After being waived, is Cloutier that much closer to being traded?

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi tells Matthew Kredell of the Los Angeles Daily News that waiving goaltender Dan Cloutier was done to get his game back on track rather than explore trade possibilities.

“We were kind of looking at it and seeing where his game was at, and we just felt this was the best thing for him. It will give him a much better base with which to come back and try to be the goaltender he was before we got him.”

However, Lombardi is well aware that if Cloutier is placed on re-entry waiver, “any NHL team could pick him up for half the price of his contract, with the Kings getting nicked for the other half – both the cash and the salary-cap hit.” The notion of losing Cloutier doesn’t seem to bother the Kings GM all that much.

“That’s one of the risks but I think it’s a risk you have to take (in order) to get him where he needs to be,” Lombardi said. “The intention is to have him back at some point. But to say you can guarantee it, if we had to guarantee it then we probably wouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”

Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail suggests that a team in need of a veteran back-up might take a chance on “Cloutier, at half the cost of his contract.”

Unfortunately, not many teams are in the market for a goaltender at the moment. The only team with some interest may be the Calgary Flames, according to The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson. The Flames are currently auditioning two youngsters for their back-up role and may wish to add a veteran presence before the season starts.

One team that will be watching this situation develop with great interest is the Ottawa Senators. Not because they want Cloutier of course, but because this could be their chance to dump Martin Gerber and his $3.7 million salary cap hit.

Ken Warren of The Ottawa Citizen suggests that if the Kings’ current goaltending trio of Jonathan Bernier, Jason LaBarbera and J.S. Aubin can’t “handle the top job,” Lombardi may place a call to the Senators about acquiring Gerber.