Bernier, Zatkoff Sent Down to Manchester

Jonathan Bernier and Jeff Zatkoff have both been sent down to Manchester, leaving Erik Ersberg, Jason Labarbera, and I think Jonathan Quick to battle it out for the two goaltender spots for LA. Neither Labarbera nor Ersberg have been exactly lighting it up so far, but I imagine they'll be up there since they have the pedigree.

I imagine Zatkoff will be sent down to Ontario to serve as emergency backup and to get a bunch of starts. Quick and Bernier will probably share duties in Manchester and Daniel Taylor will probably serve time in Reading. Huh, the Kings have enough quality goaltenders to fill their minor league spots. Weird.

Also sent down today: Trevor Lewis and Brady Murray. I have this grand dream of a Cliche-Lewis-Simmonds line in the NHL someday, so hopefully when Cliche comes back from his shoulder injury that line can get together. Bud Holloway can fill in until then.

Kings Training Camp Primer

The Kings are in a state of flux right now. They have a great deal of young talent ready for the NHL right now but they still have a lot of the bridge guys Lombardi signed the last few years on NHL deals. What does this mean? It means the Kings are going to have a pretty interesting training camp. To help educate the ten of you that are actually reading this, I thought I'd go line-by-line and highlight the most interesting training camp battles. Look for news about these guys to see how the team is going to look on opening night. Here is a look at the roster and what spots we can reasonably assume are locked up:

O'Sullivan-Kopitar-Brown
Frolov-Stoll-( )
( )-Handzus-( )
Ivanans-( )-( )

As you can see, there's a lot of room for movement on the roster. Let's get started, shall we?

2nd Line RW

Competitors: Ted Purcell, Brad Richardson, Brian Boyle

The Kings' top line is pretty much set: it's Kopitar, Brown and the other guy. The part of the other guy was assumed by Patrick O'Sullivan last year and we can reasonably assume he'll continue in that role once he, you know, signs.* Frolov will keep doing what he does and I imagine Stoll will be given opportunity in the 2nd center role after signing such a big deal in the off-season. That leaves the 2nd line right wing position as the sole top-six spot up for grabs. The three main competitors are all good young players that each bring something different.

*I'm confident he'll sign and it won't affect the Kings at all. What's that? I happen to like the feeling on my skin when I stick my head in the sand, thank you very much.

Ted Purcell is probably the most talented of the three and is an excellent playmaking option. His negatives are that he's not overly physical and the line already has two playmakers in Frolov and Stoll. Plus, him on the line would put three right-handers on one line; that's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it is a little unusual in the NHL. Brad Richardson is probably the fastest and has the best shot of the three, but he's also the smallest and couldn't do a lot of the dirty work this line will need. Boyle could do that dirty work because he's a large man, but he's also kind of slow. Plus, I don't think the Kings want to derail his progress as a center. I'd probably give Purcell the best chance to win the job, although I wouldn't put it past Terry Murray to put O'Sullivan on that line and put someone like Matt Moulson or Kyle Calder up with Kopitar.

3rd Line LW

Competitors: Matt Moulson, Kyle Calder

This spot was Kyle Calder's for most of last season with generally subpar results. The man named "Grease" (allegedly because he gets dirty or some weird shit) finished the season with 7 goals and 13 assists despite getting ample power play time. Clearly, he's going to have to earn his spot back. His main challenger for the spot is Matt Moulson, the 24 year-old defensive guru that provided a spark for Calder and Handzus when he was paired with them last season. Since Moulson is better defensively than Calder and Calder sucks offensively, I imagine Moulson will win the spot alongside Handzus and...

3rd Line RW

Competitors: Brad Richardson, Ted Purcell, Matt Ellis, Wayne Simmonds

Michal Handzus was tasked with shutting down the other team's top scorer last season yet he wasn't given any help. Handzus and Calder are not very fleet of foot and needed someone who could keep up with the opposition. Having Moulson on one side of Handzus would help, and having the loser of the 2nd Line RW battle would help even more. Brad Richardson is probably the best option for this spot; not only would he help at even strength, he would also provide another quality body on the penalty kill. Ted Purcell could win the spot if he doesn't win the 2nd line RW job but still shows enough to justify NHL playing time, while Matt Ellis is an option if none of the young guys actually step up. An intriguing option is Wayne Simmonds, the young fireplug from Sault Ste. Marie. He's young and needs to put on weight but he's been excellent in development camp and I can honestly see him making the team. Should be something to watch.

4th line C

Competitors: Brian Boyle, Derek Armstrong, Brady Murray

This spot has been up for grabs for a couple years now as injuries have prevented Derek Armstrong from taking the job that belonged to him. The job looks to belong to Brian Boyle this season, who can take a few minutes up on the 2nd line and also play on the power play as well. If for some reason Boyle disappoints (or if he takes a wing position up in the lineup) then Derek Armstrong can step in to the job he was born for. Brady Murray is running out of time with the Kings and will probably sign with someone else if he doesn't make a name for himself in the NHL this season.

4th line RW

Competitors: Kyle Calder, Derek Armstrong/Brian Boyle, Matt Ellis, John Zeiler, anyone really

The final spot can best be solved by thinking about who can be used in a special teams capacity. Calder is useful on the power play, although his spot in front of the net will probably be usurped by Boyle. Matt Ellis can make the penalty kill better, but it might full with Michal Handzus, Patrick O'Sullivan, Brad Richardson and Jarret Stoll already on the team. Or the Kings could just give the spot to anyone who performs the best in camp. It's pretty up in the air.

Here's the way I see the forwards winding up on opening night:

O'Sullivan-Kopitar-Brown
Frolov-Stoll-Purcell
Moulson-Handzus-Richardson
Ivanans-Boyle-Armstrong
Calder, Zeiler

I see Calder and Zeiler making the team because Calder can be useful in spots and no one cares if John Zeiler never plays. I said when we picked him up that I thought Matt Ellis was on the team to captain the team in Manchester and I'm still pretty sure about that.

Defense

2nd RD Position

Competitors: Denis Gauthier, Peter Harrold, Free Agent

The defense is surprisingly rigid, at least to my eyes. Jack Johnson will take the top spot on the right side. Tom Preissing is the best right-handed defenseman so he'll probably play with Johnson. Greene also plays on the left side so he's set. That leaves his partner to get top-4 minutes. Denis Gauthier is the safe option, while Harrold is the defenseman that can earn the spot. Neither is very palatable, though, and the hope is that the Kings can pick someone up to take that spot. If only there were someone in the area that could come over and help out. Maybe Lombardi could call Brian Burke, see if he could help him out.

3rd LD Position

Competitors: Drew Doughty, Colten Teubert

The dirty little secret in Kings' training camp is that Drew Doughty has to make the team. They're acting like he's not guaranteed a spot and he has to earn it but they're just pretending. The Kings need Doughty for two reasons: one, they need his cap number, and two, they don't have anyone that can play on that left side. All the other options the Kings have are left-handed so it pretty much leaves Doughty or fellow teenager Colten Teubert. My money's on Doughty.

3rd RD Position

Competitors: Denis Gauthier, Peter Harrold, Thomas Hickey, Joe Piskula, Drew Bagnall

The final spot on defense is probably Harrold's, I'm not going to lie. There's other options, like Gauthier, but it's probably best to just give Harrold the spot because he can play on the power play and the penalty kill. Hickey could use one more year to get a little bigger and Piskula and Bagnall are available in case of injury.

Here's the way I see the defense on opening night:

Preissing-Johnson
Greene-(Free Agent)
Doughty-Harrold
Gauthier

Goaltending

Labarbera
( )

Other Goaltending Spot

Competitors: Erik Ersberg, Jonathan Bernier, Jonathan Quick

Labarbera is pretty much guaranteed a spot since he's so great. (Oh, and he has a one-way deal.) That leaves Ersberg and Bernier to battle it out for the other spot. Bernier is going to have to greatly outperform Ersberg to win a spot. He's basically going to have to win the starting job, a tall task for a 21 year-old. I think Ersberg will win the job while Bernier gets a healthy number of games against AHL competition. Quick isn't really a competitor, I just figured his parents might scan this and see his name added and feel better. I'm a giver.

Whew, I'm tired. I'm making a sandwich. You want one? You can't have one, you're virtual. Or you're not, but you're reading this virtually. Something like that, I don't understand the internet. Goodbye.

Kings Gameday: This is Frustrating

LA Kings (egads!) @ Nashville Predators (35-28-8, 9th in West)

5:00 PST, 1150 AM

It gets really frustrating when the Frolov-Armstrong-Cammy is dominating out there (I think they've been our best line the past 2 weeks), and then Brown-Kopitar-O'Sullivan goes out there and has like 3 good scoring chances in one shift, and you think, "Hey, we're kicking ass, how could we possibly be in last pl-" and then you get the Ivanans-Ellis-Giuliano line and it feels like someone is kicking the idea of hockey in the groin. It offends me as a Kings fan, a fan of the NHL, and a fan of the sport of hockey in general that that line could possibly see one second of ice time. I know Dean Lombardi wants Brian Boyle, Ted Purcell, Lauri Tukonen, and Matt Moulson to come together as a group or some gay shit like that, but he should know that he's killing me.

You know what I actually said during the last game? "Man, I'd rather see John Zeiler out there." That's terrifying.

***

Jonathan Bernier won QMJHL defensive player of the week, going 2-1 with a 1.34 GAA and a .955 SV%. He's playing on a very young team in Lewiston, Maine (and people say he was upset that he got sent back to Juniors) but he's been playing excellent hockey lately. We haven't forgotten about you, Jonathan.

Another Junior player that's been playing excellent hockey is Bud Holloway. He's playing with Thomas Hickey on the Seattle Thunderbirds and has 77 points in 67 games. Holloway has the reputation for being a good all-around player but one who lacks the scoring touch needed to play in the NHL. If he can prove his new found ability isn't a fluke, I can see him becoming a solid contributor on 1 of the bottom 2 lines. Plus, if he makes it we can play him with Oscar Moller and Ted Purcell and have a "Guys with old man names" line. In fact, they can pair up with Tom (Hickey) and Jack (Johnson) on defense. We'd be George Carlin's favorite team!

***

It didn't go well the last 2 times the Kings played the Nashville Predators. First, Mike Cammalleri did something to his ribs and missed 19 games; then, the Kings lost 7-0. Hopefully they can reverse the bad karma and pull out a win tonight. The Kings aren't going to make the playoffs or anything, but if we can stand as a fan base and say to another: "Haha, you missed the playoffs because you didn't beat us," well, then I think we can chalk this season up as a success.

To get you psyched up, here's grade-A fuckhead Jordin Tootoo picking a fight with a Buffalo Sabre before getting blown up by Steve Bernier:



Haha.

Prediction: Kings lose, 5-4. The top 2 lines end up +4 while the bottom lines finish -5.

Kings Gameday: This Seems Familiar...

LA Kings (welp) vs. Montreal Canadiens (37-22-9, 2nd in East)

1:00 PST, FSN West



Tell me if you've heard this before:

-Goalie gets called up because of injury and incompetence among the top 2 Kings goaltenders

-Goalie plays well in a few games

-Goalie plays outstanding on a large stage and Kings fans fall in love

Who am I talking about? Erik Ersberg. And, Jonathan Bernier. Both are a little smaller than you'd like but both have great rebound control and very fluid motion. Bernier ended up proving he wasn't quite ready for the big show, while we'll have to wait and see what happens with Ersberg.

I'm not trying to be a downer; I'm actually in a great mood today because Corey Perry got hurt and I just heard Vin Scully say, "It's time for Dodgers baseball," for the first time this spring. I'm just saying, there's a reason Ersberg is just getting his shot in the NHL at the age of 26 (just turned today). I'd like to see him go on to become the next first great Kings goaltender, but I've seen too many come and go to get too excited right now.

***

Why do people hate Patrick O'Sullivan? I've noticed this for a while now, but the Senators game kind of brought it to a head. He got kneed, knocked down in front of the net, and then elbowed after he scored the game-clinching goal. I mean, he doesn't stick people as far as I can tell, and he never talks, so I don't get it. I have 2 theories:

1) His line. Opposing players can't hit Kopitar (because he's 6'4" and hitting him would start a war) or Brown (because he'd beat the hell out of them), so they go after O'Sullivan. The problem with this theory is that guys like to hit O'Sullivan even when he's not playing on the top line, so I don't think that's the only explanation.

2) His face. He always has that same look on his face. This one:



Look at that face. It's always the same. He scores, it's that face. He gets into a shoving match, it's that face. He's hanging out with supermodels...


...it's that face. The same slack jaw, those same cow eyes. I want to punch something just looking at it. I think guys see that face the entire game and it turns into maniacs. I fully expect to see Michael Komisarek try to fight Patty by the end of the game.

***

Speaking of Michael Komisarek, he's closing in on Dustin Brown's once substantial lead in hits. As of today, Brown is still leading with 274 hits, while Komisarek is in 2nd with 250. That is a story line to watch during the game, as they're likely to match up against one another.

Prediction: Kings win, 4-3. Goals by Frolov, Kopitar, Preissing and Calder. Brown levels Komisarek, who in turn levels Cammalleri. Tom Kostopolous tries to fight O'Sullivan but ends up looking ridiculous.

Dear Jon Letter

Dear Jon,

Hey. I’ve been thinking about us a lot recently, and... I just don’t think it’s going to work out. I know we started off so great but I think we both know it hasn’t gone real well recently. I think we’ve both tried to keep it together because we're afraid of the alternatives, but it’s just not going to work out. It's just that you're so young and I’m not in a position to make a long-term commitment right now. You need to be with someone that can be there for you all the time and we both know that’s not me. I’m messed up right now, and if we stay together I’ll just end up hurting you. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.

Maybe in a couple of years, when I’ve had time to get my act together, we can try it again. Don’t take it personally; I know it’s a cliché, but it’s really not you, it’s me. I hope we can stay friends and I’ll be sure to check in on how you’re doing. Hey, we’ll always have that one night in London, right?

I’m Sorry,
The Kings

The Most Terrible Time of the Year

Yeah, that wasn't close.

The Kings got their asses handed to them on Saturday, completely rolling over in the third period against the Blues. When your 19 year-old goalie playing in his 2nd career game gets visibly pissed at his defense, you know you’re fucked. Bernier played a pretty solid game, I thought; am I the only one who hears “Ave Maria” whenever he drops into his butterfly? I’m about 2 more good games from writing a sonnet about him, complete with iambic pentameter.

Oh, Jonathan, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

The whole game was a little weird. First off, what the hell were Marty McSorley and Adam Deadmarsh doing out there with Rogie Vachon and Marcel Dionne? And did they really need to make Rogie wear his glove and blocker, he looked humiliated. Kopitar was his usual amazing self, making Emmanuel Legace look retarded. (I think we're going to have to come up with a name for this weird power Kopitar has on goaltenders; I nominate "Kopitarded.") Brown scored two goals that I could have scored, but those are the ones that he needs to get if he wants to earn top-line minutes. Finally, when Kopitar schooled the Blues the first time and Brown tapped it in, my brother put his hand out for me to give him a high five but it was too close for me to cross my left hand so I tried to hit it with my right, but that was awkward and I ended up just pretty much holding his hand. That was weird too.

As I was leaving the game I heard one guy say to another, “Well, that’s what happens when you have a young team.” Fuck you, random guy I’ll never see again. The young guys on the team played great. It was the old guys who gargled my balls. (Guess which movie I just watched?) Derek Armstrong was terrible on Saturday. 3 penalties, are you serious? I was this close to beating his face in with a tire iron, but then I figured no one would have noticed anyway so what was the point? (See, because he’s ugly…) Nagy and Handzus were pretty bad as well, and my God, Modry, you’re making me look like a dick for defending you a couple of weeks ago. I hate to say it, but this team looks a lot like last year’s.

This brings me to a larger point, and you don’t have to be a Kings fan to get it: the early part of the season sucks because every win makes you feel like you’re going to win the Stanley Cup and every loss makes you think you’re going to win the draft lottery. This is especially true with this Kings team, because they don’t have a ceiling or a floor. They could finish 5th or 14th and I wouldn’t be that surprised. Was the loss Saturday a fluke that I don’t have to worry about, or was it an indication that the Kings are going to be frustrating all year long? I don’t know what to think. In 10 games or so, we’ll all have a better understanding of our teams and have the benefit of hindsight to explain away early losses; ‘til then, we just have to deal with not knowing. I hate not knowing.

Your lips say no, but my penis says yes.

Oh, yeah, one of those things that doesn't happen in Edmonton: my brother's girlfriend was freaking out because we were in the same section as David Boreanaz and some dude from Heroes. I thought that was weird and said, "Who cares if some celebr- holyshitisthatKristenBell???" and then I spent the rest of the game staring at her to see if she was looking at me. Long story short, I totally nailed her- 4 times! Seriously, I still have the hammer.

(Update: Oh for fuck's sake, if you are going to be reporting on Jason Blake's bout with leukemia, don't make the headline, "Blake Has Cancer." I mean, c'mon!)

Season (P)Review: Mike Cammalleri & Lubomir Visnovsky

Last Season:

Cammalleri- 34 G, 46 A, +5,48 PIM

Visnovsky- 18 G, 40 A, +1, 26 PIM

Word That Best Describes Both Seasons: Spectacular.

I have no idea what's going on in this picture.

I’ve already written a lot about Cammy and Lubo this off-season, so you can check those out here and here. They were our two best players last year and we can only hope that they keep it up. One thing to note: Lubo had to switch defensive sides to accommodate Rob Blake last year and had a little trouble with it, at least in his estimation. That shouldn’t be a problem this year.

(Looking around for help): What the hell? This is hockey, right?

***

Darren Eliot wrote a piece for SI.com about all the young talent in the West and failed to mention a single King. Not one. In an article about young talent in the Western Conference. Darren Eliot, you were a better goalie than you are a writer.

(Update: I went to SI.com to link to the article and discovered Eliot has a new article about Bernier. I think someone warned him I was going to make fun of him. Whatever, the article is terribly written anyway. It's totally obvious that he just read a few articles and then put them into his own words.)

***

I’m not excited about Jonathan Bernier. Really, I’m not. Sure, he’s barely 19 and played extremely well at Frozen Fury. Sure, we haven’t a had real homegrown goaltender since… well, ever. But still, I’m not excited; he’s only 19 and will probably get sent down after his 9 games are up. Yes, I’m smiling, but it’s not about him.

I’m not excited.

The State of the Farm System, Part II

Right Wing: Right wing is probably the trickiest of the forward positions in terms of depth, but that’s alleviated by the plethora of young talent already up with the big club. Mike Cammealleri has ended up being a better player than many are willing to give him credit for and Dustin Brown made important strides in his development last season (especially after Kopitar got injured). Down on the farm the top prospect is Lauri Tukonen, the Kings’ top draft pick in 2004. Tukonen was a celebrity in his native Finland when he started playing in the men’s league as a 15 year-old and ended up becoming the youngest player to ever play for Team Finland in the World Championships. Lately, however, Tukonen has not really produced offensively, although his defensive ability is supposedly excellent. Tukonen is only 20 right now, so the Kings still have time for him to develop, but his penchant for getting injured is a little disconcerting. (He has played about 60 games each of the past two seasons in the AHL.) With Cammalleri’s contract situation looking combustible, I would feel a lot better if I knew Tukonen could be counted on. Next year will be very important for him.

Tukonen, right before he injured something.

The Kings have two other right wing prospects that will probably be NHLers some day: Peter Kanko and Marc-Andre Cliché. Kanko kind of looks like a crazy person and plays like he really has to drop a deuce. (I swear, watch him.) He’ll probably end up being loved like Sean Avery because he’ll take dumb penalties and hurt the team, which means I won’t like him very much. Cliché, on the other hand, projects to be my favorite player on the team. He had a shoulder injury two years ago which killed his stock, but he rebounded last year to post a point-a-game in the QMDESJHL. He’s mostly known for his defensive prowess, and we learned this post-season how important having a defensive stopper can be for a team.

Kanko, before going on stage with Godsmack.

Defense: The defense received a big boost last year when the Kings traded for Jack Johnson. Although Johnson kind of seems like a dick, he should become an elite defenseman in the league and help the Kings for years to come and play similar to Chris Pronger. Also like Chris Pronger, I can’t see anyone liking him except for the fans of the team he’s on. All of Canada already despises Johnson because of a cheap shot during a junior tournament. It should be fun.

I didn't know Jack Johnson was an old-timey boxer. Also, black.

Besides Johnson, the Kings don’t have any more exceptional talent, but they have enough players that are good enough that at least one or two will stick. Richard Petiot probably would have made the team last year (saving us the indignity of playing Mike Weaver), but he hurt his knee playing in a rookie tournament and missed most of the season. Joe Ryan, Peter Harrold, Patrik Hersley, and Johan Fransson round out the list of guys who might make the team some day. Hopefully one of them can end up being a top-4 guy, or else the Kings might be in a little bit of trouble once Blake retires and Visnovsky gets traded. (I’m acting like it’s going to happen, in hopes of either jinxing it or mentally preparing myself for it.)

Goalies: All conversation of goaltending starts and ends with Jonathan Bernier. The Kings’ first-round pick in 2006 played very well with the Lewiston MAINEiacs (Cripes, that’s a stupid fucking name) but will probably stay somewhere in the QMLKJGHDJHL next season for a little more work. He’s very good side-to-side and reminds me a little of Marc-Andre Fleury in style (although maybe that’s because the both wear giant pads). The timeline for Bernier is as follows: next year in juniors, then a season in the AHL, then maybe backing up in the NHL, then hopefully starting. If he’s with the Kings in 3 years, I will be very excited.

This is the most excited I've been to see someone do the splits. Well, second-most.

Okay, I guess all conversation doesn’t end with Bernier. Besides him, the Kings can look to Jeff Zatkoff and Johnathan Quick as options in the future. (Oddly enough, Johnathan Quick was drafted at the same time as defensive prospect TJ Fast. I like to think that Dave Taylor thought that if they had fleet-sounding last names, they must be fast. I was waiting for them to draft NiceSlapshot McSpeedy next.) Zatkoff was drafted last year in the third round, but rumors were that he was the 2nd goaltender on the Kings’ draft board. Knowing about Lombardi’s ability to draft goalies, I’ll just assume Zatkoff will be awesome and leave it at that. Quick is a year older and will probably reach the Kings first, but I doubt he'll be a starter in the NHL. Both of them are playing in the NCAA [Zatkoff with Miami (Ohio) and Quick with UMass], so you can watch them if you have ESPNU or live nearby.



So, that’s a (not so) brief overview of the Kings’ farm system. Overall, it’s excellent, but not perfect. A team could always use more depth because you never know when one of these kids will break their leg off or rob a bank or pursue a career in modern dance. If the Kings were to draft on need, it seems that either wings or defense would be best. Who will the Kings actually draft? To be honest, I have no idea. I’m going to pretend I do though and will bring you that article on Thursday. If you can’t wait, shoot me an e-mail; I won’t answer it, but maybe you’ll feel better.