Kings’ pregame report: Trevor Lewis out for Blue Jackets game; talks with Anze Kopitar progressing
Anze Kopitar and the Kings apparently are making progess on a contract extension.
What did we learn from the Kings’ morning skate? Plenty.
The takeaways are supposed to come after the game, but why not ponder a few offerings before the L.A.-Columbus Blue Jackets contest, which is here Tuesday night.
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi is with the team at the start of this six-game trip. Forward Trevor Lewis (undisclosed upper-body injury) is not.
Lombardi and Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said the plan was to have Lewis travel with the team here, but it changed. There are two days between this game and the next one, at Pittsburgh, on Friday, so it made more sense to have Lewis stay in Los Angeles to continue treatment.
They did not make a roster move, but one could be coming on this trip, depending on the health status of left wing Kyle Clifford. He skated on Tuesday morning but appeared doubtful for the Blue Jackets game.
Regarding contract talks with center Anze Kopitar, Lombardi said on Tuesday that they were “making progress” in negotiations. However, it is not believed that an announcement of a new contract is imminent.
Sutter, meanwhile, had an extended, roundabout take on the excellence of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. It was lavish, by his standards.
“Again, this league, you look at the team we’re playing tonight,” Sutter said. “It’s like asking that question: What’s the difference between the start of their season and now?’ Goaltending.
“There’s no other way around it. If you have a star goaltender and he has an off night, [that’s] the first thing the coach talks about … but if a star defenseman or a star centerman has a bad night, they don’t ask about that. Just think he had a bad night.
“How important is the goalie? I’ve said it lots of times. If I had to pick one goalie to play in a big game and I’m coaching, I’m taking Jonathan Quick.”
Earlier, Sutter got off a good line about the team’s 0-3 start.
“I threw out the first three games of the year and moved on,” he said. “Everybody else was sinking the ship.”
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
