To paraphrase: they're "putting up the wall" on Kovalchuk and declined to comment.
I just find this curious on why they keep the silence going with the kovy deal unless we really still are trying to get him. It seems everything is a little too quiet, from Hammond and even poo slinger on this front.
I just find this curious on why they keep the silence going with the kovy deal unless we really still are trying to get him. It seems everything is a little too quiet, from Hammond and even poo slinger on this front.
What do people think is really going on?
I think that everyone learned their lesson the first time around and are keeping their mouth's shut. His mom was the only one talking.
Poo Slinger:
Quote:
On Kovalchuk...
Maybe tomorrow.....I know, but hey that's what I was told...
I just find this curious on why they keep the silence going with the kovy deal unless we really still are trying to get him. It seems everything is a little too quiet, from Hammond and even poo slinger on this front.
What do people think is really going on?
I think that they haven't completely shut the door yet, but they aren't going to aggressively pursue Kovalchuk now. They'll probably reengage talks if Grossman approaches the Kings. Otherwise, I don't think Lombardi is going to be pitching any offers to Kovalchuk.
I think that they haven't completely shut the door yet, but they aren't going to aggressively pursue Kovalchuk now. They'll probably reengage talks if Grossman approaches the Kings. Otherwise, I don't think Lombardi is going to be pitching any offers to Kovalchuk.
Lombardi essentially said they haven't shut the door on Kovy. Immediately after the "putting up the wall" comment he said something along the lines of "if it comes around again..." They're obviously still interested, although probably not pursuing it hard.
Didn't I read somewhere where Grossman basically said that NJ was going to get the 1st crack at a re-negotiated deal? I think that is what is happening.
Something else I have found interesting from the main boards.
Atlanta fans think they shouldn't be counted out as they believe they could afford 3 years at a total of $24M - $27M. Kovalchuk gets a bunch of money right away without a long term commitment.
NYR fans wonder what happens if he remains unsigned until a date when they can dump some players to the AHL and get some cap relief.
Didn't I read somewhere where Grossman basically said that NJ was going to get the 1st crack at a re-negotiated deal? I think that is what is happening.
I think that they haven't completely shut the door yet, but they aren't going to aggressively pursue Kovalchuk now. They'll probably reengage talks if Grossman approaches the Kings. Otherwise, I don't think Lombardi is going to be pitching any offers to Kovalchuk.
just heard the interview...what is surprising, is him saying july was harsh on the organization? thats what they are paid for...to handle these situations.
just heard the interview...what is surprising, is him saying july was harsh on the organization? thats what they are paid for...to handle these situations.
Maybe he feels used...lol
I think they went through a ton of different scenarios in how to frame an offer and there was a lot of preparation involved in trying to forecast where the team and its salary cap (as well as the league's cap) will be down the road.
They kept in mind what Doughty, Johnson, Simmonds, Bernier, etc. will all be earning next year, within the next two, three, four years, etc. Adding a multi-year contract with a large cap hit is going to have serious implications on the roster, thus the preparation that goes into forecasting the future makeup of the Kings.
While they are paid to handle these types of situations, it is still mentally and physically taxing. These execs work very long hours and exhaust all options and scenarios that may be available or may come up. And it is still mid-August.
Going back in time, the Kings made two big moves in late August when they reacquired Luc Robitaille for Kevin Stevens, then traded Khristich and Dafoe to Boston for Jozef Stumpel and Sandy Moger. http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/30/sports/sp-27340
Some options may eventually become available as a lot of teams will try to trim their payroll to get under their respective budgets or the salary cap.
Lombardi is praying that Justin Williams stays healthy, Poni plays like he did a Leaf instead of a Penguin, Smyth plays like he did in the regular season and not the playoffs....that is a lot to ask for the supporting cast around Kopitar and Brown. Let's not forget our 2nd line center who was a 4th line center in the playoffs Stoll....That's really not a deadly top 6 forward group....
Lombardi is praying that Justin Williams stays healthy, Poni plays like he did a Leaf instead of a Penguin, Smyth plays like he did in the regular season and not the playoffs....that is a lot to ask for the supporting cast around Kopitar and Brown. Let's not forget our 2nd line center who was a 4th line center in the playoffs Stoll....That's really not a deadly top 6 forward group....
Lombardi is praying that Justin Williams stays healthy, Poni plays like he did a Leaf instead of a Penguin, Smyth plays like he did in the regular season and not the playoffs....that is a lot to ask for the supporting cast around Kopitar and Brown. Let's not forget our 2nd line center who was a 4th line center in the playoffs Stoll....That's really not a deadly top 6 forward group....
This might seem shocking to some, but the Kings had three centers who finished in the top 60 list of top scoring centers.
Kopitar was 7th in scoring amongst centers, Stoll was 43rd and Handzus finished 53rd. There were only 25 centers who scored 60 or more points last season, and 19 others who finished with over 50 points.
While it definitely would be nicer to have a more productive second line center, it appears that the Kings centers (Stoll and Handzus) are producing in a similar range of where other second line centers are.
Yeah but Stoll was awful in the playoffs....Numbers mean nothing unless you produce when it matters most....he scored the first goal in the playoffs and then slumped.
Yeah but Stoll was awful in the playoffs....Numbers mean nothing unless you produce when it matters most....he scored the first goal in the playoffs and then slumped.
I agree, he wasn't very good in the playoffs, then again, not many players performed well outside of those who were on the top powerplay unit.
Just wanted to point out that the numbers Stoll and Handzus produced were amongst the top 60 centers in the NHL, which would mean that they did produce as 2nd line centers.
The NHL has changed quite a bit from the days of having two strong centers like Gretzky and Messier, Yzerman and Fedorov, Lemieux and Francis, Modano and Nieuwendyk, etc.
Just look at the Hawks winning the Cup with Toews and Bolland. While Toews is a #1 center, Bolland is recognized as more well rounded center. When the Ducks won the Cup, their top two centers were McDonald and Getzlaf. If things pan out for the Kings, I think Schenn can be LA's version of Bolland, maybe even better than him.
