Inside The Penalty Box 01.30.08: The Trading Block Of The Kings
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 01.30.2008
The Los Angeles Kings made modest moves over the offseason, and they haven’t panned out like general manager Dean Lombardi had hoped. With the playoffs seemingly out of reach, the Kings are likely to be the biggest sellers from now until the trade deadline. In this edition of Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein discusses the Kings’ being discussed as on the block, and the teams interested in acquiring them!
Los Angeles' Trade Chips
Trade Deadline Could Center Around Kings
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty Images
Rob Blake, 38, must waive his no-trade clause before being dealt by the Los Angeles Kings.
nstead of joining the group of organizations tossing ludicrous contracts at free agents during the 2007 NHL offseason, the Los Angeles Kings followed a more modest approach. Rather than handing out big money deals with six- or seven-year terms to many of this summer's available superstars, the Kings chose to sign reliable mid-tier veterans for short-term, low-investment ones.
It was a respectable method that could have worked for Los Angeles. Gifted offensive players like Ladislav Nagy and Kyle Calder were brought in to aid Alexander Frolov, Anze Kopitar and the other great, young players suiting up for the Kings in the scoring department. Defensemen like Tom Preissing and Brad Stuart came in to help round out a very fearsome defensive core already containing Rob Blake, Lubomir Visnovsky, Jack Johnson and Jaroslav Modry. The Kings even brought in defensive help for their forwards in the form of Michal Handzus, who has always been a strong two-way asset.
Only Handzus and Preissing received deals with a little bit of meat in the length of the contracts. Each received four years. But that is nothing compared to the six-, seven- and even eight-year deals handed out to top-tier talents scouring the free agent pool. None of the players brought in received more than $4 million per season, which too is a great price compared to the $6 million or more being thrown around by general mangers around the league at other players.
This was a group capable of making the playoffs. Los Angeles didn't bring in a big name player, but they brought in a collection of mid-level ones that could round the organization into a more cohesive team. The new players could join with the pre-existing ones to make the Kings a more formidable team.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, this strategy didn't work out. With the puck just dropped on the second half of the 2007-08 season, the Kings sit in last place of the Pacific Division, Western Conference and league standings. They have a 20-29-3 record and 43 points with 52 games already played. They are currently 13 points behind the surprising Phoenix Coyotes for the eighth seed in the West, something that's already far out of reach considering the competition they're up against for that spot.
There are many reasons why this system failed – underachievement and lack of goaltending the most prominent. The most productive players have been the ones Los Angeles already had on its roster prior to July 1. Kopitar ranks first with 47 points, followed by Dustin Brown's 40. Frolov comes in third with 38 points. Both Michael Cammalleri and Visnovsky have 29 points, which places them in a fourth place tie, while Patrick O'Sullivan is sixth with 27. Then comes Nagy at seventh with 26 points. Instead of joining the up-and-coming talent in Los Angeles, the acquired veterans have fallen very much behind them.
Handzus' defense is his strong suit, but he is a very capable 40-point scorer. To have only five goals and eight assists for 13 points with more than half the season gone is a bit disappointing for Los Angeles. He may have only played eight games last season, but at least he averaged a point-per-game during his brief moment in history with the Chicago Blackhawks. Plus, with a minus-18 rating, even his defense isn't shining through.
Calder appeared to have rejuvenated his play in Detroit after being traded their following a lackluster tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers. After a very rough start to the season, he only ended up with 21 points in 59 games with the Flyers before becoming a trade deadline piece to the Red Wings. There, he managed 14 points in 19 contests, showing signs that he could once again be a decent source of secondary scoring. In 43 games this season with the Kings, Calder has only been able to muster 15 points and six goals.
Preissing, who showed he could be an offensive player with the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators, is on pace to have only 25 points this season. Additionally, he has a minus-8 rating only one season after ranking third in the league with a plus-40 mark with the Senators.
Stuart is seeing a $3.5 million salary this season, but it's been years since he's been worth that kind of money. One would have to go back to his days with the Sharks, prior to being dealt as part of the Joe Thornton deal in November 2005, to see Stuart at his best. This year, he has skated the Kings' full schedule, and has only 13 points and a minus-12 rating to show for it.
Though these players were not supposed to be the face of the Kings, they were supposed to contribute a lot more than they currently have.
These failed experiments in free agents signings combine with question marks in net for a formula that had the Kings destined for trouble. The Kings gave up on Dan Cloutier by passing him through waivers and he is now in the AHL, leaving the goaltending duties on Jason LaBarbera and Jonathan Bernier. LaBarbera is a capable backup, but to count on him as a starting goalie was a very risky move. Bernier was only a rookie, and thrusting a rookie goaltender to the wolves is always a recipe for disaster. Just ask Dan Blackburn.
Bernier has since been sent back to juniors after allowing an average of four goals per game during his four appearances in net for the Kings. LaBarbera is decent, but is sporting a 2.90 goals against average through 36 games, 34 of which are starts. Jean-Sebastian Aubin has seen decent time in net for Los Angeles, as well. But in 18 games, he has only five wins and an .887 save percentage.
The Kings' goalie issues did not have to get this far. At the beginning of the season, when general manager Dean Lombardi had to know he didn't really have a qualified No. 1 netminder, he could have easily signed a veteran in the form of Curtis Joseph or a decent one-two counterpart for LaBarbera in Robert Esche. Much like the strategy employed for other free agent signings, neither goalie would have been too costly.
With making the playoff unlikely at this juncture of the season, the Kings have already been nabbed as a major player in trade deadline (and the weeks leading up to it) dealings – as sellers.
Many players in Los Angeles – mostly defensemen – are attracting quite a bit of interest around the league from possible suitors looking for that extra piece or two to help chase the Stanley Cup. Blake is the name brought up the most with perhaps the most interest, while Stuart, Preissing, Modry and even Nagy are the reasons behind some rumbling in the NHL.
Blake's potential to leave Los Angeles is probably pretty high. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he has already said he'd be willing to waive it in order to play for a team that can compete for the Cup. Lombardi's asking price is pretty high, in the realm of a player, prospect and first round draft pick according to the Ottawa Sun. But the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Senators and Red Wings are all intrigued at the idea of adding Blake to their lineups.
Even at 38 years of age, Blake is still one of the best all around defensemen in the NHL. He has a tremendous shot that makes him a big offensive threat, especially on the power play. He is also a tough player, never one to shy away from that big check. And he is able to log a ton of minutes, still.
The Red Wings interest stems heavily from a push by Chris Chelios. But they aren't in any desperate need for his services. They are the best team in the league with two leading defensemen already on their roster in Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski. Trading for Blake is hardly a necessity, and might even disrupt the chemistry the team has thus far this season. Why mess around with a good thing?
The other four teams could use Blake. The Senators don't really need him, but he could be a good presence within their top four to just make them that much better in the East, and reasonable competition against the West. The Rangers would have an upgrade in their power play quarterback status, which duties currently belong mostly to Michael Rozsival and Paul Mara. The Avalanche would not only be a likeable destination for Blake, but he would be an upgrade from the Avalanches' current top defenseman in John-Michael Liles, who has underachieved a bit as the top guy in Colorado. And the Devils are really looking for some more depth at D, and they want to bring somebody in who can handle their blue line duties on the power play. Blake's play would probably be a bit stifled in New Jersey but he would certainly make the Devils a lot more dangerous.
Another player the Devils are interested in is Stuart. Stuart would probably be less effective than Blake, but could fit in a bit more being coached by fellow Alberta-native Brent Sutter. Whether his production can improve to what it was with the Sharks is up in the air, and he definitely won't be as good of a power play quarterback as Blake either way. In that sense, it wouldn't be a headline-grabbing move. But even at a lesser level, Stuart could work out as a decent addition for added depth in New Jersey.
The Carolina Hurricanes have looked into acquiring Pressing from the Kings. According to the Toronto Sun, the Hurricanes want to bring in a puck-moving defenseman. They are lacking a bit in that department, and it would be very beneficial for the Hurricanes to bring in a player with his skill, primarily on offense. It would not be surprising if the Red Wings showed an interest in Preissing, as well, especially if they don't land Blake. A move back to Ottawa might not be out of the question, either.
While Lombardi has apparently priced out a lot of teams by inflating the value of his trade chips, the Kings are definitely in the market for a goalie. They don't have that definitive No. 1 netminder right now, which Bernier can still become with some more seasoning. But to grab a top-end starting goalie now is perfect considering the fact that the Kings have players of value to include in the return.
That means the likeliest trading partner could just be the Senators. Ray Emery is a bit out of favor in Ottawa after being late to another practice, which he was fined more than $14,000 for – a day's pay. The Senators are more than willing to ride Martin Gerber, and thus could be willing to deal Emery. The Kings would love a goaltender of Emery's caliber, even if his work ethic could use a little fine-tuning. And with Ottawa very interested in the Kings' defensive players, a reasonable deal could end up in the works between the two clubs.
For the Senators, it would be a push for the playoffs, while the Kings would have to wait to reap the benefits of their end. This season is long gone for the Los Angeles, which doesn't stand a good chance of getting back into competition for a playoff seed. Becoming sellers from now until the trade deadline is Los Angeles' likely destiny this season. And considering the team's trade chips, there are plenty of interested buyers on the NHL trade market.
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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!
nstead of joining the group of organizations tossing ludicrous contracts at free agents during the 2007 NHL offseason, the Los Angeles Kings followed a more modest approach. Rather than handing out big money deals with six- or seven-year terms to many of this summer's available superstars, the Kings chose to sign reliable mid-tier veterans for short-term, low-investment ones.
