LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

Time To Welcome Back Some Old Friends I have no idea what's going on with Ilya Kovalchuk and the Kings.  So here's some other random thoughts.   Brad Richardson's arbitration is coming up next week according to Hammer.   Unless the Kings reach agreement on a contract with Brad Richardson in the next week, he will have his arbitration hearing on July 23 in Toronto. I have no idea what type of money Richardson is looking for but if it's anything over a million; let him walk. He made $600,000 last season. He recorded 11 goals and 16 assists and was one of the Kings most consistent bottom-six forwards. With that said, the Kings need to play this smart. They haven't signed Kovalchuk yet because they're worried about keeping their 'core' together. Richie was useful but he's not a core player. He's a bottom-six grinder that can occasionally chip in offensively. Does he deserve anything more than the 2-year, $1.8 million contract Scott Parse got...

Anze Kopitar Is Among The Best Centers In The NHL The Kings have a franchise center in Anze Kopitar.  Michal Handzus is the ideal checking line center.  And Brad Richardson is the high-energy type that slots perfectly in the bottom-six.  The Kings have a huge gap to fill at the center position on the second-line.  Jarret Stoll has been far too inconsistent for him to be the #2 center on a Kings team that many think are on the brink of being in serious contention for a Cup run.  With that said, prospects like Brayden Schenn and Andrei Loktionov both made their NHL-debuts this season and could be NHL-regulars as early as 2010-11.  Read the profiles after the jump...

Richie Rich? Probably Not But He Should Be Back The Kings have three RFA's that they have to decide what to do with.  Helene Elliot might actually give Parse and Clune a chance.   Read her comments and my thoughts on the Kings Three RFAs after the jump...