Kings Of The Castle

Los Angeles Kings have been accused of selling hope, and nothing else which may have made my decision to adopt them as one of my own a difficult one but so far this season they have proven that they were a worthy choice. Clearly the Blues have stumbled out of the gates and are having a tough time finding the back of the net. Injuries are a factor but can not be used as an excuse, just an explanation. Given time the youth will pick things up and get back to the place they were at the end of last season where they just started to click and just kept winning.

As for the Kings, the moves made in the off season so far have looked pretty good. I will admit that I was sceptical about the acquisition of Ryan Smyth but much to my pleasure he came in healthy and ready to contribute. He has slipped right into the top line and found some great chemistry with his line mates: Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar (let the record reflect that it is not An-zee.... It’s Ahn-jay). It doesn’t hurt that Kopitar is leafing the league in scoring and is probably the most underrated star in the league. The ability to be able to score so far this season I making all the difference. Sure they could use another shooter but as it stands now they are doing OK with what they have.

The balance on the lines is a benefit to have as they can roll their lines a little more and have confidence in spreading things out a little. Would I prefer to not see Raitis Ivanans in the lineup, sure but in the long run it is probably best to allow some of the younger players mature in the AHL and season a bit. Knowing that there are some good young talent in Manchester is a nice little bonus. With a little more experience to players like Oscar Moller, Andrei Loktionov, Justin Azevedo and still in Brandon with the Wheat Kings young Braden Schenn should help out offensively over time and on the back end having a Thomas Hickey almost making the team out of camp and Vyacheslav Voinov there as well and Colton Tuebert still in junior gives some nice options going forward. Jonathan Bernier (who was in nets for the AHL All Star Game last night) and Jeff Zatkoff as the goalies in the system it gives some good slid depth and the ability to use them as possible trade bait should the need arise in the future. How good Jonathan Quick continues to play in the future will likely dictate what the team chooses to do in the near future with these two. One can’t discount what depth and even a little bit of cap room can do. Flexibility going forward could become a big deal as this team grows together.

With all that is going on in Atlanta with the lack of attendance and the fact that there are ownership issues there and how long the team will be viable in that market may force the team to part with their superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Should his services become available and they are allowed to negotiate a contract with him to ensure that he stays, a trade to the Kings could be a very interesting option. Depending on the cost and the players that would need to be involved, finally getting an established player that can elevate an already decent team and give them a legitimate scoring threat could do great things out on the coast. I am not saying that a deal would do what a Gretzky did when he came but marketing would have a field day, ticket sales would probably get a boost and best of all the product on the ice would likely improve. An addition like that could be just what the team needs. They do have some cap space to work with and depending on what would need to be involved in any possible deal may just be a viable option.

I will sit back and watch and see how this all plays down with one half of my new adopted teams. Or if Kovalchuk were to end up in the Blues (unlikely as it may be) then that may work out as well.

Hockey Starts Here

So tonight is the night when it all gets started. The NHL will drop the puck with 4 games on the schedule, (Washington at Boston 7:00 PM, Montreal at Toronto 7:00 PM, San Jose at Colorado 10:00 PM , Vancouver at Calgary 10pm), and it is about time. After a very long off season, especially in Ottawa without making the playoffs some real games on the ice will be a welcome change. A very difficult off season brought on by the Dany Heatley saga, the turmoil within the ranks of the NHLPA and worst of all the situation in Phoenix a real distraction of actual games will be welcome.

After yesterdays court decision to deny both bids by Jim Balsillie and the NHL to own the club it looks like, at least for the time being that the NHL will operate the club and help look for a "suitable owner" and figure out a plan to get out of the quagmire that is the Coyotes. It appears that Mr. Balsillie has decided not to appeal and is resigned to the fact that he will not be able to get control of this team. Will he try another team and go about it in a more up front way... probably at some point, but at least for now it should be over. With some of that mess gone maybe the NHL can keep the dealings on the team out of the media for a while and we can only hope that the next major public announcement on this matter is they have a new owner ready to step in and take control.

A good line up of games to get things started will be very welcomed. It should be interesting to see 2 original 6 teams and rivals go head to head, both with vastly different teams with that of what they ended with last year. New Looks and new attitudes will be on both benches tonight and should be interesting. Along with that the Sharks will be in action after an interesting and eventful off season. They too have had a lot of turnover, not only in player personnel but also in leadership. Heatley is in, Christian Ehrhoff Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo are out. Patrick Marlow had the "C" taken from him and that was given to Rob Blake and an "A" was given to Dan Boyle and back to Joe Thornton.. That will surely also be an experiment worth watching throughout the season.

Tomorrow there will be 2 mid-day games from overseas involving the Blues, Wings, Blackawks and Panthers in the NHL’s attempts to grow the game and the NHL brand in Europe. This will be a good chance to see what the Blues look like with back to back games. They are still in the running for my affection and are just jostling for the position of 1A and 1B with themselves and the LA Kings (I figured that if I am this torn between them, perhaps it isn’t fair to just cast one of them away... sometimes it is good to play the field a little). I am sure to have something more to say on that front soon enough.

The Quest - In Search of a 1B

ROUND 1 here is the first installment of the selecting a New Favorite Western Conference NHL Team. In honour of there first trip back to the playoff and their exit last night after being swept, I am submitting the St. Louis Blues.

This is an interesting team for a few reasons. I wasn’t planning on sellecting any teams for consideration that made the playoffs as they could be seen as already decent and I didn’t wasn’t to be considered as a bandwagon jumper. They messed up that plan by making a late season charge into the playoffs. Perhaps they over achieved a bit this year but they are still a good up and coming team. Chris Mason has played well and between himself and Hannu Toivenen could prove to be a good 1-2 combo in nets for a while. Keith Tkachuk is still there and is actually playing well and doesn’t seem to be a prickly or as , well, fat as he has been in the past. There are some real nice pieces already in the lineup with Patrik Berglund, Brad Boyes, Andy Mcdonald, T.J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer. To be in the position that they are in right now despite the injuries to many of the big name players on the team such as Paul Karya it shows that they are a team to keep an eye on.

I also like the fact that John Davidson is there overseeing this club as he seems to have had a vision for this team and has stuck with it and that is beginning to show dividends with the run they are currently on. They should get a mid 1st round pick this season in a decently deep draft, and that will also help going forward.

They also have some decent players down the line either in the minors or drafted players. None more interesting then Alex Pietrangelo who will be looking to make the club next season and will have a very legit chance of doing so.

One thing that is going against them in my eyes stems to a trade that was made earlier in the year between themselves and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pre-Brian Burke, Cliff Fletcher pulled a deal that sent Lee Stempniak to TO for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. I am not pleased with this deal as one player I have no use for is Colaiacovo. Steen I can take or leave, he may be serviceable but as for Colaiacovo, no interest...you can’t be a top prospect for 6 years...there is no reset button every year.

Look for the next possible team to be posted very soon.