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…

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Question: The focus has been on defense, but do you see the Kings looking at any of the remaining forwards out there? Jagr, Shanahan, Fedorov, Naslund?

Answer: I think Lombardi has made it fairly clear that he’s not looking at forwards. I specifically asked him, Tuesday night, whether he was looking at anything other than defenseman, and he said no. I thought maybe the Kings would look at a winger to add to the second line, but it appears that they’re content with letting some of the prospects battle it out for that job.

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Question: Hey Rich, at this point would you go after Jay Bouwmeester, via trade or offersheet, and why or why not?

Answer: No, because a trade or an offer sheet involves giving up prospects and/or draft picks, and those are two things that Lombardi cherishes more than life itself. Bouwmeester would be a good get, but I imagine the price would be steep, as a few teams out there would love to get their hands on him. I can’t see the Kings getting in a bidding war and giving up these assets they’ve spent three years building. I’m pretty sure that’s how Lombardi would see it.

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Question: What is the likelihood of an extension being signed by Kopitar and Johnson this summer? Is there any indication if any of the players who were qualified will be accepting their qualifying offers? If Lombardi does add another left handed defenseman, are they still planning on bringing Rob Blake back? Say they do sign another dman, in addition to him they will have 7 defensemen with Johnson, Doughty, Preissing, Greene, Gauthier and Harrold. Add Blake and that brings it up to 8. Do you sense that Preissing or Harrold will be moved or is it possible that Blake does not come back?

Answer: 1) If it happens, it would be late summer, probably even during training camp. There are just too many other things going on right now. Free agency, the coaching search, this summer’s restricted free agents… I understand the anxiety about getting guys locked up, but there’s some perspective involved. 2) It’s much more likely for some of the younger guys, like Moulson, Gauthier, etc. I’m not singling them out…just saying they’re more likely than an O’Sullivan, for instance. But no word on that yet. 3) Yes, bringing back Blake is an idea independent of bringing in a left-shot defenseman. 4) Yes, I do, and Preissing would almost certainly be the likely odd man out there.

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Question: What seems to be the appropriate price range for Patrick O’Sullivan? Does Lombardi have any more SPECIFIC targets, even if it’s just an “i like this guy, he could fit our plans”? Can you do a quick sum-up of our cap situation? and finally, have you heard anything about Oscar Moller and whether he has any feelings about Lombardi’s refusal to give him up? That seems like the kind of thing that would really motivate a guy…

Answer: 1) That’s a tough question, because…appropriate for whom? The Kings’ idea of appropriate is probably much different than O’Sullivan’s idea of appropriate. They’ll meet somewhere in the middle. Backes is the only name that Lombardi mentioned in terms of possibly impacting the O’Sullivan situation. 2) Stuart and Orpik were the only “big-name” targets Lombardi had. Now it has moved on to another tier of defensemen. I’m sure that list is a lot longer. Modry is always the name that the Kings can come back to. 3) As far as cap numbers, I would encourage you to go to www.nhlnumbers.com or www.nhlscap.com. Not because I’m lazy and don’t want to do it — well, not totally — but because you can run the numbers in a lot of different ways. It depends a lot on whom you think will make the team, etc. And don’t forget to factor things like bonus money, new contracts for RFAs and Doughty’s contract. 4) No, I haven’t heard anything about Moller’s feelings on that. Might be a good question for the prospects camp. Thanks for the idea there.

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Question: How are the negotiations going with Sully and Stoll. Are you aware of other teams offering a contract to Sully. Do you see DL making any more trades to improve the team. Do you see him making any trades to reach the minimum cap requirement. What’s the situation with Cloutier. Are we stuck with him next season.

Answer: 1) Proceeding as normal, it seems. Obviously nothing is done but if there’s any panic out there, I’m sure not seeing it. They’ve had Stoll for less than a week, so I’m sure there’s a feeling-out process there. 2) No, none. 3) I could definitely see Lombardi trading a lower-level prospect and/or later-round draft pick for a “bridge” defenseman. Actually, as I look at the list of remaining free-agent defensemen, that almost seems more likely than a signing at this point. 4) No, I don’t see Lombardi making any trades specifically to reach the cap floor. Doesn’t seem as though that will be necessary. 5) Cloutier’s contract situation is “on hold.” It’s likely headed to an arbitrator. Either way, he won’t be playing anywhere. Either he’s bought out or he’s on a long-term injury situation.

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Question: I read on another message board that the ticket reps for the Ontario Reign and telling people that the Kings are dropping the Reading Royals as an affiliate. After checking the web for any kind of confirmation this was found… Any idea on this?

Answer: I don’t really have any contacts in those circles but I’ll see what I can find out. AEG owns a chunk of Reading, and it was my understanding that the Kings would continue to supply some prospects, but perhaps Reading has found another full-time affiliation.

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Question: Why the contract delay on O’Sullivan? Does Lombardi let Jeff Soloman do most the negociation? When does Dean get involved? Soloman’s title is director of legal affairs and hockey operations. How does his role break down? How much is legal and how much is hockey? Lombardi seems to rely on him a lot for CBA and salary cap issues for the team. But most fans do not know who he is, but he seems to provide a crucial role in palyer contracts.

Answer: Yes, I get the impression that Jeff Solomon is a name that some people aren’t familiar with. He’s a crucial part of the contract process, and every team has someone like him working the numbers. He’s Lombardi’s right-hand man in terms of the numbers and making sure everything fits together with the budget and the salary cap, not only in the current year but for five or six years to come. Contracts, especially in this era, can get complicated, so Solomon is there to keep things straight. Lombardi is unquestionably the one who decides which players to go after and how much to pay them. There’s no doubt about that. I hope I explained that sufficiently…

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Question: I’ve never been to the prospects camp. When and where is it and can I just show up? Any whispers of coach’s names in the air? I remember DL saying at the draft that he would interview Johnston again soon. Did that happen (assuming I remember correctly)? Who do you see making the jump from juniors or Reading to Manchester this next season? It seems like if a few or all of Martinez, Purcell, Boyle and Moulson get promoted that leaves that team a great deal weaker.

Answer: 1) Hopefully today, I will get the official schedule for the camp. I believe that on-ice workouts will start Tuesday and finish on the following Sunday. That’s how it has worked in the past. And yes, for the workouts you can just walk on in. I’m not sure if they plan on charging anything for the scrimmage that is usually held at the end. I’ll get details on that. 2) No real whispers on coaches, because the Kings are still in the early stage of getting their list together. Perhaps once they start actually interviewing people, names will begin to surface. 3) The Kings haven’t talked to anyone since their two initial interviews with Johnston. They will talk to him again during the formal interview process. 4) There were a ton of young players in Manchester last season, so while that team might be a little weaker by losing the three forwards, that’s pretty much the point. In the AHL, you’re much, much less concerned about winning and more concerned about getting guys ready to the NHL. If holes are left by guys moving up to the NHL, that’s a tremendously positive thing. In terms of filling those holes, there should be good competition in training camp.

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Question: I’m curious how many words per minute you type? What is your feeling about Kings ownership and their commitment to the youth? I am fully on board with the strategy of building a team the right way, but with Lombardi talking a lot lately about ownership pushing even more to the youth movement, I can’t help but feel they might be really pushing for the “cheap” movement.

Answer: Good question. I don’t think I have ever taken a typing test. But my mom is an amazingly fast typist so I’m sure I got that skill from her. I do think ownership has made the commitment to “youth,” but I think you raise a good point about the “cheap” movement. Do I think that’s their motivation? No. But I think AEG always has one eye on hockey and one eye on finances, to put it politely. That’s why I think fans should always be aware of what’s happening. That’s why it surprised me when I posted a poll and 60 percent of people said they didn’t care that the Kings were losing money. Really?

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Question: when do u think the rebuilding plan will start bearing fruit? This year, next year or beyond? Is part of Lombardi’s plan to not be active in the UFA mkt bc he wants to not only give the kids a chance, but also to put us in a position for a top 5 pick in next year’s draft as well? Thanks for all you do!!

Answer: It should start bearing fruit this year. But that’s largely a matter of what you consider “bearing fruit” to mean. If you think it means making the playoffs…well, you might end up being very disappointed and angry in April. If you think it means seeing some of these young players develop and turn into legit NHL players…well, you definitely should see that happening this season. If it doesn’t start happening with some of these guys, that’s a big problem. As far as the second part of the question, it sounds as though you’re asking if the Kings would intentionally be bad to get a high draft pick. That’s not even a possibility. I’ve been around pro/college sports for more than a decade, and these are incredibly competitive people in these fields. They don’t intentionally lose. But I understand your question and why you ask it.