Roster I Wish Were Possible
Smyth/Kopitar/Williams
Purcell/Moller/Brown
Frolov/Handzus/Simmonds
Clune/Stoll/Westgarth
(Harrold, Lewis)
Johnson/Scuderi
Doughty/Greene
Hickey/SOD
(Drewiske)
Bernier
Quick
Or, as I like to think of it:
25/35/25
20/20/30
35/20/15
5/15/5
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.
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.
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
Monarchs on NHLHD…
…normal resolution broadcast in HD so you can see every pixel of how crappy the feed is. Bernier looked sharp. Campbell looked like an adenoidal 17 year old chicken-giant, but he blocked at least a half-dozen shots. Azevedo and Clune made some bad passes. Lewis had a nice goal, two on one with Moulson (nice pass). Moulson scored on a pass he kicked from his skate to a quick top shelf snap shot with the D right on him. Hickey looked good, in general, but more importantly at the end of the game I was able to freeze frame the group huddle in the crease (congratulating Bernier). Hickey stands about an inch taller than Bernier and about two (maybe three) inches shorter than Campbell. Bernier is listed at 6′ on the Manchester site (5’11″ on Hockey’s Future), Campbell at 6’4″ on the Manchester site (6’3″ on HF). Hickey is listed at 5’10″ on HF and 5’11″ on the Manchester site…
…but he’s clearly between Bernier and Campbell in height. I’m going to call it 6′ even.
And that’s some good news. Maybe we can squeeze another inch out of him by training camp.
Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects: #12 Thomas Hickey
12. Thomas Hickey, D – Los Angeles Kings
Returning to Seattle of the WHL, Hickey began the season concentrating on his defensive game and proving that he can shut down the top forwards of the league. After anchoring the blueline for Team Canada during the U20 WJC, the Seattle coaches let loose the reins on Hickey and he went on a scoring tear, showing that he still had the skills to lead an offensive rush and to quarterback a power play. Hickey is one of the most well-rounded defensemen in major junior hockey. He does not have the raw skills that a Pietrangelo possesses or the bruising ability of a Bogosian. Hickey instead combines a excellent grasp of both sides of the ice. He will join the Kings minor league system at the end of the major junior hockey season and immediately be an option for the NHL roster.
via Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects, Spring 2009 11-25 – Hockey’s Future.
Hickey Scores First Pro Goal
At 10:42 of the second period, Monarchs defensemen Thomas Hickey scored his first professional goal and evened the score at 1-1. With the man advantage, center Marty Murray played the puck from the left corner to the front of the goal where left wing Matt Moulson tipped the puck over to Hickey who was driving to net. Hickey slammed a wrist shot past the blocker side of netminder Thomas Greiss.
via Monarchs News.
Hickey will wear number 37 in Manchester
Hopefully he will wear #4 with the Kings. Although I guess he would be the greatest player in Kings history ever to wear #37 (assuming he’s better than Denis Grebeshkov and/or Bob Kudelski).
The Manchester Monarchs, the primary affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, have added defenseman Thomas Hickey to their roster, Monarchs Director of Hockey Operations Hubie McDonough announced today.
Hickey, 20, recently finished his fourth full season with the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds. As captain of the Thunderbirds, the 6-foot-, 191-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, led the team’s blueliners with a career high 16 goals and 51 points (16-35=51) in 57 games. Hickey’s 51 points also ranked 10th among WHL defensemen. In 262 career games with the Thunderbirds from 2004-09, Hickey collected 177 points (39-138=177) and 208 penalty minutes.
In December, Hickey was named Canada’s team captain for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa. The tournament ran from December 26 to January 5 and Hickey recorded three points (0-3=3), two penalty minutes and five shots on goal in six games as Team Canada won the gold medal with a perfect 6-0 record.
Hickey signed a three-year entry level contract with the Kings on July 17, 2007. He will wear No. 37 for the Monarchs.
Two T-Birds Headed to AHL
Defenseman Thomas Hickey will join the Manchester Monarchs for the rest of their season. The Monarchs are the top minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. In four seasons with the T-Birds Hickey appeared in 262 games and had 39 goals and 138 assists for 177 points. He had a plus/minus rating of plus-73 with 208 career penalty minutes.
via Two T-Birds Headed to AHL – OurSports Central – Independent and Minor League Sports News.
Via Open Ice Hitter: Kids might be coming…..
Colton Teubert Los Angeles Kings / Regina Pats – Likely destined for the Manchester Monarchs due to the depth on the Kings blueline, Teubert could be given an opportunity due to the fact that he is a more physical type d-man than the other defenders, with the exception of Jack Johnson.
Thomas Hickey Los Angeles Kings / Seattle Thunderbirds – If the T-Birds fall in the Dub, look for Hickey to log some minutes on the back end in LA. Hickey is a smallish defender with little flash, but he is very steady and well rounded, and if things turn out well for him, he will be Mr Consistency on the Kings second pairing for years to come
Personally, I would be shocked if either one dressed for the Kings this year (I was hoping for Voynov or Azevedo or somebody like that), but it would be great.
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