“The Kings are going to win it this year” I said with a grin on my face.

“Philly West? Really?” she said unconvinced.

“Watch and you will see” I said as I turned and walked away.

Call them Philly West. Call them the Kings. Call them the Rulers of the NHL.

The term “Flyers West” has been tossed around for years now and I’ll admit it - for the most part it’s true. The GM Dean Lombardi and Assistant GM Ron Hextall both have deep Philadelphia Flyers ties. Add to that the coaches Terry Murray and John Stevens. Even some of the players have Philly ties: newly acquired Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, Justin Williams and not to be forgotten Denis Gauthier, Kyle Calder and the much adored Michal Handzus.

Bobby Clarke, a Hockey Hall of Fame and long tenured member of the Flyers organization was asked a few questions by LAKings.com but the one that stands out the most is when he was asked “Even though LA and Philadelphia are geographically separated by a great distance, how do you view the Kings as you have many personal associations with (the Kings)?” His answer was not surprising.

“The Kings are the only other team in the league that I like. I have some relationships in Florida and in Dallas because I worked there but Los Angeles is the only team I like and I follow them closely from a distance.”

Whether or not you are a Kings fan, it’s tough not to be excited about this team. With the addition of Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, added to an already solid line-up the Kings will be a contender for years to come so long as they are able to afford their unrestricted free agents (UFA’s).

Roll players Penner, Stoll, Parse, Fraser, Moreau, T. Hunter & Westgarth are all UFA’s for 2012-2013. Locked up are Koitar, Richards, Williams, D. Brown, Doughty & Johnson. At an average age of 27, this team is built to win it in the next two years before the salary cap comes into play.

The concern comes from Quick and Bernier both being free agents (Quick a UFA, Bernier a RFA) in 2013. Having both goalies coming into their prime is a nice problem to have but when they both demand large pay raises the same year it for sure lead to one of being shipped off.

Hey Flyers fans, need a goalie?

Thank you for the invitation to blog on Hockeyblogs.net. I look forward to the conversation and comments.

Hopefully I figure out how to post pictures and some other things here.