Quoting: Kings989
Agree Yeah any of that could happen really hard to tell at this point . It’s also gonna depend on what trades are made concerning some other guys too not just goaltenders. I agree villalta and Kehler aren’t nhl goalies. There could be a trade sending a couple young guys like Clague in a deal. Kings have so many youngsters. So many different scenarios. Anything could happen
The Kings defensive pipeline is pretty much set for the future. They have Anderson, Clague, and Bjornfot on the left and Doughty, Walker, and Durzi on the right. Roy has been playing really well lately and has thrown a wrench into things, but I don't think he will ever overtake Walker. The left side is a little more clear, as I don't think that Hutton, Ryan, or Martinez will be around next season. MacDermid might stay on as a #7, but he's never going to be in the Kings top six 6 plans.
The best part is that only 3 of the guys in the current plan (Doughty, Clague, and Walker) require protection. The other guys are all exempt. So short of the Kings possibly trading Walker if Roy continues to improve, I don't think any of them will be moved.
Forwards are a different story. The Kings have a lot of younger guys that will require protection. Kempe, Lizotte, Iafallo (assuming he's extended), Wagner, Grundstrom, Amadio, and Luff, prioritized in that order, all require protection. The rest of the guys in the future plans are all exempt. With Kopitar obviously getting one of the protection slots, that means one of those young guys will need to be exposed (two if the Kings decide to protect Brown...which is unlikely). Might they trade Amadio or Luff to nudge Seattle towards selecting a goaltender? It's certainly possible.