From Ken Campbell at the Hockey News:
Will the Kings’ spending spree coincide with an effort to revive a declining team that has been lost in an enormous market or to try to qualify for the post-season after five years on the sidelines during the playoffs?
Uh, no. According to nhlnumbers.com, the Kings’ payroll currently sits at just $27.756 million, which is almost $13 million under the mandated salary floor. Before the season starts, the Kings must crank up their spending to at least $40.7 million. And that’s after they dispatched two prospects to the Philadelphia Flyers for Denis Gauthier, who played all this season in the minors, but has a very convenient cap hit of $2.1 million.
Dean Lombardi will likely have more than a few guys calling the team, but given his recent comments he may just wait to see who really wants to play there and who just wants access to the beaches.
