The Throne Room

Draft Recap And a Look Ahead To Free Agency

The second day of the draft came and went without much fanfare for the Kings. The biggest news of the day was the trade of RFA center Brian Boyle to the New York Rangers for a 3rd round pick in next year’s draft. The move was not a surprising one, as Boyle hasn’t lived up to expectations in Los Angeles at all. Some would argue that Boyle was never really given a fair shake in his appropriate role. I can understand that opinion, Boyle did look very impressive at times last season, however I understand the deal completely. The Kings weren’t likely to retain Boyle as an RFA this Summer and were able to get something back in return for him. The former 1st round pick had just 10 points in 36 career games. It’s possible he could succeed in New York, but the Kings organization felt he didn’t have the physical toughness or compete level a guy his size should possess.

To recap the Kings draft choices in rounds 2-7:
2nd round: (35) Kyle Clifford, LW - Barrie, OHL
3rd round: (84) Nicolas Delauriers, D - Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL
4th round: (95) Jean-Francois Berube, G - Montreal, QMJHL
4th round: (96) Linden Vey, RW - Medicine Hat, WHL
5th round: (126) David Kolomatis, D - Owen Sound, OHL
6th round: (156) Michael Pelech, C - Mississauga St. Michael’s, OHL
6th round: (179) Brandon Kozun, RW - Calgary, WHL
7th round: (186) Jordan Nolan, C - Sault Ste. Marie, OHL
7th round: (198) Nic Dowd, C - Wenatchee, NAHL…committed to St. Cloud State

The recurring theme for day two of the draft seems to be - toughness.

With two days upcoming before the free agency signing period starts on July 1st, it’s possible that a trade could still be made in the next 48 hours. I’m not holding my breath for it though. The hope of seemingly every Kings fan right now is that one of the big 3 Left Wingers is landed on Wednesday - Hossa, Havlat, or Gaborik.

Hossa is the best overall player of the bunch but he left Pittsburgh for Detroit with the express purpose of winning a Stanley Cup. He will probably be searching for a longer-term type of deal for big money, and it will probably be with Detroit yet again, or with another contender. As much as I’d love to see it happen, I don’t think the Kings are going to be lifting Lord Stanley’s Mug come next June, so I’d say the chances of Hossa ending up in LA are very slim.

Havlat, well, maybe. My inclination with Havlat is that he’s been injury prone and will be asking for a big contract. The Kings have cap space now but they will have some young players that need extended/resigning in the near future. It just doesn’t make sense to sign a guy like Havlat to a big money, long term deal that could create problems locking up the younger guys down the road.

Gaborik: This one I could see happenning. His history of injury might drive his price down enough, and rumor has it he’s expressed a desire to play in LA. Lombardi won’t bite unless it’s the right deal, but if Gaborik takes a 2 year contract at a reasonable price I think he has the best shot of the 3 at being an LA King when the camp opens in September. I believe a healthy Gaborik would be a big addition to the team. Imagine a first line of Gaborik - Kopitar - Williams. Not too shabby. Biggest concern is whether or not he’s willing to buy into Terry Murray’s two-way play concept, but he has played his entire career up until now in Jacques Lemaire’s system in Minnesota. Will be interesting to see how this develops.

Aside from the prime need being a scoring LW, the Kings need to look at available Centers as this is a hole the Kings weren’t able to fill last season. Jaret Stoll can play 2nd line center but he’s better suited for the third line, which creates another problem, as Michal Handzus excelled in that role last season.

Another veteran D-man (assuming, and hoping they don’t bring back Gautheir) is going to be needed as well. I like the idea of bringing in Jay McKee, who was just bought out by St. Louis, but his price tag is a little, or a lot too high in this case. Francois Beauchemin, Steve Montador and Rob Scuderi are all intriguing options as well here.

For the first time since perhaps 2001-2002 there is no talk of bringing in an experienced goaltender. Jon Quick will have the ball to start the season, with Erik Ersberg likely backing up. The x-factor of course, is Jonathan Bernier, and I expect some great competition between the two in camp this season.

The clock is ticking. July 1st is coming up fast.

-JS