Forum answers, Part 3

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First, the bonus question about who will be recalled for Jack Johnson. The fact that they haven't made a move doesn't surprise me and suggests that they won't, at least for a little while. With both Klemm and Dallman available, that's probably the road they'll stay on for now.

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``When are the Kings going to draft a player who is ready to step up to the Kings rather quickly. Most of the guys that have been drafted recently are "projects" and are many years away? (I am talking about just offense and defense not goaltenders)''

Well, I suppose that's the game GMs play when they draft. Do you pick a guy who's more NHL-ready but has a lower ceiling, or a guy who has more potential but might take three years to get to the NHL? I think we sort of saw Lombardi's philosophy on this last year, when he chose Hickey over a guy like Alzner. Given how thin the Kings appear to be on defense, throughout the organization, that type of philosophy surprises me a bit, but that's why Lombardi has more zeros on his check than I do.

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``My question is about Hextall's quote from Ersberg's performance against Ottawa. The quote was printed in the CP as such, ""We saw him last year at the World Championships. We had him identified before that, and then we watched him there. We had a hole on our reserve list in that age group, so we took a shot at him," said Kings goaltending coach Ron Hextall, who played in the NHL for 13 seasons.

"His athleticism and quickness are the best aspects of his game, as well as his lateral movement. He's not the biggest guy, so he's got to use his athletic ability. Obviously, this gives us a chance to look at him and gives him a chance to prove something. But I can't imagine him locking up a spot for next season in these last 14 games."

My question is, what exactly did he mean by that? If Ersberg finishes the last few games here on a roll, does that not count for anything? Is he only going to be a camp invitee?!?''

Sure, his performance the rest of the season counts a lot. But unless Ersberg posts eight consecutive shutouts here to end the year, I don't think there's anything he could do to absolutely assure himself a spot on the roster for next season. There's also LaBarbera, Bernier, Cloutier (at the moment) and a handful of prospects. I don't think the Kings will go into camp presuming that ANY goalie has locked up a spot. That's why it will be such an interesting summer and training camp.

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``What is the health status of Handzus? Will he be 100% next near? What do you see his role as next season based on your current roster? 2nd line center or playing against the top line as a stopper so-to-speak?''

As far as a I know, Handzus' health is fine. The working theory regarding ACL surgery is that it takes a player one full year to fully recover and get his strength back. So maybe we'll see a different game from Handzus next season. The Kings signed him to be a No. 2 center -- even though there seems to be some revisionist history going on about that -- and clearly he hasn't been able to fill that role. You mention a ``stopper'' line, which is something the Kings have lacked for quite a while. If they can generate one, it will go a long way toward making this a successful team.

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``Rich, I don't really have a question but thought I would post these stats for you to comment on. Think of it as a Rorschach test. First thing that comes to mind:

GP G A PTS +/- PIM $$$

Ladislav Nagy, LW 38 9 17 26 -2 18 $3.75M
Brad Stuart, D (8 Det) 63 5 16 21 -16 67 $3.5M
Kyle Calder, LW 64 7 13 20 -11 18 $2.75M
Tom Preissing, D 69 6 14 20 -8 14 $2.75M
Michal Handzus, C 74 5 14 19 -20 43 $4M

TOTALS 32 74 106 -57 160 $16.75M''

First thing that comes to mind? Five guys in purple sweaters robbing a bank.

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``What do you think about next year? I would not be shocked to see most, if not all of our UFA's being replaced with the better Manchester people. This would allow for use to develop a 2nd level of youth. I know that we need to bring then along for two to three years from now , but oh my GOD, last place again. How do you see next year and our youth?''

That's an excellent question. I would say that I expect this team to take a step forward and contend for a seventh or eighth spot in the West, but if you had asked me that question 12 months ago, I would have given the exact same answer. So, who knows? In many ways, the Kings are in the same place they were last summer. They still need to find a goalie, they still need to bring in reliable, solid veterans and they still need to bring along some more young players and have them improve.

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``Rich, do you think we can make the playoffs next season ? Is an Ersberg/Labarbara combo a stopgap until Bernier is ready ?''

Yes, I do think Ersberg/LaBarbera is the short-term plan until Bernier is ready. Although the way Ersberg has played late this season, it's not out of the question to see him grab the No. 1 job.

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``Do you see Sully being locked up before he is able to be signed to an offer sheet & do you see Sully signing an offer sheet if one because available.''

Yes, I do see him being signed, although that's just my opinion. The Kings have invested a lot in O'Sullivan, and vice versa, and I don't think either side wants to end the relationship right now. Of course, financial matters can complicate that, but I think the Kings would really like to lock him up.

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``What is the worst possible pick that Kings could wind up with in the lottery? My guess is it would be #4. Sorry about posting questions for DL in my last post.''

Well, it depends on where they finish. If it's dead last, I believe the worst they could slip would be to No. 2.

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That's all for now! Although I'll be happy to answer any more questions that come up.