Confidence of management nets Cloutier an early extension


I have every reason to believe in the eye for talent and personal confidence in Dan Cloutier of Kings GM Dean Lombardi and head coach Marc Crawford. After all, they have opined players for and signed them to contract extensions before. It is only the timing of Cloutier's new deal that kept me awake all night last night.

Dan Cloutier was acquired by the Kings from Vancouver Canucks on July 5, 2006 in exchange for a 2nd round draft selection in 2007 and a conditional pick in 2009. The move united the goalie with his former coach and most vocal proponent - Marc Crawford. Both were in similar shoes as they approached the first year with the Kings organization. Cloutier was in the final year of his contract, seemingly on the rebound and with something to prove after his Vancouver days.

To mitigate the negative side-effects of acquiring another goaltender to an already goalie-rich organization (with Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera splitting duties last season) Lombardi and Crawford came up with the 1A and 1B starter concept. Garon as 1B could expect up to 40% of playing time, given the long travel routes in the Western Conference and some tough back-to-back games on the schedule.

It all changed with one stroke of the pen yesterday morning PST.

While the the actual length of the contract is acceptable (2 years starting after this coming season), its value (3.1 mln per year) - debatable, the timing of Cloutier's deal was plain wrong. It most likely killed all internal competition and might effect in demotivating both Cloutier and Garon.

Both Cloutier and Garon were in the final year of their contracts and seemingly had everything to play for this season to get the attention of the new Kings brass and secure new contracts. Not any more. By renewing Cloutier the Kings management signaled which side their bread was buttered on. In plain text Garon was just told he had nowhere to go as a King. 1B is as high as he can get this year and any hopes of starting in the NHL might require relocation as a FA next season. That's providing he is not traded during the season. And, if he sticks around his motivation level might be at all time low. Why fight, when the result of the battle is a foregone conclusion?

The surprising twist is Cloutier might have gotten demotivated as well. Had he not been extended he would have had something to prove in the contract year. New team, new city (and a non-hockey one, as the traditionalists would put it), new start. Well - it was then. And this is now: why fight, if his staying on top as No 1 goalie is a foregone conclusion? This is what an untimely thumbs-up from the big boss does to the organization.

The thing that baffles me most with the timing of extension, given the apparent Lombardi's attention to detail, is the fact that the league-wide interest in Cloutier's services after this season would have been reasonably low. Perhaps at the level of Manny Legace, three years Dan's senior, who stumbled into the NHL contract in St. Louis only on August 8. The risk of Cloutier's value suddenly sky-rocketing beyond reasonable expectation after this season with the Kings was (and remains) negligible. In this unlikely event, Lombardi still would have had the first shot at extending Cloutier past this year.

All in all, it is mostly the timing of the extension that makes this deal difficult to bear for the Kings fans. Especially given little first-hand evidence (save for a couple of preseason games) that Dan Cloutier is the true missing piece between the pipes for Los Angeles. I hope this contract extension does not come back to haunt Dean Lombardi come spring 2007. And 2008. And 2009 for that matter.