Oh I got that, I just don't agree that it was a bad trade. Richards will be fine once we open things up a bit and he gets some linemates.

They should be

Time to bring Crawford back

I wouldn't say no to a more up tempo system. But the players have to change. I am not sure these Kings could handle it (Zero Finish).

I give Dean zero credit for the Richards trade as well because it was forced by AEG

The players need to be held accountable, but I think you are focusing on them too much. Their stats are simply going to suffer because of our style, the extent of that sufferage depends on how effective and how good we are at executing our systems. Just look at the Blues. They are better than us at our own game, and their leading player is on pace for 25g and 58 points while ours is on pace for 24g and 70p. Even the Blues, who try to win games the exact same way, have much better and updated systems as well as faster players to execute them.

I guarantee your frustrations will not be taken out on Richards for long. We will be praising this guy for a long time to come. Sutter, Lombardi, and Kompon on the other hand? Debatable to not so much...

Anyone else recognize when Richards was having success that Brown was usually out there and usually right around the net.

And tomd, glass half full dude, glass half full.

Who bascially gun down pretenders and get gunned down by contenders (as they did again today by the Rangers and my blood pressure went thru the roof again. I'm so tired of Bryz giving up soft goals and cracking lke a egg in every pressure /key game).

The Kings, for all their offensive faults, are still in a better position to go deeper due to outstanding Goaltending and defense. That can go a lot future than the opposite.
The Flyers , thanks to Ed Sniders' 10 millioin dollar mistake in goal' need to score 4 or more goals in hopes of winning.
Bryz has only won 2 games all year where they scored 2 goals
Their Defense is a mess, their forwards are not strong in their own zone and create way too many turnovers and they don't block shots, a major flaw that was a problem last year. (and a reason why the Rangers lead the div. and have the lowest GA, they block more shots than any other team)
It's really hard to go deep in the playoffs giving up over 3 goals a game and counting on scoring 4 or more to win . You can't do that 4 out of 7 games against elite teams with stud goalies like Boston or NY or evne Pitts.

Richards injury has cost the Kings points, and that does hurt. But I guess if you have to look at a silver lining, it wasn't a knee or other major season ender. They would have been done. And he is a beast in the playoffs, a total game breaker.
I'm guessing that whatever it is that he's playing thru is known to the team as something that will not cost them deep, and that would have him healthy again before the playoffs. I can't see DL allowing him to play all this time if whatever it is was more serious. And he is clearly getting frustrated by the wingers...which doesn't help.
The Flyers offensive success is due to Lavvy's system, which is aggresive attacking and something all the players have success in.
When one goes down to injury, as Pronger, Giroux, and more recently Jagr and Briere at the same time, the team still scores. Simmonds has benefitted greatly by playing with Giroux and jagr onthe PP but if he were to break his leg this week, the team would still continue to score a lot of goals, he wouldn't be missed.
And he wouldn't be close to that many points in LA...due to the same reason, the system.

yeah we will, just stick around for awhile. We haven't even been through a season. Aside from his overall skillset, MR has a good cap hit and is signed for a long time. I don't see Schenn surpassing MR's potential and Simmonds had a good season and a not so good season. Basically, Simmonds is too early to tell.... but MR shows up, he can play in the playoffs. I just don't see this as a bad move.

Y'know, if the Kings averaged .5 more goals per game, they'd be a lot higher in the standings and have a lot more wins. It's not a matter of the Kings being grossly outplayed by their opponents but them not putting in as much effort in the offensive zone as they do in the defensive zone. Richards' subpar play of late is a reflection of the performance by the entire team. How many players besides Quick can you say are playing at their best?

No they shouldn't. Their goalie blows.....

The team is lazy in the offensive zone. They go to the slot what, maybe 3-4 times a game? Teams that score do that every shift.

The defense first mentality is so ingrained that its second nature. I'm seeing the same thing over and over.

1. coin-flip play along the boards, 2 guys battling for a puck in the offensive zone.
2. Kings forwards immediately body up to the guys closest to them.

It's like they forgot that if they go to the slot, the other team is going to follow them. NO team is going to let a player stand in the slot. They are so afraid of giving up outnumbered chances that they don't take any themselves. They don't create open ice, they don't carry the play. They make the opposing defensmen's job a piece of cake. In the beginning of the year when this team was playing well, they were taking those chances.

The result is boring hockey. It's not a trap system, but it's just as bad.

This team has enough defensive instincts and a good enough goalie to where they could mentally throw defense out the window and only allow 3 goals. New Kings rule: If you are a forward in the offensive zone, and you are standing around awaiting the outcome of a play, get your butt to the middle of the ice to a dangerous area.

Part of the problem with the Kings' lack of scoring is the system they play but it's also their lack of wingers. Gagne, even when he was healthy, wasn't scoring. Anyone who's comparing the output of Schenn/Simmonds to Richards right now is clueless or just reading the boxscore. Philly is in 4th in a WAY weaker conference and they can't beat the Rangers or Bruins. The team defence from our $51 million mistake on out is awful. I've never seen so many turnovers as I have this year and with or without Pronger the dmen are soft. LA is built for the playoffs but the lack of goals is going to kill them. Quick has ben fabulous, the team is defensively very strong but in order to keep it intact they need to stop focusing on defense a bit and get their offensive game going OR make a trade.

Richards is playing awful. Simmonds is now an emerging star and Schenn has 4 goals now.

This deal is awful. Another blunder by Lombardi. He hasn't made a good deal since the POS-Williams deal.

I would gladly take back Teubert, a 1st, Schenn, Simmonds and a 2nd and give back Penner, Richards and 10 million.

He's gotta be playing with some kind of ailment. At this point, I think Doughty deserves more flak than Richards.

Doughty didn't cost us Schenn, Simmonds and a #2...he only cost us Steven Stamkos...ha jk.

Like most goalies Bryz is a product of the system. If Quick was in net at Philly he would have similar woes.

Richards leads the Kings in G/60 min 0.94
Gagne is second 0.82
Kopitar is third 0.69
So even though Richards is 'sucking' he is still our best 5v5 goal scorer under the system.

Wayne Simmonds is having a career year. He is turning a lot of heads back East. Schenn is starting to heat up.

Richards, who has been been on the downside for 3 years, looks to make it a 4th year.

In terms of stats and what they are doing to help there teams, the Flyers are winning again on this.

Flyers are 4th with 66 points, Kings are 7th with 60 points.

The Doughty that has 2g, 14a in his last 22gp +7 (a 7g, 52a, +26 pace over a full season)?

Wayne Simmonds is still a minus player on a good team. Do you remember how frustrating he was for the Kings last season. He played like he didnt care. Does Richards play like he doesnt care?

In the past games Richards has 0 points and is a -1. That def looks like he doesn't care. No big hits or any fights either...so exactly what he is getting paid 5 million for I have no idea.

Simmonds did stink last year. I don't know if it was his life style outside the rink or something else but he likes the East Coast better and seems to be thriving out there. Which is even more frustrating, either players come to LA and stink or leave and have career years.

Just face it Kings fans. You're cursed.

the Flyers are 3rd in offense.


They are 22nd in defense

Of course their players are going to score more goals/points in that system. But they have terrible defense. And they won't win a cup until that is fixed.

Just the same way we won't win a cup until the offense is fixed, but i'd rather be in our position then theirs. Lot more forwards out there then good solid defensemen.

/thread