Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Jack Johnson is reportedly a King!
So, the season isn't a total loss. According to TSN, the Los Angeles Kings and college phenom defenseman Jack Johnson has agreed to terms to a new contract.
If you have been living under a rock, Jack Johnson came to be in the Kings pipeline when Dean Lombardi sent Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger over to the Carolina Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and the rights to Johnson. He had been drafted third overall in 2005, the same draft as Sidney Crosby and Anze Kopitar. This season, Jack had 16 goals and 21 assists in 35 games for the Michigan Wolverines.
But even though he averaging a point a game this season for Michigan, that's not what has many fans excited. Jack is being touted as the "Next Big Thing" for Los Angeles. He can bang on the blueline, or take the puck and score. He's already the top defenseman prospect for the Kings, without even playing one game professionally. According to hockeysfuture.com, Jack is the fourth-highest rated prospect in the pros, behind Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen and St. Louis' Erik Johnson.
Want to see what all the hullabaloo is about?
Jack Johnson is scheduled to make his Staples Center debut this Thursday against Vancouver.
