Greene / McNabb

[Ollie Weeks]

Around midseason I'd thought Greene had given us all he could, but I was wrong. He delivered a strong postseason and while I don't think he should be brought back, he'll leave LA on top.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Dean & Co. were HUGE on this kid. I know worrying is the norm, but don't worry about it.

 

[HYORI 1963]

Again, easy to say when you're not making that kind of money. If 2 companies came to me right now and one offered me twice as much I'd take it. This could be about securing your families future and your kids future, so what's more important? And being an ice hockey player myself there is no way in hell I want to sit on the bench or be scratched. I want to play. The good news is Greene gets to choose, I don't think he'll be back. Other places also offer less severe taxes than SoCal so that AAV could possibly go up just by leaving.

I would too. However, if one of those company was where I had worked for 6 years, building good reputation, family like atmosphere, rapport and a winning tradition with, not to mention where I resided, it makes a HUGE difference.

 

[ukyo]

Honestly, if the Kings and Greene cannot figure out a way to make it work in LA, I would love to see Greene go back to Edmonton. That organization is in desperate need of a solid veteran leader that knows how to win, and it'd be a great role fit for him.

 

[Peter James Bond]

I fear that McNabb is the next Ellerby..

Keaton Ellerby never topped 30 points in any year of his career:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80306

McNabb had seasons in which his point totals went up over 20 pts a year
consecutively. Almost breaking 100 points in 2010-11

99 points in 2010-2011. 59 regular season and 19 playoff games; 99 points that season in 78 (total)
games. 25 goals, 74 assists. Tied in team scoring in playoffs.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=98196

If Keaton Ellerby had an open net in the O-zone the entire year in his last year of junior, he would not have had 99 points.
I am serious. He may have had 50 possibly.
Junior or not, and playing with offensive dynamos or not, a defenseman scoring
99 points in the WHL in a single season is almost unheard of.

He was 4th on his team in scoring that year and the 3 ahead of him only had a few more points. That makes it more impressive!
You would think any junior defenseman that scored 99 points, would have 3 or more forwards scoring 100+ points on his
team, for him to reach 99. Not the case.

Max Reinhart 1992-02-04 18 C 71 34 45 79 41 30 19 15 12 27 12
Kevin King 1990-01-14 20 L 68 33 43 76 88 26 19 5 11 16 34
Matt Fraser 1990-05-20 20 L 66 36 38 74 115 24 19 17 10 27 18
Brayden McNabb 1991-01-21 19 D 59 22 50 72 95 25 19 3 24 27 37
Jesse Ismond 1991-03-01 19 L 72 15 34 49 118 0 17 5 11 16 36
Cody Eakin From Swift Current 1991-05-24 19 C 26 18 26 44 19 16 19 11 16 27 14

Is McNabb an offensive defenseman? Perhaps not like he was in junior, but he certainly has offensive ability and instincts and a heavy, 100+ mph shot.
Tim Gleason was an offensive dynamo in junior and not in the NHL.
Hard to say how McNabb will do offensively, but he seems like a high
profile, top young defenseman with great upside.

He is no Keaton Ellerby.

 

[kingsfan]

I have a fear of losing Greene.

After next season there is a good chance both Regher and Mitchell retire, leaving us with this.

Muzzin-Doughty
Martinez-Voynov
McNabb-

And if Regehr and Mitchell both retire, that also opens up $6.5 million in cap space. That can buy a very good replacement.

 

[apadilla]

Deslauriers was also not going to be exempt from waivers this upcoming 2014-2015 season so it was going to be decision time on him. He was either going to make the NHL team as a forward trying to crack the bottom six or he was going on waivers where he probably would not have cleared.

wow, deslauriers sure can duke it out,

http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/123948

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Someone told me that Greene's issue this past season was concussion related. I'm not sure if that is true or not but that could be a big reason for the decline in his play. I thought he played well in the playoffs this year. Him and Schultz stepped up big time. It was a team effort in that regard. So different than 2012.

I think Greene could probably stomach a pay cut but he'll probably want a longer deal than the Kings can stomach. That makes bringing Willie Mitchell back the safer bet (assuming he wants come back). I think they can bring Mitchell back at or around the same pay with a shorter commitment.

 

[KingsHockey24]

wow, deslauriers sure can duke it out,

http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/123948

Damn, impressive.

 

[etherialone]

Yes Des is legit and going to be fun to watch in Buff this year. He did a really great job during his stint with them post trade and seems to be a good fit. Hate seeing him on another team because he would have been a great add for us. Has the speed of Lewis and the game of Nolan but with solid finishing skills. A great bottom 6er who can help out on the PP and drop to D if needed. Good utility player.

 

[rajuabju]

Barring some major unforseen event, McNabb is playing in LA next year.

The comments recently about Mitchell wanting to keep playing are intruiging. I cant see ANY team out there giving him more than a 1 year deal. If he's willing to take a small pay cut, DL will likely end up bringing him back. I'm still not convinced I want a 38 year old Mitchell back for next years playoff run though.

Greene looks to be the odd man out. Sounds like he wants a 3+ year deal or too much $.

I could see a theoritical lineup of

Doughty-Muzzin
Voynov-Regehr
Martinez - McNabb/Mitchell alternating (with McNabb possibly alternating with Regehr as well).

This would allow both Regehr and Mitchell to not run out of gas for the playoff run, while allowing McNabb to play somewhat protected minutes.

At the end of the day, I have full confidence DL gets exactly what he wants to get done.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Barring some major unforseen event, McNabb is playing in LA next year.

The comments recently about Mitchell wanting to keep playing are intruiging. I cant see ANY team out there giving him more than a 1 year deal. If he's willing to take a small pay cut, DL will likely end up bringing him back. I'm still not convinced I want a 38 year old Mitchell back for next years playoff run though.

Greene looks to be the odd man out. Sounds like he wants a 3+ year deal or too much $.

I could see a theoritical lineup of

Doughty-Muzzin
Voynov-Regehr
Martinez - McNabb/Mitchell alternating (with McNabb possibly alternating with Regehr as well).

This would allow both Regehr and Mitchell to not run out of gas for the playoff run, while allowing McNabb to play somewhat protected minutes.

At the end of the day, I have full confidence DL gets exactly what he wants to get done.

I want to see Bods crack the line-up this year as well.

 

[yankeeking]

I would too. However, if one of those company was where I had worked for 6 years, building good reputation, family like atmosphere, rapport and a winning tradition with, not to mention where I resided, it makes a HUGE difference.

I was just offered a 25% raise to run a shop with a competitor that one of my sons works for and I turned it down because I have it pretty good where I am, have the security of known situation, etc , not a popular decision with my wife but I do alright now pay wise and work for a really good organization so I agree money isn't everything but with that said my career isn't as short as theirs are and we are not talking millions of dollars either , really hard call for DL and Greene

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Someone told me that Greene's issue this past season was concussion related. I'm not sure if that is true or not but that could be a big reason for the decline in his play. I thought he played well in the playoffs this year. Him and Schultz stepped up big time. It was a team effort in that regard. So different than 2012.

I think Greene could probably stomach a pay cut but he'll probably want a longer deal than the Kings can stomach. That makes bringing Willie Mitchell back the safer bet (assuming he wants come back). I think they can bring Mitchell back at or around the same pay with a shorter commitment.

I wouldn't be surprised if that concussion tore him up in combination with all his other injuries. Hope an offseason of rest and rehab does him well. Bieksa really rung his bell, that looked ugly.

 

[The Tikkanen]

I was just offered a 25% raise to run a shop with a competitor that one of my sons works for and I turned it down because I have it pretty good where I am, have the security of known situation, etc , not a popular decision with my wife but I do alright now pay wise and work for a really good organization so I agree money isn't everything but with that said my career isn't as short as theirs are and we are not talking millions of dollars either , really hard call for DL and Greene

Exactly. The window for Greene to make what he's making now is about to close permanently. For the next 40 years of life he'll have to survive off what he made in his playing days and jobs that pay much less. Completely different scenario than the average working stiff. Guaranteed years and dollars are hard to turn down and I'm sure the players agents, who make a commission and the NHLPA aren't fond of home team discounts. It sets a bad precedent, you want guys maxing out pushing the salary cap up and up for the next generation and eventually the next lockout.

 

[Primakov!]

Martinez - McNabb/Mitchell alternating (with McNabb possibly alternating with Regehr as well).

This would allow both Regehr and Mitchell to not run out of gas for the playoff run, while allowing McNabb to play somewhat protected minutes.

I know you're not the only poster that has brought up this concept of a rotation, but I just don't see it working with highly competitive veteran players like Regehr and Mitchell.

Players like routines and consistency, which being yo-yo'd out of the lineup doesn't grant them. Heck, what if the team goes on a winning run and the coach decides to not change the lineup?

You might then have to deal with a player that's unhappy because they're not getting their kick at the can. And some might say they should just suck it up, but that's the type of players that Lombardi has accumulated -- guys with pride that want to play, compete, contribute, do everything for their team, and not just collect paychecks. It's difficult for guys like that to accept a backseat role.

So I can easily picture a scenario where you'd have a disgruntled player in Regehr who might argue that he didn't sign his extension to be a part-time player. And then you have Mitchell who still feels very strongly that he can still positively contribute and has miles left in the tank as a starter.

Point is, not every player is suited for a backup role. It just doesn't work sometimes because there's a certain mentality that I think is needed, especially from a veteran that is used to or still sees themselves as being a starter -- e.g. Martin Brodeur.

 

[mysteryman]

Yes Des is legit and going to be fun to watch in Buff this year. He did a really great job during his stint with them post trade and seems to be a good fit. Hate seeing him on another team because he would have been a great add for us. Has the speed of Lewis and the game of Nolan but with solid finishing skills. A great bottom 6er who can help out on the PP and drop to D if needed. Good utility player.

From what I saw I got the exact opposite impression. Granted BUFF was a horrible team but he looked out of place and out of position from the games I watched. No way does he have the speed of Lewis. He was my favorite player in Manch....watching him in the NHL though I understood why he never got a call up with the Kings and most likely never would. He is a tough dude though. He will only be an NHL player on a low level team.

 

[HYORI 1963]

I was just offered a 25% raise to run a shop with a competitor that one of my sons works for and I turned it down because I have it pretty good where I am, have the security of known situation, etc , not a popular decision with my wife but I do alright now pay wise and work for a really good organization so I agree money isn't everything but with that said my career isn't as short as theirs are and we are not talking millions of dollars either , really hard call for DL and Greene

Yes, hockey players' career is a lot shorter. But their checks have many more zeros to compensate for their short career.

 

[etherialone]

From what I saw I got the exact opposite impression. Granted BUFF was a horrible team but he looked out of place and out of position from the games I watched. No way does he have the speed of Lewis. He was my favorite player in Manch....watching him in the NHL though I understood why he never got a call up with the Kings and most likely never would. He is a tough dude though. He will only be an NHL player on a low level team.

That's interesting. Still I am very used to people seeing things differently then I do when it comes to assessing a developing players game. I will stand by what I saw and be willing to bet that Des does alright in the NHL. Sure seems like a lot of Buffalo fans saw pretty much what I did but it doesn't matter. Time will tell.

 

[HYORI 1963]

I love Des!

 

[niomosy]

I would too. However, if one of those company was where I had worked for 6 years, building good reputation, family like atmosphere, rapport and a winning tradition with, not to mention where I resided, it makes a HUGE difference.

It makes a difference but you have to decide how much of a difference. 1.5m vs 2m might not matter. 1.5m vs. 3m? That's a much tougher choice to make.

Money still talks, though it's up to the individual player how much.

 

[Model62]

McNabb's a left shot?

Well that doesn't work (A Mart and McNabb), unless MvNabb is better at playing his offside than Martinez is.

 

[BigBrown]

Martinez has become pretty good at playing his off-side, I think he played most of the regular season there together with Willie Mitchell.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Don't think Sutter wants a kid in that role, I think a vet dman will be signed on a 1 year deal for less than what Mitchell and Greene land on the open market. There are plenty of stay at home vets on the market come July 1st and LA is a great place to play with their system, their winning culture and their goaltending.

 

[kingsfan]

Don't think Sutter wants a kid in that role, I think a vet dman will be signed on a 1 year deal for less than what Mitchell and Greene land on the open market. There are plenty of stay at home vets on the market come July 1st and LA is a great place to play with their system, their winning culture and their goaltending.

Plus, while DL's UFA record is less than stellar in LA, he's hit it out of the park when it comes to stay at home D-man UFA's (Scuderi and Mitchell).