GDT: New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings - January 8, 2015 - 7:30 p.m. (PST)

[MynameisKing]

We got to have the slowest D in the league right now. Greene can be beat wide. Schultz can be beat wide. McBain can be beat wide. Regehr can be beat wide. McNabb can be beat wide! Like I observed when we played the Hawks earlier in the year, that if any team decides to use their speed north-south, they'd leave our D in the dust but just simply skating! Very concerning.

 

[Reclamation Project]

The Kings have way bigger problems than Mike Richards right now. They need a way to get some urgency and compete back in their game as a team. Start playing hard and the right way, all those hockey cliches. Stop giving up a bunch of goals and get back on the corsi train.




Oh I'm not arguing the need, it's painfully obvious to everyone. But if they're calling Carolina asking for Sekera and they want Pearson and a draft pick, is that a trade you make or do you wait around and hope the price comes down or more teams fall out of the playoff picture and become sellers? I think that's probably where we're at right now, got no choice but to either wait or pay a premium.

Nope.

 

[Chain]

I want to see any of you guys go out there and do even half as good as Richards can do! He's still an NHL player! What are you? I'm sick an tired of all you couch potatoes giving him ****! Yes, he can't play as well as he did in Philadelphia 4/5 years ago, but he is playing fine for the roll his in right now. Is he paid too much for what he did in Philly...of course! Just like brown is overpaid here for just being the captain of a cup winner and community guy for the team. This TEAM is struggling because of team problems and not just ONE ****ing player!

Stop trying to make him the scapegoat! Our defense is struggling because we are missing/lost 3 very important guys (Voynov, Regehr, Mitchell). Which in turn, hurts our goal tending! And our offense has never been good because we are a 200ft defense first team. Even with Gaborik, we are still missing a true top line scoring winger that has speed and can create chances (like Patrick Kane).

****!!

Edit: this post wasn't directed at anyone just person. Just kind of an overall anger at the Richards haters!

Honestly, nothing against the rest of your post but this point in bold is silly nonsense. Yes, none of us are NHL players. That means nothing. If you really think that way then and we should to then this board should just fold up because the whole point of discussing anything regarding hockey is dumb. After all, what's the point of any of us having, apparently infinitely ignorant opinions since we're not NHL players?

Fans have the right to discuss hockey. They have the right to criticize players. Fans who go to games, buy merchandise, watch games (that bring revenue because companies pay to have ads for the fans to see during those games), have every right to criticize. You don't have to be a NHL player to have an opinion, often a valid one. It's hockey, not rocket science.

The fact is, Richards is getting paid millions to perform at a level he simply isn't performing at. Fans have a right to be upset about that and call him out all they want to. If you want to defend him, then go ahead. But he deserves a hefty dose of criticism. The guy is still going home with more money in a season than most people will make in their lifetime. He's definitely not the only one right now, but he's been one of the guys playing subpar for the longest stretch, especially for his paygrade. If fans want to criticize him, then that's their right and they should be able to criticize him in a civil manner until the cows come home. Otherwise, let's just close down the board since none of us are NHL players.

 

[CTKingsFan]

There is no roster space to call anyone up. The only players who can be sent down wihtout having to go through waivers are Pearson and Toffoli. I don't think Lombardi would straight up get rid of Nolan or Andreofff just in order to give one of the guys in Manchester a shot for a couple games. I think things are gonna have to get worse in order for that to happen. I think the only way Shore, Weal, or O'Neill are called up is if someone gets injured.


The obvious issue is the defense. We currently have our number 7, 8 & 9 defensemen in the line up. That's rough. It's actually good depth that we have two guys with as much experience as McBain and Schultz as our 8 & 9 guys.

The Voynov situation is disaster. Furthermore, we're handicapped from replacing him in a trade because we don't know if him and his salary cap are comig back. With Voynov and his replacement we could possibly be over the salary cap. And we won't know the verdict (no pun intedend) on Voynov until after the trade deadline.


LOTS of obstacles this season.


This issue I think we can adress is the bottom 6 centers. Stoll has been awful. Richards has been okay, but not worth his cap hit. I think we need change there. If we can move one of them for a defensemen with a similar cap hit. Then you might see Shore come up or use Lewis/Andreoff as the 4C.

 

[Reclamation Project]

This guy right here. I won't say anything else.

 

[Jeff18]

That's just it, you don't know, but you continue to imply there is something going on with Richards other than just poor performance.

Can you please just go back and read what I wrote? I'm confused by what you're saying because I didn't even say that.

If you don't want to waste time, here is the main idea of what I said (feel free to check anyways, you're wrong): Sutter trusts Mike Richards. Don't agree? Ok. It was a statement. Am I correct? Don't know, but I gave evidence to suggest.

Did I say once that, there is an injury or something else going on? Did I say Richards is a terrific 20 min a game player? Did I even mention poor performance?

Why do you even try to argue with people on the internet let alone fellow Kings fans? Do you need to be reminded that this is just a game and getting an ulcer over this is completely moronic?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Kings have way bigger problems than Mike Richards right now. They need a way to get some urgency and compete back in their game as a team. Start playing hard and the right way, all those hockey cliches. Stop giving up a bunch of goals and get back on the corsi train.

Oh I'm not arguing the need, it's painfully obvious to everyone. But if they're calling Carolina asking for Sekera and they want Pearson and a draft pick, is that a trade you make or do you wait around and hope the price comes down or more teams fall out of the playoff picture and become sellers? I think that's probably where we're at right now, got no choice but to either wait or pay a premium.

Of course not. I'm agreeing with you. I'm just saying if our solutions for the next few weeks are Schultz/McBain, may as well be working Forbort or someone else in there for experience's sake too since they're with us long term (or maybe not depending on trades, but you get what I'm saying ).

It is what it is right now and what it is is painful, just like this sentence.

 

[KINGS17]

Can you please just go back and read what I wrote? I'm confused by what you're saying because I didn't even say that.

If you don't want to waste time, here is the main idea of what I said (feel free to check anyways, you're wrong): Sutter trusts Mike Richards. Don't agree? Ok. It was a statement. Am I correct? Don't know, but I gave evidence to suggest.

Did I say once that, there is an injury or something else going on? Did I say Richards is a terrific 20 min a game player? Did I even mention poor performance?

Why do you even try to argue with people on the internet let alone fellow Kings fans? Do you need to be reminded that this is just a game and getting an ulcer over this is completely moronic?

I don't agree. Sutter no longer trusts Richards, and that is evident by the amount of ice time Richards is getting. I don't think Richards' one shift on the PK, or one or two faceoffs in the d-zone against Nash's line is very strong evidence.

I think my posts made that abundantly clear.

Do you even know me? Why would you think I am getting an ulcer over it? Did you not post this?

What's your ****ing deal? This is a ****ing sport calm the **** down. Ron is right, you guys complaining to this degree have issues.

He still trusts Richards that's all that I'm saying. The guy shouldn't even be playing in that condition yet he's out there every night.

When I read the part in bold, it seems to me you are implying that Richards is either ill or injured. I'm not arguing with you, that would be a waste of my time, but I am pointing out the contradictions in your posts.

BTW, it's ridiculous to suggest that Sutter wouldn't bench a player. He just said in his post game press conference that he benched Muzzin tonight for being unwilling to check.

 

[MynameisKing]

There is no roster space to call anyone up. The only players who can be sent down wihtout having to go through waivers are Pearson and Toffoli. I don't think Lombardi would straight up get rid of Nolan or Andreofff just in order to give one of the guys in Manchester a shot for a couple games. I think things are gonna have to get worse in order for that to happen. I think the only way Shore, Weal, or O'Neill are called up is if someone gets injured.


The obvious issue is the defense. We currently have our number 7, 8 & 9 defensemen in the line up. That's rough. It's actually good depth that we have two guys with as much experience as McBain and Schultz as our 8 & 9 guys.

The Voynov situation is disaster. Furthermore, we're handicapped from replacing him in a trade because we don't know if him and his salary cap are comig back. With Voynov and his replacement we could possibly be over the salary cap. And we won't know the verdict (no pun intedend) on Voynov until after the trade deadline.


LOTS of obstacles this season.


This issue I think we can adress is the bottom 6 centers. Stoll has been awful. Richards has been okay, but not worth his cap hit. I think we need change there. If we can move one of them for a defensemen with a similar cap hit. Then you might see Shore come up or use Lewis/Andreoff as the 4C.

Nooo! You say we're stuck with Schultz?

 

[Reclamation Project]

Schultz isn't even that bad as an extra guy. Unfortunately we're here though.

 

[MynameisKing]

Schultz isn't even that bad as an extra guy. Unfortunately we're here though.

I cringe everytime there's a 1 on 1 situation with him in the D zone. He gets beat to spots. A lot!

edit: Just thinking about that, the Kings depend on 1 vs 1 coverage on defense. Who were excellent with 1 vs 1 coverages? Voynov & Mitchell.

 

[The Butcher]

I feel like the bandwagon is getting a little lighter lately.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Two of our top guys are out. One probably won't be back this season, and the other most likely will retire. And who the **** knows his status. Back on the ice, but that doesn't mean much to me.

 

[BigKing]

Richards isn't even in the Top 5 of best 4th line centers in the league, yet he is being paid like a #1C.

Horrible.

The guy can't play like MIKE RICHARDS anymore. He's effing Brad Chartrand with a $6MM contract. Not buying him out was a huge mistake.

 

[Jeff18]

I don't agree. Sutter no longer trusts Richards, and that is evident by the amount of ice time Richards is getting. I don't think Richards' one shift on the PK, or one or two faceoffs in the d-zone against Nash's line is very strong evidence.

BTW, it's ridiculous to suggest that Sutter wouldn't bench a player. He just said in his post game press conference that he benched Muzzin tonight for being unwilling to check.

I think my posts made that abundantly clear.

Do you even know me? Why would you think I am getting an ulcer over it? Did you not post this?



When I read the part in bold, it seems to me you are implying that Richards is either ill or injured. I'm not arguing with you, that would be a waste of my time, but I am pointing out the contradictions in your posts.

The ulcer part is a joke. Unless you actually have ulcers in that case I'm really sorry, shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said it anyways and will never do it again now that I think about it.

You were clear and I don't agree with you. But that's okay. I just don't like the fact that you took what I said and mocked me (seemingly angry), twice. That's childish and not a part of the discussion.

Using the word condition is a little ambiguous but it can really mean a lot of things. Saying something is in used condition can mean it's worn out over many years; there isn't really a time frame nor does it mean it is in terrible shape. And by benching a player, I mean giving them John Scott minutes. Don't know if you play hockey, but even nine minutes can be tough.

 

[Reclamation Project]

The saddest thing is the Kings defense is getting progressively worse. Honestly, at this point, I'd go hard after a 3/4 defenseman. We're gonna need one anyways. I'm not counting on Voynov being back this year. Kings can't even hold leads anymore. They went up 2-0 and I knew it was inevitable they would blow it. Then we're all excited in the dying minutes that they're playing at 80%. The defense is ugly.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Honestly, nothing against the rest of your post but this point in bold is silly nonsense. Yes, none of us are NHL players. That means nothing. If you really think that way then and we should to then this board should just fold up because the whole point of discussing anything regarding hockey is dumb. After all, what's the point of any of us having, apparently infinitely ignorant opinions since we're not NHL players?

Fans have the right to discuss hockey. They have the right to criticize players. Fans who go to games, buy merchandise, watch games (that bring revenue because companies pay to have ads for the fans to see during those games), have every right to criticize. You don't have to be a NHL player to have an opinion, often a valid one. It's hockey, not rocket science.

The fact is, Richards is getting paid millions to perform at a level he simply isn't performing at. Fans have a right to be upset about that and call him out all they want to. If you want to defend him, then go ahead. But he deserves a hefty dose of criticism. The guy is still going home with more money in a season than most people will make in their lifetime. He's definitely not the only one right now, but he's been one of the guys playing subpar for the longest stretch, especially for his paygrade. If fans want to criticize him, then that's their right and they should be able to criticize him in a civil manner until the cows come home. Otherwise, let's just close down the board since none of us are NHL players.

No you don't have to be an NHL player to have an opinion on hockey. But to say that a guy is (done, finished, washed up, etc.) is a freaking joke. This man is an NHL hockey player and a damn fine one at that. But when an organization, GM, coach, and teammates...that all know more about hockey than the average (or hardcore) fans, still believe and trust him as an NHL player, than he isn't washed up or finished.

The only problem people have with him is that he isn't playing up to his contract. Which he signed with a different team, as a younger player, in a different open scoring system. If he was being paid like Stoll...no one would say **** about his game. Brown is playing just as bad with more minutes and for the same amount of money but no one says ****. Stoll is also not playing up to par with his pay either so there's another guy you can rip but won't. I'm sick of people needing a whipping boy to blame everything on!

This team is playing bad for multiple reasons and one person isn't just causing these problems.

 

[Reclamation Project]

The defense is the problem. Kings can't even hold a lead. What does the defense even look like on paper? It's ugly on the ice.

No second pairing at all and the third pairing is extras. Yuck. Getting Regehr back will help, but the Kings still need another 3/4. The Voynov situation really ****ed the Kings over.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Richards isn't even in the Top 5 of best 4th line centers in the league, yet he is being paid like a #1C.

Horrible.

The guy can't play like MIKE RICHARDS anymore. He's effing Brad Chartrand with a $6MM contract. Not buying him out was a huge mistake.

The only thing I'm going to say about Richards at this point is it's both clear that Sutter doesn't know what do do with him in regards to his usage and I'm not sure Richards knows what his player identity is right now either.

If you're a 4th liner, be a good 4th liner--don't lose your man, win faceoffs, etc. If you're a 2nd liner, you need to produce. This season, he shows great flashes, but nothing consistently in any role. I'm not sure player and coach understand each other. Not literally--I'm sure expectations are communicated--but he's more effective in better roles with more minutes, yet why would you give him those when he can't be effective in a limited role? He's an enigma right now because some shifts he looks 100% the guy he was in Philly (there were two or three shifts tonight where I got him confused with Pearson for work ethic and speed), others he's by far the worst on the team. Part of that could also be linemates--some guys won't finish for him, and sometimes when Richards is in no-mans-land it's because he's overcompensating for someone else's goofup which actually hurts the system.

Now that that's out--he's also only one broken gear in this currently dysfunctional system and even his biggest haters are going to have a hard time blaming tonight's 4 GA on him so please ffs let's chat about something else

 

[member 88115]

The defense is the problem. Kings can't even hold a lead. What does the defense even look like on paper? It's ugly on the ice.

I agree, our third pairing D should be playing in the AHL and our second pairing should really be our third pairing. And that Mike Richards guy should be benched for some kid in the A called Shore.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The defense is the problem. Kings can't even hold a lead. What does the defense even look like on paper? It's ugly on the ice.

No second pairing at all and the third pairing is extras. Yuck. Getting Regehr back will help, but the Kings still need another 3/4. The Voynov situation really ****ed us over.

Yep.

Martinez on the third pairing is ideal, but he's proving himself to be a VERY capable 2nd pairing d-man. If we want to roll with that, he needs a partner. Is it Regehr? For the rest of this season, probably, because you definitely don't want Greene with Regehr. But then who skates with Greene, McNabb? That will be fine many nights, but against quick, agile teams like the Hawks and Rangers, night night. We just have an odd configuration with Voynov out. I think to make room for the next partner he has, one of our current d-man will have to go. It's just gonna be ugly, and I get the feeling this will be a trade unlike the others--we all loved getting Carter, Gabby, etc., this one is going to sting, as we'll likely lose someone we love and the value probably won't be great as we're not in a good bargaining position.

Please surprise me, DL!

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Richards isn't even in the Top 5 of best 4th line centers in the league, yet he is being paid like a #1C.

Horrible.

The guy can't play like MIKE RICHARDS anymore. He's effing Brad Chartrand with a $6MM contract. Not buying him out was a huge mistake.

I think he is playing like Mike Richards because he is Mike Richards!

You're not going to get the old Mike Richards! Everyone that wants the old Mike Richards, it's not going to happen. Nobody can play like they did 5 years ago. Especially with the way he used to play. He's had a lot of miles put on his body and its wearing down. But even this broken down kind of Richards is better then Chartrand.

 

[KINGS17]

The ulcer part is a joke. Unless you actually have ulcers in that case I'm really sorry, shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said it anyways and will never do it again now that I think about it.

You were clear and I don't agree with you. But that's okay. I just don't like the fact that you took what I said and mocked me (seemingly angry), twice. That's childish and not a part of the discussion.

Using the word condition is a little ambiguous but it can really mean a lot of things. Saying something is in used condition can mean it's worn out over many years; there isn't really a time frame nor does it mean it is in terrible shape. And by benching a player, I mean giving them John Scott minutes. Don't know if you play hockey, but even nine minutes can be tough.

I don't get angry about this stuff. You do seem to write some circular arguments though. I still haven't seen any valid reasoning for why you think Sutter still trusts Richards.

 

[Herby]

The saddest thing is the Kings defense is getting progressively worse. Honestly, at this point, I'd go hard after a 3/4 defenseman. We're gonna need one anyways. I'm not counting on Voynov being back this year. Kings can't even hold leads anymore. They went up 2-0 and I knew it was inevitable they would blow it. Then we're all excited in the dying minutes that they're playing at 80%. The defense is ugly.

But what happens if the Kings go out, trade a prospect for a defenseman making $3 million a year and then Voynov is acquitted. If he is acquitted the NHLPA is going to rightfully call for his immediate reinstatement. The Kings at that point would have to immediately trade someone to get under the cap.

The Kings cap situation this past summer was handled incredibly poorly and in a short sighted manner by Lombardi, I'm sure he knows this by now but it still doesn't change the fact that Dean really messed up.

The Kings as of today are paying Brown, Richards, Greene and Stoll a combined $17.3 million, which is slightly more than a quarter of the teams salary cap. Is there a worse ROI on four players in the entire league? In fairness to Greene he is just been forced into a more significant role with the injuries, but the other guys are just disgustingly overpaid. There is a pretty good chance none of them reach 30 points, and it's not as if any of them are going to be mistaken for Guy Carboneau.

If Dean can get this team into a good cap situation by July 1st, it may be his greatest feat to date.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

The only thing I'm going to say about Richards at this point is it's both clear that Sutter doesn't know what do do with him in regards to his usage and I'm not sure Richards knows what his player identity is right now either.

If you're a 4th liner, be a good 4th liner--don't lose your man, win faceoffs, etc. If you're a 2nd liner, you need to produce. This season, he shows great flashes, but nothing consistently in any role. I'm not sure player and coach understand each other. Not literally--I'm sure expectations are communicated--but he's more effective in better roles with more minutes, yet why would you give him those when he can't be effective in a limited role? He's an enigma right now because some shifts he looks 100% the guy he was in Philly (there were two or three shifts tonight where I got him confused with Pearson for work ethic and speed), others he's by far the worst on the team. Part of that could also be linemates--some guys won't finish for him, and sometimes when Richards is in no-mans-land it's because he's overcompensating for someone else's goofup which actually hurts the system.

Now that that's out--he's also only one broken gear in this currently dysfunctional system and even his biggest haters are going to have a hard time blaming tonight's 4 GA on him so please ffs let's chat about something else

I agree with with 100%. Everyone just needs a whipping boy and he's it right now! There's plenty of broken to go around of right now. It's just one big mess.

I still love your avatar! It's perfect for this team right now