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Q: About a year ago, you discussed seeing a board in Lombardi's office with long term plans complete with players not on the team at the time. Since you can't disclose the specific details, how has reality compared to what you saw?

A: Good question...That was last summer, and that chart he drew up for me was a long-term thing. Even when he drew it up last summer, it was looking two or three years down the line. So when he had Teddy Purcell pencilied in as a first-line right winger, it wasn't with the expectation that it would happen this season or next season. It was a long-term look, so I don't think anything has changed significantly since then. There were a few question marks next to names such as Boyle, Lewis and Murray, and I don't think any of those question marks have really been removed at this point.

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Q: I thought that Jon Klemm did fairly well after his call up late in the season. Is there any interest on either side to resign Klemm and see him play with the big club next season? Also, what is the story on Nikita Filatov? Some say he is the second best forward in the draft, after Stamkos.

A: Klemm is fine in the same type of role he had this season, as a seventh defenseman (or more if needed) who is a good dressing-room guy and a mentor for the younger players. Filatov is definitely a talent, but I don't think there's any way the Kings are looking at him. With their need for defensemen, and a strong group of draft-eligible defensemen out there, I'd be stunned if it goes any other way.

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Q: What do you think the Kings will do with their 2nd overall pick, trade it, Acquire Bogosian, Doughty, or someone else other than the 2? What are the possibilities of guys like Oscar Moller and Wayne Simmonds making the team, is Bernier going to make the jump to L.A. next year, if so do u think he will be the starter, if not than who do u think will be the starter? Do you believe the Kings will re-sign Ersberg?

A: I think they'll keep the second pick, because they'll get a high-caliber defenseman, which is exactly what they wanted out of the first round. I don't see the motivation to trade the pick, and I do think it will be Doughty or Bogosian, although who saw Thomas Hickey coming, right? I think Oscar Moller will get a long look, both during the prospects camp and during training camp. Simmonds is still a bit raw but he made big strides this season and is much, much closer to the NHL than he was when he got drafted. It's impossible to say who will be the starting goalie, but I do believe that Bernier won't be in Los Angeles as the backup. If he wins the job outright, yes, but if not, they will think it's better for him to be the starter in Manchester. And yes, I do believe the Kings will re-sign Ersberg.

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Q: Going into next season, do you see the coaching staff making minor and/or major changes in the team defensive system. I'm not just talking about the 6 dmen but also the fowards. will there be more emphasis on playing defensively sound - possibley defense 1st, offense 2nd?

A: This is a great question, and the short answer is ``yes.'' There was one part of the Lombardi interview from last week that I left out, because it was very complicated and even I didn't completely understand it. But Lombardi made a reference to ``clarifying the way we play.'' I attempted to get him to clarify THAT, but didn't really succeed. I think it's at least in part (if not totally) a statement about how the coaching staff has to adjust its style to the type of players they have. Both the defensemen and the forwards. Coaches have to be flexible and adjust to what they have, and not just stay with the same style of play all the time, Because they might not have the correct players for that style. I'm not saying Crawford is or isn't being flexible enough, because I'm not involved in his Xs and Os. But I think what Lombardi was saying is that the Kings have to be mindful of that.

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Q: I have a question regarding the last trading deadline and Rob Blake. As I recall, Dean said he would only ask Blake to waive his NTC if he had a solid offer. Then I heard that Blake said he would only go to Colorado. So if Colorado was the team that made an offer, why wasn't the trade done there and then? And if Colorado was not the team why didn't Dean then go to Colorado and pull the trigger on a deal? If Colorado was willing to give up a number one draft pick for Adam Foote, surely the Kings could have received that and more for Blake. Thanks.

A: It's complicated, and depending on which side you talk to, you'd probably get two different stories. But in general, just because Blake agreed to go to Colorado doesn't mean a deal was automatically going to get done. I think the assumption that Colorado was going to give up more for Blake than Foote is a little shaky. Not that Foote is a game-changer at this point, but remember that Blake is 38 and with a recent history of some fairly serious injuries. Like I said, I'm not privvy to the exchanges the Kings had with Colorado, but I think they would have made a deal if there was one there to be made,

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Q: any talk of AEG finally admitting failure, throwing in the towel after 15 years of ZERO playoff series wins and selling the team to Jerry Bruckheimer or one of the many other interested parties? is the Kings' PR and Marketing Department (and how is that for one of the best oxymorons ever) truly aware of just how irrelevant the team has become to most L.A. sports fans? If they raise ticket prices this summer, I am gone after 20 years, never to return.

A: Yeah, it's funny, I had someone ask me recently, ``Who would buy the Kings?'' But I agree with you that there are many interested parties. I don't see AEG selling the team. It's doing just fine financially and the whole Kings-Staples arrangement works out fabulously for AEG. As for the ``irrelevant'' question, that's a good question for them. I certainly don't think the Kings are unique, in terms of a NHL team not being on the radar in a major city, but yes, it's a problem. And they're going to have a lot of explaininig to do if they do indeed raise ticket prices this summer. I've been told, directly, that no decision on that has been made yet.

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Q: Do you think Crawford is the right fit for this team? How much of Kopitar, Brown and Sully's development do you attribute to coaching (including assistants)?

Do you think the pressure of having an 'A' contributed to Lubo's horrific season? If not, what in the heck happened?

Do you get the sense that JJ is going to legitimately start unleashing some thunder next season (shots and hits)?

How much is losing Thornton going to leave a leadershoip void in the LR? Is Brown ready to step up and get an 'A'?

What is your dream final (mine is SJ/Pens)?

How many more years do you think the ultimate King, HOFer Bob Miller, has got left? Who in the world could possibly step into his shoes when the time comes?

A: Any more questions? That's OK, they're all good.

1) I attribute a lot of Brown's development and O'Sullivan's development to the coaching staff. They did a fantastic job of bringing out the best in those two players this season, and give the players a lot of credit, as well, for the way they responded and took their games to another level. Coaching is weird. Some players might respond perfectly to a coach's style and other players will shut off the coach completely. The key is to get a large percentage of the players to buy in. We'll see, next season, if Crawford is succeeding in that.

2) Yes, I think the ``A,'' along with the contract, might have caused Visnovsky to put a lot of pressure on himself. He's a VERY prideful guy who takes the team concept very seriously, and I think he might have been trying too hard. I don't think there's anyone out there who thinks he forgot how to be a top-level defenseman, but if he doesn't bounce back next season, the Kings have a big, big problem there.

3) Well, that might be overstating it a bit, but I do expect Johnson's game to evolve and I expect him to start showing more of the potential we've all seen. I talked to Jack after the last game, and he talked about how during the last month, he had just started to feel more comfortable and feel as though he could do the things he wanted on the ice. It's not surprising to me, at all, that his game was fairly conservative this year. He should start to come out of his proverbial shell a little bit next season.

4) Losing Scott Thornton does leave a leadership void, and yes, I think you pegged exactly the correct person to step into it: Dustin Brown. He's becoming a lot more vocal and he has already earned the respect of his teammates. He's not a veteran, in the sense that he's been around 15 years, but he's a leader for the future. I do believe, based on what I observed this year, that he's ready for it.

5) If you're asking my prediction, I'm going to say Ducks-Pens. Which won't be popular here, but although I think San Jose is the best team, the Sharks got a brutal matchup with Calgary (which we saw last night).

6) I don't see Bob going anywhere for a while. We saw him at lunch last week, and several people pointed out that he only seems to be getting younger. The man is going to be 70 years old this year. It's ridiculous! In a good way. He's still passionate about the Kings and about his job, and I don't get any sense that he's thinking about retirement right now.