Question: 1. Is it reasonable to think that we will be competitive in 2008/09 given our inexperience on defense, or are we in for another bottom five finish? 2. Seriously, what is your favorite charity? Since (presumably) you aren't making any money on this blog, I'd like someone to benefit from your efforts.

Answer: 1) My tendency is to think that things might be rough for the Kings at first, with a new coach and so many young players, but that you might start to see some real progress late in the season. I think you'd be a bit unreasonable to EXPECT a playoff spot next season, particularly considering how tough teams like San Jose, Anaheim and Dallas are in that division, but would it be the most stunning thing in the world? No. There are surprise teams every year. I just don't think it's wise to expect the Kings to be one. 2) That's very kind of you, but I would encourage you (or anyone else so inclined) to donate to whichever charity/charities that you find worthwhile.

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Question: I read an article today on TSN (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242347&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl), where Burke blames Kevin Lowe directly for the current state of the FA market and the inflations of all these contracts that we are seeing today. I wanted to get your personal take on that, but I do have to say that the NHL seems like its going to be in trouble again when guys who score 15 goals a season are signed to 5-6M deals, or defenseman that get signed to deals worth only less then a 1M then that of a star like Crosby or Malkin.

Answer: Yes, I believe Burke has a very valid point on this, although I certainly don't think Lowe is alone in deserving blame. The Burke-Lowe thing has turned personal and has detracted from the overall point, which is that things are getting out of control and there are likely to be consequences, not too many years down the road.

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Question: 1. Do you think the stink over Lubo's trade had / has an impact on us losing out on certain FA's? If so, will this perception last, and how could DL defuse it? 2. Who do you rate the winners and losers from the FA / signings? 3. How do you think the power landscape of the league, western con and pacific division have shifted now? 4. Think Avery will be successful in Dallas? Who do you see keeping him 'in check' like Shanny did in NYC? 5. Who do you think overpaid the most for FA's? 6. Are DL / front office in any kind of 'panic mode' about losing certain FA's, Blake still unsigned, Sully still unresolved? 7. There was a lack of veteran presence in Manchester last season- which roster guys do you see spending a lot of time there? 8. Detroit didn't seem to really need Hossa- was this an uncharacteristic 'vanity move' by Ken Holland? 9. With the various departures and arrivals, how do you expect locker room chemistry to be different next season?

Answer: 1) I think they call this ``asked and answered'' in the legal profession. 2) Detroit clearly comes out as the big winner, without losing any of their big pieces and adding a huge one to a championship team. On the other side, Pittsburgh takes a big hit but still has a lot of young talent there. 3) The power in the West is still clearly with Detroit, although San Jose now looks pretty scary as well, assuming the reworked defense plays as anticipated. 4) They've got a strong veteran team there in Dallas, and a respected coach in Dave Tippett, so I don't think they will allow Avery to get out of control. Although it's impossible to predict what will happen with Sean Avery. 5) I still can't wrap my head about Toronto giving that huge contract to Jeff Finger. Maybe they'll look brilliant at some point, but...wow. 6) There's no panic mode about free agents. It seems, if anything, fans want the Kings to have more of a sense of urgency, but they're slow-playing their hand right now. 7) Gauthier's name has come up a lot, and you're probably looking at either Ellis or Richardson in a role like that. 8) I don't think so. If you can add a talented scorer and stay within your budget, why wouldn't you? 9) Impossible to say without a coach. The coach sets the tone. Plus a new leadership core will need to be established. Give this one a couple months.

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Question: 1. Was he just not interested in a youth movement, and being a mentor? 2. Is there any acknowledgment from the front office that the tactic of waiting until the last minute has bitten them in the rear end? 3. With little on the FA list, this surely increases the likelihood of a trade- do you think we're interested in Dan Boyle, and how much would it take to get him? 4. Who do you think gets the C and the A's? 5. Do you think it's fair to characterize this, as many of the fans clearly are, as a money grab and disloyalty?

Answer: 1) I don't think the ``youth movement'' was a problem at all. Blake seemed to embrace the role of being a teacher to Jack Johnson. If anything, the losing probably bothered him more than the number of young players. 2) No. 3) Well, Boyle is off the market but he was never a Kings target. It would go against everything Lombardi has done in terms of stockpiling young talent. But yes, I do think a trade is likely, albeit for a much lower-profile player. 4) Hard to say. As I said earlier, it might be wise to rotate them, unless a leadership core clearly identifies itself in training camp. 5) No. A lot of people want to put it in black-and-white terms, but it's never that simple. Both sides have their version of the reality of the situation. In most cases like this, both sides probably bear more responsibility than they want to accept.

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Question: are the Kings going to get a decent radio flagship this season? their station sucks. there are few conflicts (pre-empting or delayed games) but you can't even pick it up in OC without a huge antenna, which is just adding insult to injury since they are so frequently missing from the TV.

Answer: I'm not aware of any plans to change the radio affiliates. The radio broadcasts are all accessible online for free, but that doesn't really help you if you're out in your car.

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Question: Lombardi has constantly spoken of waiting for players to become the best they can be rather than just able to play in the NHL. With the trades of Cammalleri and Visnovsky, are the young players ready or is Lombardi shifting his view? Do you think we will see extended stretches from Simmons, Trevor Lewis, Boyle, Hickey, Bernier, and Doughty in Kings uniforms next year? Also Lombardi often mentions how he dislikes building through free agency. Was last year's signing of 4 free agents sort of a hedged bet that they might make the playoffs? Is this the year that Lombardi is going fully into developing from within? If so, why wait until now?

Answer: You've asked a few questions there that I think are all heading in the same direction. Seems as though the overall question is, ``Is Lombardi scrapping his don't-play-them-until-they're-ready philosophy?'' And the answer is, I don't think so, but I think he's perhaps more willing to take a chance, rather than be ultra-conservative about some of these guys. It's one of the things I've disagreed with him about in the past. My thinking on it is, basically, that they have to be rookies sometime. So why not give them a chance, during a time when there's less pressure on them, and let them work out their mistakes at the NHL level? So perhaps Lombardi is now willing to handle these guys with kid gloves a little less, particularly with the defensemen, but I don't believe it's a major change in philosophy.

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Question: Why is it that Lombardi seems to be focused on one thing at a time while his fellow GMs are able to sign coaches, get ready for the draft, sign their RFAs, and be ready for free agency? Where are his multi-tasking abilities that any great GM should have?

Answer: I'll just leave this out there as a legitimate question, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer it. I understand the point you're making, for sure.

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Question: When Lombardi came in, he claimed one of the reasons he chose the Kings was because they had a good ground and he didn't have to do a full rebuild to get the team where he wanted. What do you think made him look at the franchise and made him believe that a full rebuild is the only way to restore the franchise after having so many good young players on the team?

Answer: That would be an interesting quote to find, as I don't remember him saying something like that. It seemed pretty clear to me, from the beginning, that Lombardi felt the need to completely overhaul the Kings' ``reserve list.'' So I guess I would need to see that quote, and its context, to judge why or how things might have changed.

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Question: My question is about the prospect camp. Why no Brady Murray? What about prospect Matt Fillier? Is there any reason for any of the Kings' prospects to be missing this (aside from injury)?

Answer: I'm not really certain about Fillier. I'll toss his name out there and see why he's not making it. As for Brady Murray, he doesn't really fit in that ``prospects'' category anymore. He will be 24 next month and, largely because of his dad's time in L.A., he's been coming to those camps for so many years that he could practically run them. He's now an established pro player, if only an established minor-league player.

Question: With the current players, do the Kings need a coach that teaches or keeping competitve?

Answer: The simple answer, as you said, is ``both.'' And they can find that, but the main focus is on finding a ``teacher.'' I really believe that should have been the focus from the beginning, since Lombardi had to know that, at some point, he was going to have a young lineup. It seemed fairly clear that Marc Crawford's style wouldn't fit a team like that. So now they will look for a coach who can better relate to young players.

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Question: Since Dean has been GM of the Kings, he's preached the need for offensive, puck moving defencemen in the 'new NHL'. Signing Preissing, Modry, extending Lubo, drafting Hickey, etc. This year he seems to have changed his philosophy quite a bit with the acquisition of Greene, Gauthier, and Tuebert. Why did it take Dean 2 years to figure this out? Why do you think he's changed his philosophy over the past year? Is the answer as simple as it just wasn't working? Or is there more to it?

Answer: It's a good question, and I think the answer is probably that it's just part of the building process. You can't build an entire roster at once, so I'm not sure that it was a change of philosophy as much as it was ``stage one'' and ``stage two'' of trying to build a defensive unit. Because even within those examples you give, there are exceptions. He got the guys you mentioned last year, but he also drafted a guy like Martinez. This year, he acquired the guys you talked about but he also drafted a major puck-mover in Drew Doughty. So more than likely, it's probably a matter of getting guys when you can. Last year, more puck-movers were out there. This year, they focused on more of the ``physical'' guys.

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Question: Who would you like to see as the next head coach of the Kings?

Answer: Jim Fox. This way I know the locker-room area would always have a full stash of trail mix. In all seriousness, it doesn't really matter to me. Someone who likes to talk to the media and returns phone calls. That's all I'm looking for.

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Question: I have a question (finally thought of one I can't find anywhere): for the Kings this season, is there any chance that we might see a few more games on FSN West or even Prime Ticket? last season was a really hard one from a viewership standpoint, with so many random games not being shown on TV. are they going to improve the back to back situation at all? it seemed like when the Kings did a home-and-home with a close opponent, be it San Jose or Phoenix they wouldn't show the road game because it was too much work.

Answer: FSN did 65 games last season. If my memory is correct, that's a few below what they've done over the past few years. I'd have to check on that. I'm not sure if it will ever improve to the point that the Kings get all 82 games on TV. They would probably have to become a NHL juggernaut and be a huge draw in L.A. It seems as though every year, there's one major trip that gets skipped, plus a couple handfuls of random games. Sometimes it's schedule conflicts, particularly on the weekends, but in this era of HD you'd think they could find a way to get all the games on TV. It's a good question. I'll post the TV schedule for next season as soon as I get it.

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Question: As much as I'd like to see one of the kids take a shot in net, I agree their long term development will be better off playing every game in the AHL or ECHL. What percentage of games do you think the Kings would want them to play if one of them made the big club? The one name that no one seems to be talking about is Emery. What are your thoughts on Emery?

Answer: 1) That's a good question, and a very delicate one. Because if the Kings are going to have one of the young goalies in the NHL, they just don't want him to sit but they also don't want to overwhelm him. If it's a guy like Bernier, maybe 20-25 games would seem around right to me, depending upon how things go. Any less than 20-25 and he might as well be down playing a full season in the AHL. 2) Not going to happen. The Kings, I'm told, don't want anything to do with him.

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Question: What do you think of Brian Burke's contention that Kevin Lowe is responsible for inflated salaries for young players that eliminates the "second contract" and takes kids right from entry level to mega-deals?

Answer: It's kind of fun to sit back and watch the Burke-Lowe feud. I don't know who's right, but I do believe that we're on the verge of more problems in the NHL in terms of salaries. I'm not smart enough to tell you exactly why, but my instincts tell me that Burke has a point here. Guys such as Lowe are almost turning this into the ``Wild West,'' and while that's cool in a way, I think it's also dangerous.

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Question: when will the schedule be announced and do you have any kind of advanced idea as to whether the Kings will be coming to Boston in 08-09?

Answer: The schedule is usually announce on or around July 15, so you should be seeing it sometime in the next couple weeks, for sure. The NHL is going back to its old schedule, so you will be seeing the Kings visiting Boston in 2008-09.

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Question: I haven't gone over every comment/question, so this might be repetitive, but what about the other RFA's...everyone seems concerned when O'Sullivan (and possibly Stoll) will re-sign, but has there been any communication, hints, information regarding the rest of these guys (most notably Ersberg and Moulson)?

Answer: They gave qualifying offers to all those guys you mentioned, so they have every intention of bringing them back. Seems as though that's the Kings' next focus. I must admit, I'm a little confused about the panic regarding the RFAs. Last year, if I remember correctly, a guy like John Zeiler didn't sign unti July 20.

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Question: You should really add this site to your links list, especially for those interested in cap #'s. http://www.nhlnumbers.com/

Answer: That's a great site that I encourage people to visit for salary-cap questions. I should add it to the links, and will as soon as I get a few free minutes.

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Question: Do you think the Kings, as currently composed, have an NHL caliber defense, or that of an expansion team? In a few years these guys - plus Teubert, Voinov and maybe Campbell will be a good defense - just not so sure they fit the bill now. Could be a tough year for JLB and EE....

Answer: Yeah, I understand that point there. I've seen some pretty bad expansion defensive units though. I'd say it looks more like a very promising AHL defense than it does a NHL defense right now. Because you're absolutely right...the lack of experience on that list is pretty startling. Preissing is pretty much the only one who has proven himself to be an everyday NHL defenseman over the last few years. Wow...

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Question: 1) If Bernier wins the job in camp do you see DL having the "vision" to let him stay in LA the whole year regardless of the D in front of him? 2) Do you think the acquisition of Stoll, and his ability to win faceoffs, will help improve the PK?

Answer: 1) If Bernier makes the team, I think it's more likely to be as a backup. Especially, as you said, since it seems that the defense might be shaky in front of him, at least at the start of the season. I don't think they want Bernier to feel the pressure of being a No. 1 guy and potentially have his confidence shaken if things go bad. It makes more sense to put him in as the No. 2 and let him grow by starting one game per week or something like that. 2) The addition of Stoll, if he can stay completely healthy, should be a good one for the Kings. Is it worth giving up Visnovsky? Well, everyone has their opinion on that. But as you said, Stoll's faceoff ability and penalty killing should help the Kings in two areas that have been troublesome recently.

Question: Rich, sometime back I remember hearing a report that Lombardi had a handshake deal with someone to sign here, but Lombardi said he couldn't discuss it due to tampering rules. Do you have any indication of who that was?

Answer: I can honestly say I never heard anything about that.

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Question: With the recent moves of Cammi and Lubo does it send negative vibes through the locker room? Especially that of the young guys as they may feel that words are really cheap with this club. Also what is Dean's definition of "CORE" and who does he have listed in it for the next five/six years?

Answer: I'm not sure why the trades would have a negative impact. Losing is the only thing that really has a negative impact, so the Kings certainly run the risk of that, but again, I don't think players are as sensitive about things as fans sometimes like to project onto them. Lombardi's definition of ``core'' guys probably include the ones he wouldn't consider trading, in which case you're certainly talking about Kopitar, Brown, Bernier, Johnson, Hickey and Doughty and now would probably expand to include O'Sullivan.

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Question: 1) Do you know if Dean reads your blog to see how fans feel ? Not that he would listen necessarily but just to get an idea about what people are thinking about the team. 2) As a follow-up if Dean does read this blog, do you think Anthony is just Dean playing devil's advocate with bad ideas so his real-life ideas play out ? Just kidding Anthony, I much prefer having a fan that cares (even if we do not agree) than not having a fan at all. 3) Now that we have traded away two assistant captains who do you think the new assistant captains will be ? If they cannot resign Blake who is their new captain ? 4) Do you know if they cannot resign Blake any idea what their backup plans are for another filler or bridge ? 5) Any idea on what made Brooks Orpik skip on the Kings ? Was it b/c his first choice was to re-sign or did Dean balk at the term and cost of the contract ? I am glad they did not sign him for that much and I would rather use the money elsewhere. 6) It seems the cap is growing very quickly as are player salaries again. Do you think the cap can continue moving up at the same high rate ? I think once the Canadian dollar stabilizes the cap should grow at a slower rate.

Answer: 1) Well, I know that the Kings' communications staff prints out certain things for him, but I'm not certain if comments are included in that. I don't believe so. 2) If Dean slips up and admits that he's really Anthony, I'll give that scoop to you... 3) I haven't given this a ton of thought yet, but I almost like the idea of the Kings not naming a captain, or rotating it. Guys such as Brown, Johnson and Kopitar, to name three, have potential there, but none of them have yet been in that situation where they MUST be locker-room voices. As far as the long term, I would lean toward Brown, but we'll see. 4) Not sign Blake? What gives you that idea? Just kidding. I'd say a trade is most likely at this point. 5) I'm not certain about this, but I believe Orpik primarily wanted to be back in Pittsburgh. I didn't get the impression that the money bothered the Kings. 6) No way can it continue to rise like this. I'm very interested to see where it is next summer. That should tell us a lot.

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Question: Firstly, is Simmonds going to be able to play for the Monarchs next year, or is he going to have to play a final year of junior. 2- Do the Kings plan on signing Kidd, or are they going to sign him to an AHL contract like Meckler last year? 3- With the trade of Hersley and some holes to fill on D, is it likely the Kings will sign Niclas Andersen to play in Manchester/Reading/Ontario? 4- With the glut of bottom six centers in Manchester, who do you think gets moved to the wing? (Azevedo, Gauthier, Murray, Lewis, Meckler, or Holloway) 5- Is Tukonen coming back, or do you expect to see him moved or return to Finland?

Answer: 1) If I understand things correctly, Simmonds could go either way next season, AHL or juniors. He will be one of the guys who gets a long look at the prospects camp next week. 2) I think an AHL contract is much more likely at this point. 3) No, I haven't heard anything about Andersen for quite a while. 4) As far as I know, all of those guys, with the possible exception of Azevedo, has the ability to play wing. I'm not certain as to what their relative comfort levels are. 5) Until I hear about Tukonen signing someplace, I'll assume he's coming back. His chances of making the Kings don't seem to be improving though.

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Question: Do you think the reason why Kings will be around the salary cap floor this year is to cut expenses and perhaps turning a profit? We know they were losing quite a lot of money last year. It would explain why they wouldn't want to pay Visnovsky's front heavy contract.

Answer: They've been pretty consistent in saying that they're doing this to make sure they have room to sign guys such as Johnson and Kopitar to long-term extensions. Remember that after next season, there will only be six NHL players under contract to the Kings. There's a lot of money to be spent in the next couple years. Then again, it's always healthy to question AEG's motives.

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Question: 1) Can you confirm that AEG has given Lombardi an operating budget will below the salary cap? 2) Lombardi talks a lot about locking up the core young players, yet only Brown is signed long term (because he wanted security for his wife and newborn). Do you think that the players are the one hesitant to sign long term deals with the Kings because of the cost cutting? 3) Have you spoken with any of the players since the Visnovsky trade? Do they view it as a positive move?

Answer: 1) Yes, he has mentioned this several times. And it's actually a ``cash'' budget, the difference being that a player's salary-cap number and his actual salary are often different. 2) No, I think young players are hesitant to sign because of the amount of money young players are making league-wide now. If you worked in an office, and each of your co-workers kept getting bigger and bigger raises, wouldn't you want to wait as long as possible, to see how much you get? 3) I have not. But unless a player is really dumb, he will never comment on a personnel matter like that.

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Question: First - if Blake is trying to drive up his price do you believe DL will just walk away and not sign Blake? Second - for the d-man to sign, don't you think it's all about the assets and DL should sign the one guy he thinks he can get the most for at the trade deadline? Same applies to Khabibulin - why not take him and a second rounder and then move him at the deadline for another second rounder? Third - who will have a worse +/- in Edmonton this year - Lubo or Souray?

Answer: 1) Yes. How's that for a bold answer? Just kidding. 2) At this point of the game, in terms of defensemen, it's probably going to be a trade. Not to knock the remaining free agents, but there isn't a ton of value out there right now. I'm not sure there's anything out there that would fetch much at the deadline. As for Khabibulin, for the most part the Kings didn't see him as an upgrade to what they have, and they're looking at one of the kids potentially being a backup. 3) That could get ugly.

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Question: Rich, since you included him on your roster in a previous post, am I the ONLY one who thinks that Denis Gauthier is Manchester-bound? Also, any word on where Kevin Dallman is going to land?

Answer: 1) No, I don't think you're off-base on that at all. I wouldn't be surprised either way, and it will depend a lot on who the Kings are able to land on the blue line between now and September. 2) I haven't heard anything about Dallman, but I presume he will end up signing a minor-league deal somewhere, if not overseas. And I agree, he's another guy who wouldn't be bad to have in Manchester for the Kings.

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Question: How much does NOT having a coach in place influence free agents to not sign with the Kings (or any other team for that matter)? Yes, contract decisions are money-driven, but if a player knows he can play for a Cup contender being coached by a successful head coach who knows what he's doing - how can we blame him to sign elsewhere? Perhaps the timing of Crawford's firing was done by design to keep the payroll low?

Answer: You're reading way too much into it with the last part, but I actually think Lombardi underestimates, a bit, the players' desire to know who their coach will be. I don't think the timing of that firing was very good, but at this point there's not much they can do about it. Lombardi can't rush a hire. This hire is way too important. But making the choice in May or April would have made things a lot easier on them.

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Question: Is there any word on the coaching front? What would be a potential deadline for the hiring? Any front runners?

Answer: They're just starting to organize a list of guys that will be serious candidates. Interviews should continue shortly, in the next week or two. There's no deadline because there doesn't need to be, really. Training camp will open in mid-September so that's pretty much the only deadline.

Looks as though San Jose is busy again. According to TSN, the Sharks will get defenseman Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay, along with defenseman Brad Lukowich, for a package that includes defenseman Matt Carle, a first-round draft pick, a fourth-round pick and an unnamed prospect.

I'll keep going through the ``open forum questions'' for a while today. Thanks again for all the support during this wacky time...

For those who might not know, Brisson is one of the biggest agents in the game and is close friends with Luc Robitaille. His client list is deep and impressive and also includes Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar.

``Rob signed here (in 2006) because he wanted to come back. There wasn't going to be a youth movement at that point. The plan didn't work and then last summer that plan didn't work. Rob's intentions have always been to be in L.A. (In 2006), he didn't know. He thought he might have two or three or four or five years left, but his career plan was always to retire as a King. Last year they asked him to waive his no-trade clause but that wasn't something he believed in. He wanted to stay here. All the time, his plan was to stay here. He knew the plan was to help the youngsters. He's an all-star, Norris Trophy winner, Hall of Famer. He knew of his stature and all that and what he needed to do. He and Dean had many conversations and Rob and I had many conversations.

``After the draft, we knew we had to start making a decision. I knew Rob was going to get calls. If I sent messages out there, to all 30 teams, that Rob Blake is available, I'm going to get 20 calls. Some will (offer) 3.5 million, some will offer four or five, maybe even up to six. We wanted to avoid going into July 1 without having something done. I tried to talk to Dean about this and we finally hooked up, like he said, on Sunday night. I was pretty confident Rob was the perfect fit for the role. I talked to Dean and I said, `I want to make sure you're on board and he said, absolutely.' We talked about the role and all that and I talked to Rob and he was completely on board with it.

``So then I wanted to go back to the Kings. I tried all day Monday, Monday afternoon and Monday night. I got a hold of (Jeff) Solomon and we talked and I said, `I'd like to talk to Dean.' Then I'm making calls at 7 (a.m.) Tuesday, trying to get it done. I've got that and I'm trying to get Brad Stuart's deal done, because once the bell rings (at 9 a.m.) I'm going to be getting 40 to 50 calls per hour for all our other clients. So I was hoping to close it out (with the Kings) before the bell rings on Tuesday. In my opinion, it should take 10 minutes. He knows his role and it's X number of dollars. Let's get it done. This is not a cap (maximum) team. Their payroll is probably going to be $41 or $42 million. Why are they waiting to see what these other players are going to get when we already know what the range was for Rob? I'm trying to get an answer from them and I don't get an answer. It was so easy. So finally I just put it out there. It's this (amount of money) and it's this if you make the playoffs. Because that's good motivation for a player in Rob's position.

``So finally at 11 or noon, Dean texts me and he says that it's important that we get this done but we can only get this done when I see what's happening with other things. If it's a cap (maximum) team, I would understand. But when we're talking about a (salary cap) floor team and we're talking about a player who is willing to give his experience and play in that role we're talking about, I need an answer. So, Rob called Dean. He's not a 20-year-old player. He has no problem calling the GM directly. Dean told him, `We're not prepared to do this right now.' How do you think that makes the asset feel? When I saw `asset,' I mean the player. So he looked at the situation and he said, `Pat, I think it might be time to look at other offers and maybe a team that might want me for another role.'

``I didn't want to wait until today and call teams and say, `Hey, what about Rob Blake?' and have them say, `It's too late, I'm already at 52 (million).' I'm not pointing fingers here. I'm just saying how it played out. It didn't work out, but it's OK. He will be in San Jose in a different role. Rob was drafted here and he has a lot of appreciation for the city of L.A. I'm not trying to create a soap opera here. There's nothing personal here between Rob and myself and the Kings organization.''

Last year's Kings captain: Rob Blake.
Last year's alternate captains: Michael Cammalleri, Scott Thornton and Lubomir Visnovsky.

All gone.

Anyone want to start suggesting their replacements?

We started with Blake's statement that the Kings never made him an offer, and with my clarification that Blake's agent, Pat Brisson, had called Lombardi on Tuesday morning with a one-year, $4-million contract request.

So here's the time line, according to Lombardi, with quotes from Lombardi added where appropriate.

Sunday: Brisson calls Lombardi at night to talk about Blake. Lombardi said, ``I talked to his agent for two hours. We talked about a lot of things. The whole point was, we didn't talk contract but I was interested in making sure he understood the role and how important the role was. This is the year we actually start becoming a young team and I needed to know, what were Rob's priorities as a hockey player?''

Tuesday: At 9:05 a.m., Brisson submits a contract request. Numbers aren't confirmed, but trust me on this one, it was $4 million. Lombardi said, ``I got a non-negotiable offer at 9 o'clock and was told we had to hurry. I texted (Brisson) back because it was very clear that there was no room to move on their end. I told him we had to look at a number of things to make this fit. We were looking at other players and certain deals. I said, `We're not prepared to commit that type of money. We want to look at all our options but we want to bring him back.'''

Tuesday afternoon/evening: Lombardi and Brisson exchange e-mails. Lombardi said, ``I forget the exact sequence. We exchanged two e-mails. One of them outlined the process we were going through. He said, `Fine, but we're not changing our (offer) number.'''

Tuesday night: Blake and Lombardi spoke on the phone. Lombardi said, ``Rob called me. He was honest. He said, `I don't think I can wait.' I knew San Jose had been talking to him. I said, `I can't hurry this. I'm not sure yet what we can offer. We know what your number is. We're looking at some other things and if I do some other things, it might take me out of (the range of Blake's offer).' I was thinking of making a conditional offer and then if things didn't happen, we could maybe go up to his number, but it was clear it wasn't negotiable. At that point, I was almost sure he was going to San Jose.''

Wednesday: Lombardi and Brisson exchanged e-mails. Lombardi said, ``We had an exchange of e-mails. I was telling them I still had to go through the process. (Brisson) said, `I have no interest in waiting.' I was trying to explain to him what we're trying to do.''

Thursday: Blake signs with San Jose.

Now, this is Lombardi's time line. If Brisson has a differing opinion, I'm not aware of it, because he hasn't returned my calls for four days. So there you go. I'm going home.

Question: 1A) With the team getting younger, where does Calder and Armstrong stand? 1B) With the addition of Stoll and the strong likelihood of Boyle playing next season, does this mean Armstrong shifting to the wing? Our top 4 centers appear to be Kopitar, Stoll, Boyle, Handzus. 2) When Matt Ellis was picked up off of waivers, it was speculated that it might have been with the intent of using him as a veteran leader in Manchester. Is this still the case? 3) Without Cammy, any chance of Frolov-Stoll-Purcell being our 2nd line? Or is it more likely for a FA pickup taking the place of Purcell?

Answer: 1A) At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see either of them be healthy scratches on a fairly regular basis. Calder is a bit more versatile so he probably has the edge there. 1B) I agree that those are the top four centers right now, and Lombardi said as much in his comments the other night. Armstrong could indeed shift to wing, but there are many other players who could also fill those third- and fourth-line winger roles. 2) Yes, I think that's a very likely scenario, especially with this surplus of potential third- and fourth-line players that we've just been discussing here. 3) At this point, that's what I'm looking at as the most likely scenario. Any number of things could change that, but if you're a betting man, you would bet on Frolov-Stoll-Purcell at this point.

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Question: How much of a sure thing is it for Purcell and Boyle to be with the Kings and stay up with them?

Answer: That's certainly the plan at this point. I think it's safe to say the jobs are there for them to lose.

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Question: Do you believe that the Kings aren't interested in Khabibulin, and if not, why not? And if it's not Khabibulin, and the Kings are still looking for a "bridge goalie", who do you think they're targetting?

Answer: No, Lombardi said flat out that they're not interested in him right now. Why not? It's a huge salary and they don't see him as much of an upgrade over LaBarbera and Ersberg, plus they're looking at have one of the prospects potentially fill a backup role. I don't think they're targeting any other goalies on the free-agent market. If anyone comes in, it would be through another one of those trades where it's sending a lower-round pick to a team looking to get rid of a player. The chances aren't great, I don't think.

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Question: As far as Lubo goes, this is the 2nd or third time that a player has been upset with Kings management? What do you think the consensus is around the league with DL and crew? Do players want to play for them?

Answer: I can't speak for players, but in general, I don't players are as emotional and sensitive as some people tend to project on to them. It's a business and they understand that. Was it a great PR move to trade a guy two days before his no-trade clause kicked in? No, but it's not as though they skirted the rules or anything like that. The situation got blown up because some of the allegations that Visnovsky made, that perhaps didn't represent the entire story.

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Question: Do you have any feeling that there is a sense around the league that coming to Los Angeles is bad for their career? And also along those lines, do you think DL has been pressed by ownership to play hardball with our contract negotiations due to their proclaimed economic woes? As I see it, we were expected to compete for a playoff spot last year, and as it stands right now, some could argue our roster is weaker now than it as last year. Also, now that we have lost 2 of our top players, with basically only unproven players lined up for next year to take their place, where do you see the Kings finishing next year as the roster stands today?

Answer: 1) Bad for their career in what context? If a player has a coach he feels is stunting his progress, that would be bad for his career, but I don't know that any players would see joining an organization, in general, as being ``bad for their career.'' If there's a negative to the Kings right now, it's that players know they aren't going to be Cup contenders this year. That might scare off some players who want to win right now. 2) No, I don't. Lombardi has a budget and it's up to him to stay within it, in any way he deems necessary. 3) Good question. When you're 29th, it's hard to get much worse. I guess that's the only positive. When you're talking about this many young players, it's likely to go in one of two directions. Either they all mesh together really well and feed off each other and the Kings surprise everyone and finish eighth in the conference...or they bomb completely, as these young players adjust to the NHL, and finish last in the conference again. I don't think they'll be ``mediocre.'' It will go in one direction or the other.

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Question: 1) Do you think it was a smart move to trade Lubo. Considering the trouble Dean has had landing any top free agents since he has been hired, starting with Chara, Drury, Gomez, and now Oprik. He seems to only be able to sign second level free agents that he has to overpay. Here was a player who was happy to be here, signed for five years and was one of the top players at his position. Stoll will be a UFA after this year and Greene after 2 years. 2) Do you think Dean focuses too much of his time on drafting/prospects at the expense of the other parts of the GM's job. I have noticed that the Kings have drastically reduced their pro scouting staff, it now only has four scouts. Do you believe this is contributing to the less than stellar pro acquisitions?

Answer: 1) Wow...I'm really not trying to blow off your question, but it goes SO deep into Lombardi's philosophy about building a team. I really couldn't do your question justice with a short answer. I'll just say this. Lombardi has a very specific, unbending philosophy about what it takes to build a franchise from the ground up. Even I don't completely understand it, but he's convinced that he's handling free agency the correct way. Only time will tell. 2) This is an interesting question and there certainly might be some validity to it. Lombardi focuses a lot on the draft; there's no question about that. Is the pro staff lacking? That's a good question and, not having had much experience with other teams and other GMs, it's not a question I can really answer. But given the Kings' lack of success with free agents, I think it's a legit question.

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Question: Any word on recent draftees Voinov, Loktionov, Azevedo and Campbell being signed soon as they are eligible to play in Manchester this upcoming season? Also, has DL discussed this scenario. Say Doughty signs his 3 year entry level contract, plays the first half of the season with the Kings and is then sent back to his CHL team for the rest of the season. Since he is eligible to play in Manchester in 2009-10, would it be that big of a deal to have a year come off his contract?

Answer: Again, I think that's one of those things that falls on the priority scale. A team can't do everything at once. In this case, there's free agency, there's the hiring of a coaching staff and there's the signing of the restricted free agents. My guess would be that Doughty is the highest priority and then the rest of the picks fall in line behind that. As for Doughty, no, I don't think it would be a big deal to see a year come off his contract, but I'm not totally sure what the point would be of having him in the NHL for half the year then sending him to the CHL. If he's here for 40 games, you'd probably want to keep him here and allow him to continue to develop.

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Question: Looking at those number of guys, we have too many forwards. Zeiler is on a one way. Is he going to trade a forward or two to clear up space...? This is going to make it tough on all 3 guys to get an everyday spot.

Answer: I understand that it looks like a lot of bodies, but looking at it from a GM's perspective, that's very rarely a bad thing. Trades are always possibilities and you never know when injuries are going to pop up. Beyond that, if it's clear that a guy isn't going to work out, there's always waivers. It's a much better problem when there aren't enough bodies. If I'm the Kings, I'm much more concerned about who's going to fill that second-line right wing spot if Purcell isn't up to it yet.

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Question: 1)Can you get DL's thoughts & breakdown of the Gauthier deal & how he sees him being used? 2)Is Boyle definitely going to be a center or could we see him at wing on the 2nd line with Fro & Stoll? 3)Can you handicap Moller's chances of making the big club this season? I love this kid!

Answer: 1) The significance of the Gauthier deal really goes beyond Gauthier. Yes, he's a role player who could fill a 6-7 spot in a defensive lineup, but the Kings also got a second-round pick, and look at it this way. They cleared a spot on the reserve list that can be used for a prospect, right? 2) I haven't heard of any plans to move Boyle to wing. Doesn't seem very likely to me. 3) The Kings are high on Moller as well, but he probably needs another year before he's NHL ready. A year from now, he will have a realistic shot.

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Question: 1. why wont Lombardi lock up Kopitar now. He is the rock that this team will be built on and contracts for players like him are getting mor expensive by the day 2. Dont you think that O'Sullivan will be looking at the Kostisyn deal in MTL and say I am worth the same amount. 3. My worry with Lombardi is that he was blown out of town in San Jose because of the Nabakov deal. He has a history of not being able to sign his top players. I am worried that we are starting to see this happen in LA (eg. Cammy)

Answer: I would encourage you to take a look at your first two questions. Look at your second question, when you talk about O'Sullivan sitting back and seeing what other players are getting. Well, why would Kopitar want to sign right now, if he's sitting back seeing how much these young players are getting? It's a two-way street here. I understand the sentiment of, ``Why isn't Lombardi signing Player X?'' but you have to look at it from a player's perspective too. If you're Kopitar right now, what motivation do you have to sign? See what I'm getting at? These things don't happen because a GM snaps his fingers and says, ``You're signed.'' Both sides have to be on the same page and have similar motivations.

Sharks GM Doug Wilson: ``Rob is a tremendous competitor that has been one of the top defensemen in this league for many years. While he has enjoyed mentoring the young guys, great players need the ability to win in order to thrive and his sole purpose here is to focus on winning.''

Sharks coach Todd McLellan: ``Rob's skill set and intangibles speak for themselves. ... I coached Nicklas Lidstrom for the last three years and Rob is the same age as him. Rob, like Nicklas, has proven to be a leader on a championship-winning team and any coach would be lucky to have a player of his caliber.''

Sharks center Joe Thornton: ``I've gotten to play with Rob at several international tournaments and we've built a friendship over the years. He'll fit right into our group and more importantly will help us win. He is extremely talented and can play, and excel, in every situation.''

The schedule and roster for next week's development camp in El Segundo has been released. On-ice activities begin Tuesday (7/8) and conclude the following Thursday (7/18). The highlight is a Monday, July 14 scrimmage at 3 p.m involving all prospects. All of the practices are open to the public. Tickets to the scrimmage -- with proceeds benefiting the Kings Care Foundation -- will be on sale, $10 for adults and $5 for children under 18.

The camp will be split in two. The ``purple'' group will practice July 8-11. The ``gold'' group will practice July 15-18. On the 12th, 13th and 14th, the prospects will combine for practices and, on the 14th, the scrimmage. The list of players and the schedule follows...

The following players are slated to be part of the "Purple Group" (subject to change):
Andersen, Niclas -- Defenseman
Azevedo, Justin -- Forward
Bernier, Jonathan -- Goaltender
Busch, Florian* -- Forward
Cameron, Bryan -- Forward
Campbell, Andrew -- Defenseman
Czarnik, Robert -- Forward
D'Orazio, Mike^ -- Defenseman
Doughty, Drew -- Defenseman
Hickey, Thomas -- Defenseman
Hoerdler, Frank* -- Defenseman
King, Dwight -- Forward
Loktionov, Andrei -- Forward
Moller, Oscar -- Forward
Myers, Josh -- Defenseman
Nolet, Martin -- Defenseman
Rankel, Andre* -- Forward
Roe, Garrett -- Forward
Rowat, Linden -- Goaltender
Teubert, Colten -- Defenseman
Voinov, Vjateslav -- Defenseman
Weiss, Alexander* -- Forward
Wudrick, Geordie -- Forward
Zatkoff, Jeff -- Goaltender

The following players are slated to be part of the "Gold Group" (subject to change):

Bagnall, Drew -- Defenseman
Cliche, Marc-Andre -- Forward
Dravecky, Vladimir -- Forward
Drewiske, Davis -- Defenseman
Holloway, Bud -- Forward
Kidd, Josh -- Defenseman
Lewis, Trevor -- Forward
Martinez, Alec -- Defenseman
Meckler, David -- Forward
Parse, Scott -- Forward
Piskula, Joe -- Defenseman
Quick, Jonathan -- Goaltender
Simmonds, Wayne -- Forward
Taylor, Daniel -- Goaltender
Westgarth, Kevin -- Forward

THE ON-ICE SCHEDULE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT CAMP (subject to change):

Purple Group On-Ice Workouts
July 8: Forwards, 8-9 a.m.; Defensemen, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Goaltenders, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 9: Defensemen, 8-9 a.m.; Goaltenders, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Forwards, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 10: Goaltenders, 8-9 a.m.; Forwards, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Defensemen, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 11: Forwards, 8-9 a.m.; Defensemen, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Goaltenders, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Combined On-Ice Workouts (July 12 to July 14)

Saturday, July 12:
8:30 to 9:45 a.m. (Team A practice)
10 to 11:15 a.m. (Team B practice)

Sunday, July 13:
10 to 11 a.m. (Team B practice)
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (Team A practice)

Monday July 14:
8:15 to 9:15 a.m. (Team A practice)
9:30 to 10:30 a.m. (Team B practice)
3 to 4:45 p.m. (Game: Team A vs. Team B)

Gold Group On-Ice Workouts (July 15 to July 18)
July 15: Forwards, 8-9 a.m.; Defensemen, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Goaltenders, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 16: Defensemen, 8-9 a.m.; Goaltenders, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Forwards, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 17: Goaltenders, 8-9 a.m.; Forwards, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Defensemen, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
July 18: Forwards, 8-9 a.m.; Defensemen, 9:15-10:15 a.m.; Goaltenders, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; ALL, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

*During combined workouts groups will be divided into Team A and Team B (players listed below)

TEAM A
# Player
32 Jonathan Quick
33 Kevin Westgarth
42 Joe Piskula
45 Jonathan Bernier
48 Josh Kidd
49 Frank Hoerdler
50 Bud Holloway
55 Bryan Cameron
59 Robert Czarnik
61 Trevor Lewis
62 Niclas Andersen
63 Scott Parse
64 Josh Meyers
68 Florian Busch
71 Andre Rankel
75 Linden Rowat
80 Drew Doughty
81 Andrew Campbell
82 Geordie Wudrick
84 Justin Azevedo

TEAM B
# Player
36 Jeff Zatkoff
37 Thomas Hickey
40 Garrett Roe
44 Davis Drewiske
46 Daniel Taylor
51 Oscar Moller
53 Alec Martinez
57 Wayne Simmonds
58 David Meckler
60 Vladimir Dravecky
67 Marc-Andre Cliche
70 Alexander Weiss
72 Mike D'Orazio
74 Dwight King
76 Vjateslav Voinov
78 Drew Bagnall
79 Colten Teubert
83 Andrei Loktionov
85 Martin Nolet