The Kings held a breakfast with fans over the weekend and GM Dean Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall were among the key team reps on hand.
The Los Angeles Daily News had blurbs on each section of the event in loose form, so let’s take a peek at a few of the more noteworthy ones for poolies.
Next question was about “things I read online” about the Kings acquiring a veteran goalie. Hextall took the question and, quite directly said, “We’re not looking for an experienced goalie.” Hextall spoke at length about Quick, Bernier, Ersberg and Zatkoff and how the Kings feel they’re stable with those young goalies. Hextall told a couple quick stories about Ersberg, including how he played well in San Jose one night after the team had landed at 2:30 a.m. Hextall said “we really like the combination we have” and said “there’s no doubt Bernier is going to come in and push” for a roster spot.” Hextall said the Kings feel comfortable with their goaltending and their defense.
Jon Quick is 23. Erik Ersberg is 27. Jonathan Bernier is 20. Jeff Zatkoff is 21. Aside from Jason LaBarbera, who was dealt to the Canucks, it was Jon Quick (41 starts) and Erik Ersberg (25 starts) that started all of the games for the Kings last season.
Ersberg drew the short end of the stick at the start of the season with L.A.’s ill-advised choice to go with LaBarbera for most of the first month of the season. Ersberg played well when finally given the chance and seized the starting job, garnering most of the starts until he hurt his groin in mid-December. LaBarbera got the initial call after that, but it was Quick that emerged with a pair of shutouts shortly thereafter. He was fairly steady on the whole and had four total shutouts with a 2.48 GAA and .914 SV%. Ersberg finished with 2.64/ .900 splits.
Quick has one season left on his contract before he’ll be an RFA, while Ersberg is under contract for another two years.
Bernier has one season left on his entry level deal and he’s the 11th overall pick from 2006. He played 54 games in the AHL last season with Manchester, posting five shutouts with 2.40/ .914 splits. Zatkoff was taken a few rounds after Bernier in 2006 and the Detroit-born goalie played most of last year in the ECHL. Moving quickly up the ranks for the Kings is Martin Jones, who was excellent with the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL last season.
Quick and Ersberg figure to be the tandem to begin next season, although a good camp from Bernier could change things.
Here are a few other notes from the Daily News you might find interesting, including Anze Kopitar coming into camp in great shape and why the Kings may not be interested in Dany Heatley.
Next question was about Lombardi’s “top priority” for the summer. Lombardi started by taking it in a different direction and saying that the most important thing was for the current players to improve. As he did at the end of the season, Lombardi spoke of the need for Anze Kopitar to be in top shape. Lombardi said, “I don’t mean that as a criticism; they all go through it.” Lombardi said Kopitar needs to “show up like a real pro and be our top-conditioned guy.” On a positive note, Lombardi said that Kopitar would, for the first time, be spending a good chunk of his summer in Los Angeles and will be among the group of guys training in El Segundo throughout July.
Next question was from a young man asking about Dany Heatley. Hextall addressed it and spoke in general terms about Heatley, not particularly about whether the Kings wanted him. Hextall pointed about that Heatley asked to be traded from Atlanta (under circumstances that Hextall acknowledged were not ideal) then signed a big contract in Ottawa and asked to be traded shortly thereafter, with a list of teams that he would accept a deal to. Hextall said that such behavior “raises red flags.”
That last point by Hextall is debatable, although he’s not the only one saying it. One person’s red flag is another person’s red light being lit behind the opposing goalie 40-50 times each season though.
Speaking of Heatley, read the latest from Sportsnet.ca’s Ian Mendes on that front.
BLUES NEED A BACK-UP
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reflected back on this time last year at the NHL draft, where the Blues made a move to improve their goaltending by trading for Nashville’s Chris Mason with the idea he could be a capable backup to Manny Legace.
A year later, after a sensational second half in which Mason helped the Blues surge into the playoffs, the 33-year old is the club’s No. 1 goalie as it lays out plans for the 2009-10 season. He has one season left on his current contract, which is a $3M cap hit.
“He’s the guy right now,” Blues President John Davidson said. “I want him to have the mind-set that he’s the guy. Chris is a very well-respected member of our team, and that’s important. We expect Chris to get the job done.”
He was as clutch as clutch could be down the stretch for his team (after the All-Star break he had a 22-8-6 mark with 2.10/ .924 splits and four shutouts) and was the key reason the Blues qualified for the playoffs. He also emerged as a big player for poolies, who were easily able to snag him from the waiver pile as a difference-maker for the second half.
Mason, for one, knows the past is the past.
“Maybe it helped make their decisions easier,” Mason said. “But the bottom line is I have to do it again next year. It doesn’t matter what I did last year. … I have to perform.”
Now though, the Blues are intent on landing a back-up for Mason for ’09-10 and that will either come via free agency post-July 1st or via trade.
Who’ll be the guy they target?
“It all depends on what’s out there and what the price is,” Davidson craftily told the Post-Dispatch. “We’re not going to go out and sign a $6 million goaltender. What we have to do is see if a trade makes sense, or if free agency makes sense. There’s lots of guys (in free agency) that are backup goalies. You can’t get caught without one.”
You might be wondering about 22-year old Ben Bishop, who is fortunately tall enough to manually fix the overhead scoreboard should it ever malfunction electronically. The Blues are still “high” on him (hahahaha), but it seems as if he’ll be destined for the minors so he can actually play instead of collecting dust on the bench.
“He’s played well when he’s had the chance (in the NHL),” Davidson said. “At times he was good in the AHL. But he’s still very young. We’ve always got the obligation of allowing him to develop.
“I’d like to see him play 60 games in Peoria rather than 20 in St. Louis. I don’t think he’d think that way. The mind-set is to do it yesterday. I like that push and the hunger, but you have to pay a price to get there. Ben is a good, young goaltender. He needs to play.”
The Post-Dispatch notes that with Marek Schwarz returning to play in Europe, the next goalie on the Blues’ depth chart after Bishop is Jake Allen, drafted 34th overall last June. Allen, 18, will return to the Q this season and has been invited to Canada’s World Junior tryouts.
“He’s a very bright goaltender,” Davidson said.
ANOTHER MONSTROUS NOTE
The Toronto Star had a few quotes from Jonas Gustavsson’s agent Joe Resnick. Gustavsson had a meal with Leafs forward John Mitchell last night, who is also a Resnick client.
Gustavsson had a meeting Friday night with Leaf GM Brian Burke that went “really, really well,” Resnick said yesterday. “Brian knows Jonas very well. He’s met with him two or three times. Jonas is very comfortable with Brian.”
Resnick said Gustavsson will make his decision based on his comfort level with the team, its management, stability in ownership and “a gut feel.”
As far as when the decision on where to sign will come…
“Our goal is to make a decision by July 1 so the teams can make a decision on personnel (when unrestricted free agent signings begin,” said Resnick. “He’s got to go back home and speak with his girlfriend of two years. It’s a big decision.”
Just remember the key to the whole Gustavsson situation is perspective. As we’ve gone over since the beginning, any goaltender coming over from Europe should be given a mulligan year of sorts to get used to North American rinks. It also can’t be said often enough that he’s initially expected to be the back-up for whichever team he tends net, at which point he’ll eventually be able to prove if he has what it takes to accomplish even more.
POST-REINPRECHT TRADE
Arizona Central had a brief note on last week’s Steve Reinprecht salary dump to Florida, also mentioning that Peter Mueller is likely expected to return to playing centre next season. He has played both the wing and pivot in the past for the ‘Yotes, although you still have to wonder how that’s going to work out in terms of minutes for the team’s centres.
Matthew Lombardi is in the mix for top six ice time (he saw some success between Petr Prucha and Scottie Upshall after the trade deadline), while Kyle Turris will be turning 20 this summer and is entering his second full NHL season. Is he ready for an increase in the 12:55 per game he saw in ’08-9? Likely, yes. But Mueller is obviously one of the top offensive threats on this team and having quality minutes for all three guys will be tough to find. Martin Hanzal was on the ice for 16:22 on average in his defensive role last year. Kevin Porter is also in the mix.
Confusingly, in the same piece, was a hint that GM Don Maloney could be dealing for a mobile centre at some point. There are only so many pivot slots to go around, unless Wayne Gretzky is going to revolutionize the game of hockey again and begin rolling out five lines… so obviously there is still work to be done in the line-up shuffle and poolies will await the results.