Michael Mersch?

[vannzee]

I have followed his career from a far since he was drafted and wondered what role he might have this season? I was surprised that he didn't get more NHL time last year. In my opinion, the Kings should maneuver to see if he can be worth a protection spot for the expansion draft next year.

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[USE Fi]

Well my guess is he is going to play more than 17 games, it all up to him if he is in good shape at training camp then he has a good chance to make team. Kings have lot`s of forwards and they are going to make some moves before the season starts. Sutter likes veterans and dont give lots of playing time for "rookies"

What role he is going to have? Mayby 3rd line leftwing at best.

President/General Manager Dean Lombardi said that, forwards Nic Dowd and Michael Mersch, “They’ve paid their dues and there’s a job for them to win,” next season (he was also talking defenceman Kevin Gravel). So we will see. If he comes with a mentality that he is going to get a roster spot and has made some improvement with his skating he has a really good shot.

What comes to protecting him i don`t think so, atleast now it looks like we are going to protect Kopitar, Carter, Toffoli, Pearson and Doughty, Muzzin, Martinez and McNabb and also Quick, but anything can change.

He does have eligibility to go back to the AHL next year without having to clear waivers.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Of all the AHL guys who played in the NHL for us last year, Mersch was the one who I wasn't mad about getting sat/sent down when he did. He couldn't keep up with the speed of the game mentally or physically yet.

He seems to be a very unique player in his net front play and he made some amazing power moves off the boards, but his ability to maneuver around the middle of the rink and keep up with the game is going to make or break his NHL career, and when you pair sub-par skating with the fact that he's still learning to be instinctive, he wasn't ready. I'm excited to see what he has this year. (Re: the instinctive thing, Dwight King is pretty slow, but he's SUPER smart, so he never looks behind the play or out of place. THat's an example of a dude who can get by without fantastic skating).

We are in a pretty ****** situation with guys like Mersch because worst case scenario is they come in and suck, but if they come in and blow the doors off, we're likely to lose someone for nothing.

I imagine they'll work him in like they did Toffoli and Pearson, start em in the bottom six and let em earn it.

 

[Whiskeypete]

he's been working all summer to prepare. One of the guys I coach with stays in contact with him. Mike has been back and forth from Chicago and LA all summer. He's either working out here in Chicago or back in LA.

 

[B-MEL]

Mersch has been in LA most of this summer, as a few others that have a chance to take the next step.

Can't wait for Camp to Open!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Love hearing that. I never question his desire and he seems like a genuine and well-spoken dude.

 

[lumbergh]

Of all the AHL guys who played in the NHL for us last year, Mersch was the one who I wasn't mad about getting sat/sent down when he did. He couldn't keep up with the speed of the game mentally or physically yet.

He seems to be a very unique player in his net front play and he made some amazing power moves off the boards, but his ability to maneuver around the middle of the rink and keep up with the game is going to make or break his NHL career, and when you pair sub-par skating with the fact that he's still learning to be instinctive, he wasn't ready. I'm excited to see what he has this year. (Re: the instinctive thing, Dwight King is pretty slow, but he's SUPER smart, so he never looks behind the play or out of place. THat's an example of a dude who can get by without fantastic skating).

We are in a pretty ****** situation with guys like Mersch because worst case scenario is they come in and suck, but if they come in and blow the doors off, we're likely to lose someone for nothing.

I imagine they'll work him in like they did Toffoli and Pearson, start em in the bottom six and let em earn it.

I don't get why everyone keeps having a fit over the expansion draft. If the Kings lose Mersch, they lose Mersch. They're gonna lose somebody. Mersch is not exactly a core guy. In his wildest dream he is Tomas Holmstrom.

I'm gonna flip this on its head and say the Kings are in a pretty great situation with a guy like Mersch. Worst case, he sucks and the Kings have Dwight King still. Best case, he blows the doors off and the Kings have a solid third line for a year.

 

[Trolfoli]

I don't get why everyone keeps having a fit over the expansion draft. If the Kings lose Mersch, they lose Mersch. They're gonna lose somebody. Mersch is not exactly a core guy. In his wildest dream he is Tomas Holmstrom.

I'm gonna flip this on its head and say the Kings are in a pretty great situation with a guy like Mersch. Worst case, he sucks and the Kings have Dwight King still. Best case, he blows the doors off and the Kings have a solid third line for a year.

The worst part about losing Mersch in the expansion, would not be losing Brown.

 

[vannzee]

The worst part about losing Mersch in the expansion, would not be losing Brown.

Is it considered likely for Brown to be exposed?

 

[Fishhead]

It's a practical certainty that Brown will be exposed. I give it a 99.99% chance of happening.

 

[USE Fi]

It's a practical certainty that Brown will be exposed. I give it a 99.99% chance of happening.

So you are saying there`s chance they would protect him?

 

[Fishhead]

Yep. The same as this guy.

 

[USE Fi]

Yep. The same as this guy.

Yep, I thought so too!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't get why everyone keeps having a fit over the expansion draft. If the Kings lose Mersch, they lose Mersch. They're gonna lose somebody. Mersch is not exactly a core guy. In his wildest dream he is Tomas Holmstrom.

I'm gonna flip this on its head and say the Kings are in a pretty great situation with a guy like Mersch. Worst case, he sucks and the Kings have Dwight King still. Best case, he blows the doors off and the Kings have a solid third line for a year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the camp that says you have to treat it as business as usual, so I agree with you. I'm just saying it would figure that we have guys break out just in time to get poached when one of our organizational weaknesses last year was guys like Mersch and Gravel weren't ready.* Ultimately, every team loses someone anyway, and it's more likely to be a good player than a "thank goodness they took him!" player, so it's an even playing field probably not worth the extra worry; I just think the way players have gone since the Cups (Richards, Voynov, etc. creating holes and no one really stepping up to fill them yet) it's just cosmically destined for a guy to have a big breakout and become someone else's property, heh.

*don't care to argue this point, just saying from an organizational view

 

[Philip Kamhi]

I wonder if there will be trades with Las Vegas to get them to take (or not take) certain players, as has happened in the past?

 

[USE Fi]

I wonder if there will be trades with Las Vegas to get them to take (or not take) certain players, as has happened in the past?

There will be trades etc. like there has been before.

 

[Philip Kamhi]

There will be trades etc. like there has been before.

Seems likely, this always makes these things really interesting. Hopefully the Kings won't make blunders like they have in the past, example: LA traded Kimmo Timonen and Jan Vopat to Nashville after the Predators agreed not to select Garry Galley.