Numbers game

Since rumors are bound to be thrown around soon — not that they ever really end — it might be instructive to at least look at what the Kings are facing, salary-wise, entering next season. Below, I put together a reasonable look at the Kings’ 2010-11 lineup  (just a semi-educated guess, particularly in terms of prospects), with their salary-cap hits for next season…

Smyth ($6.25 million)-Kopitar ($6.8 million)-Williams ($3.5 million)
(TBD)-Stoll ($3.6 million)-Brown ($3.175 million)
Richardson (?)-Handzus ($4 million)-Simmonds ($821,666)
Clifford ($900,000)-Cliche ($900,000)-Westgarth ($525,000)
Clune ($750,000 estimate)-Parse ($900,000)

Doughty ($3.475 million)-Scuderi ($3.4 million)
Johnson ($1.425 million)-Greene ($2.95 million)
Drewiske ($616,667)-(TBD)
Harrold ($583,333)

Quick ($1.8 million)
Bernier ($843,333)

Those 20 players, plus the final year of Alyn McCauley’s buyout ($666,667), total approximately $47.8 million. This season’s salary cap was $56.8 million, and it’s reasonable to assume it will hold, unless the players decide to bump it up $2 million. So that would leave the Kings $9 million to fill three spots (that includes Richardson, who made $600,000 last season but should get a sizable raise), assuming they’re willing to go to the cap ceiling (which would also mean no wiggle room for a trade-deadline addition).

That’s not to discourage anyone from debating scenarios, but it’s a reminder that if you’re thinking of adding $10 million to the payroll, you also have to determine which current salaries you want to dump…