valuable cap space on Carter. Really, the only change I would have done this off-season to our forward corps would have been getting JP Dumont. Not so much for his scoring touch (though I'd have had him play with Frolov and Conroy on the first line), but fot the benefit of moving Cammalleri to his most natural position such as second line center.

Then we'd have had O'Sullivan-Cammalleri-Brown, and I'd be willing to eat crow they'd succeed under Crawford, regardless of their general lack of experience at the NHL level. Oh well, things will look like they are today, which means a second line center will need to emerge.

"Marc Crawford: I can juggle lines. I think have a great sense for who's going on any given night. This team is certainly going to allow -- going to be allowed to grow and will have the opportunity for different guys to get a lot of the quality ice on any given night."

My main recollection of the way Andy Murray was putting together lines was how stubborn he used to be (I agree my Murray sample is conderably larger than my Crawford file :)). Some creativity on the part of the coach during games is always refreshing. I'm especially looking forward to coach Crawford jumbling centers around to find out who fits well with our young snipers. Also Brian Willsie might surprise a couple of people if put on the first line for some time.

"Dean Lombardi: I'm perfectly cognizant that some of the rules that I followed in San Jose are probably not applicable. Also in this market it's a challenge where I don't think Los Angeles can afford to fall off the map and pick in the top three and get those guys everybody knows is top players."

That's another reiteration of what we can expect: re-loading rather than rebuilding to the point the team not only misses play-offs, but misses them badly (top 5 pick). The Kings cannot fall off the map and this responsiblity given to the players for the reloading period is witnessed by non-one year contracts signed by incoming Willsie, Thornton, Blake and McCauley. They are here to tale responsibility along with the rest of the team to live up to the challenge.

(there's more coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned)