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In a season that has seen plenty of them, another crushing blow was leveled upon Kings fans Wednesday when J.S. Aubin was placed on waivers and Dan “I can’t stop a shot to save my life” Cloutier was brought back to L.A. on re-entry waivers.  Assuming Cloutier clears waivers, meaning no other team claims him, we’ll be reunited with our least favorite backstop.  In case some of you have tried to “Eternal Sunshine” Cloutier from your mind let me remind you of D.C.’s recent resume:

Dan Cloutier, the goaltender who _____:

• was signed to a two-year extension before he played a single game for the Kings;
• went 6-14-2 in his first season (2006-2007) with the Kings, and lest you think he was the victim of bad luck, sported a 3.98 GAA and 0.860 SV%;
• missed the last 44 games of the ‘06-’07 season due to a hip injury;
• was reassigned to the Manchester Monarchs before the start of the ‘07-’08 season, and;
• holds the worst record for Manchester netminders this season with a 4-9-0 record, 3.50 GAA, and 0.869 SV%.  Yes, Manchester is still a minor league team. 

The first item on that neatly bulleted list was actually Dean Lombardi’s fault, but even there it seems only fair that Cloutier should carry some of the blame, having misled the organization into thinking he deserved the extension by impersonating a competent NHL goalie before signing with Los Angeles.  Like his run of three straight 30+ win seasons (2001-2004), and a bid for a fourth cut short due to a knee injury, for example. 

Still, there were warning signs, and despite having played only 13 games in the ’05-’06 season, Cloutier was mistakenly thought to be the solution to the Kings’ everlasting goaltending problem.  When the Kings signed Cloutier for the following season, there was still debate about whether Cloutier was actually healthy enough to be the number one guy in net.  Congratulations to those who took the position, “no.” 

Turns out he wasn’t even close.   

Rather than exhibit the skills that helped him claim the Number 1 role in Vancouver, Cloutier consistently put on a show characterized by early goals, soft goals, mental breakdowns, and a complete lack of confidence (leading to more early goals, soft goals, and so on).  The Kings needed a stalwart presence in net to keep them afloat and Cloutier was clearly not the answer.  It was almost a sigh of relief for Kings fans when during the ’06-’07 season it was announced that a hip injury would keep Cloutier on the shelf for the duration.  It didn’t matter that behind him, Mathieu Garon was on and off the injured list or that Barry Brust and Yutaka Fukufuji were rookies. 

They weren’t Cloutier, which was good enough for Kings fans.

Despite Cloutier’s wretched, completely discouraging history in a Kings sweater, upon further examination, this transaction shouldn’t have a significant effect on the team.  It’s doubtful that when Aubin was signed over the summer it was with a prominent role in mind.  He assumed the backup gig after Cloutier was assigned to Manchester and Jonathan Bernier was sent back to his Junior team, the Lewiston MAINEiacs, after a short stint with the Kings to kick off the season.  Aubin is only signed through this season and is eating up a mere $525k. 

With several young goaltenders (Bernier!) in the Kings farm system and LaBarbera and Cloutier both signed through the ’08-’09 season, it’s likely that Aubin was signed simply for some veteran depth, available in Manchester as insurance against injuries to the top two goalies in L.A.  Besides, Aubin’s play wasn’t all that impressive, so losing him isn’t a huge blow to the Kings. 

And while Cloutier’s return will be met with a whole lot of concern, on the bright side, according to Monarchs coach Mark Morris, Cloutier has improved during his stint with Manchester.  Lombardi most likely wants him to get some playing time in the NHL now so he’ll be prepared for next season.  While fans may be cringing and wiping away tears of sadness knowing Cloutier will once again be guarding the net, remember that L.A. can’t drop any further in the standings.  There’s nothing below last.  And his value, whether to the Kings or other teams around the league, wasn’t going to increase in Manchester. 

Hopefully Cloutier can get some quality playing time in the remaining games, bring up his confidence, increase his intensity (Maybe with a solid fight?), and prove to everyone that the Kings won’t be wasting $3.1 million on him this season, and next. 

There’s nowhere for him to go but up.

Marie Stiles hosts Purple Crushed Velvet, and also contributes to HLOG. She’s an L.A. native, and a bigger Kings fan than you.

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