Lombardi has a plan for free agents, not just wingn' it

For those not following along on twitter and/or facebook today, here is where things stand with free agency...

Back when Kings GM Dean Lombardi arrived in Los Angeles in the spring of 2006 he immediately began talking about building the team from the net out.

More recently, he's acknowledged that the team needs to be stronger at center if they want to compete with the upper echelon of the Western Conference - teams like Vancouver, San Jose and Detroit.

So, while a bunch of free agent forwards signed elsewhere today - Andrew Brunette (Chicago), Eric Cole (Montreal), Tomas Fleischmann (Florida), Jeff Halpern (Washington), Jaromir Jagr (Philadelphia), Ville Lenio (Buffalo), Alexei Ponikarovsky (Carolina), Michael Ryder (Dallas), Steve Sullivan (Pittsburgh), Marco Sturm (Vancouver), Scottie Upshall (Florida), Kris Versteeg (Florida via trade) and Joel Ward (Washington) - Lombardi headed to Toronto in pusuit of another center.

There are unconfirmed reports he's asked coach Terry Murray how feasible it is to start 12 centers on offense. Which is great news to prospects like Andrei Loktionov and Jordan Weal, who would be needed for those 11th and 12 spots.

So, for now we wait.

Three teams have yet to make a big splash today - the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.

Thus, we're actually right back where we started. The same three teams that have been rumored for over a month to be the front runners for uber UFA Brad Richards are still in the hunt.

Oh yeah, one more thing... there's also a very good, often injured, former Flyer winger who hasn't signed with anybody yet. Perhaps he's plan B.

The Mayor
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...And Now You're Caught Up (2/1/2011)

It's been forever since the Kings played a game, right?

Well, not exactly. It only feels that way.

Later tonight they'll begin what they hope is their playoff push over the final 32 games of the season.

To help get you back in the swing of things, here are ten stories you may have missed during the five-day All Star break...

* Jonathan Bernier will make his first career start tonight vs. the Minnesota Wild. Coach Terry Murray actually made the announcement prior to the Kings final game before the break. Jonathan Quick will start tomorrow vs. Edmonton.

* Andrew Brunette will play his 1000th game for the Wild tonight. Keep an eye out - later today we'll have an article up detailing some of his accomplishments, like only missing three games since the start of 2001-02. In 42 career games vs. the Kings he's posted 30 points (8g, 22a).

* Now for your scary stat of the day - according to the 'strength of schedule' table shown here, the five teams with he most difficult schedule in the second half are: Phoenix, San Jose, Edmonton, Chicago and Los Angeles. So, the good news is, three of the other four teams facing tough times are clubs the Kings are battling for a playoff spot in the West. More good news? Teams 6-10 are: Nashville, Anaheim, Columbus, Dallas and Calgary. Thus, the West will probably continue to be a dog fight all the way until the very end.

Kings-Wild Preview with Andrew Brunette

Forward Andrew Brunette has 30 points (8g, 22a) in 41 career games vs. the Los Angeles Kings. He also has 18 points in 18 games at Staples Center.

After a three year run with the Colorado Avalanche (2005-08), he's now in the third year of his second tour of duty for the Minnesota Wild. A few weeks from now he'll be playing in his 1,000 NHL game. In the interview below he helps us preview tonight's Kings-Wild game...

MM: You guys are having an up and down season. Yet, you had a big win the other night in Phoenix. What type of momentum does that give you coming into the game against the Kings?

AB: We've had a hard time grabbing a hold of momentum and carrying it through. So, we'll find out. Hopefully, we can continue doing what we've been doing the last three or four games and get a big win.

MM: In Colorado a game vs. LA probably meant more than it does to the Wild, from a rivalry perspective. Having been part of those games, does this match-up mean anything to you personally?

Wild Comments on Patrick O'Sullivan

Earlier today we posted a preview of tonight's Kings game with the newest member of the Minnesota Wild, Patrick O'Sullivan.

Below are some comments on O'Sullivan from two other members of the Wild organization - coach Todd Richards and veteran forward Andrew Brunette. Both were asked how he's fitting in...

Richards: Patrick has come in and done a pretty good job for us. I've used him in a lot of different situations, a lot of different positions with a lot of different players. He has the skill. You can see that. The thing for him - because he can help us - he makes us a better team when he's going and he's playing. But, it's getting that consistent effort every night. I would say in the last two games he's played he's done a pretty good job for us. So, that's what we need each and every night, him being able to make those plays. He's a creative player, he makes our power play better and he makes the players around him better. He's a player we can use as long as he's out there working.

[Does any of this sound familiar?]

Brunette: I think he's fit in real well. He has some real good offensive instincts.  That's an area we can always use more of, just like every other team. He knows where he's going in the offensive zone. He gets himself in the right place in the right time. So, he's fit in nice so far.

[More comments from Brunette coming up later today, including his thoughts on the Kings]

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Kings-Wild Game Preview with Patrick O'Sullivan

Game Preview with Jose Theodore - talking Bernier, Staples Center, Ryan Smyth, etc.

Game Preview with Andrew Brunette - talking Smyth, the Kings, Theodore vs. Backstrom, etc.

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