You make the call

But Rich, seriously, ANYONE is better than LOLBarbara at this point. The last two games were enough to elevate him to Cloutier-level hatred in my mind.

Fantastic assessment Rich. You just layed everything on the table.

I think the Kings, win or lose should stay and follow the plan. The reality is that the established, elite goalies aren't going anywhere and the only ones that you can get are good backups. They your're pretty much right back where you started and worse, you gave up some prospects to do so.

That being said I think they should give both the Jons a good look. Quick first then Bernier. Keep Labs as a pure back up and hopefully Ersberg heals completely and can pick up his game where he left it.

Hopefully at the end of this bump, the Kings are still in the hunt for a playoff spot.

1. Waive Jason (he will clear waivers no one will take him) once he clears to the Monarchs to ride the bench. Let Jeff be the #1 in the A.
2. Call up Bernier
3. Let both Jonathons play and see which one can rise to the challenge and go from there.
4. Pray for a speedy recovery for Erik and no setbacks.

I have to assume there is not a good deal out there for guy who is a long term solution. If someone knows of one, please present it.

So from there, I don't see an issue with making a stop-gap move to bring in a veteran if he doesn't cost anything essential to the future.

Having said that, I don't think it's likely we make a move like that. I thnk we should probably alternate Labs and Quick for the next two weeks and see where that gets us. If Quick plays well in his starts, well give him the chance to play more. If not, don't.

As for Bernier, I have to think there is a better way to gauge if this guy is ready for prim-time than "giving him a look". Shouldn't the coaching staff of Manchester and LA have a clue on this to some extent? Do they think Bernier is ready? Seems like Quick got the call because Bernier is not in that position, and if that is the case, I don't see any point in rushing the kid and endangering the future.

Good idea Rich.

As for me, I have every bit of confidence in Ersberg.
I truly believe he has the tools to become a legitimate #1 goalie.
First thing, get rid of Barbi. Period.
Ersbergs MRI results were negative. He'll be back soon.

I say, give Quick a chance to hold the fort until the Iceberg returns. If Quick doesn't pan out, then give Bernier a shot to hold the fort. If neither are up to the challenge, then we lose some grounds in standings.
But at least the youngsters get some well needed experience.

No team will trade their top goalie unless they're getting a lot in return.
I don't think its time to trade a 1st pick and a couple of prospects for a goalie yet.
Not until it can be proven that the youngsters are a bunch of busts.

Dont Panic.... Stay the course!

I can't imagine them bringing La-Icantstopashotifthenetwasaninchbig-Barbara back next year and the defense is worlds apart from last few seasons. I don't care which guy (Quick or Bernier) but try them as a stop gap until Ersberg (who should be #1!!! and IS a franchise goalie) gets back.

Unless ALL us fans are totally blind to some unseen asset or skill-set Jason possesses then management needs to remove their heads from the sand and ditch the bum.

I'd take Vokoun if the price is right.

This means the Kings are stuck in this between a rock and a hard place. But there is a simple solution. Put Labs on injured reserve for whatever reason for the duration of this road trip. Call up Bernier and give the two kids a chance to play. The team has nothing to lose at this point. I don’t think they will do any worse than Labs. They may even surprise every one and win a few until Ersberg comes back.

Roger

My Christmas Wish:

Start ANYBODY in goal as long as it is NOT Jason LaBarbera!

If we're watching a Kings game and he's the starting goaltender, my kids and I know immediately that there is little or NO CHANCE of winning that game. You can see it in his teammates' confidence (or lack thereof) when JLB is between the pipes.

Also, that FREAKING RIDICULOUS STARE that he gave to Drew Doughty after the final goal last night should be Laughingstock LaBarbera's one-way ticket to Manchester. Doughty has saved the Kings' rear ends many, many times already this season - we don't need JLB's pettiness to erode this future All-Star defenseman's confidence.

JLB, don't let the gate to the players' bench hit you in the butt on your way to the minors!

Any answer but A is acceptable to me at this point.

The one thing to consider, that I've thought about a whole lot since Ersberg's injury Monday night: The Kings are playing so much better defensively, does the "we don't want to rush Bernier (or Quick/Zatkoff, whoever) and risk ruining their confidence..." still hold water? The Kings aren't giving up a ton of quality scoring chances, they simply need at this point a goaltender who doesn't lose games for them. What's the harm in letting one or more of the kids have a shot at the job now?

LaBarbera is turning out to be Cloutier: Part Deux on the ice. At this point I don't think there's much risk of ruining the future by giving one of the kids a shot, and it seems like the organization owes it to the fans to put a lineup on the ice that has the best chance to win games. Right now that would not include Jason LaBarbera. I'd love to see LaBarbera put on waivers, and when he clears, sent to Manchester. He can work the bench door just as well there.

I completely agree with Anthony.

We're not going to get anybody good unless we're willing to give up prospects and the team is not in a position to do that now.

The Kings need to ride it out, hope Quick pans out, or find away to win games without going to shootouts.

Keep Labs for now, until EE is back and we confirm he's healthy. Give Quick a couple starts right now, let's see what he does. If he shows potential, keep him to back up EE and waive Labs. If not, bring Bernier up and see how he does.

Either way, Labs needs to go. His play is too uneven. He makes a few good saves but lets in way too many soft goals. Plus, no NHL goalie should be unable to stop nearly 100% of breakaways/penalty shots/shootouts shots. I'm sorry but that's just something he needs to be able to do to play in the NHL.

In my opinion the correct answers are b, c and d. Obviously b and c are temporary until d is accomplished and/or Ersberg is healthy. But I think I’ve seen enough of LaBarbera, and he should have played his last game in LA. He was a real prospect before he blew is groin muscle two years ago, but he has never been the same since.

So Quick starts in Buffalo, we call up Bernier, we send LaB to Manchester if that is possible if not, waive him, buy him out or shoot him, but let him go. The decision then becomes do we write off this season and take a chance with Quick/Bernier and Ersberg or do we get an established #1. My choice is the latter, I think we can do it without severely derailing our long term plans and we’ve shown in the last two weeks that we are a good enough team to compete in the playoffs – hell, we’re tied in points for the 8th spot now even though La B has cost us at least half a dozen points. And yes, an 8th place finish would be a great step forward for the franchise and the young core who have never played a playoff game, never played in a game that meant something and are in danger of getting used to losing. I think Ersberg is a terrific back up goalie and a dicey #1. Quick and Bernier are still about a year away. In hindsight, we should have gotten Khabibulin as a stop gap when we had the chance, but there must be someone out there who could be had, and I’m sure the geniuses on this site can suggest someone.

Anthony, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Ersberg is our guy for this season and next until a youngster is ready to topple him. For now, let's see what Quick's got. If he comes up with a strong performance, play him again. Hell, maybe he can play solid enough to either a) play every game till Ersberg returns (unlikely), or b) (hopefully) split time with labs, outplay labs, and when Erbserg comes back take over as backup to Ersberg and put the final nails in labs coffin.

Stay the course, don't trade for a goalie! There is not one player I want off this team other than labs. Yes, even Ivanans and Zeiler can stay.

I think this team can make the playoffs with Ersberg in net. I think our best bet is for Ersberg to recover quickly. Quick may surprise, but don't count on it. However he deserves to be given a chance, especially in light of last night.

Everyone did say all of last year that the only reason Bernier was sent down was because the team wasn't ready for him, well now there is no question the team is steady enough to give a young goalie some confidence. Let's see it. I still want Bernier fermenting into greatness though.

Rich, don't you think that if DL had had a chance to upgrade the position via a trade, he would have done so already?

I understand that DL is trying to bring Bernier along so he'll fit right in, but.... there is also the chance he won't. I am surprised that no one here has made any mention of the BlueJackets Steve Mason. He was the guy who took over for Bernier in the World Jrs and went on to play the rest of the games for the Gold medal winners and was voted MVP of the series. Mason was drafted in the 3rd round 69th, Bernier 1st round 11th overall. Now is it that Mason is a more mature player then Bernier?? I don't think so, I think he is being given a shot at becoming #1 for the BlueJackets and playing very, very well. Last year Bernier beat the Ducks in his first game and then the team in front of him went to hell in a handbasket, so now we have a team that is limiting the shots, scoring and playing great "D" why not bring him up and play behind a team that could possibly make the playoffs....... IF ........... they have not just an elite goaltender, but one that can come up with that one save that is needed per game. LaBarbra is not that type of goaltender. What else surprised me, was that Columbus called Mason up from Jrs. twice. These are Mason's stats:

Year Team Lea GP W L T Min GA SA SO
2008-09 Columbus NHL 15 9 5 1 912 29 411 2
GAA Save %
1.91 .929

all things considered, i did not think we would be where we are right now. meaning, i didn't expect the team to be as 'good' as they are.

in some ways i'm psyched that we are having to have this difficult conversation. as i say this, La-SLOB-ra is losing us games that we could have/should have won.

i would feel a lot better with Easy E in goal although i do not think he has shown anyone he can be an NHL #1 goaltender.

short answer - stay the course w/o La-Slob-ra

I think we gotta do what we can to get Toskala from Burke. But, of course... don't mortgage the farm for anything. I wouldn't be against giving Quick and Bernier strong looks though. Anything's better than what we have.

No short term fix trade that costs us depth in the system. The key guys have bought into this team being a multi-year project, and signed long term deals as a consequence. I'd rather miss the playoffs this year than sacrifice for some short term supposed confidence builder of making the #8 slot with the almost-inevitable first round elimination.
On the other hand, if Luongo became available for a 9th round pick in '11.... (for you stars fans who may not recognize humor, that was a joke).

As much as I don't like watching JLB in the net I think we are stuck with him. Quick deserves a shot, if he does well ride him until Ersberg comes back. If not then we need to go back to JLB, it's only two weeks (hopefully) six games from now. This little road trip is going to be tough. They could very easily lose all three games!
The short term is stick with what we have (very sad), long term put JLB on the bench 90% of the time, let Ersberg be number 1 for the rest of this year. If he does well-sign him long term and let the best other goalie in next years camp come up and take JLB's locker! The fun part will be seeing where he ends up, maybe he can play in Bakersfield with Fukafuji, JLB could be his back up :)

(1) no trades for goalies.

(2) waive JLB ASAP.

(2a) If he clears waivers, do not play him in Manchester. Give the games to Zatkoff.

(3) bring up Bernier.

(4) rotate Bernier and Quick.

The argument for not keeping Bernier up last season was they didn't want to damage him by throwing him to the wolves. This year, there are no wolves. The predicted-to-be-porous defense is actually solid. Kings goalies see fewer shots, fewer true scoring chances, and receive more support, than Manchester goalies. The time to play Bernier (and Quick) is now.

Well, we've already posted this on craigslist to give DL a head start..hehehehe...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/wan/962707694.html

I`ll take the kid in the batting cage of happy gilmor over JLB at least he gets in front the shot Jason has lost the respect of the fans and the team .

Cheers Ciccareli,

Glad to see we're eye to eye on this one.
You really cracked me up when you started to hunt me down on the HF Boards site.
Especially when you made that comment "C'mon Anthony reveal yourself". With that Mohawk figure nodding his head up and down.
That was cute.
I loved it.

The Kings cannot move both Quick and Bernier to the big team -- that would leave Manchester in a hole and they're not going to do that - Quick and Labs until Ersberg comes back is good. If Quick has issues, then send him down and bring Bernier up for a try - but Bernier is not ripping it up in the AHL right now.

IMO, trading for a proven goaltender is not a realistic option for the Kings right now; cost and length of contract, as well as sending a message of no-confidence to the other goalies would be counter-productive.

Playoff experience is important, but realistically, how far would this team go in the playoffs? Is it more important than the steady, consistent direction this team has taken?

I'm pretty much in the dump Labs camp. You can't have a goaltender that you know will lose in the shoot out.

Maybe we could trade for Garon, Huet, or Legacy? Just kidding. We went young with the rest of the team. Why not give the young goaltenders a chance? I agree that Ersberg has shown enough to be played as a #1 for the remainder of the season.

I'll put it another way: Ersberg is probably out for ten games. That's ten games to use to the Kings' advantage. The bold move would be to waive JLB today, bring up Bernier today, and give each of Bernier and Quick five games. The one who plays better stays when Ersberg gets back. The less bold but still acceptable move is to give Quick all ten games until Ersberg gets back. The only unacceptable move is for Jason LaBarbera to start ever again.

That he sucks has been tolerable under the circumstances (of past seasons when the Kings sucked as a whole). It's less tolerable now. What is absolutely intolerable is what another commenter referred to as "The Look." The Look has turned any residual sympathy I might have had for LaBarbera and turned it into one giant f you.

Ten games for Quick.

or

Five games for Bernier and five games for Quick.

Play Quick and go from there. We need to see where these prospects are at because the question remains not only what to do this season, but who's in goal for next season. It seems that all anyone knows is that it can't be Labs, so we have to start getting a look at what these prospects can do at the NHL level. No matter how they perform it gives insight to their game, and Labs is a true detriment. We most likely won't make the playoff with him in net nor will we get a look at the kids. No reason to play him anymore.

Leave Bernier in Manchester where he'll get most of the work and continue his development + Have Quick share the schedule with LaBarbera until Ersberg gets back + Do not trade for a goalie when the Kings already have Bernier, Quick and Zatkoff developing in their pipeline = I'd rather the team not make the playoffs for one more season than throw away prospects/draft picks for a quick fix that will be gone in a season or two anyway. If you build it Dean, they will come... wait, did I just reference a Kevin Costner movie? Excuse me while I punch myself in the face. Stay the course Deano.

Dwayne Roloson is a free agent at the end of the season. If we have the cap space for his market value, and we can ink him for at least 3 years, make a deal.

Every true contender has to buy what they need at some point. Development isn't 100% of the answer. My guess is that Deano is poised to do something towards the deadline.

Let LaBarbera sit. The skaters are busting their collective asses, and if he can't stop the pucks he SHOULD stop, then all the hard work the rest of the team is doing is for nothing. I have never been more upset with our goaltending as I was last night, and that's saying alot, given the Kings history in that department. I agree with everyone else who says bring Bernier up, let him and Quick get some quality time in. I'VE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE in JLB, and I think his ridiculously poor play is extremely detrimental to all the progress the rest of the team has made.

how bout we trade one of those defensive prospects that probably wont even make it to the NHL (like martinez/piskula) or maybe we trade harrold or preissing and calder...we have options to trade players who wont mean much to our system in the future for a stable goalie...but lets at least try the youngsters first...they cant be much worse...

Lets face it, Dean isnt going to trade for another goalie, or send labarbera down. We are stuck with him just like we were stuck with Cloutier for a while. Well have to wait till next year to offload him. Playing two rookie goaltenders isnt much of a good idea in my opinion.
I think a trade for a established veteran will bring a little more stability while allowing Quick and Berneir some playing time, and when Ersberg gets back let all three complete for either a starting spot or the best two out of the four earn the two roster spots.
Unfortunately its hard being a kings fan because what we want and think never happens. We will be stuck watching Labarbera let in soft goals to give away the game in OT. My guess is quick plays solid but Labarbera is still given the #1 spot till Ersberg comes back. Then well its all up in the air.
First post... how'd i do?

Losing wears on a person I don't care how old you are. Not making a move might prove more costly than making one. Lombardi isn’t going to get much if he’s using only second tier prospects and 3rd or later round picks. Lombardi is going to have to give value to get value.

Bernier and Quick likely aren't the answers at this point. There's a reason or reasons why they found themselves in Manchester this season. Neither appears to be having a hey look at me season down there so far. Rushing players up the bigs to fill holes is never a good idea.

Ersberg hasn’t been that much better than LaBarbera and I expect his numbers will decrease as the losing starts to take its toll on the team.

Lombardi really needs to bring in a veteran goalie that can help this group.

Here's what everyone who says dump LaBarbera doesn't get. What does it do to your team to cycle through 3-4 different goalies that don't work out?

No doubt Babs is showing that he cannot be a #1 guy. However the team has managed to keep it close w/ him in there and it sucks that he has failed to deliver those big game saving stops. But each time you bring a new goalie in the team has to adjust for a multitude of factors. How does new guy handle the puck behind net, does he give up fat rebounds and I should hang in slot to clear or does he steer rebounds into the corners?

Maybe team is better off making a minor adjustment to the fact that you can't count on Babs to make that stellar save when the game is on the wire. Quick should get a look on this road trip and if he earns a win reward him w/ another. When Ersberg returns reevaluate ................

As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Anthony, not his scenario, but the premise.

You keep Hanah as the backup.

You give Quick the lion's share of the time in net between now and when Ersberg is ready. I disagree with the premise that he hasn't proven he can be a #1 and he can hold up. #1's pull groin's all the time, and I believe he has already proven to his team that he is their starting goaltender, and that is all that matters.

If Quick isn't up to the task, give Bernier a shot. But either way, with how improved the defense is (how shocking is that?), the amount of quality chances the goaltenders are seeing is less anyway.

The offense will need to step up though. No more excuses...with the talent we have, we need to be scoring more than 2 goals/game. You score 3 goals per game, and that will go a long way to helping solve the goaltending problem.

anything but a

Guys, I watched the game in ny, so going to sleep right after the OT goal was not pleasant! Last year I really pulled for JLB. Something just dawned on me (seriously) right or wrong, but it seems as though he does better facing More shots but not so well when the chances against go down and he just needs to make some key saves. I wonder if anyone else thought of that? I agree with everyone here who says there is no way we can trade for a true No.1 goalie. I think an organic approach is best... and that doesn't mean calling up both Bernier and Quick. That's a knee jerk reaction in my pov.
I agree that for the foreseeable future Ersberg is the guy, and whoever backs him up should be determined by the goalie who plays the most solid behind him. BTW I read in the attached blog, this story on goalkeepers whose SV% has improved from last year and also those that have dropped. Ersberg's has dropped, so important to stay realistic. But I absolutely agree that he gives the team the best chance to win and seems to make the saves he has to make.

Make a change to Quick or Bernier, waive LaBarbara, but keep him in Manchester and have DL keep his eye out for an inexpensive veteran.

Alternatively, can we dress Ranford? Or hey -- what about Vachon?

Sorry, forgot to attach the blog that lists the stats for Save Percentage.
Here it is.

http://www.fromtherink.com/2008/12/16/695051/goaltenders-who-s-up-and-w

Nice Anthony, good to see you're finally on board with DL's master plan by not pissing away draft picks! Next thing you'll be giving some credit to TM for the great job he's doing..;)

Did the Kings, in hindsight, make the wrong move by sending Bernier back last year? Is he a better goalie today than he was when they sent him off? Should he have been given the chance to develop along with the rest of the young Kings players? To become truly a part of this core group? He certainly hasn't become the "crown jewel" we all hoped for down there and the goalie position remains the Kings achilles..

I just read mrbrett&'s comments re: the offense stepping up, and I absolutely agree with what he says. The Kings are vastly improved compared to recent years, but two goals a game just isn't gonna get it done if we're talking not only making the playoffs but goings somewhere in the playoffs.

Rich, it certainly won't come as a surprise that most Kings fans are fed up with Labarbera. His inability to make key saves or even ANY saves during shootouts/breakaways have become legend in fan forums. Worse, it seems apparent the Kings themselves have lost confidence in him. After he misplaced the first Rangers goal last night, on only their 3rd shot, the team seemed to drop several notches in intensity.

Release him NOW. Go with the kids in goal until Ersberg recovers - isn't that what the Kings are doing on the ice anyway. Just plz don't put Labarbera in net for any more Kings games.

Take Khabibullin from Chicago, You could probably get him for a High round pick because Chicago just wants his salary gone. If he does not get us close to the playoffs, I am sure we could unload him at the deadline for an even better draft pick.

If we make the playoffs with him, Great. he is still unrestricted at seasons end so we can let Bernier take it over next year.

Just my thoughts.

number 6,

I had the same exact thought about labs being better against more shots. I think I saw it brought up in an earlier thread as well.

My pessimistic reading of it is that labs gets more confidence when the team is playing only mediocre hockey. Deep down he knows he is mediocre, so when the team plays to his level, he doesn't have to worry so much that he will be the guy who lets the team down because, hey, they didn't play all that well either.

When the team plays awesome hockey, labs know he can't match up to that level of play, and from there the downward spiral of lost confidence rolls steadily closer to collapse.

Its backasswards, and like I said, a bit cynical in approach, but I really do think there is some merit to this philosophy on labs. I know a little bit about sports psychology, and while the specific train of thought in labs head may very well be a bit different than my assessment, I truly believe, after watching labs and his reactions/body-language/interviews/play/etc. for two+ years, that my basic premise is true.

Well we are gonna be in Buffalo, Detroit, and Columbus I believe correct... so I say we do this. Let Quick start the Buffalo game. Manchester is not that far away Bernier then gets his shot. Then yup, you guessed it Zatkoff gets a shot. This gives us a look at our depth and renews the competitive streak each one of these guys has. Whoever plays the most solid game, comes back to LA as the guy who gets a look until Ersberg is back. Happy holidays these guys will also get a nice Christmas bonus seeing as how they make way more while up with the big club.

Labarbera stays on the bench watching younger, cheaper, better conditioned, hungrier guys play. As soon as Ersberg is back he is given his release to Ontario, where he can play out the rest of the season as the highest paid has been in the entire ECHL.

I would really like to see Bernier get the shot and show us that he's capable of being the franchise goalie. For reasons that we're not aware of...Kings management doesn't seem to think he's ready. They would know better than us.
I have no problem giving Quick some starts while Ersberg is out, but before we go overboard and waive Barbs (I was pissed off earlier when I said we should), what happens if Quick turns out to be the next Fukafuji (however its spelled)? Do we throw away our season because we are tired of seeing Barbs not live up to what we expected him to be?
I think his play has been brutal lately and I don't think he's anything more than a decent backup, but to make a knee-jerk reaction and waive him, puts enormous pressure on Quick and/or Bernier. You would be leaving rookies with no safety net until Ersberg gets back. Also, Groin pulls can be a tricky thing. Don't assume that after 2 weeks, Ersberg will be back to 100%.

It makes absolutely no sense to go out and get another goalie. The good ones are going to cost you the future...and the others that are available, are available for a good reason...they're not very good, or not worth the $$ they're getting. One man's junk isn't necessarily another mans riches.
This team has made great strides because they've stuck to the program of developing their own kids and watching them shine...now's not the time to abandon those principles.

E) Use Bailey as a back up until Ersberg comes back! I'd feel better about paying for 4 season tickets in the lower level if I was laughing rather than crying.

#6 and brett,

We need to score more goals, this is very true. However, we need to also win with 2 some nights when either a) we face a hot goalie, b) have sh** luckn and hit lots of posts or c) are in a tight defensive game. This is all especially true when talking about playoff hockey. Many a playoff game is won 2-1 or 2-0 or 1-0. When teams talking about "finding a way to win", it is exactly these types of games they are talking about.

Sure, Atlanta or Tampa can come along and score 5 or 6 goals and win a game here and there, and so can we, but the top teams are the ones that win the 3-2, 2-1 and 1-0 games. I keep mentioning it, and I hate to ever say anything good about the Quacks, but they made it to the playoffs a few years ago, and went deep, all the while scoring less goals than they gave up. Hell, Minnesota has been a playoff team and gotten past the first round entirely on defense and goaltending.

Now yes, we need some more goals in general. Over the course of the season the offense needs to turn it up a bit. We should AVERAGE about 3.2-3.6 GF per game in my mind. That will go a long way to making the playoffs and going deep.

None of that however, discounts the fact that we should have won (and would have with Ersberg in net) last nights game 2-1 or 2-0, and to be a playoff team we need to beat the best teams in the league in low scoring games.

I'd say stay the course. Give Quick a look. We know Labs isn't the answer and maybe a young goalie will be in the near future. In the mean time let Quick play until the Iceberg gets well. Waive Labs or just release his contract, he can't stop a beachball.

The waiver wire is the only practical and effective option for the Kings bc he has no trade value.

Whatever the monetary cost would be, it would still be a helluva lot less than what he is costing the Kings in terms of psychological damamge to a team that is ready to move up to another level and a fanbase that has had more than enough of his incompetence. Every game that passes with him on the roster is a game that retards the development of this organization by occupying a spot that should be held by someone the Kings have, minimally, med-long term plans with.

I would rather rotate Quick and Bernier, and have them go through their maturation period at the expense of losing some games, rather than continuing to lose at the hands of a goalie who has had his shot and is plainly unqualified to play at this level.

The Kings are looking to the future at every other position on the ice, but why are they are so desperately clinging to a failed experiment of the past in the most important spot? There's absolutely no reason for it. It's time to step it up.

hmmm... got signed out for some reason. Anonymous comment ^^^^ about scoring more but needing to win with 2 goals as well = me, for whatever record we nutty ppls keep.

JDM, I was interested to read your thoughts. Well put. You know what I thought of as well? The fact that JLB did so well that year in the minors, where clearly it seems to be a more open game with more shots against. I'm hoping that if Bernier's mechanics are solid, that at such time as he is ready (oh, and btw I would trust someone like Ron Hextall to judge that far better than most of us on this blog) then perhaps it will work out well.

Another point too is what Rich said in regards to what got Dave Taylor into a hole. I absolutely agree with that. Even if we were to end up in the bottom five this year which I don't think will happen, I prefer that to ending up in the No. 8 spot in the playoffs, four and out against SJ and a much worse draft position. Listen, last year was not pleasant. I'm sure that not one person on this blog thinks it was. But if there were no "last year" we wouldn't have Doughty. That's what I meant in my earlier post by having a more "organic" approach to the situation in goal. Try to work within the organization, don't do anything silly and appreciate the undeniable progress the team is making.

I refuse to pay money to watch JLB play, and will only watch a Kings telecast now if I know JLB is not the starter.

If the Kings care about losing money at all, they should put JLB on waivers.

Bring up Bernier and give both him and Quick an opportunity to start and try and win the #1 position. They've been battling in Machester, let them battle in L.A. too!

I just read nykingfan's comments and totally agree with everything he's said. Funny as I live in ny.

It makes absolutely no sense to go out and get another goalie. The good ones are going to cost you the future...and the others that are available, are available for a good reason...they're not very good, or not worth the $$ they're getting. One man's junk isn't necessarily another mans riches.
This team has made great strides because they've stuck to the program of developing their own kids and watching them shine...now's not the time to abandon those principles.

Especially the above bit. He's spot on. Well said.

Agreed number 6,

The only way I would be OK with an aquisition in goal would be on waivers if someone juicy fell to us. Like if Mason plays his butt off, LeClaire gets hurt so another guy gets called up and beats LeClaire out of his tentative number 1, turning into a back-up job, so LeClaire is the odd man out and is put on waivers...

Sadly, once again like last year with Bryzgalov, we wouldn't be low enough in the standings to claim him. Ottawa probably would.

Either way, build from within from within from within. The playoffs would be incredible, but I think we can get there with Ersberg, and I would be severely dissapointed to see DL knee-jerk anything and trade even one iota of our future away.

BTW Rich, with all this boiling over on the fans side of things, now would be an awesome time to get some thoughts from DL on the teams performance of late and whether he is tempted to shift gears a little bit in terms of the goaltending situation. Also to see if he still thinks that a big scoring winger is still the answer to our biggest hole like he indicated a few weeks ago to go along with Lie-weekly's comments.

DL had talked about maybe pursuing a bridge goalie in the off-season, but decided against it. Is he still happy with that decision?

I know these questions sound like I'd like DL to make a move, but really I'm just curious. If Rich could get some words in with the big man, I actually really hope that he is intent on sticking to his original vision.

Chicago has $11 million tied up in 2 goalies. Trade for Khabibulin now and the Kings are on the hook for only a prorated 3 months of his salary. Send them Preissing and a pick. Then at the trade deadline, deal Khabibulin to a playoff-bound team in need of an upgrade and get back at least a prospect and pick. The Kings only lose 3 months of prorated salary but the team gains confidence instead of having another season go down the drain with LaBarbera.

Dave Taylor traded a lot more than a pick or two and a prospect here and there. He also did it over more than the course of one season. With that said..

1) Don't trade just yet. Waive Lossarbera. Call up Bernier, and alternate them. If we slide a bit, but we stay relatively close in the standings, then..

2) Make a trade for JLB(if he clears waivers, but I doubt he would), a pick and/or prospects to get a goalie that we can sign for more than a season. I think the latter part is the key. If Bernier and Quick still can't manage the NHL yet, then keeping the new goalie the remainder of this season and next would be huge.

I really don't feel jumping ship to get a new goalie is ideal, but if the team has progressed(which it has) beyond our goalie talent, then it may not be so bad to get someone on board that's a cost effective addition.

DISCLAIMER: I'd only trade for a goalie IF Iceman comes back and struggles because of his injury and/or goes on extended IR.

No, not Khabi..that's a ridiculous idea. I'm thinking more like Vakoun or equivalent.

I'm afraid TM is going to ride LaBarbara until Ersberg comes back. It's the wrong approach but it's what's going to happen. It would be nice if the Kings could get Khabibulin for a reasonable price and use him kinda like they did Potivn and let Ersberg back him up. Not going to happen either. My vote is to let Quick start the next game and then go from there. If the kid performs, then let him run with it. LaBarbara just hasn't been able to raise his play to the level the rest of the team has been playing at. That said, the Kings do need to find a way to get more than 2 goals out of more than 40 shots. . .it might take some pressure off of him. They've been shooting like they've all gone to the "Joe Corvo and Rob Blake School of Shooting Wide or Into Defenders".

I doubt you guys would have been saying this after the loss to Colorado.

This is still a young team that will be inconsistent at times as well. I think we should give Quick a shot to see how he's progressed but if he doesn't excel let jason play until ersberg comes back. theres no reason to trade anything for a goalie.

I agree with most posters that the last thing we should do is trade for a goalie. I also agree that JLB, while he is fairly solid most of the time, has fairly poor mobility. His reactions aren't bad, but his ability to follow the shooter on breakaways and get his body in front of the puck is next to non-existant at this point.

I'd say give Quick a chance, rotating with JLB. If Quick falters, give Bernier a chance with JLB. I don't think there's value in bringing both Quick and Bernier up.... too much bench time.

I think Ersberg should be the #1 for the rest of the year when he returns. He's the kind of goalie who can actually win a game versus JLB who it seems you're just hoping doesn't lose the game.

Trade for Bulin or Vokoun
trade LaBabs and Taylor for one of them

Rich Hammond said, "If I'm Dean Lombardi, I probably make a trade, as long as it doesn't cost me anything I deem crucial to the future...and it brings me a stable, consistent No. 1 goalie."

I agree with this 100%. Neither resident goalie is the answer, and neither is Bernier. He is struggling something fierce in Manchester and bringing him up to get eaten alive in LA is going to be extremely counterproductive.

If a true #1 goalie can't be had without handing critical prospects over to the seller, then you have to ride out the season with what you have: Labarbera, Ersberg, Quick, and maybe Zatkoff.

It really is that simple.

Kings are #1 in least shot allowed, yet about 17th in goals allowed. That falls directly on goaltending. We need to make a move for a legit stop-gap Goalie. We would then make the playoffs and get some much needed experience and allow our young goalie's a non-pressure situation to grow. The team needs to have confidence in a goalie NOW!!! With the solid D we are playing our Offense slowing picking up, we a just a hot goalie away from the playoffs. Throwing in the young guys now is not only a detriment to them if they fall short but also to the rest of the team who continues to out shoot every opponent only to lose again....

Why are we always talking about this?? The shots against are down, the good oppportunities against are down and JLB continues to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I have to think that Bernier is ready to deal with what he will be seeing if they were to bring him up. I have enjoyed watching the other rookies so far this year so why not add him to the mix. If I never see JLB again in a Kings uniform it will still be too soon.

I don't know how many games you folks in LA have seen Bernier play this season - but in Manchester, he's nothing to write home about. I'd say average on a good night, at best. I don't think I've ever said, OMG, what a save. I'm not saying he won't turn into the #1, but currently I wouldn't say he'd be the #1 in Manchester.

Wow, Dorian! That Craigslist posting is pure genious! Definately belongs in the best of column.

I agree with the majority of the posts. I used to be a Labarbara fan until this season. Whenever the opposing team skates into the Kings zone I cringe with the thought of them sending even a little dribbler towards Barby. Please get rid of him.

Comparing him to Cloutier is not fair though.......... to Cloutier.

No short term fix for me either. I don't think the mindset should change from continuing the rebuilding plan. Let Quick get some time in until Ersberg is back. Labs has proven that he not only can't win a game on his own, but can't even make the basic saves to give his team a chance. Its ironic how everyone was so bummed that he was stuck at Manchester last year because of that waiver rule, and now, he's gaining a Cloutier-like status.

Was anybody truly expecting to be a playoff contender this year? If I recall, management even came out and said playoffs were not realistic. A team that is showing improvement and growth, and except for a few games, has been very competitive and been able to bounce back is more important than getting a stop-gap goalie fix.

As a Kings fan stuck in DC (and thus also a Caps fan), the answer is here: Jose Theoodore. He's terrible, basically lost his number 1 job and overpaid. Please, please, please take him off the Caps hands. I promise he'll be better than Cloutier was. Really.

Nice thread! Poor Labs. Hope he doesn't read this blog. His confidence is in the basement as it is. Too bad his game isn't what we hoped it would be. I really thought he'd get much better with time, but as I said in camp: it's time to start the young guys. Let them grow with this team. It was clear last summer that he would be the odd man out...now its time.

Best line in a comment award goes to JDM who said:

"fermenting into greatness"

Where'd you come up with that?

Hold the fort -- keep tanking for a few more years, then make the playoffs when the league is down to 20 teams or so.

I agree with the many who suggest it may be time to experiment with the young guys again, which is what is happening now.

Last year, Bernier was sent back to juniors to be spared from the undesirable conditions of playing in front of that defense (which, b.t.w. wasn't that a slap in the face to the defense last year?) and the possibility of negative side-effects in his development (namely psychological defects.)

This year is quite different: we have a really solid thing going on with our blue-liners, hopefully only ready to improve in a few weeks with the return of Johnson and the waive/demotion of Gauthier/Harrold (preferably Gauthier). The point is, goalies in L.A. are being treated to better defense and fewer chances than in Manchester, and with Bernier's sound positioning and technique, I think he can come up and succeed a la Mason/Price. But Quick has the shot now, so give him the bulk of the work while Ersberg is out and see how he handles it.

No point in giving up anything for a goalie unless it is a veteran player (Calder's trade value has to have risen with his recent performance, right?)

Stay the course, start Quick for now, hope for the best in Ersberg's recovery, do not let LaBarbera get away with recent antics (non-verbal-throwing-under-the-bus of our prized rookie defenseman) or the sub-par performance he is perfecting.

If Quick flounders royally and Ersberg takes a while, bring up Bernier and show confidence in him, maybe he'll return the favor. Once we have an established 1-2 of any of Bernier/Quick/Ersberg, part ways with Labs and wish him well.

The thing that concerns me the most is that these kids are working their asses off and not being rewarded with wins. Lombardi said he wanted to create a culture of winning. Well, if you play well enough to win and dont, what kind of culture does that create? LaBarbera simply should not be in the NHL. He is going to kill the confidence of the team (if he hasnt already) and thats the dangerous thing about this. We have enough goalies in the system to bring up and give them their shot so lets do it. Let Quick play a few games in a row and see how he does. If anything the team will rally around the kid and play even harder for him. And if Quick doesnt work out bring up Bernier and do the same thing. By the end of that Ersberg will be back and we will know enough about the future of our goaltending position. And their will be alot of teams that are up against the cap around the trade deadline that need to dump salary so who knows? maybe we can steal a player from another team.

I gave this some more thought. I don't think I'd trade for a goalie at all, unless it's like Luongo(haha, right).

Since our D(as mentioned by many), is really solid, let Bernier and Quick play wall Easy-E is out. I mean, how many quality shots do opposing teams get on us(in most games)? Not many, so the kids could really only miss making an occasional routine stop or two. And even if they do, they are right on par with Laholeinthenetera.

lol, well thank you waves.

What gets better with time? Goalies and wine. There you go.

You know, being able to vent like a madman after last nights game has me feeling a little better. I just watched a video someone made of Brown scoring and hitting for 4 minutes straight. I've got a nice infusion of positivity again, becuase this team really is overachieving and with each game it only looks less and less like just a fluke.

I love that a week ago, some of us were saying "Man we dominated that game" while others countered with "But we SHOULD beat Columbus and St. Louis"

Well, we played even better games against the top teams. So there goes that argument. We've looked like a playoff team for 3 games in a row, even if our record is 1-0-2 in those games. But hey, atleast its not 1-2-0, like it would have been last year. Ah, but we easily could have and should have been 3-0-0... damn, here comes that frustration again!

No, no. Gonna stay positive. We can beat the Wings! We can definately beat Buffalo. Both are offensive dynamo teams, and with Detroit, their goaltending has been a little suspect. Our stifling defense will surprise them, no matter how extra prepared they may get compared to when we would play these top teams last year. You can tell we are actually being scouted this season.

But anyways, they are weaker defensive teams who rely on lots of goal scoring, and since we are an awesome defensive team (that still sounds strange), we can easily frustrate a team like Detroit, and if we can silence Vanek, Buffalo doesn't have much else to back it up.

Kings come out with a fire and a passion after these two frustrating losses and play their way into 2 wins back to back on the road. 4-1 regaulation and 3-2 OT wins, respectively.

Great thread. Here are my two cents:

If you're just looking at this year, I think we should try to muddle through with what we have, particularly since I don't expect us to seriously challenge for a playoff spot.

However, I'm starting to question the premise that Bernier or Quick will be ready to take the #1 reins next year. If there is any doubt about their ability to lead us into the playoffs next year, we'll need to get a veteran who can. I'm undecided as to whether we should make that move now or wait until next summer.

thanks number 6...New Yorkers know better. LOL (i'm sure to catch sh** for that one)
Where in NY?

I agree with both you and JDM this is no time to panic. We've come this far with what we have...that's a lot further than any of us thought possible.
Another thought is that if you dump Barbs and go with the kids and they struggle big time, what does that say to the forwards and defensemen? Thanks for all of your hard work, but we're going to take it on the chin the rest of the way. As bad as Barbs has been lately, he wasn't always this lousy. He's going though a terrible time now..hopefully he straightens himself out and goes back to being the decent goalie he was prior.

It's getting fun, isn't it JDM? We are watching something unfold right before our eyes that I don't think I ever thought would happen right here. A true homegrown contending team.

I obviously don't think it's going to happen this season, but it's coming, and there really aren't too many holes on this team. There are, of course, but they are slowing shrinking.

My sister has season seats, and she wasn't going to renew before this season. I told her, that I thought that would be a mistake (if you can afford them), as they are going to lose games, possibly alot of them, but they are going to be fun to watch. I'm happy to say I was wrong...they are proceeding along faster than I think anyone in management expected.

I agree this is a great thread, but Rich, never mind what we think, what is important is which of you four choices is DL and the King brain trust leaning towards at this minute?

I went to the game last night and really got a good look at just how bad labarbara really is. I knew he was bad before but last night just solidified my notion. The first goal he gave up was ridiculous. How he didnt make that save, I have no idea. He only needed to stop 4 shots in the first and he couldnt even give us that. The penalty shot was easy for me to figure out that labarbara wouldnt stop it after giving up every goal in the shootouts he is a part of. I mean he gets owned on the same moves in the shootout, it's pathetic. The goal in OT was a nice shot but definitely should have been blocked. It's so sad that ersberg got hurt, there is no comparision when it comes to labarbara or ersberg starting. Labarbara needs to get his act together. Quick should get most of the starts maybe give labarbara a spot start here and there. Definitely do not bring back labarbara next year. He can definitely be compared to cloutier.

Nice post, JonG. I too feel that it would be premature to state that either B or Q is ready to handle a number one roll just yet. All of what I'm stating is based on next season. If we decline with them in net, but we're still in it, then try and aquire a vet.

This is a good thread. Keep them coming.

It seems prudent to hold the fort. Why start leveraging the future by trading draft picks for a chance at a risky present return? Give Quick a shot, and if he looks like a deer in the headlights, give Bernier a shot. If Bernier falters, give Zatkoff a shot. This seems like a perfect opportunity to give any of these kids some seasoning until Ersberg heals up. As for LaBarbara...it's time for him to grab some pine, and do his best Steve Janaszak impression.

Hey nykingfan when exactly was Labs a "decent goalie?" Oh right, when he was stuck in Manchester. Bye bye Jason enjoy the bus rides.

I think its unreasonable to assume any prospect goalie will be ready to take number 1 next season. I see the 2010-2011 season as the first possible year for one of them to be bona fide number 1 on the team.

Just look at DL's track record in SJ with Nabakov, Kipper and Toskala. None of them were given the job. They all fought it out, each had their brief call-ups, each spent several seasons in the minors and each started his first full NHL season as a backup. DL has no intention of just giving any of these guys the starting job.

Ersberg I still maintain, is totally ready. Yes, he is unproven. But everyone is unproven at the start. He has only had one bad game and one questionable game this season. He has a winning record on a .500 team and has the aura of a number 1, calm and collected and a fierce competitor.

Bernier or Quick should be backup next season, the other should be number 1 in Manch with Zatkoff playing backup, then we reevaluate at the end of next season.

I don't see the goalie 'problem' as all that complicated. Ersberg getting hurt chronically or Quick AND Bernier totally bombing are all we have to worry about.

The only way we see Bernier or Quick starting for the team regularly next season is if Quick steps up and absolutely dominates this chance he gets, that fires up Bernier, who turns it on in the AHL, and then during next offseason they both break through a platuea and give management no choice with their but to hand them the number 1... but even if that were the case I think DL doesn't just give them anything. He will make them all compete and outwork eachother for the next 2-3 years. Let's also not forget that next season Jones could be making a legit case for himself as well, and for all we know Rowat could steal the job in Manch. It will be fun to watch pan out, and its funny that for as much as it seems DL is bringing in more and more of his Philly buddies, and we've heard both him and TM compare their hopes for our team to Philly, as far as goaltending is concerned DL has essentially tried to construct a carbon copy of what he did in SJ. OK BY ME!

Hey nykingfan. I'm in Greenpoint in Brooklyn.... and you? So obviously I wasn't the only one watching the ny telecast last night and not pulling for the Rangers. I suppose you shared my "feeling not great" going to bed late after a game that the Kings not only Could have won, but really Should have won.
Anyway, enough of that. I absolutely agree with everything you said, and JDM too in both of your last comments. While this won't be popular here, I like the fact that nykingfan didn't completely write off JLB. It's true he wasn't always so poor as he is now. I appreciate that frustrating as his play has been (and it's been big time frustrating) at least we aren't totally writing him off.

You know what guys, the more I read everybody's comments here there is only one big error I think DL could make, and that would be disrupting everything that IS being built here by making a move for someone like Kabibulin. That would symbolically put us where we were in the Sam McManus?-Dave Taylor years.

Another point too is that TM is doing a phenomenal job of pointing out the positive aspects of the team's play. Given how frustrated we all are after a game like last night, I think that in and of itself speaks very highly of TM.
Many here on this blog have repeatedly pointed out how far ahead the team seems to be compared to what we all were expecting for this year.

All we can do is hang in there and know that one way or another the goaltending situation will get better. I don't see DL and Ron Hextall settling for less.

At this point, the Kings may as well stick it out with LaBarbara and give Quick some starts to see if he's any better. I have zero confidence in Bernier's abilities right now. As was pointed out in another thread, he was beaten out in the WJC last year by Mason, a 3rd round pick, and has really not done much since. I'm not ready to call Bernier a complete bust, but I'm getting pretty close.

Regarding trading for a goalie, we all know the Kings won't do it. If Ersberg were down for the year, maybe. But with it just being a few weeks, the Kings won't do anything. They had their chance to get a bonafide #1 without giving up anything when they could have claimed Khabibulin off waivers before the season. They blew that chance. They won't get a #1 goalie just by giving up a couple of scrubs or a low pick or 2. They've made this bed. Now they've gotta sleep in it.

Rich,

Any chance you could ask Lombardi whether he'd ever consider talking with former Ranger Brendan Shanahan about a contract for the rest of the season? And if he'd make a move for a goalie?
Both of these I would imagine would be contingent on us being in the playoff race.

Thanks.

December 17, 2008 3:04 PM
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A former Rangers No. 1 pick would be an interesting guy to think about. Al Montoya.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/alvaro_montoya

His current stats are rubbish, but he was injured (i think) and may be finding his way back on a poor team.

Also, Tampa has a prospect named Dustin Tokarski who's a big favorite of "WrapAroundCurl's" blog matriarch.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/dustin_tokarski
December 17, 2008 3:13 PM
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Alen, while I agree that maybe Khabibulin may have been worth going after, maybe we wouldn't be playing as well in the "team defense" department if we'd had a guy covering for all the little mistakes.
As it stands, the team needs to avoid shootouts and we might be ok through the injury to Bergie. I've lost hope for Labs, but maybe a shaky goalie will help the guys solidify their game and when we get to March, if a goalie is still needed for the playoffs we can do it then.
Goalies are always coming available (thus I don't like spending high draft picks on goalies) and there are bound to be teams willing to make trades, sometimes for not very much return.
There are some really bad teams and sooner or later their going to want to make some moves for the future. Gerber, despite Ottawa's horrible record, has some great numbers and is very experienced. Also, Roloson has proven he's a money goalie and Edmonton found out what happens when he's injured that year in the finals. Conklin is pretty comparable to Labs - unbelievable he's in Detroit.
There's lots of young guys too. Hiller, Ben Bishop...if either the Ducks or Blues would make a deal I'd wouldn't mind having them in our system as well.

December 17, 2008 2:32 PM

A trade for a legitimate starter doesn't need to cost all that much. There's been many guys that have moved teams not called Luongo who are serviceable and even strong.

I'd say Gerber and Roloson could be good short term guys that would help this team make the post-season and gain some valuable experience. I'd also still love to see Lombardi go after Shanahan with some real interest (but as cheaply as possible) to play wing opposite Dustin Brown. I can dream.

Let's do some math. The Kings are playing slightly better than .500 hockey right now. And the consensus is, we'd be several points better if it weren't for JLB. How many points? I'm going to go out on a limb and say we'd be six points better (a couple of OT wins and a couple of regulation wins). Okay, just to be conservative, I'll go with 5 points better. That would be good enough for 6th place in the conference, tied with or better than Anaheim, 37 points, winning % of .597.

The required winning % to make the playoffs has historically been .567.

Therefore, if you agree that we would be 5 points better with a reasonably non-crappy goalie, you must also conclude that the "are we a playoff quality team" question has already been answered.

Because, with a better goalie, we already are.

I have always maintained that the playoffs were possible for the Kings if they improve incrementally as the season goes on (squeezing merely one extra point out of every 13 games is all it takes).

The way to improve is to do two things: (1) score more goals (and look, the lines are finally coming around, so I feel pretty good about that); (2) improve goaltending.

Do those two things, and we'll be in the playoffs.

(incidentally... to those who are questioning whether or not any of our prospects will be ready to be an NHL starter NEXT season, I would say there's no way to know without trying them out THIS season, which makes bringing up Bernier an imperative. That's HOW he'll be ready for next season; although it's reasonable to think he might be ready now. As might Quick. And Zatkoff is not far behind.)

In any case, the argument that we should just make do with Jason LaBarbera because the Kings aren't playoff bound anyway is circular logic and is hereby disproved. QED

I would like a Shanahan-Stoll-Brown line, thus finally forcing Calder on to the 4th line. A 4th line of Calder-Moller-Lewis might be pretty effective at scoring some timely goals and playing a good energy, wear you down game.

Shanahan's not going to happen tho, for various reasons on both sides.

I like what I've seen of Ersberg thus far, and he shows signs of being able to take us to the playoffs next year. If he can't handle the workload, however, what should we do? I'll be very disappointed if we don't make a serious run for the playoffs next season.

The more I think about it, the more I believe we should give it another three months to see whether either Ersberg, Bernier or Quick is ready to carry us next year. If nobody has really emerged by that time, use some of our resources (players, picks or cash) to solidify the position for '09-'10.

Holy hell, from 56 to 91 posts in a matter of minutes...

register and sign in ppl! What's the point in posting if its only going to show up hours later, long buried and naught to be seen by but a few brave, trolling souls.

what would I do? hmmmmm? well, I believe the Kings did not go after Khabi on reverse waivers out professional courtesy to the Blackhawks for allowing us to nab Mark Hardy (even though this would have been our best bridge).

As for calling up Quick, I think this was done to get Bernier more playing time, since we all know TM loves Lolbarbs, Quick will be very lucky to get a start especially since according to TM, Lolbarbs is our #1 goalie.

As for what I would do, I would play our most promising goalies as often as possible which would mean Quick gets the starts in the N, while Bernier get the starts in the A!

An injured #1 goalie + a struggling backup goaltender = just the adversity this team needs to develop what every great team needs: resiliency. What better opportunity for everyone on this team to pick it up a notch and not hang the responsibility of losing on the goalie? To panic, to trade, to waive, to sit JLB til EE comes back... that's chickening out. Let's be calm, stay the course, face this tough situation with some "find a way to win" courage, and feel the growth that comes with the challenge. These guys can do it.

the results were negative on it being a groin pull right? So Iceberg will be back very soon, nothing that warrants drastic measures. I say give Quick the start in buff and go from there.

Part of the hilarity of this situation is that I bet Detoit would take Labs, Preissing, Gauthier, and the kitchen sink over Stuart, Conklin, and Lilja.

They have the ability to score at will, almost, so their problems get masked. Amazingly, we got Quincey out of their system only 2 months ago.
I'd say we go after Erik Cole, Duane Roloson, and possibly more from Edmonton if Shanahan and Gerber aren't viable options.

If Bernier isn't capable of coming in right now a la Cam Ward of a couple years ago, I'd take the risk and trade him. Give him a shot, but there's no reason to stagnate waiting for this kid to "find" himself.

Canucks just signed Sundin.

Thank goodness because I was tired of hearing this washed-up guys name every freakin' day and how he amazingly couldn't make up his mind about where to play.

Now if someone could just sign Shanahan (and please.. not the Kings) then the news can finally focus on more legitimate issues..

1) WAIVE LABARBERA

2) CALL UP BERNIER

Let Bernier and Quick battle it out in the NHL

I think it's a great idea to put the two key prospects in our system in a rotation to lose games and bruise their confidence so they never recover behind a team that's not ready to be a playoff team to compete yet.

Shanahan

has the most (9) gordie howe hat tricks in NHL history and scored 23 goals 23 assists last season at 38 years old.
I think for the duration of this season he could help us win some games and show us the right attitude to play with, not to mention teach these kids some tricks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHUAwADZMaE

He's a proven winner and a leader. I would love to have him here til July '09.

This is where DL is going to earn his money. This is a huge decision. Few expected this team to be this competitive so early. TM says, he's even surprised how quickly things have come together. The progress of these kids have put DL in a interesting position. What to do!

Great posts today. Not much you can argue or disagree with.

I'm going to bring a different angle to this. This team is a pleasure to watch because they work their ass off and have bought into the system TM is selling. This team gets things done more out of effort than skill. They play tough defense, they take the body, they block shots, they do all the things that take maximum effort and things that sacrifice(hurt) the body. You can't continue to ask for this kind of effort and sacrifice, when it's all in vein because the goalie can't do his job. Injury to Iceburg put us in a tough spot. To continue the process of improvement and to continue the kids belief in the system TM/DL are presenting, management needs to do all they can to support the effort. If the kids are ready, bring them up, if not I feel we need to go get someone. I don't want the kids to lose their drive or support of the system because we have questionable goaltending. This is such a fine line.

ETR interesting list of goalies. Can't say I know enough about them to say anything constructive. I have seen Hiller play 3 or 4 times and I like him a lot.

Well, here we are talking about a team that wasn't supposed to do anything this season and if they didn't then we could let LaBarbra slide. When you are the weak link that could do actually more damage to a young players mental make up for the future then it's time that management makes a move. How many games does a guy get to show he can't stop the shooter one on one when he only has one move, spread legs and fall forward. He's like the golfer who keeps slicing his shot, wonders why but never makes any changes in his stance, swing or grip. Labarbra made a statement a couple of days ago after he got beat in the shootout about it being a mental thing that he thinks he just freezes up. Well if I was DL or TM and my goaltender said that, him and I would be talking. Also last night it looked to me like the Rangers were only trying to get to the shootout, they didn't play that hard and the goal in OT just happened to be an early gift. They already knew if they went into the shootout that Labarbra was a piece of cake. Play the young guys because they have as much heart as the rest of the team. I'd even play Zatoff before Labarbra.

Babs is NOT a first line goalie.

The Kings are fine with Ersberg as long as they rest him after every fifth or sixth start.

The move is to let Quick get a couple games under his belt. If that works great. If not, get Bernier in a couple games until Ersberg is 100%.

Alternatively, if Babs plays, have Quick/Bernier come in for the shootout. Weird, but it certainly can't be worse that Babs in the Shootout

Bring back Hrudey, and waive Barbie!

I think its clear to everyone that Labarbera stinks. I think Ersberg is the guy this year. But he isn't the type of goalie that can handle a heavy workload which means we need a dependable #2 (which LaBarbera isn't).

I think Quick is auditioning for LaBarbera's job as the #2 goalie with the Kings. If Quick plays well then Labarbera gets sent down to Manchester when Ersberg returns. Bernier gets the lion share of the games in the AHL as the clear cut #1.

Next year Ersberg and Bernier battle it out in training camp for the number one job.

LaBobleGlove is pathetic, lets leave it at that.
first, ersberg was playing well. i think he is your number one. going out and getting a goalie that will probably turn out to be like labarbera, is not worth it. plus you might have to give up some good draft picks, etc.
secondly, you have two up-and-coming goalies in the minors (not counting zatcoff). lets let both of them play now (send labobleglove out of town-preferably new zealand) and let the two youngsters battle the for the other slot when ersberg comes back from his injury.
as long as labobleglove is not in the line up, i will be feeling a lot better than i am right now about our goaltending situation.

With both Jason and Erik being UFAs at the end of the season the team needs to know who to count on next year. Erik obviously (he needs to be resigned ASAP) Jason no hes expendable, time and time again hes failed to show any hes #1 material just cut him lose and stop dragging this out. With the much improved defense this season there's no need to worry about throwing Quick and Bernier to the wolves like last season. I rather have a young team go through some growing pains with young goalies instead of watching a veteran who costs this team wins and points with soft goals killing their confidence and hard work. Next seasons goalie picture is very clouded this is opportunity to get clear it up.

Wow...Labs has really fallen on bad times with you all. First it was everyone wanting to get rid of Garon & Clotier and bring up Labs. Now it's get rid of Labs and bring up Quick or Bernier. If one of those two guys fail, you all are going to ask for the next goalie that is in the minors.

You can see the he's trying too hard. He doesn't even look confortable out there. He needs to relax which might help him out. You could tell that he was a headcase the first year he was here. Didn't he do well in the beginning of that season then had his "personal" issue and didn't win another game until the last game of the season?

Kings should make some calls and see if they can get a good goalie for a decent price to hold us off until Ersberg comes back. If they can get a good goalie, switch between who they get and Quick. We don't need a "great" goalie right now to make the playoffs. We can make the playoffs with a decent goalie. Waive Barbs. We aren't giving up many shots on goal. Keep Bernier at Manchester and have him develop. We have good young goalies that just need to develop. Even if we get someone from another team to last us a year or two until the young guys can come up and take over. Then again, maybe Ersberg will pan out. I would rather see us not make the playoffs this year then make a bad mistake and mess it up for more years to come.

According to Quisp, if the Kings have to hit .567 through the year to make the playoffs they have to win 31 of the 51 remaining games. While this is highly unlikely it is not impossible.
I think they should stick with the plan. Don't try to trade for another team's back-up and hope that Jonathan 1 or 2 can rotate with EE when he comes back. Hopefully they can manage the 31 wins, because Labtallica has to go.

I would really be surprised if DL trades for a goalie. From a #s perspective even if the Kings trade for a goalie that is able to post a save % of .920 that still averages out to about 2 goals allowed per game if the Kings are able to keep the shots against to around 26. I think that as long as JLB keeps the Kings in striking distance in most games they will stick with him and play Quick here and there. Until it becomes clear that JLB has lost the team's confidence (I don't see that this has happened yet), he will continue to get starts.

DL may be hesitant to make a trade right now for a goalie because he wants to save assets for offensive help. The Kings need to be able to score 3 or more goals more consistently not matter who the goalie is. Using assets for a goalie (unless you miraculously find one who only lets in 0 or 1 goals per game), means that DL has less to work with when it comes time to trade for some offense either near the trade deadline or off season. If the Kings remain in playoff contention, I think DL sees offense as a short term and long term issue that is addressed before spending a whole lot for a top goalie who will still let in 2 or so goals per game.

I know this is off the goalie topic, but I must say these third jerseys have grown on me, I got to see them live for the first time last night

the silver and black looks great on the ice, its intimidating, the fans seem to like them as they were selling like hot cakes, and they remind of the gretzky era

I love a good witch-hunt as much as anyone else, but maybe we should be focusing on our failed chances at burying games; and, I love O'D, but he was directly responsible for the situations that lead to the 2 regulation goals. I'm still wondering if he's 100% or not, and whether he may be a bit fatigued.

Last night we again had lots of power-plays and could have put that game to bed much earlier.
Against San Jose, same story.
I think it showcases that we may not be as deep in quality talent as we think, and that we could possibly use our cap space to get some more leadership and on-ice help that wouldn't cost much.
Why not call up Boyle along with Lewis and sit Ivan and Mr. Z for a few while we test the waters with a stronger balance in line combos. Include Bernier and we will allow Manchester to start relying on a younger group to start leading down there, too.

While we've got decent depth, leaving aging players in Manchester only means less ice time for other guys to develop into future prospects.

Let's bring Boyle up for good and if he doesn't seem like a top 2 lines guy, why not trade him?
Purcell - Kopitar - O'Sullivan
Frolov - Boyle - Brown
Moller - Zus - Lewis
Calder - Stoll - Simmonds

Either way, we are growing towards a brighter tomorrow. I think this would be a great balanced attack.

The Kings had an chance to trade for Khabibulin for cheap, Chicago was over the cap and needed to dump some salary.. It would have been a low rish high reward trade since he was in the final year of his deal..Imagine where the Kings would have been if they had the Bulin Wall in net. I guarantee they would have had easily 6-10 pts more

We have lots of unrealized skill, EAT, but this team is all guts and heart. We aren't playing this well at all becaue of natural skillsets, that was the story of last year, this year its all about the effort. What a difference it makes!

Someone mentioned Al Montoya, but the Kings already have their career minor league goalie in LaBarbera. Remember that he couldn't even make the NYR when they had a black hole between their pipes. Yes, he did well in the AHL, but the road (or the ice in this instance) is littered with superstar AHL goaltenders. I'd like to see Quick get some starts and see how he does. We already know what happens when LaBarbera plays...

JDM - I agree. I hope I didn't sound negative on Murray and Lombardi right now. I want to make the playoffs and get some experience, but also am ok if we're not going to make it by playing the young ones and just accepting that we'll fall just short of the playoff mark. If we do miss the playoffs, I'd at least hope that we start to inject these "prospects" into the big club and keep the education rolling.
It's a real catch-22 in many ways.
Who knows? Maybe Labs will have a strong road trip and see us through. I just don't think anyone expects anything any more.
But it's a much better "problem" than we had a year ago, for sure.
I'm even hoping Calder gets resigned for a reasonable price - he's been playing his heart out.
And Labs may still take my smoky advice and chill out.

saw this posted elsewhere and i forgot about it, but the roster freeze becomes effective in a few hours. so unless something happens before midnight fri there won't be any trades until Dec 27.

I'm going to follow all this up with one last comment regarding how well (or not) Quick and Bernier have been doing down in Manchester, for those of you who might think either might be a bust. Do you think the team and the defense that plays in front of them down in Manchester is better than the one that played in front of JLB last night? Of course not. So my point is simple: if a guy like Labs can somehow eek out a few wins playing as crappy as he does, don't you think guys like Quick and Bernier will be absolutely stellar, given the fact that the guys in front of them are so much better defensively than what they're used to down in Manchester? I do, and that's why I believe either Quick or Bernier will be just fine when they get an honest shot in the NHL.

but is the freeze tonight at midnight or tomorrow at midnight?

It says Decenmber 19th at midnight, so does that mean tonight when it officially becomes the 19th, or is it midnight after the DAY of the 19th? I always get confused by these things.

I believe it's after tomorrow, i.e. at the end of this work week.

I agree with the comments that Lagarbage needs to go. His inability to make the big save is brutal. Marleau's breakaway goal is perfect example. However, it does not seem like Bernier is not ready and should not be rushed.

I think that the Kings are in a good spot to make a deal for a goaltender. Guys like Huet, Roloson and Fernandez would be an upgrade on what the Kings have. I think you would be suprised at how cheaply you could get those guys. And I dont care what people say any of those 3 guys are better than Lagarbage

How old is Sean Burke these days? And Felix, too?

Don't touch a thing! I'm sick and tired of the "trade for another goaltender" mentallity! I agree the barbs is definately not that answer (especially after watching him in the last shoot out). But enough already about going after someone. Bottom line is it won't make a difference! Stay the course - see how Quick does in the meantime and then plug Ersberg back in.

One thing is for sure. Lab's struggles are good for the Daily News and Rich. 122 comments and climbing in 9 hours.

It's time to fish, or cut bait.
It'd be a shame to finish in 9th spot in the west, and end up drafting 13th; rather than make a move and draft 14th but get playoff experience.
Of course Bernier could come up and pull a Cam Ward straight through to a Stanley Cup Championship.

What course would Kings fans prefer?

Another thing to consider, Labs is in our little army. In the military you're only as good as your weakest link, so you've got to do everything possible to build up that little link. Labs isn't Sgt. Hulka's proverbial "big toe," but he's one of the digits. I say we support him until he's no longer an appendage - but get rid of that Metallica helmet, now.

Eat, (lol) Sgt. Hulka's "big toe", that is great. No joke, that's the only movie I still have in VHS. I can't and won't dispose of it. It's a classic.

I say we stick it out with who we have. You want Vokoun ? It's gonna cost us a lot. There is no such thing as a good goalie at a decent price. It's not like shopping for t-shirts where you get good quality for low prices.

With the way the West is shaking out, we are just as likely to finish in the cellar as we are to get a playoff spot.

I've gotta give props to the posters in this thread. There are lots of cogent, logical, long-term perspective posts in this thread. Dare I say that the content is intelligent. I have nothing to add, so I figured I'd compliment those that have already participated.

Dean Lombardi is somewhere out there smiling at the comments in this thread. Fans are buying into his plan and trusting that his decisions are the right ones for our organization. He has tried to educate us and it seems like we've got the message.

Have you noticed that even with the economy being in the tank that Kings fan aren't complaining about the increase in the ticket prices anymore? If we knew we'd be paying for this increase in on-ice talent, I don't think there would have been all of that complaining in the first place.

Whatever Dean decides to do with this situation, I'm sure that he is making the best long term benefit choice for our Kings. Do what you will, DL. From the looks of things, you've got our support right now.

Brent: seconded. this has been a great read.

as for my view: i say B. no goalie unless it's dirt-dirt-dirt cheap, and i'd rather let Bernier get a long run in Manchester for right now.

I'm hoping TM will play Quick for a good amount of games while he's up and hopefully he'll be a stud out there and once Ersberg is back, Labarbera will then be on his way out while we go with the Ersberg/Quick tandem the rest of the way.

First of all lets chill out about Quick. The guy has proven nothing yet, and to declare him the starter over LaBarbera for the next game seems ridiculous. I have thought all season that we are a good goalie away from a playoff spot. Khabibulin was put on waivers and we didnt pick him up. I would trade for a veteran goalie at the right price. Nothing more than a second round pick. We traded a second rounder for Richardson, so why couldnt we have tried to get a goalie with that pick?!! The options do not some great but would be better than LaBarbera or Quick.
1. Vokoun or Anderson
2. Khabibulin
3. Garon or Roloson
4. Gerber

Do any of those guys excite anybody?

Oh and I'm sorry but this whole thing about Labs being "fragile" may be true but ya know what...he's making a hell of a lot more money than most people so suck it up! You play in the NHL...well not for long.

Re: "According to Quisp, if the Kings have to hit .567 through the year to make the playoffs they have to win 31 of the 51 remaining games. While this is highly unlikely it is not impossible."

One point less than that, actually. They would need 30-20-1 for the rest of the year in order to get to 93. Assuming they get a few more OTL/SOL's (say, 5 of them), they would need to go 28-18-5. Highly unlikely? I would cross out the word "highly." I guess it's literally unlikely since it's hard to say that any of the eight or so teams who have a shot at the bottom seeds are "likely" to make it. But I would say it's solidly in the realm of the possible. They would need at the very least the absence of overtly bad luck.

Look at it this way. If the Kings get better from here on out, instead of worse, they are going to land somewhere above 85 points, since that's the projection of their point total now. How much better? 8 points better? That's the playoffs.

The difference between a couple of points better and eight points is not much.

My attitude has always been, move forward not backward, get better in teeny steps, build momentum, only fix what's broken. The Kings have done well despite lackluster scoring and mediocre goaltending. The scoring is coming around. Will that alone be enough to overcome the several points goaltending will cost us? Maybe. Probably not. LaBarbera is so not good that there's literally no downside to playing Quick and Bernier until Ersberg gets back.

What do the numbers say about Jason?

His saver percentage is .899, That ranks him 36th out of 46 NHL goalies - not good. However, he is only percetnage points behind Kiprasoff and Nabakoff who are at .900

His goals against average is 2.71 which is 23rd out of 46 goalies. He is ahead of such players as Vokuu, Osgood, Turkon, Marc Andre Fleury, JS Gigeure, and Kiprosoff.

He has 5 wins and 11 losses (counting the 4 overtime losses as losses not ties.

Conclusion from the numbers is Jason is not a #1 goalie. However he could be a capable back up.

What did you expect this year? Yes give Quick and Bernier a try. Jason has been inconsistent - but so has the whole team. Try Quick for 5 games; same with Bernier; easy to tell if they are ready to try the NHL.

However, Jason can play. Don't trade a first round pick for Ron Grahame again - because right now 8th in the division would be great - but St. Louis did this for years - just good enough to make the playoffs never good enough to win anything. Let's complete the rebuilding cycle the proper way - by playing those who are ready.

Man..Everyone had a piece of this one....

I'm with just about all of you, don't make the trade. I'd like to see Quick & Bernier split the time and see what develops. Zatkoff will get the majority of time at Manchester, let's see how he handles the AHL. And bring up Taylor from Reading to back up Zatkoff. That was you've got your four young premium goalies in pivital positions ready to prove themselves. This does mean waiving LaBarbara which is probably a knee jerk reaction but is probably the only sensible thing to do. Yep, try to trade him first but I don't see any takers. Then waive him, if he gets picked up that gives our kids a chance to fight it out while Ersberg heals. Shoot, even if Bernier or Quick falter, there is Zatkoff waiting in the wings and he was playing well at Ontario although he's probably not quite ready for the NHL.

Long story short, I believe like most of you. The Kings future is arriving early, no real surprise to me. The kids are playing well, this is the most entertaining team since the Deadmarsh days and they'll probably be an even better team (hard to imagine) than Adam's teams were. A good goalie will probably put the Kings in the playoffs, something that was just a dream at the beginning of the season and has little chance of happening if Lababs stays in goal.

I'd try to snag Ray Emery from Russia ;o

first off, im proud to be the 132nd posting on this topic. rich you really picked a winner today!

second, brent, my fellow section mate, i agree. the vast majority of the posts have been thoughtful and educated. we will all have differences in opinions, but its nice to see we are all being cordial. if dl loses his job, there are at least 100 or more gm candidates aeg can choose from right here!

third, i wanted to comment on the last post from ziggy33 regarding the list of goalies...

> vokoun or anderson - both would be upgrades, but at what cost?

> khabibulin - i would have said yes a few years ago. now, he is just way too expensive ($7mil/season).

> Garon or roloson - garon is ok, but he would be a retread for us. not a big fan. and, not as good as erik; roloson, no way in hell. his nickname in edmonton is "red light rolly". do you know why? because the other team lights the lamp all night.

> gerber - could not do it in ottawa when they had great teams in front of him.

what this all comes down to for me is play labs on friday. see how he does. if he stinks it up then start quick against the wings. i know its a dauting task and they absolutely obliterated the sharks tonight, but i believe in tough love. if that is too much to bear, then start quick against the sabres and see how he does. if he looks good, have him go again against the wings. if he is one of our goalies of the future, then we have to play him at some point, right? everyone had to take off their training wheels on their bikes. it was scary the first time, but you get through it. quick and soon to be bernier will have to go through this.

finally, i'm concerned that labs is having mental issues. in many ways, that is worse than physical pain. it really seems to be affecting his play. a couple of seasons ago he was lights out on the shootout. what happened? i don't know. i'm not an analyst. if he can't get out of the funk, he's finished.

overall, i'll be happy if they come back to l.a. with 3 points on the roadie.

go kings.

Great thread!

Other teams know our situation, so we would be severely overpaying for any goaltending relief right now. I don't think Dean will do this.

I believe we should stand pat and stay calm. Jason is not playing well, so bring up Quick and play him. See where he is in his development. We have some options here, so I don't see the need to hit the panic button yet.

Stay with the plan.

jedi-

3 points would be OK, but I think we can get 4 or maybe if we're lucky 5.

Also, it's serendipity that Quick gets the call now, and labs has that game against the Rangers. Quick's first NHL game last season was an 8-2 win against Buffalo at Staples. Time for a repeat performance!

If the Kings can shut down Vanek, Buffalo will be no problem. Hopefully TM can get the right matchups and throw Zues and Greener out there against that little goal scoring freak. Detroit is a little tougher, but with the confidence gained from the last two games, we can at the least keep the game close. Their goaltending and D haven't been great, they rely purely on scoring lots of goals, so if the D can frustrate them, their goalies can be exposed. Columbus we need to beat, though they are playing pretty dang good right now.

W vs. Buffalo
OT loss vs. Detroit
OT win vs. Columbus

GO KINGS!

Looking forward ot the game tomorrow.

I hope TM stays the course with the line combos. Maybe its time for Preissing to get a game? Though Harrold has been playing better and better, and Harrold-Preissing is an unnaceptable pairing, so perhaps not.

Get ready NHL, here comes Trevor Lewis.

It's a hard world to get a break in
All the good things have been taken
But girl there are ways to make certain things pay
Though I'm dressed in these rags, I'll wear sable some day

Hear what I say
I'm gonna ride the serpent
No more time spent sweatin' rent
Hear my command
It ain't no use, I'm breakin' loose,
Holdin' me down, stick around

But baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I'll treat you real fine

There'll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry
When I'm squeezing them dry?
Taking all I can get
No regrets
When I ... openly lie
And live on their money
Believe me honey, that money
Can you believe, I ain't no saint
No complaints
So girl go out
Any doubt

And baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I'll treat you real fine

(It's my life and I'll do what I want) Don't push me
(It's my mind and I'll think what I want) It's my life
(It's my life and I'll do what I want) And I can do what I want
(It's my mind and I'll think what I want) You can't tell me
(It's my life and I'll do what I want)

WOW 135 posts...no matter what, we are passionate fans.

Number 6 I'm from Long Island. I couldn't sleep after the game Wednesday night I was so pissed off. I completely blamed Barbs for the loss, but I finally calmed down...about 24 hours later. It wasn't easy coming to work the next morning and dealing with Ranger fans.

Again, my choice would be Bernier. For no other reason than the guy was our #1 pick and was praised universally for his talent. That and $2 gets me on the subway.
I will say one thing regarding people who feel that since he's not lighting it up in Manchester, then he's not ready for the NHL...Ersberg wasn't doing very well down there last year when he was brought up. No two situations are the same, but just a thought.

If Deano was willing to give up a 2nd round pick for Brad Richardson, I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to trade a 2nd rounder for a legit goaltender.

For those focusing in on the goaltender stats... the biggest issue here is the quality of what is supporting you and the types of chances you are facing. In the case of Brenier and Quick there could be a ton of reasons why 1 wqas chosen over the other and it is not up to the kings to justify that with the fans. Maybe Bernier is staying because of s very slight injury that has him not at 100 % or the flu or any of a thousand things...NOT JUST HIS STATS. BUT having said that up here in LA the goalies have a ten fold upgrade in play in frony of them from last year, so it is entirely possible that both Quick and or Bernier at 100% would actually have better stats than in Manchester. It is that same thought process that makes LaBabs show up so poorly. he should be better, way better than he is showing. The overall goal is to put the best team possible here without stripping Manchester, but LA feeds them so we have to be considered first. We can sign a goalie for them or just bite the bullet for the rest of the season and send an unhappy LaBabs there until something else can be done. We all agreed that this would be a building year...so build...get both kids here and let them decide who wants this so bad they will play their ass of for it. just like in the real world...performance = job and $$$$$$. I like to think there are a lot of goalies that might like to preform their job behing what this team has become and has the potential to be if we stay the course. Keep up the hard work Kings...you have a ton of fans out here that apprecite it even if the results are not quite at the consistancy you or we want.

The concern last year was exposing Bernier to a loser mentality and a less-than-stellar defense in front of him.

Those are clearly not issues this season.

Bernier and Quick - NOW, and then Ersberg and Bernier for the balance of the season.

Jason has solidified his place in Kings' history as the latest version of Roman Cechmanek and it is time to classify him as a complete failure.

Come on, the Kings could certainly afford to part with a prospect and a draft pick (Hickey and Teubert being the exceptions). They have a wealth of young talent. Enough is enough, why squander the chance to do something? This team can beat anyone on any given night, Detroit and San Jose included. Why are we even having this discussion!

All I want for Christmas is a frickin Goalie!

Tomas Vokoun. Tomas Vokoun. Tomas Vokoun.

I hope that LaBarbara can conquer his mental demons. It is so hard to be the goaltender. He lets in 2 in regulation and he is the goat. He deserved it especially because of the penalty shot/ shootouts from last game. He WAS awesome in OT when he and Garon rotated. They both were.

About Garon. NO! Why would anyone want him back. I see no real differences between him and LaBarbara. No consistency. An awesome game or even streak then they can do no right. Why not give the kids Quick, then maybe Bernier a shot at it) Our defense is amazing and they MIGHT do very well. It will be good for development too. We have lots of kids on our team!

The bottom line for me is that the Kings look AWESOME! I am so impressed with their growth. Goaltending inconsistency aside, we are ahead of schedule in my book. I hope they can keep it up tonight :)

Ersberg plays just well enough to win. Keep him #1 when he returns.

LaBarbara plays just well enough to lose. Play him only when necessary, don't resign him. Also, don't waste assets on a "used-to-was" goalie, unless the wasted asset is JLB.

The "team D" is 1000% better than ever before. Give Bernier (and Quick, and possibly Zatkoff) a real shot in this new defensive environment while EE is out.

Just thought of another possible trade target btw. Halak from the Canadiens. He's young, has a lot of potential still, and has proven he can play in the NHL. Not as safe a bet as an older goalie of course, but probably a better long term investment, and hopefully worth the risk ;o

As has been mentioned before, all the other GM's know our needs. That alone puts the Kings at a severe bargaining disadvantage. How much do you want to spend on a marginal fix for the moment? Clearly there is no was to wrestle any front line talent away from any other team without dearly overpaying. The fact that the scoring is still not where it should be is the easiest portion to fix in my opinion. You have a much larger pool of talent on the team already to hone and refine and get better. It is much more likely to get better scoring than it is to expect a AHL goalie to make this team any better at this point. A single additional goal-for in any of the past few games would have made the difference between that loss or the extra point. Now I'm not at all saying that there is not a serious issue in net, but it is a much more convoluted situation to fix at this point. Add to this the obvious initial focus from coaching on defensive responsibility from all players and you have a ideological focus that the team itself has been operating under. Once that defensive mind-set is natural, the focus can be put on putting the pucks in the net. Murray is well aware of the deficiencies that are present in net. If you cannot first contain the oppositions chances and scoring, there is no amount of goals you can score and still expect to win. just look at last years team.

DL should be able to get roloson from EDM for a third rounder. EDM wants to dump salary. Proven nr. 1, that can take a 60% load or 40*% depending on how ICEBERG pans out. Leave the kids where they are. How many past goalies were ready at the age of 20??? Bigger chance of screwing up their psychy by putting too much preassure on them.

ps-WAIVE LaBarbara Now!!!!

no way no how for roloson!!! his nickname is "red light rollie"... forget about that washout. i'd rather stay with labs. the devil you know...

As an aside, Rich, you compare goalies to quarterbacks. How would a writer in L.A. know anything about quaterbacks?

(Sorry. That was too easy to let go.)

Forget Emery! Do you really think he'd survive in LA traffic? Besides, the guy's a loose cannon with bad practice habits. And Roloson?! Are you kidding me?

Bluegator, you hit the nail on the head. Ersberg plays just well enough to win, and Jason plays just poorly enough to use.

Wow,

155 comments.

Do we care about this organization or what.

I've liked Ersberg this season - he may not be an elite goalie, but he's been solid, even if he gives up a monster-bad game every now and then. Kings' best bet - call up Bernier while Ersberg is out, I think he's the future of the franchise, and actually may be elite. Once Ersberg comes back, I think he's the starter, but keep Bernier around to start every fourth game or so, to keep Ersberg fresh and give Bernier the experience. Trade LaBarbera for whatever you can get - it's going to be more valuable than what he's doing in goal. LaBarbera almost seems the opposite of Ersberg, putting up unspectacular numbers most nights, with a great game occasionally just to tease the fans.

I feel they should go with Bernier. Look, I know they don't want to rush him but there are plenty of arguments for giving him his shot now.
#1-Young defense-let the young goalie develop with his defenders. This is the cornerstone of any great hockey team. The Devils did it with Brodeur, Pittsburgh is doing it now with Fleury behind Letang,Orpik and Whitney(soon). The Kings have invested alot of draftpicks in defense and a high draft pick on Bernier. When you have Jack Johnson, Hickey, Doughty,and Quincy(who are all young),you need to get some kind of routine and consistency from the goalie, by playing Bernier now, they will also breed familiarity.. Sure Bernier may struggle, but this is an investment in their future, not 2008.

QUICK HAS 2 SHUTOUTS IN 3 STARTS AND HAS SAVED 74 OF 76 SHOTS BETWEEN THE PIPES. HANDS DOWN THE #1 CONTENDER IN L.A.