Letters, we get letters

As always, your questions and comments are welcomed, either as comments on here or in e-mails directly to me. I got an e-mail today with some questions that I thought were worth sharing, since they’re questions that a few Kings fans probably have. So I’ll do my best to answer them…

1) Do you feel that Dan Cloutiers poor play this season was due to the undisclosed/undiagnosed injury, or is he simply a bad goalie?

I don’t believe Cloutier simply forgot how to stop pucks. Do I think the Kings overvalued him a bit last summer? Yes, but this is a guy who had goals-against averages of 2.27, 2.42 and 2.43 in his last three full seasons. The Kings couldn’t have expected that this season would be such a disaster. They did, however, put all their eggs in a flimsy basket, since Cloutier was coming off serious knee surgery. The biggest mistake they made all season was not carrying three goalies at the start of the year. Cloutier looked strong enough in training camp to convince them to send LaBarbera to Manchester, and that was a killer. I’m still not convinced that Cloutier was 100 percent at the start of the season, from a physical and/or mental standpoint. The Kings say he was, and I’m not calling them liars, but something was just wrong from the beginning. The best they can hope for is a fresh start in the fall.

2) Has there been any discussion of Jack Johnson reporting to Manchester for postseason play, or is he simply lacing them up for the Kings final games and truly returning to school?

The latter, from everything I’ve been told. I believe that was the plan all along, and it was confirmed by Johnson’s father in a story this week, when he said that Johnson would only be gone from Michigan for three weeks and that he promised the coaching staff he would get his degree. So it’s probably five-and-out for Johnson.

3) Do the Kings still retain Parses rights? His whole scenario seems odd to me, as I know he traded some jabs through the media with Hextall. Bottom line: Do you get the feeling the Kings will have him signed in time for camp?

The Kings retain Parse’s rights until the middle of August, even though he signed an amateur-tryout deal with an AHL team. As for signing him, this could go either way. I think the Kings woud really like to have him in the fold, but Lombardi doesn’t strike me as a guy who is going to back down very easily. It could go either way, which is a wishy-washy answer, but I honestly don’t know.

4) Any particular reason why Aaron Miller is still with the Kings? I have to think teams came calling at the deadline. I was assuming there was no chance he would be re-signed, but now I dont know. Thoughts?

In the weeks before the deadline, I thought certain Miller would be moved, but after the deadline, I learned that the market for him wasn’t as strong as I presumed it would be. It’s hard to tell what Lombardi is thinking about Miller. If the Kings wanted him back for sure, they could have locked him up with an extension, the way they did with Armstrong. But by looking at the roster, it seems like the Kings will need at least one stay-at-home “defensive” defenseman. Is Miller the best option? Probably not, but he’s an option.

5) Finally, what does your (realistic) off season free agent/trade wish list look like? A goalie, a defenseman and 2 forwards perhaps?

Sounds reasonable, although I might add another defenseman to the list. As of now, Blake, Visnovsky, Johnson and Dallman are locked up. The Kings think pretty highly of Piskula and Peter Harrold, but I think two veteran defensemen would help, especially to support a group of forwards that is still young and improving. The goalie situation will be interesting. It seems that Cloutier and LaBarbera (restricted free agent) will be back, but now the Kings are stuck in the same boat with Cloutier. Do they go with only two goalies and presume Cloutier will be OK? If not, who do they bring in? It won’t be a big name, unless they just want to cut LaBarbera loose. I like Garon as a backup, or a 1A-type goalie, but he will probably seek a better situation elsewhere. Should be interesting.

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