Today is a sad day at NHL Hot Stove as we close up shop.

I would like to thank every one who has ever contributed, commented and read our site. It was a fantastic ride which unfortunately we can no longer keep up.

Myself and David Strehle are taking on bigger roles at RLDHockey.net while Dustin Leed and The Hockey Guys has been generous enough to give a home to our other excellent contributors. Please be kind enough to give both sites a read.

The Los Angeles Kings announced today that head coach Terry Murray has been relieved of his duties and that Kings assistant coach John Stevens shall act as interim head coach.

By Chris Van Deusen

It seems the Los Angeles Kings decided that it was time for a changing of the guard. On the eve of their four-game road trip, the Kings have decided to fire their head coach Terry Murray. After a disappointing homestand where the team lost five out of their previous seven games, Kings management made the call. For the time being, assistant coach John Stevens will assume the role of interim head coach.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi spoke to the press during a conference call shortly after the announcement of Murray’s dismissal.  ”We hadn’t been playing up to expectations. The last homestand was the end, but there wasn’t one glaring moment. It built up,” said Lombardi. The Kings’ GM also added “Last year we had some sketchy periods too…” and that Murray’s work ethic and focus never changed, that he never quit trying, but this year the expectations were higher. The expectations of this year made things more about results than the team finding “victories within losses.”

Photo Courtesy LA Times

It is unknown at this time how long Stevens will serve as interim head coach. Stevens is unlikely to keep the position for long though since he shares a very similar coaching style with Murray. Lombardi would not go into detail on his list of possible coaches, preferring not to tip his hand and simply state “it’s fair to say it’s a very short list.” Three names that seem to top the lists of speculators are Darryl Sutter, Tony Granato, and recently-fired Anaheim Ducks’ head coach Randy Carlyle. It should be noted, however, that the Kings have stated they are unlikely to go after Carlyle.

While it is never a good sign when a team fires their coach, it seems it was time to part with Murray. For a team that has expectations of being a Stanley Cup contender, ranking 30th in scoring is unacceptable. While some of the blame does need to be focused towards the players, it is also the coach’s job to right the ship, no? Things are not alright in the kingdom when there are unnamed texts stating they’re dead.

Sadly, many will forget the good that Murray did do for the Kings. He led the Kings to the playoffs the last two seasons, with that first season being their latest appearance since 2003. Top-Line centerman Anze Kopitar was molded into the great two-way player he is today under Murray’s teaching. While we haven’t seen it lately in more than just flashes, Murray is credited with establishing the great defensive structure the team is known for.

Murray began coaching with the Kings in the 2008-09 season and held a regular season record of 139-106-30. Among the Kings’ all-time coaches, his win total ranks third, fourth in games coached at 275, and first in winning percentage at .560. Murray was just one win away from his 500th career win.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls

The NHL announced tonight that they will change their current six-division setup into four conferences. For the first time since 1998, the League’s board of governors reached an agreement that not only alters the current outlook but also will allow every team to play a home-and-home series. The NHLPA will still need to approve the realignment but that appears to be a formality at this point.

These four conferences break down as the following:

Conference 1

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes

Conference 2

Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild

Conference 3

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Conference 4

Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

The current playoff configuration will also change with the first two playoff series coming within the Conference. However, eight teams will still make the show but there should be much more parity. For example, a team in a ‘weaker’ division would not be allowed to grab the third seed if they narrowly make the playoffs.

Furthermore, the schedule works out well for all teams. Home-and-home series should account for roughly 44-46 games with the remaining games getting played in rivalries within the conference. This change, as well as keeping natural rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit; Calgary and Edmonton; should pave way for more excitement and interest around North America.

Now that we have the details down, let’s get to the fun part. What do we name these conferences? Do they get the old names: Norris, Campbell, Adams and Patrick? Do we rename them something more current like Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Orr? Put your vote in below and give some write-ins into the comments.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Yesterday, we let you in on our contest to play a ‘One Day FREE Fantasy Contest‘ to win $100 in cash prizes from Draft Steet. Well, I signed up, How about you?

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RW: Martin St. Louis — $13,081

C: Mark Letestu — $5,990
C: Valtteri Filppula — $6,118

D: Niklas Kronwall — $6,547
D: P.K. Subban — $7,817

G: Jonathan Quick — $20,665
G: Brian Gionta — $7,976

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This is a salary cap league where everyone tries to assemble the best team out of the available players. You will have a $100,000 budget to build a team of 2 LW’s, 2 RW’s, 2 Center’s, 2 Defensive players, 1 Goalie, and a FLEX. Each NHL player has been allocated a price based on their expected fantasy performance. For example, star LW Alex Ovechkin costs $14,331 where as RW Jarome Iginla costs $12,256.

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By Jeff Quirin
NHL Hot Stove Associate Editor

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Did you miss NHL on the Fly this week? Couldn’t catch all the games? Well, if you love goal scoring, NHL Hot Stove has you covered. Here are some of the best finishes of the first week of NHL action in the 2011-12 season.

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Number Five

Anze Kopitar (LA Kings) with a great forehand backhand move to beat Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) after a pretty cross ice pass.

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Number Four

Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning) rifles his 300th career goal past good friend Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins) on a breakaway.

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Number Three

Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) with a terrific partial breakaway move to beat Ilya Bryzgalov (Philadelphia Flyers).

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Number Two

Claude Giroux (Boston Bruins) attacks Tom Thomas (Boston Bruins) with a brilliant backhand forehand marker.

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Number One

Brad Richards (New York Rangers) roofs the puck over Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks).

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Just had to throw one more in for good measure. Welcome back to the NHL Mr. Lombardi.

Matthew Lombardi (Toronto Maple Leafs) beats Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) for a shorthanded goal. His first goal after missing virtually all of the 2010-11 season with a concussion.

The O2 World arena in Berlin, Germany played host to the Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres on Saturday as part of the 2011-2012 Season’s opening weekend. The Kings looked to carry the momentum from yesterday’s game in Stockholm into Berlin, but it seems the Buffalo Sabres had other plans.

Any momentum the Kings had ran right into a wall.

Luke Adam put the Sabres on the scoreboard twice within the span of 2:20 early in the second period. Adam’s first goal came from a quick wrist shot over Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier’s glove while the second goal was a tap in on a pass from Thomas Vanek. The Sabres’ other two goals came from Paul Gaustad and Drew Stafford.

The Kings attempted to mount a comeback in the third period, but it would prove to be too little too late against a Sabres team who spent much of the game driving hard at Bernier between the pipes. All four Sabres goals came from between the circles, an area the Kings defense usually excels at clearing out. Both of Adam’s goals were direct results of the Kings not clearing players from in front of Bernier. While it should be noted that it is only the second game of the season, the Kings would be wise to quickly resolve their coverage issues. Lack of consistent defensive coverage cost the Kings several games last season.

Photo Via Getty Images

Anze Kopitar, however, did prove to be the one highlight of the game for the Kings, scoring both goals. If there was any doubt about his performance this season after recovering from a broken leg last year, it is now gone. Kopitar recorded three goals and an assist on the Kings’ European trip.

While he has not recorded a goal yet, defenseman Drew Doughty is showing signs that he is ready to compete this season. Saturday’s game saw him with several close attempts on Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and logging over 28 minutes on the ice.

Europe bids farewell to the Kings as they are now on their way back to the United States – but not home. Two more road games await the team when their plane lands at Newark. The Kings will have the next few days to practice before taking on the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls

With less than a minute left in overtime Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson scored on a power play to lead the Kings past the New York Rangers by a score of 3-2. Johnson tallied the game winner after receiving a swift pass from the Kings newly acquired center Mike Richards.

The Kings started their 2011-2012 season overseas by facing the Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday. While the team wore their home jerseys, they were far from being the home team. The sold-out arena fully supported the Rangers mainly to support goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, a living legend in Sweden. While it may have been a home crowd for Lundqvist, he had to share the spotlight with a King.

Kings center Anze Kopitar put his team on the board first halfway through the first period and silenced any doubts about overcoming last season’s ankle injury. While in the Rangers’ zone, right-winger Justin Williams capitalized on a turnover and fed the puck to Kopitar, who rifled it past Lundqvist. Kopitar would continue on to play a solid two-way game with multiple chances and eventually snagging an assist in Johnson’s overtime goal. It appears the “Slovenian Superstar” is picking up right where he left off last season before his injury.

While the Kings dominated most of the first period, setting quite an impressive tempo for them compared to last season, the Rangers regrouped and tied the game five minutes after Kopitar scored. Rangers’ captain Ryan Callahan was able to cash in on a bad-angle shot, beating Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick who wasn’t square with his post.

Photo Via JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

The second and third periods saw a much different game however as both coaches began the chess match of line-swapping. Both teams took to their strong defensive games until halfway through the third period, Marian Gaborik put the Rangers up 2-1 with a shot from just outside the crease. Richards would tie the game for the Kings with under five minutes left in regulation with a center-line drive that has only further excited Kings fans to see how he’ll fit in this season. He would earn his first goal and assist as a King in his first game as a King.

Johnson would earn the game-winning goal in overtime while on the power play. Rangers’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh opened the door for the Kings at a critical moment when he was called for holding. While the game winner was scored on the power play, the Kings still need to tweak their power play system. Going 1 for 4 on the power play seems to show signs of last season’s issue of having trouble with special teams scoring.

The Kings traveled to Berlin, Germany directly after the game in order for Saturday’s game. Awaiting the Kings in Berlin are Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls

Kings’ fan can collectively sigh and catch their breath.  Amid rumors of impending offer sheets and their star defenseman’s desire to resume his career in another city, Drew Doughty will continue to play his home games at the Staples Center.  Late last night, Doughty agreed to an eight-year deal worth $56 million.  In addition, the Kings signed free agent forward Trent Hunter to a one-year, $600,000 contract.  These moves push the Kings to within $1.7 million of the salary cap limit.

Doughty, a 212-pound defenseman from London, Ontario, clearly represents the present and future of the Los Angeles Kings.  After being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Doughty produced an effective 27 point season although he did struggle defensively, ending the season with a -17 rating.  He improved both offensively and defensively into his second season with 59 points and a +20 rating.  Last season was somewhat of a disappointment for Doughty and the Kings as his point production dropped to 40 although he took care of his own end well while averaging a team high 25:39 per game.

The Kings currently have 15 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders on their active roster.  This most likely means that the Kings will need to cut 2 forwards by opening night next week.  Amongst the youngsters, Kyle Clifford and Kevin Westgarth provide toughness, and Scott Parse and Trevor Lewis will be counted on to provide depth scoring.  Parse has been skating on the Kings’ top unit with Simon Gagne and Anze Kopitar, but LA Kings’ beat writer Matthew Barry believes his seat may be hottest amongst the forwards.  Parse has been rather pedestrian early on as he hasn’t hurt the Kings, but he has generated very little offense (1 assist) and no shots on goal in 3 pre-season games.  If the Kings feel that they need to afford themselves a more significant amount of cap space, they could do so via the trade route. 21 year old defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov has impressed thus far.  He has 2 goals and 1 assist in 4 games while staying out of the penalty box and out of minus rating territory in all 4 games.  If Voynov were to make the team, the Kings could opt to deal veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi ($3.4 million cap hit for 2 more seasons).

Veteran Trent Hunter has earned a spot on the Kings’ bottom 6 (3rd/4th line role) after a tryout with the club.  The New York Islanders were hoping that Hunter would develop a consistent scoring touch, but that didn’t happen.  Hunter put up very respectable 25, 16, and 20 goal seasons in his first 3 full seasons in the NHL, but he hasn’t reached the 15 goal mark over the last 4 seasons.  Hunter has had an interesting offseason as the Islanders traded his rights to the New Jersey Devils on July 28th, then, on August 1st, the Devils waived the 31 year old Red Deer, Alberta-native.  The Kings are hoping that Hunter can put up 15 goals in a supporting role this season.

The Kings are a team that needs to score more goals.  They finished 25th in goal scoring last season (219) and responded by acquiring Mike Richards and Gagne in the offseason.  There is no reason to believe that their goaltending or defense will take a step backwards as those positions remain strong and intact.  They will need to score more goals in the 2011-2012 campaign in order to advance past the first round of the playoffs.  Although cliche’, their best players need to be their best players, particularly in the playoffs.  In the 2011 postseaon, Kyle Clifford co-lead the team in goals.  Teams need production from all parts of their lineup, but when a 4th liner leads your team in goal scoring, you get what the 2011 Kings got – time to reserve tee times while eight other clubs advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Cross-checks, slashes, and nifty cross ice passes will be accepted on Twitter @Gordsie.

The first day of camp is in the books for teams across the league but there is an asterisk on the page for the Los Angeles Kings. Star Defenseman Drew Doughty did not show up for training camp.

By Chris Van Deusen

Holdout. That single term sends shivers down a fan’s spine when heard. It was the term that Los Angeles Kings fans feared when contract negotiations seemed to stall between prized defenseman Drew Doughty and the Kings over the summer. While technically, Doughty is not a holdout but a Restricted Free Agent, his absence from training camp brands him as a holdout to fans. While Anze Kopitar and the rest of the Kings descended on the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo for the first day of camp, Doughty remains without a contract.

General Manager Dean Lombardi addressed the press Friday afternoon and shed some light on the situation between himself and Doughty’s agent, Don Meehan. After several offers were rejected by Doughty & Meehan, Lombardi stated that the Kings have provided Doughty with the best contract they will offer. While exact numbers were not given, the deal would range from six to eight years with an average pay of $6.8 million.

Doughty may want to consider his options quickly however due to the fact that the $6.8 million contract will lose value with each passing day. An NHL contract pays for 275 days of work so each day Doughty misses out on camp, he will also be missing out on roughly $25,000. That is some incentive to sign! In an interview with Rich Hammond of Kings Insider, Lombardi mentioned that while camp has started and the focus needs to shift to the team, he is confident Doughty will sign in the near future.

It doesn’t mean, certainly, that there isn’t going to be dialogue. The point is that missing days of work has to now factor into this negotiation. There’s no doubt in my mind that this kid is going to play here and play here a long time. But now, like I said, missing a day of work has to be factored into this. It’s no different than any other player. The lines of communication are certainly open. There was a cordial discussion last night, and that’s it.

The real question isn’t when will Doughty sign, but why hasn’t he? Throughout his career with the Kings, Doughty has expressed how he loves being a King and grew up wanting to play for the team. So why hasn’t Doughty signed yet? The answer most people jump to first is money. While money is definitely part of the equation, it cannot be the entire answer. If that was the case, Doughty & Meehan would not have rejected the nine year $61 million offer the Kings presented them. A contract of that size would have kept the young defenseman a King for many years to come and made him the highest paid King. The dollars were there for Doughty.

Los Angeles Kings Drew Doughty

This brings in contract length, which seems to be the sticking point. While nothing official has been issued by Meehan, it seems the agent is looking for a five year contract. A contract of this length would see Doughty due for a new contract when he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency. The Kings are looking to avoid a five year deal in order to not face the nightmare that would be Kopitar and Doughty hitting UFA status at the same time.

While it is expected that Doughty will sign before the season starts, it would be wise for both sides to look at the damage being done here. What is shaping up to be a favored cup contender is now short a key member of its core. Fans are already vocal on the subject and each day Doughty misses camp the voices will only get louder. This is dangerous waters for Doughty’s image and it would be wise of Meehan to not prolong the issue, especially if a more sinister theory behind his tactics is actually true.

This is not a case of the Kings trying to lowball a player. The team offered years and top-dollar prices, both being sought-after by Doughty. The Kings want Doughty around for years and the young player claims he wants to stay. Now is the time to see if Drew Doughty truly has the heart of a King.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls