- Looks like there’ll be a competition to determine this season’s goaltending tandem for the Los Angeles Kings.
Earlier this week the Kings signed former Toronto Maple Leafs backup J.S. Aubin to a one-year contract, creating a potential logjam in goal as he joins Dan Cloutier, Jason LaBarbera and Erik Ersberg in battling for the two available spots.
Cloutier is considered the de facto starter provided he finally overcomes the injuries that dogged him for much of the last two seasons. LaBarbera has shown a lot of promise on the Kings farm club, while Ersberg was signed as a free agent after spending the last two seasons in the Swedish Elite League.
Aubin’s biggest problem is consistency. Once thought to be starting goalie material when he broke into the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins eight seasons ago, he since bounced between the NHL and the AHL and is now considered a backup.
Two seasons ago he nearly saved the Toronto Maple Leafs season, taking over down the stretch from an injured Ed Belfour and a struggling Mikael Tellqvist and posting a 9-0-2 record in 11 games, with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
Last season, his last with the Leafs, wasn’t as spectacular, going 3-5-2 in twenty games with a 3.43 GAA and a .876 SP.
- It appears former Vancouver Canucks winger Jan Bulis won’t be playing in the NHL this coming season.
Reports out of Russia have Bulis signing with Khimik Mytischy in Russia. No word for certain on how much he’ll earn but there’s some speculation he signed for $1.3 million.
Bulis’ stock fell dramatically last season with the Vancouver Canucks after building a reputation with the Montreal Canadiens as a reliable two-way forward. Despite this Bulis seemed to struggle last season under Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault. He lost playing time and at one point last February his agent claimed Bulis wanted a trade, something he quickly denied.
He changed agents this summer and a report in the Vancouver Province had his new agent suggesting Bulis could be signed soon by an NHL team.
Either his signing with Khimik was an insurance move for Bulis, there simply isn’t any genuine interest by NHL GMs in his services, or (most likely) none willing to pay the kind of money he can get in Russia for his services.
- The Atlanta Thrashers bolstered their blueline depth this week by signing UFA defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski to a one-year, two-way contract that’ll pay him $600K at the NHL level.
Kwiatkowski might be able to earn a spot as a sixth or seventh d-man in training camp on the Thrashers, but if not he could provide vital veteran depth later in the season should injuries take their toll. He’s spent most of his pro career split between the NHL and the AHL.
- Finally, it appears reports of former Edmonton Oilers d-man Daniel Tjarnqvist signing with a Russian Super League team were premature.
The Edmonton Journal last week reported Tjarnqvist denied reports he’d signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the RSL. He’s presently recuperating from off-season surgery and while he doesn’t rule out possibly signing with the Russian team might also sign with Djurgardens, his former Swedish Elite league team.
J.S. Aubin was signed for one reason. To give depth with Manchester. Ersberg has never played pro hockey in the US and J.S. Aubin gives the Monharcs a quality starter.
But it's still not the splash that the Fanbase wants or deserves.
I certainly don't like this "hope for the best" attitude when it comes to the goal situation in LA. Hoping that Cloutier can bounce back and/or LaBarbera can step up and play on his head is a lot to ask for.
I don't want to go back and harp on things but I really thought signing Robert Luongo was crucial. He would have been the cornerstone from which to rebuild but it didn't happen. If it meant losing some of your top forwards in a trade, it would have made a lot of sense. No goaltending, no playoffs, no cup. That has been proven time and again.
Confidence in goal matters and until that is addressed, the Kings will continue to look from the outside in.
I agree the Kings don't have the goaltending it takes to win a cup. However they don't quite have the team to be a cup contender either. So why not take a shot at the goaltending they have before acquiring a goaltending upgrade. They do have Bernier coming up the ranks.
I like the Kings roster overall and actually think they'll be a playoff team regardless of their goaltending. Certainly a goaltender like Luongo makes them a cup contender but he also makes Vancouver make the playoffs by himself. Cut out about $6 million in players from LA's roster and assume Cloutier's salary must be eaten because it does.
Also, look out for Big Market City's to hide over priced players on their AHL teams. Eating the salary but not having it count against the cap.
My point being if you take $6 million in players off of the Kings roster for Luongo the Kings may still lack what it takes to win a cup. Depending on who it was. But regardless, we don't know what it would have cost LA to acquire Luongo. What if Florida wanted Kopitar(just a prospect then), Frolov, and Bernier? That's a lot. Granted Vancouver didn't trade really anything of circumstance as they certainly over valued Bertuzzi in that trade.
The Deal was in place. Lombardi pulled out at the last second.
THe Kings would have recived Luongo and a secon round pick. In return the Kings would have sent Garon The #1 that became Bernier a #2 in the 07 draft and a 3rd round pick in 08 and Dustin Brown.
At the last second Lombardi pulled out. saying the cost was too high.
Then he trades the same 2 picks for Dan.
Sorry I love Brown but for a guy of that calibur I would have told Brown and Garon to have a nice flight
You don't know if that was the real offer on the table. If it's true I agree with you. The rumors I heard had Frolov involved in a package like that. And to me the cost was a bit high for the Kings to absorb.
I will admit that many teams really #### up letting Vancouver get Luongo so cheaply. I mean look at the deadline deals this past March. Ryan Smyth as a UFA for that much? Even Forsberg to Nashville as a UFA gave a better return than what Florida got for a young elite goaltender who was under contract for 1 more season prior to Vancouver quickly re-signing him.
I mean what was Phoenix doing during this? Washington? Columbus? Any team in the league really. He was an elite goaltender in Florida. You had to know that with some sort of NHL calibre team he'd be great. Shame on Florida for settling on the deal they took. Todd Bertuzzi is a quality player but clearly not the same player as he was with Vancouver when playing with Naslund. He also can't even stay healthy. And yes he was showing that prior to the deal.
My understanding was that the offer was Garon, Frolov and Brown for Luongo, but Mike Keenan rejected the Kings offer because he wanted a good young defenseman also. If DL would have included Tim Gleason we wouldn't have JMFJ. If Keenan would've accepted the offer I'm sure Panthers fans would be a lot happier right now since all they have left from that trade is Bryan Allen. I for one think very highly of Dustin Brown and I like Frolov, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over losing those two, Garon and the pick that turned into Bernier for Luongo.
More proof that Keenan needs to never be calling the shots in any hockey situation ever again. Stick to behind the bench, coach. In any case, the fact is the Kings are stuck with this mess of their own creation right now. They've done what they can to make some noise this offseason, but ultimately as mentioned they are weak between the pipes (for now, at least) and that's a backbreaker. Until they get out from under Cloutier's deal it will consistently leave a sour taste in the mouth of Kings' fans, and rightly so. Anyone who watched a scintilla of playoff hockey over the last decade could see that the guy was prone to letting in the softies.
The only "name" goalie of note available in theory is Bryzgalov, and that's not happening for several reasons, so they best they can do is sign anyone with a pulse and let them show why a glorified AHL'er is better than their supposed starter. They might as well sign Esche, Belfour, Grandpa Simpson, and whoever else it takes to have a competition that results in someone catching enough fire to get them through this lean time.
It seems easy to jump to conclusions that Lombardi should have made that deal. But like MPH said this may have just been Keenan wanting a defenseman and legitimate scoring forward. However, Keenan didn't see how his team would not contend without Luongo either or a legit goaltender for that matter.
As for Lombardi, we know he tried to land Luongo. Whether he pulled out thinking the price was too high or not. I don't blame him for pulling out when the deal had Frolov and Brown involved with Garon and a top pick. The cost is steep and his team still wasn't that close to a championship. So while LA now looks like a potential contender but in dire need o####oaltender, we shouldn't be asking about Luongo but why not Vokoun? My guess is Nashville wanted him out of the Conference.
1) Adding Aubin will do little to address the Kings glaring weakness between the pipes. Like Phoenix, adding several AHL/marginal NHL goalies does not equate into 1 top netminder
2) Cloutier, even when healthy, is NOT a true #1. His is over paid/over rated in our opinion, and this may the reason that the Kings don't make the playoffs despite having a decent roster
It may just be me, but it seems the Kings problem is their inability to properly evaluate their goaltending prospects. I thought Garon was given up on too soon, if Roloson gets hurt in Edmonton, we'll see what Garon is made of. L.A. gave up on him as well as the guy they traded away to get him, Cristobal Huet, way too soon. It's a problem other teams have in this post-lockout NHL. Goalies who thrived in the trap-era are struggling these days, at least those who didn't adapt to the equipment changes and the quicker puck movement around the net.
All I know is that teams who have built around a solid #1 goalie have more often than not, succeeded.
The price may have indeed been "too high" to acquire Luongo but it's not like the Kings where cup contenders to begin with. If the city and the fan base is to suffer yet another round of rebuilding, then i'd have a bit more confidence knowing that they:
A) Acquired someone that brings stability in goal. and
B) Locked them up for a really long time.
The Habs and the Devils where awful until they signed Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur respectively. The rest is history. Same goes for the Ducks.
Let's not compare Giguere to Roy and Brodeur just yet. Certainly his Conn Smyth Trophy performance is noteworthy but he didn't seem as influential in Anaheim winning the Cup. Or you could say he was just as influential as Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Really any of the those 3 could have been the Conn Smythe winner. Yes Anaheim survived some time without Pronger. and they also survived and you could say thrived without Giguere in the opening round. Perhaps Giguere's greatness is masked by a great defense and a very good backup goaltender whom can seem better than him at times.
I suppose when you look around the league and you start picking your top 5 goaltenders who is it you choose for just one season and then thinking for 5 years down the road.
I didn't think Pronger played well enough to win the Conn Smythe. Anaheim won both games he didn't play b/c of suspension. Had that been Niedermayer, they probably wouldn't have won both. Even when he did play, he didn't play that well. Statistically he did, but getting suspended for 2 games? All that could do is lower moral on the team. Niedermayer, Giguere, and Moan were the best 3 candidates in my opinion, but I think Moan should've gotten it instead of Niedermayer.
The battle for #1 will be between Clouts and LaBarbera. I hope LaBarbera wins. Aubin either be 3rd string or in Manchester. Bernier still needs some development before he gets a real shot at the NHL.
THe Kings have had a long history of goaltending falures.
THe Kings have not had a Goaltender in the All Star Game sence 1978. (Rogie Vachon) and only 2 in the history of the franchise the other being Terry Sawchuk in 1968
So the black hole of players in the franchise has been the goaltending. Also Coach and GM but thats another topic.
Let me throw out a few Kings Goaltenders in the last say 15 to 20 years
Robb Stauber aka Blueline
Ron Scott
Rick Knickle
Mario Gosselin
Jamie Storr
Glen Healy
Stephane Fiset
Roman Cechmanek
And here are a few we let go way to soon
Bryon Dafoe
Manny Legace
Cristobal Huet
As you see this is the Black hole and we have ALWAYS tried stopgap measures to fix it never the long term soloution.
Only 1 Kings goaltender in history has won a Stanley Cup as a starter that was Terry Sawchuk
Luongo would have given us that franchise goaltender we have NEVER had
As you can see they do not come along often not to give up the franchise for one
Nice DEAN
Last edited by True_kings_fan on September 4th at 6:16 PM.
It's not fair to blame one person for all this, remember it was Keenan who dealt away Luongo. Whatever was in his head at the time we don't know. Just as we don't know what posessed him to go with Vancouver's offer instead of L.A.'S.
Scott, Gosselin and Hrudey where good players but even with Gretzky joining the Kings the goaltending wasn't good enough to win a cup. They came close but the difference was the Habs had Roy.
In his entire stay with the Kings the great one and company never had that one goalie to take them to the next level.
Oh yeah, you forgot Daniel "The Bandit" Berthiaume on that list.
You impress me with Rick Knickle and then forget Berthiaume. That hurts you a bit. But still the list was quite fun to read. It made me laugh.
Quick comment on the 3 that got away. Do you really miss Byron Dafoe right now?
Manny Legace? I'd take my chances the Labarbera and Cloutier. I really don't see much of a difference.
Huet the jury is still out on. So for now I'll let you say he got away. But I'm not familiar with what LA got for him.
Montreal sent Garon to L.A., Huet went to the Habs, the Kings then sent someone to Ottawa(I think it was a third round pick) and Bonk went to MTL. It was a 3-way deal, Gainey clearly got the better of this one.
Daniel Berthiaume
Steve Weeks
Ryan Bach
Pauli Jaks
David Goverde
Roland Mealanson
Bob Janecyk
Mark Fitzpatrick
Glen Healy
Al Jensen
Darren Eliot
Marcel Cousineau
Travis Scott
Milan Hnilicka
That is now almost every Kings keeper sence 1986 prior to the lockout
Don't be quite so hard on Hrudey. If you look at that 1993 Final between Montreal and Los Angeles he pretty much played Patrick Roy shot-for-shot.
I don't have the stats right at hand -- I worked them up a year or so back, so they are sort-of sitting in memory -- but the difference between the two goaltenders in that series was essentially three overtime goals. Hrudey just could not hold on and make that last save. Patrick Roy did.
There are two big "ifs" out of that series: If McSorley hadn't taken that penalty late in Game 2, so that the Kings could have taken a 2-0 series lead, and if Jari Kurri had been healthy for the Final (he was playing hurt with a broken wrist if I recall), I think it's quite likely Mr. Hrudey would have a Stanley Cup ring today.
LaBarbera has talent, he just hasn't got the support he deserves from the Kings. His first year with the team he was on a tear; I think he was 9-0-1 and then had a horrible stretch but finished above .500 with over a .900% save percentage. Garon struggled as well but Murray never went back to LaBarbera during that time. I am sure if they would have kept him on the team last year; instead of bringing in Cloutier, the team might have slipped into the playoffs as well as giving him invaluable experience at the NHL level. It's just my opinion but he did have a great year in the minors. Lombardi likes to develop young talent on the blue line and between the pipes. I wasn't surprised with the moves this off season it is typical Kings. Aubin also could be another Potvin giving us at least a hope of playoffs; let's start there then we can talk cup since it is a long way off!
Did Vancouver win the cup last year with Luongo?
Last edited by Stu Steamers on September 15th at 1:10 AM.
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.
