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Q: Just curious regarding the status of Hickey's noggin and if he has any history of concussions.

A: Hickey hasn't played since his concussion. Seattle plays tonight and Hickey is listed as ``probable.'' Seattle will be eliminated if it loses Game 5 today. I don't believe Hickey has ever missed time with a concussion before.

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Q: OK, so now we have labarbera, ersberg, bernier, taylor, zatkoff, quick... is there any possibility of any one of these goalies being a trade chip in the near future? and assuming barbs stays in the NHL, is ersberg our solid backup? should he be?

A: In the near future? Probably not. The Kings would be wise to keep all of these guys, or as many as possible, until the goaltending situation is solidified. it's not as though there are already two sure-fire NHL goalies in that group. If, at some point, that situation gets resolved, then they should look at trading some of that depth. Ersberg certainly looked, during that relatively brief tryout period, that he could at least be a strong backup. But until a guy gets a full season in goal, you never really know.

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Q: Rich – how much money did the Kings make in TV revenue? What is the differential from last year and the average from the pre-lockout years? What can the Kings do to increase their revenue? Despite the NHL’s deal with Reebok, what legal grounds does an NHL franchise have to field a team with uniforms that are not Reebok? Outside of league approval of logos, does a team have the legal right to dress in, say, Nike?

A: Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea about TV revenue. They're not required to release that information and they don't. From what I understand, revenues are up since the lockout, but I don't have any numbers on that. I'm not sure about revenues, but I'm sure you're aware that FSN dumped the pregame show they used to have. I don't believe teams can do anything outside of Reebok. It's an exclusive contract.

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Q: 1) Can you or Don line up an interview with one of the Kings co-directors of scouting, Mike Futa or Mark Yannetti to discuss the current Kings prospects, and the years they had and to discuss the top prospects in the upcoming draft?

2) What is your sense of what happened with Blake at the trade deadline? Did he really waive his no trade only for Colorado? Why was he not traded to Colorado, was the Dean's price to high or did Colorado want Foote more than Blake? Were the rumors true that SJ offered Bernier, 1st round pick and a defensemen for Blake?

A: 1) Sounds like a good idea.

2) I think I covered the Blake stuff earlier, but just to clarify, yes, he did waive his no-trade only for Colorado, but the teams couldn't work out a deal. I'd be stunned if San Jose really offered that much.

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Q: What is the health status of Nagy? Any chatter about making him an offer or letting him walk? How about Boyle? Is DL in more of a wait and see mode next year or do they possibly have him penciled in as a #2 center?

A: Nagy's neck injury seemed sort of mysterious. I'm not aware of any surgery that he might be having. I don't see him coming back to the Kings. As for Boyle, yes, I'd say it's a wait-and-see thing. You won't see the Kings hand the No. 2 center job going into training camp. He will definitely have to earn the spot with a great training camp or play himself into the role, the way O'Sullivan did this season.

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Q: I would like to have your honest oppinion on Blake.Do you think he should return or move on with is life.He seemed to hurt the team more than helped. Thank you for the time!

A: Blake definitely has some value, assuming the Kings can sign him to a one-year contract at a manageable figure. He's a good veteran presence and he can still help mentor the young defensemen. Plus, when healthy this year, he went through a period of some pretty good play.

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Q: Have you ever talked to Jimmy Fox about the possibilities of him getting into coaching? Does he have any interest? I have always thought that his analysis of the game has been on par and seems like the type that puts a lot of emphasis on team toughness... something that the Kings have lacked since God knows when. I really wouldn't mind seeing him behind the bench once Crow gets the axe. Have you talked to Scott Thornton since the last game? Where do you think he'll end up now that he's hanging up the skates?

A: How could anyone forget Jim Fox's stint as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Blades of Roller Hockey International? I've brought up the idea of coaching to Jim a couple times, and I think it intrigues him a bit but he also enjoys his job quite a bit. By the way, Jim and Nick Nickson are doing the Ducks series for NHL Radio. I talked to Scott Thornton after the final game but not since. I think Scott will end up on a bike, enjoying himself, since he's quite the cycling enthusiast.

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Q: 1) Is Don going to be working with you in the off season and next year?

2) Are you looking to add anyone else to the staff or other futures?

3) This site and kingspipline.com have become main stay in my daily activities. What are some of the sites that you are finding to be the best to get info not only about the kings but hockey as awhloe?

A: 1) Absolutely. I'm thrilled with the contributions Don has made to the site and his enthusiasm for helping me out. Contrary to the belief of some, the blog is doing better than ever. Don is a huge part of that and he's doing a fantastic job.

2) I'm always open to any and all improvements to the blog. Don has a lot of great ideas as well.

3) I recently updated the list of links in the top right corner of the site. They're all great sites that I would recommend that Kings fans check out.

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Q: Assuming the Kings do not trade the second overall pick in this year's draft and they end up taking a defenseman such as Doughty or Bogosian, do you think that either of those two players are ready to immediately step into the NHL for the Kings?

A: I would doubt it. That doesn't have anything to do with the talents of those players. It's tough for a defenseman to make the jump from juniors to the NHL. It's easier for a forward, but you can beat that whichever player the Kings get, he will get a long look at the prospects camp and in training camp, just as Thomas Hickey did last year.

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Q: Will the Kings be able to compete in the Western Conference for a playoff spot w/o adding this level of tough play?

A: I think that's a huge, and underrated, part of a team's success. If you look at the Ducks last year, everyone looks at Niedermayer and Pronger and Selanne and Giguere, and with good reason, but what I remember from the Stanley Cup Finals was the great effort of the Pahlsson-Niedermayer-Moen line. Those guys helped shut down a potent Ottawa offense. The Kings don't have anything close to a ``shutdown line.'' I've talked to Lombardi about this before, and he recognizes the importance of it, but he also knows it's a tough thing to find. But in general, yes, there needs to be an upgrade in toughness. It's even more important once you get to the playoffs.

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Q: Since you are the Kings writer for The Hockey News, how are each team's top ten prospects determined for future watch issue. Do you rank them? Is a group of scouts used for the ranking? If you rank them, do you speak to scouts to help you?

A: The Hockey News compiles, and ranks, the list of prospects. I believe they do so by talking to a large number of team executives and scouts. They send me the list and ask me to make additions or changes if I believe there are glaring errors. I think I only changed them once, which was to add Brian Boyle to one of the lists last year. They seem to do a very comprehensive job.