Empty Netter Assists - 7-2-09
Empty Netters —
... -Kings general manager Dean Lombardi admitted he was given permission from the Red Wings to talk to former Detroit forward Marian Hossa at the draft. He also admitted he is interested in unrestricted free agent Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin. ...
Kings pursued Marian Hossa hard, but were unable to work out a deal with the former Red Wing
Snapshots —
... Lombardi said, "Thats when you go out and do something that you really don't like, that you regret, and then you get buyer's remorse." The Kings also targeted forward Mike Knuble, who signed with Washington. Lombardi said Knuble was one of his top targets, but that Knuble ultimately decided to stay in the Eastern Conference. Another Kings target, Martin Havlat, signed with Minnesota late Wednesday. Hammond's blog contains more quotes from Lombardi (and thanks to Dee for the link): July 1, LA Daily News : Question: Can you go through the day, and talk about anything you might ...
Kings Had Interest In Hossa
KK Hockey —
... we went into this for wingers. Like I’ve said, it’s one of the positives of being in our situation now, as opposed to three years ago, when we were looking for everything and signing seven guys. The No. 1 guy we targeted was Hossa. I got permission to talk to Hossa at the draft. There were three teams, us and two others. Detroit gave me permission, and we started the dialogue at that time. Detroit, if he got signed, they would get compensation.
read on for more on the Kings…
Hossa Aftermath: Smart Hawks and how Havlat, Kings lost out
Puck Daddy —
... Finally, Dean Lombardi continues to be one of the most candid general managers in sports when it comes to pulling back the curtain on negotiations. He spoke with Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings and spilled the beans on his team in the Hossa hunt: ...
The Piece heads to Hollywood, as Kings ink Scuderi
Puck Daddy —
In his revelatory chat yesterday with Rich Hammond of the LA Daily News, Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi was asked if the Kings were in search of a veteran defenseman during free agency. His response: "I wouldn't mind looking at that. I wouldn't mind it because I would like to give our kids a cushion, but I don't want to go too far out (in terms of salary) and cut off my numbers to where I can't get the Hossa-type guys. At this time, I don't see a major thing out there. I wouldn't mind a good player to buy us some time, but I'm ...
Kings Free Agency: Epic Fail
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —
... No one wants to come here because we suck. But what came first? The chicken or the egg? Do the Kings annually finish at the bottom of the standings because they can’t attract top-tier free agents? Or do they have a problem attracting the free agents because they perpetually finish towards the bottom of the standings? Dean Lombardi admitted as much to Rich Hammond of the Daily News: ...
July 1 Was The Time For Dean Lombardi To Gamble
Frozen Royalty —
... his team needs a scoring winger to fill it, Lombardi was unable to sign Marian Hossa, who signed a whopping twelve-year deal reported to be worth $63.6 million, an average of $5.3 million/year.
Rich Hammond of the Daily News and Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times have reported that Hossa was the Kings’ primary target and they received permission from the Detroit Red Wings to talk to Hossa prior to July 1 (see Hammond: “Lombardi July 1 Quotes” and Elliott: “Free Agency Games Begin, But ...
Stargazing: 2009 NHL Free Agency - Stars sign Skrastins
Defending Big D —
... Gustavsson’s agent Par Larsson said today that the young goaltender will not make a decision for a few more days.
Once again pushing back a decision the Stars and Leafs need vehemently as the free agent market continues to thin.
Around the Pacific:
Phoenix Coyotes sign Jason LaBarbera [USA Today] and ink veteran Adrian Aucoinn for one year, $2.25 million.
Rich Hammond explains how the Kings lost out on Hossa
But they got Scuderi ...
