Morning update

Nice to see Jon Q. get the start tonight.

With the Yotes having bested us 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings I hope he turns out to be a difference maker.

Ersberg is the only player I'm most concerned with on that list.
The sooner he returns, the better our chances will get in making the playoffs.

Glad to hear that Quick will get the start in net tonight which will automatically give us a chance to win against a much improved Phoenix team as of late. It's also nice to hear that Ersberg participated in the morning skate and baring any setbacks should be ready soon.

Rich, what are your thoughts on the possibility that the Kings will make a trade for Khabibulin? Did you hear what top prospect's the Hawks were asking for in the deal? Personally, I think the Kings should just let Ersberg and Quick play the remainder of the season out, allowing Quick to gain that NHL experience that he needs and send Labs down to backup Bernier in the AHL. Labs has had his chances to establish himself as a true NHL netminder and its time to let him go since all he really has proven is that he can be a somewhat effective backup.

Thanks for all the great reporting you do for the Kings and their Fans - it's greatly appreciated.

Happy holidays Rich and all Kings fans!

Hopefully Quickie still has shutout on his mind as they face the dogs. It would be nice to beat them considering their success against the Kings. I'm sure the team is getting a much needed boost seeing Ersberg practicing.

Go Kings!

Rich,

Any word or update to the news of a possible trade between the Hawks and Kings? What were the prospects they were asking for prior to the deal falling apart before the roster freeze?

Great coverage and appreciate the constant updates on the team. Hope you had a great Christmas!

Well, I'm really not aware of any prospects that were discussed with Chicago. The proposed trade would have been a three-team deal, not a direct swap.

Don't rush Ersberg.

If he'll aggravate his injury, we can kiss him goodbye for at least 2 months.

Groin injuries have to be handled with care if you're a goalie.

Thanks Rich for the updates as usual! Hope you had an awesome Christmas.

As for the Kings... the sooner Ersberg comes back, the sooner Quick gets sent down. I know fans won't like that, but it's obvious that we're not going to see LaBarbera being put on waivers. Labs isn't that bad of a goalie. His numbers are as average as Ersberg. It's just a matter of the Kings playing better defense in front of him.

Goaltending issue aside, we really need to beat Phoenix in these two games. We're 7-1-1 against them in the last 9 games. That's unacceptable against a division rival.

I screwed up, I meant to say we're 1-7-1 against the Coyotes... and that THEY'RE 7-1-1 against us.

Rich can we play the "What If" game?

What happens if J.Quick has another good game tonight and Ersberg is good to go?

Which goalie gets left sent down? Everyone has a 2-way contract except Barbs right? (that's why he was stuck in Manchester if I'm not mistaken 2yrs back b/c he wouldn't have have passed the waiver wire)

shakes...

i think you go with who's got the hot hand. keep playing quick. if he does not get overloaded tonight and wins or plays very well, i would go back to him tomorrow night. if he's not good, i would start jlb.

i would try to keep ee out as long as possible and not rush him back. if jlb stinks, i go back to quick on monday and try to get ee into the next set of games.

These back to back with phx are a huge series for us - div games with a team we are going to be having it out with the rest of the yr- need at least 3 of 4 and better would be the st sweep - are we going with the same lineup as in columbus?? Quick will get a nice boost from playing at home- lets have a big turnout tonight @ staples - hope to see everyone there-

Was just wondering if Preissing was expected to play tonight?

@ jedi
Totally agree with you. I would think the only extra consideration is whether you want to keep Barbs in for a game or two more and trade him...although sometimes i feel like his trade value only goes lower the more he plays.

OR you line the goalies up in a gym and throw wrenches at them. If they can dodge a wrench then they can dodge a puck. The winner who dodges the most is sent down. The other two who stopped the wrenches stay.

Shakes/Red, re goalies:

I hope that if JLB is waived, he is then bought out. I would prefer Bernier and Zatkoff sharing the load in Manchester, than JLB bumping Zatkoff back to Ontario. Unless Zatkoff just isn't ready for the AHL (which I would say is nearly impossible), there really is no point in JLB taking up space needed for our prospects. I'm willing to bet DL will make the same calculation. The bottom line is, JLB is either an NHL goalie, or he's useless. We have too many prospects for him to take away ice time from anyone.

I hope that what happens is: when Ersberg returns, JLB is released. Then, Ersberg and Quick share duties, and if anyone falters, bring up the hottest of Bernier or Zatkoff. Those four goalies are all waiver-exempt so they can be moved up/down at will, and should be (in my back-seat driverish opinion).

Quisp, players can only be bought out during specific windows. Just before free agency and just after arbitration.

Shakes, wrench idea is way out there, even for sarcasm.

I don't mind JLB in manchester, he'll be a good back up for Bernier, and he's proven he can win in the AHL so it'll be some much needed experience on a young team.

Me, re "bought out"

I guess what I meant is, not dressed in Manchester either. I don't care how much he gets paid not to play, just as long as he doesn't play. I'm not staunchly anti-JLB; I just think Zatkoff needs the experience of playing in AHL games more than Bernier needs to learn from JLB's experience as a pro goalie.

Hey guys,
Hope the Holidays are going great.
Can we send Labs down and make him available to waivers?
I think if he clears he's a good fit in Manchester.
Just like with Zeiler, I think these two should be retained within the system and integrated into the building of our system.
Both Lambs and JohnZ could do a world of good helping our incoming prospects round themselves out.
Who better to have than an experienced NHL guy and a man with the attitude of Zeiler to learn from?

Also, I don't know where the trade talk with Chicago is at, but I wrote some stuff about it if anyone is interested:

http://worldhockeydaily.wordpress.com/2008/12/27/khabs-over-labs/

DodgeBalls.
I know he's with another team, but I posted Dustin Tokarski's name as a possible guy the Kings should pursue in a trade.
He's looking fairly steady in the WJC's.
Also, an LA guy I keep tabs on, Robbie Earl, is in the Toronto system and appears to be struggling.
This kid was looking really good out of college but his numbers are really bad.
I'd love to see if we could get him for Labs.
Maybe he could get back on track in LA's system.
He's definitely fitting of the profile Lombardi seems to like as he can score and play the tight checking game.

PS - I can't wait to see Canada/USA in these WJC's.
nykingfan, how can you not pull for your country, amigo?
Hope your Holidays were great. Was there plenty of snow?

Does anyone know where to find the rules for the WJC's and the difference between this tourney and the NHL Rules?