alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Here’s the recap of today’s GM breakfast with Dean Lombardi, Ron Hextall and Jeff Solomon. I’m just going to recap and summarize it, because to record and transcribe everything would probably be too much for everyone. Plus, these meetings are intended as a benefit for season-ticket holders, so they should get the benefit of the entire experience. This, though, should give you a good idea of what was said…
– First question referenced Chicago’s “big splash” signing of Marian Hossa last summer and asked if the Kings would do something similar this season, with a reference — it took all of about 20 seconds for the name to come up — to Ilya Kovalchuk. Lombardi turned the question around and asked fans “How much money?” and “How many years?” to try to illustrate the complexity of signing a big-name player in the salary-cap era. Lombardi didn’t back away from the idea of a big signing/trade but said, “If you’re going to give that type of money to one player, he’s got to be the whole package.” Lombardi also discussed the need to have a signing fit within the salary structure, in terms of re-signing young players whose contracts will soon be up.
– Next question was a passionate statement taking the Kings to task for not having a pregame ceremony honoring their Olympians last night. Lombardi and Hextall both said the idea had been discussed internally, and both said they were mindful of having the Olympians’ focus be solely on the Kings going forward. Hextall said, “To go back to the Olympic thing might have been a little bit of a step back for the players.” Both men noted that a video tribute was done for the players during the game.
– Next question was about the possibility of moving the trade deadline to February. Lombardi said the issue had been discussed at GM meetings, and said he understands the theory of wanting to reduce the number of “rental” players but said, “The more you move it [the deadline] up, the less action you’re going to have,” because teams will still consider themselves in the playoff race and won’t be willing to designate themselves as “sellers.”
– Next question was whether Patrick O’Sullivan was available the trade deadline. Lombardi said, “I can’t talk about specific names. It’s not fair to the players.”
– Next question was about the status of injured prospects Trevor Lewis and Thomas Hickey. Hextall said Lewis returned from his shoulder injury last night for Manchester and that Hickey and Andrei Loktionov are recovering from their shoulder injuries and could be back on the ice within the next 10 days. A late-March return would put both players in line with the original estimates.
– Next question was about whether the Kings might call up Jonathan Bernier this season. Lombardi explained how after last season, when Bernier sulked during the first half of the season, Bernier’s play and attitude have been very strong this season. Lombardi said, “In a perfect world, quite frankly, Jon spends the entire year in Manchester,” and explained the plan at the start was for Bernier to play a full season there and hopefully make a playoff run. Lombardi and Solomon explained that, after the trade deadline, a team can only make four call-ups — other than for emergency purposes — and the Kings have already used one (Scott Parse) so they’re unlikely to make a call-up simply to “get a look” at a player.
– Next question was about which current prospects are faring well. Lombardi and Hextall went through a long list of junior and AHL players. Names mentioned were Brayden Schenn, Brandon Kozun, Kyle Clifford, Linden Vey, Loktionov, Alec Martinez, Viatcheslav Voynov, Andrew Campbell, Hickey, Oscar Moller, Lewis, Corey WElkins, Dwight King, Marc-Andre Cliche and Kevin Westgarth. Hextall, in particular, pointed out Westgarth as a player who has made strides in his all-around game.
– Next question was about why the Kings didn’t require a “reliable” backup goalie before the deadline and whether they thought enough of Erik Ersberg to keep him as the No. 2 guy. Lombardi said he looked at the possibility of adding a goalie but didn’t see a clear upgrade on the market. Lombardi pointed out that Ersberg has been put in tough situations — “Sit for two months, then go play against Heatley, Marleau and Thornton — but left open the possibility that Bernier would see time if Quick should get injured, for instance.
– Next question was about Lombardi’s famous “boxes” and “charts” and essentially asked how close he was to having them filled. Lombardi gave a long, winding answer that essentially boiled down to, “We do everything well, but every segment of our team has to be better … for us to be elite.” Essentially, Lombardi was saying that the boxes are currently filled, but he’s always looking for ways to improve or tweak what he has. Lombardi used Rich Clune as a example, saying that four months ago, he wouldn’t have been a part of the plan, but now he is. Lombardi said his plan is to “do this and sustain it,” and said he rejected the idea that the salary-cap era has created a situation in which teams only have a narrow window to win.
– Next question was about the possibility of signing Drew Doughty long term. Solomon said the Kings can’t talk to Doughty about an extension until July 1 but talked about the mutual affection between Doughty and the Kings and said he doesn’t “see anything in the future that is going to stand between that relationship.”
– Next question was about Terry Murray’s tendency to frequently change line combinations. Hextall, while saying he didn’t want to speak for Murray, pointed out that Justin Williams’ injury had put the lines in flux and said that line combinations are “a day-to-day evaluation” for a coach. Hextall added that even during the Kings’ nine-game winning streak, there were games that they didn’t play particularly well, and that a coach is always mindful of searching for the right combinations.
– Next question was about why the Kings didn’t acquire a puck-moving defenseman at the deadline. Lombardi agreed that it’s an area that “needs to improve,” but said the biggest improvement can come from the continued improvement of Doughty and Jack Johnson. In terms of the deadline, Lombardi rhetorically asked, “Who’s available?” and said that puck-moving defensemen are typically drafted, not traded for. “It’s like free agency,” Lombardi said. “People say, `Go get somebody.’ Well, put the names down. Who is out there?”’
– Next question was about Jonathan Quick, the poor puck-handling skills he showed in the past couple games, and “how to get back to his original game.” Hextall said, “You’ve got to be real careful when you dissect his game. … From the start of the year, he’s done an absolutely outstading job.” Hextall said he was sure that Quick would own up to his recent errors but that Quick is “probably the least of our worries right now.” Hextall referred to Quick’s recent play as part of the “normal ups and downs” of a season.
– Next question was about Lombardi’s “rift” with Jack Johnson — regarding the comments Lombardi made about the University of Michigan — and whether it would negatively impact the relationship. Lombardi said, “Trust me, we’re fine.” Lombardi said that he had made a mistake in not “laying down ground rules” and designating his comments as off the record, but reiterated that he had been attempting to illustrate how far Johnson has come. “He knows I’m his biggest fan,” Lombardi said.
– Next question was about “what to do with Justin Williams,” who the questioner said “has not been consistent, just consistently hurt.” Lombardi brought up Mike Ricci, whom Lombardi said had a history of injuries before San Jose acquired him but stayed healthy with the Sharks. Lombardi drew a distinction between being injured and being hurt, and said he had no doubt that Williams is willing to play hurt. “A lot of guys don’t get hurt,” Lombardi said, “but they also don’t say `boo’ to someone if they’re 10 feet away.”
– Next question was about the players acquired at the trade deadline and why they were brought in. Lombardi said Jeff Halpern and Fredrik Modin brought size, experience and penalty-kill ability. “These were things we thought we could address without getting into our top prospects,” Lombardi said. He added that he felt Moller and Cliche were better off playing big minutes in Manchester right now.
– Next question was about why the Kings don’t use their ECHL affiliate in Ontario the way that the Ducks do. Lombardi pointed out that the Ducks don’t have their own AHL affiliate and that San Jose uses its ECHL affiliate to more easily move players around while they try to stay under the salary cap. Lombardi said he would consider using Ontario more in the future. The same questioner asked about Lombardi signing a contract extension. Lombardi turned to a team employee and joked, “Can we get that for the website?”
– Next question was about Lombardi’s experience with the U.S. Olympic team and what it meant to him. Lombardi spoke passionately about his love for his country and said, “To be able to put my heart and soul into this country, even in a small way, was an honor.” Lombardi called his work for the team a “small token” and joked that, “As Brian Burke said, my two-page scouting reports on a player probably went a little overboard.”
– Next question was about how much say Lombardi, as GM, has on the day-to-day decisions. Lombardi talked about it being a “fine line” and said, “You certainly talk to your coach, but in the end, he has to make the call and you have to support him.” Lombardi added, “I’ll make recommendations to Murph and, to his credit, he will listen. Some coaches will go the other way, just to prove they’re in charge.” Lombardi stressed the importance of a coach and GM being “on the same page.”
– Next question was a “thank you” to Lombardi for bringing the NHL Draft to L.A. this June. Lombardi said the thanks should go to Luc Robitaille and joked that, “We could have had Kovalchuk, but Luc wouldn’t let me trade the first-rounder.” It was a joke. Really.
From there, I went inside to watch practice, but the session didn’t last much longer. I know Lombardi’s “closer” was one of his charts, so next time you’ll have to go the GM breakfast to experience that!
the highlight for me was when Lombardi called Clune “the Clunatic” – lol
Lewis came back in time to be a -2 in a 2-1 OT loss.
@Will Hutchison, And neither goal against had anything to do with him.
Rich – great report – example of how valuable you are to all the Kings fans who don’t have season tix
Thanks for the recap Rich, that’s a lot of typing you did and much appreciated. Stay the course Deano, stay the course……….
…and that was the *short* version!
Hey Rich Great job. As a kings fan in toronto its great to hear these behind the scene write ups
Keep up the great work
@Quattro, that’s good! hadn’t heard that one before. describes him well. I guess when he goes to the penalty box, he’s in the cluney bin!
Who here speaks Lombardi? Because I don’t understand this line about JW:
“A lot of guys don’t get hurt,” Lombardi said, “but they also don’t say `boo’ to someone if they’re 10 feet away.”
Thanks for the recap Rich. Good stuff. I never knew NHL teams were limited to only 4 call ups after the trade deadline.
Speaking of Kings prospects, and I posted this the other day, you guys can all watch 2 of the Kings prospects tonight on the NHL Network. The network is going to air it’s first regular season CHL game tonight starting at 4pm Pacific with the Calgary Hitmen hosting Saskatoon. Martin Jones and Brandon Kozun play for Calgary. Not sure if Jones will be their starting goalie though as I don’t follow them that regularly.
@wavesinair,
I believe the context was illustrating the difference between a player like Williams — who most recently got hurt while battling for the puck behind the net — and a player who would hesitate to put himself in a risky position (simply playing on the perimeter, etc). Then again, I haven’t completed my master’s in Lombardian language studies…
“I never knew NHL teams were limited to only 4 call ups after the trade deadline.”
Me either. I assume that means 4 players max can come up, as opposed to 4 transactions…? Or both.
Jones had a shutout just last night so I kinda doubt he plays today.
This was my first opportunity to go as a season holder, but unfortunately I couldn’t make it.
Thanks for the recap Rich!
Now all I really missed was the food.
@wavesinair,
Translation: some players don’t get hurt because they’re not willing to pay the price. i.e. “if you don’t get hurt, you’re not doing it right.”
@Carey,
Which is why +/- is a misleading stat at best…completely useless at worst.
Reporter *and* official DL translator. Nice!
Thanks for clearing that up. If that’s what he meant, I agree. JW doesn’t hesitate for a second to get in there. Unfortunately, some guys just have a nack for getting hurt.
“Now all I really missed was the food.”
You weren’t missing much.
…another Lombardian translator. Can never have enough of them. Thx.
@Paul From Oxnard,
Jones will play, Saskatoon is only 6 points behind Calgary for the division lead. A Calgary win will basically kill the hopes of Saskatoon of catching Calgary.
When Lombardi asked the questioner “How much would you pay Kovalchuk?”, someone behind be muttered “As much as Leiwekie”
And they just said Jones has 3 straight shutouts and is playing the best they’ve seen.
Conspicuously absent were questions about and discussion of the status of Frolov for next year.
@Mike,
Probably not much that can be said, anyway. The last public comment that I saw from DL suggested that there were no immediate plans for negotiations with Frolov’s agent. Sounds to me like they’re not going to get down to business until after the season.
I’m surprised that no one asked about it, though.
excited about the growth of westgarth’s game.
he didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know good job rich trying to ask him some questions i would have asked but i agree we need cap space to sign our rookies like drew and other guys like fro and johnson but i still disagree with the elite players we got some already kopi and drew but would love to see a star come through a trade or a signing but kings have never done that except for #99 would be nice to see a 30-40 goal scorer but not in kings history to do those trades so not really expecting DL to make a impact this summer.
Now to get to our current roster i love it! Love how Modin has played and nice goal. The team is in a little slump and hopefully we bounce back before the wings and ducks catch up to us but everything has been and still looks good down in the minors.
ANY UPDATE ON HICKEY??
@wavesinair, I think Rich misheard (or DL misspoke). I think DL meant to say, “A lot of guys don’t get hurt, but [those guys just] say “boo” to someone when they’re 10 feet away.”
“…only make four call-ups — other than for emergency purposes — and the Kings have already used one…”
that’s crazy!
I see Parse being the odd man out when JW returns.
I agree Mike about your Frolov comment.
Ya, Parse is definitely the odd man out when Williams returns, Clune might be sent down for Lewis, I doubt it though
@DougS, LOL, no one asked about it because they already knew his position… From reading this blog!
@AK47, Clune will stay..his toughness is needed plus he doesn’t seem to be a liability defensively or take stupid penalties.
No one appreciated the Circle of Identity? That was my favorite part, even though it looked a lot like curling rings. Lombardi described the importance of core players (the four foot), role players (the eight foot), and talented players with perhaps a few question marks (the twelve foot). Our problem in the past is most of our guys were corner guards.
@wavesinair, the most important point here was that DL said JW is willing to play hurt and has been working his butt off to come back early.
@wavesinair, Solly said that it was 4 transactions unless it was an emergency situation. The emergency situation consisted of having less than 12 forwards, 6 Defencemen, or two goalies. The cap rules still apply under the emergency situation.
@Surly Jacob (JDM), just buy yourself a pack of box of Svenhardts.
@ducksuck, Hex said that he and Lokti were about a week to 10 days away.
@Darrell, I love your analogy. I’d like to add that the Kings often had too many paint cans filled with cement and too few stones.
Thanks for the update, Rich. As a season ticket holder who lives in the Valley, I keep wishing they would hold this event somewhere more convenient (Staples Center, even). It’s too tough for me to get down there on a weekend morning, so the recap is appreciated.
Rich
You should translate for DL more often.If we just get the good stuff then there won’t be any controversy.
Just to add a little by talking about the mood in the room.
When DL asked the question asker who wanted the Kings to make a big splash this summer, “How much do you want to pay him?”, the guy responded 10M. DL then asked for how many years, and the guy said 7 years. Most of the fans, maybe 80%, groaned with disagreement. One of the later questions askers ended up defering his question to make a statement. He said, “We (the fans) are seeing improvement, STAY THE COURSE”, which recieved an ovation.
Another interesting situation was DL appearing to take all of the wrist shot questions and defering the slapshot questions to DL. The biggest was on not having an Olympic ceremony before the game. DL and Hex spent 10 minutes answering this question. It was obvious that upper management had spent many hours debating this one back and forth. I am glad they had a great send off.
At one point while DL was answering a question, he said maybe I am giving too much information. I got burned by a blogger once. Everyone laughed, but DL did seem to hold back a little bit in some of his answers.
DL mentioned that the team toughness was not yet where he wanted it to be, but it was getting there.
The question on DLs contract was a serious one. DL has made few major errors in leading this rebuild. Could we lose him? I think there is a chance we lose Hex also, especially as he went through the prospect list. Our picks are developing well and fast. Hex did not even mention Holloway, Man’s leading scorer. He was in Ontario most of last season, and now he is the top scorer on one of the best monor league teams. He did give a special mention to King, who started the season in Ontario. He also gave special mention to Clifford. Which brings up what would have been a great question, if DL is worried about imitation. I picked Vey last draft and RLR’s scouting report on Clifford was basically, third round talent, first round character, don’t be surprised if he goes a few picks into the second round.
The charts were okay, he compared our rebuild to Chicago’s and said we were ahead of schedule compared to their 7 year full rebuild. That was not really reassuring considering they just gave away their best young defenceman.
The next topic was about having the youngest core (top pairing Dmen, top line, #1 goalie) in the league. And it was an excellant point. Again, I believe other teams are going to follow this theme. That is going to limit the late bloomers and 4 year college guys.
Finally, he spoke about the team building it’s idenity. How the 13 guys working out over summer was a big step.
A little bit hair tonic salesman, a little bit revival preacher and a whole lot of pride in what the players have done this year. Good stuff
PS the hardest working player at practice was RI.
@jet,
best news of the meeting…Manchester is getting some help
@jet,
80% groaned at 70 mill,but he’s a superstar.Maybe most bloggers aren’t season ticket holders.Thanks,great stuff.
PS who took the slapshots and who took the wristers?
thanks rich great read.
@Dominick,
And how much has he helped the Devils?? Shut out again last night …
@Dominick, I meant to say DL took the wristers and let Hex take the slapshots (tough questions). It actually became funny at one point he turned to Hex half through a question.
DL said his priority was to sign his core, Brown, JJ, DD, and Quick.
DL also said it was an easy decision not to trade for kovi once Atlanta told him the players they wanted. He talked about the public relations problem NJ will have this summer. After explaining everything it was clearly the wise choice not to take on Kovi.
Thanks, Rich.
Let me just say that as a season ticket holder, I would not mind “sharing” the benefit of the GM meeting with anyone who cares enough about the Kings to read this website (season ticket holder or not). We all have the same common goal – a Stanley Cup in LA!
Also, I had a conflict on Sunday morning, and didn’t mind having to skip the GM breakfast as I knew you would be there to report on the events. I personally would like to see a transcription of everything (there is no such thing as too much Kings info – especially when coming from Lombardi’s mouth), but I do understand if the Kings don’t want a full transcription available or if it is just too much work for you.
Thanks for all you do.
We need a win tonight. These are the type of games you have to win if you want to be a playoff team with a good seed.