And now, back to your regularly scheduled open forum answers...
At the risk of extending the ``drama'' on this subject, I'm told Rob Blake would have been offered a front-office job by the Kings, upon retirement, if he had re-signed.
First of all, Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there! And a belated Happy Canada Day to those north of the border.
Looks as though San Jose is busy again. According to TSN, the Sharks will get defenseman Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay, along with defenseman Brad Lukowich, for a package that includes defenseman Matt Carle, a first-round draft pick, a fourth-round pick and an unnamed prospect.
I'll keep going through the ``open forum questions'' for a while today. Thanks again for all the support during this wacky time...
Here's what Pat Brisson, Rob Blake's agent, had to say tonight about the way things went down between Blake and the Kings. It's lengthy, but if you've been following the saga today, you might find it to be a good read. As I told Pat tonight, all I'm trying to get is get the information out there. People can make up their minds based upon what they believe and read. What an interesting subplot to the week though, huh?
For those who might not know, Brisson is one of the biggest agents in the game and is close friends with Luc Robitaille. His client list is deep and impressive and also includes Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar.
OK, I just got off the phone with Pat Brisson, Rob Blake's agent, who presented his side (and Blake's side, by extension) of what took place over the last few days with the Kings. There are some differences and it should make for interesting reading. As I told Pat, my whole goal here was to present both sides of an emotional, complicated issue, so I'm really glad that I got to talk to Pat. I'll be putting together a post some time tonight. Hang tight, I'll get to it as soon as possible (or start your 4th with it tomorrow!)
Just realized this on the way home...
Last year's Kings captain: Rob Blake.
Last year's alternate captains: Michael Cammalleri, Scott Thornton and Lubomir Visnovsky.
All gone.
Anyone want to start suggesting their replacements?
OK, here we go. For those who enjoy soap operas, strap in...
We started with Blake's statement that the Kings never made him an offer, and with my clarification that Blake's agent, Pat Brisson, had called Lombardi on Tuesday morning with a one-year, $4-million contract request.
So here's the time line, according to Lombardi, with quotes from Lombardi added where appropriate.
Sunday: Brisson calls Lombardi at night to talk about Blake. Lombardi said, ``I talked to his agent for two hours. We talked about a lot of things. The whole point was, we didn't talk contract but I was interested in making sure he understood the role and how important the role was. This is the year we actually start becoming a young team and I needed to know, what were Rob's priorities as a hockey player?''
Tuesday: At 9:05 a.m., Brisson submits a contract request. Numbers aren't confirmed, but trust me on this one, it was $4 million. Lombardi said, ``I got a non-negotiable offer at 9 o'clock and was told we had to hurry. I texted (Brisson) back because it was very clear that there was no room to move on their end. I told him we had to look at a number of things to make this fit. We were looking at other players and certain deals. I said, `We're not prepared to commit that type of money. We want to look at all our options but we want to bring him back.'''
Tuesday afternoon/evening: Lombardi and Brisson exchange e-mails. Lombardi said, ``I forget the exact sequence. We exchanged two e-mails. One of them outlined the process we were going through. He said, `Fine, but we're not changing our (offer) number.'''
Tuesday night: Blake and Lombardi spoke on the phone. Lombardi said, ``Rob called me. He was honest. He said, `I don't think I can wait.' I knew San Jose had been talking to him. I said, `I can't hurry this. I'm not sure yet what we can offer. We know what your number is. We're looking at some other things and if I do some other things, it might take me out of (the range of Blake's offer).' I was thinking of making a conditional offer and then if things didn't happen, we could maybe go up to his number, but it was clear it wasn't negotiable. At that point, I was almost sure he was going to San Jose.''
Wednesday: Lombardi and Brisson exchanged e-mails. Lombardi said, ``We had an exchange of e-mails. I was telling them I still had to go through the process. (Brisson) said, `I have no interest in waiting.' I was trying to explain to him what we're trying to do.''
Thursday: Blake signs with San Jose.
Now, this is Lombardi's time line. If Brisson has a differing opinion, I'm not aware of it, because he hasn't returned my calls for four days. So there you go. I'm going home.
As I wait (and wait, and wait) for a returned call, here's the third set of the answers that I started doing hours ago...
Just got off a conference call with Rob Blake, who says the Kings never made him an offer. (Left unsaid was that Blake's agent apparently talked to the Kings on July 1 and asked for $4 million). Before Blake got on the call, San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said he called Blake's agent on July 1 to inquire about Blake's services. Here's some quotes from Blake...
On not getting an offer: ``No, i didn't receive one from the Kings. As time went past on July 1... I made a decision a few weeks ago, a month ago, that i wanted to play again. That wasn't going to be happen in L.A. and I had to start looking elsewhere. I've always admired San Jose and they have a ton of potential. They've been on the verge every year and excited to be right there.''
On whether he was ``on board'' with the Kings' rebuilding plans: ``I've been on board for the past couple years. I don't think the idea of rebuilding was just something this summer. It just became evident that there was two different thoughts going on. When you don't hear back from a team in a couple days, it's time to look elsewhere.''
On why he thinks things didn't work out with the Kings and whether he's disappointed: ``I made the commitment to come back to LA. It's a great organization and it's headed in a great direction. I was fortunate to play with Kopitar, and Jack Johnson on defense. He's an up and comer and he's going to be great. As far as things with myself, I'm not really sure what happened down the line there. The team is going to be great. It's great that they're sticking with the plan for building. I wish them all the best and years down the road I'm sure I'll be watching them.''
On whether he was negatively influenced by the Cammalleri and Visnovsky trades: ``I really have no say in any of that. You see the direction the Kings are going and they're going to stick with that and build going forward. They have a great cornerstone, with young forwards and goalies and defense. They're going in the right direction.''
Comments from San Jose:
Sharks GM Doug Wilson: ``Rob is a tremendous competitor that has been one of the top defensemen in this league for many years. While he has enjoyed mentoring the young guys, great players need the ability to win in order to thrive and his sole purpose here is to focus on winning.''
Sharks coach Todd McLellan: ``Rob's skill set and intangibles speak for themselves. ... I coached Nicklas Lidstrom for the last three years and Rob is the same age as him. Rob, like Nicklas, has proven to be a leader on a championship-winning team and any coach would be lucky to have a player of his caliber.''
Sharks center Joe Thornton: ``I've gotten to play with Rob at several international tournaments and we've built a friendship over the years. He'll fit right into our group and more importantly will help us win. He is extremely talented and can play, and excel, in every situation.''
In non-Blake news...
The schedule and roster for next week's development camp in El Segundo has been released. On-ice activities begin Tuesday (7/8) and conclude the following Thursday (7/18). The highlight is a Monday, July 14 scrimmage at 3 p.m involving all prospects. All of the practices are open to the public. Tickets to the scrimmage -- with proceeds benefiting the Kings Care Foundation -- will be on sale, $10 for adults and $5 for children under 18.
The camp will be split in two. The ``purple'' group will practice July 8-11. The ``gold'' group will practice July 15-18. On the 12th, 13th and 14th, the prospects will combine for practices and, on the 14th, the scrimmage. The list of players and the schedule follows...
The San Jose Sharks have confirmed the signing of Rob Blake to a one-year contract. They didn't disclose the money but it's $5 million, as I posted.
This could get ugly. From what I'm told, from sources involved, Blake initially asked the Kings for $4 million. There might be quite some debate about whether there were any counter-offers made by the Kings. I have calls in to all the appropriate parties involved.
Rob Blake has signed with San Jose, apparently for one year and $5 million. I've confirmed this with two sources close to the situation but the Sharks have yet to release word of this.
Guess who's spending more money...?
The Rangers signed forward Markus Naslund to a two-year contract and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin to a one-year contract. Money isn't known yet on either deal.
Colorado signed defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year contract, money unknown.
Montreal signed forward Georges Laraque to a three-year, $4.5-million contract.
Here's the second round of answers as we wait for some news...any news...
TSN reports that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven-year, $35-million extension with Pittsburgh.
One sign that free agency might be dying down? On its website, TSN has moved on to promoting this week's CFL games! Go Roughriders!
Here's the first set of answers. Thanks for all the great questions. Hopefully I can do a good job of answering them. Keep them coming, if you'd like, on the original post...
Once again, it's quiet around the league this morning, with Washington's two-year signing of Keith Aucoin being the only real news. Seems as though half of the league is on Mats Sundin Watch '08, waiting for the dominoes to fall after that.
Not the Kings though. We'll see what happens today. I'll be surprised if there's not some Rob Blake resolution, one way or the other, but obviously there's no guarantee of that. And we'll keep an eye on which second- (and possibly third-) tier defensemen start signing.
Keep the questions coming in the ``open forum'' post. Plenty of good ones already. I'll start answering soon...
I get the feeling there might be one or two Kings-related questions out there this week...
Go ahead and fire away and I'll do my best to answer/clarify any questions that are out there. It's much easier than trying to go back through the posts and answer questions.
Fire away!
Seems as though another day has come and gone without any movement from the Kings. Perhaps I shouldn't say ``another day.'' After all, yesterday brought the magical trade for Denis Gauthier...
It's not too hard to figure out what happened today. The Kings made a play for Brooks Orpik and it didn't work out. Now the attention, most likely, turns to another tier of defensemen and the Kings will look to grab a guy on a short-term contract, either via trade or signing.
The more interesting thing is that Rob Blake remains unsigned. I did not anticipate that, and perhaps if his agent would return calls I might get a little insight. But when there's mutual interest people a player and team and there's no deal, you have to follow the money, right?
Obviously, I'll stay on top of all this...
We've been hearing a lot about the Kings' plans to ``go young'' next season, but what does it really mean? Here's an educated guess at what the Kings' roster might look like if they didn't acquire any more players, based on age at the start of next season:
One player under 20: Drew Doughty (18).
Nine players under 25: Jack Johnson (21), Anze Kopitar (21), Alec Martinez (21), Brian Boyle (23), Dustin Brown (23), Patrick O'Sullivan (23), Teddy Purcell (23), Brad Richardson (23), Doughty.
20 players under 30: Matt Greene (25), Peter Harrold (25), Matt Moulson (25), Erik Ersberg (26), Alexander Frolov (26), Jarret Stoll (26), Matt Ellis (27), Jason LaBarbera (28), Kyle Calder (29), Raitis Ivanans (29), Tom Preissing (29), Doughty, Johnson, Kopitar, Martinez, Boyle, Brown, O'Sullivan, Purcell, Richardson.
Players over 30: Michal Handzus (31), Denis Gauthier (32), Derek Armstrong (35).
Remember also that even though we've been talking about free-agent defensemen here, Lombardi also raised the possibility last night of trading for a left-shot defenseman who would be able to fill a role for one season. So that opens the situation up tremendously. Here's what Lombardi said last night on this subject:
``The other thing that showed up, before free agency and even today, as people spend money to get guys in, there might be a `soft' deal there, so to speak. Maybe we could trade a `B-level' prospect or a mid-round or late-round pick for a guy who can be here for a year.''
The Islanders have signed forward Doug Weight to a contract, years and money not announced.
Lombardi indicated that his backup plan for a defenseman might be to sign a ``bridge'' player with a left shot. Well, there's only so many out there, so I decided to go through the free-agent list and find some available left-shot defensemen. Here they are, listed by last season's salary, with age in parenthesis. Let me know if I missed anyone...
Paul Mara (27), $3,000,000
Marek Malik (32), $2,500,000
Bret Hedican (36), $2,432,000
Dmitri Kalinin (26), $2,250,000
Keith Carney (37), $2,100,000
Dick Tarnstrom (32), $2,000,000 (signed in Sweden)
Jaroslav Modry (36), $1,200,000
Petteri Nummelin (34), $1,200,000 (signed in Switzerland)
Branislav Mezei (26), $850,000
Steve McCarthy (26), $725,000
TSN is reporting that Brooks Orpik has agreed to a six-year, $22.5-million contract to stay with Pittsburgh. The contract averages 3.75 million per year.
And...that was the Kings' target. More than likely, this re-opens the door for Rob Blake and a ``bridge'' type defenseman.
TSN reports that Columbus trades Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.
Sportsnet reports that defenseman Ron Hainsey has signed a five-year, $22.5-million contract with Atlanta.
According to TSN, Pittsburgh has signed Evgeni Malkin to a five-year contract extension. The story says the extension ``is believed to mirror the extension Pens captain Sidney Crosby signed in July of 2007, a five-year deal averaging $8.7 million.''
There seems to be a bit of a slow-down period taking place around the league. Of course, that could change at any moment. The Kings still have their eyes on one of the top defensemen out there, and of course the Rob Blake situation is still lingering, so I can't say that much has changed this morning. It's still very much a wait-and-see morning...
According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas has signed Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5-million contract.
Calgary signed defenseman Jim Vandermeer and forward Curtis Glencross to contracts, terms and money unknown.
Vancouver signed goaltender Curtis Sanford, terms and money unknown.
Stepping away from free agency for a moment, there's a great story out of Canada about how the Russian federation is taking drastic measures to prevent its talented young players from jumping to North America. Latest word is that they're threatening a four-year suspension from Russian national teams for any players who come to North America. Of course, this greatly impacts defenseman Vjateslav Voinov, the Kings' second-round pick last month. I'll try to get Dean Lombardi to comment on this at some point, and hopefully Voinov himself at the prospects camp next week. Here's the story...
Here's one of the big ones... TSN reports that Marian Hossa has signed a one-year, $7.4-million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
Carolina has signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen to a three-year contract worth a total of $12 million and has signed defenseman Josef Melichar to a one-year contract worth $1 million.
Here's what Brad Stuart had to say about his signing in the Detroit Free-Press today. The paper reported that the deal with the Red Wings got done just about 30 minutes before Stuart would have become an unrestricted free agent...
"There were times we were a little doubtful things were going to work out, but I'm really glad it did," Stuart said from his home in California. "I think sometimes you go on gut feeling -- I knew they wanted to keep me, but also knew they have a certain way they go about re-signing players. I didn't know what I could get on the open market, but had a pretty good idea.
"I'm just glad it worked out. It's a great team. Most of the core of the team is going to be around for at least the next couple of years. It's a great place to play and win, and I wanted to be a part of it."
Not much so far. Ryan Craig re-signed in Tampa Bay for two years, and there's a report that Ryan Johnson has signed in Vancouver for two years, at $1.15 million per year, but that's it so far. I'll be on the road for the next 80 minutes or so, so hang tight for any updates...
Finally, here's what Lombardi had to say about the controversy surrounding the Lubomir Visnovsky trade, particularly the allegations that Lombardi ``never called'' Visnovsky after the trade and essentially went back on his word to trade Visnovsky to a pre-approved team. Lombardi discusses both of these topics in detail.
Thanks again to everyone for the support today. We'll get back at it tomorrow, in what should be a very interesting day.
Here's the final quotes...
I asked Lombardi about the potential of signing Rob Blake and the fact that it didn't happen today...
``Part of the thing we're looking at there is getting the (defenseman) who fits across the board, like I said, then work on a number of other things. And we'll see if it works (with Blake) and if we can make it work financially for him as well as us. But we've got to keep the door open right now, in terms of getting a guy who fits not only this year but going forward.''
Then I asked about Patrick O'Sullivan, and whether the big money given to young players would have a negative impact on the Kings' ability to sign him...
``No, we had kind of adjusted for that, going in, when we did our projections. I don't think you can kid yourself. The one thing you learn early in your career is, you don't think, `Oh yeah, we can get him for this.' You put in your number, going across three or four years, and you make it realistic. I think the number we have is realistic. I guess the numbers you're talking about for the young players... I don't think a lot changed (for O'Sullivan). If you're talking about the top young guys, Patrick hasn't gone to that level. If you're talking about (Corey) Perry and (Jeff) Carter and those guys. If he takes another step, God bless him, but I don't think it's fair to say he's in that range.
``The one significant one that happened in the market today was probably (David) Backes, with that offer sheet. And part of the number you use, don't forget, depends on the term. We're in good position with him in terms of our rights. Then there's a number you'd lock him in at, but you're keeping an eye on the free-agent line. But I think our number is OK. I don't think anything really changed in the free-agent market that wasn't there. (Ryan) Getzlaf was already there, and some of those guys. The other thing is, a lot of these deals are done before July 1, but some of them aren't signed and announced. So some of them don't come down until today, but we knew what those numbers were, even before the draft.''
I asked if he was still confident that something could be done with O'Sullivan soon...
``Oh yeah, but I'll be honest with you. We just haven't grinded on that yet. After this free agency, I'll make Solly (Jeff Solomon) go to work. (laughs) And that includes the other (restricted free agents) too. Those things tend to drag out.''
I asked Lombardi about the salary-cap floor and how much of a problem -- if at all -- it might be getting to $40 million...
``No, it's not a problem for us in terms of the cap. I'm more looking at cash. Even when we're looking at the (defenseman) who can go across the line, I'm actually looking more at the cash, the next year and the year after. I think we're certainly set up with the cap space then. As far as the strict legalities of hitting the floor, don't forget that certain bonus money counts. So when Doughty signs -- and we have a couple other kids there too, such as Purcell and Johnson -- for purposes of the cap, their bonus money counts.''
I asked Lombardi about Brad Stuart, who signed in Detroit for four years at $3.75 million per year. I asked if he was concerned about giving Stuart a four-year contract...
``Certainly he was a guy we were very interested in. But that's a situation where he really liked that team there. So I think that's where he was leaning, and good for him. You want players who want to win. Obviously, Detroit, they've got it going. To be honest with you, the (four years) didn't scare us off. In all honesty, he was one of the guys we were looking at when we talk about guys who fit across the board.''
OK, here's the first part of the Lombardi interview from tonight, starting with his general impressions of how the day went and how it related to the Kings. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion about the job Lombardi does, but you know a person has been working hard when he stops in the middle of a sentence and says, ``Is today Tuesday?'' We've all been there, right? So, here's the first part, with more to come...
OK, here we go... I'll transcribe the stuff in a bit, but I figured you would want to know the highlights ASAP...
-- There aren't any quotes on this subject, because I threw it in at the end, but a deal for Khabibulin is very, very, very, very -- I'd keep going, but I think you get the point -- unlikely. There's just not interest there right now, and I doubt that will change. The rumor had legs because it SEEMED to fit the loose parameters of what the Kings needed, but there's really nothing to it right now.
-- The Kings were right there on Brad Stuart, and apparently didn't have a problem with either the term or the money, but Stuart decided that he wanted to play for the Red Wings. To this, Lombardi basically tipped his hat and said, ``I can't blame him for that.''
-- Lombardi still has his eye on a defenseman who, in his words, fits with both the present and the future. He's not at liberty to name names, obviously, but I don't think it's hard to do some reading between the lines, right?
-- Rob Blake is still there as a strong possibility, and discussions are ongoing.
-- There are ongoing talks with Patrick O'Sullivan, and Lombardi isn't particularly concerned that the run of big contracts for young players will negatively impact his ability to sign O'Sullivan. Sounds as though it's something that won't get done tonight or tomorrow, but that it's not a huge roadblock.
-- There's no concern about the $40-million ``floor.'' There are still players to be signed and, as Lombardi pointed out, there are also bonuses that must be included. Jack Johnson has significant bonus money, as will Drew Doughty, when he signs. So while it might seem as though there's a big gap there, it will be filled quickly.
-- Lombardi spoke extensively about the Visnovsky situation and gave his side of the story, which included calling Visnovsky's agent immediately after the trade and attempting to call Visnovsky three times on Monday morning, and finally leaving a message on the third call. (It was pre-dawn in Slovakia when the trade went down here Sunday night.) As for the ``six-teams list,'' Lombardi said he told Visnovsky that he would do his best to accommodate his wishes but made no promises.
So those are the highlights. I'll get to work on the quotes, for those who want to burn the midnight oil with me. And thanks much for all the support and kind words. They keep me going on these long days. Much appreciated...
Boston has signed forward Michael Ryder to a three-year, $12-million contract.
That appears to have been the only big move made official during my commute, so we'll see if anything develops tonight. No call yet, so hopefully it's coming soon.