LaBarbera makes the best of it

Jason LaBarbera’s life right now is being determined by the fine print in the collective bargaining agreement. The only catch-22 the Kings’ goaltender cares to talk about involves the answer to the question: What does LaBarbera do when 22 shots are fired on net?

As for the NHL loophole that has become a noose around him, he shrugs that off. That LaBarbera is still at Manchester, the Kings’ American Hockey League franchise, has nothing to do with his play and everything to do with the league’s salary cap.

When Mathieu Garon went down with a groin injury Nov. 29, LaBarbera was the no-brainer call-up. Except, he would have to clear NHL waivers -- a risk the Kings didn’t want to take.

So Barry Brust got the call and not LaBarbera. That would be enough for some players to be oozing with angst. But LaBarbera has always been a what-me-worry guy.

“When I was in Hartford and I’d see guys sent down and they’d mope and complain, I found it odd,” LaBarbera said in a telephone interview this week. “I never respected that and I never wanted to be that kind of guy. Show a little pride in yourself. The way I look at it, hockey is supposed to be fun.”

Not that the NHL rules don’t confuse him. As a player with a full NHL season and a contract that pays him the same amount whether he is in the NHL or minors, LaBarbera has to clear waivers before being recalled.

The rule was part of the CBA and was designed to keep teams from circumventing the salary cap by stockpiling NHL talent in the minors. It probably will keep LaBarbera from resuming his NHL career this season.

“It makes no sense to me,” LaBarbera said. “But what can I do about it? Who would I get mad at? It handcuffs everybody, the team, the player.”

So, LaBarbera just plays hockey, which he has done effectively this season. He is third in the AHL with a .929 save percentage and seventh with a 2.37 goals against average. He has three shutouts, including two in his last four games.

Those numbers should not come as a surprise to anyone who saw LaBarbera play for the Kings last season.

He not only battled Garon for the No. 1 job but also was the NHL’s rookie of the month for October after winning six of seven starts. LaBarbera then won the last two games of the season, yet became the odd man out when the Kings acquired Dan Cloutier this last summer. Coach Marc Crawford made the pecking order clear and LaBarbera was sent to Manchester.

Returning to the AHL was like going back to high school after being away at college. LaBarbera was one of the league’s top goaltenders in 2004-05, with a 1.84 goals-against average, leading the Kings to sign him to a two-year, $1.5-million contract.

“It’s definitely a little different for me,” said LaBarbera, who will turn 27 in January. “I’m playing with younger guys and I’m filling more of a leadership role than in the past. I’m not afraid to speak my mind.”

It has also allowed him to play night in and night out, honing his game.

“I have always been patient and able to read the shot,” said LaBarbera, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. “Where I needed to develop is the unpredictable stuff, getting to the second puck, the rebound.... I’m seeing 35 shots a night and it’s keeping me on my toes.”

chris.foster@latimes.com