Or maybe Quick gets po’d that the Kings continue to feel the need to push him after he damn near got nominated for the Hart and has been a more than solid starter / game stealer for three years now.

I don’t believe in keeping players around for motivational purposes when they can provide returns on investment in areas that are needed.

… *and* whatever they get in return for Bernier, which is kind of the point.

If the Leafs are willing to give up a Brett Gardiner (or another team is willing to give up a similar prospect), SOLD.  That’s unlikely, which is why you have to examine the options.  Heck, Detroit is probably in the market, Montreal would obviously kill to get their hands on him… you have to take advantage of his black box status now before he actually plays 40 games in a season.

Remember: Bernier’s a .910 SV% guy.  Could be be more? Possibly, but his hype has always outpaced his actual performances unless he happens to be playing against the Preds (I’d say he’s Jamie Storr 2.0, but that might be a little unfair).  I’ve got no problem in assuming that Jones would be capable of performing to a similar level in a backup role, at a cheaper cost and with a potential return in the form of a forward prospect.

The Kings are screwed either way if Quick gets hurt.  No sense paying a backup any additional money once you acknowledge that fact.  But this team doesn’t really need any prospects in net or on D lying around, and they need help up front on the wings (as usual).

“You obviously don’t live in Toronto.  People here are begging the Leafs to go out and trade for Bernier to solve their goaltending issues (I think he’s been mentioned twice this week by various people in the media as an ideal candidate).”

Correct; I don’t live in Toronto and don’t know what they’re buzzing about up there. But I still don’t see why the Kings would trade Bernier at this point. I disagree with your premise that it’s better to have Jones as the backup, and I agree with Quisp that Bernier is a great insurance policy for the Kings. Whether or not he has any chance of usurping Quick, there’s always the chance that Quick will get hurt. If that happens, would you rather have a moderately-priced and proven Bernier next in line, or a completely unproven but slightly cheaper Jones?

I still maintain that Lombardi will hang onto both Quick and Bernier up until the point when it becomes clear that he can’t afford to keep both. I had thought that point would be next summer, but as Quisp points out, Bernier is still only RFA at that point and the Kings still own him body and soul. I can see trading Bernier to fill a definite need, but where is that need right now? Maybe a need will become apparent by the next trade deadline, but I don’t see one now.

Maybe it does come down to a Gagne/Penner lw2 decision. 

You obviously don’t live in Toronto.  People here are begging the Leafs to go out and trade for Bernier to solve their goaltending issues (I think he’s been mentioned twice this week by various people in the media as an ideal candidate).  The issue would be what the Leafs could give up; they’re obviously not trading away their first-round pick, and I don’t know if just getting the #35 pick in the draft is enough of a return.

He’s still REALLY hyped in NHL circles, and trading him now (there’s a few other teams in need of goaltending help) isn’t a burden.  Quick’s progressed to the point where a more traditional backup like Jones is probably better for the team’s salary structure.

And, yes, I know the Pens have been trying to replace Scuderi ever since he left.  But they’ve got King as a pretty effective Penner replacement, assuming we’re not living in a fantasy world where Gagne stays healthy and they just run out Philly West as an official line.

I do see a potential Gagne trade as salary dump and opening up a space for a guy like Toffoli (or whoever can win that spot out of camp in September). The Kings probably can’t get more than maybe a 5th round pick for him, but I’m not sure they lose that trade.

When it comes to the Stoll/Penner debate, I just don’t see Lombardi as being a very sentimental fellow. He will be happy that they have contributed to this run, but I think he knows that especially Stoll is getting older and less likely to continue contributing much longer.

Penner will be 30 in September, by the way. Stoll will be 30 on June 24.

I would not mind seeing Stoll go, based mainly on the idea that this was the plan all along, I think. He, Williams, Greene, Smyth and Scuderi were all brought in as high-level bridge players — players who were supposed to show the young core players how to get to where the team is now. I agree that Scuderi will probably be needed beyond his current contract, but the other guys have already done what they were supposed to do.

Another way of looking at them would be to call them ‘Moses’ players —show the way to the Promised Land, but it’s not necessarily part of the plan that they get to enjoy all of its fruits.

Lineups are not set in stone over the summer, or even during training camp. See Hunter, Trent; and Moreau, Ethan.