The second group of questions/answers:

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“Have they started contract talks with O’Sullivan, JJ and Kopitar? What’s your opinion on what DL will do if they get the #1 pick overall?”

If they have with Johnson and Kopitar, they aren’t serious discussions just yet. O’Sullivan is a RFA this summer, so there’s a bit more urgency there, but I think at this point the Kings probably value him more than most teams would, so there’s a good chance of getting a deal done. If the Kings get the No. 1 pick, and don’t take Stamkos, they’ll be lambasted for years. If they get the top pick, they’re taking him.

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“Rich, what do you think DL will do to address the goaltending ? Keep Cloutier and LaBarabar up ? Or send one or both of them down to Manchester ? Similarly, how will the defense be addressed ? Is it really that hard to get Free Agents to sign in LA ?”

If we’re talking about next year’s goaltending, I think Bernier, LaBarbera and Ersberg (assuming he comes back) will be the top three candidates. I think they’ll be eager to see how Zatkoff looks at the development camp this summer, and Quick and Taylor really need to open some eyes in the organization quickly. Lombardi absolutely has to address the defense this summer. Right now, Visnovsky, Johnson and Preissing are in the fold. Harrold can fill a role. Lombardi should be making it his goal to find at least one solid defenseman who is in his prime. It’s harder to get players to come to L.A. than it used to be. The team isn’t winning, and with the salary cap in place, and their ability to make huge money restricted, players will sign where they have a chance to win.

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“Is there any word anywhere that you know of that the NHL will finally go back to home white Jerseys? … I also read at CBS Sportline a while back that Pavol Demitra intends to re-sign with the Kings in the offseason which makes sense because he signed a 3-year deal and wanted to stay. Know anything about that.”

No word on a return to white home jerseys. I wouldn’t be stunned to see Demitra come back to the Kings, but I think it’s a stretch to say it’s a done deal. Ideally, though, I don’t know if he’s a top-six forward on the Kings, so I don’t know if the fit is correct. It would certainly make Visnovsky happy. They’re close friends.

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“Earlier this year the Kings signed Wayne Simmonds to a contract but he isn’t playing for Manchester. Is this because he is ineligible due to age or his commitment to his junior team? Are they burning a year off of his entry level contract or does it kick in once he dons a Kings/Monarchs jersey? If this is the norm, why the wait for Oscar Moller or Thomas Hickey?”

Simmonds was ineligible to play in Manchester this year because of his age and isn’t close to being NHL-ready yet, so that’s why he went back to his junior team this season. They are not burning a year off his entry-level contract this season. The exact same scenario plays out with Hickey and Moller.

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“Any word on whether Petiot will get a call up or have they already decided to let him walk after the season?”

I think we’ve passed the point where Petiot is considered a major part of the Kings’ future. Not saying he won’t be back, but it’s not exactly a priority. I suppose he would get called up if someone got hurt.

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“How do you see the Kings goaltending shaping up for the future? Will we see Bernier again this year? What about Zatkoff? Manchester next year? Do you see him and Bernier fighting it out for the No.1 job? Also, as deep as this draft is this year how do you see the Kings drafting? We have a ton of picks, however it appears the top player is Stamkos. The conventional wisdom is to pick the best player available. Is it still possible to pick Stamkos and fill the defensive needs with the other high draft picks? Your thoughts on what direction DL may take.”

I think the goaltending question has pretty much been answered, but you won’t see Bernier again this year and if I was a betting man, I would think Manchester is the most likely destination for Zatkoff next season. I don’t see Bernier and Zatkoff fighting it out next season. Two years from now? Maybe. And as I said earlier, Stamkos is the clear-cut No. 1 pick. It looks as though the Kings’ second first-round pick (from Dallas) will be very low, so they might be a good spot to pick up a defenseman.

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“Word on the street is Labs is out for the rest of the season. Any chance you could find out whats going on with that?”

More than any other injury, groin injuries are impossible to predict. They can range anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months, so it’s constantly a day-to-day thing. At this point, there’s little need to rush him back into action.

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“What I’d like to know is what the Kings think of Handzus, Calder, & Armstrong, and whether they’d consider moving them in the offseason?”

I know other people have a higher opinion of Handzus’ game than I do, but I think all three of these guys fit into the same category. They all have salaries that are fairly bloated, and they’re not the dynamic type of players who are going to be heavily sought on the trade market. Would the Kings consider moving them? Sure…any player, except the young stars, is on the table at this point.

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“Rich, How do you see the future of the newspaper industry? Do you think they will have move to 100% online content or maybe morph into something else, or do you think they can survive reporting on yesterday’s news? Where is this all headed?”

The million-dollar questions, right? There will always be a market for a newspaper that you can hold and carry with you, but the only newspapers that will thrive are the ones who can find the proper mix or print and online content and find a way to make it all profitable. Right now, everyone’s hearts are all aflutter about online content, but nobody has figured out how to make it profitable. If they do that, we’ll be OK. If not, I’ll be asking you if you want a bagel or muffin with your latte. We have to give people things they can’t get on TV or online. That means intelligent commentary, solid reporting and breaking news. There will always be a market for trained, experienced, credible journalists. We just have to reinvent ourselves a little.