TSN reports the Los Angeles Kings addressed their need for goaltending stability today by claiming veteran netminder Sean Burke off re-entry waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Injuries have bitten the Kings' goalies hard this season, with Dan Cloutier and Mathieu Garon both sidelined indefinitely, leaving the club with two rookie call-ups to fill the void. The Kings have Jason LaBarbera on their farm club but were unwilling to call him up for fear of losing him via waivers.
Burke has spent this season toiling on the Lightning's farm team, and TSN reports that he still has over $700K remaining on his $1.6 million contract for this season. However, by plucking him off re-entry waivers, the Kings are only on the hook for half the remaining amount, with the Lightning having to pick up the rest, which will now count against their cap for the rest of the season.
Burke hasn't seen much action in the AHL, playing in only seven games, and his stats weren't that great either (4.52 GAA and .856 SP).
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Kings needed an affordable short-term fix between the pipes. If Burke can return to his once-strong NHL form, he'll be a boon to the Kings. If not, his salary is easily absorbable and he can be demoted once Garon returns to action.
At this point, he can't make the Kings goalie situation any worse than it already was, so it's a worthwhile move on the part of GM Dean Lombardi.
1) Talk about desperate actions! Do the Kings expect a 56 year old goalie who hasn't seen an NHL shot this year to be effective?
2) Guess he was cheap anyway
1) Bet Esche could be had for a 4th rounder at this point from Philly! He's no George Vezina but at least he isn't recieving Social Security either
2) Guess LA is throwing in the towel and shooting to try to win the Angelo Esposito Sweepstakes
I guess when your desperate you'll do anything. I mean he's probably better than having an ECHL goalie as a starter. Can't make it any worst I don't think.
Burke's 7th or 8th team he's played for in the NHL. Some might of thought Esche to L.A. at one point but Burke is so much cheaper, thats a pretty good "band-aid" for the King's net, i hope the guy does well.
I think claiming Burke off the waivers was an easy and cheap decision that didn't involve trading an active player or a pick to get a "B" rated goalie. Is he still a "B" rated goalie or was that in 1976?
Good Luck Burky!! I hope you still have something in your bag of tricks. Last games w/lightning he was stiff & slow. He'd go down and stay down, getting beat high stick & glove. Lightning coach "Torts" said after Burke was critical of TB management in press, he would never wear a bolt again. He & Grahame were amajor part of the problem last year.
Yeah, Burke is old and it remains to be seen if he can still play in the NHL. But in his defence - he has been on a three deep rotation in Springfield with Ramo getting the majority of the work. He sees no action and he is the type of goalie that needs consecutive starts in order to be effective. He does however show up to work every day and shows the kids how to be a true professional. He is one of the nicest guys you would ever meet and goes out of his way to embrace the fans of the city he plays for. That being said, I don't know if he will get the chance to find his groove with the Kings or if he will finish the year in the minors but either way the Kings got a guy who will step in a play whatever role he is asked. Good luck Sean.
Keep in mind guys this is a last place team with young talent. Our only trade option is one of them, which wouldn't fix anything. I am a long time Kings fan and reality is, this isn't our year and I am glad to see them not freak out and do somehthing stupid. Burkey is a patch. An old, expendable, no commitment patch. We get rid of Conroy, Cloutier and get a strong netminder next year.... a high draft pick and this will all be ancient history.
As for Burke, he isn't as washed up as you all may think. Last year he almost won the starting job in Tampa Bay. Even though that isnt saying much, it should tell you that Burke can still stop NHL rubber.
Spector- I was reading espn.com today and they had a poll asking "Will Peter Forsberg be traded to Montreal" (don't know if thats word for word but thats the gist). Is there something being worked out there?
Last edited by LetsGoBuffalo on January 18th at 5:06 PM.
To my knowledge that's unsubstantiated rumour. Forsberg maintains he doesn't want to be traded and since he's got a no-trade clause, he won't be going anywhere unless he agrees to move, so it really doesn't matter if other teams are interested in him. I don't doubt that there may be some clubs interested, but if Forsberg says no go, then it's no go.
whats up with the kings? it seems like every year for the past 3 or 4 they have been decimated by injuries. signing cloutier to an extension was a HUGE mistake, and getting anyone to take him off their hands is going to be very tough. after the canucks got luongo, spector noted that nonis was going to have a tough go at unloading cloutier, but the kings bit, and then signed him to an extension. this move to pick up burke works, because it costs very little, and at least burke has more than what 5 games nhl experience. just a thought... cloutier for theadore? any takers
This is Putting a butterfly band-ade on a Huge Cut. As a long time fan of the Kings. Burke welcome. Enjoy having 2 guys open in your crease most of the game. When was the last time a king netminder made an All Star team. LA is where Keepers go to die.
As Dean said in the GM's Breakfast for season ticket holders this year.
"This is a competive team. and we are going to turn some heads."
Competive for the first pick in the draft. And the turning heads are Kings fans trying not to Puke"
I think it's a shame that this move does even has to happen. I have nothing against Burke and I really think that the Kings need a Goalie now that Cloutier and Garon are both injured. But they already have the Goalie they need in their system in Jason LaBarbera, but they can't bring him up because he would not survive re-entry waivers. And that is really really embarrassing for the league, that good players are forced to stay in the AHL because of this stupid waivers-rule. The same with Nolan Baumgartner in Philly for example. This has to be changed. Don't you also think so?
Last edited by Stevo808 on January 19th at 12:18 AM.
Hey Spector, Un-related story but have you heard anything new about the Lightning doing their training camp in P.E.I. next season? I know Brad Richards obviously must have something to do with this.
Good deal, it was mentioned in the Tampa tribune and not spoken of since. I can tell you the Lightning training camps are known to be one of the hardest in the NHL. You'll also see (2) of the best young Finnish goalies in Riku Hellenius & Kari Ramo. NHL Euro scouts have said Hellenius is the best Finn Goalie since "Kipper".
Last edited by Goalieman on January 19th at 11:34 AM.
boltsfan: as a resident of the Hartford area, I saw him play many times, and he was a fine goalie. He also beat his wife on at least one occasion, and it was all over the news. I have no problem with his play as a goalie. However, I have no respect for any man who willingly turns his fists on any woman, let alone his wife.
The move is probably a band-aid for the fans to help fix a sinking ship. Maybe the Kings should concentrate instead on freeing up as much cap space as possible to sign UFAs that can help this team go in a new direction. (For a non-achieving team, they have a suprisingly large salary.) I'm hoping that they unload Miller, Blake, Cloutier, Tver (and a couple of their many filler players) for decent return and take this team in a new direction to build around their young talent.
Does Burke's contract extend beyond this year?
Does anyone know why the Kings never saw Huet's talent for what it was?
Is there any way to get rid of Cloutier or Tver? We're stuck with them, aren't we.
Last edited by Palinurus on January 20th at 9:12 AM.
I think that the main reasons that the Kings went the Burke Bypass instead of the Esche Expressway are plain and simple, money and compensation.
Burke = $350,000 (in salary) + 0 (in NHL players/prospects lost) + 0 (Draft Picks lost)
Esche = $500,000 (in salary) + ? (in NHL players/prospects lost) + ? (Draft Picks lost)
Philly has nothing to lose by holding onto Esche until closer to the deadline, so they probably made a trade demand that was less than appealing to the Kings.
palinurus, what GM in his right mind would pick up cloutier, who is signed for i think 2 more years, and is definitely not worth the 2 + million he is being paid. your only hope is that he can be bought out this summer. crawford showed way to much faith in cloutier, and now it is biting him. it would be great for the ducks-kings rivalry for both teams to be competetive st the same time. can you imagine what a brutal series it would be if the 2 ever met in the playoffs
This is about the only thing they could do... then again, he didn't make it through the whole game.
That's what happens when you're 40 and haven't played in a month.
Fortunately for their draft position, their #6 (formerly #5) goalie, Fukufuji, came in and easily fuk'd it up again. They were winning 2-1 at the time, almost halfway through the 3rd. Game ended 3-2 in favor of the Co-yotes. In REGULATION...
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
