Kings’ Hextall: I fully expect to be in the playoffs
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The Kings conducted a conference call late Monday in which fans were able to call in and pose questions to General Manager Dean Lombardi, assistant general manager Ron Hextall, team captain Dustin Brown and new acquisitions Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi.
Some interesting tidbits emerged:
Hextall, asked about the expectations for next season, was straightforward. ‘Quite frankly, I fully expect to be in the playoffs, but we’ve got some work to do to fill our team out,’ he said. ‘Obviously, in training camp our guys have a lot of work to do. I think you go into every season with your goal to make the playoffs and I think for our club this year it’s realistic.’
Lombardi, asked about potential holes in the lineup, cited the relative youth of the defense corps and uncertainty in goal. Jonathan Quick, though often impressive, had what Lombardi called ‘a cameo in terms of establishing himself as a No. 1 goalie.’
Lombardi added, ‘The one good thing about it is potentially the holes I’m seeing now can be filled from our reserve list. It’s just going to take a little time to mesh that with up front.’
But Hextall said they’re looking at the remaining free-agent defensemen to see if anyone might fit their needs. ‘There’s still a couple defensemen out there that we don’t mind,’ Hextall said, an interesting way to describe a potential addition to your team.
Hextall also said the club had some ‘dialogue’ Monday with restricted free agent defenseman Jack Johnson, though the length of the deal -- and the dollar amount -- remained in flux. ‘We’re open to signing Jack,’ he said, adding that there was no substance to rumors that the Kings were actively trying to trade him. ‘He’s a big part of the back end that we’re building,’ Hextall said.
Smyth and Scuderi, predictably, extolled their new team’s direction and potential. The biggest adjustment for Smyth is that he has always played in cold climates. ‘We might have to get some fake snow for Christmastime,’ Smyth said.
Scuderi assured fans that he wouldn’t lose the intensity that inspired him to block shots and play so hard during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run. Though he said his family will enjoy the sun here, don’t look for him to join them tanning on the local beaches. ‘I burn pretty quick,’ he said.
-- Helene Elliott