Red Light District: Top 5 potential suitors for Kovalchuk
The way it looks right now, Ilya Kovalchuk will become the prize acquisition at this year’s trade deadline. With negotiations between Ilya Kovalchuk’s agent Jay Grossman and Thrashers general manager Don Waddell not going in the right direction, few people around the league are optimistic an extension will get done. If they can’t reach a deal in the very near future, look for Waddell to start exploring trade options for ‘Kovy’; a deal would likely go down before the Olympic break. Here are five teams that would go after the 27-year-old Russian rental…
1. Los Angeles Kings
Southern California could be the most likely destination for Kovalchuk based on the package the Thrashers could receive in return. The Kings have a wide array of prospects from which Atlanta could choose from [sic]; defensemen Colten Teubert and Thomas Hickey would instantly be rumored [Quisp says: RUMOR-MATIC USAGE ALERT!] to go the other way. Pending UFA Alex Frolov could also be [IBID] included in a deal.
Terry Murray’s club would certainly improve by getting Kovalchuk. A potential top line (and power play unit) with ‘Kovy’, Kopitar, and Smyth would be scary. A trade like this would also send a message to the city of Los Angeles that the team is committed to winning right now. If they were to do this, I wouldn’t want to play them in the postseason.
via Red Light District: Top 5 potential suitors for Kovalchuk.
BREAKING: Commenters on other team’s blogs are just as kooky as ours
Commenter GaVaHokie January 11th, 2010 9:55 am:
God, I hope the rumors are true that Dean Lombardi is in town along with Jay Grossman… I hope that means they are discussing a sign and trade with the Kings!! That should get us a HUGE return… I’ll speculate that it will get us Dustin Brown, Frolov and Brayden Schenn… maybe more.
via Thrashers cancel off day to hold practice | Atlanta Thrashers.
Or maybe…less. Lombardi isn’t going to trade Brayden Schenn. Or Bernier, as one of the other Atlanta commenters opined. Lombardi has yet to trade one of his own draft picks, and he’s not about to start (so say I).
From “Fear the Fin”: The Kings Would Be A Murderous Draw In The First Round
Seriously, we can’t seem to buy a win against these guys. I want no part of that come April because all four tilts against Los Angeles this season have reminded me of the Ducks playoff series last season. The bounces will never go our way, Quick will make a ton of saves, Doughty will probably score fifteen goals, and their defense does a good job of limiting chances in tight.
Los Angeles has amassed just too much hockey karma for all of the beatings they’ve taken over the last few years. I hope they shoot the lights out in the last half of the season and fall short of the division title by one point.
via The Kings Would Be A Murderous Draw In The First Round – Fear The Fin.
From The Puck Stops Here : Kings Lead The West
Kings are getting more and more non-Kings site blogosphere attention:
I don’t think anyone would have predicted that the Los Angeles Kings would be first in the West Conference in mid-December, but they are. The Kings have a 22-14 record (with three overtime loss points) to give them 47 points. Skeptics are quick to note that Los Angeles leads the NHL in games played and some western teams (San Jose and Chicago) have better winning percentages in fewer games played.
Concur. See my Standings in Points Blown.
Whether or not you think Los Angeles can maintain top spot in the West, it is clear that they are a much better team than predicted.
They have a good young core of players that is emerging to stardom together. At forward, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll have significant talent and are leading the team offensively. Ryan Smyth was a significant contributor as well, before he fell to injury (he may be back soon). Justin Williams and Wayne Simmonds have also been significant contributors. This is a deep group of offensive players and many have the potential that they will likely keep improving.
On defence, the story is Drew Doughty. The second year man has been the NHL’s most improved player this season. He has become one of the best defencemen in hockey. Jack Johnson, Sean O’Donnell and Rob Scuderi are providing depth along with waiver claimant Randy Jones (who has 12 points in his 18 games as a King).
The Kings potential weakness looked like it may be goaltending this season. Last year, their goaltending was unsettled. Jonathan Quick emerged at their starter, but he lacked an NHL track record. Quick has been given the starting job this year. He has started all but three games. Quick has 20 wins (which ties him for the league lead with Martin Brodeur), but he does not have great underlying numbers. He has a .904 saves percentage and a 2.60 GAA. This is a huge improvement from backup Eric Ersberg’s .837 saves percentage and 4.10 GAA, but they are not good numbers.
For the most part, the Kings are winning despite their goaltending. Their core has become good enough that they haven’t needed a goalie to steal games for them.
It may look that way from afar, but there have in fact been several games stolen by Quick. My gut says three or four.
A significant reason for that is Drew Doughty’s emergence. He has significantly improved the Kings team defence. The Kings have the fourth best shots against in the league with 27.4 per game.
As they stand right now, Los Angeles is a good team. As long as their core continues to play well, they will have a good record. They are unlikely to become a top level team as long as they do not have top goaltending. I doubt they will stay at the top of the West Conference all season, but they should be a playoff team. They need better goaltending to take the next step forward.
via KuklasKorner : The Puck Stops Here : Kings Lead The West.
‘I thought the D played great’ — Iginla – Flames Insider
With their home town in a deep-freeze, the Flames, too, needed to deal with minus-28 conditions in Los Angeles.
Without Robyn Regehr (missing his first game with an undisclosed injury), Staffan Kronwall was pressed into duty.
And Jay Bouwmeester handled 30:45 of ice time, Dion Phaneuf 27:17.
It was hardly a disaster — the Flames allowed only 16 shots and only two goals (a highlight-reel doozie from Scott Parse and a power-play conversion by Jarret Stoll).
via ‘I thought the D played great’ — Iginla – Flames Insider.
Some Kings-related blogging from The Fifth Feather
Well, here we are, just past the quarter pole of the regular season. The Blackhawks are returning home after a “take your pants off and run around the block while primal screaming” kind of road trip. They started off by leaving a mushroom stamp on the collective forehead of Alberta; Antti Niemi stole two points in Vancouver; and they bent San Jose over the kitchen sink. In Anaheim, it wasn’t their day and Jonathan Quick stole the second point in Los Angeles by doing cartwheels in the crease. All told, nine out of a possible 12 points makes a successful Circus Trip, and with the makeshift elephant lavatory now cleansed from the Blackhawk dressing room (They better not have stepped on the Indian, otherwise Ben Eager may have them euthanized), the Hawks are ready to return home.
While the end of the road trip may leave a stale taste in more than a few fans’ mouths, one of the more encouraging things to see was how well the Hawks played in the Staples Center during the last game of the trip. The place has been a House of Horrors for this generation’s Blackhawks and on Saturday, they played their best game there in quite some time. One point there – especially following five straight road games – is nothing to scoff at.
Without taking anything away from the bitchslap the Hawks delivered last Wednesday in San Jose, the Sharks are not the powerhouse of years past. Though their back end is reasonably strong (much like the Feather’s), after Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau, they’re a mish-mosh of forwards with a dash of Joe Pavelski mixed in. That should be good enough for them to win the division again, but the gap is closing quickly as the Kings get better. Even with another President’s Trophy win, to us, they seem destined for another playoff letdown; there’s no telling who Heatley will kill or quit on if that happens, but it bears watching.
Ten NHL Players Who Should Shoot More Often – Die By The Blade
8) Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles Kings)
Frolov is a two-time 30-goal man and has all of the tools to be an elite star for years. The frightening statistic is that the Russian hasn't fired 200 or more shots in a full season making you wonder how many more he could record if he did.
My estimate is that Frolov is worthy of 40 to 45 goals once he shoots first and asks questions last. Whether it actually happens is beyond me.
via Ten NHL Players Who Should Shoot More Often – Die By The Blade.
Kings 2, Blackhawks 1 (SOL) « Fifth Feather
The 2009 circus trip is finally over, and the verdict is in: success. With a point in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the Hawks grabbed their 17th point in their last ten games, including a 4-1-1 road trip on the west coast of North America. Not bad.
And, if nothing else, it was an entertaining tilt. Joel Quenneville set the tone early when the Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane line had two full shifts by the 2:15 mark. It helped the Hawks set the pace in the first, but they were unable to cash in, with the Kings limiting their number of opportunities. Their one chance of the period came when Kane found himself in alone from the circles in, but got caught on his backhand. He was unable to lift it over the glove of Jonathan Quick, and the Kings took a tie into the second.
Then, less than three minutes into the second frame, a seemingly harmless Michael Handzus and Wayne Simmonds 2-on-2 turned into a King lead, when Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith managed to cover neither Handzus nor Simmonds. Simmonds dropped the puck to Handzus and slipped past Keith, and Handzus quickly head-manned it past the defenseman before Simmonds slipped it past Cristobal Huet for the lead.
Despite a handful of good chances, the Hawks were only able to muster a tie by the end of regulation. The lone goal came following a Handzus holding-the-stick infraction and after Kane wheeled into the slot on the ensuing power play. Quick stopped the first shot, but Toews tucked in the rebound to tie the game.
The last half of the third and overtime were both played without a tally by either team, but the sort of play was what the NHL envisioned when it changed the overtime frame to 4-on-4. The five-minute extra period included a minute of 4-on-3 for the Hawks, who were unable to take advantage.
In the following shoot-out, both Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson were able to beat Huet, and Toews and Kane were both blanked by Quick.
Andrew’s Dallas Stars Blog
As for the game, the Stars started well and got the lead but that five-on-three Kings power play early in the second really shifted momentum their way. They scored on the five-on-four and just started to roll. The Stars were coughing up the puck, the pressure continued and the Kings cashed in on some quality chances. Game over. They got a solid game in goal from Jonathan Quick too. The Kings are a good team with a lot of talent. If the goaltending holds up, they’ll be in the mix for a playoff spot.
Islanders fall to Kings 4-2 in K.C.; Roloson hurt – Lighthouse Hockey
A dose of perspective. How other teams blog the Kings:
Honestly, this was your typical preseason game: Several fights (Brett Westgarth and Raitis Ivanans tangled twice in the first — the P.A. epically botched Ivanans’ name both times), and several signs that certain players are true NHLers who have adjusted to the speed at this level and exert a sense of calm, while others are clearly nervous rookies. In that former group I’d include Josh Bailey, Jon Sim, the Islanders’ veteran blueliners, plus the Kings’ Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds. My god, is Doughty good. The teams traded goals in the first, with an excellent Tambellini-to-Hunter combo setting Andy Sutton up at the doorstep. Yes, Andy Sutton scoring from the doorstep.
The first and third periods were exciting and physical; the second was an absolute dud and special teams disaster for the Islanders. After The Other Westgarth picked up 4 minutes trying to goad an unwilling Micheal Haley into a fight, the Islanders promptly: 1) Gave up a shorthanded goal; 2) took a penalty to even it up; 3) took another penalty to give the Kings a 5-on-3, which Doughty converted on a pretty backdoor goal.
I honestly don’t know if the Islanders penalty kill was that truly awful, or if the Kings power play is that amazing. But the Kings controlled the puck the entire time when they were on the power play. It was constant tape-to-tape…to tape…to tape passing. It was as if they were Harlem Globetrotters just screwing around in the preseason, curious about what looks they could get.
The Islanders had penalty killers like Nate Thompson, Tim Jackman and Jon Sim out there, so it was a little alarming.
via Islanders fall to Kings 4-2 in K.C.; Roloson hurt – Lighthouse Hockey.
1 comment