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Thumbs Up Thumbs Down : LA Kings Edition 2/27/18

It has been a crazy week, two weeks, three weeks for our LA Kings, from the exhausting 7 game, eastern road trip to the Dion Phaneuf, Nate Thompson and Darcy  Kuemper trades, to the controversial video replay decision(s) against Edmonton and right to today with the Kings playing the second game of a back 2 back with the Vegas Golden Knights. There is a lot of ground to cover, so let’s do this!

THUMBS UP TO DION PHANEUF

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

For those of you who were against the trade of Marian Gaborik & Nick Shore to the Ottawa Senators (though Shore is now with the Calgary Flames) for the starving for success defenseman Dion Phaneuf and the veteran with a mean streak Nate Thompson, are you on board the Phaneuf train now? Super excited to have an opportunity to play with a Stanley Cup contender in the Kings, the much-maligned Phaneuf has been a beast for the team since his arrival. Partnered with Alec Martinez on the second defensive pairing unit, Phaneuf’s experience, size and calmness has helped the Kings solidify their defense, and help take off the pressure and shed some extra total ice-time from all-star Drew Doughty, (and you don’t want ‘Dewy’ burning out at the end of the season like in previous years because of regularly playing almost 30 minutes a game). It also helps that Dion can help offensively as well. With LA, Phaneuf is no longer under the intense pressure that comes with playing in the Canadian fishbowl, and can now just focus on playing his game and helping the Kings anyway that he can, without 30 sports journalists constantly following him around, or having thousands of fans screaming at him that he “sucks” because he made a small mistake, and it shows. In only 7 games so far (as of this writing) he has scored 3 goals, 4 points, registered 16 shots, 14 blocks, 14 hits and an average of 19:15 total ice-time. Sure Phaneuf isn’t the best defensive player, but to be fair, he isn’t the worst either, (he’s actually not too shabby, damn what the Canadian media says!), and there are way more positives than negatives to having Phaneuf play for your team, (plus are Phaneuf’s defensive gaffs any worse than Jake Muzzin‘s?) So it’s so far so good, and a big thumbs up to Dion Phaneuf and what he has brought to the team. Oh and that Nate Thompson guy hasn’t been that bad either!

 

THUMBS DOWN TO THE NHL SITUATION ROOM IN TORONTO

(Credit to Fox Sports West)

Oh boy. Now this one gets me heated. Okay, first of all, the Kings weren’t playing a strong game. Before all the video replay shenanigans began, the Edmonton Oilers were up 4-2 after an empty net goal, with less than a minute to play. Then the Kings, led by (still my Captain) Dustin Brown, finally decided to join and play this game. Now normally this is too little too late but the Kings’ finally got out of second gear and Brown scored with: 18 seconds left to make it 4-3. Then Brown scored yet another goal: 08 seconds later to make it 4-4! But wait! The referees didn’t see the puck go over the line and didn’t signal that there was a goal. The Oilers win 4-3. But wait again! The Kings’ complained and demanded a video replay review, which is done by a bunch of mystery people in the situation room in Toronto, (since we don’t know who these people are (which is sketchy at best), I just assume that the NHL has a bunch well-dressed monkeys wreaking havoc in there and just pushing random buttons), and they concluded that it was indeed a good goal! So the Kings tied it up 4-4 and are going into overtime, earning at least one point! BUT WAIT AGAIN! Oilers (and former San Jose Sharks’) coach Todd McLellan started complaining and wanted ANOTHER video replay review, but this time to see if Brown had interfered with goalie Cam Talbot! The situation room went back to ‘work’ and agreed that there WAS goalie interference so, therefore, it’s NOT a goal (again)! Oilers win it (again) 4-3! And Kings’ fans were left in shock and screamed out in unison, “What the hell just happened?!?!?!?”

 

Replays from Fox Sports West showed that Brown was poking at the puck, but it wasn’t for pushing Cam Talbot’s leg into the net so the puck could follow, it was because the puck was loose! Therefore he was playing the puck and there was NO goalie interference on that play at all. It should have been a good goal! The NHL situation room just cost the Kings a much needed, and legally earned point and maybe two. It was complete highway robbery. Things didn’t help either when the Ducks had a similar finish against the Oilers the next night, but it resulted in a good goal. Like with Dustin Brown’s goal, the puck was loose and the Ducks were able to poke it into the net with seconds to go. Like what? How is the Ducks’ goal allowed but not LA’s against the same Oilers team in back 2 back games? Both goals didn’t have goalie interference and were scored near the end of the game! Now sure, the Kings’ should not have allowed themselves to be in that situation where they had to make a strong comeback with only seconds to go, but still. A good goal is a good goal. There is absolute no consistently from these video replay review monkeys or who, or whatever they are in that room. And the NHL doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to do anything about it either. So here are a HUGE thumbs down to both the NHL and their Toronto situation room ‘staff’, for doing the only thing that they are consistent on. Their incompetence.

 

THUMBS DOWN TO TRADING DARCY KUEMPER FOR SCOTT WEDGEWOOD

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Okay, okay, hear me out on this one. Yes, Kuemper was going to be an unrestricted free agent by the summer and the odds were that he wasn’t going to re-sign with the Kings, especially after asking for a raise due to his stellar play this season. I get that Kings’ GM Rob Blake had to strike a deal while Kuemper’s value was red hot so he could get something in return, instead of losing him for nothing as a free agent, (after arriving in Arizona, Kuemper signed a $1.6 million for 2018-19 and $2.1 million for 2019-20 deal with the Coyotes).  And I get that Blake isn’t throwing all of his eggs in one basket for just this season. He’s thinking long term as well. I get all that, but Kuemper was the first backup goaltender since Martin Jones that the Kings could trust in net, (technically Peter Budaj was never a back-up for the Kings since he was their number 1 goalie while Quick was out for three quarters of a season with an injury), and for good reason as he had a record of 10-1 3, 2.10 GAA, 3 shutouts and a .932 save%. That is excellent! With Quick now at 32 years old, and who seems to be getting more seriously injured consistently as he ages, plus the slumps gets every now and then, the Kings needed the services from a solid goaltender like Kuemper to hold the fort, and Scott Wedgewood, at least at this point in his career, he is not that guy. Sure Wedgewood has been playing with a poor Arizona/Phoenix/Glendale but wishes it was in Scottsdale Coyotes, and the Kings’ goaltending coach (and Conn Smythe Trophy winner) Bill Ranford, along with the Ontario Reign’s goaltending coach Dusty Imoo can work miracles with just about anybody (well except Jeff Zatkoff), but that takes time, and the Kings’ window of making another run for the Stanley Cup is almost shut. So I guess I’m more against WHO the Kings got in return instead of who the Kings traded away, but here are a thumbs down regardless of the Kuemper for Wedgewood trade. But luckily, Scott Wedgewood wasn’t the only asset the Kings got in return, which leads us to…

 

THUMBS UP TO TRADING KUEMPER FOR TOBIAS REIDER

Here is the part that the Kuemper trade starts to really make sense to me. With the Kings acquiring Phaneuf to help strengthen up their defensive core, the additions of Nate Thompson and now Tobias Reider was to strengthen the Kings’ bottom six with more depth, options, toughness and now in regards to Reider, speed. With Trevor Lewis on the shelf due to injury, the Kings needed someone that in theory, could help the Kings score more goals from the third or fourth lines. This would help balance the offense more evenly by taking away the scoring pressure from the top two lines and makes coach John Stevens have the option of rolling all four lines to attack and threaten in waves for every game. With Reider’s quick (not Jonathan) foot-speed, and offensive upside, he can also kill penalties and handle responsibilities on the defensive end as well. This a win-win for the Kings. Now with Jeff Carter returning (more on that later), which drops either Adrian Kempe, Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson to the 3rd or 4th line and with Lewis soon to return, the Kings now have a serious ‘logjam’ situation with their bottom 6 and that’s a great problem to have. This of course sadly made the Kings re-assign Jonny Brodzinski to Ontario, and also may leave beloved veteran Kyle Clifford on the outside looking in, but ‘Brodzie’ can still be brought back up when needed and we’ll cross that bridge with ‘Cliffy’ when we get there. So for now, thumbs up to trading for Tobias Reider! Now, what can we do about Wedgewood…

 

THUMBS UP TO SENDING WEDGEWOOD TO THE MINORS AND CALLING UP JACK CAMPBELL

(Photo by Jessica Harsen / Ontario Reign)

Yes! Now, this is what I’m talking about! With Kuemper gone, Rob Blake and company knew that Wedgewood wasn’t the right guy (yet) to back-up Quick down the stretch and help battle for a playoff spot. But Jack Campbell, now that’s a different story. Now Blake’s master plan is becoming more clear. The plan wasn’t to use Wedgewood, it was to use Campbell, while Wedgewood gets sent down to the Reign (after clearing waivers) and playing back-up to Cal Petersen. (Oh Blake, you sly devil (not New Jersey or Satan). Campbell, who is 26, was a highly touted prospect that was drafted 10th overall in the 2010 entry draft by the Dallas Stars. Shortly after he led Team USA to the 2010 World Junior Championship Gold Medal, back-stopping them in an upset over tournament favorites Team Canada. But something went wrong while playing in the Dallas organization. Instead of becoming the star goaltender that everyone thought he would be, Campbell’s skill and confidence got seriously stumped from his awful experience playing for the AHL’s Texas Stars and the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. A shadow of his former self, but still young enough to bounce back, the Kings traded for Campbell in 2016, with hopes that Imoo and Ranford could work their magic on the struggling goalie. They did and it worked. With the Reign, Campbell was allowed the time and space to rediscover his game, erase any bad habits he had picked up and regain full confidence in himself. Now showing why scouts were raving about him 8 years ago, Campbell has developed to the point that he is hungry for another shot at the NHL level. And Blake and Stevens are giving him that shot right now! Plus, it doesn’t hurt that having Campbell is cheaper than re-signing Kuemper would have been, as he is signed with the Kings until 2022 with an AAV at $612,500 this season and an AAV hit of only $675,000 for the next two seasons, so he’s very cap friendly too. This is key to the Kings making much-needed cap room if they hope to re-sign Doughty at the end of next season. Thumbs up!

 

And now for the main event of the evening! (or afternoon, or morning, wherever you are in the world.)

THUMBS UP TO THE RETURN OF JEFF CARTER

(photo credit to kings.nhl.com)

*Make sure to play this song from YouTube as you read this part of the article.

He’s back! He’s back! Oh Hockey Gods almighty, the prodigal son Jeff Carter has returned! After missing 55 games due to a freaky lacerated ankle tendon injury against the Montreal Canadiens, which required surgery, #ElJefe has returned, scoring in his second game back against the Vegas Golden Knights! Making us all ask in unison, “How the hell did we make it this far without Carter on the team?!”

 

(Tweet above, you got to be lucky to be good, but you also have to be good to be lucky! What a goal!)

Heck, how did Toffoli and Pearson make it this far without ‘Papa Bear’ Carter on the team? Well, whatever the answer, and there are plenty, we do not need to worry about that anymore as number 77 is back and just in time to help the Kings go to war for a playoff position. Now I feel there is no need to explain WHY it is so important and a thumbs up to have Carter back playing, (and if you do need an explanation, then where the heck have you been in the last 6 years???), so here’s something better than that! How about some of Jeff Carter’s greatest moments as a King! Enjoy!

 

MVP OF THE WEEK, OR MONTH, OR WHATEVER – DUSTIN BROWN

(Photo created by David J. Villa)

If his second goal against the Oilers had counted, and including the game-winner, he scored against Vegas last night, Brown would have had 20 goals so far this season. Which would make it the first time he had reached that mark since 2012! What a comeback season our Captain (yes, I still consider him the Captain, along with Anze Kopitar of course), is having, even without officially having scored 20 goals yet. He is scoring. He is setting up plays. He is hitting. He is screening goalies and scoring on rebounds. He is leading. Now, this is the Dustin Brown I remember and became a fan of back in the day when he was a junior with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. With his goal(s) against Edmonton and his game-winning goal against Vegas, we can add another label on Brown that used to be synonymous with him. He is clutch. The last few years, Brown has been non-existent in key, desperate game situations where the Kings needed a hero to rescue them from a poor game or result. We became adjusted to having those heroes be Carter, Kopitar, Toffoli or Doughty. Brown was invisible, forgotten and ignored. Well not anymore. One thing we have to hand it to Coach Stevens, is the confidence and trust he has shown to Brown after he was mentally and physically beaten down, and embarrassed after being blindly stripped of the ‘C’ by Coach Darryl Sutter (and to some extent, former GM Dean Lombardi) , and now Brown is paying him and everyone else that still believed in him back in a big way.  So here’s to Dustin Brown, for being that hero again for us, and his team, when we needed him the most! Now go out there and score that 20th goal and more, Captain! Salut!

Well, there you have it! Those are my selections for this columns thumbs up and thumbs down. What did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my selections? Do you have another player in mind for the MVP of the week, month, whatever? If so, then let me know, in the comments below.

Until then, I have been JD Stylz, and now I am out of there!

GO KINGS GO!!!

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