Cloutier update

Good ridance. Once and for all.
Hopefully, DL won't senselessly waste other people's money on an injured player, by signing them to a contract before playing a single game.

SHAWEET!!

aaandd ah BUH BYE

Just go away Dan, you're not wanted. You'd think some people could get a clue...

This is a beautiful day in Kings history.

that money will buy a lot of nights at the Motel 6 in the town where Clout's will be playing roller hockey next season. Thanks for the mem.... oh wait! Just make sure that you close the door firmly behind you. Good luck.

I never thought that Cloutier was a good GK, but you can't blame him for wanting an additional half mil for not doing anything. Wouldn't you?

Let's blame Lombardi and Crawford for this crappy contract. Idiots!

Don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you Dan. Good riddance.

@Chuck

To be fair, Cloutier was trying to salvage a million dollars. If you got laid off tomorrow, you might do whatever it took to get the maximum grievance package possible.

the nerve of this guy not walking away and accepting the buyout. does anybody know cloutier personally? here is one guy that i hope fades from memory quick. horrible acquisition, horrible effort, horrible netminder. I don't know why anyone would have thought he'd be good for the Kings when he constantly failed for a pretty darn good Vancouver club.

Does anyone know when Cloutier sustained this latest injury? Seems to me he was just fine when he was bitching about not being called up in January.

He may go down in infamy as the worst Kings goalie ever, which is quite a feat given winners such Jamie Storr and "Blue Line" Stauber that have graced us with their baseball hat-wearing prowess over the years.

He can get ready for some tough games against Ray Emery in Russia next year.

Props to Inspector Cloutier for getting the Kings closer to the salary cap floor this season. I can say with all certainty that this contribution is the most valuable thing he had to offer during his tenure as a King.

old time hockey - I think you're underestimating the quality of the Russian league. I doubt, seriously, the Kings could match up with any of their teams right now. I don't really know, its just my uninformed opinion.

Any Russian Kings fans that know about the KHL out there?

You say a arbitrator will still over see all this in weeks/months right? So does that mean this could still be overturned? And Cloutier would remain a King?

MW and Don,

I coldn't agree more.

old time hockey, do you remember Markus Mattson, Gary Laskoski, Doug Keans, Al Jensen etc etc

I think even if, for some reason, the buyout is overturned, the Kings would just put Cloutier on the long-term IR to keep him away from the team and the young players. Then, when his contract expires, he's gone. I think in that case (long-term IR), his salary wouldn't count against the cap, right? The only problem is we'd have to pay him his full salary.

Anyway, I rooted for the guy in the beginning, but I officially can't stand him now for how he's acted in recent months. The day we get rid of this albatross once and for all can't come soon enough.

Unless he bribes someone on the 9th circuit...Thank God and Greyhound He's Gone...

And over at Beachball 6 we'll give you the best in comfort...and hey...we'll even leave the goal light on for you...

the arbitration will just determine how much he is owed--the buy out or the whole contract. Either way Cloutier is gone from the Kings. The Cloutier experience is a reason for the Kings not to adopt the Fliers "once a flier always a flier" mantra.

As bad as he was, props to Mr. C for showing guts. He was a gutsy dude who was hurt and played bad. I anonymously say this even though I think the Kings should have suited up Willsie in goalie pads and played him over Clouts.

Drops to Mr. C for taking contract money while hurt.

I must rise to the defense of both Stauber and Storr.

MW, Don, and McGroyn: Totally agree. As much as Cloutier sucked, we’d all do the same thing in that situation. It’s just another unfortunate business side to pro sports. Anthony and cristobal: Once again, thanks for bringing yet another post down to your level. You couldn’t be more shortsighted.

Finally!

I wish we had never gotten him in the first place.

Now, Dean, you get out of this one ok mainly because a large majority of fans despise the guy and just want his name off the roster. Period.

Also, you got out of the Visnovsky contract just in the nick of time. The fans seem fairly split on this one. I like Lubo allot, but I'm glad the trade was made nonetheless given the circumstances. I think, in time, the people who wanted to keep him will not mind so much.

Handzus? Preissing? Everyone wants them to play well, earn their money and help with the building process. But, if they falter badly, than that's a problem. Throw on Blake, McCauley, and to a lesser extent, Nagy, Thornton, Willsie and Calder and the overall picture dims a little.

I think most fans, including myself, want the Kids to play and to get 'paid', when they earn it. No more old guys unless they're short term and cheap.

You're doing a good job building. You need to do a better job spending.

While I understand wanting to squeeze as much money out as he can, it also shows that he knows his career is virtually over. Had he thought he could play in the KHL, he would have let the buy out go through unhindered and maybe even ended up making MORE money in total between the buy out and a new contract elsewhere than he would if paid in full by the Kings while being under contract and not allowed to play. In a way it kind of demonstrates to me that hockey and competing aren't high on his priority list. Maybe they were, but certainly not now. I can't imagine him getting a contract anywhere after this fiasco. Though he definately isn't anywhere near the goalie he was 4 or 5 years ago, I still think he could have at least gotten a solid back-up job overseas. Ultimately I guess he is content with ending his playing career and doesn't want to uproot his family, which is understandable.

Woo Hoo! 1 million bucks closer to the cap floor!

Replace Storr and Stauber with Fuhr and Cechmanek as some of the worst goalies in Kings history.

Oh, and for all those thinking this gets us closer to the cap floor, in most breakdowns of our cap situation, Cloutier's 1 million buck buyout was already being counted.

@ Don

There's a difference between Cloutier. I GOOD at my job...

wavesinair - if you're implying that if you got fired and then tried to claim disability, i guess that says something about the level you are at. i haven't really felt that i've attacked others "commentors" character either.

cristo, i said your comments were shortsighted. that has nothing to do with your character. duh! thicker skin please. and again, your last comment about disability was not only shortsighted but totally skewed and illogical. the other guys made sense, you didn't IMO.

the main difference for the Kings is, it's either a cap hit (buyout voided, if he's injured), or a much smaller cap hit (buyout OK).

I don't buy it, no pun intended. he said himself near the end of last season he's finally healthy and ready to go. he never re-injured himself after that. the bottom line is he just stinks and can't compete anymore, if he ever could. a lot of guys have been unable to do well after an injury. that doesn't mean you're injured. age and ability also have something to do with it.

So is O'sully going to arbitration or what? I thought today was the day.
Also. . .
(THE KINGS NEED THE BIGGEST CAP HIT THEY CAN GET) I heard the only think keeping Habby and Havlat from LA is Kopi, the Blackhawks are holding the deal in order to get him (Johnson... which would send Cam Barker... or Matt Green in a straight trade) The gun at DeanO's head if you ask me, he has to get his team over the cap period. The hawks have options with two ways and waivers... If I were to bet Havlat Habby will be in a Kings Jerseys practicing with the team come september and Kopi will be in that great city of Chicago.
I am a season ticket holder of the the kings mind you.

folks, don't fret about the cap floor. cloutier's 1 mil is already included in the 29.5 mil that we are sitting at. look at hockeybuzz. the guranteed contracts and buyouts are listed on top = 29.5 mil. the contracts for the prospects and minor leagures are at the bottom. they are not included. also not included in the 29.5 mil are sully, stoll and richardson. additionally, doughty has not been signed yet either. if he makes the team, his salary will be included as well. just look at the players that will be on the team next year (most likely) and add them up, guessing on sully, stoll, richardson and doughty and you end up right around 40-41 mil. which just happens to be the cap floor. no sweat. hey everyone, relax, its summer...

Mike, I don't know where you're getting your information from, but you're dreaming if you think the Kings would trade either Kopitar or Johnson for Khavebulin and Havlatt. AK and JJ are two of the brightest future stars in the NHL and I doubt like hell they'll be going anywhere.

BTW, O'Sullivan is not arbitration-eligible.

The Beachball will go down in Kings history as the goaltender that made Ron Grahame look like Rogie Vachon...

The three worst all-time Kings goaltenders are as follows IN THIS ORDER

CLOUTIER
Grahame
Cechmanek

If Cloutier signs with ANY form of a Hockey Team and Plays. He should be charged with fraud. It would only prove that he in deed was not injured and that he just plain old sucked!!

Sincerely,

B-MEL

Hey Fuhr was old when we got him. Cechmanek was ok for a little while. Storr never impressed me. Too small and never lived up to the hype. And Blue Line, well a great college goalie, but scared the crap out of me with his roaming.

Dumthony- those are good candidates as well for the worst ever. My beef with Cloutier is that he was not terribly impressibe when we got him and he got worse -almost instantly. Left us with a nasty goalie controversy right away.

I don't blame the guy for essentially trying to get a bigger severence package, but that doesn't mean I want to see him weigh down the team next year as well. The team is still rebuilding and he was not going to help.

I know the Russian league is good. But, I don't think Cloutier is so terrible that he couldn't sign on with that league.

At least Stauber was entertaining and got your heart pumping from excitement. Cloutier just had your blood boiling from those behind the goal line shots from the corner that went in frequently.

Wavesinair I respectfully disagree. If you have any pride you take your lumps for your performance and behavior and move on and try for another job. This tissy should blackball him from anyone signing him now.

Get over it Mike, the Kings ARE NOT trading Kopitar!

none of those guys you mentioned from Chicago interest me in the least. and I'm sure I speak for pretty much all Kings fans, trading Kopi or Johnson is out of the question to get any of those stiffs, even the best of those which is Havlat.

even Matt Greene for Cam Barker straight up makes me ask: um... why?

I disagree with those claiming a severance package and it's okay for him to fight for every last nickel...If I performed at Cloutier's level, I would have been fired in the first month of my employment, but since Clouts is not an "at will" employee, like most of us (I'm assuming), he will have performed horribly and kept his job for over 2 years and made 7 million

Can any of you honestly tell me you have pulled that off or can?

Imagine this, you get paid millions to play hockey for a living, you do it for several years, the talent level begins to exceed your level, no one wants to employ you for hockey, so you start your current career a millionaire at age 30, Can you really feel bad for this guy?

Now take the flip side, we're customers paying for a product, how many times have you felt bad for the waiter that gave you horrible service? Did you give him an extra big tip because he didn't get along with management, but your dinner experience was terrible?
No, you probably stiffed the guy.

Why feel sorry for Clouts, any additional money he gets will come out of the Kings fan's pocket (knowing how AEG passes the buck) or experience, he doesn't deserve that.

I think Lombardi need to take a few lessons from Brian Burke. Burkie made the Ducks a legitimate Stanley Cup contender on yearly basis. By signing the right people at the right time Ducks won the first Stanley Cup in the history of California.
If they get Selanne back, they'll be even closer to their second Stanley Cup.
As for Kings, the money-saving, penny pinching approach will not help them to make play-offs.

um, did somebody on this blog actually utter the word "Burkie"? or did I just read it wrong.

anyway the Kings are not about making the playoffs at the moment. if they do it's gravy but don't expect it to happen. they are all about playing the kids and their goal is to develop players into pros, improve as a team, and not finish last in the West. reasonable progress

Burke inherited a team that was already good. As it stands now, the Ducks still have to shed salary. If Teemu comes back, they'll have to shed even more. I wouldn't mind; I love Selanne! It's hard to root for him when you don't root for the Ducks, though.

Burke, as has been said, inherited a great core of the team. He's probably done more damage since winning the cup, though, with some very suspect free-agent moves and cap maneuvering. He'll be fired in a year or two.

Burke won't be fired. His contract is up at the end of this coming season, after which he'll be named GM of the Laffs.

if Anaheim struggles this year, they may not let him get to the trade deadline. Although, Samueli might have a problem trying to oust him while incarcerated.

How the hell did you people get from Cloutier being bought out to Kopi being traded to the Ducks salary cap situation to Burke's job status? Come on people...focus..no wonder so many people at Kings games aren't watching the play on the ice...y'all have ADD.

If Burke is such a genius GM, how come the ducks are currently the highest of any team over the cap (without even having Selanne signed) and have over HALF (14 players to be exact) their roster hitting UNRESTRICTED free agency at the end of this year?

Here's something to think about with respect to the Kings' cap situation: There are a lot of teams that are already up against the cap limit, in cap trouble (anaheim, chicago), or are going to be in trouble (whoever signs Sundin, for example) that are going to need to dump players. The Kings are well positioned to absorb 1 or 2 large contracts, but not out of goodwill; some picks or prospects will be coming along as well.

J - Nobody called him a genius. We were actually talking about him making some blunders since the cup win.

Cristobal- that post was directed at the post from ATM that brought up the whole Burke thing.

Dan Cloutier never had a chance to recover from injuries to his hip area and was not smart enough when pushed back into service to think he could perform to his 2003 level of play. The injury bug never heeled. Cloutier shouldn't be the subject of such attacks from fans because KING'S Management and coaching offered to Make him a millionaire
but pressured him into service because of the contract to save face with Management and the fan base. Cloutier is just another example of how big maoney can backfire when an athlete does not meet the expectations of the large contract. It's not Clout's fault he wants the best for his family and his future. Grow up people. He may eventually find his way back to an NHL team ,,if not he made some money for his time in the NHL. Good for him!
It's a lot better than a lot of guys can say and more than most on this board can say. I say Re-hab up Clouts and sign a deal as a back up with little stress like Brian Boucher and you will find the way back as there is no substitute for experience. Ask Chris Osgood.

why dont u ask cloutier what is going on because i dont trust DL or Jeff maybe see the another side too

So the Kings are looking for a minority owner.. Maybe they could get back that Million or more loan they gave the Predator owner under the table. That fiasco is just coming out now and is probably illegal in the NHL. Hockey sense from the richest owners in sports is non-exsistant. When are they gonna realize in order to make big money you have to spend big money........

Why is Dan Cloutier back on the roster? Did the Kings mess up again? His it true Cloutier will be on Canadian tv to tell all?