NHL 1991-92 : The Great Line Is a Costly Line : Kings: Jari Kurri rejoins Wayne Gretzky and attacks with Tomas Sandstrom, but the defensive price is high.

He was a key figure for the Edmonton Oilers through the 1980s, his name written on Stanley Cup after Stanley Cup, five in all.

But then disillusion set in and he began to look south. He wanted to come to Los Angeles and help win a Stanley Cup here. And now that he has arrived, people are saying he could make the difference.

He is. . . .

Wayne Gretzky?

Not this time. After three seasons with the Great One on their roster but not-so-great finishes on their record, the Kings have gone back to the Oilers for more help.

This time, it’s Jari Kurri, Gretzky’s linemate of the last decade. The Kings pulled off a complicated three-team trade during the off-season, involving the Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers, to get Kurri and Gretzky back together.

For the better part of eight seasons in Edmonton, they skated through the NHL record book and the league’s elite teams, shoving aside both old records and new contenders on their historic drive to a dynasty.

With Kurri at his side, slipping him the puck or receiving it for a goal, Gretzky racked up most of his 2,142 regular-season points and 718 goals.

Now they are reunited in silver and black, to be joined by Tomas Sandstrom on “the Great Line,” which figures to be one of the most dominating in the league’s 75 seasons.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Gretzky said. “It’s one of those things that you think will never happen. When I left Edmonton, I thought I would probably never see Jari again.

“There are a lot of new fans in the last few years who have never seen us play together. They might be in for a little surprise.”

But will this line lead to that elusive Stanley Cup? Can this talented trio skate around the roadblock that has blunted the Kings’ best efforts over a quarter-century of frustration?

The team begins its 25th season tonight in Winnipeg without having gone past the second round of the playoffs.

A look at the silver anniversary team that will try to go where no King team has gone:

CENTER

Kurri didn’t come cheaply. He cost the Kings both Steve Kasper, center of the checking line, and defenseman Steve Duchesne.

Couple that with another off-season trade that resulted in Todd Elik going to the Minnesota North Stars and, suddenly, the Kings, long known for their offensive prowess, are a team without proven depth at center.

It still starts with Gretzky, of course, and that’s not a bad way to start.

But beyond that exclamation point come the question marks.

The second-line center is Bob Kudelski. At 27, with two 23-goal seasons behind him as a reserve, he appears ready to take on the job. It won’t hurt that he has Luc Robitaille, a proven 50-goal scorer, on his left, and Tony Granato, moving down from the first line, on his right.

But Kudelski still has to show that he has recovered from a serious knee injury at the end of last season and that he can play a full season at center.

“We like what we’ve seen,” Coach Tom Webster said. “He’s worked hard to accept the challenging role he’s been given.”

Kasper will be much harder to replace. Need the opposing first line stopped? Call Kasper. Need a faceoff man? Kasper’s your guy. Need a penalty killer? Get Kasper.

Stepping into the breach will be John McIntyre, 22, obtained in a mid-season trade last year.

“We feel he can handle the role,” Webster said without pause.

But again, the Kings are banking on an unproven player. Like Kudelski, McIntyre has yet to play a full NHL season as a starter.

Also expected to help will be veteran Randy Gilhen, obtained in the Elik trade.

Grade: B--Gretzky makes up for a lot of ifs.

WINGS

This is an area of strength. Having tied Robitaille last season for the team lead in goals with 45, Sandstrom can be expected to carry his weight on the showcase line. His only problem will be moving over to the left to make room for Kurri, but Gretzky and Kurri should be able to smooth that transition.

Robitaille and Granato on the second line are solid and should help Kudelski adjust to the middle.

The biggest change will be experienced by veteran Dave Taylor. After 14 years, after the glory days of the Triple Crown line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer in the 1970s, he finds himself, at 35, skating on the third and fourth lines and serving as a reserve.

But Taylor’s role may be crucial to the success of this team. A year ago, Kudelski was Super Sub. When Sandstrom got hurt, Kudelski filled in. When Elik slumped, Kudelski filled in.

Now, who will be Kudelski?

Webster will depend on the veteran Taylor and Frank Breault, 24, who spent much of last season injured.

Grade: A--Kurri completes the puzzle.

DEFENSEMEN

The key element in Webster’s master plan last season was to cut goals against his team by 50.

Unrealistic?

The Kings cut their goals-against by 83.

So they head into this season with a solid defense, right?

Not necessarily.

They lost Duchesne, their top offensive defenseman with 21 goals and 62 points. Replacing him is Jeff Chychrun, who starts the season on the bench, having had wrist surgery; and Charlie Huddy, who must show that, at 32 with 11 seasons behind him, he can still be effective.

Rob Blake returns as the team’s shining light at the blue line, heading into his second full season as an established star at 21.

But who will share the load? At 40, Larry Robinson can’t be expected to be there every night.

And Marty McSorley wasn’t there every night last season. He had a Jekyll-and-Hyde year, tying Theoren Fleury for the league high in plus-minus rating in the regular season. But in the playoffs, McSorley disappeared.

The Kings are expecting big things out of Darryl Sydor, their top draft choice a year ago. But they are not expecting a lot right away.

“We’ll be very careful and not rush him,” Webster said. “We’ll have to see what games we’re going to put him in.”

Grade: C--Too many questions. Not enough answers.

GOALTENDING

A year ago, this was an area of concern. Starter Kelly Hrudey was coming off an injury-plagued season and there wasn’t much behind him.

But Hrudey came back strong. And General Manager Rogie Vachon came up with a bona fide backup in Daniel Berthiaume. Bona fide enough to wind up sharing time with Hrudey.

Alternating in goal, Hrudey and Berthiaume gave the Kings two 20-game winners for the first time in club history. Hrudey finished at 26-13-6 and Berthiaume, who faded at the end, wound up 20-11-4.

Grade: B-plus--Berthiaume must regain his early season form of a year ago to make this work.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Kings’ were ninth in the league on the power play, third in penalty killing. But they lose Duchesne from the power-play team and Kasper from the penalty-killing unit. Kurri, whose special-team play often is overlooked, could make up a lot of the difference.

Grade: C--It’s a matter of chemistry and, with the changes, that matter has yet to be resolved.

PROGNOSIS

Normally a team coming off its finest regular season with its first division title and a club-record 46 victories would figure to be in good shape.

But this is not a normal situation. To get Kurri, Vachon broke up the team. Did he also disturb the chemistry? Can Kudelski, McIntyre, Gilhen, Huddy, Chychrun and Sydor fill in the holes?

The Kings may have the Great Line.

But how much more do they have?

* OPENING NIGHT: The NHL celebrated the 75th anniversary of the league with the original six cities playing each other in old-time uniforms. C6.

HOW THEY STACK UP The Kings’ scoring line this season--Wayne Gretzky at center with Jari Kurri at right wing and Tomas Sandstrom at left wing--could be one of the most potent in NHL history, if the chemistry is right and the individuals perform as they have in the past. A look at how the career NHL statistics of the 1991-92 first line of the Kings compares to those of some of the other great scoring lines in NHL history.

Avg. points Seasons Goals Assists Points per season 1991-92 Kings 354.5 C--Wayne Gretzky 12 718 1,424 2,142 178.5 RW--Jari Kurri 10 474 569 1,043 104.3 LW--Tomas Sandstrom 7 231 271 502 71.7

Avg. points Seasons Goals Assists Points per season 1970s New York Islanders 248.7 C--Bryan Trottier 16 509 872 1,381 86.3 RW--Mike Bossy 10 573 553 1,126 112.6 LW--Clark Gilles 14 319 378 697 49.8

Avg. points Seasons Goals Assists Points per season 1970s Boston Bruins 196.4 C--Phil Esposito 18 717 873 1,590 88.3 RW--Ken Hodge 13 328 472 800 61.5 LW--Wayne Cashman 17 277 516 793 46.6

Avg. points Seasons Goals Assists Points per season 1970s-80s Kings, the Triple Crown Line 221.9 C--Marcel Dionne 18 731 1,040 1,771 98.4 RW--Dave Taylor 14 411 607 1,018 72.7 LW--Charlie Simmer 14 342 369 711 50.8

Avg. points Seasons Goals Assists Points per season 1950s Detroit Red Wings 155.0 C--Sid Abel 14 189 283 472 33.7 RW--Gordie Howe 26 801 1,049 1,850 71.2 LW--Ted Lindsay 17 379 472 851 50.1

Source: NHL Official Guide & Record Book