Not sure which team at the moment is best positioned for the 2009 draft lottery, the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders or Atlanta Thrashers, but look for the Kings to be throwing some serious money around between now and training camp.
Will the Kings’ spending spree coincide with an effort to revive a declining team that has been lost in an enormous market or to try to qualify for the post-season after five years on the sidelines during the playoffs?
Uh, no. According to nhlnumbers.com, the Kings’ payroll currently sits at just $27.756 million, which is almost $13 million under the mandated salary floor. Before the season starts, the Kings must crank up their spending to at least $40.7 million. And that’s after they dispatched two prospects to the Philadelphia Flyers for Denis Gauthier, who played all this season in the minors, but has a very convenient cap hit of $2.1 million.
Kings have some spending to do (The Hockey News) 
