Panel recap

I watched the first hour of the “State of the Kings” panel with Dean Lombardi, Ron Hextall and Jeff Solomon before I headed over to the rookie practice. Here are some of the highlights from the panel. All questions were asked by fans, either those in attendance or those who submitted questions via Facebook. Many of the questions/answers have already been addressed on the blog during the summer, but here’s a recap of what I heard…

— First was a question about Alexander Frolov not re-signing. Lombardi said part of losing Frolov was tied to the pursuit of Ilya Kovalchuk, which occupied the Kings’ time and held up their ability to determine a salary structure. Lombardi said he disagreed with any assertions that the Kings inhibited Frolov by playing him on the third line or limiting his power-play time.

— Next question was about the goalies. Hextall said Jonathan Quick reamined “the No. 1 guy” but that both Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier would be in the mix. Nothing too revealing here. Lombardi referenced the Kings’ prospects in goal by reminding fans that a few years ago, the Kings were in the position of having to bring in Yutaka Fukufuji to play in the NHL.

— Next question was about the Kings’ salary structure. Solomon said that when all is said and done — including potential bonuses, etc. — the Kings intend to be “two or three million shy of the cap.”

— Next question was about what the Kings had done to address their need for more 5-on-5 scoring. Lombardi said the most important thing was that the Kings were fifth, last season, in 5-on-5 goals against, and that they needed to maintain that number while also improving their scoring. Lombardi cited the addition of Willie Mitchell, as well as the continued improvement of the young defensemen, noting that “transition scoring starts from the back.” Lombardi said he expected Justin Williams to bounce back, noted that Ryan Smyth is in great shape and that he expected improvement from Dustin Brown and other players. Lombardi also referred to Scott Parse as a “wild card,” and said he was a top player in terms of skill and wanted to see him develop into a Kris Versteeg type of player.

— There was a very similar question about goalies, and Lombardi said that all three will play in the preseason and get looks.

— Next question was in reference to whether the Kings would be able to sign their young players to the type of long-term contract that Kovalchuk signed. Lombardi said that the first thing he told Solomon, after the contract was announced, was to “start looking at this kind of structure for our players.” Solomon said that the rules, post-Kovalchuk, have not changed dramatically in terms of being able to sign players to long-term contracts.

— Next question was about the timing of Matt Greene’s surgery. Lombardi said that the hope was that Green’s shoulder would heal without surgery, but that when Greene started working out, they came to the realization that surgery would be necessary. Lombardi said that, “in retrospect,” Greene should have had the surgery right after the season ended.

— Next question was about Thomas Hickey. Lombardi said Hickey had a great summer and that “he will be challenging” for a spot during training camp. Hextall cited Hickey’s strong play for Manchester during the AHL playoffs last season and said that Hickey “is not the biggest or the most talented, but he does everything well.”

— Next question was about progress in signing draft picks. Lombardi said that this year’s first-round pick, Derek Forbort, is attending the University of North Dakota as scheduled, and that other draft picks would be evaluated during training camp this month.

— Next question was about the potential of signing restricted free agents such as Drew Doughty this season. Solomon said there had been some progress this summer and that the Kings would “see if there’s an opportunity to get it done before the start of the season.” Lombardi joked about how, when he had his first GM breakfast four years ago, nobody in the audience knew who Solomon was, and that now all of the questions are for Solomon.

— Next question was about the possibility of bringing back Patrick O’Sullivan. Lombardi said, twice, that O’Sullivan “just isn’t the fit we need” and said he was inclined to give Parse a chance to claim a job on the wing.

— Next question was about Kevin Westgarth. Hextall said the message to Westgarth was that he needed to improve his skating, and Hextall said Westgarth had done so this summer. Hextall said, “I expect Westy to make the team, but he has to come in and earn a spot.”

— Next question was about what type of look the Kings might want from their fourth line this season. Lombardi talked about establishing an identity as a team and called himself a “traditionalist” in terms of liking the idea of having an enforcer in the lineup regularly. In addition, he talked about having a center who is “hard to play against” and can win faceoffs. He talked about players such as Trevor Lewis, who have “paid their dues” and might be able to win a spot.

— Next question was about the collective-bargaining agreement, and Lombardi’s thoughts going forward. Lombardi joked that he was going to get in trouble for speaking his mind, but talked about how the system is “turned upside down” by virtue of young players getting huge money while veterans, who have proven themselves in the league, often have to take cuts. Lombardi said, “There’s still a price for seniority and proving that you have done it.” We also got our first New York Yankees reference, roughly 45 minutes into the event.

— Next question was about the possibility of trading some of the depth on defense for a top-six forward. Lombardi gave the usual answer, that any trade target would have to be the right “fit” and also fit within the team’s salary structure.

— Next question was about the possibility of adding a forward before the start of the season. Lombardi said that he would “be surprised if the player of the caliber you’re talking about is available now.” Lombardi said that the prime times for trades of significant players are at the draft, at the trade deadline, and approximately 20 games into the season, when teams get a better grasp on what type of team they have. Lombardi said “you’re either a buyer or a seller, and there are not a lot of sellers out there right now.”