The Los Angeles Kings thought they had their center of the future in Olli Jokinen as recently as last Spring. He was exactly what the Kings had longed for- a big, physical centerman with playmaking ability. Whenever teams called for trades, they were told that Jokinen was off limits. Now he is gone as part of the Palffy trade, and the Kings have quickly become thin at a key position- center ice.
While they did get the enigmatic Bryan Smolinski as part of the trade, the loss of Jokinen, Ferraro (free agency) and Perrault (trade last season) have left the Kings with an opening for one of their young center prospects. Much like defense, the Kings drafts and trades of the past will have to produce a player this season, furthering the need for Dave Taylor to face the music. The success or failures of some of these young forwards may well determine Taylor’s future as General Manager of the Kings.
The Kings are set with three centermen, Josef Stumpel on the first line, Smolinski on the second and crowd favorite Ian Lapperiere as the center on the checking line. That would likely leave two center positions available, one third line center and one reserve. The Kings signed journeyman center Len Barrie who has played in Europe the last two seasons and is 30 years old. He would appear to be the safety net in case the young players cannot handle the rigors of the NHL. These are the rest of the centers with shots at the roster:
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The LA Kings started the 1998-99 season amid optimism for a breakout season. The backbone of that potential was what then-coach Larry Robinson called “one of the best defensive corps in the NHL.” While that may have been an overstatement, the fact remained that the Kings were deep at defense. A year later, Robinson is gone, as well as the deep defensive corps. Steve Duchesne was a bust, Garry Galley’s effort has been called into question, Doug Bodger has been told to seek employment elsewhere and promising young defenseman Aki Berg is no closer to signing with the club. Add to that the fact that Matthieu Biron, the club’s top pick last year, was sent to the Island in the Ziggy Pallfy trade, and we’re looking at some major depletion here… The Kings still have solid NHL defensemen in Rob Blake, Mattias Norstrom and an improving Sean O’Donnell, but still lack depth. Phillippe Boucher, Jaroslav Modry and Garry Galley round out the experienced defensemen on the NHL roster. The result is that one or two of the following players will need to make the club this season, and the other young defensemen in the system will need to mature quickly.
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LOS ANGELES KINGS ORGANIZATIONAL ROSTER
Owners: Philip F. Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr.
Governor: Bob Sanderman
President/Alternate Governor: Tim Leiweke
General Manager: Dave Taylor
Assistant General Manager: Kevin Gilmore
Director of Player Personnel: Bill O’Flaherty
Director of Professional Scouting: Ace Bailey
Director of Amateur Scouting: Al Murray
Professional Scout: Rob Laird
Amateur Scouts: Serge Aubry, Greg Dreschel and John Stanton
European Scouts: Vaclav Nedomansky and Ari Vuori
Trainer: Peter Demers
Equipment Manager: Peter Millar
Assistant Equipment Manager: Rick Garcia
TV Commentators: Bob Miller and Jim Fox
Radio Commentators: Nick Nickson and Cammi Granato
Affiliates: Lowell [AHL] Long Beach [IHL] Mississippi [ECHL]
Head Coach:
Assistant Coaches:
Captain: Rob Blake
Alternates: Doug Bodger Garry Galley and Luc Robitaille
Training Camp Opens: Sept 4, 1999
Arena: Staples Center
Capacity: 18,500
Flagship Station: KRLA-AM 1110
Radio Network: KBET-AM 1220 [Santa Clarita], KGEO-AM 1230 [Bakersfield],
KHJJ-AM
1380 [Palmdale/Lancaster], KSHP-AM 1400 [Las Vegas], KAMP-AM 1430 [El
Centro],
KMET-AM 1490 [Banning], KMSL-AM 1510 [Ontario] and KTRO-AM 1520 [Ventura].
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PLAYER |HT |WT |P|S|DOB |ACQUIRED |LAST KNOWN LOCATION | Read more»
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LOS ANGELES KINGS ORGANIZATIONAL ROSTER
Owners: Philip F. Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr.
Governor: Bob Sanderman
President/Alternate Governor: Tim Leiweke
General Manager: Dave Taylor
Assistant General Manager: Kevin Gilmore
Director of Player Personnel: Bill O’Flaherty
Director of Professional Scouting: Ace Bailey
Director of Amateur Scouting: Al Murray
Professional Scout: Rob Laird
Amateur Scouts: Serge Aubry, Greg Dreschel and John Stanton
European Scouts: Vaclav Nedomansky and Ari Vuori
Trainer: Peter Demers
Equipment Manager: Peter Millar
Assistant Equipment Manager: Rick Garcia
TV Commentators: Bob Miller and Jim Fox
Radio Commentators: Nick Nickson and Cammi Granato
Affiliates: Lowell [AHL] Long Beach [IHL] Mississippi [ECHL]
Head Coach:
Assistant Coaches:
Captain: Rob Blake
Alternates: Doug Bodger Garry Galley and Luc Robitaille
Training Camp Opens: Sept 4, 1999
Arena: Staples Center
Capacity: 18,500
Flagship Station: KRLA-AM 1110
Radio Network: KBET-AM 1220 [Santa Clarita], KGEO-AM 1230 [Bakersfield],
KHJJ-AM
1380 [Palmdale/Lancaster], KSHP-AM 1400 [Las Vegas], KAMP-AM 1430 [El
Centro],
KMET-AM 1490 [Banning], KMSL-AM 1510 [Ontario] and KTRO-AM 1520 [Ventura].
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PLAYER |HT |WT |P|S|DOB |ACQUIRED |LAST KNOWN LOCATION | Read more»
Game 2- Detroit 7, Orlando 1
John Emmons scored 16 seconds into the game to get the Vipers off to a quick
lead. Yves Serault scored two goals, including the game winner. Orlando’s
only talley came off the stick of Barry Dreger in the second period. Detroit
now has a 2-0 lead in the series. Game 3 takes place Wednesday in Orlando.
Game 2- Chicago 5, Houston 4 (OT)
The Wolves came back from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to take the
game to overtime thanks to Niklas Andersson and JP Dumont. The Wolves’
Steve Maltais got the winner 6:02 into the OT period. Pat Jablonski got the
win in net with 24 saves, while Manny Fernandez picked up 31 in the loosing
effort. The series is now tied up 1-1, with the next game on Wednesday
night.
PLAYER PROFILE
Jason Blake
Orlando
5’10″
180 lbs.
9/2/73 Moorhead, MN.
98-99 Totals
GP G A Pts PIM
5 3 5 8 6
1998-99: Had a +5 rating…netted his first professional goal on 4/11 @ Fort
Wayne…recorded two assists in his first professional game on 4/8 vs. Grand
Rapids….Hobey Baker Award Top Ten Finalist, second time in past two Read more»
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