September 2008 Archives

Is it worth noting that the Kings have earned eight points in five preseason games? Possibly, but it was a fairly light Ducks lineup tonight, and tomorrow night's game in Anaheim should be a better indicator of what this rivalry will look like this season.

Jason LaBarbera has looked sharp and confident recently, both on and off the ice. Who knows how it will translate once the games start, but I've been covering Jason with the Kings since 2005 and I've never heard him talk more confidently about his abilities. LaBarbera stopped 30 of 31 shots tonight, following the 20-for-22 outing in his last game.

A few notes and quotes from the night...

-- With his third goal of the preseason, Matt Moulson is now tied for the team lead with Anze Kopitar.

-- Oscar Moller once again played first-line minutes with Kopitar and Brown. The longer the Patrick O'Sullivan situation drags on -- and there's still no indication that a deal is imminent -- the longer Moller will get a chance to stick around and impress.

-- Dustin Brown and Ryan Getzlaf had a scary collision with about seven minutes left in the game. Both players skated off slowly. Brown came back and didn't appear to be in any trouble. Getzlaf went to the locker room and I didn't see whether or not he returned.

-- Wayne Simmonds got in two fights tonight and didn't really come close to winning either, but he continues to impress. Last week, a Kings official called Simmonds one of the surprises of camp.

Some quotes...

Terry Murray, on the game...
``We had better composure and better conviction to execute. We didn't get the puck deep enough on a consistent basis. However, we were much better in the third period. We had a lot of opportunities. Both goalies were very good tonight.''

Dustin Brown, on season preparations...
``We're getting there. Obviously we have about 10 days before we need to be completely ready. In about seven to 10 days we'll have a better idea of where we'll be at.''

Brown, on the change in coaching styles...
``They're very different coaching styles. I don't know if you want to call it an adjustment, it's a different feeling. Coach Murray is much more calm. That seems to trickle down to the players. It seems like we don't panic as much. I think the defensive zone coverage we're trying to change a bit is helping us.''

Sean O'Donnell, on the trade...
``I was a bit surprised, but I've been around long enough where nothing shocks me... Anaheim will always have a special place in my heart because they gave me something I dreamed of since I was a young boy [the Stanley Cup]... I've been at this for a long time. You do what you can control, show up and play as hard as you can. You be a good teammate, be a good person and things will work out.''

In the third consecutive overtime game for the Kings in the preseason, the Ducks won 2-1 in a shootout. Jason LaBarbera went the whole way in goal and stopped 30 of 31 shots in regulation. Chris Kunitz had the only goal in the shootout.

More notes and quotes from the locker room later, for those who want to stay up...

In the fourth fight of the night, Wayne Simmonds took on the Ducks' Travis Moen. Simmonds' second fight of the night, So, Simmonds certainly isn't shy but Moen got the better of this one. It's now tied 1-1 in the second intermission.

Kent Huskins tied the game with 9:19 left in the second period on a power-play goal, assisted by Ken Klee and Corey Perry.

We just had our third fight of the night, with Troy Bodie getting the better of Wayne Simmonds.

The Kings took the lead on one of those goals that Terry Murray likes. Two guys in front of the net, and Matt Moulson knocked it in from short range. Simmonds and Doughty with the assists 10:57 into the first period. It's Moulson's third goal of the preseason.

Just before the goal, the Kings' Kevin Westgarth and the Ducks' Steve Montador got into the game's first fight, 10 minutes into the first period. Both guys got in some good swings before Westgarth finally got the takedown.

The Kings acquired defenseman Sean O'Donnell from the Ducks in exchange for a conditional draft selection in the next year's NHL draft. The Kings play the Ducks at 7:30 p.m. tonight in a pre-season game at Staples Center.
Here's the release from the Kings:

Jason LaBarbera and Erik Ersberg are scheduled to be the two goalies tonight, with LaBarbera possible to play the entire game. As I missed this weekend, LaBarbera is slotted to start the season opener against San Jose, so it will be interesting to see how minutes are split for the rest of the preseason. I'm heading out to tonight's game, so I'll be able to get updates later tonight on all sorts of topics.

Hello, everyone. Back and (not quite) refreshed from a very long day of air travel to see that the Kings made quite a few roster moves today. Off to Manchester are Jonathan Bernier, Drew Bagnall, Trevor Lewis, Justin Azevedo, Andrew Campbell, Paul Crosty, Vladimir Dravecky, Gabe Gauthier, Bud Holloway, Josh Kidd, Brady Murray, Marty Murray, Scott Parse, Daniel Taylor, Eric Werner and Jeff Zatkoff. Also, Mike D'Orazio got returned to Owen Sound of the OHL.

That leaves the Kings with 36 players in camp, and most of the hard decisions have yet to be made. The two most notable names on the above list are probably Jonathan Bernier and Gabe Gauthier. I'm sure Bernier considers the move a disappointment, as this camp didn't go quite the same as last year's, but Bernier's (undisclosed) leg injury clearly set him back and made it much easier for the Kings to make the move they probably wanted to make all along. Gauthier will almost certainly be in the NHL at some point this season, but it looks like the Kings wanted to give Manchester a bit of a running start.

It's good to get back at it, and I'm going to try to get Dean Lombardi on the phone tomorrow to update us on these situations -- O'Sullivan, veteran defenseman -- that still haven't been resolved since I left!

The Kings made only two transactions today, sending Colten Teubert and Dwight King to their junior teams. King went to Lethbridge of the WHL and Teubert went to Regina of the WHL. The next round of cuts is expected after Saturday's game in Las Vegas.

It's safe to say that Teubert had a much tougher adjustment to the NHL level than Drew Doughty. It doesn't mean that the Kings are down on him, by any means, and it might be more of a reflection on Doughty than it is on Teubert.

Just as a FYI, I'm out of town for a couple days, so I'll do my best to stay on top of the news...

Ted Purcell scored the only goal of the shootout, in the third round, and the Kings beat the Avalanche 4-3. Jonathan Quick stopped all three attempts in the shootout, while Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown failed before Purcell got the winner.

Kings move to 3-0 in the preseason.

The Kings outshot the Avs 41-19 and took only one minor penalty after the first period.

Erik Ersberg stopped 9 of 11 shots and Jonathan Quick stopped 7 of 8.

Jack Johnson played a game-high 29 minutes, 6 seconds.

Drew Doughty was plus-2. Tom Preissing and Davis Drewiske were minus-2.

As for potential injuries, Brian Boyle did not take a shift in the third period or overtime. No reason was given, so we'll see what happened there.

Next game is Saturday against Colorado in Las Vegas...

Anze Kopitar ties it with 1:33 remaining, on what Nick Nickson describe as a give-and-go play with Matt Moulson. Kopitar scores on the backhand.

Colorado re-takes the lead with 8:24 remaining in the third period. Darcy Campbell is credited with the goal, on a shot from the point, with an assist to Paul Stastny, although it seems there might have been a deflection in front of the net.

It seems that the Kings were ready to carry over their strong second-period play, as they scored a power-play goal 20 seconds into the period. Matt Moulson put in a rebound of a shot by Dustin Brown. It's now Jason Bacashihua in goal for Colorado, Jonathan Quick for the Kings.

Avalanche 2, Kings 1

It seems that the Kings really picked up the pace on offense late in the period, particularly after Stoll's goal in the final four minutes. The Kings outshot the Avs 15-4 in the period and Erik Ersberg played the entire period. I imagine we'll see Jonathan Quick in the third. Jack Johnson has played 17 minutes, 46 seconds, to lead all Kings in ice time.

Jarret Stoll took advantage of a turnover deep in the Colorado zone and scored on a backhand with 3:40 remaining in the second period. It's an unassisted goal.

Avalanche 2, Kings 0

Shots were even at 7-7, but the radio team indicated a couple times that the Kings weren't getting enough quality chances in front of the net and that most of their chances were coming from the perimeter. Colorado will have a 91-second power play to start the second period.

A turnover by Brian Boyle led to a Joe Sakic pass to Darcy Tucker, who beat Erik Ersberg for an even-strength goal 8:25 into the game. The Kings are being outshot 4-1.

Colorado scores on its first shot of the game, on the power play at 3:08. Ryan Smyth from Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny. The Kings were shorthanded because they had two centers kicked out of the faceoff circle. Yes, really.

Per Nick Nickson, here's the lines for tonight...

Moulson-Kopitar-Brown
Handzus-Armstrong-Purcell
Simmonds-Stoll-Richardson
Calder-Boyle-Ivanans

For the Kings...

FORWARDS: Derek Armstrong, Anze Kopitar, Brad Richardson, Kyle Calder, Dustin Brown, Michal Handzus, Jarret Stoll, Raitis Ivanans, Ted Purcell, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Moulson, Brian Boyle.

DEFENSMEN: Matt Greene, Jack Johnson, Tom Preissing, Davis Drewiske, Alec Martinez, Drew Doughty.

GOALIES: Erik Ersberg, Jonathan Quick.

It's largely an NHL roster for Colorado as well. Brian Willsie is playing for the Avs.

Here's my interview with Oscar Moller from after today's practice. Moller is definitely making a strong impression. I asked a team official today if Moller was going to make the team, and he said of Moller, ``He's making it tough on us.'' If you're a young player fighting for a roster spot, that's what you want to hear... For those who need updates on tonight's game against Colorado, I'll do my best to provide live updates throughout the game. It is available on 1150-AM, with the audio also streamed on the Kings' site. Here's Oscar...

It's a shame that Richard Clune is now out with a broken bone in his chest, as he was just starting to develop some positive buzz in training camp. From talking to people around camp, it didn't seem to be a huge stretch to think that Clune might crack the NHL roster as that third- or fourth-line agitator/tough guy. I talked with Clune about the trade that brought him over from Dallas, and he also had some very interesting things to say about the somewhat-obvious comparisons to Sean Avery.

Clune, a third-round pick of Dallas in 2005, split time between the AHL and ECHL last season. In 38 games with Iowa of the AHL, Clune had three goals, five assists and 137 penalty minutes.

Plus, thanks to the wonder of YouTube, here are videos of Clune's three preseason fights. The first one is from the first day of training camp, against Drew Bagnall. The other two are from Monday's game against Phoenix, against Todd Fedoruk and Garth Murray.

Click after the videos to read the interview...

This, as far as I know, is the roster of available players for tonight's game against Colorado. Obviously some of these guys won't play, but that's who is there.

FORWARDS: Derek Armstrong, Brian Boyle, Dustin Brown, Kyle Calder, Vladimir Dravecky, Matt Ellis, Gabe Gauthier, Michal Handzus, Raitis Ivanans, Dwight King, Anze Kopitar, Matt Moulson, Marty Murray, Ted Purcell, Brad Richardson, Wayne Simmonds, Jarret Stoll, Kevin Westgarth and John Zeiler.

DEFENSEMEN: Drew Doughty, Davis Drewiske, Matt Greene, Jack Johnson, Alec Martinez, Joe Piskula, Tom Preissing and Colten Teubert.

GOALIES: Erik Ersberg, Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff.

To answer an earlier question about Moller not being there, I think it's just a numbers thing. They want certain guys to get in games, experience road trips, etc. Jason LaBarbera and Denis Gauthier are two veterans who didn't make the trip.

It's been a rough week for the Kings. Now, Richard Clune is out with a broken bone in his chest. Sounds painful. Apparently it took place during the second period of Monday's game after a hit along the boards. Clune, being a typical hockey player, played the rest of the game, but now he's expected to be out for an extended period of time.

Almost all of the veterans are in Denver for tonight's game, but I got interviews with Clune, Oscar Moller and Andrew Campbell.

It's a minor one, but Justin Azevedo is back on the ice. It was just a couple days ago that he was walking around with a cast on his wrist...

Alexander Frolov is off the ice with what is being described as lower-body soreness. I'm almost certain that it's a mild groin strain, and frankly I'm really not sure what the point is of keeping injuries secret in training camp. But that's a hockey-coach thing.

I'm out at camp right now, where it's just the players who aren't playing in Colorado tonight. A lot of the prospects, so I'll grab some interviews. The entire NHL coaching staff is in Denver now.

Marc-Andre Cliche, the victim of a Denis Gauthier hit on Sunday, is out indefinitely with a separated shoulder. Still waiting to hear if there's any issue with Alexander Frolov. I don't believe there is, but I'll find out.

Here's some of the quotes from last night's game at Staples. Interesting note from the team...the Kings haven't had a losing record in the preseason since 1988. What does that mean? Nothing, but it's sort of bizarre to note. Here's the quotes...

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Terry Murray, on his game thoughts...
``I take a lot of good things out of this game. There was a lot of good execution. We had our moments when it wasn't quite where we'd like it to be, but with it being the first game, I thought it was good. The effort, the intensity, the compete was very good. I was very happy about that. There were a lot of people that were very good. I was very happy about that. There were a lot of people that were involved in the physical side of it and that brings the whole team in whenever you get big hits and a couple of fights in there. I like that part a lot.''

Murray, on his team's defense...
``I thought there was a very conscious effort on the defensive part of the game and in all the zones. Our neutral zone, when it came down to crunch time, was excellent. I thought our positioning the whole lines were very good. Then right back into our own end, we had some good things happening with coming back into the home plate area. Pucks were on the outside of the dots and that's something that we've talked about as far as being an OK play. Let it happen out there but make sure that the front of the net is protected.''

Oscar Moller, on the game...
``It was pretty exciting. I didn't really know what to expect when I came out there, but I just started playing my game and it turned out pretty good.''

Moller, on playing in the NHL...
``Well, you're playing against men now, not playing against boys and kids. So the speed is higher and they're stronger, so I got to keep my head up and be strong out there.''

Moller, on training camp...
``Yeah, I'm satisfied with it. I guess it's been going pretty good. We're working hard and we're working on the new system here with the new coaching staff and it feels pretty good.''

After last night's games, the Kings returned forwards Bryan Cameron, Matt Fillier and Geordie Wudrick to their junior teams and released forward Olivier Legault from his tryout agreement. Cameron returns to Belleville of the OHL, Fillier to Montreal of the QMJHL and Wudrick to Swift Current of the WHL. That takes the Kings down to 56 players in camp, not including Patrick O'Sullivan, of course...

David Meckler capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with three seconds left for his second goal of the game, with assists to Matt Greene and Anze Kopitar...and it's a final.

Three-point nights for Oscar Moller (goal, two assists) and Meckler, who also had an assist.

The Kings outshot the Coyotes 31-25. The Kings went 3 for 5 on the power play while the Coyotes went 2 for 5.

Jason LaBarbera played the first two periods and stopped 13 of 17 shots. Danny Taylor played the third period and stopped all eight shots he faced.

Two victories for the Kings in one night! Do you believe in...well, you get the idea...

It's a big night for Oscar Moller, who just scored a power-play goal with 1:17 remaining, with assists from David Meckler and Peter Harrold. Moller also has two assists...

End of the second period now...Derek Armstrong scored his second goal of the game, followed by a goal from Yandle to tie the game...

They're scoring fast at Staples... With Oscar Moller in the box for a double-minor high-sticking penalty, Steve Reinprecht scored a power-play goal 4:42 into the second period. Assists to Yandle and Tikhonov.

Then Garth Murray tied the game with an even-strength goal 5:42 into the period, assists to Kolarik and Nesbitt.

Jason LaBarbera has stopped 10 of 13 shots.

Brian Boyle with the power-play goal, 2:08 into the second period, on assists from Oscar Moller and Viatcheslav Voinov

Already three fights in the first period -- Richard Clune has two of them for the Kings -- plus a double-minor roughing penalty on the Coyotes. There have been 38 penalty minutes between the teams with just over three minutes left in the period.

Derek Armstrong with the even-strength goal with 9:19 left in the first period, with assists to Oscar Moller and Raitis Ivanans.

David Meckler scored on the power play, 7:55 into the first period, on an assist from Brian Boyle to tie the game. As mentioned in the last item, Kyle Turris scored a power-play goal 1:47 into the game to give Phoenix the lead. The first period has also featured a fight between the Kings' Richard Clune and the Coyotes' Todd Fedoruk, so Clune isn't shy about taking on the big guys. Jason LaBarbera has stopped 3 of 4 shots so far.

The Kings started their exhibition schedule with a victory in Kansas City, as they beat St. Louis 2-1. Special-teams play carried the night, as Davis Drewiske had a shorthanded goal in the second period and Wayne Simmonds had a power-play goal in the third period before 11,603 fans in K.C. Kevin Westgarth fought St. Louis' D.J. King in the third period...

They're also underway at Staples, and Kyle Turris scored a power-play goal 1:47 into the first period -- with Scott Parse in the box for hooking -- to put Phoenix up 1-0. Jason LaBarbera is in goal for the Kings.

Here's what Terry Murray had to say about his attempts to identify team leaders, plus when the Kings might make their first and second round of cuts...

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Question: You have talked about establishing a leadership group in training camp. Do you see that coming together?

MURRAY: ``The leadership group is starting to show. They're starting to step up and do the things that you like to see, as a new coach coming in, setting the example on the ice by jumping to the front of the line with the execution of the drills, the tempo that they're executing the drills at, and in the locker room. The veteran guys, just in their preparation around the younger players and coming out mentally ready to practice, is a great way of establishing themselves to me, as a new coach. I'm watching it very closely. I think this is a critical thing, a critical decision for the organization to make as we get to the end of the training camp.''

Question: Are you expecting cuts after the games?

MURRAY: ``We're planning, and again everything was just penciled in going back to two or three weeks ago, to make some changes, to cut numbers back with the junior players in particular. Then as we get through the game next weekend at Las Vegas, we'll come back and make a hard decision on a pretty significant group of guys.

They're just about to drop the puck in Kansas City for the preseason game between the Kings and St. Louis Blues. The Kansas City Star filed a story this morning, with quotes from Tom Preissing and Mark Hardy regarding their impressions of the Sprint Center and the game...

NHL's Kings break Sprint Center ice before tonight's game against Blues

Upon his hiring, one of the first things Terry Murray talked about was sitting down with Chad Smith, the Kings' strength and conditioning coach, to discuss how players could be in the best possible physical condition. Here, Murray talks about the importance of the issue...

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Question: You talked, early on, about the importance of fitness. How is that working out, and do you have any specific ideas about what you'd like to see from guys?

MURRAY: ``Fitness, to me, is... I put great value in it. In order to play today's game, with the skating requirements, with the ice that's available, with the restrictions that are put on the hooking and the holding that weren't there before the lockout, you've got to be able to get around the ice. If one player is attacking with his speed, the support in this game today is critical. You need to have close, 10-15 foot support, so that means five players up the ice, five players back on the defensive side of things. That requires a lot of work. So we're looking at high-level intensity, a lot of work, a lot of battling.

``Goal scoring is very hard today. The checking schemes that are out there are very sophisticated. They're all back to `home plate' and you really have to dig in and pay a hard price in one-on-one situations. It becomes very hard and it takes a great physical conditioning level to be able to be a goal scorer today. So that's why we're doing a lot of the skating. I know players come into camp in good shape. but we're trying to get it to the next level as quickly as possible. It's a primary issue with me, all the time, the physical conditioning side of it.''

Here's the Phoenix Coyotes' lineup for tonight's game against the Kings. They didn't list a second goalie on their website so I'm not certain who it will be...

FORWARDS
Todd Fedoruk - Kyle Turris - Mikkel Boedker
Brett MacLean - Steven Reinprecht - Peter Mueller
Alex Bourret - Kevin Porter - Chad Kolarik
Adam Keefe - Garth Murray - Viktor Tikhonov
Jared Staal

DEFENSEMEN
Jonas Ahnelov -- Zbynek Michalek
David Hale -- Nick Ross
Matt Jones -- Keith Yandle

GOALIE
Josh Tordjman

Here's what Terry Murray had to say about the start of the preseason schedule. Murray will be at Staples Center tonight to coach half of the team, and Mark Hardy and Jamie Kompon are in Kansas City with the other group.

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Question: Are you ready for preseason games, or does it feel too soon?

MURRAY: `` I think we're ready to get going with some games. You get three days on the ice with the players and they get excited about the games coming up and they want to start to play. The practices can sometimes be getting a little long for some of the veteran players, so the sooner we get out and play some games, the better.''

Question: Is this a good situation for you, since this is your first look at the young players?

MURRAY: ``And the first look at all the players, as a part of this hockey club. I know a couple of the guys who were a part of the Flyers organization in the past. Even a player like Matt Greene, coming from Edmonton, I really don't know him very well, so I am coming into this with open eyes, and if you want to call it a new look, a fresh look. It's a fresh opportunity for all the players to go out and try to impress a new coaching staff and show us what they are capable of doing, to grab some open positions.

``There are positions on this hockey club that are available, and that's where the games will mean a lot. We're really looking forward to, once we get through the two games (today), to get into a routine of playing one game, and then have a couple days of practice. You can really get a lot more accomplished that way and the players are able to show what they do bring to the table.''

I sat down with center Derek Armstrong. Since he's one of the few veterans in the locker room now, I wanted to get his thoughts on playing on a team with so many young guys. Here's his thoughts...

I'll try to get an update on Marc-Andre Cliche's injury from yesterday, but I got a first-hand report from a fellow reporter who saw it happen (I was on the other side, watching practice). The report is that Denis Gauthier delivered a pretty rough cross-check while Cliche was facing the boards, one that might have been an ``intent to injure'' penalty during the season. The same witness said that Gauthier showed great concern for Cliche after the injury.

I chatted today with goalie Erik Ersberg, who missed the first two days of training camp with flu symptoms. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say, Ersberg is feeling better and hopes to build upon his strong play at the end of last season. Here, Ersberg talks about his work this summer and gives his thoughts on the upcoming season...

Those of you who have been to practice have no doubt noticed the five black dots that are spray-painted in front of each goal. Terry Murray explains what they're all about...

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``They're kind of a reference point, for where the players are supposed to be, taking care of `home plate' to eliminate some of the grade-one scoring chances that I saw as I watched video of last year's games. That's a priority coming into this training camp. ... The dots are a reference point, for when the puck is coming in to your defensive zone. You're coming back to what I call `home plate' in positioning. You want to be that tight. The prime scoring area is right there in front of your net, below the hash marks. That's where we have to have proper positioning, to protect and help our goaltending out. As the puck is moved to different parts of the ice, below the goal line, there's a slight adjustment for each player to make. The dots are the positions that they need to read right now, and as we move forward they will become instinctive and that will be a part of their game from this point on.''

Here's what Terry Murray had to say about the idea of young defensemen playing in the NHL...

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Question: Not just talking about your situation here, but is it possible for 18- and 19-year-old defensemen to play and succeed in the NHL these days?

MURRAY: Young defensemen can play in the National Hockey League and be very successful in playing in the league. Over my years of coaching in the league, I've had 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds step in and have an impact on the team. A couple of guys I had early in my coaching career...Scott Stevens played as an 18-year-old and Kevin Hatcher came in as a 19-year-old. Both were players who ate up big minutes and important minutes of the game and really went on to have great careers. There's absolutely an opportunity for that to happen with this organization, and I'll be watching closely to see if some of those younger guys can step up and take a big piece of this thing.

Terry Murray was asked about team leadership...

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Question: Have you thought about a team captain?

MURRAY: The captaincy and the alternates, I think I'll just take my time on that. I think the 22 days of training camp are really important for me to see how that's going to unfol, who's going to step up in critical situations in the eight exhbition games that we have. And then sit down with people in the organization, not only the coaching staff but with management upstairs and make the decision. I do want a captain and I do want two alternate captains. I want to stay with those three people. I don't want to rotate. I really feel that that's important for an organization to make that kind of a decision, that we know what we're doing, we know the people we want to lead us. When the time comes, we'll have that sense and we'll make the right decision.

Here's what Terry Murray said about the absence of Patrick O'Sullivan, who is still away from camp as the Kings try to work out a contract...

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Question: O'Sullivan is supposed to be a big part of your team. The fact that he's not here, does that impact the way you prepare at all?

MURRAY: You know, quite honestly I don't know what I'm missing, because I don't know him yet. I've watched a little bit of video from last year's games, so I have a little sense of what he is and what he offers, but it's the business today, and it gives other players a great opportunity, guys who have played in Manchester, to come in and show us what they can do. They're going to get opportunities in a game that they probably might not have (otherwise), so take advantage of it.

Here's what Terry Murray had to say about his goalie situation, and the fact that he has eight (eight!) goalies in camp...

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Question: Have you ever, as a coach, had eight goalies in camp before?

MURRAY: You know, I don't think I have ever had eight goalies in camp before. It works good. We have four teams, so each one gets a break and each one gets an opportunity to get their work done. It's great to have that kind of competition, not only for the big club but for the American League team, Manchester. It's healthy, it's good, it pushes people to another level.

Question: Have you thought about how you will manage them in all the preseason games?

MURRAY: I haven't really got a handle on that yet. I'm going to have to spend some time with Bill Ranford, to get some feedback from him. The two NHL games in one day, certainly you're going to get four guys playing right away. I don't know if all eight are deserving of the chance to play in an NHL game. I still have to see that and figure that out. With the help of the other coaches, we'll make the right decision on that.

Talks are ongoing between the Kings and Ducks regarding Mathieu Schneider, but the Kings are still keeping several options open in terms of acquiring a veteran defenseman. No update on the Patrick O'Sullivan contract talks today. No deal appears to be imminent.

Here are a few of the prospects and newcomers who are making an impact so far in camp:

Andrew Campbell: You might remember that the Kings traded up to grab this unheralded defenseman in the third round, and they don't regret it. He has good size and has shown good hockey instincts. They like him and he could make the Manchester roster.

Richard Clune: A feisty player who has drawn more than one comparison to Sean Avery, as far as the way he plays the game. A good darkhorse candidate to make the team?

Drew Doughty: He has continued his strong play from the rookie camp. He's done nothing to indicate that he shouldn't be on the NHL roster when camp breaks.

Matt Greene: Good size and aggressiveness. It looks as though he will be Jack Johnson's new partner.

Andrei Loktionov: The Kings are trying to decide whether to send him to juniors or to Manchester. He had an outstanding one-time goal during the first scrimmage today.

Oscar Moller: Just a consistently good young player. At this point, it wouldn't be a total shock to see him make the NHL roster

Here's the list of who will play in each game tomorrow:

At Staples Center:
2 -- Matt Greene
3 -- Jack Johnson
7 -- Derek Armstrong
11 -- Anze Kopitar
19 -- Kyle Calder
21 -- Denis Gauthier
23 -- Dustin Brown
24 -- Alexander Frolov
35 -- Jason LaBarbera
37 -- Thomas Hickey
41 -- Raitis Ivanans
46 -- Daniel Taylor
49 -- Peter Harrold
51 -- Oscar Moller
58 -- David Meckler
61 -- Trevor Lewis
63 -- Scott Parse
68 -- Brady Murray
71 -- Brian Boyle
76 -- Viatcheslav Voynov

At Kansas City
8 -- Matt Ellis
15 -- Brad Richardson
26 -- Michal Handzus
28 -- Jarret Stoll
32 -- Jonathan Quick
33 -- Kevin Westgarth
34 -- Marty Murray
36 -- Jeff Zatkoff
42 -- Tom Preissing
43 -- Joe Piskula
44 -- Davis Drewiske
52 -- Gabe Gauthier
53 -- Alec Martinez
54 -- Ted Purcell
56 -- Richard Clune
57 -- Wayne Simmonds
67 -- Marc-Andre Cliche (won't play)
70 -- Matt Moulson
73 -- John Zeiler
79 -- Colten Teubert
80 -- Drew Doughty

Just got back from the third day of training camp, and we have our first injury report. Jonathan Bernier did not practice today because of what was described, vaguely, as some stiffness in his leg. It doesn't appear to be serious. Erik Ersberg, out for the first two days with flu symptoms, returned and had a full day of practice. The big casualty of the day was Marc-Andre Cliche, who took an ugly hit during the second scrimmage. Cliche had to be helped off the ice. He has a wrist injury and he looked pretty woozy as well.

I'll have a lot of notes and quotes as the day goes on...

(EDIT: Thanks for playing, everyone. I got four correct answers in very short order. The only one that tripped a couple people up was that the Kings won the Smythe Division in 1990-91, NOT 1992-93. That season, they finished third before the great playoff run.)

Thanks to a gracious donor, I have four pair of tickets available to the Sept. 30 preseason game between the Kings and Ducks at Staples Center. They're good tickets, in the 200 level, $62 face value. I want to give them to readers and I thought the fairest way would be to have people answer trivia questions. If you're interested, and you know you'll use the tickets, e-mail me -- rich.hammond@dailynews.com -- with the answers to the questions below, as well as your name and address (it won't be used for any advertising purposes or anything like that). The first four correct entries will win two tickets each. If I don't get four fully correct entries by Monday morning, I'll take the ones that get the most correct. Good luck!

Reader Gary Livingston sends along a link to a bunch of photos he took at training camp today. Thanks, Gary, and I thought everyone might want to take a look...

Training camp photos

Here's what new Kings coach Terry Murray had to say about the first day of training camp. To give you some idea of Murray's day, he spent it watching both of the practices, rather than either of the scrimmages. He also said that he will be staying in Los Angeles for Monday's preseason game, rather than traveling to St. Louis with half of the team. Here are Murray's thoughts on the first day...

Here's what Jason LaBarbera had to say about Terry Murray's training-camp emphasis on defensive improvement...

``It's huge. Obviously last year was tough at times, for everyone. We had breakdowns all over the ice, including myself. The biggest thing is that, as a whole group of guys, we have to be better and be more committed. Right from today, we're already going over that kind of stuff, and that's huge. I think last year, not everybody was on the same page with things and not everybody trusted each other. It got us in a lot of trouble. Right from day one, if we can get on the same page and everybody knows what each other's roles are and understands what we're supposed to do as a unit, we're going to be all right.''

Here's what Jason LaBarbera had to say about his attitude entering camp and his reaction to the low expectations that people are putting on the Kings this season...

It's premature to read anything into this at this point, but I thought people would be curious to see how the players skated today. If there are any corrections to be made, let me know, but I think I was able to capture the way the Kings skated in their scrimmages today...

TEAM NICHOLLS
Goalies: Jason LaBarbera, Martin Jones
Defensemen: Drew Bagnall and Viatcheslav Voynov, Peter Harrold and Joe Piskula
First line: Scott Parse, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Second line: Eric Werner, Marc-Andre Cliche, Geordie Wudrick
Third line: Dwight King, Kopitar (double-shift), Kevin Westgarth

TEAM PULFORD
Goalies: Jonathan Bernier, Danny Taylor
Defensemen: Alec Martinez and Tom Preissing, Andrew Campbell and Colten Teubert
First line: Matt Moulson, Jarret Stoll, Teddy Purcell
Second line: Raitis Ivanans, Gabe Gauthier, David Meckler
Third line: Matt Fillier, Marty Murray, Bryan Cameron

TEAM QUINN
Goalies: Jonathan Quick, Jeff Zatkoff
Defensemen: Drew Doughty and Denis Gauthier, Mike D'Orazio and Davis Drewiske
First line: Brady Murray, Derek Armstrong, Alexander Frolov
Second line: Matt Ellis, Brian Boyle, Kyle Calder
Third line: Trevor Lewis, Bud Holloway, Olivier Legault

TEAM WELLS
Goalies: Erik Ersberg, Linden Rowat
Defensemen: Jack Johnson and Matt Greene, Thomas Hickey and Josh Kidd
First line: Brad Richardson, Michal Handzus, John Zeiler
Second line: Wayne Simmonds, Oscar Moller, Richard Clune
Third line: Andrei Loktionov, Vladimir Dravecky, Paul Crosty

To answer a couple questions... There's nothing new on the Patrick O'Sullivan front, and if there's a Kings-Schneider trade to be made, it's not imminent. There was the potential for a deal a few days ago, but there's nothing brewing at this point. Some type of trade for a defenseman is almost certain to happen, but it's unlikely to happen before the middle of next week.

I sat down with Jason LaBarbera this afternoon and talked about his summer. LaBarbera spent part of the summer recovering from the surgery he had to repair a sports hernia and also took the opportunity to get in much better shape. Here's what LaBarbera, who clearly looks trimmer, had to say about his offseason improvements...

Just got back in the office after the first day of training camp. Good to see everyone on the ice, with the exceptions of Patrick O'Sullivan and Justin Azevedo, who are, respectively, unsigned and out with a broken wrist.

Very high energy this morning, as the camp was split in two. Half of the players practiced while the other half played a scrimmage game, then they flipped places. Terry Murray's plan to use both ice rinks in El Segundo prevented him from watching everyone at once but allowed the Kings to accomplish more, it seems.

There didn't seem to be any real rhyme or reason to the way the players were split up, other than that the groups seemed to be equally split between veterans and rookies.

The most attention came courtesy of a fight, during the second scrimmage, between Richard Clune and Drew Bagnall. Not much of a fight, in terms of punches thrown, but Clune apparently is developing a reputation as a Sean Avery-type scrapper.

Lots and lots of defensive-mind drills today. Not surprisingly, the more veteran players impressed. Anze Kopitar looked strong and Jack Johnson has visibly put on weight (in a strength way, not a fat way). Jason LaBarbera is notably trimmer and talked about how he dropped weight and got stronger this summer.

I have lots of quotes to transcribe, which I will get to throughout the afternoon and night, so stay tuned. I'll be glad to answer any questions anyone might have as well.

The first day of training camp in El Segundo is just about to get going, and I'll be out there for a full report. I'll see about getting some audio and perhaps some video, although that might have to wait until the weekend. We'll see how some of the prospects fare now that the NHL players are on the ice as well...

OK, as promised, Lombardi called back, and now I have much more detail on the situation with Patrick O'Sullivan. First...I wrote this in a deliberately vague way before, because I wasn't certain of the facts, but O'Sullivan is NOT ``holding out,'' or any variation of the term. The Kings have requested that he not attend training camp until a deal is done. Lombardi explains, in the interview, why that's the case. Second, when asked directly for an update on the contract negotiations, Lombardi said, ``We're not very close. That's the truth.'' Here's the entire interview...

I got to talk to Dean Lombardi...for about 45 seconds. He called, and gave this response to a question about how it got to this point with Patrick O'Sullivan, then had to tend to some issue that was clearly distracting him. I've been awaiting a call back for about two hours, so I figured I should just put this out there now.

``It's based on experience in these things. I just think it's important we work through this now. This isn't totally unusual in the business. The goal is to get him on a long-term contract. I just learned from experience. You still have to prepare your team. Your team has to stay prepared and focused. Sure we need him and we want him, but the team has to start preparing even if he's not here. I think it's better for everyone's focus, based on my experience, that that's the way we deal with it.''

Obviously there will be substantial expansion on this tomorrow at training camp, and if I get any further updates tonight I will certainly pass them along.

Here's the rookie-camp interview with Thomas Hickey. On the OTHER subject, Patrick O'Sullivan and his agency did not return calls today. I'm still waiting for an extended chat with Dean Lombardi. For now, here's Hickey...

Here's the interview with defenseman Drew Doughty from rookie camp a few days ago...

(On how things were going in rookie camp...)
``We had a lot of emphasis on the D-zone coverage, just making sure that we had the new systems done right. (Terry Murray) has kind of changed the systems here from how they used to run them, so we really emphasized D-zone coverage. I think, in the scrimmage, it paid off.''

(On what management said about his chances of making the team...)
``They haven't really told me much at all. I just came into camp and I really want to have a spot on this team. I'm going to work my hardest to do that. I'm going to play the best I can and hopefully if I do that, things will come to me.''

(On what he, specifically, was trying to develop in camp...)
``I'm just trying to learn a lot. I know the guys who are here, the older guys, and they're all great players. To learn from them is just a great thing. I love sitting on the bench, watching the other guys play, just to see what they do. That helps me a lot, I think, just to watch the older guys play. I think I learned a lot.''

(On some of the big hits he delivered in camp...)
``It's something I try to bring a lot. I definitely never give up an opportunity to make a big hit. I love doing it, I think it can change the momentum of the game. it gives your team a little momentum under your belts and I just enjoy doing it. Hopefully if I do play for the L.A. Kings this year, I'll continue doing it.''

Kings players are reporting for medical testing today. Patrick O'Sullivan is not among them. A Kings official said O'Sullivan will not be there today and is not expected to be on the ice for the start of training camp tomorrow morning. I'm seeking further comment from both sides today.

(Apologies for the delay on posting entries and comments today. The hamster in our blog wheel is tired, it seems...)

With players reporting today and on-ice sessions beginning tomorrow, writers around the area are taking a first look at the Kings. My training-camp preview will run tomorrow, but Steve Dilbeck wrote a column today about the Kings' challenges and a couple pieces appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Here's a look...

DILBECK: With young team, Kings are tough sell

Terry Murray's key message to Kings: Toughen up

Kings look for the 'erase' button

I also have interviews with Drew Doughty and Thomas Hickey to post.

Here's an interview from a couple days ago with Terry Murray, discussing some of the happenings at the rookie camp and what he expects from some of these young players...

Ducks defenseman Mathieu Schneider has cleared waivers, so now it's up to the Ducks to figure out what to do with him. It's hard to say what the likely outcome is here, although a trade is still more likely than Schneider being sent to the minors. I don't see the Kings getting involved in this, unless it's a situation where the Ducks try to recall Schneider from the minors and the Kings can grab him for half of his $5.7-million salary.

It's a pre-preseason game, but Jonathan Bernier looked sharp in goal as the Kings' rookies beat the Phoenix Coyotes' rookies 2-1. Here's the recap from the Kings' official site...

KINGS DEFEAT COYOTES, 2-1

The Kings are highly unlikely to claim Mathieu Schneider off waivers. They would likely take a long look at him should be clear waivers tomorrow.

Since he's a potential Kings target, I mention that the Ducks have placed defenseman Mathieu Schneider on waivers. We'll see what happens with that over the next 24 hours. I'll try to get any reaction from the Kings.

Here's the second, and final, part of the ``open forum'' questions. Seems as though there's only one big question left to answer: when will the Kings sign Patrick O'Sullivan? We'll see... Here's the other answers...

Brad Richardson gets $575,000 this season, $600,000 next season. Jarret Stoll, as previously reported, gets a four-year, $14.4-million contract.

The Kings have signed Brad Richardson to a two-year contract. I should have the financial figure soon. Also, the Kings confirmed the Jarret Stoll signing, which has finally been finalized...

Here's the first part of the ``open forum'' answers from the other day. I skipped the HD questions, as I think I was able to cover them with the previous post...

FSN announced today that all of its Clippers home games will be televised in high definition. So for those scoring at home, that's 35 Lakers, 30 Clippers, 10 Kings and 10 Ducks.

Ross McKeon and Greg Wyshynski give hockey some great coverage over at Yahoo Sports, and this weekend they did their season preview of the Kings. Both pieces are fair, straightforward looks at what the Kings face this season and they're refreshing changes from the usual ``How are the Kings going to get to the floor???'' stories.

Yahoo Sports preview

Yahoo blog preview

The Lakers have 35 games broadcast on FSN this coming season. Guess how many are in high definition? That's right, all of them. As opposed to 10 each for the Kings and Ducks.

In trying to get to the bottom of this, I've yet to find a satisfactory answer. It's not a Kings issue. They're not the ones who make the call on this. So if you want to direct fire, direct it toward FSN. I called them, and they don't have a specific answer as to why there are only 10 games in HD. Their answer is that they're working toward getting all of their televised games in HD during 2009.

It would seem that the issue is cost, as HD telecasts are still relatively expensive to produce. It seems FSN will spend the money for the Lakers but not hockey. Make of that whatever you will...

Practice is over on the first day of rookie camp. There are actually 29 players here, seven more than previously announced. Thomas Hickey was on the ice and apparently ready to go 100 percent despite spending most of the summer rehabbing his ankle. Lots of competitive drills, some 4 on 4 and even 3 on 3. Drew Doughty probably impressed the most, but that shouldn't be a huge surprise. I have quotes from Doughty, Hickey and Terry Murray, but I'm typing this on my phone and trying to take half a day off, so check tonight for quotes and the open forum answers, including one about HD.

The Kings have released their training camp schedule and roster. I've tried to put it in a readable form for the blog, so hopefully this will be of service to everyone...

Since we've just about reached the eve of training camp, I thought it might be a good time to offer an ``Open Forum'' to those who have questions that I might be able to answer. Seems as though there's plenty of topics out there to discuss! Feel free to start posting questions here and I'll start answering as soon as possible...

With rookie camp set to start tomorrow, I thought it might be good to take a look at some of these guys. There will be 22 guys in camp, and realistically there might be two spots on the NHL roster open for them. Here's one man's opinion about each player's chances of making the team coming out of training camp, based on development and available roster spots. Feel free to add your opinions. It's not an exact science!

80 PERCENT
Drew Doughty

50 PERCENT
Jonathan Bernier
Alec Martinez

40 PERCENT
Thomas Hickey

30 PERCENT
Oscar Moller
Colten Teubert
Viatcheslav Voynov

20 PERCENT
Andrei Loktionov
Wayne Simmonds
Jeff Zatkoff

10 PERCENT
Justin Azevedo
Josh Kidd
Bud Holloway
Geordie Wudrick

5 PERCENT
Bryan Cameron
Andrew Campbell
Mike D'Orazio
Davis Drewiskie
Matt Fillier
Dwight King
Olivier Legault
Linden Rowat

This got posted a couple weeks back, but for those who might need the information, the Kings will start rookie-camp practices in El Segundo on Saturday. The players will practice from 9:15-10:30 a.m., then scrimmage from 10:30-11:30 a.m. The schedule is the same for Sunday and Monday, except that Sunday's scrimmage lasts 15 minutes longer. Tuesday is the rookie game in Phoenix (6 p.m.) that will be webcast on lakings.com and Wednesday is the second rookie game. Training camp opens on Friday, Sept. 19. I'll attach the rookie-camp roster...

A couple things from the Kings...

First, their annual charity golf tournament will be held Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Conference Resort in City of Industry beginning at 10:30 a.m. From the Kings... ``A field of 36 teams will compete in a scramble format. Prizes will be awarded at nearly every hole. The day concludes with a cocktail reception, "Feast for Kings" dinner, an exciting awards ceremony and an exceptional silent auction. Foursomes and Individual Spots start at just $1,500. For more information or if you have any questions, contact Jennifer Weinstein at jweinstein@lakings.com or call 310-535-4466.''

Also, the Kings and Ducks are partnering on a ticket plan. From the Kings... ``Beginning on Friday, September 12, at 10 a.m., Southern California hockey/sports fans can purchase the "Freeway Face-Off" package, which features one game ticket for both the Kings-Ducks game at STAPLES Center on October 14 and the Ducks-Kings game at the Honda Center on November 16. Packages are priced at $60 (ticket locations are upper center for the game at STAPLES Center and Terrace Goal for the game at the Honda Center) and can be purchased via LAKings.com, anaheimducks.com, 1-888-KINGS-LA and 1-877 WILD WING. In addition, the Kings will also kick off an individual game purchase pre-sale for all 2008-09 regular season home games on Saturday, September 13, at 10 a.m. For all information, log onto LAKings.com.''

To wrap things up, Terry Murray talks about the importance of forechecking and also sums up some of his general thoughts about team play. He gets very detailed at one point about forechecking, neutral-zone play, etc. I hope everyone found the details of the GM breakfast helpful. Here's the last part...

Here, Terry Murray talks about his offensive philosophies, and his thoughts on how the Kings can be a higher-scoring team and be tougher at the same time...

Finishing up the stuff from the GM breakfast, Terry Murray gave a long answer regarding his philosophies and how the Kings will play under his command. To simplify things, I've decided to break it into three parts: defense, offense and forechecking. First, here's what Murray had to say about the importance of establishing a strong defense, which was his major theme throughout the breakfast...

There have been questions in the past about Staples Center scheduling and which teams, if any, get preference when multiple games are scheduled on the same date. The Kings have five such conflicts this season, all involving ``doubleheaders'' with the Clippers. In four of those cases, the Kings have the afternoon game while the Clippers have the night game. The only exception is Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Clippers host Golden State at 12:30 p.m. and the Kings host Nashville at 7:30 p.m.

What does it mean? I'm not sure. Does a game time really matter on a Saturday or Sunday? I'd be curious to get your thoughts. I've been led to believe, by Staples Center folks, that the hockey-to-basketball transition is easier/quicker than the basketball-to-hockey move, but is that the whole reason? It's interesting to note that there are five Lakers-Clippers ``doubleheaders'' this season, and the Lakers have the late game four times. The only exception is March 15, when the Lakers have a nationally televised afternoon game against Dallas.

Derek Armstrong, Dustin Brown, Kyle Calder and Denis Gauthier participated in a taping of ``The Price Is Right'' on Tuesday. The show has a scheduled air date of Nov. 5. Greg Wyshynski chronicled the, uh, event on his Yahoo.com blog. I think I'll just let this explain itself...

Photo Expedition: LA Kings c'mon down to 'Price is Right'

The Kings are still looking at a trade as their best option to add a defenseman, but should they shift their focus to the free-agent route, the names they're looking at would include Jassen Cullimore, Bret Hedican, Keith Carney, Marek Malik and Nolan Pratt. They would also take another look at Danny Markov and perhaps even Aaron Miller. Keep in mind, though, that a trade is still far more likely. These are just names that would be considered.

The next time you think things look grim for the Kings, keep in mind the Bulgarian women's hockey team, which lost to Slovakia 82-0 on Saturday.

Bulgaria gives up 139 shots on goal in 82-0 women's hockey loss

Lombardi and Hextall made it clear at the GM breakfast that the Kings are still actively pursuing a veteran defenseman. From what I'm hearing, those talks could get particularly intense this week, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a deal get done.

The names? Anaheim's Mathieu Schneider is one the Kings are seriously considering. Other names under consideration would be San Jose's Kyle McLaren, Florida's Karlis Skrastins, Nashville's Greg de Vries, St. Louis' Jay McKee and Pittsburgh's Darryl Sydor. There's one more name out there that might surface as a real option in the next couple days, but as always these talks are pretty fluid.

Lombardi was asked a question about his labeling of certain players as ``bridge'' players and, essentially, whether he risked marginalizing those players by indicating that they weren't really a part of the team's future. Lombardi spent the first part of his answer trying to identify whether any of the current Kings fit that description, then tried to clarify what he means when he talks about ``bridge'' players...

Here's what Terry Murray had to say about how he plans to help develop the Kings' young defensemen...

MURRAY: Mark Hardy is now back with the L.A. Kings, working with us. He was a defenseman for years and a good coach. It's now our job, to work with the young guys, develop their individual skillS, through small groups on the ice, video sessions, communication and small-group meetings, and to put that team in place. One thing they need to know... If you're going to be a good defenseman in this league, you can only play as well as the team structure that's in place.

You have to have help from your forwards. It takes five guys on the ice, six guys with the goalie, to play well in the defensive part of the game. That's the plan and that's the style that we have to have in place. That's the philosophy that we have to have all these young guys and the veterans buy into, that they're going to play hard for each other. When that foundation is there, then you see the young guys, their true talent and their abilities will start to come out. Then you'll see much better hockey players, individually, as the season goes on, because of the structure that's going to be laid down in training camp.

The Kings have announced their TV and radio schedules for the 2008-09 season. Sixty-eight of the Kings' 82 games will be televised by FSN or Prime Ticket -- three Kings-Ducks games will be done by the Ducks' crew -- and all 82 games will be broadcast on the Kings' radio network. The TV broadcasts will be followed by the ``Kings Live'' show and 10 games will be shown in high definition (they didn't announce which games). The radio network includes the flagship, 1150-AM in Los Angeles, plus: Santa Clarita, KHTS 1220 AM; Ventura, KVTA 1520 AM; Palmdale/Lancaster, KOSS 1380 AM; Banning, KMET 1490 AM; Bakersfield, KGEO 1230 AM and Ridgecrest, KLOA 1240 AM. Preseason games will also be on the radio, with the exception of the Sept. 22 game at Staples Center. The preseason game in Kansas City, on the same day, will be on the radio. The entire TV schedule follows...

Take this for what it's worth, but I'm told, by a credible source, that Patrick O'Sullivan's representatives initially sought an average of $4 million per season. That's hard to put into context unless we know what the Kings' initial offer was, but I'm told that the sides have come closer together in recent weeks.

(ADD: My understanding is that at $4 million a year, it would be a short-term contract they were seeking.)

This is the answer that I alluded to the other day, in which Lombardi was asked to evaluate himself and gave a long and winding answer. It might be a bit difficult to follow at times, but I thought people would be interested in the response, since I believe it's the first time Lombardi has ever talked publicly about things he would have done differently...

Somebody felt compelled to ask about my very favorite topic, the wild trade rumors of this summer. I could go into a long rant about the importance of following credible sources, but here's what Lombardi had to say...

``They had a report... They're going to trade Kopitar to Chicago for Khabibulin, so they can get to the floor. Now, somebody actually wrote that in a quote-unquote credible newspaper, which then set off bells and whistles. That is so ludicrous. When I look at that, I say, at least I'm sitting in this seat and I know how stupid that is. But somebody writes it. I'm thinking, what in the world is on the front page? Do the important things in the world follow the same thing? Because, boy, that's pretty scary, to think that somebody who is supposed to be credible would throw that out there. When I see that, that's just playing the public, throwing that crap so they can get a reaction. I laugh it off, but then I think, does that happen in the other sections of the newspaper? But anyway, that's absurd, don't worry about that.''

A question was asked about the Visnovsky trade, and why the Kings dealt Visnovsky so quickly after seemingly designating him as a ``franchise player'' going forward. For the first part of his answer, Lombardi went to his age-distribution chart and talked the fans through his opinion of why the trade made sense, from a standpoint of making the defense younger. He also spoke about the financial side of the deal and Hextall talked about why he felt the trade made sense from an on-ice standpoint...

Back to one of everyone's favorite subjects, here's what Jeff Solomon and Dean Lombardi had to say about the Patrick O'Sullivan contract negotiations. Funny thing is, they actually begged for a question for Solomon, since apparently none where asked of him at a similar event last summer. He had to figure this one was coming... In this answer, Solomon goes into some specifics about how negotiations like these can get complicated, and Lombardi gives another impassioned ``warning'' to rival GMs who might try to poach the Kings' restricted free agents in the future. After Lombardi finished, Bob Miller, always ready with the straight line, said, ``Thank you, Clint.'' You'll understand when you read the end of Lombardi's answer...

Picking up the Q&A, Terry Murray was asked about the development of young players and the concern that, in the last couple years, young players too often were forced to defer to veterans. Here's what Murray had to say, and he also explained his thoughts on leadership and how he would like it to take shape on the Kings this season...

The quotes from Saturday's GM breakfast will resume very soon, but to start the morning I wanted to give a big hello and thanks to the good folks at the Hollywood Curling Club. I went to their ``open house'' last night and had a great time. It's a very fun, encouraging group, and if you have the slightest interest in curling -- some of us got hooked during the 2006 Olympics -- I highly encourage you to come out to one of their beginner clinics, which will be held on the next two Sunday nights at the Valley Ice Center in Panorama City.

Hollywood Curling Club

Terry Murray was asked about the schedule and the fact that the Kings have so many home games at the beginning and so many road games at the end. He said, in part, ``I don't know anything about scheduling; I just coach. ... I know that if you finish low in the standings, you're going to get a crappy schedule. That's well known throughout the game and throughout sports, I think. We have to ignore what the schedule is. ... Our goal is to win every game. That's how we have to approach the season. We're going to battle and be the best we can be every night.'' Noting that games typically get tougher after the all-star break, Murray said, ``We just have to deal with it and not worry about what building we're in.''

OK, picking up the Q&A from yesterday, here's a monster. The panel was asked about team pride and morale, and how there didn't seem to be enough of it last season. The answer follows. If you intend to read the whole thing, make sure you schedule yourself regular breaks, to do things such as eat, sleep, mail Christmas cards and watch the 2009 and 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. I can't be sure if these guys will ultimately build a winning franchise, but they sure can talk. Hopefully, you'll find it to be a worthwhile read regarding their views on how to build a winning franchise...

Another popular topic of discussion has been the presumed need for the Kings to get bigger and tougher on defense. In this answer, Lombardi discusses the need to improve in that area and talks about how the Kings are starting to accomplish it. He also his describes his model for defensive success, the one put together by the Dallas Stars, and talks about how the Kings' version is starting to take form.

Believe it or not, the topic of goaltending came up! Here, Lombardi discusses the need for patience with the young goalies and cautions the questioner not to just focus on Jonathan Bernier. The question was, in part, whether Bernier would be ready for the NHL this season. Lombardi discusses Bernier and Jon Quick and talks about his experiences bringing along young goalies in San Jose.

Kicking off some of the Q&A, here's what Dean Lombardi had to say about who he thinks will be the teams to beat in the Western Conference, and who is primarily on the Kings' radar...

A huge turnout this morning in El Segundo. A team official said they were planning for around 500 people but got upwards of 200 more than they counted on. The panel featured GM Dean Lombardi, coach Terry Murray, assistant GM Ron Hextall and director of hockey operations Jeff Solomon, and Bob Miller served as emcee. The questions were wide-ranging, the topics familiar to anyone who reads this blog regularly. I told Lombardi a couple days ago that he would get a question about the Kings ``moving to Kansas City.'' Sure enough...

I have a lot of stuff to expand upon today and tomorrow, but a brief summary of some of the topics...

-- Goalies/defense. Lombardi said there was no pre-determined plan about goalies going into training camp and that they would let the situation play out. On the topic of defensive toughness, Lombardi noted that the younger guys, specifically Teubert, will take care of that need, and noted that Jack Johnson has bulked up to 225 pounds this summer.

-- On the topic of how to build/improve team morale, Lombardi talked about the importance of home-grown players, players who grow up feeling loyal to the organization. Murray expanded on that and shared his experiences with the Philadelphia Flyers, a team, he said, that struggled with camaraderie after it imported a lot of players and didn't improve until the young players took ownership of the team. Murray also discussed the need for structure and a defense-based system. Hextall related his experiences as a Flyer and said he always felt loyalty to that team, and described how a player such as Dustin Brown will feel like a King for life.

-- Murray was asked about the difficult schedule and said he wouldn't worry about it. He made an interesting point, that the teams with the worst records always get the short end of the scheduling stick the next season. I've never seen that studied. It would be interesting to look at.

-- Murray was asked about the importance of young players not always deferring to veterans. He agreed that there sometimes was a tendency for young players ``not to break through,'' which sometimes is accompanied by veterans not willing to let the kids step into leadership roles. He talked about the importance of having a strong leadership group and helping the young players grow as team leaders.

-- Solomon was asked about Patrick O'Sullivan (surprise, surprise) and said ``discussions are ongoing.'' Solmon sought to explain the long negotiating period by explaining that, from the Kings' perspective, O'Sullivan's contract is just one of 20 that need to fit together. He discussed the importance of a multi-year contract and said talks have involved contracts ranging from two to five years. He also mentioned how an agent's strategy is also to try to wait until the last minute. Lombardi brought up his threat to other GMs, that the Kings wouldn't hesitate to start handing out offer sheets if teams tried to grab their restricted free agents. In his words, ``Go ahead and make my day.''

-- Lombardi was asked about the Visnovsky trade. He pulled his first favorite charts for all to see and explained why he thought the trade made sense. He said it ``was not an indictment of the player'' and explained that Visnovsky's salary over the next two or three years could have been problematic to the Kings' plans. He also went over the age-distribution chart and explained the Kings' attempt to get younger on the blue line. Hextall added that while he likes Visnovsky, he's not a big defenseman, and the trade helped reshape the defense a bit.

-- A question was asked about front-ending contracts, and if they took motivation away from players. Both Lombardi and Hextall said it wasn't a problem. Lombardi said players don't care about something like that and explained why it's important for the Kings to do sometimes, in order to keep financial stability down the road. Hextall added that the Kings wouldn't sign a player such as Jarret Stoll if they thought he was only interested in money.

-- Lombardi got asked about everyone's favorite rumors. No, he wasn't talking to Chicago about Kopitar. No, they aren't moving to Kansas City. Is there any chance we can put these to rest now?

-- Lombardi got asked a series of questions that required him to evaluate himself. Personally, I thought the answer was fascinating, and it will definitely be something I go deeper into in the next day or so. He talked at length about building the right way and how, for a while, he was at risk of getting away from his own strategy. He says he's now on the right path and gave a number of reasons why he thinks the Kings are doing things the right way, most of which centered on the acquisition and development of draft picks.

-- Hextall talked about the young defensemen and noted that they will have two strong tutors in Murray and Mark Hardy, both former NHL defensemen. Murray echoed those sentiments and noted that once these prospects are deemed ready to compete for a NHL job, it's up to the coaches to develop them into NHL players.

-- Lombardi was asked about signing ``bridge'' players, and if sticking them with such a designation made them feel less important. Lombardi said he didn't think anyone on the team fit that category right now. He said he believes it's important for veteran additions to understand their role and understand that they're no longer the focus of the team. He said older players can be very valuable if they understand their roles.

-- Murray was asked about his preferred style of play, and didn't get into specifics but gave a broad overview. He stressed the importance of lowering the Kings' goals-against average. He talked about solid defensive-zone coverage and the importance of getting players to ``buy in'' to the importance of checking. He said he wanted the Kings to be one of the NHL's top five teams in terms of 5-on-5 scoring. He talked about the need to go hard to the net and score ``garbage goals'' with hard work and he talked about the importance of forechecking.

-- Finally, Lombardi took the fans on a guided tour of the Kings' draft history, a grim tour. He sought to illustrate that while previous regimes might have talked about building from within, nobody had truly tried to before. He went, decade by decade, through the draft history and pointed out all the players the Kings lost because they traded draft picks. His final message was a request for patience and he told fans, ``Don't jump off too early.''

I hope that's a good overview. As I said, I have much more specific quotes from all of these guys that I'll get to as soon as possible.

I expect to have a full report from the ``breakfast'' with Lombardi and Murray a bit later...

You might have taken note of the fact that the Kings have yet to officially announce the signing of Jarret Stoll. The reason? There's a question about how much money Stoll will actually earn each season. His salary-cap hit will be $3.6 million over each of the next four seasons, and that won't change. The question is, how much cash will Stoll actually pocket each season?

The difference? Dean Lombardi operates off a ``cash'' budget each year, rather than simply the salary-cap figure we're all familiar with. The Kings are operating on a cash budget of roughly $40 million this season. The salary-cap number can, and almost certainly will, be higher. Because of the way the Kings' roster is structured this season, and because players such as Kopitar and Johnson will soon be due significant raises, the Kings are looking to ``front-load'' Stoll's contract, and give him more money in the first year, so that they can conserve budget space over the next three years. I hope that made sense...

Well, sort of. The Kings aren't commenting on the record regarding the report that the KHL is displeased with the signings of Andrei Loktionov and Vjateslav Voinov. (That's the AP's spelling of his name, which is now the FOURTH version of his name I've seen.) Privately, they don't believe there's anything to the KHL's allegations that the players were under contract in Russia at the time the Kings signed them.

Also, the Kings are very impressed with both players, off the ice. Both players signed and gave the Kings the option to send them wherever they choose, including North American junior hockey. Voinov (or is it Voynov?) never went back to Russia after the draft. He has stayed in Canada and is working out there. Loktionov has been in Los Angeles, living at least part of the time with Alexander Frolov and taking English immersion classes four hours a day.

The Kings aren't ready to comment on Stoll's signing just yet, because they're finalizing the particulars of how much cash he will get each year. The cap hit is expected to be $3.6 million per season.

That leaves the Kings with restricted free agents Patrick O'Sullivan and Brad Richardson. One thing I'm told is that the Kings don't want to settle for signing O'Sullivan to a one-year contract. It won't solve their long-term issue and they think it sets a bad precedent for the other young players whose contracts will be up soon. So they will continue to work toward a long-term contract with O'Sullivan.

The Associated Press reports the following today:

``A newly formed Russian hockey league accused the NHL of poaching two of its players when the Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms with two draft prospects last week.
As a result, the Continental Hockey League (KHL), announced Thursday that it was no longer obligated to abide by a moratorium reached in July, when the leagues agreed against signing players that were under contract.''

The full story follows...

Jarret Stoll's contract will actually be four years, $14.4 million. Just a mild difference. I'm expecting some comment from Dean Lombardi later today.

Sportsnet has reported that the Kings have signed Jarret Stoll to a four-year, $14-million contract. Still waiting for confirmation from the Kings...

Let's go ahead and start posting questions for a Dean Lombardi Q&A. I don't know exactly when it will take place, but as always, I'll do my best to ask a cross-section of your questions. With the start of training camp just around the corner, it's a good chance to get the GM's thoughts about a variety of subjects...

The Vancouver Sun has reported that former Kings associate coach Mike Johnston, a finalist for the job that went to Terry Murray, will be hired as general manager and head coach of the Portland Winter Hawks of the junior-level Western Hockey League.

Matt Ellis was the subject of a story in his hometown paper, the Welland Tribune. Ellis talks about how he's glad to be a part of the Kings organization, even though he left a winning organization in Detroit (via waivers last season) and he's not assured a roster spot with the Kings.

Ellis said, ``Last year going into Detroit I knew I'd be battling for a job. This year, the whole Kings organization (has) new faces ... they cleaned house with the coaching staff. ... Going into this situation, it's again about making a new first impression. I'm excited to get down there and seeing what (Kings head coach) Terry Murray is all about, get acquainted with some of the new faces and take it from there.''

King in waiting

The picture, by the way, is from the Welland paper. Ellis is working out in his hometown, wearing Kings gear.

Back from a few days away...hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. Looks as though there will be yet another goalie in the training-camp mix for the Kings. The Calgary Sun reported today that 20-year-old goalie Marty Jones of the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen has been invited to Kings training camp. Jones had an 18-8-1 record and a 2.12 goals-against average last season.

Veteran goalie in su-Spence

With training camp just around the corner, we'll start preparing here with some team preview stuff and, at some point soon, an in-depth Q&A with Dean Lombardi.