Dean Lombardi: Gambling Big On Justin Williams

Follow @frozenroyalty

INTERVIEW WITH DEAN LOMBARDI: In part 3 of a series of stories based on an interview with Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, Frozen Royalty focuses on what Justin Williams is likely to contribute next season, as well as the higher expectations the 2009-10 Kings will face. Look for part 4 in this series coming soon.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Despite seeing his team fail to qualify for post-season play for the sixth consecutive season, Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi expects his team to end that long drought in the 2009-10 season.

One glaring flaw with that expectation is that he seems be banking rather heavily on winger Justin Williams to not only provide a significant boost to the offense, but also to stay relatively healthy.

But Williams has hit the thirty-goal mark just twice in his career and has otherwise struggled just to remain in the lineup, suffering from a myriad of injuries, including two serious knee injuries, casting serious doubts on his ability to regain his thirty-goal form.

Indeed, the odds against Williams returning to form, let alone staying healthy, would seem to be very, very high, if not astronomical. Read more of this post