McNall Opens Discussions for Trades

Less than twenty-four hours after he promised changes would be made on his beleaguered hockey club, owner Bruce McNall of the Kings has started working on them.

Talks have begun anew, according to one source close to the Kings, on a deal that would send left winger Luc Robitaille and defenseman Steve Duchesne to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Paul Coffey, a former teammate of Wayne Gretzky at Edmonton. Those talks are expected to intensify over the weekend at Pittsburgh, site of the NHL All-Star game.

Another possibility is shipping Robitaille to the Montreal Canadiens. The names mentioned in that deal are goalie Brian Hayward and center Brian Skrudland.

The other King who keeps surfacing in trade rumors is center Bernie Nicholls. One possibility is a three-way trade involving the Oilers and the New York Rangers with either Edmonton right winger Jari Kurri or New York defenseman Brian Leetch becoming a King.

An Edmonton source discounted a trade that would send Kurri to Los Angeles, saying there is no way the Oilers would allow Kurri, currently playing out his option, to be reunited with Gretzky in the Smythe Division.

General Manager Rogie Vachon downplayed the Robitaille rumor.

“It’s amazing how popular I am with the other general managers when things go bad,” he said. “We’re listening. People have called all day, and we’re studying the offers. Some are good and some are bad.”

“Earlier this season Luc seemed to be on the block, but those (Robitaille and Bernie Nicholls) are the names you hear when we’re not doing well. If we’re going to make a trade, we certainly have the ammunition. Sometimes you need to change the chemistry and sometimes you don’t and the problem solves itself, but a decision should be coming pretty soon.”

After the Kings lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2, Tuesday night, their second consecutive loss and sixth in their last seven games, McNall told reporters he had seen enough.

“The party’s over. . . . I’ve about had it,” he said. “We are going to make some moves and they won’t be small. I’ll tell you that.”

Robitaille and Nicholls are the most marketable Kings. Gretzky is untouchable. Nicholls, coming off a 70-goal, 150-point season, has 27 goals and 45 assists but has slumped recently. Robitaille has 33 goals and 31 assists.

Nicholls avoided reporters after practice. Robitaille and Duchesne could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

“We are not going to give anything away,” McNall said. “We have to look at what we need. But this is not fair to the fans to have to see this nonsense. Either the players will decide to perform or they’ll perform somewhere else.

“I’m becoming the George Steinbrenner of hockey. I’m more like a fan. I tend to react the way they do. . . . So if they are not happy, I guess my job is to do what a fan would do.”

McNall’s outburst Tuesday wasn’t the first that King players had heard of his displeasure. On Monday, in the midst of a team practice, Vachon told the team that if anybody wanted out of L.A., management was in the mood to oblige. Coach Tom Webster later met one-on-one with the players.

Asked about McNall’s remarks Wednesday, Kelly Hrudey replied: “What do you expect him to say? He’s got $50 million invested in the team. How would you be? Maybe this will fire some guys up.

“Everybody’s worried about being traded now. When people start questioning themselves, they get out of their roles. We all have to work together, and then we can all stay here.”

Gretzky didn’t have any problem with McNall’s comments, either.

“When you’re not winning, you need a shake-up,” Gretzky said. “Whether anything is done or not done, it needed to be said.

“I don’t think it’s a question of talent. I think it’s a matter of work ethic.”

Does Gretzky feel an obligation to step forward?

“I come to work and do my best,” he said. “That’s all I can do. It’s everybody’s responsibility to lead. We need a big game out of somebody to turn this around. I understand I have the responsibility to try to do that.”

The Kings’ defense has been criticized of late, giving up 33 goals during the last seven games. But the offense has had problems, too. Tuesday night, the Kings outshot Buffalo, 35-22, in a losing effort.

Time for a change?

“You may have the most beautiful horse in the world, but if he doesn’t win on the race track, why keep him?” Larry Robinson said. “You might as well have a mule if he wins. They all eat the same.

“(McNall) has gone out on a limb. He has done a lot for a lot of guys. He stuck his neck out and we let him down.”