Sport-scan daily brief

“Who has to think about? [Reporter: Colin.] So Brad went in for Colin, right? So that didn’t mean Brad had been playing well, because he hadn’t been playing. That’s what you said. Hey, he scored. He should’ve scored last night. He had some good chances. If you can score in practice, then you can score in the game. Might’ve been the difference in the game last night. Had two or three great chances and didn’t score. Had nothing to do with Colin Fraser.”

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.04.2013

667802 Los Angeles Kings

Quiet deadline day for Kings

Posted by JonRosen on 3 April 2013, 1:48 pm

The Los Angeles Kings made a pair of moves by acquiring Robyn Regehr from the Bufffalo Sabres on Monday and trading Davis Drewiske to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday before sitting tight as the 12:00 pm PT trading deadline passed on Wednesday without an additional transaction.

Though the day started slowly, a collection of moves were made shortly before the deadline, highlighted by Marian Gaborik’s trade from the New York Rangers to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore and a sixth-round draft pick. The Minnesota Wild, who will visit Staples Center on Thursday, also made a significant move by acquiring Jason Pominville from Buffalo in exchange for Matt Hackett, Johan Larsson, a first-round pick in 2013 and a second-round pick in 2014.

For a full recap of the trades made in advance of Wednesday’s deadline, I urge you to visit the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker presented by Graham on LAKings.com.

I’m in the process of transcribing quotes from Darryl Sutter, Dean Lombardi and Robyn Regehr. I’ll have those quotes up this afternoon along with KingsVision post-practice videos. Stay tuned.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.04.2013

667803 Los Angeles Kings

Matt Greene practices

Posted by JonRosen on 3 April 2013, 12:08 pm

Matt Greene took the ice at Toyota Sports Center today, participating in drills with teammates in a green non-contact jersey for 20 minutes.

General Manager Dean Lombardi indicated to LA Kings Insider on March 29 that Greene’s projected return was a month away, meaning there is a possibility he could return to the lineup late in the regular season. Los Angeles concludes its regular season slate on April 27 at home against San Jose.

If you can bear with some camera phone blurriness, there are some photos of Greene after the jump.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.04.2013

667804 Los Angeles Kings

LAKings.com feature: Up, Up and Away

Posted by JonRosen on 3 April 2013, 11:19 am

As the Kings opened their season-long road trip with consecutive wins in Chicago and St. Louis, I began gathering quotes on variables that must come together to generate success away from home. It wasn’t always a linear process; the team wasn’t able to hold a two-goal lead and lost a shootout in Minnesota, dominated possession in a quality win at Dallas, and concluded the trip with a regulation loss against a hard-working Phoenix team.

It all came together in my LAKings.com feature this week, entitled Up, Up and Away. In it I hope you’ll gain some sentiments from the locker room and hockey staff on a mostly successful road trip in which the team collected seven out of a possible 10 points while facing stiff competition.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.04.2013

667805 Los Angeles Kings

Waking up with the Kings: April 3

Posted by JonRosen on 3 April 2013, 9:26 am

-A regulation loss punctuated what was otherwise a very good road trip for the Los Angeles Kings, who strung together three wins and seven points from five games over nine days. The players would never be quick to admit it, but I did think last night’s game indicated the batteries could use some recharging. It didn’t have to do with physical fatigue (most of the team had a day off on Monday) as much as it had to do with mental fatigue, and a grinding, workmanlike Phoenix team that presents a challenge on any night was even more effective against an L.A. team at the end of a trip. It was still a game that hung in the balance of several bounces as the Kings were denied on the second and third opportunities in front of a very good Jason LaBarbera and in the face of a committed Coyotes performance.

-Speaking of LaBarbera, he was the better goaltender in this game and deserving of the first star. He was well squared to the shooter throughout the night, resulting in several quality opportunities hitting him in the howling Coyote on the front of his jersey. His best saves were made with his pads late in the second period – one on Jeff Carter off a well-placed Brad Richardson two-on-one feed, and the other on a low Drew Doughty blast from the top of the right circle off a feed from Anze Kopitar. There was also a strong first period glove save on Dustin Brown during a Kings power play in a scoreless game. Re-living some of these highlights I’m being reminded how strong of a defensive game Phoenix played despite Los Angeles putting up 40 shots for the third time on the road trip.

-Quick, on the other hand, has been better, and Yandle’s insurance tally from below the left hash marks is a tough goal to allow when trailing by one late. But let me be perfectly clear: this game wasn’t lost because of Jonathan Quick. The Kings lost because they scored only one goal and were repeatedly denied second and third opportunities at the other end of the rink by an excellent Coyotes effort. Was anyone else thinking about how L.A. was missing Dustin Penner on the left side last night? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kings made a trade for a winger today, though it does appear the going rate for a top-six forward may be a touch high for what the team is willing to pay.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.04.2013

667806 Minnesota Wild

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher: "We’re no longer a seller"

Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild trade news Updated: April 3, 2013 - 6:36 PM

The Wild tried hard on Tuesday to trade for San Jose’s Ryane Clowe, but he wanted to go East.

In fact, this morning, from people I talked to, it was clear the Wild felt it offered a better package to the Sharks than they wound up receiving from the Rangers. But Clowe had the hammer with a no-trade clause and chose New York.

From seeing what the Wild was willing to give up to get Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville, you can bet what I was hearing is accurate.

As you know by now, the Wild traded Johan Larsson, Matt Hackett, a 2013 first-round pick and a 2014 second-round pick to the Sabres for Pominville, who has scored 20-or-more goals the past six seasons and twice 30, and a 2014 fourth-round pick. Pominville, when he arrives hopefully tomorrow, will be slotted on the right side of Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu for an all-Captain line.

Pominville is just an all-situation guy. PK, point on the power play, does all the little things, versatile, booming shot, etc.

I just talked on the phone to his linemate, Thomas Vanek, who said, "We all heard Darcy's (GM Regier) comments that he could be gone, but when it happens, I was shocked. It's part of the business, but we're losing, myself also, I'm losing a great teammate in the locker room, somebody I was with for eight years, and a good friend. He's such a great player and linemate. The Wild, they're lucky. Just a smart, good hockey player who can adapt to any situation and make his linemates better. He's going to really help them. We're going to miss him a lot. Jason is as good a guy as there is."

But big, big price from the Wild. Chuck Fletcher explains why below.

First of all, “We’re really excited. Our players have played hard and played well this year. I believe we’re improving as an organization. We’re starting to take some positive steps. It was important if we could find the right fit at the right piece, I think it was important for us to try to continue to upgrade our talent and improve our team.

“You never know what can happen, but today was an important today. We’re no longer a seller. We want to keep pushing forward and want to compete for talent. It’s just a good day for our franchise.”

On Pominville: “He’s scored 30 goals in the league, he’s had 70 points, he’s a team captain. He’s a hard-working, 200-foot player, and I think like some of our other top players, like Parise and Koivu and Backstrom and Suter and you can go right down the list, not only is he talented, he’s got a hard-working mentality and a high level of character.

“He plays the point on the power play, he kills penalties. He’s just a guy that brings a lot of dimensions and versatility and a player that could fit into a lot of different roles.”

You paid a huge price: “There’s no question, we paid a price. Jason’s a talented player, he’s not a rental, he has term left on his deal (one year), he’s the captain of his team and he’s a guy that we wanted. Anytime you want a good player who’s not a rental, you’re going to pay a price.

“(Assistant GM) Brent Flahr and his staff have done a great job for us. They’ve drafted very well. We’ve been able to apply a lot of young assets over the last few years, and the fact that we have really good depth in terms of talented young players, it allowed us the opportunity to pursue a player like Pominville. We have plenty of assets in the cupboard and plenty of talented, young players at evev position. The last few years, our focus have been to gather prospects and picks, but our team is growing and showing some positive signs, at times you’ve got to dip into that pool of talent that you’ve accumulated and pay some assets to get in this case an All-Star NHL player.”

Basically, the price was obviously high, but the way the Wild sees it, the foundation of the franchise for years is in place with top-liners Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu and No. 1 defenseman Ryan Suter. Then, there future cornerstone forwards Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund and blue-chip defensemen Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba.

From there, the Wild is developing defenseman Marco Scandella, forwards Brett Bulmer, Zack Phillips, Tyler Graovac, Raphael Bussieres, is loaded with other college-level players from Mario Lucia and Erik Haula to Adam Gilmour and John Draeger.

It still has two hotshot goalie prospects with Darcy Kuemper and Johan Gustafsson, who plans to come to North America next year.

So since there’s only so many positions on a hockey team and so many contracts permitted to be handed out, the Wild felt it could afford to give up the hefty price and potentially lose a couple top draft picks.

“Hey, we recognize that we paid a price,” Fletcher said. “Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett are good, young hockey players. And anytime you trade a first-round pick, you’re obviously paying a significant price. But as a franchise we’ve spent a lot of time accumulating assets and trading for draft picks, and I think it’s a positive sign that as a franchise we’re now trading prospects and picks to acquire players. Typically that means you’re moving in the right direction. There’s always a balance. You can’t make these moves all the time. But if you never make them, how do you get better?”

Does this mean win now or bust though? “Again, he’s not a rental. He has term on his contract. And again, we still have a lot of really good young players. Brent and his staff have shown the ability to draft well and I have no doubt they will continue to. Our goal is to win as many games as we can. We feel we’re a competitive team, we have work to do, but we’re trending in the right direction. We want to keep pushing that. We’re not shy about our desire to get better. We’re going to be a competitive team for a long time.”

I asked Fletcher what this means going forward for guys like Backstrom and Matt Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who are in the last year of their deals, and Dany Heatley, who is an amnesty buyout candidate this summer. The Wild is only $9 million from next year’s $64.3 million cap without buying out Heatley or maybe re-upping Backstrom or Cullen and before re-signing restricted free agents like Cal Clutterbuck and Jared Spurgeon.

“At the end of the year we’ll sort it all out. There’s a lot of hockey left to play. We have flexibility to do the things we need to do, but that’s a conversation for another day.”

By the way, the Wild still has two thirds this summer (one extra for Sheppard) and two sevenths and then all their picks from Rounds 2-7.

Right now, the hope is Pominville can meet the team in L.A. and debut tomorrow, but that is not set in stone yet. I have left messages for Pominville, known as one of the most accomodating athletes in the NHL by the way, but haven't talked to him yet. I'm sure he's swamped with his life being uprooted.

The Wild also acquired goalie Jeff Deslauriers from Anaheim for future considerations (nothing). He’ll take Darcy Kuemper’s spot in Houston until hopefully Josh Harding is ready to return.

Lastly, and I’ll leave you with this, Fletcher is always looking and thinking ahead. Pominville was Thomas Vanek’s linemate. They are very close. Vanek has been quoted in the past saying he wasn’t too keen being a part of a rebuild in Buffalo. He’s a free agent in the summer of 2014.

Is acquiring Pominville the precursor to pursuing Vanek, the former Gopher, in two summers? Just something to keep in your head from somebody who, if you’ve read me for awhile, guessed for three years that the Wild had its eyes set on the summer of 2012 to go after Parise.

It just makes sense. Regardless, the Wild keeps making bold moves, from the Brent Burns-Devin Setoguchi one, to the Dany Heatley for Marty Havlat one to signing Parise and Suter to this.

Its eventual goal, besides winning, of course, is to show all players in the NHL that Minnesota wants to win and should be considered a destination the way markets like Pittsburgh, the Rangers, Philly, Detroit always have been.

A lot more in tomorrow’s paper and the coming days. Oh, and there’s a game tonight, so more later. I’ll be on Fox Sports North during the second intermission tonight.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.04.2013

667807 Minnesota Wild

Wild making calls, has shown interest in Buffalo's Jason Pominville

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: April 3, 2013 - 11:36 AM

With 2 hours, 30 minutes left before the 2 p.m. CT trade deadline, there has been one minor trade today in the NHL. As I wrote in today's Insider, there was a good chance today would be a bit of a dud around the league after guys like Ryane Clowe, Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy were traded yesterday and so many deals had been executed in the days leading up -- Jarome Iginla, Doug Murray, Jay Bouwmeester, etc.

The Wild tried hard for Clowe and felt it made a quality offer, but in the end, Clowe decided to go east. That was even with some gentle persuading I hear from former Sharks teammates on the Wild.

The Wild is making calls and I do hear it is one of many teams that has been talking to Buffalo the past few days about captain Jason Pominville. I know the Wild has scouted Buffalo recently, too.

The 30-year-old right wing was asked to submit a list of eight teams the other day that he would not accept a trade to. Minnesota was not on that list, I am told.

Pominville has one more year left on a five-year, $26.5 million deal. That’s a $5.3 million cap hit with $5.5 million in real salary next year.

The 2001 second-round pick has played full 82-game seasons in five of his six full years. He has scored 185 goals and 456 points in 578 games. He’s a two-time 30-goal scorer who has also topped 20 goals four other times.

He has scored 10 goals and 25 points in 37 games this year.

I am not sure what it would take to reel in a fish like that, but as I wrote in today's Insider, just the fact that the Wild showed such interest in Clowe makes you realize that GM Chuck Fletcher is willing to pay a price if he feels the player would provide a significant upgrade.

The Sabres have also been shopping Drew Stafford as well.

We will see if anything happens with Buffalo and the Wild or anywhere else soon enough. The Sharks skate in one hour, the Wild in two -- 30 minutes before the deadline -- so stayed tuned to www.twitter.com/russostrib for any news.

Regardless, NHL trades should start trickling in soon. They always do.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.04.2013

667808 Minnesota Wild

Wild has acquired Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: April 3, 2013 - 3:32 PM

The Wild has acquired Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville and a 2014 fourth-round pick for Matt Hackett, Johan Larsson, a 2013 first-round pick and a 2014 second-round pick.

Clearly a huge price, but one from a team that has missed the playoffs for four straight years, is looking to win now and is full of young prospects right now and core pieces that are going to be mainstays on the team for a long time.

The 30-year-old Pominville, a right winger, was asked to submit a list of eight teams to the Sabres that he would not accept a trade to.

Minnesota was not on that list.

Pominville, Thomas Vanek's linemate and 2001 second-round pick has played full 82-game seasons in five of his six full years. He has scored 185 goals and 456 points in 578 games. He’s a two-time 30-goal scorer who has also topped 20 goals four other times.

He has scored 10 goals and 25 points in 37 games this year.

"Heck of a player," Zach Parise said as he left the ice. "Heck of a player."

Later, outside the locker room, Parise said he played on a line with Pominville at the 2008 world championships in Halifax.

“He works hard. You just look at the way he’s been used, he plays power play, penalty kill, reliable, but he puts pucks in the net, he makes plays, he gets point. He plays a really all-around game. That’s what we’re going to see.”

On the acquisition, Parise said, “It’s really exciting for us. It just gives you the sense that they believe in the way we’ve been playing and they believe in our team. Now it’s up to us to elevate our game even more. But just that addition, it really gives us a good look and a lot of good, offensive players.”

Pominville has one more year left on a five-year, $26.5 million deal. That’s a $5.3 million cap hit with $5.5 million in real salary next year.

Hackett, 23, was a third-round pick in 2009. In two years with the Wild, he went 3-7 with a 2.64 goals against average.

Larsson, 20, a 2010 second-rounder who captained Sweden to gold at the world juniors in January 2012, made his NHL debut earlier this season.

Coach Mike Yeo said he couldn’t speak until the trade was official.

“What I will say is I know that management has a lot of faith in this group and right from Day One has always been very committed to doing whatever we can to put a great product on the ice.”

On pulling Hackett and Larsson from the ice, Yeo said, “That is always a tough part of it. It’s not an easy thing, for sure.

“Especially for young kids, you just don’t quite know what’s going on. I’m able to say very little. Obviously we know it sure sounds like something is going on.”

Darcy Kuemper has been recalled by the Wild and is on his way to San Jose. Nate Prosser will likely have to play wing tonight.

The lines will be mix and match tonight. Charlie Coyle may begin to see shifts at center because Pominville, whom I assume will debut tomorrow night in Los Angeles, would skate with Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu.

Tonight, Kyle Brodziak will center Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley. Pierre-Marc Bouchard will skate with Cal Clutterbuck. That was the line Larsson was supposed to center tonight.

Star Tribune LOADED: 04.04.2013

667809 Minnesota Wild

Heatley injured as Wild loses sloppily for third time in four games

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: April 4, 2013 - 1:18 AM

Coach Mike Yeo, after a very abbreviated 20-second press scrum, indicated that Dany Heatley will out for awhile with what looked on replay to be a left wrist injury after an altercation he had with San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic after the game.

Vlasic, Heatley’s former teammate who had an ongoing battle with the veteran much of the third period, got into it with Heatley in front of the Sharks’ net in the final seconds after Vlasic cross-checked Heatley.

Vlasic slashed Heatley across the top of the back. Heatley got up and tried to connect with his stick and missed. Vlasic then two-handed Heatley across the forearm and jumped him. Vlasic got the shirt over top Heatley’s head, lifted him and then violently one-last time drove him down to the ice. That appears to be when Heatley got hurt. He skated to the exit in pain.

“He just swung at me and I swung at him,” Vlasic said. “He could have easily hit me. I wasn’t intending to hurt him. I just wanted to slash him because he took a swing at me and missed. He got me the shift before. If he’s going to slash me, I’m going to defend myself and just swing back and unfortunately I got him. I didn’t want to hurt him. If he’s going to slash me I was just defending myself and swung back.

“… Unfortunately I got him in the wrist or shoulder. I’m not sure where I got him. That was not my intent. My intent was just to defend myself.”

It was an ugly end to an ugly 4-2 loss for the Wild, which will need to call up a forward from Houston with Heatley hurt for Thursday’s game at Los Angeles. My assumption is it would be somebody like Jason Zucker, but we will see.

I’d also assume Jason Pominville, who is expected to arrive in L.A. at 11 a.m., will debut. The Wild hasn’t officially said so yet.

But not a good game tonight for the Wild, which for the fourth consecutive game gave up the game’s first goal and then fell behind 2-0 in an awful first period that could have easily been 5-0. The Wild was making dubious decisions in its own end, turned pucks over, took careless penalties. Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin had a tough go, and Clayton Stoner had one of the most nightmarish games imaginable with turnovers, penalties, bad decisions, turning pucks over and having the winning goal carom in off of him.

In the second, the Wild rallied on goals by Charlie Coyle and Heatley. But then a nightmare shift started with Stoner doing a header into the end boards. Later, Heatley fell, then Kyle Brodziak turned it over, then Heatley didn’t get it out, then Jared Spurgeon turned it over. You can see bad coming and it did when Joe Thornton centered a pass that deflected in off Stoner’s leg.

The Wild’s momentum was doused and it came out with a poor third period.

“Just another bad start for us,” Zach Parise said. “It’s kind of been the common theme the last while. Not good enough when you’re playing these teams that … are doing everything they can and playing their best to try to get in the playoffs, I think we expect easy games. Our starts are really killing us.

“It’s mental for us, I think. Just mental lapses that we weren’t doing. A few weeks ago, we weren’t making those. We were better prepared for games. We make mental errors out there, and that’s what happens.”

Parise continued, saying, “We went on a good streak. When you do that, we started to get too loose. Even when we did win our seventh and eighth in a row, they weren’t great games. We were too loose. I think that’s carried over. So we haven’t been ready to play. I don’t know how many games in a row now we’ve given up the first goal and just not played very well in the first period. It’s happed too much later.”

Yeo was brief, saying after he was just too fired up at the Heatley incident, “It’s unfortunate. We played really hard. Things didn’t quite go our way, especially early. But our guys kept playing hard. Definitely disappointing, but we’ve got a game [Thursday] and we just have to bounce back.”