The LA Kings may be looking for a bit of additional depth in goal. The club has extended a professional tryout offer to goaltender Peter Budaj and he will join the Kings in training camp.
Goaltender Peter Budaj will attend #LAKings training camp on a PTO, hockey ops confirms.
— LA Kings Insider (@lakingsinsider) August 28, 2015
Budaj turns 33 in September and last skated in the NHL back in 2013-14 with the Montreal Canadiens. He appeared in 19 games for the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps (the Canadiens’ affiliate) and posted a very unimpressive 3.55 GAA and .888 save percentage.
Why are the Kings offering Budaj a tryout when they have Jonathan Quick and Jhonas Enroth locked up already for 2015-16? The answer likely lies in the AHL. The Kings used to have some solid depth, but they traded away Martin Jones to the Boston Bruins and their top prospect – Jean-Francois Berube – may need additional recovery time after suffering an injury in June during the Calder Cup.
Budaj could be an insurance policy should the Kings desire a third goaltender in their organization with NHL experience. That being said, he has only suited up in 54 NHL games since the beginning of 2011-12 and questionable what he even can bring to the table. It seems pretty unlikely that he’ll contribute much to the Kings this year, but other professional tryouts have panned out in the past (Scott Gomez) and crazies things have happened.
