Jim Fox talks Dustin Brown rumors - is he being traded?

Thanks to everybody who listened in to MayorsManor LIVE tonight. Sorry we ran out of time before we could get to all of the live calls.

Here's Jim Fox, who we pre-taped a segment with just before going on the air. He answers questions about Jeff Carter, addresses the Dustin Brown trade rumors and more. Take a listen...



We'll have the full Sean O'Donnell quotes on Carter and Mike Richards posted shortly.

If you missed tonight's full episode, where we heard from Ray Kaunisto of the Manchester Monarchs, Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers and others - click here to listen to the replay.  It's about as much NHL trade talk as you can handle.

Also, if you missed our exclusive one-on-one interview with Brown - where he opens up about the trade rumors - click here to read that piece now.

The Mayor
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ANNOUNCEMENT: MayorsManor LIVE call-in show this Sunday

We're looking to hear from you hockey fans! MayorsManor is proud to announce that this Sunday night - on the eve of the NHL Trade Deadline - we're kicking off a new show, Hockey Chirps Live.

It will a be 90-minute call-in show, where we'll be taking your calls to review all possible trade scenarios from around the NHL. Who would you give up for Rick Nash? Jeff Carter? Zach Parise? Why your team should trade player A for player B. Who is the one untouchable on your team? What rumors have you heard - find out if they're fact or fiction.

Anything trade related you want to talk about, we'll answer your questions.

Joining me to co-host this all-new adventure is Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. We'll update you on all the rumors and fill you in on who's likely to be traded...and for what.

Join us this Sunday, starting at 7pm PST.

You can access the show page here.

Hope you'll join us.

[UPDATE: An updated show page, with links to the Jim Fox and Sean O'Donnell interviews can be found here.]

The Mayor
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Why the LA Kings should trade for Jeff Carter, not Rick Nash

To properly understand the argument that the LA Kings should trade for Jeff Carter over Rick Nash, first requires an open mind. Second, fans of any of the players mentioned below are encouraged to follow along using more of their minds and less of their hearts. This isn't about who is a nicer guy, which player is a fan favorite or anything else. This is about cold, hard distribution of company assets.

Conventional wisdom is that the Kings' two best trade chips from their current NHL roster would be Jack Johnson and Jonathan Bernier (trading either comes with its own risk, as reviewed previously in an article here). That's not saying either guy needs to be traded.  It simply means to get something of value, they need to give up something of value.  Both players are hot commodities around the league - so, it's a compliment to who and what they are.

To get Nash out of Columbus, it's believed the Kings would have to give up both players, plus possibly Dustin Brown and another draft pick or prospect. That's a huge gamble on one player and would the Kings really be better off for it? They will have lost one of their best defensemen - arguably, their best defenseman this season - plus a top-six forward and added only one player in return.

Nash supporters will argue he isn't 'only' a player, he's a superstar (or at the very least a superstar in waiting). Yes, he's averaged 35 goals per year over the last seven seasons. And, yes, he's been able to do much of that without having linemates nearly as talented as somebody like Anze Kopitar.

However, nabbing the best guy from the worst team has long been one of the riskiest trades in sports. Stats are inflated in those environments. Guys are rarely, if ever, able to duplicate those numbers after moving to higher echelon teams.

Trade Rumors - five things at play for the LA Kings

In less than two weeks, most fans will turn their attention back to the action on the ice. For now, it seems all everybody wants to talk about are trade rumors. Who's leaving, who's staying, what would it cost to get this guy or that guy?

Here's a quick recap of the five things in play for the Kings at the moment:

- One of the most valuable assets the Kings have to bargain with is Jonathan Bernier. He's a young goalie, former first round pick and (in limited action) appears to be everything you can build a franchise around. However, trading him away is also one of the riskiest moves GM Dean Lombardi can make. Jonathan Quick is an unrestricted free agent next summer (July 2013) and he's an east coast guy. Would he rather play for a team closer to home? Also, his career numbers are almost identical to Nashville's Pekka Rinne - who recently signed a seven year deal for $7-million per. Can the Kings afford to pay him that much? Trading Bernier now increases Quick's leverage in negotiations down the road and exposes the Kings if he was to walk away in a year.  Even so, as risky as it is, he's likely moving if Lombardi can land a sniper in a return. Any deal like that though would need to include other players because, with as talented as Bernier may be, he's still only played 43 games in the NHL. And you're not getting a top line forward straight up for a guy with 'potential.'

- If Bernier was to leave in a trade, expect the Kings to get a veteran back-up in return (either via that same deal or a separate one). It's highly unlikely you'll see either Manchester goalie as Quick's understudy come playoff time.

Bernier and Canada nearly give it all away vs. Norway

Photo by Jukka Rautio/HHOF-IIHF

If results are the only thing that matters, Team Canada is doing just fine.

However, coach Ken Hitchcock has to at least be a little concerned with the overall play of his team right now at the IIHF World Championship.

Yesterday they trailed 2-1 after two periods to the U.S. Sure, they came back and won 4-3. Yet, that was in a shootout. And Ty Conklin was in goal for the U.S.

Should that really have been a problem for an offense being led by Rick Nash, James Neal, Jason Spezza, Jordan Eberle, Matt Duchene, John Tavares, Jeff Skinner, etc.?

Maybe the group says 'Hey, we put 50+ shots on goal. What more do you want from us?'

Could be.  Moving on...

After riding goalie James Reimer (Toronto Maple Leafs) for the first four games in the tournament, Hitchcock went to Kings' goalie Jonathan Bernier today versus Norway.

Things looked good when Canada was up 3-0 with 10 minutes left to play in the third. Then, Bernier gave up two (somewhat) soft goals in a less-than-two-minute span and we had a game.

When the clock got down to 90 seconds left Norway pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. However, they couldn't put another one past Bernier - so Canada won and secured their spot in the quarterfinals.

Bernier finished with 25 of 27 saves and he may not be done in the tournament. Prior to the game Hitchcock said he was giving Bernier a chance because he was told Bernier would be good on the big ice surface. Then, after the win, he was noncommittal about his starter for Canada's next game on Monday vs. Sweden - saying he'll sleep on it.

He also said "I was impressed with Bernier. I was impressed with the composure."

Finally, a few other notes...

After yesterday's game vs. Canada, Jack Johnson wasn't looking at things any differently just because of who they were playing - saying "A loss is a loss no matter who you lose to." He played a team-high 28 minutes and scored on a breakaway (coming out of the penalty box) in the second period that put Team USA up 2-1 lead. He was also the first shooter in the shootout, but missed.

Team USA is playing France this morning, in a game that will air on tape delay later tonight on VERSUS.

In case you haven't heard, Alexander Ovechkin is now in Slovakia for the tournament. He is practicing today with Team Russia and will play his first game tomorrow vs. the Czech Republic.

That should be interesting. One of my lasting memories from last year's Olympics in Vancouver was Ovi laying out Jaromir Jagr at center ice during a game between the two countries.



The Mayor
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Kings at Blue Jackets Pre-Game Notes and Links

Rick Nash Bobblehead

Today marks the fourth and final meeting between the Kings and Blue Jackets, two teams heading in opposite directions since they met up on January 8th - Trevor Lewis' birthday.

Back then LA was mired in a horrible slump at home and stuck at 12th place in the standings. Since then, the Kings have found their groove - including a win in Columbus during their 6-1-3 February road stretch.

Here are some other key points to get you warmed up...

* There must be something about Rick Nash and the Kings visiting town. Last time it was Nash poster night. Tonight they'll be giving out Nash bobbleheads (pictured) to the fans attending the game.

* Several Kings players - including Jack Johnson and Brad Richardson - shared some thoughts on Nash in a MayorsManor article here.  Jarret Stoll said "You have to play him hard. You can't give him too much time and space. You need to be physical on him and you can't respect him too much. Obviously, you have to respect him a little bit. But, if you respect good players too much, by the end of the night they'll have three points."  Click the link to read more.

LA vs Phoenix Preview w/ Coyotes Tyson Nash

Nash in the locker room (Japan 2007)

From Theo Fleury to Sean Avery, the pest is a role some play to perfection.

Tyson Nash was one of those guys during his playing days with the St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes.

The self-proclaimed "former 4th line pigeon" is now the Coyotes' TV Color Analyst and he stopped by MayorsManor to help us preview tonight's game with the Kings.

In the interview below we talk former King Eric Belanger, a recent trade, his apology to Fleury, being compared to Avery, why the Kings will win the Pacific Division...and yes, we play word association.

MM: What's the biggest difference between what Dave Tippett is doing with the Coyotes this year compared to his first season in Phoenix last year?

TN: Obviously, with the players we have you have to coach a certain way. We don't have the high talent that maybe the LA Kings have. So, he puts a system in place that fits for this type of team and that's a defensive type of system. It's no different than last year really. It's a team that relies on their goaltender heavily and they play with a lot of structure, keep everything really tight and play that real suffocating style that seems to be very effective.

MM: Besides the 27 points, what has adding Eric Belanger meant to the team this season?

Kings, Stoll Shoot Down Columbus Blue Jackets

The last time the Kings and Blue Jackets met LA had lost five straight games and wasn't exactly off to a hot start in 2011.

What a difference a month makes.

Entering play tonight in Columbus the Kings were 7-0-2 in their last nine games and finally seemed to have worked out whatever was ailing them just a few weeks ago.

They won a few games heading into the All Star break - which coach Terry Murray used to go back into his lab and try to create some team speed. In an interview posted here earlier this week, he said he liked what he has seen since then, explaining in detail about how he was using his centers.

This easily could have been a game where the Kings backed off, coming after two big wins over the weekend.  Instead, they scored the first goal of the game and kept charging all night long.

Rick Nash, who is slowly becoming the new Shane Doan or Brendan Morrow - a true Kings killer - scored a BEAUTIFUL goal to tie things at 2-2 in the second period.  Earlier this year Jarret Stoll said "You can't give him too much time and space."

So true.

In that same article he went on to say "If you respect good players too much (respect), by the end of the night they'll have three points."

Nash did.  One goal, two assists.

[more notes and video highlights after the jump]

STAT CHECK: LA Kings at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Kings are back in action later tonight and looking to pick up at least a point for their 10th straight game, having gone 7-0-2 recently.

They'll be taking on a Columbus team that is just a few points behind them in the Western Conference standings and a group on their own hot streak lately, posting a 8-3-2 mark in the their previous 13 games.

Here are ten things you need to know before the puck drops in a few hours...

* Columbus is 14-13-1 at home this season, Los Angeles 14-13-2 on the road. Both teams have won four of their last five games and seven of their last 10 overall. They also have 15 wins each when outshooting opponents.

* Oh so close - the Kings have scored 70% of their goals on the infamous five-on-five (105 out of 150 total goals), while the Blue Jackets have scored 69% in the same situation (102 out of 148)

* Columbus has played LA twice this season, both games at Staples Center. It took five or more goals to determine the winner each time. The Blue Jackets won the first contest 5-3. The Kings won the rematch 6-4.

* In those two games, Drew Doughty leads all players with five points (five assists). Three players have scored two goals for LA (Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Ryan Smyth). Rick Nash has been the top point producer on the Blue Jackets with four goals.

* Nash has 26 goals on the season. That's seven straight years with 25 or more goals. Can you name the only other current NHL player to also achieve that mark? Answer at the end of this article.

Kopitar vs. Ovechkin at Super Skills Event

In a few short hours the second wave of this year's NHL All Star Weekend will get underway with the popular Super Skills Competition.

Team captains Nicklas Lidstrom and Eric Staal met with Brendan Shanahan, NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Development, earlier this morning to determine which of their players would participate in each event.

Last night, the Kings' Anze Kopitar was selected by Lidstrom in the 15th round (30th overall) of the All Star Fantasy Draft. He now knows which events his team captain has assigned him to...

First, he'll be part of a three-man unit (also comprised of Florida's Evgeny Dadonov and Vancouver's Henrik Sedin) taking part in the Breakaway Challenge.

Fans at home will be allowed to vote on the winner of this event - something that will certainly be needed for Kopitar's group, as they're taking on Alexander Ovechkin (the two-time defending champion of this event), Corey Perry and PK Suban.

NHL All Star Game Mock Draft with Anze Kopitar

In a little less than an hour hockey fans everywhere will be treated to something truly unique.

This year's NHL All Star teams will be selected by Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) and Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) in a live television draft.

The pre-event storylines are abundant - will the Sedin twins be slit up? Will teammates, like Pittsburgh's Kris Letang and Marc Andre Fleury, end up on separate sides? Will Staal take fellow Hurricanes Cam Ward and Jeff Skinner? Will Lidstrom draft a heavy-Western Conference team?

It's a situation where the questions are near endless.

Yet, for the Kings' Anze Kopitar, the process will relatively stress free.  He doesn't have another guys from LA with him - so no separation anxiety here or possible hits from Jack Johnson to concern himself with. It's only been a few weeks since Slovenia even had a second player in the NHL (Jan Mursak of the red Wings). Thus, he won't be worrying about national pride when lacing up the skates this weekend either.

Perhaps the only thing on his mind right now is will he be the last player selected? A shame that nobody wanted as a kid, nor even sounds appealing to a professional athlete making millions of dollars. Regardless of circumstance, that's embarrassing.

NHL All Star Game Mock Draft with Matt Greene

Kings defenseman was Matt Greene was the 44th overall pick back at the 2002 NHL Draft. So, he knows all about waiting around to be selected.

Right now, he's probably half way to Pioneertown (story here). However, before he left we did a mock draft for this weekend's NHL All Star Game.

Like the mock drafted posted earlier today with Drew Doughty, we only took one goalie, two defensemen and three forwards from the pool of available players (excluding Anze Kopitar, due to them being teammates).

Perhaps displaying a bit of the brain power he put to use at the University of North Dakota, Greene carefully thought about each selection and provided commentary along the way.

When selecting his first forward he said "I'll take Stamkos. He scores a lot."

Then, he started talking strategy, after noting that he already has a center he added "I'll go with Giroux at wing."

NHL All Star Game Mock Draft with Drew Doughty

All Star Games in every sport have become boring.

We all know it.

If the game is in your city, it's a great experience - as it was here in Los Angeles in 2002...a weekend filled with legends of the game everywhere, the fan fest, a skills competition, etc.

However, the game itself isn't much to get pumped for unless you're there live. Even the honor of being selected to play doesn't seem to mean what it once did, with more and more athletes finding reasons to have a mini-vacation instead of attending the event with their peers.

Major League Baseball attempted to give theirs a little umph a few years ago by affixing a meaningful prize to the winning league - home field advantage in the playoffs. Sounds great on the surface, but it's hard for fans to invest emotionally in July for an outcome that may or may not mean something to their team three months later. Not to mention the nonsensical correlation between a team gaining such a critical advantage for a championship series by an All Star team victory.

This year the NHL takes its turn at trying to spice things up a bit and I love what they've done.

The game will probably be the same, perhaps only slightly better.

However, there is much more intrigue leading up to tonight than in any All Star Game of recent memory.

At 5pm PST the All Star Draft will get underway on live TV. If you haven't heard, gone is the Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference format. Instead, each team has been assigned a captain (Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes) and three assistants. All other players have been put in a general pool and one by one they'll be selected to their teams, just like kids on a school yard or frozen pond.

With that in mind, I sat down with a few Kings players to do a mock draft before they all went their separate ways this weekend.  First up, defenseman Drew Doughty.

Columbus at LA Preview: Kings Players on Rick Nash

Forty games into the season the Kings were supposed to be near the top of the Western Conference. They entered the season with high expectations after a return to the playoffs last year and were thought to be a much better team than the Blue Jackets - who most predicted would be near the bottom of the standings.

Instead, LA enters the game tonight in 12th place, just two points ahead of the Blue Jackets.

The Kings have the third best goal differential in the West (+17), while the Jackets have the second worst (-21). Yet another argument that suggests all the stats in the world mean little compared to the only thing that really matters - wins and losses.

At the 2002 NHL Entry Draft Columbus selected Rick Nash first overall. After his rookie season in the league he was one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy. The following year he had a career-high 41 goals, tying him with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Rocket Richard Trophy as league goal-scoring champion.

Thinking they could build the franchise around him, they made him captain and in 2009 signed him to a eight-year contract extension. That hasn't stopped the trade rumors though. A coaching changes and multiple roster moves haven't seemed to help much, so questions continue to arise about the possibility of the 6'4" right wing being sent to another team.

For now, he's still with the Blue Jackets. In 27 career games vs. the Kings he has 21 points and his 12 goals are the fewest against any Pacific Division team.

He's a player several Kings know fairly well. Ryan Smyth played with him on the Canadian team at the 2005 World Championships. He won a gold medal with Drew Doughty and Team Canada at last year's Winter Olympics. And Brad Richardson played against him quite a bit growing up.

Here are some thoughts from several Kings' players on Nash, the Blue Jackets biggest offensive threat...

Kings Win Again - Achtung Baby!

While I didn't commit a cardinal sin yesterday, for some of you I did do the unthinkable...I missed a Kings home game last night. With Columbus in town to play LA, I had a decision to make. Head to Staples Center for the hockey game or visit the hell hole that is the Rose Bowl. Yes, I chose to go see U2 instead of the game. Prior generations had the Beatles and the Stones. For my money, the two most important and influential bands of the last 25 years are U2 and Metallica. So, with the boys from Dublin in town for only one show, the choice was one of those easy - yet hard - decisions.

By now you already know that the Kings took care of business against Columbus, winning 6-2 in pretty dominating fashion. Kopi continued to burn up the ice, Quick stopped the man-beast Rick Nash on a penalty shot, Scuderi took out Chimera with a "once legal" hip check (click here for the video)...and Frolov had another strong game.

With that in mind, I've taken a different approach with today's article, using the set list from last night's U2 show and dedicating each song to one Kings player...



Breathe - Scott Parse
Get On Your Boots - Erik Ersberg
Magnificent - Anze Kopitar
Mysterious Ways - Alexander Frolov
Beautiful Day - Ryan Smyth
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - Jonathan Quick
Stuck In A Moment - Michal Handzus
No Line On The Horizon - Justin Williams
Elevation - Teddy Purcell
In A Little While - Oscar Moller
Unknown Caller - Trevor Lewis
Until the End of the World - Jack Johnson
The Unforgettable Fire - Wayne Simmonds
City of Blinding Lights - Matt Greene
Vertigo - Jarret Stoll
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight - Rob Scuderi
Sunday Bloody Sunday - Raitis Ivanans
MLK - Richard Clune
Walk On - Alec Martinez
One - Dustin Brown
Amazing Grace - Drew Doughty
Where the Streets Have No Name - Sean O'Donnell
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - Davis Drewiske
With or Without You - Peter Harrold
Moment of Surrender - Brad Richardson

It was a good show. If you missed it, hurry...U2 is streaming the Rose Bowl event all week on their YouTube channel. Simply use the video player above to start watching the concert!  Just be sure to do it before they take it down.

As for the Kings, they're back in action Wednesday night up north in San Jose. Then, the following night they return home for their first match up this season with the Vancouver Canucks.

If you don't like my song/player pairings, feel free to suggest your matches below.

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