Zatkoff to Manchester?

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Jonathan Quick’s promotion to the Kings is likely to have a trickle-down impact. It’s expected to be announced in the next day or two that Jeff Zatkoff will be promoted from Ontario (ECHL) to Manchester. J.P. Hoornstra, who covers the Ontario Reign for our sister paper in San Bernardino, blogged about the goaltending situation in the Kings’ system.

Reign: Movement in goal?

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  • anthony

    That would make sense.
    Putting him in a more competitive league will only help him improve his game.
    From the good things I hear, this kid has a shot to be our future #1 goalie.

  • anthony

    Who’s this Jonathan Boutin guy.

  • Sybil227

    I don’t know why people think calling up Quick means Lombardi is giving him the nod over Bernier. I think it’s exactly the opposite. While Ersberg is injured, LaBarbera will be the #1 ‘tender. Quick will be a backup. He’ll get a few games here & there – but most likely LaBarbera will be in net most of the time, and Quick will sit on his butt. Meanwhile Bernier gets the lion’s share of goaltending time down in Manchester to hone his development.
    Since I think that neither Quick nor Bernier are really NHL ready right now this is actually a huge plus for Bernier to be getting all the extra work & development time.

  • Ciccarelli
  • Marc Nathan

    Jonathan Boutin got signed to a PTO, so hold your horses on the Zatkoff move. (Though I suppose if it has long term implications, it should happen at some point.)

    Boutin is a former fairly highly touted prospect that was a 3rd round pick in the great draft of 2003 (the Nashville one, where the Kings got Brown, Tambellini and Boyle… instead of Phaneuf, Getzlaf and Corey Perry (LOL) … you know, after the Kings won the last 3 meaningless games of the season to go from getting the 8th pick to the 13th? You remember that, LOL…

    Anyway, Boutin was well thought of at the time and was as recently as last year still playing in Tampa’s system at Norfolk (AHL) but alas, he fell from grace, dipped well behind Karri Ramo and a couple of other Tampa goaltending prospects and shuffled off into obscurity. Manitoba had him on a PTO up to today, after he started the year in the ECHL with Victoria. He gave up 4 goals in his only game with the Moose (a loss) and Manchester signed him today.

  • Marc Nathan

    P.S. The Getzlaf comment was a joke…

    P.S.S. The Boutin thing makes TOTAL sense. Manchester is in Manitoba for a game, and needed a goalie. Boutin merely had to switch locker rooms.

  • EAT THE RICH

    What a different team this may have been if we’d had the draft position to acquire Phaneuf. Not only would we have a great defenseman, we wouldn’t have Dustin Brown. I think I’m glad we got Brown because the guys is quality in every area. F Phaneuf. hehe.

    It is a little disappointing that Getzlaf and Perry (i believe) were drafted immediately after Taylor took Tammy and Boyle, but Boyle may yet turn into a monster. I’m hoping. Did Taylor have a penchant for taking risks in the draft? Boyle was a high-schooler project at the time whereas Perry and Getz were likely much more all-around guys. Bottom line for Taylor is he got us Kopi, Brown, Fro, and Cammy in those few drafts, plus Visnovsky. Pretty damn good prospects despite many that say our prospects have never been better.

    I really like the look of some of Lombardi’s guys, however, and hope more is to come. I’m really starting to buy into the belief that he’s building from Ground Zero – Some valuable property but no structure to it.

    Where you at on the rebuild lately, marcnathan?

  • Marc Nathan

    I like more moving parts than I have since 80-81 (that was my team :) )

    I don’t care for Terry Murray on most levels, but appreciate the fact that he and the other coaches seem to have this team more prepared not to panic than we’ve seen under Crawford or Froggy (A. Murray)

    I’m not a fan of Lombardi’s because I think he’s smug and not as smart as he thinks he is.

    I think this team has far less depth than it can claim. Witness Bernier getting lit up so far for 3 goals tonight within the first half of the game in Manitoba and some guy named Dusty Collins is playing for them, along with Jon Rheault (who had been exiled to Ontario just 2 weeks ago.)

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Quincey

    HATE, HATE, HATE Ivanans and Calder (and Zeiler)

    NEED TO SEE MORE FROM: Brown

    NEED TO SEE MORE FROM: Simmonds

    NEED TO SEE MORE FROM: O’Sullivan, who is clearly my favorite player on the team, but now is the time for him to go on a tear…

    LOL, Totally not sold on JWTFJ… and wonder if he’s going to help the team or just be a liability. Time will tell.

    And Perry went 30th… they coulda, shoulda but wouldn’ta…

  • jet

    From the relatives back east, Zatkoff was one of the best AHL goalies last year. I am not sure you want to put that kind of pressure on Bernier. Plus, Zatkoff will get more games if he stays where he is until a permenant spot opens up.

  • EAT THE RICH

    MN – I’m coming around on Lombardi and Murray. I’ve even got this crazy idea Crawford was good for this team. He got some decent numbers going for the young guys and maybe that’s what they needed to learn. Now that they’ve got the confidence they can score, Murray’s teaching them how to play a complete game. I can’t argue with how the team looks most nights. I’m proud to be a Kings fan again, though I always feel I’m setting myself up for a letdown.

    Lombardi has come through looking good. For a long time I didn’t see anything there after 2 years in charge. All the moves looked bad. But how can we be seeing this if he didn’t know it was coming with patience. I don’t know how he pulled a defense group out of his hat like he did. Doughty steps right in, O’D settled everyone down, Quincey fell out of the sky to look like such a promising player, and Gauthier, Harrold, and Greene have played with a fire. I have to say, I’m dumbfounded.

    I think we need to see more from everybody. I think there’s a potent mix here and that with a few small changes could really surprise with a strong run. The schedule is against it, but they kinda seem capable of anything at this point. If only there was someone solid in net. If the team is bracing for the playoffs a deal has got to be made. If no Kings netminder wants to lay claim and be a force, we owe it to ourselves to get someone even if it’s short term.

    Hell, maybe Sean Burke is still in shape.

    Perry would still be in the AHL if he were a King. They’d have played him with Zeiler and Guliano on the 4th line for 3 minutes a game and then sent him back to manchester to work on his hitting. — I had to take one swipe.

  • mrbrett7

    Marc…

    Calder is gone after this year. Lombardi had to field a team.

    Simmonds. You want to see more? Does playing defense not count anymore? He’s freaking 20 years old! He projects to a 3rd/4th liner in the NHL for christ sakes. What more do you want from a rookie, playing in his 30th or so game?

    Brown…I too would like to see more.

    Kopitar…I personally am happy that somebody seems to have got through to him and made him realize that his is indeed 6’4″ 225lbs. He’s finally beginning to play like it. I may be his harshest critic.

    O’Sullivan…finally began to play better once he figured out that you can earn money by going to the net this season. I know you lost some teeth last year kid when you went to the net…guess what, that’s what dentists are for. Stop playing on the damn perimeter. That’s why he wasn’t getting ice time.

    Ivaness…can’t stand him, but at 2-4 minutes per night to protect some of these kids, I’m fine with it until Westgarth is ready.

    Bottom line is…Lombardi has made his share of mistakes, but if you can’t see the direction this team is heading, I don’t know what to say to you.

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