Moller, Segal Score, Bernier Stops 34 of 35
Manchester beats Hershey 2-1. Bernier is 3-0, 1.67 GAA, .957 SV%. The line of Parse/Moller/Loktionov is 1/2/3 in scoring (5pts, 4 pts, 4pts).
Moller One Goal One Assist, Bernier 41 saves (and two more assists for Parse, who now LEADS THE LEAGUE IN POINTS) in 2-1 win over some non-Kings related team
Oh, Norfolk. With ex-King Mark Parrish in the line-up. Parse’s assists give him 5 over two games, which is tops in the AHL in points (tied with five others) and assists (all by himself). Loktionov, no points, plus2. Bagnall had a goal and an assist, which ties him with Loktionov at 4 points. Moller has 3 points. Bernier’s 41 saves gives him an even 2.00 GAA and .950 SV%. Team plus/minus has Loktionov with +6, Parse +5, Moller +4 over the first two games.
After One Game, Loktionov is AHL Player of the Week
The hat trick put up by Manchester Monarchs center Andrei Loktionov in the season opener against the Albany River Rats earned him American Hockey League Player of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday.
In his pro debut Saturday, Loktionov, 19, helped Manchester to a 6-3 victory with his three goals and an assist. He finished with a plus-4 rating and a game-high six shots on goal.
A native of Voskresensk, Russia, Loktionov is the second-youngest player in the AHL, according to the opening-night rosters submitted to the league last week.
Helene Elliott: No lock, but watch Loktionov
Keep an eye on 19-year-old center Andrei Loktionov, a fifth-round pick in 2008 whose stock rose as he helped lead Windsor to the Memorial Cup championship last season. He followed that with a strong performance in the Kings’ summer development camp and enhanced his status Sunday with displays of skill and consistently tenacious efforts. No wonder, really: he is being mentored by Igor Larionov, the great Russian center. Larionov knows Loktionov’s father from their common hometown, Voskresensk and Loktionov has spent time at Larionov’s California home. ”We are talking about game, how I play,” Loktionov said in his rapidly improving English. “It’s different. Not like Russia. He helped me all the time. . . . He watch me and then we talk what I’m doing right, what I’m doing not right.”
There isn’t much he’s not doing right.
Murray said he saw a little bit of Larionov in Loktionov, and that’s quite a compliment. ”Puck skills, confidence with the puck, making plays, attacking, an attitude, again, that fierce competitive look in his eyes. It’s there,” Murray said. “Wow. What a comparable.” He sees a new determination in Loktionov’s game and pointed out a moment on the ice Sunday to support his point. ”The one drill we did in the second session here where he had the puck in the far end and the job is to take the puck off him. Two guys were on him,” Murray said. “He didn’t want to give it up. ‘That’s my puck and you’re not having it,’ kind of attitude. That’s sheer determination. ”The year in junior has been wonderful for him. Confidence. He’s got a little bit of strut in his stride. You can see the focus, the determination in his eyes. I really am impressed by, I don’t want to say the wrong stuff here, but I’m very impressed in what he’s shown from the development camp all the way through till today.” For him to make the Kings this season would be a big leap. ”I can play in Windsor, but I want to play [for the] L.A. Kings. I want to stay here,” he said.
Murray is giving him every chance to do that. ”We’re going to play him in lots of exhibition games, and we’ll get a good look at him,” Murray said. “Last year I didn’t play him except maybe one [game], later. This year I plan on getting him in there.”
Rookie Camp Notes: Very VERY Short
Loktionov: Looks bigger. Wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it this year. Moller/Loktionov/Purcell? Probably too much to hope for.
Dwight King: still big.
Brandon Kozun: speed and scoring touch.
Mikus: doesn’t look like a kid, but I didn’t see him do anything exciting.
Hickey: looks bigger and stronger. Wouldn’t be surprised if he made it either.
Teubert: looks like he’s halfway more grown-up than last year, when he was clearly a kid.
Campbell: still kind of dorky.
Clifford: kept noticing him. He looks young, but was stronger than most of the kids out there on the puck.
Schenn: works his ass off. Seems a year or two away and that’s fine.
Wudrick: appendicitis. Had surgery on Thursday or Friday.
From LAKINGS.COM MAILBAG: Jim Fox on Voynov/Voinov and Jimmy Neutron
“If everything goes normal and the Kings suffer a normal amount of injuries, not too high, not too low, I would expect them to not spend any time with the Kings this year,” Kings television analyst Jim Fox said. “With Voynov, the Kings already have a lot of young defenseman, and to add another one into the mix, would be a lot to ask. With Loktionov, it is a similar situation, the Kings had Wayne Simmonds and Oscar Mollerjoin the team last year and were the third-youngest team in the league, so to have someone without any professional experience join the team, that would be a huge jump for him to make.”When Loktionov gets to the NHL, it will be as a top-six forward, so he would have to displace one of the current top-six on the team and I don’t think that is highly likely at this point.” Voynov, 19, recorded 23 points (8-15=23) and 46 PIMs in 61 games with the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings AHL affiliate. “All of the reports that I get from Manchester is that he is no doubt an NHL player and excels in many, many areas of the game,” Fox said. Voynov, most likely, will again join the Manchester Monarchs for the 2009-10 season, as will Loktionov, also 19, who recorded 66 points (24-42=66), 16 penalty minutes and a plus-28 rating in 51 regular season games with Windsor (OHL). “Loktionov excelled at the Junior level,” and should be ready to make the step up to Manchester this year.
via LAKINGS.COM MAILBAG – Los Angeles Kings – News.
Go Jimmy! Wait, who is Jimmy?
New Post, in which, instead of earning money, I decide to crunch cap figures related to the preposterous Sedin twins to L.A. UFA rumor
Here’s why I don’t think the swedish twins in socal rumor makes any sense, especially not Deano sense.
Math.
The twins want $12MM/year. The Kings, after re-signing Johnson and Purcell, then adding $12MM for the Sedins, would be at at least $58MM. $59MM if Hickey makes the team. So we have to dump one big salary. There are exactly three candidates for dumping: Stoll, Frolov and Johnson. (Handzus has a NTC but maybe he could be shipped to a contender and he would be happy.) I would get rid of Stoll, because if you don’t, there is no place for Schenn to play EVER, since both [whichever Sedin is a center] and Kopitar would be your 1 and 2 centers for the next decade. So let’s say we dump Stoll for picks. Now we’re under the cap. And this is your Los Angeles Kings for 2009-2010:
Twin1/Twin2/Moller
Frolov/Kopitar/Williams
Purcell/Lewis/Brown
Cliche/Handzus/Simmonds
Johnson/Doughty
Quincey/Greene
Hickey/SOD
Drewiske
Quick
Ersberg
Not a bad line-up. However:
Now it’s next summer, June 30, 2010. The cap IS coming down. To around $50MM, maybe lower. The Kings are at $50MM now, but they have to re-sign Frolov, Cliche, Lewis, Quincey and Quick. Conservatively, that’s 5, 1, 1.5, 3 and 3MM. $13.5MM. Add that to $50MM, you’ve got $63.5MM. You’re $13.5MM over the cap.
Oops.
Now, Lombardi will have seen this coming a mile away. And he will conclude, in order not to be completely f***ed in 2010-2011, he’s going to have to have shed a bunch of salary during 2009-2010. Three players with decent salaries. Frolov is obvious, Johnson also…and…I don’t know…who’s left? We already dealt Stoll in the summer of ’09, and Williams and Handzus are ear-marked for jettisoning the following season (see The Doughty/Moller/Simmonds Nightmare of 2011, below). So I guess you dump Greene and hope that Teubert is ready to take his place.
Now you’re back under the cap, and your 2010-2011 Los Angeles Kings look like this:
Twin 1/Twin 2/Moller
Purcell/Kopitar/Williams
Clifford/Schenn/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds
Drewiske/Doughty
Quincey/Voynov
Hickey/Teubert
Quick
Bernier
Also not bad. However:
Now it’s summer of 2011, two years from now. Moller, Simmonds and Doughty are RFA. That’s another $9-10MM in cap space you need to create, at least. And if the twins don’t stink, Moller may be a thirty (or, worse, forty) goal scorer by then. But let’s be conservative. Call it $10MM of space we need to clear. 75% of that we clear by because Handzus and Williams are off the books as UFAs (probably traded for picks at the previous deadline, unless of course we’re on a cup run). So figure you lose those guys and re-sign the three kids and your cap goes up another three million.
And someone has to go. Who? Do you let one of Moller or Simmonds walk? I would cry. Purcell is affordable, since he will still be playing on the contract he gets this summer (unless he only signs for two years, in which case, he’ll be a UFA I think). Maybe you don’t re-sign Purcell (or trade, whatever) and trade another defenseman. Who’s expendable? Who knows. Say it’s Drewiske.
So, here’s your 2011-2012 Los Angeles Kings:
Twin 1/Twin 2/Moller
Wudrick/Kopitar/Loktionov
Clifford/Schenn/Brown
someone cheap/Lewis/Simmonds
Quincey/Doughty
Hickey/Teubert
Voynov/someone cheap
Quick
Bernier
Could be a great team. And all you have to do is:
Deal Stoll now. Deal Frolov, Johnson and Greene before next season’s trade deadline. Deal Handzus, Williams, Purcell and Drewiske before the deadline of 2010-11. Or else just let them all walk (well, not Drewiske, who will probably still be under contract).
Oh, and all these trades will be for picks and prospects, because we won’t be able to take any salary back. So it will literally be trade after trade after trade of “why did we just give up [core player x] for a measly 2nd round pick?”
Answer: because we’ll be over a barrel.
[Hilarious bonus irony: it used to be that teams in playoff contention picked up a few pieces to gear up for the playoffs, and teams that were out of contention dumped salary; NOW, we'll be dumping some of our best players exactly at the time we're gearing up for the playoffs. We'll be fighting for home ice advantage in the post-season, and we'll be SELLERS? How much fun will that be?]
And when Schenn, Loktionov, Voynov, Hickey and Teubert come up for contracts, and the Sedins are literally unmovable because of their huge contracts with 7 years left on them, you have absolutely no choice but to deal…
…Kopitar and Brown.
This is why I think it’s a bad idea.
Coming Down the Pipe!: On the Fence With Ryan Ellis
Really, really exceptionally great blog post on Ryan Ellis. Hat tip to The Copper and Blue. Here’s the beginning of it, but read the whole thing (follow the link below…).
I’ll admit it; I’m not the biggest believer in Ryan Ellis.
To put this in perspective though… on The Pipeline Show we talk about everything in Major Junior, NCAA and minor pro but being based in Edmonton, we don’t get to watch a lot of OHL hockey. My own personal viewings of Ryan Ellis are limited to the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa and the recent Memorial Cup in Rimouski – and both on TV, which I’ve never believed gives a complete picture of a player if you are really trying to “scout” him.
Thankfully in our line of work we speak with a lot of people who do get to watch the players first hand, whether it be media colleagues that are on hand, other players or the network of people employed in the hockey world including scouts, coaches and GMs from various levels. Tapping into that network is how I round out my personal opinion or expectations of a player – sometimes that works out well and sometimes it doesn’t.
My opinion right now on Ryan Ellis is that he’s a fantastic junior hockey player, maybe one of the best in the history of junior hockey, but that he’s going to have a hell of a time making a career in the NHL.
His offensive numbers this year with the Windsor Spitfires were unreal – 89 points in 57 games and 31 more in the 20 playoff games that followed. Considering how much hockey he played this year including the extra tournaments, I think he deserves a ton of credit for not running out of gas like a lot of players might.
Ellis has a wicked, booming shot that has become his trademark. As he told us on the show back in November, most (if not all) of his 15 goals in 2007-08 came from the top of the circles courtesy the mighty slapper he has at his disposal.
Despite a lack of stature Ellis isn’t shy of the open ice hit, just ask 6’5 Rimouski forward Keven Veilleux. The 5’10 blueliner stepped into Velleux during the Memorial Cup and the Penguins prospect lost his wind, a few shifts and maybe a couple of teeth before he managed to get back into the game.
According to everyone I’ve spoken with, his strongest asset sits between his ears – there is no question that Ellis thinks the game as well as anyone his age. He’s a tactical assassin that knows when to pinch in on the power play, where to find the open man with a stretch pass or how to angle off a forward to break up an attack. Ellis can quarterback a power play as effectively as anyone in junior hockey, and maybe arguably as well as some right now in the NHL.
Did I mention that I’m not a big believer?
read the rest: Coming Down the Pipe!: On the Fence With Ryan Ellis.
Kelowna Player I’ve Never Heard of Has World’s Greatest Ever Penalty Killing Shift
Cody Almond. Had to look him up. Property of the Wild. Drafted 140th overall in 2007. This kid blocked no fewer than four shots in one loooong five-on-three power-play, including one off his head and another in which Loktionov had faked everyone in the stadium out of their socks before dishing off to [player TBD] in the slot who proceeded to fire the puck into Almond’s stomach (Almond was somehow anticipating this pass and shot and was somehow-somehow lying flat on the ice in time to absorb the puck). I’m not saying he is any kind of shoo-in for anything, or that Lombardi screwed up by picking Josh “Podge” Turnbull four picks ahead of Almond. But, damn. That was amazing.
Windsor OHL Champs, Loktionov 2nd in playoff scoring, 1st among rookies
In Windsor, Taylor Hall capped an incredible playoff run by scoring the winning goal 2:09 into overtime to lift the Spitfires to a 2-1 win over the Brampton Battalion and give the Spitfires their second OHL championship and first in 21 years. Hall, who won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the Most Valuable Player in the OHL playoffs as selected by the media covering the championship series, capitalized on a powerplay early in overtime to give the Spitfires a 4-1 win in the Rogers OHL Championship Series. The Spitfires win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions and will represent the OHL at the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Quebec starting next Saturday against the champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After a scoreless first period, Dale Mitchell opened the scoring with a powerplay marker at 13:06 of the second period. The Spitfires looked like they might escape with the regulation time win before Matt Kang tied the game with 3:46 left in the third period. “I think we jumped on them early and getting that first goal was key,” said defenceman Ryan Ellis. “They got one back but fortunately we’re a pretty good team in overtime.” For Ben Shutron, Scott Timmins and Josh Unice, it’s their second straight OHL championship after helping the Kitchener Rangers win the title last year. “The feeling hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Shutron said. “I’ve won two in a row and I’m just so lucky to be a part of this team and be part of this group of guys. To win this is just amazing.” Windsor goaltender Andrew Engelage was the first star of the game after making 37 saves in the win. Thomas McCollum made 34 saves for the Battalion.
via Ontario Hockey League ◊ Official Website Spitfires soar to OHL championship.
Windsor/Brampton Game 4 Highlights: Jimmy Neutron Nets Two in the Third
The two Loktionov goals were clutch, but frankly the best goal of the game was the Cody Hodgson breakaway goal that came right on the heels of an amazing save at the other end by Thomas McCollum. Really, I don’t think you will ever see a nicer sequence (brilliant save at one end leads directly to brilliant goal at the other).
[scroll down for video interface -- it's at the bottom of the post, for reasons I can't control...]
Loktionov, one goal one assist in Windsor’s 5-3 victory over Brampton in Game Two
He’s still second overall in playoff scoring, with 29 points. Taylor Hall has 32.
Windsor Star: Loktionov, Grachev make their respective marks
It’s been this way for years for Andrei Loktionov and Evgeny Grachev. Passing the puck together on the ice. Passing the time together off the ice. Halfway around the world, battling for the right to play for the Memorial Cup, things have only changed slightly. They still turn heads with their unbelievable skills, but now, they do it at opposite ends of the ice. Each is a key element for their respective teams in the Ontario Hockey League final – Loktionov, at centre for the Windsor Spitfires and Grachev, on left winger for the Brampton Battalion.
In Wednesday’s series opener, Loktionov stole the show, dancing through the Brampton defence and around netminder Thomas McCollum to launch Windsor’s 10-1 rout, steering home Windsor’s first two goals. “He played an amazing game,” Grachev acknowledged. Used to be that Grachev would revel in such a performance by Loktionov. They were teammates in their native Russia on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s junior team. Fast friends who moved in even faster company when carrying the puck toward the opposition goal. “We played the last two years on the same line,” Loktionov said. “We talk to each other all of the time.”
With eight goals and 27 points, Loktionov is among Windsor’s playoff scoring leaders. Ditto for Grachev, who’s contributed 11-13-24 totals to Brampton’s cause. “He’s been huge for us this year,” Battalion captain Cody Hodgson said of Grachev, voted the OHL’s rookie of the year after his 40-40-80 totals shattered the mark for a first-year Brampton player previously established by ex-Spitfire Jason Spezza. About as huge as Loktionov’s been for Windsor. When fans flock to the WFCU Centre, many are attracted by the chance to see such future stars as defenceman Ryan Ellis, certain to be a first-round NHL draft pick this spring and left-winger Taylor Hall, likely to be the 2010 No. 1 overall choice. By the time they’ve exited the building, many depart talking about the magic the young man wearing No. 90 for Windsor can work with the puck. Some fans have taken this love affair to a point where it’s landed Loktionov a North American handle.
Around the Windsor dressing room, Loktionov is simply known as Jimmy by his Spitfire teammates. As in Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, a popular cartoon character. “The fans started that because he’s such a smart player on the ice,” said Spitfires right-winger Dale Mitchell, often Loktionov’s linemate and always his road roommate. “They put the comparison together with the cartoon.” With his deft moves, lightning speed and precision puckhandling, like the animated Jimmy, Windsor’s Jimmy often appears to be light years ahead of the rest. “He’s a great player,” Grachev said. “He can find you with the puck.”
At first, almost completely bereft of English, Loktionov’s ever-present smile was his main form of communication. “He’d have to point things out and try to explain things to you,” Mitchell recalled. “His English is really good now. He makes sense of a lot of things now. It’s a lot easier than it was at first. “He’s come a long way.” Among all of Loktionov’s achievements, this may be the one that wows his teammates the most. “If I could learn Russian in a year, I’d be pretty impressed by an accomplishment like that,” Mitchell said. Among all the friends they’ve made this season, Grachev and Loktionov still treasure their shared bond, but at this most important time of year, there’s no side bets about who will contribute most to the outcome.
“I want to win,” Loktionov said. “Not to be better.”
So far, his wish is coming true.
via Lotionov, Grachev make their respective marks .
Gare Joyce/SPORTSNET: Loktionov “the second best Russian in the OHL”
In the first period Andrei Loktionov set the template for all action to come. His pair of first period goals showed off a great pair of hands and a high hockey IQ – he must have taken it to heart that I labelled him the second best Russian in the OHL. I suspect that Brampton’s Grachev will have a better NHL career than the slight-ish Loktionov. No matter, Loktionov lapped him last night.
The Hockey News: THE HOT LIST:: Loktionov
Not only do we have major junior playoffs and the Frozen Four in full swing, but the IIHF World Under-18 Championship has taken over Fargo and Moorhead on the North Dakota-Minnesota border. It’s prospect overload, so let’s once again count down some of the youngsters we can’t wait to see make it to the pros.
1. Victor Hedman, D – Modo (Swe.): Looking at the bottom of the NHL standings right now, it’s not hard to see at least half of the serious lottery contenders would be more than interested in a 6-foot-7 puck-moving defenseman, even if it meant denying center John Tavares the No. 1 spot. Whether it’s Denver, Tampa, Long Island or elsewhere, Hedman loves North America and the chance to prove himself on Western soil. And while J.T.’s Canadians won the world junior gold over Team Sweden in Ottawa this winter, Hedman knows his team could have played better. “We didn’t come up to our standard, but Canada was very good,” Hedman said. “Canadians always play full speed and I really like how they played.” Pundits have already thrown out a lot of lofty comparisons for the 18-year-old Swede, including names such as Chris Pronger and Nicklas Lidstrom, but why not go to the source himself for a scouting report? “Two-way defenseman who can be offensively producing,” Hedman said. “I like to join the rush, play on the power play…I really like to shoot the puck.” The youngster still wants to work on his shot and didn’t get a lot of power play time on a veteran-laden Modo team this year, but his upside is incredible, especially considering the skating acumen he has for a big man. “I don’t feel 6-foot-7 when I’m on the ice,” Hedman noted. If that’s not a warning for opposing NHL teams next year, what is? Draft eligible in 2009.2. Dylan Olsen, D – Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL): For a Jr. A player, the under-18s are a great chance to boost profile for the NHL draft. Olsen got his name on the scoreboard early, as the 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman tallied Canada’s overtime winner in an exhibition tilt against Finland. Draft eligible in 2009.
3. Teemu Pulkkinen, RW – Jokerit (Fin.): Coming out on the other end of that 6-5 decision, Pulkkinen nonetheless showed why he is a top prospect for next year’s draft, scoring two goals and setting up the marker that put the Finns into overtime. Draft eligible in 2010.
4. J.P. Anderson, G – Mississauga-St. Michael’s Majors (OHL): Anderson is getting hot at the right time for the Majors, sporting a 2.15 goals-against average in the playoffs. That’s nearly a goal less than the regular season. The rookie’s .939 post-season save percentage is tops in the Ontario League and keep in mind he’s playing against the high-octane Brampton Battalion right now. Draft eligible in 2010.5. Aaron Palushaj, RW – Peoria Rivermen (AHL): The newly signed St. Louis Blues prospect is already getting his pro game going in Peoria, where the Rivermen can enjoy the gritty skill game he honed with the Michigan Wolverines. Drafted 44th overall by St. Louis in 2007.
6. Andrei Loktionov, C – Windsor Spitfires (OHL): The Spits are still rolling thanks to a deep and deadly offense, this time with import Loktionov leading the charge. The first-year pivot leads the OHL in playoff scoring with 17 points in seven games. Drafted 123rd overall by Los Angeles in 2008.
7. Dmitri Orlov, D – Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL): Orlov didn’t get a lot of ice time or opportunity in the Kontinental League this season, so look for him to make his mark with the Russian under-18s. The sturdy defenseman had two assists in a 7-3 exhibition win over Switzerland. Draft eligible in 2009.
8. Paul Byron, C – Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL): The diminutive pivot is on fire for the Olympiques and doing it all with playmaking. Byron has 12 assists and 13 points through seven playoffs games, which is ironic since he led the ‘Q’ in post-season goals last year. Drafted 179th overall by Buffalo in 2007.9. Scott Glennie, C – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL): Speaking of playmakers, Glennie is a mirror image of Byron in the Dub. Other than being 6-foot-1 instead of 5-foot-8, the Wheat King has 10 assists and 11 points through six post-season games to help Brandon to a flawless playoff record so far. Draft eligible in 2009.
10. Matt Gilroy, D – Boston University Terriers (Hockey East): As the Terriers take a run at the national title, consider this Gilroy’s final audition for salivating NHL GMs. After this weekend, the puck-moving defenseman will be snapped up by whichever team is willing to pay Gilroy’s (expected) hefty price tag. Eligible for unrestricted free agency.
via The Hockey News: The Hot List: The Hot List: Hedman hits North America.
OHL Finals, game one: Loktionov 2 goals, 1 assist; announcer: Loktionov “has NHL written all over him”
“Oh my! That’s all you can say when you see stuff like that! This guy has got NHL written all over him!” The play-by-play guy calls his second goal “highlight reel” and “gorgeous.”
OHL Scoring: Loktionov #4 Overall, Leads All Rookies; Tavares peaks at #7 Before Being Sidetracked by Losing; Kings Prospect Bryan Cameron at #20
Windsor will play either Brampton or Bellville. London will play nobody. 
Crackpot Roster Musings: Kings 09-10
Assumptions: Kings sign one of Hossa, Gaborik or Havlat. Kings keep the number five pick and select MSP, Kane or Duchene, whoever is left.
FORWARDS:
If Hossa or Havlat:
Frolov/Kopitar/Hossa-Havlat
Williams/Stoll/Brown [North American drive-to-the-net ass-kicking, hits and goals]
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds [shut-down]
Purcell/Loktionov/Moller [the real first line]
If Gaborik:
Frolov/Kopitar/Williams
Gaborik/Stoll/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds
Purcell/Loktionov/Moller
[The #5 pick will obviously have the opportunity to dislodge one of Lewis, Purcell, Loktionov or Moller (or Wudrick, for that matter). I'm willing to imagine that one of the realistically too-young prospects surprises everyone and makes the team, but I've chosen Loktionov as my representative of that crackpot fantasy. Could easily be Kane, Duchene, MSP -- whichever one -- or Wudrick.]
DEFENSE:
Johnson/Doughty
Quincey/Greene
SOD/Hickey
Voynov/Drewiske
GOAL:
Quick
Ersberg
The Canadian Press: Loktionov scores in overtime as Windsor takes 3-1 series lead against London
Andrei Loktionov scored 59 seconds into overtime to give Windsor a 5-4 victory over the London Knights on Monday and the Spitfires a 3-1 lead in their Ontario Hockey League Western Conference final.
Lane MacDermid, Greg Nemisz, Eric Wellwood and Dale Mitchell, with two assists, scored in regulation for Windsor, which entered the third period up 4-1.
John Carlson scored twice in the third to rally the Knights, including the tying goal at 15:55 – his seventh of the post-season. Michael Del Zotto also scored in third while Justin Taylor scored his sixth playoff goal in the first period for London.
The status of Loktionov, the OHL’s leading rookie scorer in the playoffs, was questionable before the game after taking an apparent knee-on-knee hit in Game 3. Loktionov had to be helped off the ice with three minutes remaining in regulation and did not return for overtime.
via The Canadian Press: Loktionov scores in overtime as Windsor takes 3-1 series lead against London.
Loktionov Scores in OT to lead Windsor over London/Tavares
For the fourth time in the series, the Spitfires and Knights took the game to overtime and for the third time, the Spitfires were victorious. Just 59 seconds into overtime, Andrei Loktionov scored his 6th goal of the playoffs to give the Spits the win.
via Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club | Ontario Hockey League.
Loktionov is fourth overall in the league in playoff scoring, with 23 points. Tavares has 19 points. Windsor is up 3-1 in the series.
OHL Playoff Leaders: Loktionov #3, Duchene #9, Tavares #14
GP G A Pts PIM
1 Taylor Hall Windsor Spitfires 12 10 14 24 10
2 Ryan Ellis Windsor Spitfires 12 8 14 22 12
3 * Andrei Loktionov Windsor 12 5 17 22 2
4 Dale Mitchell Windsor 12 11 10 21 12
5 Eric Tangradi Belleville Bulls 13 8 13 21 12
6 Cody Hodgson Brampton 12 6 15 21 10
7 Nazem Kadri London 11 9 10 19 18
8 * Evgeny Grachev Brampton 12 9 10 19 4
9 Matt Duchene Brampton 12 9 9 18 10
10 Luke Pither Belleville Bulls 13 6 12 18 2
11 * John Carlson London Knights 11 5 13 18 12
12 Michael Del Zotto London 11 2 16 18 8
13 Phil Varone London Knights 11 9 8 17 19
14 John Tavares London Knights 11 8 8 16 6
via Ontario Hockey League ◊ Official Website .
Loktionov leads all players in assists, with 17. He’s third overall in points. Potential King pick Duchene is ninth, certain number one pick Tavares is fourteenth. Also, Loktionov is a rookie in the OHL.
“Is this team really that promising?”
Ersberg (commenter on “Inside the Kings,” not the actual Ersberg) asked the following great questions in the Inside the Kings comments section:
“Does anyone else think the Kings seem to not have the type of offense that some teams have that can be a threat on almost any possession? They just seem anemic on O, [yet] they have a lot of the same guys as they did last season [who] scored a lot. [...] With [...] regard to our prospects [...] how are [they] going to get it done next season?
[...] Is it, in fact, Terry’s system? Are we missing key guys? Are some of our ‘older, younger’ guys not what we thought they’d be (Kop, Fro, Brown, etc.)? Was it a fluke last season when guys like Brown scored 30+? Is it the guys below our top scorers [...] that are the issue[...]? [...] [D]o you feel our guys have a higher “ceilings” than what we’re seeing? Do you see guys like Johnson, Greene, Quincey getting better? What about Purcell, who’s 24(?) [...]? It seems like they’re trying real, real hard, but they end up coming short, which is why I believe they need some more changes and additional players.
Who do we add? Who goes? Who do you think will actually want to come here? [...] Is this team really that promising? Columbus [...] has had a lot of changes, some very young additions, and they are sitting in a playoff spot. I see the Kings being very much the same.
[...] In addition [...], ask yourselves this: when was the last team any sports team (4 major sports) went cheap, and won a championship? I’m thinking it was the Angels in 2002. It seems to me we’re a ‘cheap’ team.”
The problem on offense: certainly, part of the drop in production is due to TM’s defensive system. There’s really no way around that. You’re always going to sacrifice some offense when you play a tighter defense. As it has turned out, the Kings GF and GA have both dropped about 0.3 goals/game. So it’s basically a wash. However, notice that reducing both goals-for and goal-against by the same amount has resulted in better results (assuming the Kings don’t proceed to lose the next nine games).
Looking at the offensive numbers: this season, the Kings have averaged 2.0 goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5. Last season, they averaged 2.3. That’s all of our loss of production. Five-on-four, the Kings are up to 6.6 goals/60min from 5.8 the previous year. Five-on-three, we’re at 22.9, up from 21.0 [just to clarify, 22.9 goals/60, 5-on-3, means that if they were to play an entire game 5-on-3, they would score on average 22.9 goals]. In short, this season, the special teams are slightly better, and 5-on-5 we’re much worse. Of course, it’s 5-on-5 where the defensive system is in full force, so that’s another reason it must shoulder (at least) some of the blame.
Actually, those numbers alone ought to be enough for those who are predisposed to blame TM to put the last few nails in the coffin. My purely statistical response to that would be, per above, to point out that a commensurate drop in offense and goals-against yields better results, in terms of wins/points.
I would also say, in TM’s defense, that if the Kings had stuck to their defensive system even more than they have, they would be looking at the playoffs right now. Before the season started, I pointed out in the ItK comment section that if the Kings were able to reduce their goals-against from last season’s 3.24 (from memory, I could be off a few 1/100ths) to around 2.75 they would make the playoffs, 2.75 being the usual threshold for a playoff team. They were on track to do this for about half the season, I think, but they got sloppy. In this context, TM’s benching of Frolov makes a lot of sense. He (TM) knows that it’s the defense that’s going to make the difference.
Underline: even with the drop-off of production, the Kings would have made the playoffs this year had they stuck to the system. That’s okay. It’s not a knock against the players that they didn’t just magically see the light. You have to learn by experience. 
Re “are we missing key guys?” — DL made a revealing comment in an interview a few weeks ago that [paraphrase] Kopitar was basically a second-line center who has the potential to be a first-line center. The expectation has to be that he grows into the role of #1 center, otherwise frankly he’s not earning his contract. DL was just being honest (maybe too honest, since it opens him up to a lot of criticism — why pay that much for a #2 center, etc.). But I did get the feeling this season that Kopitar looked like the understudy suddenly forced to play the lead part. And he’s done okay, especially of late. But watching him in the #1 center role makes me (and I think a lot of other people) long for a game-changer.
As a mental exercise, I sometimes try to imagine where our various guys would fit in on a powerhouse, elite team, say, Detroit. Kopitar would be a great #2 center on the wings. Brown, a great third line winger. Frolov, 2nd liner, but maybe still in the doghouse for his lapses (see Fedorov). Stoll, 3rd line center. Handzus, third line center. Williams, 2nd line, maybe third. Calder, scratch. Armstrong, waived. Ivanans, Westgarth, waived. Zeiler, waived (they waived Ellis, who is a better Zeiler). What this exercise reminds me is, on the Kings roadmap to Elite-ness-itude (-ity), we’ve already got ourselves a great third line, a great second line, and no first line.
And, boy, doesn’t it feel like that’s just what we have?
I’m not saying Kopitar won’t grow into the #1 center role. I think he will, actually. He’s still a kid. But, as far as “missing key guys” goes, I would say, yes, definitely, it’s time to get a true, top-line sniper, a finisher, a star. You do that, and you take the pressure off Kopitar, he won’t see the other team’s best shift after shift, and he will have room to grow.
re “prospects, how are they going to get it done?” — Simmonds, Doughty and Quincey are unqualified successes this year. Purcell, Moller, Quick and Harrold are successes with asterisks attached. In Purcell’s case, it took him most of the season to get it together. Moller started strong and then had a run of bad luck (followed by TM’s odd insistence on keeping him out of the line-up because he wasn’t strong enough, as if this wasn’t also true at the beginning of the season when he was leading the Kings in PP goals, etc. — file that under “don’t get me started”). Quick was an instant star and then lost some of his star-power, but has still been huge. Harrold gets an asterisk because he’s a “veteran” prospect and he has the curse of doing a lot of things well, but nothing spectacularly well. He’s extremely useful, but easy to pencil out. Of those guys, can we expect them to get better? Absolutely. Simmonds and Moller, for one thing, are kids. They’re physically immature. They’re going to get bigger and stronger. Doughty, we forget that in addition to everything we’ve seen from him, he likes to check, and has been known (as we’ve seen in glimpses of him this season) to take over games. When he’s mature, he’s going to be that much more dominant. Johnson, whom you mentioned, has to play smarter, but that’s not unusual for young defensemen, and JJ is following a much more traditional d prospect path. We’re spoiled by Doughty stepping right in and playing a dominant role. That happens, well, almost never.
Re the Kings being a “cheap” team — It’s hard to argue against that when the Kings have the lowest cap figure in the league. However, I must. First of all, next season, with Kopitar’s and Greene’s contracts kicking in, the Kings will not have the lowest cap figure anymore: they’ll be somewhere around $47-48MM, i.e. more or less halfway between the ceiling and the floor. If they sign a big UFA, they’ll be much, much closer to the ceiling. There’s a good chance the ceiling will come down season after next, and some have said as low as $52MM. This would mean many teams would have to shed salary in order to comply. I don’t think DL is cheap. I think he’s smart. There is simply no way in the post-lock-out NHL to have a team that has several superstar contracts (or even more than two — three is pushing it). You must have a balance between big names, medium names, role players and prospects. Look at Detroit: Holland cannot sign both Hossa and Franzen, unless he’s willing to forego team depth, which he clearly doesn’t want to do. The Kings could easily be in that position in two years, and, p.s. would have been for certain if they had given Cammellari the $6MM he asked for, given POS the $4MM or whatever and kept him, both of which would have meant giving Kopitar more, giving JJ more this summer, etc., etc..
The distance between floor and ceiling is quite small. DL kept near the floor this year. Signed Kopitar and is halfway to the ceiling. This summer, he could go all the way to the ceiling with one signing.
Re “who would want to sign here?” — Let’s take Hossa as an example. Hossa wants to stay in Detroit. Detroit wants him. He’s willing to take less, but how much less is not known, and the talks have stalled. If Hossa doesn’t sign with Detroit, he’s going to seek more money elsewhere. The question is, (1) who wants him? (2) who’s attractive to him? and (3) who can afford him?
Answer to #1: more or less, everybody.
Answer to #2: first choice, a contender. Who are the contenders? San Jose, Washington, Calgary, Chicago, Boston, Vancouver, New Jersey, Pittsburgh. But see answer #3…
Answer to #3: none of the contenders have cap space to sign him. Will someone sign him and then put themselves in the Brian Burke position of having to trade assets when the entire world knows they are over a barrel? Probably, they won’t. Will someone go on a draft day fire sale to shed salary in order to make room for Hossa? Dangerous to do that, since you might not get Hossa, and then where will you be?
Who has the cap space? A bunch of losers, that’s who. I’m including the Kings in that. A bunch of teams that aren’t going to look too attractive to Hossa. Among which, he may have to pick the team with the brightest future. The loser with the brightest future. Among said losers, there is no one regarded to have a brighter future than the Kings.
That’s our hope. We have the cap space, we are the future, and we need to be successful now. Now is the time.
That’s not a horrible pitch. Will it be good enough? Who knows.
re “next season…how are they going to get it done?” — For one thing, it will be a slightly different “they.” I believe DL will push very hard to bring a big UFA forward in. He needs to. As many have pointed out, not getting into the playoffs a year from now will be a failure placed solely at DL’s feet. The pressure is mounting and the team is going to have to produce next season. He’s going to try very hard to bring in some big-bucks snipery finish for the first line. Will he succeed? I am going to put my money on … probably.
So, first piece of the puzzle is one big tasty UFA. Second piece of the puzzle is, no Calder, no Preissing, no Gauthier, no Armstrong, probably no Zeiler, maybe no Ivanans. Third piece, bigger, stronger, older Doughty, Moller and Simmonds. Purcell coming into his own. Lewis hopefully on the team full time on the third line. Hickey, Teubert, Voynov…one of them will make it, maybe even two. Jon Bernier…I still hold out hope that he will top them all in camp this September.
The other issue, I think, is finding a workable fourth line that has an actual theme and purpose and use, as opposed to it just being a catch-all for players who are dressed but benched in the third period. I liked the old Donnelly/Millen third line idea, small/speedy tertiary scoring. I think there’s a version of the Kings with a Moller/Loktionov/Azevedo/Richardson type third line configuration, that would be terrifying and beautiful to behold. That would free up the fourth line to be a Handzus/Lewis/Simmonds/Brown/Wudrick type ordeal. Yes, okay, Brown on the fourth line. But I’m talking about rolling four lines all game, with much more balanced ice-time. Think Detroit. And let all the “unhealthy Detroit fixation” gossip begin.
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