Here’s a first look at what the Kings roster may look like when the season opens up on October 9th against the Vancouver Canucks. There are obviously a number of things that have yet to be determined, including (but not limited to) the signing of an addition forward, possibly another defenseman, how they handle the goaltending situation, as well as the prospects that step up in September. This is just my first look at the team and how things may shake out.
Line 1: Ryan Smyth – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Line 2: Brad Richardson – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown
Line [...]

The Kings have signed forward Alexei Ponikarovsky to fill the shoes left by the departed Alexander Frolov. Was it a good move? That’s debatable. But the fact remains that the Kings locked up Ponikarovsky for 1-year at $3 million. As a result it is the ultimate in low-risk, since the worst case scenario they’re stuck with an under-performing player they can dump at the end of the year. It wouldn’t be the first time the Kings dealt with and under-achiever, but it MAY be the first time they only had to deal with him for one year…
Before we take a [...]

It’s not over. It’s never over. The Kovalchuk story has taken its next step forward (backward?) when the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) filed a grievance against the NHL’s rejection of the contract signed with the Devils. If you haven’t been following the story closely, the question regards if the contract was considered a circumvention of the salary cap. The NHL decided that it was, and so invalidated the contract signed. There are a couple things that are fairly clear so far:

The contract is OBVIOUSLY circumvention of the cap. Seriously, you’d have to be a freaking idiot not to see it [...]

Long ago teams had entire lines with nicknames. The Kings had arguably one of the most famous of those lines with the impressively titled “Triple Crown Line.” Composed of Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer and Marcel Dionne, the three teamed up to generate huge point totals, and perhaps even more importantly gave the fans a clear “identity” to cheer for. Where are the nicknames anymore? The last one that was really very catchy (ie. that anyone other than a few fans in the immediate vicinity of the team used) was what? The CASH Line in Ottawa? The fact that half of [...]

Does anyone else find this to be amusing?
Why would anyone be convinced to buy tickets to the Kings because of those terrible, ratty, cheap, marketing plastered (thanks McDonalds) towels? What’s the point? No images of the ice, players, or you know… the game? Just a bit annoying, though not so much that it would deter me from buying tickets I suppose.
Busy day for me today, so I don’t have time to get into things in too much depth (unfortunately). Plus, there’s no real Kovalchuk news to report, so why bother I kid of course. But for your viewing [...]

So we’ve been hearing about Kovalchuk and his deal for a while now. In hockey circles he has been the center of attention for nearly three consecutive weeks. And despite the fact that we are certainly getting ready to move on to the next big issue facing the Los Angeles Kings, we have to get one last hit in. The Kovalchuk contract was huge. $102 million for 17 years. That means he’s (allegedly) playing until he’s 44 years old. Let’s all say it together – “That’s not happening.” I realize Kovalchuk paid lip service to “hoping” he will be able [...]

So there you have it. The saga is over. It took over two weeks, endless frustration and silly banter in the media. Kings fans, and indeed hockey fans across the continent were paying attention to the every whim of Kovalchuk and his negotiations. But it’s finally over. The New Jersey Devils have signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a reported 17 year contract. What does that mean for those of us in the Kingdom? Well by my estimation it means a few things:

We are not quite the free agency destination that we want to be. Certainly there are teams that have a [...]

Well the title pretty much says it all doesn’t it? Reports have the Los Angeles Kings inking Corey Elkins, Marc- Andre Cliche, Rich Clune and Trevor Lewis to one year deals. It appears that all three have signed their qualifying offers, though certainly we’ll be sure to report otherwise if/when it becomes clear. As a result of the signing, all three will remain Kings property for at least one more year as they continue their quest to become solid NHL players.

Corey Elkins, 25 years old, is a center who has appeared in a scant three NHL games in his career, [...]