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King GM admits dealing Bernier was very difficult

2012 Stanley Cup Final - Media Day

NEWARK, NJ - MAY 29: President/General Manager Dean Lombardi of the Los Angeles Kings speaks during Media Day for the 2012 Stanley Cup Final at Prudential Center on May 29, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Many praise Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi for grabbing three assets for Jonathan Bernier - who was ready to move on as a restricted free agent any way - but he told NHL.com that it wasn’t easy to part with the 11th pick of the 2006 NHL Draft.

“Unfortunately in this game, you’re not allowed to have a Grant Fuhr and an Andy Moog,” Lombardi said. “That’s the reality of what I’m dealing with … I don’t particularly relish these deals. You don’t start out with a hockey deal. It’s an asset deal. It was a very difficult deal to make. There was a lot of due diligence.

“It’s very difficult to get market value for a guy who’s No. 1. You do the best you can.”

Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford - another memorable former Edmonton Oilers goalie - raved about the 24-year-old netminder to ESPN.

“He’s the real deal,” Ranford said. “He’s really highly regarded by us. He’s not only a great goalie but he’s a great person. They’re going to love him there.”

There’s a sense of loss to the quotes from Kings execs, but the silver lining is that Lombardi believes that he made the right move by not moving him at the trade deadline.

” ... Last year we talked a number of times … but I wasn’t completely convinced it was time to move John,” Lombardi said. “In the end, thank God I didn’t move him because he was clearly instrumental in us making the playoffs.”