Al Murray - December, 2003

It’s a partly cloudy but reasonably mild day in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray has just returned the night before from another exhaustive sweep through Ontario, checking out some of the up and coming players that will be congregating in Raleigh this summer at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. I didn’t call Al to get into detail about some of the kids he’s looking at, but I thought it would be good to check in with him on the burning debate over the Kings trade of highly touted prospect Sergei Anshakov, and whether he felt the Kings had possibly mortgaged a valuable chip in return for a player that may or may not be a vital cog in this season’s playoff quest. Al and I spent a good 30 minutes on the phone, and without the use of a tape recorder, I was left scratching some barely legible notes, but taking some writer’s license, I offer to you some of the highlights of our conversation. Knowing that Al starts EACH DAY logging onto LGK and browsing the board, I am sure he’ll remind me the next time we speak if I horribly butcher his words.

One of the first things I notice within our conversation is how Al punctuates a lot of his statements with “One thing the people on the board may not understand is…” and then he will go on to defend Dave Taylor, Andy Murray, the subject of trades, injuries, and the front office in general. Al Murray is a company guy, no doubt about it. His tenure with the team takes him into his fifteenth season, and as he pre-dates the current ownership, he clearly defends it as the best yet. “Take a look at this organization from the top down --- the players in Los Angeles, the players in Manchester, the training facilities and the home arenas for both clubs, add in the prospects in College, in Juniors, in Europe… take the ENTIRE package, and I defy you to show me an organization that can match us in terms of quality,” he says in an adamant tone. “You have to remember that two years ago, Dave and the staff put together a team that no one in the organization has been able to see on the ice in total at the same time for a single day in this time period! You had Aaron Miller’s hernia, followed by a Lappy injury, then of course, Deadmarsh and Allison and the barrage of injuries we suffered all season long last year, and what has transpired this year… You have to understand the level of frustration that people like Dave, Andy, Bill O’Flaherty (Director Of Player Personnel) and the rest of us feel. We think we have a very good team, but then again, we have no idea because we have NEVER seen our team in its entirety.”

The subject turned to Anshakov, and Al was already aware of the debate on LGK. He didn’t completely side with me (damn) but, he did offer these words about the Kings 2002 draftee.

• A very good prospect
• Maybe the best skater we have in the whole organization, which says a lot about his skating ability. (Mentions Tambellini, Frolov and others)
• Certainly an NHL size body
• Gives you a little bit of everything, but (maybe) doesn’t give you everything often enough.
• A lot of tools. Up to him and whatever team is working with him to get the max out of him all the time.
• We think he has a good future, but he hasn’t shown the consistent scoring ability he may need to be a top 6.
• I would still rank several other prospects we have ahead of him.
• I don’t think we gave up one of our “A” prospects, but we gave up a very good one.
• The good organizations over the years have been able to trade prospects like this for a key player, and hopefully Dave has done just that.

And with that we discuss the two Martins… Straka and Strbak… one coming, one going… On Strbak, Al was quick to point out that he was an older player that we brought over to North America in the hopes that he was ready to step in and play an NHL role, but the numbers caught up with him, and he was clearly not one of the top 6 or 7 guys that were going to compete for ice time on a game by game basis in Los Angeles. As Manchester also has a full complement of defensemen, it was apparent that the team was going to have to make a move (or two) that would alleviate some of the glut, and Pittsburgh showed a keen interest in Strbak, as someone who could step in and play for them now. The Penguins defense is a little thin on NHL caliber talent, with only veterans Marc Bergevin and Drake Berehowsky having a wealth of experience, and guys like Dick Tarnstrom, Patrick Boileau, Joseph Melichar and youngsters Dan Focht and Brooks Orpik rounding out the defensive corps. Strbak should have a chance to play, and play a lot in the Pens lineup, so he will get the chance to compete at the NHL level. In that regard, the Kings are pleased to offer Strbak that chance, and don’t see it as something that will come back to haunt them in the future. As for Straka, I bring up the wild highs (a 95 point season a few years back) and the lows (a team worst minus 16 in 22 games this season) and say that as a reasonably knowledgeable hockey fan with a penchant for numbers, I would like to think that BOTH of these situations are way out of the norm, and that Straka’s numbers should like clearly in and around the middle. Murray agrees, and feels that at this point in his career, “Straka should be looked at as the kind of player who will put up good numbers, but will also help in other ways. He’s a veteran who should provide some leadership, and help develop some of the younger talent around him. Clearly look at the guy’s numbers and know that he’s going to give you closer to the upside than the downside of what he has done throughout his career.” To that, we can surely all agree that we hope Al is correct. A healthy and productive Straka should give the Kings a much needed boost up front for the nights that the offensive onus is left to the players who have passed their prime (Robitaille) or clearly haven’t come close to hitting it yet (Brown, Cammalleri, Frolov.)

After we finish discussing the trade, Al throws in his trademark “One thing the people on the boards may not understand is…” and he continues on with his thought, “that Dave Taylor, who takes a lot of heat from some of your posters for his perceived inactivity, is one of the top 2 or 3 GMs in the league when it comes to seeing amateur games, and evaluating the talent that we’ve accumulated over the past few years. Dave was overseas, seeing Anshakov, and seeing players that needed to be looked at when determining if they could or should be given up in a deal. He’s making sure he knows what he is giving up. He is also out consistently watching the colleges and the juniors, and you have to also factor in his location (LA), as he travels further than most of the GMs in these situations. So, he is very much out there and visible at these games, and it’s a credit to, and a commitment from the entire organization.

“Another thing people on the website may not grab on to, we may be seeing one of the best exhibitions of coaching in the history of the NHL. Up in Canada people are blown away by the effort and results of this team.” Once again, speaking like a truly dedicated member of the organization, Murray speaks of his namesake as someone who has done a remarkable job with the team he has been forced to put together like a seamstress might work on a patchwork quilt. “Look at where this team is at in the standings, and imagine what it could be if guys like Adam and Jason were available on a nightly basis. It’s scary.” Who can argue? The team is tied for 5th in the Western Conference, with 26 points, and boasts an impressive team defense that has allowed just 53 goals in their 23 contests.

We make some small talk about the goaltending, and how Cechmanek has run hot and cold in the past, but how the numbers will probably look pretty good at the end of the season, and if the Kings can take the next step and move forward in the playoffs, then the shaky start may be forgotten, though the unorthodox style may cause lingering stomach pains in the abdomen of the Kings fan throughout the season. Murray clearly chuckles, and says that because of his travel schedule he has missed seeing the Kings on the dish most of the year, but that he’s spoken with members of the organization who feel that Roman is still in the process of finding his “comfort zone.” I have to believe that with the team’s commitment to defense, the numbers will be there by season’s end. I remark about how impressed I have been with guys like Jon Sim and the recently recalled Jerrod Smithson, and Al is quick to remind me that these were two guys I was clearly less than enamored with by the end of last season. (Note: I admit it, I’m a convert. Jon Sim rocks, and Jerrod is the “baby faced assassin”!!)

It’s time to say goodbye, as Al’s son has just bought his first home, and dad has to do some foreman like work in getting major appliances into the house. We exchange pleasantries about the job each of us has been doing, I about scouting, he about my musings and writing on LGK (additionally, Al made it a point to single out both Rinkrat and lesgardiens for the jobs that they do as well,) and we agree to speak again some time at the front end of the New Year. Happy Holidays to all of the LGK posters from Al Murray, who hopes the skeptics in the house will accept his hard work and dedication as a holiday gift to all fans of the Los Angeles Kings.

Repost from an old file I found on my hard drive, dated 12/03