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Questions: 1. Rich what do you think the over/under is on the Kings keeping, or dealing the #5 pick? If it is moved do you think its more likely that it will be in a move to trade back and get more picks/assets, or more likely to go in a move for an established, impact player? 2. If the Kings pick, do you think they are more likely to go for a forward, or a defenseman?

Answers: 1) I've been going back and forth on this one. I think that, for the first time in his Kings tenure, Dean Lombardi is truly open to the idea of trading the pick. If the right deal is there, he would do it, but I wouldn't say that the odds are better than 40-60 that the pick will get moved. Toronto could hold the cards on this one, because Brian Burke has been pretty clear about his desire to move into the top five, if not the top two. Burke is presumed to covet either John Tavares or Brayden Schenn. 2) I've seen some mock drafts that think the Kings might go for Jared Cowan, but I don't think so. The last time I talked to Lombardi about the draft, he indicated that if there were a group of players at a similar talent level, he would probably lean toward the position of need, which is clearly forward. That would seem to be the case here, with several forwards among the top-10 prospects.

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Question: Do you think the Kings will be major players in free agency, or do you think DL will try to keep salaries down in an effort to prepare for Doughty, Quick, et al as their deals come up? Do you have a sense for how much smoke vs. fire there is surrounding perceived difficulties with Jack Johnson in terms of his willingness to do what the team asks/expects of him (he supposedly refused a conditioning assignment in the AHL coming off his injury and his timeline for return seemed to differ from what the team was saying) and the contract negotiations?

Answers: 1) That sort of depends on your definition of ``major players.'' Do I think they're going to try to sign three big free agents, and make a huge push a la the New York Rangers from two years ago? No. Do I think they will make a play for one big forward? Yes, definitely. But you're right to say that Lombardi always has one eye on the future. When you have as many young players as the Kings do, you always have to keep an eye on the financial impact two or three years down the road. That's especially important now, since it's highly possible that the salary cap will come down in the next couple years. 2) I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are conflicts with every player at some point, and most of them are blown out of proportion and then quickly forgotten. As for the contract negotiations, if Johnson had arbitration rights, or could sign an offer sheet, there might be reason for concern. Now, it's just a matter of them reaching an agreement. I don't sense the same kind of concern that there was this time last year, with O'Sullivan.

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Questions: 1.I believe the buy-out period has started, any chance Tom Preissing gets bought out? 2.What your best percentage guess that we keep the 5th pick or we trade it for a big name player?

Answers: 1) There's still a chance that the Kings could buy out Preissing, but I'm told that they're hoping for a trade. I'm not sure how likely that is, so a buyout is still a possibility. 2) Like I said, flip-flop on this one, but I'd say it's less than a 50-50 chance that the pick gets moved for a big-name forward. That said, I would fully expect trade talks to start heating up again as the draft gets closer.

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Question: Given the events of this weekend, it made us all ponder the massive possibilities. With that said, of all of the possibilities which one do you personally see as a good fit for the team (Gabs/Hossa/Vinny/Heater et al)? I realize this answer depends utterly on the conditions of the trade but I'm talking character and talent only.

Answer: I like the way you phrased the question, because when Lombardi looks at these players, character does play a big part in it. But that makes it more difficult. I'd say the best talent is Hossa and the best character is Lecavalier. The best combination of talent and character? Wow...I don't know. Hossa would probably be the best fit all around, but given the circumstances, he's probably the least-likely addition. The most likely is probably Gaborik, but I personally don't think that would be the Kings' best move. If I'm Lombardi, I'm still hoping for a Kovalchuk miracle,

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Questions: 1). Does the Coyotes situation have any impact on the Kings and if so what do you think the major implications are? 2). What have the Kings done in terms of a strength and conditioning program? When do the guys start gearing up for the season in terms of workouts? Do you have a sense of which guys really put in extra hours at the gym? Do any of the Kings use CrossFit?

Answers: 1) I can't think of any impact the situation would have on the Kings, other than that it might force a realignment of teams, perhaps? It has bigger implications, league-wide, because the NHL is setting up an interesting argument about ownership's control over a franchise. Plus, if that team moves, it might give other franchises some ideas. A move to Las Vegas or Kansas City, perhaps? 2) I'm not really familiar with CrossFit, but players have their own systems set up, and a lot of guys work out together in El Segundo, along with players from other teams who live in L.A. I'm sure some guys are skating right now. When I talked to Doughty after the World Championships, he indicated that he would take a couple weeks off and then get back on the ice. Unless players are injured, I don't think they take too much time off.

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Question: Rich, I made some comments on the blog to the effect that it would be best for the Kings to hold onto their first round pick. If they continue to improve it seems unlikely they would be in such an enviable draft position in the near future. Also I personally haven't seen anyone out there that seems so irresistible that you'd have to consider giving up the pick... that includes imo Hossa, Heatley etc. But I'd be very curious to get your thoughts on this.

Answer: Well, as I'm sure you know, when you're talking about giving up the No. 5 pick, you're most likely talking about giving up another asset, whether it's a top prospect or a current NHL player. That's a big price, and any trade such as that would be, by far, the biggest move of Lombardi's tenure. Hossa is a free agent, so he's off the table there. Heatley? Lecavalier? I'm not sure about either of those. I'm big on Kovalchuk, but it's not likely that he will be in play this summer. Other than that, I don't think there are any ``slam-dunk'' trade possibilities out there.

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Questions: Do you think the Kings have any interest in acquiring Bobby Ryan? Also, as mentioned above, where do you see the Kings going with the No. 5? There are questions all over the place with this. I don't see them trading up but possibly trading down, staying put. Who do YOU like out there that you think would be the best fit in the 5 spot?

Answers: 1) I'm sure they would have interest in trading for Bobby Ryan. They would probably also be interested in trading for Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos. I can't imagine that Bob Murray would even allow Ryan's name to be spoken in trade talks. 2) There are a couple problems about talking about the ``best fit'' in the No. 5 spot. One is that I don't know enough about Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson to make a call on him. The other problem is, I have no idea who will go at No. 4. All things being equal, Kane is probably the best choice, but will he still be there at No. 5? The odds aren't in favor of it.

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Question: What position do you think is more likely for DL to go after: A big name center or a winger? Or are both equally important to him? Aside: It has seemed like a LW is the most pressing need, but if nothing else, the rumors make me consider the possibility that having a true number 2 (or 1) center is maybe a higher priority, from a 'box' stance of course.

Answer: Not sure...are we talking about trades/free agency or the draft? In terms of the draft, it seems that most of the top options are natural centers. In terms of trades or free agency, there are definitely some potentially attractive options on the wing. All things being equal, I think Lombardi's ideal pickup would be a winger with size, skill and character. Can he find all three of those things this summer, in one player? I'm not sure. Bringing in a No. 1 center wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. You could make an argument that while Kopitar is highly talented, he would be better suited as a No. 2 center at this point.