June 23rd, 2013

The Kings have finally granted Jonathan Bernier his wish: a chance to be a number 1 goaltender in the NHL.  LA traded Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, in exchange for forward Matt Frattin, goaltender Ben Scrivens, a 2nd round pick, and $500,000 cash.

Most Kings fans are sad to see Bernier go, but knew this day was coming.  The Kings have arguably the best goaltender in the NHL in Jonathan Quick, so having a quality backup like Bernier was a great luxury.  Last summer, Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi promised Bernier that he would be traded by either the 2013 trade deadline or the upcoming NHL draft.  Lombardi obliged.  Now, Toronto may be luckier than a lottery winner with the acquisition of a potentially elite goaltender.

In return, the Kings got a speedy 3rd line right winger in Frattin, who scored 7 goals and 13 points in 25 games for the Leafs this season.  He’s been in the league 2 full seasons, and carried a cap hit of just $925,000.   Scrivens was the backup for the Leafs this past season, and was 7-9 with a 2.69 GAA, to go along with a .915 save percentage.  His cap hit is only $625,000, and with the Leafs throwing in $500,000, that covers nearly a 1/3rd of the Kings cap hit.  In other words, Dean Lombardi should be arrested for shop lifting.  As for the draft picks, the Leafs will get to chose between either giving the Kings a 2nd round pick in 2014, or in 2015.

Lombardi and the Kings will now turn their attention to re-signing free agent defenseman Rob Scuderi.  In a conference call, Lombardi explained that dialogue has been ongoing for the last several weeks with Scuderi’s camp.   However, he acknowledged that with the salary cap coming down, he will have to fit in at a reasonable price.