Posts Tagged ‘jonathan bernier’

Kings Extend Bernier, Waive Two

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Today was light on news in the Kings’ world with no team practice, but we did all get a reason to smile with the news that the Kings have signed Jonathan Bernier to a 2 year contract extension, cap hit of $1.25 million. Bernier would’ve become a Restricted Free Agent. Now he and fellow goalie Jon Quick are both not due for Restricted Free Agency for three seasons (Quick signed a 3 year extension last season that’s effective starting this year). Gives the Kings’ time to figure out whose job it will be for the long haul. I’ve said it before – the two headed monster of Quick and Bernier will turn heads this year – and give the Kings perhaps the conference’s best goaltending tandem.

Speaking of goalies, as expected Erik Ersberg was placed on waivers today. There were rumors circulating on twitter earlier than Nashville had put in a claim but Preds’ coach Barry Trots later said there was no truth to that. We’ll see if anyone claims Eazy-E by 9AM tomorrow. He would be a good fit for a lot of teams, but sadly there isn’t a lot of need. Best of luck to Erik wherever he ends up.

The other waiver move, that came as kind of a surprise, was Rich Clune. Clune was expected by many to make the team this season, and expected to play a big role on the Kings’ 4th line as an energy player and agitator. Interesting decision, but it likely points to Kyle Clifford earning a roster spot at least for 9 games. Clune will be missed here should he be claimed, but in reality he is a replaceable commodity.

The surprise for me was Trevor Lewis not being waived. Though he has had two strong games this preseason, he’s a former first round pick who is essentially at his age vying for a 4th line spot. I don’t see Lewis ever cracking the top 9 in LA, and he’s not really a tradeable asset. Obviously Dean, Hex, Terry and company see something there that I don’t. That’s why they make the big bucks and I just blog!

Hopefully we will have some news regarding the fate of Schenn, Loktionov, Clifford, etc as early as Tuesday.

Go Kings!

JS

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Bernier Wins the Job

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

No surprise, Terry Murray told Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider today that Jonathan Bernier has won the #2 job in LA. He is slated to play the full 60 minutes of the team’s final preseason game in Anaheim tonight. Tonight’s game was due to be streamed live by Fox Sports Net West but according to Hammond, the Ducks’ organization had them kill plans to stream. Is it just me, or does it sound like the Ducks are afraid of getting humiliated by a lineup mostly consisting of kids? Typical of that organization, who is either completely out of touch with the fact that they’ve never had a majority among Southern California hockey fans, and never will; that or they know it and don’t want to use up their bandwidth essentially streaming the game for Kings’ fans. Classy all the way Anaheim! Luckily we have Nick & Daryl on Radio for the game.

So topic back on the table becomes “What do we do with Ersberg?”. The team elected not to put him on waivers today. It’s hard to believe he would get much playing time in Manchester with the Kings vested interest in developing Jeff Zatkoff and Martin Jones. Purely speculation, but I think the coaching staff and organization had to have known this was coming. With Minnesota’s signing of Jose Theodore for 1 year, $1.1 million, one has to wonder why Dean Lombardi couldn’t have dealt the cheaper – and better – Ersberg to the Wild for a pick. Theodore at $1.1 million is a waste for Minnesota, who has a number one goalie in Backstrom who will play 60+ games. Water under the bridge now. There look to be few options at the NHL level for Ersberg at this point. Europe seems to be his likely destination – my guess is his agent is talking to teams over there as we speak.

At any rate, Ersberg has been a good soldier for the Kings’ organization. His personality and work ethic will be missed. I hope the best for him, wherever his next gig may be (unless it’s in Anaheim of course).

Kings face off against the Quack pack at that cesspool known as Honda Center in less than 3 hours.

Go Kings!

JS

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Let’s Talk Goalies…

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Goalies seem to be the subject of much intense debate every year when training camp opens for the Kings. This year is no different, although the reasons certainly are. The Kings enter camp with an incumbent, LEGITIMATE number one goalie in Jon Quick. The battle for number two is a little more complicated…

Veteran Erik Ersberg, who has been a good soldier for the Kings the past 2 seasons and change, comes trying to hold on to an NHL roster spot, while the Kings’ most prized prospect, 2006 first round pick Jonathan Bernier is looking to earn his first full time NHL job.

Coach Terry Murray has minced no words in saying that Quick is his guy. He’s already appeared in two full games in preseason, and is slated to play the full 60 minutes in Las Vegas Saturday. With only one preseason tilt remaining after that, the following evening in Anaheim, it seems as if the writing is already on the wall. Ersberg was scheduled to start the team’s first preseason game in Colorado but a hand/wrist injury prevented that, and Bernier stepped in and played very well in a victory. Bernier would also play two periods the following night in Phoenix and keep the Coyotes off the board for the duration of those.

So, we’re 2/3 of the way through the preseason schedule and Ersberg seems to be the odd man out. Murray hinted in an interview with Rich Hammond on LA Kings Insider that Ersberg might play a half a game Sunday in Anaheim. If this isn’t the writing on the wall, what is?

Bernier is a highly touted player who has already done everything asked of him at the AHL level. He was the AHL’s Goaltender of the Year this past season, and in the minds of many, that league’s MVP as well as it’s best player. There isn’t anyplace for Bernier to go except to assume the #2 job in LA, where he will most certainly push Quick as well.

Ersberg is a dependable backup, but at 28, he’s likely not going to turn into a #1 goalie in the NHL. He was a breath of fresh ait for the Kings’ organization and fans just a couple of seasons ago when Jason LaBarbera was considered the team’s starting goaltender (how much do we NOT miss those days?). Unfortunately, with a legit #1 and a red hot prospect, he’s clearly the odd man out.

So where does Ersberg go? With a shrinking market for goalies in the NHL, trade partners would be limited. Minnesota might be willing to part with a late round pick for Eazy-E in the wake of Josh Harding’s potentially season ending injury. Outside of that it seems likely that he would clear waivers on his way to the AHL. But there lies another problem – Kings’ prospects Jeff Zatkoff and Martin Jones are slated for the Monarchs’ roster, and the organization will want both to play. The most likely destination for Ersberg would be Europe, as the Kings’ can loan him to the European club of their choosing and be off the hook for his salary cap hit (which is modest anyway).

My guess, for the 2010-2011 season is that Quick plays 55-60 games and Bernier (obviously) plays 22-27 games barring an injury to one or the other. This will allow Quick to avoid the burnout he experienced late last season and give Bernier a shot at showing what he’s made of in a reasonable amount of NHL games. Bernier will push Quick to be even better, and it’s quite possible, by this time in 2012-13 if not sooner, the Kings will have to make a decision on which potential star goalie to keep.

It’s a good problem to have!

Go Kings!

-JS

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Bernier Breaks the Music City Curse

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Jonathan Bernier stopped all 34 shots he faced for his first career shutout, and Scott Parse and Sean O’Donnell (yes, you read that right) scored third period goals as the Kings beat Nashville for the first time in 8 tries by a score of 2-0. The win reduces the Kings’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth to 6 points in any combination of Kings’ wins and Calgary losses.

Bernier, was outstanding, earning the games first star (an honor he’s gotten in each of his two starts for the Kings this season).

While Terry Murray hasn’t tipped his hand yet, there has been some voicing of concern over the workload of Jonathan Quick, and a general lack of confidence in the Kings’ usual backup goalie, Erik Ersberg. Murray said tonight after the game that Bernier would accompany the team back to LA, and one wouldn’t be too surprised if Bernier might perhaps be in net when the Kings face Vancouver Thursday at home. At least from my perspective though, there is no controversy. Quick has earned 39 wins this season, and has largely been outstanding for the Kings. Management has said their goal is for Bernier to lead the Manchester Monarchs in the AHL playoffs this season. I don’t expect that they’re changing their minds now. It’s possible that Bernier could get another start in the NHL this season, maybe even two, but Quick is the Kings’ number one guy, and he will be the guy between the pipes when the playoffs start, barring a disaster.

With the Kings struggle to find a legit number one goalie, much less a homegrown one, this is a quality problem to have. Quick and Bernier will be the Kings’ two rostered goalies when the 2010-2011 season begins, but with Quick holding down the fort, there’s no need to rush Bernier along. The future for the Kings’ organization in goal, be it Quick, Bernier, or one of three other top prospects, is undoubtedly bright.

Next up for the Kings is Vancouver, who at press time is laying a pretty good whoopin’ on Phoenix. The Kings have only beaten the Canucks once in the last two seasons, and much like Nashville tonight, the Kings must collect points against a team they’re usually not great against. This is the stuff that shows fortitude.

In the meantime, we’ll all cross our fingers and hope for a Calgary loss tomorrow night against Phoenix and a Colorado loss against Anaheim. It kills me, down to my very soul as a Kings fan to have to root for either of those teams, but in this case, it’s rooting for the other team to lose, right?

Kings and Canucks Thursday night at Staples.

Go Kings!

-JS

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Quick, Drewiske Extended; Parse Recalled

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Little bit of non-gameday news for the Kings today: Jon Quick and David Drewiske get 3 year contract extensions, and Scott Parse is recalled from Manchester. Rich Hammond of lakings.com and lakingsinsider.com reported that Quick’s deal is worth $1.8 million per year and Drewiske’s deal is worth $600,000 per season. Seems perhaps a little surprising that Quick’s deal is worth that much considering his play has been inconsistent thus far, and Drewiske’s seems low considering that he’s been a + in every game this season and he’s exceeded expectations. At any rate, it’s good to have both guys locked up long term, and realistically, if Quick puts it together and ends up being the Kings #1 guy for the duration of the deal, $1.8 million is a bargain.

Parse’s recall seems surprising when you consider Oscar Moller was with the Kings most of last season, but Parse is leading the Monarchs in scoring with 11 points (2 goals and 9 assists) and is a team-high and AHL best plus-8 and leads the AHL in assists. According to Hammond, Parse will play on a line with Jaret Stoll and Teddy Purcell in Phoenix. It would be nice to see Parse do well, and even nicer to see Purcell not be invisible as he has for a couple of games.

In other organizational news, don’t look now but Jonathan Bernier is 5-1 with a 1.34 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage in Manchester. Looks like Bernier is responding pretty well to being sent down this season. Those numbers are abso-freakin-lutely ridiculous, even in a small sample size.

I expect Quick to play through his current inconsistencies in the Kings’ net, but in the event he doesn’t do so, it’s nice to see that Bernier is knocking on the door.

Kings and Coyotes tomorrow night in Phoenix.

-JS

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Ersberg Injured Again in Shootout Loss

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

Kings lost 3-2 in a shootout to Dallas on Saturday, and also lost Erik Ersberg to a lower body injury. Ersberg was outstanding for the Kings in Saturday’s game, stopping 32 of 34 shots including a handful of spectacular saves. It isn’t known at this time when the injury occurred but it’s presumed it was suffered during the shootout.

Kings recalled Jonathan Bernier from Manchester to replace Ersberg. If Bernier gets into a game (and it’s probable that if Ersberg is out more than a week, he will), he will mark the 4th King goaltender used this season so far. Last season the Kings used a league leading 6 different goalies.

In order to make room for Bernier, the Kings sent Teddy Purcell to Manchester. Kings also sent Brian Boyle to Manchester before the game against Dallas on Saturday.

Kings visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

-JS

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