News Article: Patrick O'Sullivan to Edmonton; Justin Williams to LA (3-way Trade)

[William H Bonney]

This was probably a huge factor. Dean saw that Moller was bringing the same skills to the table as O'Sullivan, and in many cases, better. Dean's sending a clear message. If you don't step up and start living up to your potential, there are plenty of younger guys in the pipes that can replace you and play with more heart. This is the strategy, create a super competitive environment within the organization to weed out those who simply don't care enough. That's how you become a high caliber team like Detroit.

I really really HOPE our GM is making trades based on one game.

If the Kings and their management (DL) really felt this way about Moller, they would have never allowed him to leave the team to go to the WJC.

 

[wicker]

I'm not doubting how talented and competitive Williams is, it's his injury list that scares me.

 

[CarolinaHurricanes85]

You are going to love Williams. He has an absolutely lethal shot and was a fan favorite in Raleigh. He skates hard every shift when nobody does and am sorry to see him leave. The injuries has sustained are a result of freak accidents not a history of them. Really nice and incredibly funny guy as well. Good Luck Justin, you will definitely missed here.

 

[aegwillnotwinthecup*]

Yet another wait and see. I'm willing to give this trade time before I grab the pitchfork. I hated the Visnovsky deal and bashed Lombardi all summer because of it. Nearly a year later, DL smells like a rose for that one.

There had to have been a lockerroom issue with Sully. I honestly don't see Dean taking THIS much of a gamble on a kid he traded Demitra for just because of his play (everyone's numbers have dropped this season).

However, IF Williams returns to form (30-40-70) this is a monster deal for us.

 

[wicker]

Justin Williams is by far the best player in the trade. The injury history is a major concern, but skill-wise he is a bonafide 30+ goal scorer.

A healthy Justin Williams is a stud player to have, no question. Just crossing my fingers that he recovers completely...

 

[LAX attack*]

I really really HOPE our GM is making trades based on one game.

If the Kings and their management (DL) really felt this way about Moller, they would have never allowed him to leave the team to go to the WJC.

Or not the other games this season where Sully has been useless

He will not improve

SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU GUYS.

You see what we saw of Sully? This season and last?

That's it. Can he be a 60 point scorer? Yes.

Will he be a leader, a guy who you say "he's on the ice, he will do something"

Defenietly not (unless your definition of doing something is a bad shot or a turnover)

 

[Thrice]

I bet if we go back and search the Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene thread from last year, we'll see the same posters proclaiming Lombardi's incompetence.

It's funny how that trade worked out, considering Stoll and Greene were both "damaged goods," right?

 

[William H Bonney]

I think it's important to note that Frolov's first two seasons were played in a different era of NHL hockey.

Agreed, and that's why I don't feel Sully had the potential that Fro had/still has, but I was speaking in terms of the patience shown. Frolov was a hell of a lot more frustrating player than Sully has been in terms of development.

 

[Fat Elvis]

DL pointed out how smart of a hockey player Williams is. He loves the smart character players (Handzues,McCaulley), but they always seem to be oft injured as well. Hopefully DL got this one right, we'll find out soon enough.

 

[DIEHARD the King fan]

From Rich Hammond's blog

Question: Was this trade more about getting Williams or getting rid of O'Sullivan?

LOMBARDI:
. . .

. . .


``He is signed for the same length as Sully, and we took on a little more salary than with Sully, but that's just a reflection of the player. His injuries, obviously, were a big thing going into it, before it blew up last night, before it was interrupted by a certain writer. We had his knees checked out. He's had a couple freak injuries here in the last couple years, but we had that all checked out and made sure we were getting a 27-year-old athlete here. That took a long time, to get all the reports and everything here, but we're satisfied. That broken finger, what are you going to do?''

With DL, you have to read between the lines, and when he lets slip these little quips, you can see he is a vindictive person. He's obviously taking a snipe at Helene Elliott, and what a cheap way to do it as well. As if a reporter can halt a deal, or maybe because DL knew thedeal wouldn't be well recevied if it got evaluated early, so he holds the deal til the last minute. And Why O' Why wouldn't we have wanted to get Eric Cole instead of an injury prone player like Justin Williams. Staples center is not the Spectrum and LA is not Philly.


I hate this deal. But I must admit, its ALL MY FAULT. I have always resisted getting a jersey with a player's name on it because I KNEW THAT IF I DID THAT PLAYER WOULD GET TRADED. Well, I broke my own rule and got an O'Sullivan jersey when the third jersey's came out. I AM SO SORRY!!!

Good luck, Sully. I know that you will suceed and prosper playing with a talented player like Hemsky. You'll be only three hours away from Mike and both you and he can share your stories about what a liar DL is.

 

[Piston]

This was probably a huge factor. Dean saw that Moller was bringing the same skills to the table as O'Sullivan, and in many cases, better. Dean's sending a clear message. If you don't step up and start living up to your potential, there are plenty of younger guys in the pipes that can replace you and play with more heart. This is the strategy, create a super competitive environment within the organization to weed out those who simply don't care enough. That's how you become a high caliber team like Detroit.

Excellent point. At some level you have to expect that these guys will be more than potential stars than actual ones. I think we gave up on Sully too early, but DL has had three full seasons to evaluate him. I think the model player currently on the roster is Wayne Simmonds who clearly gives his all on every shift. It remains to be seen how far his talent will take him, but there are other players in the roster not meeting that standard. Message sent.

 

[FootKnight]

Dean sure loves players coming off of injuries doesn't he?

 

[William H Bonney]

Or not the other games this season where Sully has been useless

He will not improve

SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU GUYS.

You see what we saw of Sully? This season and last?

That's it. Can he be a 60 point scorer? Yes.

Will he be a leader, a guy who you say "he's on the ice, he will do something"

Defenietly not (unless your definition of doing something is a bad shot or a turnover)

Where oh where did you get your crystal ball? It would make life SOOO much easier.

You do realize that Williams was traded for some of the same reasons right? Not living up to his potential fast enough for fans like you?

 

[Live in the Now]

Not really trying to troll, but you guys sure are quick to turn on your players as soon as one is traded.

Is this a team of stars or is it garbage? Can't cite one then switch to the other after a trade.

I wouldn't pay it any mind. You Oil fans will like Patty O a whole lot.

 

[LAX attack*]

I promise you that...

Sully will NEVER put up offensive seasons like Williams

I can't believe you guys.

Watch some damn Kings games

 

[kingsfan28]

While I don't like the injury tag that come with Williams, he does bring an element this teams lacks, and you can never have enough guys who have fought the battles to win a Stanley Cup.The 2nd round pick will most likely be 56-60th. It is the Calgary pick so it not like were giving up our 2nd which will be in the mid 30'd.

 

[jimmy1100]

Well, I'm upset that my favorite player got dealt, and I'm not happy with the return (at least including the 2nd rounder) and yet, I'm not angry or really even upset about the trade. It makes sense to me. Obvously the ring, that he plays RW, 2-time 30 goal scorer, same contract length...it's weird, but I'm just not as unhappy as I thought I'd be.

I just hate that we traded the 2nd. I think Sully's upside and Williams' injury history equal each other out and the trade should have been straight up. Never the less, we got someone who fits our needs and you have to give value to get value.

Good luck to O'Sullivan and let's hope we see Williams bury enough goals that we won't notice if Patty stars rattling off 80-point seasons in Edmonton.

 

[lumbergh]

Welcome home to NC, Patrick. I'll be cheering for you in person on Friday!

edit: Oh wait, he got dealt to Edmonton. Sucks for him.

 

[JBernierFan]

With DL, you have to read between the lines, and when he lets slip these little quips, you can see he is a vindictive person. He's obviously taking a snipe at Helene Elliott, and what a cheap way to do it as well. As if a reporter can halt a deal, or maybe because DL knew thedeal wouldn't be well recevied if it got evaluated early, so he holds the deal til the last minute. And Why O' Why wouldn't we have wanted to get Eric Cole instead of an injury prone player like Justin Williams. Staples center is not the Spectrum and LA is not Philly.

Actually, I think he was talking about Hammond. Rich admitted that the deal blew up because he was reporting on it. Then he asked Lombardi and he said "no, we're not going after Williams" to throw him off the trail again. That's my take.

As far as the deal, at first I was heart broken. After a couple of hours, reading comments by the Canes fan, I'm going to wait and see. Like everyone else, I was so disappointed when we traded Vis (my favorite King at the time) but it turned out to be a good trade for us. We can't get attached to our young players (a player who a lot of people hated 24 hours ago) because Dean is building the cupboard to turn around and trade those guys for higher assets. Williams is that asset. We needed a goal scorer. We've all said that the past 30 games. Guess what we just got? A goal scorer who crashes the net and goes into the corners, exactly what Sully was bagged on for. Don't forget, Williams is entering his prime, not exiting. He's only 27 years old, has a cup and is a good locker room presence. He'll bring maturity to our top 6. Also, don't forget, we have Moller. Don't count that kid out to take Sully's spot and thrive.

 

[JBernierFan]

Welcome home to NC, Patrick. I'll be cheering for you in person on Friday!

Do the Oilers play the Canes on Friday? O'Sullivan is an Oiler, not a Cane. The Canes got Cole in the deal.

 

[Live in the Now]

I promise you that...

Sully will NEVER put up offensive seasons like Williams

I can't believe you guys.

Watch some damn Kings games

You also said prior to the Cammalleri trade that O'Sullivan was a better player. Sorry if we don't buy right in to your analysis and hockey knowledge.

 

[HYORI 1963]

The upside of O'Sullivan is too big...I hate this deal.

How many guys have we picked up injured that bit us in the butt? Cloutier? McCauley? Handzus? Come on!

That's my biggest beef.

Sully could be a ppg player and not be liability on defense.

I seriously don't understand all the Sully bashing but I guess we see what we want to see.

As for Williams, I like him but I can't believe that we would have to give up a Sully PLUS a 2nd.

 

[LAX attack*]

No Sorry, Justin Williams is

27, all but 3 years older that Sully

He is clearly out of his prime while Sully is just entering it

 

[wicker]

I promise you that...

Sully will NEVER put up offensive seasons like Williams

I can't believe you guys.

Watch some damn Kings games

I wish I could be a seer. Would make life a hell of a lot less complicated.

Good luck, Sully! I hope you kick butt in Edmonton!

 

[William H Bonney]

I promise you that...

Sully will NEVER put up offensive seasons like Williams

I can't believe you guys.

Watch some damn Kings games

You don't know that, unless you used that trusty crystal ball again....

You're 16. The majority of the fans here know more about hockey than you'll ever know and have been watching/playing it longer than you've been alive.

You're also the most pessimistic poster we have and you'll turn on Williams too.