Solid core doesn’t erase the questions

For a team that finished with the third-worst point total in the NHL last season, the Kings have a pretty good grip on their main pieces heading into this season.

Michael Cammalleri, Alexander Frolov, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar lead a core of young forwards who should get a boost with the addition of free agents Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and Kyle Calder.

Defensively, the Kings are looking for big things from Lubomir Visnovsky and Jack Johnson and steadiness from veterans Rob Blake and Jaroslav Modry. And if free-agent signees Brad Stuart, Tom Preissing and Jon Klemm can step up, the Kings will be better than average at the blue line.

But there are questions other than goaltending for the Kings, starting with fourth-line center. In camp, Coach Marc Crawford has given several players an opportunity to show what he can do and the search will continue tonight when the Kings play host to the Ducks at Staples Center.

“We need that person to be reliable,” he said. “We need him to be dependable. We need him to be energetic and we need him to be functional in terms of being a penalty-kill guy and faceoff guy.”

Although it is unclear which player has the edge after one week of practice, Crawford had good things to say about John Zeiler, Jeff Giuliano, Trevor Lewis and Brady Murray.

After one exhibition game, the Kings’ goaltending situation hasn’t changed much. Jean-Sebastien Aubin and Dan Cloutier split time in the Kings’ 5-4 victory over the Ducks on Thursday. Jason LaBarbera and Jonathan Bernier will play tonight.

“Everybody is going to be judged over a period of time,” Crawford said. “We don’t have to make a rush decision.”

The Kings sent several players to the minors Friday and more will head down by Sunday. Crawford said he plans to have his roster together before the Kings leave for London.

Winger Wayne Simmonds, the Kings’ second-round pick in this year’s draft, played 11 minutes, 19 seconds Thursday night.

He didn’t score but was assessed a five-minute penalty for fighting in the second period when he dropped the gloves to take on the Ducks’ Shane Hnidy.

Crawford said forward Patrick O’Sullivan will remain as a winger for now and not work at center. . . . Two areas of concern for tonight, according to Crawford: better puck exchanges and communication in the defensive zone. . . . The Kings hired veteran sportscaster/producer Tom Murray as an on-air features contributor.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com