LA Kings Draft Update: Round two - goalie Chris Gibson

In a little bit of a surprise move - or what some might call a Dean Lombardi draft day special - the Kings selected a goaltender with their first pick (#49 overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft.

LA traded away their first round selection in the Dustin Penner deal earlier this year. So, the team didn't hit the podium until the second round, where they announced 'We proudly select Finnish goaltender Christopher Gibson.'

He played last season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he led all goalies with a .920 save-percentage and was second overall with a 2.42 goals-against average. He was named a First Team All-Star.

Gibson lists Mikka Kiprusoff as his favortie athlete - a netminder Lombardi is very familiar with from his days in San Jose.

The Kings also know about goalies coming out of the QMJHL, having recently taken Jonathan Bernier and JF Berube from the junior circuit.

To see what the Kings did in the third round click here.

The Mayor
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Ryan Smyth traded to the Oilers for basically a draft pick

Ryan Smyth is about to test the theory that you can't go home again.

In a deal that came together after the Calgary Flames are believed to have entered the race, the Oilers agreed to send Gilbert Brule and a fourth round draft pick to the Kings in exchange for Captain Canada.

Brule, a center, is under contract for one more year and is most likely headed to Manchester next season or will bought out.  He was a first round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2005 and was traded to the Oilers in 2008.

At this point, his talents - even though seven goals in 41 games last season aren't bad numbers - are probably not enough to crack the roster in Los Angeles. Thus, all of Smyth's salary comes off the books and frees up GM Dean Lombardi's budget just a week before NHL free agency opens up next Friday.

Full details on new Kings jerseys - 3rd, retro, home, road

As I posted earlier on twitter and facebook, that's a picture of the new Los Angeles Kings road jersey that will be featured when the team takes the stage at the draft this weekend - most likely tomorrow (as GM Dean Lombardi doesn't have a first round pick tonight).

Well, here are some more of the plans...

After much discussion on which jersey should be used as the third version, it's been settled - the current home jersey, black base with the crown and purple trim, will become the new third jersey.

For fans loving all things retro, the team will also wear vintage jerseys during three 'Legends' games - dates still to be determined.  Those will (probably) be the same '67-era purple and gold jerseys worn a few times this past season.  However, it could be a different purple/gold version, depending on the players/era they honor.

During home games at Staples Center the Kings will wear the black version of the jersey pictured above.

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Dean Lombardi 'troubled' by Ryan Smyth trade request

When the NHL schedule came out yesterday it revealed the Kings will host both the Washington Captials and Pittsburgh Penguins.  Sid and Ovi coming to town? Usually that's enough to talk about on a boring Thursday in June.

Yet, leave it to Dean Lombardi to throw that one out the window.

First, he made a huge trade with the Flyers, acquiring their captain Mike Richards in exchange for a package that included hockey's number one prospect, Brayden Schenn.

Then, hours later, he dropped another bomb on the conference call - yes, Ryan Smyth DID ask for a trade.

As discussed here on MayorsManor earlier in the week, Smyth's team of preference was the Oilers. And our poll showed fans were split on what the Kings should expect in return (results here).

Lombardi, known for his honesty when answering these type of questions, was his usual blunt self...

"This has kind of evolved over the last two months, actually. When Ryan asked to be moved, at first I was really troubled. Ryan, in our first 40 games last year I thought he was one of our better players. He kind of tailed off a little and then, in the playoffs, was one of our best players. And certainly, left wing, it’s not one of our strongest positions. So first off, my reaction was, `No way,’ and I couldn’t figure out why, because I think Ryan had adapted well."

Exclusive: Jim Fox on LA Kings Trade for Mike Richards

He may be on the other side of the globe, yet Jim Fox still made time to check in with MayorsManor regarding the big news from yesterday.

Fresh off another successful charity event last week (they raised over $200k at the 23rd annual Jim Fox/Dave Taylor golf tournament), Fox headed over to Prague this week for some R&R. Although he still couldn't shake the hockey world, as he worked out in the same gym yesterday with Roman Hamrlik and Patrick Elias. You think Kovalchuk's name came up?

Meanwhile, the Kings were retooling their roster yesterday in a big way - acquiring Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and a second round draft pick.

In Richards, the Kings received the Flyers’ 26-year old captain, who is under a long term contract. He's averaged 28 goals, 42 assists and 70 points over the last four seasons. Equally important, he's played in 57 playoff games - including the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.

Earlier this morning Fox shared a few comments on the trade -

"When I think of Mike Richards I think 'playoff player.' A guy who because of his competitive nature and style personifies 'leaving it all on the ice.' His versatility drives his value way up. He plays and excels in all facets of the game - all situations and he gets better when the game is on the line!"

More on the trade later today, including exclusive comments from one of Richards' former teammates.

The Mayor
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High/Low with Jim Fox - Kings vs San Jose, 2011 Playoffs

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POLL: Ryan Smyth - what's he worth to the LA Kings?

You always have to preface these type of things, so here goes - Ryan Smyth is a class act and was the perfect player at the perfect time when the Kings acquired him a few summers ago.

That said, according to a TSN report earlier today, Smyth has notified the Kings he would like to play for the Edmonton Oilers next season if possible.

It appears to be more than just a rumor.  So, let's look at things...

He's 35 years old and has played in 1,069 NHL regular season games - including 82 this past season (the first time he's played a full season since 2003-04).

His 47 points were fourth best on the Kings, while his 23 goals were third most on the team.

Perhaps most important, he plays left wing - a position the Kings are extremely thin at throughout the entire organization.

Even so, a trade to Edmonton is always possible.  Anything's possible in the NHL!

If you were GM Dean Lombardi, what would you be looking for in return?


Poll closes Thursday night.

Smyth started his career in Edmonton, playing over 750 games there before being traded to the Islanders in a deadline deal in 2007.  His first career game with the Oilers was actually vs. the Kings at the old Forum - something he spoke about in a MayorsManor interview here.

I'm off to Las Vegas in the morning for NHL Awards week. Be sure to follow all the action via twitter and facebook updates at the links below.

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Tyler Toffoli - Team Canada's only Kings prospect?

The times they are a-changin'. Or are they?

For the last few years, the Kings have had more prospects invited to Team Canada's World Junior evaluation camps than just about any other NHL club. Last year alone, they had Brayden Schenn, Linden Vey, JF Berube, Kyle Clifford and several others on the list.

The Kings have also had several players put in leadership roles for Canada at the tournament itself - as Schenn, Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert all wore letters on their chest in recent years.

However, as of right now, Tyler Toffoli is the only Kings prospect set to attend this summer's evaluation camp for the 2012 World Junior Championship.
That could change after next weekend's NHL Draft though, as 20 of the 46 players invited are draft eligible - and are expected to be selected.  Who knows, maybe the Kings will nab a few of those.

So, the final prospect count is really still TBD.

As reported last week, Derek Forbort and Kevin Gravel (both selected by the Kings at the 2010 NHL Draft) were invited to attend the upcoming Team USA evaluation camp.

Toffoli, who led the OHL in scoring this past season, was a guest on MayorsManor right before the playoffs began - click here if you missed it.

To read Clifford's exclusive Team Canada report from last summer's camp - including his thoughts on the other Kings prospects - click here.

Meanwhile, Toffoli has been working out in Ottawa with the gang at Greco Lean and Fit. He's expected to be in Los Angeles for the Kings annual Development Camp in a few weeks. More on that later.

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Matt Greene tattoos his Los Angeles Kings teammates

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Tired of hearing about the Bruins and/or the Canucks? Fear not, that will die down in the next week of so. Plus, you have the NHL Awards coming up next week. Then, the NHL Draft next weekend. Before you know it, free agency will be here.

For now though, how about a Kings related story to get your weekend off to a great start...

A few months back Matt Greene was the judge of a tattoo contest on LAKings.com. Basically, fans were encouraged to send in photos of their ink and Greene would determine who had the best stuff.

Why Greene you ask? Well, the man knows tats - as evidenced by his left leg. Rather than a half-sleeve, I'd guess you'd call it a full-quad? I don't know.

Anyway, throughout the season during various conversations I asked Greener for his opinion on different teammates. As he looked around the locker room he would offer up his suggestion on their first trip to a tattoo parlor.

With some never before published comments, here's what each of these guys should get, according to Matt Greene...

Drew Doughty - "He wants to get his family crest, but I doubt he'll actually pull through on it. He's a little gun shy about the whole 'it's there for life thing.'"

Jack Johnson - "Bald eagle, right across the chest."

Willie Mitchell - "Maybe a stock portfolio, somewhere on his arm."

Kyle Clifford - "Something really tough, maybe brass knuckles. But, when we talked to Cliffy about it he wants to get a big wolf."

Ryan Smyth - "I don't Smitty's going to get a tattoo. But, if he did, it would be Canada. It would be a maple leaf, like 70% of the other Canadians that you play with."

Alec Martinez - "A Louisville Slugger. His girlfriend's from Louisville and she used to work at the Louisville Slugger plant."

Rob Scuderi - "The Jets. New York Jets, right on his heart."

Dustin Brown - "His kids portraits, right across his back."

Jarret Stoll - "Stolly? That's tough. It's always changing with his style. That would be a temporary one, for sure."

Jonathan Bernier - "He already has enough. I might take a couple of his off. He has some bad ones. He knows which one too."

Jonathan Quick - "He got one last summer, so he's pretty fresh. I can't give him anymore right now. He's joining in though. He's going to get some more."

With dozens of tattoo shops in Vegas, who knows - maybe he can get some fresh color during the NHL Awards next week. If I see him there, expect a a follow-up to this article.

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Which Team Won't Be Back?

The NHL's 2010-11 season is now over, with the Boston Bruins crowned as Stanley Cup Champions.

For those ready to turn the page and look ahead, let's talk about the Western Conference standings.

Every year there is a certain amount of turnover within the eight teams qualifying for the post-season. For example, last season, four 'new' teams made it in the West compared to the 2008-09 campaign.

However, this season, only one team didn't return - Colorado was replaced in the pack by Anaheim.

So, of the eight Western teams that took a shot at the Cup this year, which do you think is most likely to have a drop off...and not return to the playoffs next season?



Results will be posted Monday.

The Mayor
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LA Kings Roundtable - Stanley Cup Conteners in 2012?

On the eve of the NHL's post-season coming to end, there are still two open questions - who will win the Stanley Cup this year, Boston or Vancouver?

And what about the Kings?

For more on that second one, the guys over at KingsCast pulled together a panel, consisting of people like Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner and Dave Joseph of ESPN to help explore the issue.

Over the last few weeks several videos have been posted on various topics surrounding the Kings past, present and future. Below is the final installment - where we talk in-depth about the players, attitude and philosophy needed for the LA Kings to become Stanley Cup contenders next season.

Some of the conversation centers around Willie Mitchell vs. Chris Pronger, who will win the Pacific Division, can the Kings challenge for one of the top spots in the Western Conference and much more.



If you haven't been keeping up with the whole series, here's a recap with links:

Part one - discussion on Drew Doughty

Part two - discussion on the power play and prospects

Part three - lots of talk on free agents, trade rumors, Kopitar, Bernier, Penner, etc.

Part four - focus on coaching and Johnson vs. Doughty

Part five - debating player contracts and roster changes

Be sure to check back next week for plenty of coverage live from NHL Awards week in Las Vegas - the parties, the players and all the scoop.

The Mayor
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