OK, I believe I got through all the non-duplicated questions from this week. Thanks to everyone for all the interest and the questions. I’ll be going out to at least one day of the prospects camp, so hopefully I’ll get some good stuff from that. Here’s the final set of answers…

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Question: And a question, back at the trade deadline was it Frolov the Avalanche wanted for Smyth or was it Bernier, Teubert, and a pick. I remember it both ways!

Answer: I later found out that it was acutally Teubert or Hickey, Bernier and the No. 5 pick. Quite a dramatic change from that to Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a fifth-round pick. But remember that, among other factors, the Avalanche also had a change in general managers.

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Question: What about Jason Smith for the 6/7 dman?

Answer: Jason Smith made roughly $2 million. Unless he’s interested in a decent sized pay cut, I don’t really see that being an option.

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Question: If you have another open forum, I would like to know if you think Ryan Smyth will be the teams captain next year.

Answer: No, I wouldn’t anticipate that at all. The whole point of transferring the leadership to the young guys was to establish a “leadership group” that could be around for a long time. Smyth, at 33, isn’t old, but he’s not a guy who is going to be in a leadership position with the Kings for the next decade. Brown is that guy.

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Question: Does the trade for Smyth mean we wont be in the running for Kovalchuk next year? Don’t get me wrong, I love the Smyth trade, but i still think we need that pure goal scorer. Your thoughts?

Answer: From what I understand at the moment, Kovalchuk isn’t on the trade market and is something of a longshot to hit the free-agency market. I’m a huge fan of Kovalchuk’s game, but at this point he doesn’t seem like a realistic option.

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Question: Do the Kings have any interest in defensemen Mathieu Scnheider?

Answer: Again, you’re talking about a guy who made $5.5 million last season. I highly doubt that he’s going to take enough of a pay cut to put him in the Kings’ range.

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Question: I would like to go back to the draft if I may. Just before the New York Rangers were about to pay tribute to Alexie Cherapanov the analysts on TSN said that the Rangers were going to receive a conditional draft pick in the middle of the second round for compensation of Alexie’s Death. My question is, Does the NHL have something written where a team receives a draft pick when a player dies or was this done for this particular circumstance. Do you also know if the Vancouver Canucks received a compensatory pick for the death of Luc Bourdon? Both Alexie and Luc were selected 10th overall in the first round in their respective drafts.

Answer: It’s actually a very strict policy that doesn’t have anything to do with a player’s death. The Rangers got the compensatory pick because they didn’t sign Cherapanov. The Canucks didn’t get a compensatory pick because they had signed Bourdon before he died.

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Question: Rich, do you know if DL is actively talking to other GM’s about a potential trade, either for another scorer or somebody for that third-line LW, or looking for free agents to fill those roles?

Answer: Not to my knowledge. The only thing he has talked about is adding a defenseman.

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Question: What time do the NHL guys skate at Toyota? Is there any way to find out if not? Thanks again for everything

Answer: I don’t believe they’re on the ice at all this week, at least not as a group. Some guys skate in smaller groups at different times, but there’s no scheduled “Kings ice time.”

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Question: where are my car keys?

Answer: Were you wearing a jacket? Check your pockets.

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Question: Will you be attending the kings game in ontario this year against San Jose?

Answer: Yeah, if the scheduling works out I’d kind of like to check it out.

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Question: Rich, why the distain for Travis Moen??

Answer: No disdain for Travis Moen at all. It’s just confusion about how the acquisition of a third-line winger became the Holy Grail of 2009. If I’m a Kings fan, there are plenty of other, more relea things to worry about first.

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Question: Any interest in Chelios by DL? Seems like a good fit as a #7 D. Cheap, owns property in the area, and would be a good ‘criminal element’ to tutor the kiddies in the finer points of filth.

Answer: Chelios has been pretty straightforward about wanting to play in the East. Interesting idea though.

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Question: Is there a chance of getting Luc to do a Q&A, like Jim does?

Answer: Definitely. Good idea.

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Question: Cam Barker re-signed with the Hawks for $9.25 over 3 years. That sounds pretty much exactly what JJ should get.

Answer: Seems very reasonable to me.

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Question: Where do you think Oscar Moller will end up this year? I know DL & TM (and myself) were impressed with his performance last year. We obviously have our top three centers in Kopitar, Stoll, and Handzus…does Moller fit in at #4, or does Trevor Lewis move up this year to take that spot, leaving Moller down in Manchester? Is using Moller as a winger something that they would look at?

Answer: I would tend to think that Moller will stick with the Kings, as long as he puts on a little bulk this summer. The Kings love his competitiveness, and as you allude to, Moller can also move over to the wing if necessary, so that increases his chances of sticking around.

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Question: Hey Rich, do you know the different friendship circles that have formed in the locker room or out of the locker room among the kings? Like are Simmonds and Moller buddies, Stoll and Brown, etc. The only one I had known about last year was sully and quincey…both of whom are now gone…

Answer: I’m pretty sure Simmonds and Moller shared a place last year, at least for part of the season. Brown and Kopitar have been close, and obviously Doughty lived with Greene last year so I’m sure there’s some rapport there. Truth be told, you don’t want too many “friendship circles” in the room. Makes it easier for division to take place. You’d rather have a room full of guys who get along, even if they’re not best buddies.

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Question: Rich, do you know what number Scuderi is going to wear? He wore #4 in Pittsburgh, but of course that was Blake’s number.

Answer: Looks like he’s going to wear No. 4 with the Kings.

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Questions: 1)Do you think Dean Lombardi uses his public statements calling out Anze Kopitar’s conditioning or Alexander Frolov’s compete level as a motivation tactic or as open criticism? It seems like he like’s what these players have to offer so he tries to motivate them using public comments. I don’t recall him using similar tacticts with Cammy or Sully, hence they’re gone. 2) Do you think this is smart to do? It makes him seem like he’s unsure about his “core” at times. And of course, the obligatory question of the week…How long will Frolov remain a King? I kid…

Answers: 1) I think you’re completely on target with your analysis. It’s not uncommon for coaches/management to be hardest on those they expect the most out of, and this is probably a good example of that. If Lombardi considered those players to be “lost causes” — and I’m not saying that was the case with Cammalleri and/or O’Sullivan — he wouldn’t even bother. 2) There’s a certain amount of risk involved any time you publicly call out a player. A good coach/executive knows what a player will react to, and knows which buttons to push. There’s a fine line between motivating a player and pushing him away, and presumably Lombardi knows where that line is when it comes to Kopitar and Frolov. 3) I predict that by the time I post these answers, Frolov will still be with the Kings.

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Question: Rich, teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh and even Philly have a blend of skill and toughness. With the exception of Doughty and Kopi I still wonder if the Kings are a bit “strong” on the character now and a tiny bit “light” on the skill front. Would be very interested in your view. Thanks (if I haven’t gotten this in too late).

Answer: I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. There’s a big difference between Ryan Smyth and Derek Armstrong, for instance. Armstrong, even though I admire the heck out of him, is high character and low skill. Smyth, from all accounts, is high character and high skill. Same for Scuderi. So I don’t necessarily think that adding one means you’re subtracting the other.

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Question: Regarding the UPS Logo (which I like, actually): Rich, what are your favorite three (current) NHL Logos (third Jerseys included)?

Answer: Just the logo, as opposed to the overall jersey? I’d say my three favorites are Red Wings, the Blackhawks and the Rangers. As usual, the old school wins out. I like the Kings’ crown logo as well, but dislike the “shield.” The Ducks’ logo, which is one my least favorites, would be one of my favorites if they simply used the “webbed D” instead of the script on the jersey.

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Question: Who is Michael Jackson? Old time hockey player?

Answer: According to HockeyDB, Michael Jackson played three games for the Billingham Bombers of the British Hockey League during the 1995-96 season.

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Question: Any chance of DL hiring Dave Tippett to run the offense and powerplay?

Answer: Pretty doubtful. At the last GM breakfast, Lombardi basically said he leaves the staff in Terry Murray’s hands and that Murray doesn’t like a large staff. I don’t anticipate any changes.

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Question: Also, What’s going to happen to Derek Armstrong?

Answer: If I had to guess, I’d say he will play in Europe, possibly in Switzerland.

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Question: On a team this young, does any rookie hazing go on?

Answer: It’s not as overt as it is in baseball, where the guys carry the pink backpacks and dress up in drag for road trips, but Doughty took his fair share of ribbing from the veterans last year, albeit in a good-natured way.

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Question: Your thoughts on Gauthier as a player? % chance of seeing him back this year?

Answer: As much as I dislike the term, Gauthier is what he is. You’re talking about a 6/7 defenseman who is going to play a handful of minutes per game. He’s not going to be a Norris Trophy candidate and he’s going to make mistakes. It would be sort of like expecting your utility infielder to hit .300. That said, you can’t have a huge liability on your team.

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Question: Its a common trend that when a player is on a contract year with Dean Lombardi he is not shy “expressing his opinion”. Wierd eh!?

Answer: Frolov wasn’t in a contract year last year.

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Question: Rich, ever get to an ECHL game? I can imagine that for someone in your position that would probably seem like overkill (or, underkill). The Long Beach Ice Dogs were right there in your neighborhood for a long time; maybe you saw one of their games. Do you think the Kings might ever move their AHL team west of the Mississippi? Seems like that would be a great economical move if they could convince other West Coast teams to do the same.

Answer: I actually went to an Ontario-Stockton game last year. Nice arena, fun game, including the fan behind us who didn’t know which team was the Reign. The thought of moving AHL teams West periodically comes up, but it’s not likely to ever happen unless there’s some type of West division created. Just having one or two teams in the West would be a logistical nightmare. Imagine if the Kings and Ducks were the only NHL teams in the West, and the next-closest team was Detroit…

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Question: Just curious Rich, do you read every post…?

Answer: Every comment? No. I read the ones that need to be approved, and if it’s a busy day I will just skim most of them for content.

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Questions: Did you know the Kings had “exclusive rights” to talk to Hossa? I was surprised the fact that several teams had an advantage over others before July 1 wasn’t mentioned in the press, especially in Canada.. Or are these little side deals something that happen all the time? Do you get the feeling Kovalchuk will make it to UFA-Frenzy next year, or will he be traded/re-signed before that?

Answers: 1) Are you asking if I knew at the time, or after? I reported it after the fact, but I did not know at the time. There were two other teams, but Lombardi says even he doesn’t know who the other two teams were. I believe Boston was one. It’s not unprecedented for a deal like that to go down, but it’s also not commonplace. Only a big name would warrant something like that. 2) As I answered earlier, current indications seem to be that Atlanta will make a huge push to re-sign Kovalchuk.

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Questions: 1) Do you know who the other two teams with exclusive negotiating rights for Hossa were? What was the compensation going to be? My presumption is that the Blackhawks were not one of them as they did not have to give up anything after signing him. 2) As a loyal fan, I hope for the best and can appreciate Lombardi’s openness with his plan over the past few years. Still, in analyzing his process, do you or has he even mentioned to you any potential shortcomings to his plan that will not allow the Kings to be a consistent winner (Injuries not withstanding). 3) A little crystal balling…in 2-3 years Stoll, Williams, Smyth, and Handzus contracts are up (as well as Frolov this year). Obviously, there is free agency, but who are the current prospects that can fill some of those top six vacancies? In my mind Schenn, Loktionov, and Moller, maybe. Kinda of thin on talent, no?

Answers: 1) No, I don’t know for sure, and Lombardi said that even he didn’t know. I believe one of them was Boston. Not sure what the compensation would have been, but it almost certainly would have involved a couple draft picks. 2) No, I wouldn’t expect him to come out and say, “This is how my plan could fail,” but I think it’s fairly obvious. When your strategy focuses so heavily on internal development, the prospects must develop into NHL players. For instance, the Kings have a stable of goalie prospects right now. If one of them develops into a star, Lombardi ends up looking like a genius. If they all flop, he’s a moron. The success or failure of those prospects will play a big part in Lombardi’s ultimate success or failure. 3) I can’t say I really understand the question. Are you projecting that the prospects aren’t going to develop into NHL players? If so, then yes, there will be a problem. But if Schenn, Loktionov, Moller, etc., develop into strong NHL players, then there’s not a problem. Plus, all four of the players you mentioned came from outside the organization, so there’s a good chance they could also be replaced by players who come from outside the organization.