Kings Gameday: Just Another Game…
(Quick note: there are two great posts below mine that were just posted today, so read those first. I’ll wait.)
Is anything important supposed to happen today? I don’t think so…
Anyway, the Kings play the Vancouver Canucks tonight in a game that they’ll probably lose. I’m at the point in the season where I don’t even care if they win or lose anymore as long as the young guys play well. Marc Crawford tried putting Kopitar on a line with Folov and Cammalleri. I like it, if for no other reason than it’s nice seeing the Kings’ 3 best forwards playing together. Patrick O’Sullivan has been playing the center position on the other line with Brown, and I like that too. He seems a lot more comfortable when he’s allowed to get the puck in space rather than having to dig it out of the corners. That could change the Kings’ priorities in the off-season if O’Sullivan can show that he's capable of playing center in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Sean Burke is terrible. His “attempt” to stop Patrick Marleau’s breakaway on Tuesday was one of the most pathetic things I’ve ever seen. His balance is terrible on breakaways, to the point where he can’t even get his leg extended to his glove side. I wasn’t even mad, though; I just felt sorry for him. No 40 year-old man should have to put up with this. The only person more humiliated then him was probably Mathieu Garon, who thought, “This guy’s playing ahead of me? Sacre Bleu!” (See, because he’s French-Canadian…)
At the head office, the NHL is apparently upset with GM Dean Lombardi for shenanigans he pulled while pursuing defenseman Joe Piskula. Apparently, Lombardi put in a clause in Piskula’s contract that gave him $25,000 for his 1st, 3rd, and 5th games played. The NHL isn’t happy because they think it sets a precedent where performance bonuses aren’t earned, but instead used to secretly give young players more money. Personally, I like the move. I’m sure Lombardi was looking over the CBA while he was a scout for the Flyers and noticed this loophole. Why not give it a shot? Even if the deal is voided, the Kings still have an inside track on Piskula since he's already here. Lombardi has shown before that he’s not afraid to try different ideas, like when he planned on “trading” LaBarbera to the Flyers and then picking him back up off waivers before the NHL nixed that idea. His scheme was sneaky, but it’s nevertheless pretty cool and I’m glad the Kings had the GM who thought of it first.
In other news, Yahoo! is reporting that the Kings might be interested in Glen Murray and the 4 million a year for 2 years left on his contract. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and the rumor was probably started by someone in
Dear God, no!
Prediction: The Kings will lose and I’ll head out for some meat tenderizer.
(Oh, and I won’t be posting anything until Monday, unless I decide to post something tomorrow. I’m sure all my loyal reader are disappointed, but fear not; if the Kings get scored on Sunday against the Sharks and you hear a distant “Fuck!” being carried by the wind, know that I am with you.)
4 comments:
That [Glen Murray] is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and the rumor was probably started by someone in Boston’s organization hoping that the Kings are idiots.
Hmm, where might they have got that idea? The "worst acuisition of the year" Dan Cloutier?
Yeah, the Kings would probably be idiots if they traded for Murray, but you still have to save some label of incompetence for the eventuality that they give him a 2-year, $12M extension before he plays a game.
Oh, but by all means, beat those Canucks tonight. And if you could go back in time and beat the Stars just once, that would be sweet too.
I’m sure Lombardi was looking over the CBA while he was a scout for the Flyers and noticed this loophole. Why not give it a shot? ... His scheme was sneaky, but it’s nevertheless pretty cool and I’m glad the Kings had the GM who thought of it first.
That's just Lombo being Lombo. He was doing these kind of deals all the time when he was the Sharks GM. I remember a couple of times the NHL voided free-agent contracts because of his creative "performance" bonus clauses, like showing up for games, and remembering the coaches name or some such.
The more paranoid Sharks fans saw a connection between Lombardi's shenanigans and the refs either not calling penalties against the Sharks (like Nolan getting hacked, hacked, hacked as he drove the net with no call), or being especially harsh on Sharks (like Nolan getting suspended for 15 games or whatever it was when Nolan went loco on somebody or other).
That we had a mediocre team back in the hack-n'-hold era apparently never occured to them....
Bulis PWNS Johnson.
That's the best hip check I've seen in ages.
"I liked Glen Murray when he was on the Kings and I’m sure he’s a pleasant enough guy, but I’d rather eat a baby than have him on the Kings for the next two years."
This is the quote of the year.
-Matt
www.mattgunn.ca
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