$1,000,000+ bonuses for squid

[davnlaguna]

Cammy is a King again.
1 year , 1 mil plus bonuses
Little risk but not an impact player like Blake said he wanted

 

[davnlaguna]

Also cal Peterson and Christian Folin
Goalie prospect and dMan from Wild

 

[Psych3man]

Wow! Now I'm confident!
Better damn well have something big up his sleeve.

 

[Psych3man]

Guy's always injured. Hasn't played 70 games since 08-09

 

[smackdown380]

 

[Psych3man]

FU Greg. Look around the conference at what improvements other teams have made. Then look at the Kings.
Okay Greg you won me over. I'm thrilled Cammelleri's signed. Look out Nashville. Look out Quacks. We're back!

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

FU Greg. Look around the conference at what improvements other teams have made. Then look at the Kings.
Okay Greg you won me over. I'm thrilled Cammelleri's signed. Look out Nashville. Look out Quacks. We're back!

The Kings really can't do anything because of their cap situation. This is 99% of my Kopitar argument. Not that he's not good, but that by paying him $10mil/year, you can't afford to not have him produce. Same with Chicago with Kane and Toews, then good luck with McDavid in Edmonton. Like everyone, I'm just hoping for a big response from him this year, but as far as being players in free agency, LA just doesn't have the cap room.

To be fair though, the Kings will be better just based on a few things:
1: We'll really see how Kopitar responds to wearing the "C" and having a full offseason. It was sort of sprung on him when they stripped Brown of the captaincy, so we'll see.
2. Quick will probably not miss 60 games (But who knows. Sutter played him 72+ games a year for 5 years, so maybe this is the natural breakdown to be expected. I really hope not though).
3. Gaborik and Martinez both had surgeries to deal with their chronic issues. I hope that helps, but it seems Gaborik will miss at least the beginning of the season still.
4. Decent signings to be honest. Cammaleri comes in at $1mil and could help with the PP if nothing else. Nothing really risked here, considering he'll make about $500K LESS than we were even paying McNabb. I like the Kuemper signing to have a decent backup who can play some games. Also hear Campbell is developing well. I forget the guy from Notre Dame we just signed, but that's positive too.
5. Kings actually re-stocked their farm system, so maybe they won't have immediate results, but next year, and the year after, we'll actually have some prospects entering training camp who could fill voids.

 

[Kings4OT]

I really don't get what your saying with Kane/Toews making 10m? Crosby/Malkin? they are teams that win and win a lot. Sure it was an "off" year for Kopitar But not paying him is a huge mistake. You really do have to pay certain players on your team to win, the problem is trying to pay everybody not just the guys you really need to and that's where other "dynasties" excel and the Kings fell flat. Blaming the cap situation on Kopitar is crazy, even with his horrible season he was 2nd in points on the Kings and that's only because Carter had a good 3/4 of the season. I would really like to know what you think the Kings would have done if the let Kopitar walk....I really want your answer here. The Kings can be good even with some minor changes if even some of the current roster just elevates their game to what is expected, not even "big years". Cammy is fine, but not really what I think the Kings needed to fix their problem...which is speed/lack of, and a decent puck moving dman.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

I'm just saying you can't complain when the Kings aren't active in Free Agency.

And the Penguins were in cap hell for almost 10 years before they got good again. They won it in 2009, paid Crosby/Malkin big, then paid Letang and Fleury medium. They they didn't get out of the first round for 8 years until they rebuilt their farm system and traded for some guys like Phil Kessel.

You're seeing the same thing with Kane and Toews. They've been bounced in Round 1 two years in a row since signing those big contracts.

I'm still hoping Kopitar bounces back, but I don't get the "just pay him" and then people are saying Kopitar has no one to pay with. It's not just him, obviously the Brown contract is awful. But I'm mostly saying it takes so many players to win a cup, that having one make so much is difficult to field a winner consistently.

But we'll see.

 

[Kings4OT]

I'm not sure what you expect, Hawks and Pens are consistently good even if they lose sometimes in the 1st round. This isn't EA sports where you win every year, but even as you said the Pens had to get rid of their "bad" contracts and make smart trades and FA's...ect. They did that and still win back to back with Crosby/Malkin making a ton.....so how exactly does that fit what your saying. There was actually a lot the Kings could have done with their current situation. Let me ask you this since you dodge the question, if Kopitar walks what would the Kings have been able to do? What was the last team to win without a dominant center? So let DD walk, Kopi...Quick what is your lineup the Kings buy then? I am really trying to figure out who the Kings get with that Kopitar money that makes them win and doesn't cost them cap

 

[Kings4OT]

Everyone forgets what they did to Brown and how Kopitar became C. That is not anything close to acceptable especially on 2 time cup team and definitely not an easy situation to manage after the fact. Kopitar leading the Kings in points every year while being one of the best on both sides of the ice warrants his $$. He is 29, his game is not based on physical stress that breaks him down. He seemed to be passing when he should be taking the shots himself, maybe that was his way of trying to get the other guys "going". There are many things I worry about with the Kings from season to season, Kopitar has never been one of them.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

I'm not sure what you expect, Hawks and Pens are consistently good even if they lose sometimes in the 1st round. This isn't EA sports where you win every year, but even as you said the Pens had to get rid of their "bad" contracts and make smart trades and FA's...ect. They did that and still win back to back with Crosby/Malkin making a ton.....so how exactly does that fit what your saying. There was actually a lot the Kings could have done with their current situation. Let me ask you this since you dodge the question, if Kopitar walks what would the Kings have been able to do? What was the last team to win without a dominant center? So let DD walk, Kopi...Quick what is your lineup the Kings buy then? I am really trying to figure out who the Kings get with that Kopitar money that makes them win and doesn't cost them cap

My sentiments are mostly that Kopitar is to blame for last season (I know Quick injury factored in, but Budaj played well enough as a substitute, and the Kings lost most games because they couldn't score even 1 goal), and yet he gets an almost complete pass from everyone.

So basically, LA gives Kopitar what he wants, money/term/Full No Movement Clause, then he comes out and completely shits the bed. I think people have correctly stated that the "C" must have been a lot heavier than we all thought. Super awesome way to respond to the team giving you the world. Then when he struggles, people go "Well he doesn't have anyone to play with". What?!?! Shouldn't a guy like that (Getting paid amongst the top 3 players in the entire league - Soon to be Top 5 with Carey Price and Connor McDavid joining soon) be able to elevate his play and that of those around him? Now people are disappointed that LA isn't active in Free Agency, and it's comical how big of a pass Kopitar gets. How many games could 1 goal have made a difference last season? We beat a dead horse ever single night on that one.

This is more than just last season. He got absolutely owned by Pavelski in the the 2016 Playoffs, on every level. Then he came out and was absent on so many nights last year.

You look at the hard stance Yzerman took with Stamkos, and he was fully willing to let him walk if he didn't come down in price. Then Stamkos came to his senses and signed for $8mil/year, which is a big chunk of money/cap, but doesn't completely handcuff the team. But Kopi would have gotten that on the open market (Which I think is more to your point), so Lombardi's hands were sort of tied (So by that measure, you have to say Kopitar is to blame for the fact that Dean Lombardi and Daryll Sutter were fired. Right? i.e. Lombardi had no choice but to pay Kopitar, then Kopitar failed to deliver, and heads had to roll). I struggle with this conceptually, because the Red Wings let Fedorov go in his "prime" and he was never the same (Banished to Anaheim in the 90's and then Columbus in the early 2000's), whereas Detroit went on to win two more cups. Same with the New England Patriots, who have moved countless stars in their prime before they demanded big money. I just sincerely question if you can have a player/players making around 15% of your whole cap and still expect to be competitive. In the case of Kane and Toews, they're making 29% of their entire team's cap. That's just crazy. Kopitar/Brown/Doughty coming in at $22.5mil/year. Cap is $75mil, so that's 30.5% of your team right there.

 

[Kings4OT]

Ya its Kopitars fault, the other 7 of 9 good years they didn't win the cup when he made much less was his fault for not doing what? He becomes C after a shitty way to end Brown as C and its all on him...got it.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Glad we agree.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I don't know if you guys remember (the old timers will) but I used to refer to this guy as Hot Dog for all the dangling and fancy crap he used to try and pull, not to mention he was horrible at using his teammates and his defensive game was shit - and by shit I don't mean win a Selke, I mean get on your horse and friggin backcheck. Pretty basic, Mini Man.

I have to admit I have not followed him overall since he left LA almost a decade ago - he was never a favorite of mine because he was all about the contract before he even hit the NHL - but considering he was bought out by NJ that tells me the last several years have not been that great for him. Regardless, on a team that needs offense and at $1 million, it's a low risk/high reward deal for a team that has cap issues.

Maybe knowing he isn't "the man" in LA as he once thought, some success but recently a humbling career and being an older, more mature player will win me over.