When The Kingdom Collides : Andy Andreoff

 Why I’m Pro-Andreoff; A treatise on our misunderstood 4^th line Center.

Back to Nolan and Clifford, Nolan’s best junior league season saw him finish with 43 points, a feat Andreoff surpassed each of his final three junior eligible seasons. Clifford’s final junior season in Barrie saw him finish with 57 points, and once again a marker that Andreoff surpassed in his final two seasons. Andreoff spent the next two seasons with the Monarchs, and at this point I was fortunate enough to be following them with greater regularity. Andreoff always impressed with me that he seldom turned down a fight, and often times took on opponents out of his weight class and some AHL vets. Some examples can be found below.

 

As we switch to his time with the big club, the points still hold up against Nolan and Clifford albeit in a far more sporadic time frame given his frequent status as a healthy scratch. But lest we forget as the Kings brass continually tried to push Nick Shore‘s stock, it was actually Andreoff who scored his first NHL goal before Shore in spite of vastly less playing time, but I digress.

In 2015-16, Andreoff finally got solid playing time appearing in 60 games, primarily in a 4^th line role. How did he respond? With 8 goals and 2 assists. Note that neither Nolan or Clifford have ever scored 8 goals in a regular season. Of course their roles are not that of goal scorers per se, but the point stands that given a regular shift and opportunity- Andreoff showed some inkling for scoring. Projected to a full 80 game season that would have gotten him to double digits in goals, which is an impressive feat for a 4th liner.

But let’s drop back and examine the role of fighting in hockey, and while its nary a shell of the former glory years, there is still a role for a strong physical presence. The Kings obviously were hoping Nolan could play that role consistently and they have given him chance after chance to do as much. While Kyle Clifford’s fight card reads like a whose who of noted pugilists, Clifford has earned the respect of the NHL for both notable wins, as well as some losses that many have speculated be linked to come concussion issues. However is that same respect given to Nolan in the same capacity? Let’s examine.

Here we see Nolan jump the gun on Jared Boll, and do a quick glove drop before actually squaring off-to which Boll proceeds to bloody Nolan. Here Nolan throws a good hard check and to his credit answers the bell…but once again the intimidation factor isnt quite there. And it appears as if Nolan initially really has no interest in fighting and content to play the role of ‘Huggy Bear’ before deciding he should maybe attempt to throw a couple of punches.

And to give a bit of perspective here is Bollig fighting the newest Pittsburgh Penguin Ryan Reaves, arguably the toughest heavyweight in the NHL. As we watch this clip- does anyone think Nolan has any chance in hell of going against Reaves like Clifford did?

Here we see an amazing lack of balance and an amazing lack of fighting accumen. Kind of makes you long for the day of Mark Visheau.

And lest I go on-I think after the bevy of clips posted above I don’t need to share the clips of Nolan’s multiple beat downs at the hands of Chris Stewart.

Here we see Nolan go after a semi-non fighter in Jack Skille, avoiding Cody Mcleod in the process. And the ensuing face-off, Andreoff answers the bell and hold his own against a bigger heavier opponent with vastly more NHL experience.

Here we see Andreoff squaring cleanly against Austin Watson. Note how Andreoff uses the jersey grab with the left hand to set up the bombs with the right. Look at how he knows how to use the leverage to get Watson into a bad position against the boards where he can open up and throw punches from an advantageous position, note how when Watson starts throwing punches in return-Andreoff simply leans away before counter attacking. From this clip, its obvious that Andreoff has done his homework when it comes to the fight game, and knows how to utilize the modern if not classic NHL fighting technique.

Here is another clip that speaks volumes, Greene with the good hard hit, a scrum ensues-Andreoff jumps right into the fray while Jordan Nolan….well not so much.

This is all the more maddening in that last season, arguably the least exciting LA Kings season in recent memory, we saw Andreoff as a healthy scratch over the likes of Teddy Purcell, Devin Setoguchi, Nick Shore and the since departed Dwight King. All of the players listed above about as un-noteworthy as can be. Nick Shore got quality ice time and ended up with 70 games, 17 pts, and a beating courtesy of Ryan Getzlaf for good measure- being as we missed the playoffs and had our manhood questioned by 18 year old Matt Tkachuk running Doughty-is it unreasonable to think Andreoff in that same role may have yielded better results?

This is not to say that Andreoff is being cheated, nor to say Andreoff isn’t a border line NHL’er. You can argue about his skating and speed for sure. But once again, given the myriad of cookie cutter schmucks the Kings played last season at wing, that offered about as much entertainment value as Season 3 of “Murder She Wrote”, after washing down a handful of Vicodin with a glass of chardonnay, I want to sue Darryl Sutter for sports entertainment malpractice. Once again, the new NHL is probably not the best fit for Andreoff’s style, but I would rather watch a guy who bleeds for the team and reminds me of a young Warren Rychel, over last years decisions to go with players more reminiscent of legendary non-performers like Steve Heinze, Dmitri Khristich and/or Peter Klima. What, you have never heard of them?

Your honor, I rest my case.

—–

Alright, it’s Jeff here and thank you “Hipcheck” with presenting your case for Andreoff. And don’t even get me started about “Murder She Wrote!” Like how did the police, the sheriffs and the investigators not piece together and figure out that the one common denominator to all these random murders on that show, was due to freakin’ Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher! It can’t just be a coincidence that for years, every time she randomly shows up to a small town throughout America, someone ends up getting murdered, well because the murderer was HER ya dummies. 

But I digress.

Alright Mr. Cowley, you are up to bat.

—

He may be known as a player to rely on in terms of depth rather than offense but Andy Andreoff has nonetheless been underwhelming in his three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings.

During the Dean Lombardi era, the Kings became famous for patiently developing their talent in the minor ranks before promoting them to the big club. Andy Andreoff, despite a few decent seasons in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs, has never really stood out at the NHL level.

With cases like Trevor Lewis and Derek Forbort, the adage of “good things come to those who wait” could not be more fitting than it is with Kings prospects. Even while the latter isn’t as established as the former, Forbort has nonetheless been impressive since becoming a full-time King. As for Andreoff, the jury is still out, assuming juries take this long to come to a decision.

Over the course of his three seasons in Los Angeles, Andreoff has played in 114 games. During that time, the native of Pickering, Ont., has registered just 15 points (5-10=15) while averaging just a shade over nine minutes of ice time. So, when the Kings re-signed the 26-year-old to a two-year deal this month, some were left asking the question, “Why?”

 

At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Andreoff does possess decent size and has the ability to use it to his advantage. However, Andreoff’s flashes of brilliance – if you want to even call it that – have been few and far in between. There is the argument that his minute ice time has been good enough for last, or second-last on his team in each of his three seasons, but he has nonetheless been given enough time to redeem himself.

Take the aforementioned Trevor Lewis, for instance. He has never been known to find the back of the net but the native of Salt Lake City, Utah, has made a name for himself on the defensive side of things, making himself reliable not only on the penalty kill, but on even strength as well. But, this isn’t a comparison to Trevor Lewis or anyone else who dons the silver-and-black.

From this writer’s vantage point, Andy Andreoff has struggled to find an identity in Los Angeles. A talented player, yes, but not necessarily at the NHL level. Perhaps a coaching change will benefit him but this writer doesn’t anticipate an improvement so significant that fans will be scurrying to get No. 15 on the backs of their jerseys.

None, if any, of this may be Andreoff’s fault necessarily, but in three seasons, he hasn’t proven to be a good fit with the Kings. So, why keep him on for another two seasons, even if it just for just under $678K per?

This writer isn’t convinced.

---

Alright, it’s Jeff here again y’all and thank you Ryan for presenting your case against Andreoff.

So where do all you stand? Are you pro or anti-Andy Andreoff and why? What did you think about the cases that Mr. Cahill and Mr. Cowley presented? What do you think about this new column? HOW ABOUT ANGELA LANSBURY’S JESSICA FLETCHER FROM MURDER SHE WROTE, WHO OBVIOUSLY TO ME WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS SERIAL KILLER IN FICTIONAL TELEVISION HISTORY!!!

But I digress, so Let Us Know in the Comments Below!

GO KINGS GO!!!

Scott Cahill, aka “The Hipcheck,” is a long time Los Angeles Kings’ fan, a talented musician and vocalist for the band “Hired Gun Trio,” the author of the “Hips, Trips” book series, a food connoisseur, a hockey coach and trainer, and the host of the long time running and popular, LA Kings Road Talk Radio.