On the bright side, Loktionov won't be traded!
by Quisp on Feb 26, 2011 10:46 AM PST
in Trade Deadline
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As everyone probably knows by now, per Rich Hammond:
- Marco Sturm was claimed off waivers by Washington.
- Andrei Loktionov injured his left shoulder last night in Manchester and will get an MRI tomorrow.
Here are my free-associating observations:
- Notice how last night we heard that Loktionov hurt his wrist (oh no, but at least it's not his shoulder), and possibly re-injured his shoulder (OH NO!) and it turns out the next day that he did not injure his wrist and did not re-injure his shoulder. He injured his OTHER shoulder. Last year, the right one. This year, the left.
- Interesting that a reporter speculating that he may have re-injured his shoulder didn't notice that the side he was favoring (holding his wrist, etc.) was not the side that was injured last year.
- I am hoping the fact that nobody saw doctors trying to pop his shoulder back in (as opposed to last year, when everyone was talking about it) means that the injury might-might-might not be so unbelievably horrible. But I am just hoping against hope probably.
- I really don't know what to make of Sturm getting claimed. Yes, Washington has been in dire straits lately. But did Lombardi think or know he would lose Sturm, or did he make the (reasonable, I thought) gamble that Sturm wouldn't claimed, and lost the bet?
- Whichever, he had to have calculated that it was worth it even if Sturm was claimed, because of the flexibility waiving Sturm bought him over the next few days.
- Or else he just didn't care that much, because he knew he could bring up Loktionov.
- That totally makes sense to me.
- F***ing hell.
- I expect the next running theme we'll hear in message-board-land is that "Deano" now "has to make a move." My response is, yes, just like he had to make a move when Jack Johnson went down with a shoulder injury, or when Ryan Smyth, or Justin Williams, or Willie Mitchell got hurt. Of all the GMs I am familiar with, Lombardi strikes me as being the least likely to make a move because he has to.
- I would be surprised if Lombardi didn't make any deals between now and Monday at noon. But I don't think he'll do anything major that he wouldn't have done had Sturm not been claimed and Loktionov not hurt.
- For example, he's not going to say, "Gosh, I really didn't want to trade Brayden Schenn, but now I guess I have to!"
- He may well make a deal about which he will comment, on LAKi, on Monday or Tuesday, "losing Marco and the kid on the same day made me adjust the plan a little, but you always do that, that's hockey, injuries happen." Something like that.
- About tonight's line-up, my guess is:
Handzus - Kopitar - Simmonds
Smyth - Stoll - Williams
Clifford - Lewis - Brown
Ponikarovsky - Richardson - Westgarth
Alternatively, Richardson as LW1, Handzus and Lewis as C3 and C4. And yeah, an Oscar Moller recall seems pretty likely, depending of course on what else Lombardi has up his sleeve.
My only other thought right now: Sturm was basically invisible in his time here. Yes, I know he was recovering from injury. But if that weren't the case, we wouldn't have gotten him for nothing in the first place. He was never going to be on the roster next year. So Lombardi had to think he was going to do more than he did over the last three months.
Or he would have sent down Alec Martinez, just to be safe.
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I don’t think Deano HAS to make a move. But I certainly think the pressure to make one has increased. Whether or not he is susceptible to that pressure is another story.
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by Great Ice-Pectations on Feb 26, 2011 10:50 AM PST reply actions
I think he was prepared to lose Sturm; you don’t do that move if you aren’t. His value is as a stopgap. A stopgap we could use right now, to be sure, but no more than that.
And hey, isn’t Lombardi’s big fault supposed to be that he’s not a risk taker, and is too conservative? If Lokti had gone down before last night it could have changed his mind, but that’s the cost/benefit analysis you run. We could even trade for a magical speedy 40-goal scoring LW sniper and have him succumb to injury the very next night. You just don’t know.
I say we see what happens by Monday. And if nothing does, I really want to see Moller.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
I don't think Oscar will be recalled until after the deadline passes.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him loaned to Ontario in the meantime.
Wait till this year.
Alas, Marco; we hardly knew ye
But yeah, I think Quisp is right: Lombardi made a reasonable gamble and the stars (or the Caps, anyway) were aligned against him. Sturm kinda seemed like a nice guy. I’ll miss him to that extent, anyway.
I suspect Dean will push harder for a deal, but not too hard, and the most likely result is that he will bring in another LW on the cheap. Modin redux.
Or maybe Moller does get another chance. Sounds like he’s been having a good year in Manchester. It’s about time to get another look at him.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
Oh, and to this:
I expect the next running theme we’ll hear in message-board-land is that “Deano” now “has to make a move.” My response is, yes, just like he had to make a move when Jack Johnson went down with a shoulder injury, or when Ryan Smyth, or Justin Williams, or Willie Mitchell got hurt. Of all the GMs I am familiar with, Lombardi strikes me as being the least likely to make a move because he has to.
That cracked me up because absolutely everything gets crammed into the theory that at any moment Dean will panic now and have to make some colossal move. If we’re 4 points out of a playoff spot, they’ll speculate that his job must be on the line. If we’re in 5th place, they’ll speculate that we desperately need to add to finally become contenders. I’m not saying a trade won’t happen, but the one-track thinking gets ridiculous.
The possibility of a Canadian junior star moving to a Canadian team is, along with Brad Richards, one of biggest stories the TSN talking heads and other various pundits have to hook people’s interest going forward. Expect the hype to keep reaching a fever pitch until the end.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
If we’re 4 points out of a playoff spot, they’ll speculate that his job must be on the line.
ON ESPN.com there is a podcast with Barry, Mat Barnaby, and EJ Hradek prognosticating that Dumbo has to make a move or his job is on the line if the Kings miss the playoffs. Why does no one understand that the Kings still have so much talent on the farm that they are not built specifically for today but for the longterm?
I agree with you 100% with regard to the Patience Project (can I copyright that?)
But I do wonder about the mindset of upper management, which looks at things from a different perspective from us long-suffering fans. While nothing was ever substantiated I do recall “hearing” that Tim Leiweke was pushing for the signing of Kovalchuk as a way to energize the franchise and bring in more attention/season tickets/etc. With that in mind, it would seem logical that if the Kings did fail to make the playoffs this year (a regression from the year before) that upper management might begin to ask why their GM made no moves to address what would seem to be a persistent need. In short, the money men upstairs have a different perspective on things and might not see the problem in cutting from a deep prospect pool in order to ensure a playoff run (which is where most franchises really make their profit).
Would Dean’s job be on the line if the Kings missed the playoffs? I don’t know, but I definitely think he would find himself on the hot seat and I don’t think the ESPN boys are in left-field by bringing it up.
As a counterpoint, though: none of that alleged Leiweke pressure to sign Kovalchuk was brought to bear.
You can speculate that his job may be on the line if (if) they miss the playoffs, but on the other hand we don’t have any evidence for that, either. Just as we haven’t ever seen DL panic and make uncharacteristic moves before.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
As a counterpoint to your counterpoint, we don’t know if Leiweke brought pressure to bear or if he did but did not go all the way with it. I don’t think it’s zero sum.
Similarly, I don’t think we’ll ever have evidence that Dean’s job is on the line unless Leiweke comes out and says so (which he won’t). To be clear: My point was that I certainly don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that if (double if) the team misses the playoffs that Dean will face increased scrutiny. It seems pretty self-evident to me. Fired, no, but pressured, most likely.
Well, I think it’s fair to say that AEG will be looking for the Kings to progress toward the goal that they share with Lombardi. I would certainly agree with that.
The question is, do they have the same definition as Dean as to what constitutes a satisfactory season? I suspect that there will be more agreement than disagreement on that. But yeah, I’m sure Dean doesn’t have carte blanche to do just do whatever until his contract his up.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
We also don’t even know if the owner’s interest in Kovlachuk was genuine…see, this goes on forever! :)
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
While I understand questioning the motives of ownership — not just AEG, but with any sports owner, I actually think that AEG is in the same boat as Lombardi. If there were any real doubts, AEG would not have given him another contract last summer.
I honestly, sincerely believe that AEG wants a team that will be successful over an extended period of seasons. It actually goes against their business model for Staples Center/LA Live and whatever else they’re going to add to that neighborhood if the Kings are a flash-in-the-pan. They know that interest will fade quickly unless the Kings can sustain success over time and solidify a large fan base. And they want interest in the Kings to run high, so that they’ll draw a lot of people to the Staples Center area and enrich their tenants. So I think they have fully bought into Lombardi’s plan.
Plus, history suggests that they actually like stability. Andy Murray was either the longest-serving head coach in the NHL (or something like it) when he got fired. And it took a humiliating collapse to get him and Dave Taylor, who had also been around a while, to get him canned.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
I agree, and don’t question AEG’s motives. However I think that looking at things from a business point of view provides a different perspective and from that perspective missing the playoffs represents a large step backwards, especially financially. This would probably lead to questions by management about the GM and whether or not he had done enough to move the team forward or, perhaps more importantly, if his evaluation of players was suspect and needed to be looked at again.
As background, I’m a historian so I like to try and apply different “units of analysis” or lenses to things every now and then. My personal feeling as a fan is that Dean is the best thing to happen to the franchise since Gretz and I absolutely support him and his model 100%. I just know that there are others out there with entirely different mindsets and motivations (which is why I can’t bother with Hammond’s comments section anymore), some of whom control the purse strings.
Patience Project
Love that, I’ll have to use it with Islander fans
"LHH gives me a chance to vent my spleen. The NHL never took my calls anyway.." ~ Hockey1919
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Also, Quisp — I scheduled a thread/preview for 1 PM and it’s not showing up, even as my dashboard says it’s published…
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
Patience Project
Patience is good, but this team is so close that it deserves a deadline day boost.
Besides, you can’t count on the young leaders to stay healthy indefinitely.
Look at the Penguins — Malkin and Crosby.
I’m not suggesting a “panic” move, but the Kings could really benefit from the addition of a quality forward.
Marco Sturm was a great low risk/possible medium reward play.
It didn’t pan out.
The ball is back in Mr. Lombardi’s court.
who would you relinquish? Moller? Hickey? Teubert? Schenn? Toffoli? Kitsyn?
I might consider giving up a pick or two. But not any of the prospects people might actually want…
Wait till this year.
it all depends on what you can get back
if you can add a player that will bring a Cup, then a top prospect could be in play
my hometown team is in the East, but in the West, I root for the Kings
the Kings are VERY close…it’d be nice to see them add something
if you can add a player that will bring a Cup, then a top prospect could be in play
That’s the fallacy: No one player can guarantee you the Cup. But giving up key prospects can very easily wreck your future.
It also happens to be a fallacy that it’s a simple matter to trade for an elite scorer. First of all, because there just aren’t that many. And secondly, because teams that have them aren’t going to give them up lightly, if at all (see Passemollapuck’s post, below). Anyone who wants to hold Lombardi’s feet to the fire had better understand this, otherwise they’re just being stupid.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
right, but my 1st sentence is
it all depends on what you can get back
and, of course, there are no guarantees
EX: when the Penguins traded a top prospect (at the time) Angelo Esposito, a 1st round pick, and two roster players — Erik Christensen and the super popular, Colby Armstrong (Crosby’s road RM) for Marian Hossa and a “throw-in” named Pascal Dupuis.
You know what happened. The Penguins made it to Game 6 of the SCF — and LOST.
Hossa turned down a 7-yr, $49M offer and WALKED.
Was it worth it?
You bet it was.
“I would be surprised if Lombardi didn’t make any deals between now and Monday at noon. But I don’t think he’ll do anything major that he wouldn’t have done had Sturm not been claimed and Loktionov not hurt. "
No. For once I disagree with you Quisp. Despite what Dean says, I still think there is something big brewing. There are several players he could have put on waivers, but Sturm has the biggest cap hit impact, and to me, I can’t get it out of my head that putting Sturm on waivers only makes sense if the Kings are clearing space to make a major trade (remember we are looking at cap space for next year as well as this). I’m going to predict that the Kings are going to do something big, or at least biggish. Richards, Hemsky, Penner something on that order. Really, this time!
i didn't say he wouldn't do something big. i said he wouldn't do something big that he wouldn't have done if Sturm hadn't been picked up and Loktionov not injured.
Wait till this year.
The Loktionov injury might push DL to make a move more than Sturm being picked up
As the line-up currently stands, TM will have to start either Harrold or Westgarth as a forward on the fourth line for the critical home stretch and the playoffs (knock on wood). This certainly doesn’t make me confortable, especially when a 4th line of Clifford/Lewis/Ponikorovsky looks so enticing if we didn’t have to suite up Harrold/Westgarth. I’d be ok with getting a top 9 forward, not necessarily a top 6 even if it is just a rental. I’m fairly confident DL can get someone of that caliber without giving up a prized prospect.
It is Feb 28, 2011. I think you and sstephen were putting the horse behind the cart. What I was suggesting was that the Kings were anticipating a major trade BEFORE putting Sturm on waivers and the waivers were to clear cap space. As one brilliantly sage analyst put it “putting Sturm on waivers only makes sense if the Kings are clearing space to make a major trade.” Wait! That was me! Damn I’m good!!
The Silly Season is Almost Over
This “insider report” from Dreger is just classic. DREGER: STARS MAY DECIDE TO HOLD ON TO BRAD RICHARDS
Tonight on my ficticious Twitter account…JZarris: STARS MAY DECIDE TO PART WITH BRAD RICHARDS (e1,000)
Err
That sort of sucked… And with Loktionov out, who are we gonna plug in? I’m guessing Oscar Moller is already booking a flight back to LA…
"My lovelife is like my personality: dry"
"Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. And by "we" I mean you.
Left Wingers
Here are the 25th players listed as LW by NHL.com with the highest points so far this season:
1 Daniel Sedin VAN L 63 32 47 79
2 Henrik Zetterberg DET L 62 18 49 67
3 Alex Ovechkin WSH L 63 24 39 63
4 Loui Eriksson DAL L 61 21 37 58
5 Patrick Sharp CHI L 60 32 24 56
6 Thomas Vanek BUF L 61 23 29 52
7 Ryane Clowe SJS L 59 18 30 48
8 Patrick Marleau SJS L 63 24 23 47
9 Clarke MacArthur TOR L 62 19 28 47
10 Alex Tanguay CGY L 60 16 31 47
11 RJ Umberger CBJ L 60 20 26 46
12 Patrik Elias NJD L 60 14 32 46
13 Milan Lucic BOS L 58 27 18 45
14 Andrew Ladd ATL L 61 22 23 45
15 Ray Whitney PHX L 58 11 34 45
16 Jussi Jokinen CAR L 51 16 28 44
17 Brenden Morrow DAL L 62 25 18 43
18 Ilya Kovalchuk NJD L 60 21 22 43
19 Nikolai Kulemin TOR L 62 21 22 43
20 Matt Moulson NYI L 63 27 15 42
21 Ville Leino PHI L 61 14 28 42
22 Alexander Semin WSH L 48 22 19 41
23 Taylor Hall EDM L 62 21 19 40
24 Scott Hartnell PHI L 62 19 21 40
25 James Neal DAL, PIT L 62 21 18 39
Most of those are in the “Not Gonna Happen” category, either because their team won’t trade them (Sedin, Ovie, Hall, etc), or because they would be too much of a cap hit (Elias, Kovy), or because division teams don’t do these types of trades.
So, not too many candidates left. Jussi Jokinen turns UFA at the end of the season but Carolina is still hanging on to spot #8 in the Eastern conference. Plus, his defensive game (what defensive game?) would probably not fit well in the Murray system.
Philly has depth on LW – heck, they sent van Riemsdyk back to the AHL to make room in their roster because he was the easiest to move down. That says something about their LW depth. Leino is having a good season but I wouldn’t extrapolate too much.
I don’t know…. I’m not seeing a ton of options worth the gamble.
by Passemoilapuck on Feb 27, 2011 12:13 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
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