Here on Dean Lombardi’s comments on tonight’s trade, in which the Kings acquired Ryan Smyth from Colorado for Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a fifth-round draft pick in 2010.

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Question: Can you talk about how this came together?

LOMBARDI: “Well it started back at the trade deadline. We thought, at that time, that the price was way too steep. That ended, but we kept in contact and we got in contact at the draft. We had this, certainly, in the back of our mind, when we went into free agency, that this would be a priority guy. We had him ranked higher than some of the free-agent guys we weren’t willing to extend ourselves on. That’s kind of the whole process. What brought it together from their side, I can’t speak to that, but he’s a guy we targeted at the trade deadline.”

Question: What is most attractive to you about the way he plays?

LOMBARDI: “The position he plays, the role he plays — as a top-six guy who plays left wing — and most importantly, the way he plays. That was the most important thing in terms of why we were aggressive. We lack guys who are going to go to the blue (area in front of the net) and score hard goals and pay the price. He’s not flashy, he doesn’t make highlight films, but he wins hockey games. You’ve got a guy who is known as `Captain Canada.’ As far as his character and his competitiveness, this is the type of player that we need.”

Question: It’s an obvious question, but in drafting the way you did, and then signing a guy like Scuderi and trading for Smyth, is it safe to say you’re trying to make a statement by bringing in hard-nosed guys?

LOMBARDI: “No question. I’ve said it all along; the culture is not built with slogans. It’s a process of building with the right people, over time, with your values. This is why this a key piece for us. Kopitar has to learn this. This is the type of guy who, hopefully can bestow values like that on a guy like Kopitar. You saw it at the draft. (Kyle) Clifford… Ironically, in the days leading up to this, teams know better than to ask me for (Brayden) Schenn, but I was pleasantly surprised about how many are asking for Clifford. It’s those type of values that people want. That doesn’t mean you don’t need skill, but it’s all about the compete. It’s like Scuderi, the same type thing. Solid kid, always been a great teammate.”

Question: Any hesitation in giving up Quincey? He was solid last year. Was that tough?

LOMBARDI: “No question. I said it from day one, that was a great job by our scouts. The kid did a fabulous job. If we didn’t have the defensive depth in our minor-league system, I probably would have been much more hesitant to do this. You know how I feel about building the back end. It’s been a huge emphasis, but I have said from the beginning that with all these defenseman, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep them all. I thought we would have to move some of the younger ones, but we ended up moving one who was already on the way in. I don’t do this unless I have that depth coming through the system.”

Question: With Preissing, do you have any theories about why that didn’t work?

LOMBARDI: “It’s a bridge deal that did not work. He’s a better player than what he showed here. He has to be put in a situation like he was in Ottawa, in the right mix, to really succeed. We couldn’t provide that here. At the time, I think he was that bridge guy, a right-handed shot and a good puck mover. I didn’t know we were going to get Drew Doughty and have him come in right away and essentially take that spot. It certainly didn’t work but I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays well in Colorado. He played well in Ottawa, which was a good team. It just wasn’t a good fit for us and it didn’t work. It clearly wasn’t going to work for us next season.”

Question: If there’s any hesitation with Smyth, it might be with the risk of him getting hurt because of the way he plays. Any concern there?

LOMBARDI: “That’s why this deal is contingent on physicals. And remember, there’s the issue with Quincey and his back also. The hardest part was getting the language on the physicals. When he was asked to waive his (no-trade) clause today, it was no problem. That was a good sign. But to make sure that everything is in order physically, we have to be protected. Ryan reminds me a little of Mike Ricci. Guys like Ryan Smyth are not going to be totally healthy. They play hurt. I had a similar issue when I traded for Mike Ricci. These guys take such a beating, but if they train properly, they’re OK. Ricci was great for me and I had no problems with him. When I got him, it was a concern. He would stand in front of the net, and the rules hadn’t changed yet so you could really pound on him there. It’s impossible for him to be a perfect specimen. Then again, if you’re a perfect specimen at 33. you’ve probably been playing on the perimeter and you’re not the kind of guy we want. Our doctors will check him out He’s coming in Sunday so they will get him all checked out.”