Quick, someone get L.A. a goalie
With top netminder out for up to three months, Kings need to swing a deal soon
OTTAWA — The Los Angeles Kings may need to go get a goalie to save their season.
After losing top netminder Jonathan Quick for up to three months after he had a procedure for a lower-body injury this week, the news only got worse when replacement Jeff Zatkoff left the Kings’ morning skate with an undisclosed issue and was placed on injured reserve.
That meant Peter Budaj was scheduled to start Saturday against the Canucks and Jack Campbell was expected to be recalled from the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Ontario, Calif.
The question is: How long can this continue?
The talk around the NHL is Kings GM Dean Lombardi has been working the phones trying to find a goalie ever since Quick was put on the shelf. The options are limited and the Kings have to be careful because they don’t have a lot in the way of money to spend. According to capfriendly. com, Los Angeles only has $1.6 million (all figures US) in cap space.
The belief is the Winnipeg Jets have been aggressive in trying to convince the Kings to take goaltender Ondrej Pavelec off their hands. He was assigned to Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, but is still collecting his $2.95-million salary in the final year of his contract.
At this point, the Kings would have a tough time stomaching that salary, but Pavelec certainly makes the most sense.
There is talk the Kings may have held talks with the Florida Panthers about the possibility of acquiring Reto Berra. He’s currently in the minors and collecting a one-way deal of $1.45 million this season. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but it’s hard to believe he could carry the ball.
Lombardi has never been the type to move quickly, but he may have to act fast this time.
OFF THE GLASS
The Jets and defenceman Jacob Trouba are at a stalemate. The word is there have been a couple of short discussions between Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Trouba’s agent Kurt Overhardt and we’re led to believe those may have lasted less than a minute. The Jets have made it clear they’re not going to give Trouba away because he has asked for a trade and the reality is this all going to come to a head before Dec. 1. A restricted free agent, the 22-yearold Trouba has to sign somewhere by then or he might as well spend the winter playing in Switzerland. “Every day he sits and waits for a trade is another day that costs him money,” a league insider said Friday. The Bruins and Wings have both shown genuine interest, but Cheveldayoff is standing firm in getting what he wants in return ... It was Hockey Fights Cancer night Saturday in Dallas and our thoughts are with Stars broadcaster Dave Strader, who is battling the disease. His son Trevor sang the anthem. Hope to see Strader back in the booth calling games soon. A true pro and a really good person.
AROUND THE BOARDS
The word is the Ducks are about $250,000 a year apart on a six-year deal with RFA defenceman Hampus Lindholm. Many expect the situation to resolve itself soon. Lindholm was believed to be demanding more than $6 million per season when the negotiation started. Once he does sign, the Ducks will have a decision to make on defence and many teams have called about Cam Fowler. The Wings and Bruins have been the most aggressive, but it’s believed the Sabres have also been pushing hard as well ... The slow start by the Blue Jackets had people thinking coach John Tortorella may be in trouble, but that’d be an odd move to make at this juncture.
RUMOURS DU JOUR
There is speculation surrounding the future of Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after Stanley Cup hero Matt Murray signed a three-year deal through 2019-20 that will pay him $3.75 million per season. The 22-year-old Murray took over the Penguins net after Fleury was injured last season and led them through the post-season. The belief is Pittsburgh will likely try to move Fleury and his $5.75-million deal that runs through 2018-19. Trying to find a team that can take on that kind of salary will be difficult at best and Fleury has a no-movement clause. The Penguins have a couple of options here. They can ask Fleury to waive that clause and move him elsewhere or they could ask him to waive it next June so he can exposed to the Las Vegas franchise in the expansion draft. If they want to keep him — and GM Jim Rutherford has indicated he does — then they could expose Fleury, but make a side deal with Las Vegas to take someone else in the draft. The reality is with the no-move clause in his deal, Fleury controls his own situation ... Speaking of goalies, if the Arizona Coyotes are going to be without Mike Smith long term, are they going to rest their hopes on Louis Domingue? The Coyotes could pick up the phone to call the Penguins to see what they want to do with goalie Mike Condon.