The Los Angeles Kings, parent club of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, have acquired defenseman Denis Gauthier and a second-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers, parent club of the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms, in exchange for defenseman Patrik Hersley and forward Ned Lukacevic.
Gauthier, 31, notched 18 points (3-15-18) and 80 penalty minutes in 78 games with the Phantoms this past season. The 6-3, 224-pound blueliner also contributed an assist and 17 penalty minutes in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games this spring.
A native of Montreal, Gauthier has played in 489 career NHL regular season games over nine seasons with the Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames, and has totaled 73 points (15-58-73) and 658 penalty minutes.
Gauthier was originally selected by Calgary in the first round (20th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, and he reached the Calder Cup Finals in 1998 as a second-year pro.
Hersley, 22, played in 42 AHL games for the Monarchs during his rookie season in 2007-08, recording nine points (1-8-9) and 27 penalty minutes. Hersley also played in 20 regular-season games with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, where he recorded 18 points (3-15-18) and 18 penalty minutes, while also accumulating nine points (3-6-9) and 10 penalty minutes in 13 Reading playoff games.
The 6-3, 205-pound native of Malmo, Sweden, was originally selected by the Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Lukacevic, 22, played in 61 games this past season with the Royals, where he posted 36 points (17-19-36) and 52 penalty minutes. The 6-0, 185-pound forward also played in eight playoff games for Reading and recorded two points (both assists) and two penalty minutes.
A native of Podgorica, Serbia, Lukacevic was originally drafted by the Kings in 2004. In 12 games with the Monarchs during the 2006-07 season, Lukacevic recorded one goal and nine penalty minutes.
He made his professional debut for the Monarchs in the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs and netted one goal in seven games.
