Nice, throwing it in baseball's and basketball's face.
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Nice, throwing it in baseball's and basketball's face.
my 'hopes' when it comes to the D not being added to is that DL and Murray expect the kids to fill those spots. as some noted earlier they cant get NHL experience by staying in Manchester and getting 1-10 NHL games a year. at this point my thinking is that DL expects the prospects to fill the D 4-6 spots this year. the fact DL only went after Martin imo bears this out. he was willing to go after what he saw as a smart and safe acquisition that would supplement the parts he has. he lost out on Martin, but knew he has 3-5 prospects he expects to compete for and make the team once they get to camp.
the second part of my 'gut instinct' is at some point/one season the Kings will have to bite the bullet and play the kids through an entire NHL season. as an organization they need to see what they have in terms of NHL skill with all these kids. for the past 3+ seasons they have been stockpiling all this talent and prospects. eventually they have to put it on the ice to see what they have. players like Schenn, Doughty, etc that are obviously top-tier talent and are the easy evaluations for a team to make. those kids are a no-brainer. it's the guys that fall into the next two tiers of players. the next tier are the typical 2nd-4th line player. the third tier are the 'bubble' players that can play at the NHL occasionally as fillers. the Kings wont know what they really have until these kids are put on the ice together and play together against NHL talent for an extended period of time.
once they start camp and the 2010 version of the Kings begins to develop and unfold, then i think this is when we will see what DL and Murray's next steps are. will those 3-5 D prospects they feel make the big club pan out? if not then who is available from the waiver wires or possible trades to fill the gap? will Schenn slot in at the #2 C spot as many hope? who steps up to fill the 'back and forth' LW spots that seems like the Kings have struggled with their entire history?
- Simmonds scoring 30, huh? Sure, not this season but in the future.... Sure.
- O'D was an age and role thing, not a money thing. His play deteriorated down the stretch and his usefulness took a hard downturn.
- Goaltending wasn't the issue in the playoffs. Bernier woulda lost in 6, too.
-As long as someone stands up and actually takes the initiative in confrontational situations, there will be an upgrade in the toughness area. Ivanans was about as aggressive in resolving situations as a wet, half-stuffed pillow. Greene and O'D and Stoll did more in that area. Clune and Westgarth will as well. I also remember this one guy who was a pain in the ass to play against, though. Hard-hitting SOB who got in people's faces, had guys yapping at him all game. Wasn't afraid to get in some shoving matches, had the occasional fight. What ever happened to that guy? He was good! Think he used to wear #23....
I also wouldn't be surprised to hear Dean talking again about how the young guys needs to step up. Kopitar got better last year. Doughty learned some things last year. Simmonds did some new things. Richardson showed up well. Hopefully Brown and JJ can put some things together and take a next step. Quick was good. Those guys improve and the fortunes of the team improve.
But yeah, right now, there're holes to be filled.
Yeah. Backing off defenses while the puck is still getting hemmed in the defensive zone 'cause we can't get it past our own blueline with any control.Quote:
Originally Posted by KingFanMGM
The best looking line we had at any point last season had Kopitar, Smyth and Williams on it, and it was moving through the neutral zone like a hot knife through butter mostly because the breakout was effective and they were able to leave their own zone en masse. 'Cause none of those guys are what I'd call speedsters.
But nooooo... you all have to have your flashy Ziggy back....
sometimes I think the only hockey phrase some like/know is "back off the defense."Quote:
Originally Posted by darby
[Real] active stick...Quote:
Originally Posted by nayagamj
I have to think that DL is still looking hard at trading for a high caliber defensive player in his prime. Otherwise, I imagine he would have looked to fill at least one hole created by Jones and OD's departure with a Sutton type. Unless he just can't get any UFAs to sign on the dotted line. I'd like to think that isn't the case, however, and he's just biding his time and waiting out some of the teams in serious cap trouble. Waiting for it to near the start of the season, when they become desperate to get a decent veteran defender off their roster, and are willing to part with them for late round picks. After all, anything in return is better than burying a large salary in the AHL.
.884 SV %.....I beg to differ as this absolutely was an issue. Amung NHL starting post season goalies that was a stones throw from being the worst in the league. When was the last time an NHL goalie won a playoff series with a sub .900 SV?Quote:
Originally Posted by darby
Of the 16 playoff teams Kings were at #8 for Shots Against with a 31.2; the Canucks were 9th at 30.9 so it wasnt as if the Kings were giving up tons of Shots Against.
Bernier led all AHL goalies with a .939 SV% while the Monarchs avg 30.5 Shots against per game. So once again it wasnt as if the Monarchs were playing lights out hockey in terms of limiting opponents shots.
Are you kidding me? Did you watch game 4 & 5? Especially game 4? Quick makes ONE big save and the Kings go back to Vancouver up 3 games to 1. Goaltending was a BIG issue in the playoffs. Are some people ****ing blind?Quote:
Originally Posted by darby
Great post and yes, the NBA does suck.
