Kings Deal Makela to Sabres, Get Buskas in Waiver Draft

As the Kings made one of their many trips through customs last season, an airport official stopped left wing Mikko Makela when the hockey player attempted to put his camera through an X-ray machine.

“What is that camera’s ASA?” she asked.

Obviously unsure what the official was talking about, the Finnish-born Makela, hoping to gain immunity through his status, declared, “I’m with the team .”

No longer.

After struggling unsuccessfully for a year to become an effective part of the team, Makela was traded to the Buffalo Sabres Monday for left wing Mike Donnelly.

The Kings sent Donnelly to their New Haven farm team.

Hours later, the Kings picked up veteran defenseman Rod Buskas from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL waiver draft.

Each club was allowed to protect 18 skaters and two goalies. The Kings, drafting 12th, got Buskas, but didn’t lose anybody when the other 20 teams failed to select one of their unprotected players.

The Makela experiment began with high hopes when the Kings traded Ken Baumgartner and Hubie McDonough to the New York Islanders last November for him. In a little more than four seasons with the Islanders, Makela scored 95 goals and 219 points. His best year was 1987-88, when he scored 36 goals and had 76 points.

But the old Makela never was seen with the Kings. Even playing on Wayne Gretzky’s line, Makela did not find his old form.

He played 45 games with the Kings, scoring seven goals and assisting on 14.

By playoff time, Makela was little more than a highly paid tourist, shooting pictures of the Banff countryside while the Kings prepared for the Calgary Flames.

“He had the one great year,” said King General Manager Rogie Vachon. “He had all the tools, but, for some reason, he lost his touch around the net and then lost his confidence. He was not good defensively, so if he didn’t have the offense, he couldn’t help you much.”

A 5-11, 185-pounder, Donnelly spent the better part of the last two seasons with Buffalo’s Rochester farm team.

With their season opener Thursday, the Kings sent goalie Mario Gosselin, wingers Keith Crowder, Brian Lawton and Kyosti Karjalainen and center Mikael Lindholm to their Phoenix farm club.