Kings Offseason Thread

[Danny Darko]

This will be the thread that we can post our offseason strategy, reactions, and wishes.

I'll start it off:

I wish we were getting Stamkos

[Danny Darko]

Barry Melrose to Tampa Bay? Welcome back Mr Mullet.

[Danny Darko]

here's a link to a mock draft database:http://dcprosportsreport.com/NHLMocks.htm

[Danny Darko]

DREW DOUGHTY selected at number 2... Drew got his wish and went to his favorite team. Rare that you hear a player openly say who he wants to go to pre-draft. I hope he can play some D.

[Danny Darko]

Say goodbye to Lubomir"

Reported on Sporting News:

"The Edmonton Oilers shored up their blue line Sunday by trading forward Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene to the Los Angeles Kings for puck-moving defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky.

Stoll had 14 goals and 22 assists last season. The 26-year-old assistant captain had 59 goals and 106 assists in 186 games with the Oilers.

Greene, 25, had one assist last season with Edmonton, missing 34 games with an ankle injury. He has one goal and 12 assists in 151 games since being selected by the Oilers in the second round, 44th overall in 2002. "

[Danny Darko]

I like the trade, we are getting grittier and also getting a nice center who might rebound into excellent form after a concussion stained year gone bye.

[Danny Darko]

Looks like the Kings are adding more vet D depth:

Kings Acquire Gauthier, Draft Pick From Flyers
2nd July, 2008 - 1:19 am
Press Release - The Los Angeles Kings have acquired defenseman Denis Gauthier and a second round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Patrik Hersley and forward Ned Lukacevic, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today.

Gauthier, 31, recorded 18 points (3-15=18) and 80 penalty minutes in 78 games with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) this past season. The 6-3, 224-pound native of Montreal also had one point (an assist) and 17 penalty minutes in 11 postseason games with the Phantoms.

Gauthier is a veteran of nine NHL seasons. He has played in 489 career NHL regular season games with the Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames, and has 73 points (15-58=73) and 658 penalty minutes. He appeared in 43 games with the Flyers in 2006-07 and collected four points (all assists) and 45 penalty minutes while in 2005-06 he recorded 11 points (2-9=11) and 98 penalty minutes in 62 games with the Coyotes and Flames. Gauthier was originally selected by Calgary in the first round (20th overall) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

[Danny Darko]

Supposedly there's a proposed trade I would be super pissed about:

A hot rumor in NHL circles has Senators GM Bryan Murray discussing a three-way blockbuster with the Blackhawks and Kings, Sun Media has learned. While draft picks and other players might also be involved, the principals appear to be a group of five or six that include a couple of veteran goalies and some of the game's most promising stars. According to insiders, Ottawa would trade netminder Martin Gerber and defenseman Andrej Meszaros to Los Angeles, the Kings would move 20-year-old center Anze Kopitar to Chicago and the Blackhawks would propel goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and either of young blueliners Brent Seabrook or Cam Barker to the Senators.-FanNation

No way.. do not trade Anze screw that noise.

[TommyTheCat]

that trade news comes as a bit of a suprise. i'm not fond of losing anze but i do like the idea of the kings upgrading their D and goaltending. anze's a steep price though

[Danny Darko]

Well here it is!!! the Big Trade!!!

Per Wiretap:

Kings Trade Tukonen To Stars
21st July, 2008 - 8:42 pm
Press Release - The Los Angeles Kings have acquired left wing Richard Clune from Dallas in exchange for right wing Lauri Tukonen, it was announced today by Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi.

Clune, 21, was selected by Dallas in the third round (71st overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 38 games with the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) this past season and recorded eight points (3-5=8) while finishing second on the club with 137 penalty minutes. Clune, a 6-0, 195-pound native of Toronto, also skated in 19 games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads this past season and registered 10 points (1-9=10) and 41 penalty minutes.

Clune finished third on his team in goals (32), assists (46) and points (78) and led his club in penalty minutes (151) while skating with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Barrie Colts during the 2006-07 season. He also led the Colts in postseason scoring with seven points (3-4=7) and eight penalty minutes in eight playoff games that year. In addition, Clune appeared in one game with the Iowa Stars that same season, recording two penalty minutes.

Tukonen, 21, recorded 35 points (9-26=35) and 24 penalty minutes in 62 games this past season with the Manchester Monarchs (AHL). The 6-2, 198-pound native of Hyvinkaa, Finland also went scoreless in one game with the Kings and in two playoffs games with the Monarchs this past season. Originally selected by the Kings in the first round (11th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Tukonen has appeared in five career NHL games – all with the Kings

[Danny Darko]

I'm going to go with an understated: meh

[UTMCretin]

On the plus side, Kopitar's still a King. Perhaps a sigh of relief is in order if this is the most L.A.'s front office sets out to do (and I agree with the prospect that Kopitar should be held on to at all costs).

[Danny Darko]

true. I really would be sad if he was dealt right now. I'd rather keep him than Drew Doughty right now, though I want both given a chance to grow as kings.

[spicoli76]

That trade rumor involving Kopi-star was simply an assinine attempt by the Ottawa Sun to stir up some ****, and generate a little PR for their gossip rag in the Capital City. There is NO way the Kings would trade Anze for that crap. Why would the Kings want to give up the current franchise cornerstone for a streaky goalie with one year left on his contract (Gerber), when there is an entire stable of great young goalies, like Jonathon Quick, Zatkoff, Erik Ersberg, and Jonathon "weekend at" Bernier working their way up to the parent club? Why would the Kings want to trade their best player away for another developing defensemen when they have guys like Thomas "prom night" Hickey, Erik Martinez, Colten Teubert, and Drew Doughty "Harry"???

Sometimes I get very disgusted by these off-base rumors involving the Kings created by the Ottawa Sun's hack writers and doucheb@g hockey bloggers like Eklund.

[Danny Darko]

^^^ hahaha classic.

Go Bermanator on them!

[Danny Darko]

Apparently the Kings are under the Salary Cap floor and need to sign some big contracts to be legal:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/8387986/Kings-have-long-way-to-go-to-reach-cap-floor

The Kings, however, with a payroll of $27.756 million currently sit well below the cap minimum, and with 14 players under contract for next season have a long way to go to get over the cap and flesh out their roster.

So the floor is set at 40.7 million. We need to add about 12 million in salary somehow. What a weird proposition. Especially considering Dean didn't want to be a player in Free Agency. I'll tell you what:

Dean is a guy who cuts salary while making great draft choices. He's just done that. He's also a guy who doesn't win champtionships or stick with teams, so let's get rid of him now that we are stocked with young talent and find someone who can carry on with more spending and won't kill our young crop of talent if possible.

[Danny Darko]

More on the would be craptastic trade involving Anze:

I read a horrible rumor about the Kings trading Anze Kopitar in a three-team deal with Chicago and Ottawa, with the Kings getting a veteran goaltender and a defenseman. Please tell me this is not true. Kopitar is a star in the making. Plus, they have Jonathan Bernier almost ready. Could you shed any light on this?
-- Jason Debney, Los Angeles

Ever since Aug. 9, 1988, I've learned never to say never about trade buzz, no matter how outlandish. All I can tell you with any certainty is that a rumor has made the rounds suggesting Kopitar would go to the Blackhawks, Martin Gerber and Andrei Meszaros would go to the Kings and Nikolai Khabibulin would join the Senators.

Sounds crazy, but is it possible? Sure. Still, I'd be willing to bet the house against it happening.

Why? Well, multi-team deals are rare because they're notoriously difficult to pull off, especially in the cap era. And when they do happen, you almost never hear of them in advance.

And more to the point, this is a terrible deal for the Kings, who would be giving up their franchise forward for a journeyman goalie and a marginal second-pairing defender. It would set them back five years.

[spicoli76]

So the floor is set at 40.7 million. We need to add about 12 million in salary somehow. What a weird proposition. Especially considering Dean didn't want to be a player in Free Agency.

Corvus,
Keep in mind that the Kings need to resign restricted free agents Patrick O'Sullivan AND the recently acquired Jarret Stoll. I'm guessing that will get the Kings about halfway to the salary-floor.

[Danny Darko]

yeah, but then don't we have to overpay some left over free agent just to get square?

[Danny Darko]

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings hired Mark Hardy as an assistant coach Monday and promoted Jamie Kompon and Nelson Emerson to assistant coaches.

link

Good ol' Nelson and Mark Hardy.