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JASON LABARBERA

This season: 45 games, 17-23 record, 3.00 goals-against average, .910 save percentage.

Positives: Actually made it to the NHL this season and did a strong job during points of the season. His size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) remains his clear strong point and his positioning is usually solid. When he's able to stay healthy and get in a rhythm, LaBarbera is able to build some confidence and is capable of long stretches of good play.

Negatives: LaBarbera has still yet to show that he can make it through an entire NHL season without significant injury or without being replaced because of substandard play. He tends to be a little streaky -- but most goalies are -- and while his size is a positive, it also limits his mobility.

Looking ahead: Once again, LaBarbera will enter training camp battling for a job. It's been the same way every season since 2005. LaBarbera would have to be considered the favorite to earn the No. 1 job, although certainly not an overwhelming favorite. He will have to hold off Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier, and possibly others, in order to win the job outright.

Contract situation: Signed through 2008-09 (cap number of $825,000 next season).

ERIK ERSBERG

This season: 14 games, 6-5 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .927 save percentage.

Positives: Surprisingly, Ersberg emerged as a bright light in an otherwise dark and grim goaltending situation. Before the season, the Kings believed Ersberg would need a full year of minor-leagues seasoning, but he had two shutouts in 13 starts. The rest of the goalies combined for one (LaBarbera) in 69 starts. For the most part, Ersberg looked sharp and composed and showed great rebound control.

Negatives: Ersberg's play generated a lot of excitement, and that's understandable, but it's also wise to remember that he had a 2.92 goals-against average in Manchester and hasn't yet dealt with the rigors of being a full-time NHL goalie. That's not to say he wouldn't thrive in that role, but what has he really proved at this point?

Looking ahead: It will be interesting to see what happens with Ersberg this summer. If things work out, Ersberg will at least be in the mix for a roster spot, with Jason LaBarbera and Jonathan Bernier likely serving as his primary competition.

Contract situation: Restricted free agent.

We'll do the last of the player evaluations today, with everyone's favorite position: the goalies. We're going to do a separate set of evaluations for the prospects, which will include Bernier and Quick. So why not start with...

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DAN CLOUTIER

This season: 9 games, 2-4 record, 3.43 goals-against average, .887 save percentage.

Positives: Well...hmmm. Cloutier did have one shining game, Feb. 21 against St. Louis, when he stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 5-1 victory. Then again, that game against the second-worst team in the Western Conference.

Negatives: It's easy to pile on Cloutier, but it's just been an unfortunate situation all around. He tried to play while hurt during 2006, and that's admirable, but his acquisition/signing was just a disaster, in every sense of the word. The one thing he can be blamed for is the way he turned on the organization, which publicly supported him throughout all his troubles.

Looking ahead: The summer could go in a couple different ways. The most likely outcome is that Cloutier will have the final year of his contract bought out. There's a chance he could end up in a long-term-injury situation, but regardless, it's almost certain that he won't be on the Kings' roster next season.

Contract situation: Signed through 2008-09 (cap number of $3.1 million next season).

LUBOMIR VISNOVSKY

This season: 82 games, 8 goals, 33 assists, minus-18 rating.

Positives: This depends on which Visnovsky you'd like to talk about: the one who, during the previous couple seasons, established himself as a potential Norris Trophy candidate, or the one who looked tenative and overmatched this season. When he's on his game, Visnovsky is, pound-for-pound, a very strong defenseman with great puck-moving skills and good offensive instincts.

Negatives: So, what happened to that guy last year? It certainly looked like a new player on the ice this season, and not in a good way.

Looking ahead: It's hard to say what went wrong with Visnovsky. A popular theory is that he got overwhelmed, mentally, by the combination of a big contract extension (which kicks in next season) and the fact that he was named an assistant captain. The hope within the organization is that he will settle down and return to previous form.

Contract situation: Signed through 2012-13 (cap number of $5.6 million next season).

TOM PREISSING

This season: 77 games, 8 goals, 16 assists, minus-6 rating.

Positives: With Preissing's game, it's all a matter of expectation. He's not the fastest or the strongest or the biggest, but he manages to play a solid, responsible game for the most part. Any team expecting Preissing to log huge minutes or play the point on the power play is going to end up disappointed, but in a defined role, he's a solid veteran.

Negatives: A relative lack of size and strength will always hold Preissing back. At age 29, it's hard to see Preissing ever evolving into a top-flight defenseman or a reliable power-play contributor.

Looking ahead: Preissing is a solid fourth or fifth defenseman, and not a bad player at the price the Kings have locked him up at. The problem is the Kings need better defensemen around him, so that his ice time can be managed better and his mistakes aren't magnified.

Contract situation: Signed through 2010-11 (cap number of $2.75 million next season).

JON KLEMM

This season: 22 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, minus-5 rating.

Positives: Klemm has made a career out of being a grinder. He will never end up with many points, but does what is asked of him, which is to work hard, fill a handful of different roles and be a mentor for the younger players. Klemm did his most important work this season while serving as team captain for the Manchester Monarchs.

Negatives: In an ideal world, Klemm wouldn't even have played as much as he did for the Kings this season. There's definitely value in having a grinder, but Klemm is 38 years old and already had reached the point in which he was a marginal NHL defenseman. There isn't any real speed or offense in Klemm's game.

Looking ahead: It might be the end of the road for Klemm, unless both sides see value in bringing him back in a minor-league leadership role. Klemm basically did what was asked of him, although not much more.

Contract situation: Unrestricted free agent.

JACK JOHNSON

This season: 74 games, 3 goals, 8 assists, minus-19 rating.

Positives: Came into the NHL with tremendous hype that was almost impossible to live up to, but still managed a solid rookie season, particularly for a player who had never taken a shift above the college level unti late last season. Johnson clearly has the size, skating ability and physical instincts to be an impact defenseman, and he showed that at times this season.

Negatives: Again, expectations were high. Johnson was hyped as a Calder Trophy favorite heading into the season and never really came close to reaching that level. He admitted, late in the season, that not until the final month (before his broken foot) did he start to feel totally comfortable on the ice. The offensive instincts he showed at Michigan still need to emerge at the NHL level.

Looking ahead: There's certainly no hand-wringing among Kings management about Johnson. He's still considered a future franchise defenseman and he's starting to develop the type of leadership skills that could make him a team captain one day. With expected development, he should take a major step forward next season.

Contract situation: Signed through 2008-09 (cap number of $2.15 million next season).

PETER HARROLD

This season: 25 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, plus-3 rating.

Positives: Hasn't made any dramatic improvements, but is slowly and surely establishing himself as an NHL defenseman with a solid all-around game. Harrold has displayed good puck movement in the defensive zone during his limited time in the NHL and totaled 43 points in 49 games with Manchester this season, so he has some offensive upside.

Negatives: Size and speed are two of the drawbacks in Harrold's game, but they won't prevent him from being an NHL player. He could stand to get a little stronger, which would help the team's overall toughness, and as he gets more experience, he should be better prepared to deal with the speed of the NHL game.

Looking ahead: Harrold seems likely, in the long term, to settle in as a fourth or fifth defenseman. With Johnson and Visnovsky already in the fold, the Kings need to sign or trade for at least one more strong defenseman to take some of the pressure off Harrold and allow him to thrive as he continues to develop.

Contract situation: Restricted free agent.

KEVIN DALLMAN

This season: 34 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, plus-4 rating.

Positives: The very definition of a role player, Dallman can step in after being scratched for a handful of consecutive games and play either center or defense. Never a flashy player, Dallman has solid puck-moving skills and some offensive skills. Managed a plus-4 rating.

Negatives: Dallman's size is considered a negative on defense, and he just can't seem to ``wow'' the coaching staff enough to earn a regular place in the lineup. More often than not, coaches chose Jon Klemm to fill a similar role.

Looking ahead: It's not unreasonable to think the Kings might re-sign Dallman in a seventh-defenseman role, especially since Klemm is 38 years old and since Dallman is well-liked by the Kings' younger players. Whether he can ever shed that ``spare defenseman'' label is another matter.

Contract situation: Unrestricted free agent.

ROB BLAKE

This season: 71 games, 9 goals, 22 assists, minus-19 rating

Positives: At times this season, Blake was the Kings' best defenseman. A slow start, mostly caused by his recovery from offseason hip surgery, gave way to a period of strong hockey, which Blake was unable to maintain, in part, because of other nagging injuries. When healthy, Blake remains a strong physical presence on a team that lacks physical defensemen.

Negatives: Not uncommon for 38-year-old players, Blake is injury-prone and slowing down. He didn't come close to giving the Kings $6-million worth, but that contract was the Kings' fault, not his. Still plays well in spurts, but might no longer have the energy to maintain it for an entire season.

Looking ahead: Despite some uncertain moments during the season, on both sides, it seems as though Blake would like to return to the Kings and that the Kings would like to sign him to a short-term contract, far below the $6 million he made in each of the last two seasons. Blake still has some value, particularly as the Kings attempt to work in a new, young crop of defensemen.

Contract situation: Unrestricted free agent.