Storm Watch 2010 - Trade Winds Picking Up

The LA Kings have been downright maddening so far in 2010.

The problem has been known since last season - they need more offense.

Ryan Smyth may be back from injury, but he can't carry the top line by himself. Randy Jones may add some occasional offense, but he's usually a huge defensive liability. Alexander Frolov continues to...well, put it this way - he and Patrick Marleau will both be unrestricted free agents this summer. On guy currently leads the NHL with 35 goals and the other...well, continues to be Frolov.

The Kings need Frolov to put up those type of numbers, not be a solid two-way forward that chips in some goals only periodically. Wayne Simmonds has more goals right now than Frolov...and he's played three fewer games than Fro. That's unacceptable.

Much has been made about the team's restocking of the farm system over the last few years and their development of younger players. And while this isn't a knock on any individual player, the roster is filled with too many kids right now.

A trade for a top-six forward needs to be made now, not closer to the trade deadline. The points in the next 10 games are too valuable.

Take a look at how the Kings have been performing:

Last night's win came in the 50th game of the season. Breaking the season down into 10-game segments shows a rather consistent performance by the Kings:

1st 10 games = 12 points
2nd 10 games = 12 points
3rd 10 games = 13 points
4th 10 games = 10 points
5th 10 games = 12 points

Which leads us to the real question... Is that same level of performance (about 12 points in every 10 games) going to be enough? It could be, but probably not. Most other years it probably would be. However, this season continues to be filled with three point games by a lot of teams.

For the Kings, it's too risky a proposition to hold your breath and hope they have enough to reach the finish line.  The team has been largely hovering around the 8th seed all year. The time for a trade is now.

Yes, the Kings have been learning how to win. And they've been learning how to lose.

All the while, they've also been trying to raise their compete level (the trendy saying of the moment) and coach Terry Murray continues to preach his 'shot mentality.'

Yet, the bottom line remains, this version of the LA Kings is short on offense...and to win games they need more of it.

Here's a quick review of some of the names who might be available to help:

* Eric Belanger - solid, veteran center...other than Jarret Stoll, the Kings are terrible on faceoffs...he's an unrestricted free agent this summer, so could be a good rental player...when I asked somebody in the Kings organization about him recently they said 'He's been one of the best faceoff men in the league, he's still got a lot of speed'

* Raffi Torres - he certainly would follow the theme of the last few years, where LA picks up a guy who's had some recent injuries...all jokes aside, he plays wing - which is the most critical need for the Kings right now...he has 26 points in 49 games this season - more than Scott Parse, Brad Richardson and Teddy Purcell

* Ray Whitney - one of the better choices available...he's a proven top-six forward with a Stanley Cup ring...great character guy...rumor is, it would probably cost a second round pick...it's a complicated situation though because he has a no trade clause and reportedly loves playing in Carolina

* Tampa Bay Lightning - two years ago it was heavily rumored that the Kings were interested in Vincent Lecavalier - but, at this point, it just doesn't make sense with his big contract...the Lightning have three other players who might be better options, each with varying levels of probability when it comes to their availability - Martin St Louis (least likely, has a no trade clause), Ryan Malone (maybe) and Alex Tanguay (rumored to be available and would cost the least)...getting Tanguay would be interesting, as he was available last summer and Dean Lombardi passed on him

* Scott Hartnell - another player with a limited movement clause - however, this is the PERFECT guy for LA...some would complain that Dean Lombardi went after another former Flyer, yet that would be unfair criticism...Hartnell was drafted by and raised in the Nashville system...he plays on the top line in Philly and if you're going to move Frolov in a package, this is the type of guy you want in return

* Ilya Kovalchuk - of course, the Kings have been rumored to be in the sweepstakes for weeks...I just don't see it...Atlanta is going to want (and get) too much in return for a guy that will be unrestricted in July...plus, in the back of my mind I keep thinking about baseball (and we all know how much Lombardi loves baseball)...GMs there are often warned about taking the best pitcher on a bad team...I'd argue the same concern exists here with Kovi...an alternative from Atlanta might be Kozlov.

* Duck haters beware - two other possibilities include Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya

To get something you have to give up something (or some things). Trading draft picks is fine. If the Kings can get what they need with that, great - it's just highly unlikely to be that 'inexpensive.' Trading Purcell isn't going to get you much in return either. They may need to use Frolov to fetch more than what a package of 'Purcell and picks' would yield.  However, would they really be better off swapping out his goals for those of somebody else? Not really - that sounds more like a replacement than an addition.

So, what's left? Prospects that still have high trade value.

Lombardi has commented that he probably waited to long to trade Brian Boyle. The Kings have several kids in the system that may still yield a high return. So, perhaps the time has come to part with some of the future. Thomas Hickey may have been the guy they wanted at that draft, but how many young defensemen can the Kings really work in over the next two to three years? They already have Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson playing in LA.  Having Hickey, Colten Tuebert and Viatcheslav Voynov in the system is at least one too many blueliners.
It's a good problem to have, for sure - but somebody has to go.

The future is now. As in right now, not in another month at the trade deadline. There are 32 games left as of this morning - a third of which will be played before the deadline on March 3rd.

Fans have been doing their part in LA, with several sellouts since Christmas.

Dean Lombardi, you're on the clock. What are you going to do next?

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

Philly East vs Philly West?

In the early 90s the big joke was how the Kings had become Edmonton-South. Of course you had Gretzky; but then came Kurri, Coffey and a gang of others. Heck, Grant Fuhr even stopped by for a cup of coffee.

More recently the jokes have turned into Philadelphia-West given CM Dean Lombardi and coach Terry Murray's links to their former team. So with the Flyers in town tonight to take on the Kings this is another of those "big games" early in the season.

Here are seven things you should know before the puck drops at 7:30...

* Dieter Ruehle is doing the National Anthem. I'm not sure if they couldn't find a singer for tonight or they just wanted to push his name out there to remind long time fans of the Fabulous Forum days. Either way, sounds good.

* The Kings and Flyers have been rumored to be trade partners a few times in recent months - and for good reason. Yet, if there was any type of player swap to occur this season the one guy that sure would be PERFECT for the Kings is Scott Hartnell. There aren't too many guys like him in the league.

* On paper, these are two pretty evenly matched teams. When scoring first Philly is 11-2-1, the Kings are 10-2-2. When leading after two periods the Flyers are 10-0-1, the Kings 8-0-0. In OT the Flyers are 3-1, the Kings 3-2. In November the Flyers are 5-1-0 (10 points), the Kings are 5-3-0 (10 points).

* You want balance - look at the Flyers shot totals by period: First 189, Second 183, Third 188. LA continues to take the majority of their shots in the second, their fewest in the third.

* The difference in this game will likely be the power play. The Kings PK has been dismal this year to say the least. They rank 27th overall and 28th at home. Meanwhile, the Flyers power play is first overall, 9th on the road. For the Kings to win they need to stay out of the box and/or have strong kills if they take any penalties.

* With Ryan Smyth out for the next month there will be several line-up changes tonight. The Flyers will provide a big test for the revamped Kings. LA will need continued production from Kopitar, even without his linemate and BFF.

* While the Flyers are no longer the bruisers they once were, three different players each have three or more fighting majors this season. Who leads the team with six? Ian Laperriere, the former Kings fan favorite. It would be a little surprising if he dropped the gloves tonight though. He tends not to do that when playing the Kings the last few years. We shall see.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

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