Los Angeles Kings: Still Talking Jonathan Bernier Deal to Columbus Blue Jackets

With the goalie market having closed off considerably in the last couple of weeks, Jonathan Bernier is probably the most intriguing of possibilities still available for teams on the hunt for a masked man.

One team in particular, the Columbus Blue Jackets, were the central destination among a lot of hypothetical suitors for the 23-year-old Bernier when he announced he had asked for a trade away from the club that drafted him.

However, with the acquisition of young Russian Sergei Bobrovsky from Philadelphia, the Blue Jackets looked like they were done searching for a goalie.

But earlier this morning, Columbus Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline tweeted out that the Blue Jackets are still very much interested in the former first-round pick.

The Blue Jackets and GM Scott Howson are likely looking at a tandem of Bernier and Bobrovsky as being a great foundation for a young and rebuilding Columbus squad whose team defense was among the worst in the league last season.

Kings GM Dean Lombardi and Howson are no strangers to each other either. The Kings and the Blue Jackets were trading partners earlier in the year when Los Angeles acquired unhappy star forward Jeff Carter for a first-round pick and young defenseman Jack Johnson.

Could the Blue Jackets and the Kings work out another deal soon? Time will most certainly tell. One thing is for certain though, it seems more and more likely Jonathan Bernier will not be an L.A. King come training camp.