July 2008 Archives

I finally got some more definitive word about the Dan Cloutier situation. For those who haven't been following closely, the Kings bought about Cloutier's contract but Cloutier filed a grievance, basically alleging that he's injured and therefore should have the buyout voided. According to the Kings, the league has agreed that Cloutier's buyout should stand. Officially, Cloutier is considered bought out. His $1.033 million for this season will count against the salary cap. At some point, an arbitrator is expected to address the issue, but that could take weeks or perhaps months.

Former Kings coach Marc Crawford has been hired by CBC to be a game analyst on its Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.

"I couldn't be more excited to begin my second tenure with Hockey Night in Canada," said the 47-year-old Crawford. "I've coached from coast to coast in this country and I have a deep respect for the place that hockey holds in the hearts of Canadians. I relish the opportunity to be a part of the Saturday night tradition."

Here's the story from the Vancouver Sun...

Hockey Night hires ex-Canucks coach Crawford

From the Canadian Press...

``Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Jaroslav Modry is leaving the NHL and going home. Czech club HC Liberec said on its website Thursday that the 37-year-old Modry signed a two-year contract with the team.''

We had some blog server issues the other day but we're back up and running...

I talked to Jeff Solomon, who handles contract stuff as the Kings' director of hockey operations, about the two major remaining restricted free agents, Patrick O'Sullivan and Jarret Stoll. Nothing groundbreaking, other than that the re-signing of Stoll, in Solomon's view, is much closer to becoming a reality. As for O'Sullivan, this will hardly qualify as breaking news, but the issue continues to be what Solomon calls ``comps,'' or comparable players. The key is finding where exactly O'Sullivan fits, in terms of other players' age, statistics and salary. There's really no way to gauge ``progress.'' Talks are ongoing.

I also asked Solomon about the potential of signing Doughty and Teubert soon, and whether Tampa Bay's signing of Stamkos creates any type of ``domino'' effect in terms of draft picks signing. Given the fairly restrictive nature of entry-level contracts, it's not so much of an issue. A player such as a Stamkos will automatically get the maximum in terms of salary and bonus money, and the players drafted below will fall in line. Solomon said he has already had talks with Doughty's agent and will soon begin talks with Teubert's agent.

Hello everyone...it's back to work after two weeks of mildly relaxing vacation, and somewhat surprisingly, there's not much news to report. The most interesting item of the morning comes from Howard Berger of 590-AM in Toronto, who blogged about all of the NHL teams' upcoming third jerseys. Here's what he had to say about the Kings' jersey:

``The Kings will unveil a predominantly black jersey with the letters "L A" inside a pencil-point logo on the front. Broad white stripes will adorn each arm. A thin white stripe will run horizontally on each side of the jersey, just beneath the shoulder. There are no stripes at the bottom of the uniform. The color purple - widely evident in the Kings' primary jersey - will likely be featured in the number outlines of the alternate, though the photo copy I have doesn't clearly show it. A better idea would have been a reprise of the Kings' original purple and gold uniforms from 1967, but the club marketers are apparently not bent on tradition.''

I have yet to see the jersey but I had been told that it would incorporate aspects of all the Kings' previous jerseys. This is still a little hard to picture, but I'll post pictures if I should acquire them.

Don Fulton tracked down Jack Johnson for an interview, in which Johnson talks about his summer, his recovery from his injury and his thoughts about his rookie season, which included his first NHL goal (seen below).

Here's the interview...

For those who haven't seen it already, the Kings today traded winger Lauri Tukonen to Dallas for winger Richard Clune.

It seemed increasingly clear that Tukonen had fallen out of the Kings' plans. Here's what the Kings' press release had to say about Clune:

Clune, 21, was selected by Dallas in the third round (71st overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 38 games with the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) this past season and recorded eight points (3-5=8) while finishing second on the club with 137 penalty minutes. Clune, a 6-0, 195-pound native of Toronto, also skated in 19 games with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads this past season and registered 10 points (1-9=10) and 41 penalty minutes.

Clune finished third on his team in goals (32), assists (46) and points (78) and led his club in penalty minutes (151) while skating with the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Barrie Colts during the 2006-07 season. He also led the Colts in postseason scoring with seven points (3-4=7) and eight penalty minutes in eight playoff games that year. In addition, Clune appeared in one game with the Iowa Stars that same season, recording two penalty minutes.

The Kings have signed restricted free agent defenseman Peter Harrold to a three-year contract. I'll try to get the money on that at some point but I'm still out of the loop this week.

Also... the Kings are not trading Anze Kopitar. Please, folks, just stop this stuff. All you're going to do is give yourselves ulcers. It's just absurd, as are 98.4 percent of all rumors.

There was a report that the Kings might sign defenseman Danny Markov out of Russia. A Kings source said the team talked to Markov but that Markov declined to take a physical in advance and Markov declined. So it seems that unless Markov has a change of heart, he won't be coming to the Kings.

OK, here's the last part of the question-and-answer session. Once again, major thanks to Jim for volunteering his time to give me an outstanding feature on the blog. One of the best parts of hanging out in El Segundo is getting to chat with Jim, get his insights and trade opinions with him. I hope everyone enjoyed the special ``open forum.''

Here's the second-to-last group of answers from Jim...

The Kings have signed forward David Meckler to a standard three-year, entry-level contract. Meckler got strong reviews at the development camp. A 21-year-old Illinois native, Meckler had 23 goals and 13 assists in 76 games for Manchester last season.

The next set of answers from Jim...

Now that the coaching news has died down, we can resume the Jim Fox questions and answers. Looking at some of the questions, I think maybe it's time to have a semi-regular Jim Fox wine column on the site! And I'm particularly happy to see a mention of the L.A. Blades, as I still have one of their jerseys in my closet. Here's the next set of Jim's answers...

Major thanks again to Don for compiling this. He has included the press-conference quotes from Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray as well as quotes from a one-on-one interview with Murray...

Don Fulton went out to the Terry Murray news conference today and filed this great report. He's working on more of the transcript of the day and we'll have those quotes up later in the day. Thanks, Don...

-----

Hoping to have secured a vital component of its rebuilding plan, the Los Angeles Kings today named Terry Murray as their head coach - the 22nd in team history - at a news conference at the team's practice facility in El Segundo.

Murray, who turns 58 on Sunday, succeeds Marc Crawford, who was fired June 10, and has ties to Kings' general manager Dean Lombardi, as the two worked together in the Philadelphia Flyers organization from 2002 to 2006.

"We are very pleased that Terry has accepted this challenge," Lombardi said. "He has a wide range of coaching experience and he understands the importance of teaching, which is critical to the building process."

Murray takes over a team that tied Tampa Bay with a league low 71 points last season, a task that is not lost on his general manager.

"I think this is the toughest job in the National Hockey League right now," Lombardi said.

For his part, Murray seems excited about the prospects of having such a young group of players to send out to battle each night.

"I'm coming in to this with my eyes wide open. I know exactly what the process is, to move this along and to get this organization back on track. We have some very good young hockey players in this organization, and we're going to get younger and we are going to bring along those young players at the right time and develop them in the right process so that they can feel success in this NHL," he said.

In the press release announcing his hiring, Terry Murray said...

"I am very excited about this opportunity. This will be my biggest challenge as a coach. There is a lot of work ahead and it will take a collective effort to execute the plan we have in place. I am looking forward to training camp and to getting the process under way."

I'm expecting to have the full transcript of today's press conference later...

And now, the third part of the Jim Fox question-and-answer session...

The second part of the Jim Fox answers follows...

Here's the first part of Jim Fox's answers. Once again, Jim has done a fantastic job of answering your questions with insight and honesty, and I'm working to get all of his answers up as soon as possible. Here's the first set...

Here's the Kings' 2008-09 schedule...

Just wanted everyone to know that Don Fulton will be at the press conference today for a full report on the hiring of Terry Murray.

Also, I got some loose, general information last night about Patrick O'Sullivan, and why a contract hasn't gotten done yet. Seems as though it's part of the bigger struggle between teams and agents/players regarding the value of younger players. Teams want long-term deals and agents want short-term deals, since salaries keep rising every year. It didn't sound as though a lot of progress was being made, but it's still only mid-July.

Terry Murray will be introduced as the Kings' head coach tomorrow at 1 p.m. in El Segundo. He signed a three-year contract. Murray will be allowed to pick his assistant coaches but Nelson Emerson, Jamie Kompon and Bill Ranford are expected to return.

Erik Ersberg signed a two-way contract worth $700,000 if he makes the NHL roster.

From the Kings...

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings will open their 2008-09 regular season home schedule at STAPLES Center on Sunday, October 12, against the San Jose Sharks at 6 p.m., the Kings and the NHL announced today.

In addition to the Kings-Sharks home game on October 12, the Kings/NHL today announced each club's 2008-09 "at large" games against non-conference opponents: The Kings will play a "home-and-home series" as follows: The Kings host Washington on November 20 and visit Washington on February 5; the Kings host New Jersey on January 10 and visit New Jersey on February 7; and the Kings host Philadelphia on January 3 and visit Philadelphia on February 25.

The complete 2008-09 Kings/NHL schedule is to be released tomorrow, Thursday. The club's first on-ice training camp session date is Saturday, September 20, at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.

The Kings have signed restricted free agents Erik Ersberg, Gabe Gauthier, Matt Moulson and Joe Piskula to contracts for next season. I'll try to get the terms and money for these deals, particularly Ersberg, since he was headed for arbitration. I'd have to guess Ersberg agreed to a two-year contract, but that's just a guess.

UPDATE: Gauthier signed a two-year contract. Ersberg, Moulson and Piskula signed one-year contracts.

No announcement of a Terry Murray hiring yet. I'm doing my best to stay on top of updates here, and for about 23 hours a day, I'm blissfully ignorant of goofy Internet rumors.

Only the final details stand between the Kings officially hiring Terry Murray. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow. So that raises the question, ``why Terry Murray?'' He fits two of Dean Lombardi's two qualifications. He's a defenseman, and Lombardi understands the importance of developing the Kings' young defensemen, particularly next season, when there could be a handful of kids on the blue line. He's also familiar to Lombardi, since they were employed by the Flyers at the same time. As a bonus, Murray has won. He showed a sustained ability to get his team to the playoffs and took one, the 1996-97 Flyers, to the Stanley Cup Finals.

On the other hand... there seems to be some surprise that the Kings would hire a coach who has been fired three times, and an older coach. Murray turns 58 on Sunday. That certainly doesn't disqualify him from mentoring younger players, but the thought seemed to be that Lombardi would look toward a coach who had recent experience coaching young players, maybe even a coach without NHL head coaching experience.

One popular name that came up in a few e-mails and comments was Dale Hunter. The Kings did not interview him.

So what does everyone think of Terry Murray?

A source close to the situation just indicated that the Kings are in ``final stages'' of negotiations with Terry Murray. Murray is supposed to meet with ownership today. I would estimate that an announcement will be made tomorrow.

Dean Lombardi's statement: ``We are aware of some media reports as it relates to Terry Murray and our head coaching vacancy. At this time, no agreement is in place with him. However, we have met with Terry on more than one occasion and we consider him to be a strong candidate for this position. We will have no further comment at this time.''

Translation: We'll be preparing the room for the press conference shortly.

The story is making the rounds that Terry Murray is about to be hired as Kings coach. Since I'm on vacation, I'm very much trying to chase this story, but a source within the Kings just indicated that Murray is a candidate but that there is no deal in place. I expect to have some sort of comment from Dean Lombardi, hopefully soon, but I think it's safe to say you can read between the lines on this one. Unless something falls through in negotiations, it looks like another Murray (unrelated) in charge of the Kings.

I was told, my a source, to look at people whose past intertwined with Lombardi's, either in San Jose or Philadelphia. Murray was an assistant coach for the Flyers when Lombardi worked for them as a scout.

Sorry for the lack of updates in recent days. I had been scrambling in the last couple days to prepare for vacation and neglected to mention that I'd be gone for a while. I still have those interviews to put up, with I will as soon as possible. Over the next 10 days or so, I'm still keeping track of what's going on with the Kings, but the day-to-day updates will be limited, as they were this time last year, for those who remember. Any news that takes place will still be fully reported here.

From what I understand, the coaching search is making some strong progress and there should be some news fairly soon. The list is quickly getting narrowed.

To be honest though, I'm not really thinking about any of that today. Anyone who has visited the Daily News website today has probably seen that my colleague Matt McHale passed away today at age 50. Matt was my predecessor on the Kings beat, as well as me predecessor as deputy sports editor, but he had health issues for a number of years. It's impossible to put into words what Matt meant to my career. He was a friend and a mentor. He guided me through so many stories and through some tough times when I questioned whether I should find another line of work. He was patient, generous and such a tremendous writer. When Matt wrote a long feature, I would read every word. The subject didn't matter, because Matt would make it compelling. I think he took pride in helping young writers, and I will forever owe him a debt of gratitude.

So thanks for indulging me on that. I've have another post in a couple minutes talking about a feature that readers can participate in this week. I hope you enjoy...

Just got a great review of today's development camp action from a reader by the name of Sky Felix. Some good insight, for sure. I watched most of the sessions this morning although got distracted by trying to talk to some players and coaches. For a while, all of the staff rink-side headed out to check out what was going on at the roller rink...which was women's roller derby.

Anyway, a few players have stood out to me. A couple of them fall in the category of, ``They might have a chance this year, but we'll see what happens in training camp.'' They, not surprisingly, would be Jonathan Bernier, Drew Doughty, Oscar Moller and Colten Teubert. Other names that stayed in my mind were Geordie Wudrick and, based on the limited time I got to see them today, David Meckler and Wayne Simmonds. Perhaps I focused more on the kids drafted this year because this was my first look at them.

I have interviews with Bernier, Doughty, Teubert and Bill Ranford ready to be transcribed, so I'll do that ASAP. For now, you can check out one fan's in-depth analysis of today's sessions...

There was a question about Thomas Hickey being back on crutches. Hickey had the pins and screws removed from his ankle a couple days ahead of schedule, so that's actually a positive development for him, not a setback.

You could probably count this as another ``almost'' for the Kings this summer. The Kings recently talked to Mattias Norstrom about ending his newly announced retirement and returning for one year. Norstrom respectfully declined, and the subject of money never even came up. Norstrom told the Kings he was happy with the way his career ended -- with Dallas' playoff run -- and was prepared to move forward with his life. The Kings came away disappointed but impressed by Norstrom's honesty. So the search for a defenseman continues...

Late in the afternoon session, Viatcheslav Voinov, the Kings' second-round pick, hit the ice. He didn't participate in drills really, but his mere presence on the ice had to ease some minds. I'm told that both Voinov and draft pick Andrei Loktionov have gotten out of their Russian contracts and will not be impacted by the transfer agreement. Players such as Voinov and Loktionov had the right to escape their three-year contracts by giving 30-day notice, which they did. Apparently, it's been a rough go for these guys, as they've faced all sorts of threats and challenges from Russian officials. But they should be free to sign with the Kings. Loktionov has not arrived at camp -- and probably won't make it -- because of visa problems.

Bryan Cameron, who has been sick, was only on site but did not skate.

To clear up two questions...I'm not aware of any change in tomorrow's camp schedule, and I was told that Monday's scrimmage will be available on lakings.com in an archived form for those who can't watch it live.

I'll be heading out for the afternoon session today to grab some more interviews, hopefully with guys such as Colten Teubert and Jonathan Bernier. Also, good news for out-of-town fans. The camp scrimmage, held Monday at 3 p.m., will be webcast on lakings.com, with Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans doing commentary.

I talked with Thomas Hickey the other day, after he got done doing some passing drills on the roller-hockey rink. Hickey is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his ankle and won't be on the ice for another two weeks but expects to be 100 percent for the start of training camp. Hickey, 19, played through the injury late last season for Seattle of the Western Hockey League, where he was team captain. Hickey totaled 11 goals and 34 assists in 63 games. He's a defenseman, the Kings' first-round pick last year. Here's the interview...

The other day at the development camp, I got a chance to talk to Geordie Wudrick, who was the Kings' third-round pick last month. There might not be a more engaging, enthusiastic kid in the whole camp, which is really fun to see. Wudrick, 18, totaled 20 goals and 24 assists in 66 games with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League last season. Here's the interview...

Here's how I spent my day...

Kings owners might sell part of team

In short, AEG executives have talked with several parties, including the ownership group of the Boston Celtics, about buying a minority share of the hockey franchise.

Reaction?

The NHL and the Russian league reached an agreement today that should end the threat of players such as Kings draft picks Voinov and Loktionov staying overseas to play. Voinov and Loktionov have been dealing with visa issues, which is why they haven't been at the prospects camp. The Kings were hoping to get at least one of them in town before the weekend. Here's the meat of the AP story...

-----

ZURICH, Switzerland -- The NHL reached an agreement with a new Russian hockey league Thursday that temporarily ends the threat of players being lured away by big-money offers.

The pact to respect player contracts across all borders followed offers made last month by teams in Russia's Continental Hockey League -- which begins play in September -- to entice Evgeni Malkin out of the final year of his deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It was reached at a meeting of the NHL, the NHL Players' Association and international hockey leagues in Zurich, the home of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

"Everyone in the room agreed that for the foreseeable future everyone will respect everybody's contracts," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

Union director Paul Kelly said all parties recognized the need for "clear respect between leagues."

The deal was brokered with Russian league founder Alexander Medvedev, who had given his teams a green light to approach players like Malkin.

Medvedev was nominated to the working group that will meet in New York in September in hopes of creating an international transfer agreement to replace the one that lapsed last month after six European leagues backed out.

Russia had withdrawn three years ago.

The group will also look at plans to globalize the game, including holding a World Cup in 2012.

The reader who posts under BoltThrower, who provided the great development camp review below, also sent along links to the pictures and video he took from the first two days of camp. I know there are quite a few readers from out of town, so hopefully you might enjoy....

First-day pictures

Second-day videos

I wanted to repost this, for those who might not read through all the comments. It's a reader-submitted review of the second day of the development camp, with some really strong analysis of some of the prospects. Anyone who has been down there is absolutely encouraged to share their thoughts about what they're seeing...

Here's what Kings assistant coach Jamie Kompon had to say tonight after the second day of the Kings' development camp...

A couple things from this afternoon...

-- The Erik Ersberg arbitration situation does deal with Ersberg's desire for a one-way (NHL) contract rather than a two-way contract. The Kings want the flexibility to move him back and forth if needed and Ersberg wants a NHL contract. So the arbitrator will decide.

-- Still no concern that an O'Sullivan deal won't get done, as far as the Kings are concerned. In their view, things are progressing as normal.

-- The Kings did not make an offer for Brendan Morrison, as had been widely reported. That whole thing really didn't make any sense to begin with.

-- Thomas Hickey was on the roller rink today doing some passing drills. He said he's getting the pins out of his ankle next week and should be ready to go for training camp. I'll have the full interview with him later.

-- This is no surprise, but if the Kings are to add a defenseman at this point, it will be via trade. There is one name that has come up, but discussions aren't yet serious. There will be more movement on this front when training camp gets closer.

Here's an interview, after today's morning session, with Justin Azevedo, the Kings' sixth-round draft pick this year. Azevedo has attracted some attention after being named the Ontario Hockey League's most outstanding player. He had 43 goals and 81 assists in 67 games last season with Kitchener. I'll be heading down to the camp this afternoon to check it out in person and grab some more interviews. For now, here's Azevedo...

I had a chance to do a quick interview with Kings goalie prospect Jeff Zatkoff, who is here this week for the development camp. Zatkoff spent the last three years in college with Miami of Ohio and, along with Jonathan Bernier and Jonathan Quick, is considered one of the Kings' potential goalies of the future...

The Reading Royals will no longer be affiliated with the Kings and will now be the ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings will turn to the new Ontario Reign as their sole ECHL affiliate. AEG owns a part of the Royals and in March, Luc Robitaille said the Royals would remain the Kings' primary ECHL affiliate, despite the addition of Ontario. At the same time, however, the Royals' general manager, Gordon Kaye, said somewhat cryptically, ``(W)e are always going to look out for what is best for our team, our organization and our fans.'' It would seem that, with the emergence of the Reign right in the Kings' backyard, the Royals saw this move as being best for the organization.

UPDATE: The Royals' press release indicates... ``The Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, who have served as the Royals' affiliates for the past seven seasons, will continue in a participating affiliation relationship with Reading.'' Sounds as though there might be a few Kings-related players still in Reading.

As some have asked, the Kings are indeed taking goalie Erik Ersberg to arbitration, unless they come to an agreement over the next 10 days or so. I haven't gotten a firm explanation on this one just yet -- I should later today -- but I'm almost certain that the Kings are seeking a two-way deal, so that Ersberg could be sent back and forth between the NHL and the minors. Most likely, the Kings' qualifying offer was a two-way deal and, not surprisingly, Ersberg would prefer a one-way deal. I'll get this confirmed later...

I had a chance to talk with Kings assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who is essentially in charge of the prospects camp, about how things went on the first day. To answer a couple questions, Russian draft picks Vjateslav Voinov and Andrei Loktionov were not there because of visa issues, Kompon said. He expects them to be there by the weekend at the latest. All other players were present. Here's what Kompon had to say...

After receiving countless emails and comments about this, I decided to try to run the numbers myself and see where the Kings would be at, salary-cap wise, if the season started today. Frankly, I'm not quite sure what all the fretting is about regarding whether the Kings can ``get'' to the salary-cap floor of $40 million. Here's what I have, based on a reasonable estimation of who might make the roster. These numbers are based on nhlnumbers.com, so there's probably a little variation on the exact numbers but they're close.

COMMITTED SALARIES
Michal Handzus -- $4 million
Dustin Brown -- $3.175 million
Alexander Frolov -- $2.9 million
Tom Preissing -- $2.75 million
Kyle Calder -- $2.75 million
Jack Johnson -- $2.15 million
Denis Gauthier -- $2.1 million
Derek Armstrong -- $1.5 million
Teddy Purcell -- $1.35 million
Thomas Hickey -- $1.346 million
Matt Greene -- $1.15 million
Dan Cloutier (buyout) -- $1.033 million
Anze Kopitar -- $956,000
Brian Boyle -- $835,000
Jason LaBarbera -- $825,000
Alyn McCauley (buyout) -- $667,666
Raitis Ivanans -- $600,000
John Zeiler -- $525,000

TOTAL: Just over $30.6 million

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (with last season's salary)

Jarret Stoll -- ($2.2 million)
Patrick O'Sullivan -- ($850,000)
Erik Ersberg -- ($750,000)
Brad Richardson -- ($600,000)
Peter Harrold -- ($500,000)
Matt Moulson -- ($490,000)

TOTAL: Just under $5.4 million

That's roughly $36 million right there and doesn't take into account two huge things, one being Patrick O'Sullivan's expected large raise and the other being Drew Doughty's big cap number should he make the team, as is reasonably expected.

I'm just running the numbers with a pen, paper and calculator. Let me know if there are any glaring errors.

Any thoughts that the Kings might pursue free-agent defenseman Jason Smith ended today with Smith signed a two-year contract with Ottawa worth $2.6 million per season.

After the first on-ice workout today, I had a quick chat with Kings prospect Oscar Moller.

Moller, 19, was a second-round draft pick of the Kings last year. Last season, in his second year with Chilliwack of the Western Hockey League, Moller had 39 goals and 44 assists in 63 games, then spent the playoffs with Manchester of the AHL. He's considered a future NHL forward, although he might be a year away from joining the Kings. Here's the interview...

The Kings' prospects camp is underway today in El Segundo. It's just getting started with on-ice workouts, so there won't be much to report today, but I expect to get interviews with many of the prospects this week, along with a daily report from Jamie Kompon, who is the primary coach in charge of the camp. He should be able to give a quick view, every day, of what's going on and who's looking good. I'm hoping to get out there myself on Friday and Saturday to get a first-hand look once things really get going. Anyone who's down there and has some observations is absolutely encouraged to share them.

Here's the full interview with Jeff Solomon, the Kings' director of hockey operations and legal affairs, in which he discusses Patrick O'Sullivan and the restricted free agents in general, plus his thoughts about the amount of spending that is taking place around the league, particularly in terms of young players. For those who aren't familiar with Solomon, his bio is available here.

Here's the interview...

I just got off the phone with Jeff Solomon, who filled me in on the progress of contract negotiations with Patrick O'Sullivan. Solomon said he expects to begin deep negotiations this week and said, ``The one thing I can tell you, unequivocally, is that we want to have this guy here as part of our young core. This (contract) is something that I don't envision much of a problem with.''

I'll post the full interview soon, as Solomon goes into greater detail about O'Sullivan, the status of the RFA signings in general and his thoughts about the market for young players in this era of Burke vs. Lowe.

A communique from Dean Lombardi referred me to Jeff Solomon for an update on Patrick O'Sullivan's contract, and the contracts of the other restricted free agents. Hopefully that call will come soon -- tomorrow, if not tonight -- and will have some substance. O'Sullivan's agent, Pat Morris, did not call back today. We'll keep a running count of how many days he doesn't return calls. This is Day 1. There's still not even the hint of a thought that this will end any way other than with O'Sullivan in a Kings uniform, but we'll see what Solomon says.

Here's the second part of Don's interview with Bob Miller...

Don did a fantastic Q&A with Bob Miller, who is always a great interview and a great storyteller. As I've said before, it's almost impossible to think that Bob is going to be 70 years old, as he has the energy and enthusiasm I wish I had. It's a long interview so I'll split it in two parts. And for those who haven't checked out Bob's book, here's a link:

Bob Miller's Tales from the Los Angeles Kings

Enjoy the interview!

I have messages in to both Dean Lombardi and the agent for Patrick O'Sullivan, in an attempt to get an update on how contract talks are going. Hopefully there will be some sort of update, although the ``update'' in these situations usually comes down to ``We're talking.'' So we'll see.

Here's the last of the original open forum questions. I'll go back through some of the posts and try to find any relevant questions. Thanks again for all the good questions. I hope you find this feature to be helpful...

The next set of questions and answers. Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend...

The resumption of the open forum questions. Good questions all around...I'm still working my way through them. Of course, I know everyone just wants to worry about silly rumors (please, don't bother with the comments), but oh well... Here's the next set of answers:

And now, back to your regularly scheduled open forum answers...

At the risk of extending the ``drama'' on this subject, I'm told Rob Blake would have been offered a front-office job by the Kings, upon retirement, if he had re-signed.

First of all, Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there! And a belated Happy Canada Day to those north of the border.

Looks as though San Jose is busy again. According to TSN, the Sharks will get defenseman Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay, along with defenseman Brad Lukowich, for a package that includes defenseman Matt Carle, a first-round draft pick, a fourth-round pick and an unnamed prospect.

I'll keep going through the ``open forum questions'' for a while today. Thanks again for all the support during this wacky time...

Here's what Pat Brisson, Rob Blake's agent, had to say tonight about the way things went down between Blake and the Kings. It's lengthy, but if you've been following the saga today, you might find it to be a good read. As I told Pat tonight, all I'm trying to get is get the information out there. People can make up their minds based upon what they believe and read. What an interesting subplot to the week though, huh?

For those who might not know, Brisson is one of the biggest agents in the game and is close friends with Luc Robitaille. His client list is deep and impressive and also includes Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar.

OK, I just got off the phone with Pat Brisson, Rob Blake's agent, who presented his side (and Blake's side, by extension) of what took place over the last few days with the Kings. There are some differences and it should make for interesting reading. As I told Pat, my whole goal here was to present both sides of an emotional, complicated issue, so I'm really glad that I got to talk to Pat. I'll be putting together a post some time tonight. Hang tight, I'll get to it as soon as possible (or start your 4th with it tomorrow!)

Just realized this on the way home...

Last year's Kings captain: Rob Blake.
Last year's alternate captains: Michael Cammalleri, Scott Thornton and Lubomir Visnovsky.

All gone.

Anyone want to start suggesting their replacements?

OK, here we go. For those who enjoy soap operas, strap in...

We started with Blake's statement that the Kings never made him an offer, and with my clarification that Blake's agent, Pat Brisson, had called Lombardi on Tuesday morning with a one-year, $4-million contract request.

So here's the time line, according to Lombardi, with quotes from Lombardi added where appropriate.

Sunday: Brisson calls Lombardi at night to talk about Blake. Lombardi said, ``I talked to his agent for two hours. We talked about a lot of things. The whole point was, we didn't talk contract but I was interested in making sure he understood the role and how important the role was. This is the year we actually start becoming a young team and I needed to know, what were Rob's priorities as a hockey player?''

Tuesday: At 9:05 a.m., Brisson submits a contract request. Numbers aren't confirmed, but trust me on this one, it was $4 million. Lombardi said, ``I got a non-negotiable offer at 9 o'clock and was told we had to hurry. I texted (Brisson) back because it was very clear that there was no room to move on their end. I told him we had to look at a number of things to make this fit. We were looking at other players and certain deals. I said, `We're not prepared to commit that type of money. We want to look at all our options but we want to bring him back.'''

Tuesday afternoon/evening: Lombardi and Brisson exchange e-mails. Lombardi said, ``I forget the exact sequence. We exchanged two e-mails. One of them outlined the process we were going through. He said, `Fine, but we're not changing our (offer) number.'''

Tuesday night: Blake and Lombardi spoke on the phone. Lombardi said, ``Rob called me. He was honest. He said, `I don't think I can wait.' I knew San Jose had been talking to him. I said, `I can't hurry this. I'm not sure yet what we can offer. We know what your number is. We're looking at some other things and if I do some other things, it might take me out of (the range of Blake's offer).' I was thinking of making a conditional offer and then if things didn't happen, we could maybe go up to his number, but it was clear it wasn't negotiable. At that point, I was almost sure he was going to San Jose.''

Wednesday: Lombardi and Brisson exchanged e-mails. Lombardi said, ``We had an exchange of e-mails. I was telling them I still had to go through the process. (Brisson) said, `I have no interest in waiting.' I was trying to explain to him what we're trying to do.''

Thursday: Blake signs with San Jose.

Now, this is Lombardi's time line. If Brisson has a differing opinion, I'm not aware of it, because he hasn't returned my calls for four days. So there you go. I'm going home.

As I wait (and wait, and wait) for a returned call, here's the third set of the answers that I started doing hours ago...

Just got off a conference call with Rob Blake, who says the Kings never made him an offer. (Left unsaid was that Blake's agent apparently talked to the Kings on July 1 and asked for $4 million). Before Blake got on the call, San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said he called Blake's agent on July 1 to inquire about Blake's services. Here's some quotes from Blake...

On not getting an offer: ``No, i didn't receive one from the Kings. As time went past on July 1... I made a decision a few weeks ago, a month ago, that i wanted to play again. That wasn't going to be happen in L.A. and I had to start looking elsewhere. I've always admired San Jose and they have a ton of potential. They've been on the verge every year and excited to be right there.''

On whether he was ``on board'' with the Kings' rebuilding plans: ``I've been on board for the past couple years. I don't think the idea of rebuilding was just something this summer. It just became evident that there was two different thoughts going on. When you don't hear back from a team in a couple days, it's time to look elsewhere.''

On why he thinks things didn't work out with the Kings and whether he's disappointed: ``I made the commitment to come back to LA. It's a great organization and it's headed in a great direction. I was fortunate to play with Kopitar, and Jack Johnson on defense. He's an up and comer and he's going to be great. As far as things with myself, I'm not really sure what happened down the line there. The team is going to be great. It's great that they're sticking with the plan for building. I wish them all the best and years down the road I'm sure I'll be watching them.''

On whether he was negatively influenced by the Cammalleri and Visnovsky trades: ``I really have no say in any of that. You see the direction the Kings are going and they're going to stick with that and build going forward. They have a great cornerstone, with young forwards and goalies and defense. They're going in the right direction.''

Comments from San Jose:

Sharks GM Doug Wilson: ``Rob is a tremendous competitor that has been one of the top defensemen in this league for many years. While he has enjoyed mentoring the young guys, great players need the ability to win in order to thrive and his sole purpose here is to focus on winning.''

Sharks coach Todd McLellan: ``Rob's skill set and intangibles speak for themselves. ... I coached Nicklas Lidstrom for the last three years and Rob is the same age as him. Rob, like Nicklas, has proven to be a leader on a championship-winning team and any coach would be lucky to have a player of his caliber.''

Sharks center Joe Thornton: ``I've gotten to play with Rob at several international tournaments and we've built a friendship over the years. He'll fit right into our group and more importantly will help us win. He is extremely talented and can play, and excel, in every situation.''

In non-Blake news...

The schedule and roster for next week's development camp in El Segundo has been released. On-ice activities begin Tuesday (7/8) and conclude the following Thursday (7/18). The highlight is a Monday, July 14 scrimmage at 3 p.m involving all prospects. All of the practices are open to the public. Tickets to the scrimmage -- with proceeds benefiting the Kings Care Foundation -- will be on sale, $10 for adults and $5 for children under 18.

The camp will be split in two. The ``purple'' group will practice July 8-11. The ``gold'' group will practice July 15-18. On the 12th, 13th and 14th, the prospects will combine for practices and, on the 14th, the scrimmage. The list of players and the schedule follows...

The San Jose Sharks have confirmed the signing of Rob Blake to a one-year contract. They didn't disclose the money but it's $5 million, as I posted.

This could get ugly. From what I'm told, from sources involved, Blake initially asked the Kings for $4 million. There might be quite some debate about whether there were any counter-offers made by the Kings. I have calls in to all the appropriate parties involved.

Rob Blake has signed with San Jose, apparently for one year and $5 million. I've confirmed this with two sources close to the situation but the Sharks have yet to release word of this.

Guess who's spending more money...?

The Rangers signed forward Markus Naslund to a two-year contract and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin to a one-year contract. Money isn't known yet on either deal.

Colorado signed defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year contract, money unknown.

Montreal signed forward Georges Laraque to a three-year, $4.5-million contract.

Here's the second round of answers as we wait for some news...any news...

TSN reports that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven-year, $35-million extension with Pittsburgh.

One sign that free agency might be dying down? On its website, TSN has moved on to promoting this week's CFL games! Go Roughriders!

Here's the first set of answers. Thanks for all the great questions. Hopefully I can do a good job of answering them. Keep them coming, if you'd like, on the original post...

Once again, it's quiet around the league this morning, with Washington's two-year signing of Keith Aucoin being the only real news. Seems as though half of the league is on Mats Sundin Watch '08, waiting for the dominoes to fall after that.

Not the Kings though. We'll see what happens today. I'll be surprised if there's not some Rob Blake resolution, one way or the other, but obviously there's no guarantee of that. And we'll keep an eye on which second- (and possibly third-) tier defensemen start signing.

Keep the questions coming in the ``open forum'' post. Plenty of good ones already. I'll start answering soon...

I get the feeling there might be one or two Kings-related questions out there this week...

Go ahead and fire away and I'll do my best to answer/clarify any questions that are out there. It's much easier than trying to go back through the posts and answer questions.

Fire away!

Seems as though another day has come and gone without any movement from the Kings. Perhaps I shouldn't say ``another day.'' After all, yesterday brought the magical trade for Denis Gauthier...

It's not too hard to figure out what happened today. The Kings made a play for Brooks Orpik and it didn't work out. Now the attention, most likely, turns to another tier of defensemen and the Kings will look to grab a guy on a short-term contract, either via trade or signing.

The more interesting thing is that Rob Blake remains unsigned. I did not anticipate that, and perhaps if his agent would return calls I might get a little insight. But when there's mutual interest people a player and team and there's no deal, you have to follow the money, right?

Obviously, I'll stay on top of all this...

We've been hearing a lot about the Kings' plans to ``go young'' next season, but what does it really mean? Here's an educated guess at what the Kings' roster might look like if they didn't acquire any more players, based on age at the start of next season:

One player under 20: Drew Doughty (18).

Nine players under 25: Jack Johnson (21), Anze Kopitar (21), Alec Martinez (21), Brian Boyle (23), Dustin Brown (23), Patrick O'Sullivan (23), Teddy Purcell (23), Brad Richardson (23), Doughty.

20 players under 30: Matt Greene (25), Peter Harrold (25), Matt Moulson (25), Erik Ersberg (26), Alexander Frolov (26), Jarret Stoll (26), Matt Ellis (27), Jason LaBarbera (28), Kyle Calder (29), Raitis Ivanans (29), Tom Preissing (29), Doughty, Johnson, Kopitar, Martinez, Boyle, Brown, O'Sullivan, Purcell, Richardson.

Players over 30: Michal Handzus (31), Denis Gauthier (32), Derek Armstrong (35).

Remember also that even though we've been talking about free-agent defensemen here, Lombardi also raised the possibility last night of trading for a left-shot defenseman who would be able to fill a role for one season. So that opens the situation up tremendously. Here's what Lombardi said last night on this subject:

``The other thing that showed up, before free agency and even today, as people spend money to get guys in, there might be a `soft' deal there, so to speak. Maybe we could trade a `B-level' prospect or a mid-round or late-round pick for a guy who can be here for a year.''

The Islanders have signed forward Doug Weight to a contract, years and money not announced.

Lombardi indicated that his backup plan for a defenseman might be to sign a ``bridge'' player with a left shot. Well, there's only so many out there, so I decided to go through the free-agent list and find some available left-shot defensemen. Here they are, listed by last season's salary, with age in parenthesis. Let me know if I missed anyone...

Paul Mara (27), $3,000,000
Marek Malik (32), $2,500,000
Bret Hedican (36), $2,432,000
Dmitri Kalinin (26), $2,250,000
Keith Carney (37), $2,100,000
Dick Tarnstrom (32), $2,000,000 (signed in Sweden)
Jaroslav Modry (36), $1,200,000
Petteri Nummelin (34), $1,200,000 (signed in Switzerland)
Branislav Mezei (26), $850,000
Steve McCarthy (26), $725,000

TSN is reporting that Brooks Orpik has agreed to a six-year, $22.5-million contract to stay with Pittsburgh. The contract averages 3.75 million per year.

And...that was the Kings' target. More than likely, this re-opens the door for Rob Blake and a ``bridge'' type defenseman.

TSN reports that Columbus trades Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.

Sportsnet reports that defenseman Ron Hainsey has signed a five-year, $22.5-million contract with Atlanta.

Ottawa signs forward Jarkko Ruutu to a three-year, $3.9-million contract.

Ottawa has signed forward Shean Donovan to a two-year contract, money unknown.

According to TSN, Pittsburgh has signed Evgeni Malkin to a five-year contract extension. The story says the extension ``is believed to mirror the extension Pens captain Sidney Crosby signed in July of 2007, a five-year deal averaging $8.7 million.''

There seems to be a bit of a slow-down period taking place around the league. Of course, that could change at any moment. The Kings still have their eyes on one of the top defensemen out there, and of course the Rob Blake situation is still lingering, so I can't say that much has changed this morning. It's still very much a wait-and-see morning...

According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas has signed Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5-million contract.

Calgary signed defenseman Jim Vandermeer and forward Curtis Glencross to contracts, terms and money unknown.

Vancouver signed goaltender Curtis Sanford, terms and money unknown.

Stepping away from free agency for a moment, there's a great story out of Canada about how the Russian federation is taking drastic measures to prevent its talented young players from jumping to North America. Latest word is that they're threatening a four-year suspension from Russian national teams for any players who come to North America. Of course, this greatly impacts defenseman Vjateslav Voinov, the Kings' second-round pick last month. I'll try to get Dean Lombardi to comment on this at some point, and hopefully Voinov himself at the prospects camp next week. Here's the story...

Russians threaten top NHL prospects

Here's one of the big ones... TSN reports that Marian Hossa has signed a one-year, $7.4-million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Carolina has signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen to a three-year contract worth a total of $12 million and has signed defenseman Josef Melichar to a one-year contract worth $1 million.

Here's what Brad Stuart had to say about his signing in the Detroit Free-Press today. The paper reported that the deal with the Red Wings got done just about 30 minutes before Stuart would have become an unrestricted free agent...

"There were times we were a little doubtful things were going to work out, but I'm really glad it did," Stuart said from his home in California. "I think sometimes you go on gut feeling -- I knew they wanted to keep me, but also knew they have a certain way they go about re-signing players. I didn't know what I could get on the open market, but had a pretty good idea.

"I'm just glad it worked out. It's a great team. Most of the core of the team is going to be around for at least the next couple of years. It's a great place to play and win, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Not much so far. Ryan Craig re-signed in Tampa Bay for two years, and there's a report that Ryan Johnson has signed in Vancouver for two years, at $1.15 million per year, but that's it so far. I'll be on the road for the next 80 minutes or so, so hang tight for any updates...

Finally, here's what Lombardi had to say about the controversy surrounding the Lubomir Visnovsky trade, particularly the allegations that Lombardi ``never called'' Visnovsky after the trade and essentially went back on his word to trade Visnovsky to a pre-approved team. Lombardi discusses both of these topics in detail.

Thanks again to everyone for the support today. We'll get back at it tomorrow, in what should be a very interesting day.

Here's the final quotes...

I asked Lombardi about the potential of signing Rob Blake and the fact that it didn't happen today...

``Part of the thing we're looking at there is getting the (defenseman) who fits across the board, like I said, then work on a number of other things. And we'll see if it works (with Blake) and if we can make it work financially for him as well as us. But we've got to keep the door open right now, in terms of getting a guy who fits not only this year but going forward.''

Then I asked about Patrick O'Sullivan, and whether the big money given to young players would have a negative impact on the Kings' ability to sign him...

``No, we had kind of adjusted for that, going in, when we did our projections. I don't think you can kid yourself. The one thing you learn early in your career is, you don't think, `Oh yeah, we can get him for this.' You put in your number, going across three or four years, and you make it realistic. I think the number we have is realistic. I guess the numbers you're talking about for the young players... I don't think a lot changed (for O'Sullivan). If you're talking about the top young guys, Patrick hasn't gone to that level. If you're talking about (Corey) Perry and (Jeff) Carter and those guys. If he takes another step, God bless him, but I don't think it's fair to say he's in that range.

``The one significant one that happened in the market today was probably (David) Backes, with that offer sheet. And part of the number you use, don't forget, depends on the term. We're in good position with him in terms of our rights. Then there's a number you'd lock him in at, but you're keeping an eye on the free-agent line. But I think our number is OK. I don't think anything really changed in the free-agent market that wasn't there. (Ryan) Getzlaf was already there, and some of those guys. The other thing is, a lot of these deals are done before July 1, but some of them aren't signed and announced. So some of them don't come down until today, but we knew what those numbers were, even before the draft.''

I asked if he was still confident that something could be done with O'Sullivan soon...

``Oh yeah, but I'll be honest with you. We just haven't grinded on that yet. After this free agency, I'll make Solly (Jeff Solomon) go to work. (laughs) And that includes the other (restricted free agents) too. Those things tend to drag out.''

I asked Lombardi about the salary-cap floor and how much of a problem -- if at all -- it might be getting to $40 million...

``No, it's not a problem for us in terms of the cap. I'm more looking at cash. Even when we're looking at the (defenseman) who can go across the line, I'm actually looking more at the cash, the next year and the year after. I think we're certainly set up with the cap space then. As far as the strict legalities of hitting the floor, don't forget that certain bonus money counts. So when Doughty signs -- and we have a couple other kids there too, such as Purcell and Johnson -- for purposes of the cap, their bonus money counts.''

I asked Lombardi about Brad Stuart, who signed in Detroit for four years at $3.75 million per year. I asked if he was concerned about giving Stuart a four-year contract...

``Certainly he was a guy we were very interested in. But that's a situation where he really liked that team there. So I think that's where he was leaning, and good for him. You want players who want to win. Obviously, Detroit, they've got it going. To be honest with you, the (four years) didn't scare us off. In all honesty, he was one of the guys we were looking at when we talk about guys who fit across the board.''

OK, here's the first part of the Lombardi interview from tonight, starting with his general impressions of how the day went and how it related to the Kings. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion about the job Lombardi does, but you know a person has been working hard when he stops in the middle of a sentence and says, ``Is today Tuesday?'' We've all been there, right? So, here's the first part, with more to come...

OK, here we go... I'll transcribe the stuff in a bit, but I figured you would want to know the highlights ASAP...

-- There aren't any quotes on this subject, because I threw it in at the end, but a deal for Khabibulin is very, very, very, very -- I'd keep going, but I think you get the point -- unlikely. There's just not interest there right now, and I doubt that will change. The rumor had legs because it SEEMED to fit the loose parameters of what the Kings needed, but there's really nothing to it right now.

-- The Kings were right there on Brad Stuart, and apparently didn't have a problem with either the term or the money, but Stuart decided that he wanted to play for the Red Wings. To this, Lombardi basically tipped his hat and said, ``I can't blame him for that.''

-- Lombardi still has his eye on a defenseman who, in his words, fits with both the present and the future. He's not at liberty to name names, obviously, but I don't think it's hard to do some reading between the lines, right?

-- Rob Blake is still there as a strong possibility, and discussions are ongoing.

-- There are ongoing talks with Patrick O'Sullivan, and Lombardi isn't particularly concerned that the run of big contracts for young players will negatively impact his ability to sign O'Sullivan. Sounds as though it's something that won't get done tonight or tomorrow, but that it's not a huge roadblock.

-- There's no concern about the $40-million ``floor.'' There are still players to be signed and, as Lombardi pointed out, there are also bonuses that must be included. Jack Johnson has significant bonus money, as will Drew Doughty, when he signs. So while it might seem as though there's a big gap there, it will be filled quickly.

-- Lombardi spoke extensively about the Visnovsky situation and gave his side of the story, which included calling Visnovsky's agent immediately after the trade and attempting to call Visnovsky three times on Monday morning, and finally leaving a message on the third call. (It was pre-dawn in Slovakia when the trade went down here Sunday night.) As for the ``six-teams list,'' Lombardi said he told Visnovsky that he would do his best to accommodate his wishes but made no promises.

So those are the highlights. I'll get to work on the quotes, for those who want to burn the midnight oil with me. And thanks much for all the support and kind words. They keep me going on these long days. Much appreciated...

Boston has signed forward Michael Ryder to a three-year, $12-million contract.

That appears to have been the only big move made official during my commute, so we'll see if anything develops tonight. No call yet, so hopefully it's coming soon.

I've been told to expect a call from Dean Lombardi at some point, so assuming that comes through, there will be an update later. Seems as though things have died down league-wide, but you never know, right?

The Islanders signed defenseman Mark Streit to a five-year contract worth $20.5 million.

TSN reports that Wade Redden has signed a six-year contract with the New York Rangers worth $6.5 million per season.

They include:

Marian Hossa
Mats Sundin
Jaromir Jagr
Sean Avery
Mark Streit
Wade Redden
Kristian Huselius
Markus Naslund
Pavol Demitra
Brooks Orpik

Indications are that nothing is imminent from the Kings. I'm expecting to get Dean Lombardi on the phone at some point.

Toronto signed forward Niklas Hagman to a four-year contract worth $12 million.

New Jersey has signed forward Bobby Holik to a one-year, $2.5-million contract.

The Rangers have re-signed defenseman Michael Rozsival to a four-year contract worth $20 million.

From Associated Press: ``The St. Louis Blues retained forward David Backes on Tuesday by quickly matching the three-year, $7.5 million offer sheet the young forward signed with the Vancouver Canucks.''

Vancouver signed forward Darcy Hordichuk to a two-year contract, money unknown.

Philadelphia signed forward Nate Raduns to a one-year contract, money unknown.

Philadelphia signed forward Glen Metropolit to a two-year contract, money unknown.

New Jersey has signed forward Brian Rolston to a four-year contract worth $20 million.

The Rangers have signed forward Patrick Rissmiller. Years and money not yet announced.

Philadelphia has signed defenseman Ossi Vaananen to a one-year contract at $1 million.

Columbus has signed defenseman Mike Commodore to a five-year contract worth $18.75 million.

The first big tree falls...Chicago signed defenseman Brian Campbell to an eight-year, $56.8-million contract.

This goes along with the Blackhawks possibly moving Nikolai Khabibulin, but there might be several teams interested...

Pittsburgh signed forward Eric Godard to a three-year contract, money unknown...

Buffalo signed goaltender Patrick Lalime to a two-year contract worth $2 million.

There are strong rumblings about the Kings trading for Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. As of about 15 minutes ago, the Kings weren't confirming anything...

Ottawa has signed goaltender Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $1 million per season.

Tampa Bay has signed goaltender Olaf Kolzig to a one-year contract for $1.5 million.

Colorado has signed forward Darcy Tucker to a two-year contract worth $4.5 million.

Vancouver has signed forward David Backes, a restricted free agent from St. Louis, to an offer sheet for three years and $7.5 million. The Blues now have seven days to match the offer or accept a second-round draft pick in return.

Chicago signed goaltender Cristobal Huet, four years, $5.625 million per season.

Florida signed forward Cory Stillman to a three- or four-year contract.

The Rangers signed forward Aaron Voros, terms unknown.

Pittsburgh signed forward Eric Godard, terms unknown.

Tampa Bay has signed forward Adam Hall to a three-year contract worth a total of $1.8 million.

Toronto has signed defenseman Jeff Finger to a four-year contract worth $3.5 million per season.

Heading out for a few minutes...so news will be on hold briefly...

Phoenix signed forward Todd Fedoruk to a three-year contract worth $1.06 million per season.

Montreal signed forward Andrei Kostitsyn to a three-year contract at $3.25 million per season.

Detroit signed goalie Ty Conklin to a one-year contract worth $750,000.

It's a run on goalies... Colorado signs Andrew Raycroft to a one-year contract for $800,000.

Washington has signed goalie Jose Theodore to a two-year contract, at $4.5 million per season. Phoenix has signed defenseman Kurt Sauer to a four-year contract worth $1.75 million per season.

The two players the Kings gave up to get Denis Gauthier were unlikely to join the NHL club soon, if at all.

Patrik Hersley, a 22-year-old defenseman, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2005. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound native of Sweden, Hersley had one goal and eight assists in 42 games with Manchester last season and three goals and 15 assists in 20 games with Reading of the ECHL.

Ned Lukacevic, a 22-year-old forward, was a fourth-round draft pick in 2004. A 6-foot, 185-pound native of Serbia, Lukacevic had 17 goals and 19 assists in 61 games with Reading last season.

Pittsburgh has re-signed defenseman Mark Eaton to a two-year, $2-million contract.

Minnesota has signed forward Andrew Brunette to a three-year contract worth $7 million.

Denis Gauthier has one year remaining on his contract, with a salary-cap hit of $2.1 million. Gauthier will turn 32 in October and is listed at 6-foot-3, 224 pounds. He spent all of last season in the AHL and totaled three goals and 15 assists in 78 games. The Flyers placed him on waivers last season and, after he cleared, they sent him down to the AHL to clear salary-cap space.

Kings fans might remember Gauthier from his incident with Jeremy Roenick and Sean Avery in 2005. Gauthier's hit, in a preseason game, gave Roenick a concussion. Avery responded by saying, ``I think it was a clean hit. I think it was typical of most French guys in our league with a visor on, running around and playing tough and not back anything up."

Denis Gauthier, a defenseman who had been put on waivers by Philadelphia, was traded to the Kings, along with a second-round pick in the 2010 draft, for defenseman Patrik Hersley and forward Ned Lukacevic.

Nashville has traded defenseman Marek Zidlicky to Minnesota for prospect Ryan Jones and a second-round pick.

Vancouver re-signs Kyle Wellwood for one year at just under $1 million.

Goalie Curtis Joseph has signed a one-year contract with Toronto worth $700,000.

Tampa Bay has signed Radim Vrbata to a three-year, $9-million contract.

Brad Stuart's new contract will pay him an average of $3.75 million over the next four seasons. That's an increase over the $3.5-million contract to which the Kings signed Stuart last season. The Kings had been willing to give Stuart a slight raise, but I theorize -- again, just my opinion -- that the Wings' willingness to give him a four-year contract might have made the difference here.

The Ducks have re-signed forward Corey Perry to a five-year, $26.625-million contract.

Edmonton trades defenseman Joni Pitkanen, a restricted free agent, to Carolina for forward Erik Cole.

Pittsburgh signs Pascal Dupuis to a three-year contract worth $1.4 million per season.

Defenseman Brad Stuart has signed a four-year deal with Detroit that averages $3.75 million per season. That's a big blow for the Kings.

Happy July 1 to everyone. It's not expected to be a huge day for the Kings, obviously, but I'll still stay on top of all the signings and trades and, of course, give any Kings updates as necessary.

So far, we have three re-signings:

Mike Green to Washington, four years, $21 million
Bryce Salvador to New Jersey, four years, $11.6 million
Jay Pandolfo to New Jersey, three years, $7.5 million
Edmonton trades forward Raffi Torres to Columbus for forward Gilbert Brule.