Kings Make Deal for Coffey : Hockey: High-scoring defenseman acquired in three-way trade for Chychrun and first-round pick in 1992.

The Kings may have finally put together a Stanley Cup-winning hockey team. Only problem: This team took the NHL’s top prize last decade.

With Wednesday’s trade for defenseman Paul Coffey, Los Angeles has reconstructed much of the heart of the Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty, which won five NHL championships in the 1980s.

The question now is whether this aging group of Edmonton veterans can be invigorated in Southern California and repeat their Stanley Cup triumphs of another era.

Coffey, who has played with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last five seasons, joins former Oilers Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Charlie Huddy and Marty McSorley on the Los Angeles roster.

While the Gretzky-led Kings won the Smythe division last year for the first time in team history, Los Angeles is struggling this season and stands second in the Smythe.

The Penguins traded Coffey, the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history, to the Kings and right-wing Mark Recchi to the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-club deal involving seven players and two draft choices.

The Penguins will receive defenseman Jeff Chychrun from the Kings.

The Flyers will give Pittsburgh right wing Rick Tocchet, defenseman Kjell Samuelsson and goalie Ken Wregget as well as a draft choice to be named later.

The Flyers will receive Kings defenseman Brian Benning and the Kings’ first-round draft choice in 1992. Because of the blockbuster August 1988 trade for Gretzky, the Kings will not have a first-round pick until 1994.

“We are excited about acquiring such a great player as Paul Coffey,” Rogie Vachon, the Kings general manager said. “Unfortunately, to obtain such a talent you have to give up talent. We are looking forward to utilizing the many skills Paul Coffey has to offer.”

Coffey, who has 10 goals and 63 points with Pittsburgh this year, will most likely work on the Kings’ anemic power play.

When people say the current Kings look a lot like the old Edmonton Oilers, the emphasis rests strongly on the word old.

Huddy, 32, has played sporadically and Gretzky, 31, has said he has started thinking about retirement. For the first time in Gretzky’s distinguished career, the league’s all-time top scorer has little chance at 40 goals. He also probably won’t tally 100 assists for the first time since his 1979-80 rookie campaign.

Kurri, 31, in his first Kings season, has failed to ignite Gretzky’s line and has just 19 goals and 25 assists. Coffey is 30, and his point totals have dropped each of the last three seasons, although he is presently third among defensemen in scoring.

Trade rumors involving Coffey began to circulate in November when a group led by Howard Baldwin bought the Penguins from Edward DeBartolo Sr. It was believed the new ownership group, not as wealthy as DeBartolo, would need to dump at least one expensive contract from the team’s already-bloated payroll.

Coffey, who makes more than $1 million a year, became the most logical candidate for a trade because he was older than the other players in position to command high salaries.

“It’s going to be tough,” Coffey said as he stashed gear into a car at the Civic Arena. “I have a lot of fond memories of Pittsburgh. That’s for sure.”

Coffey said that after he learned about the trade late Tuesday night, he skated alone on the ice at the arena until 2 a.m., recalling the support he has received from Pittsburgh fans.

“If you’re going to be traded . . . I’m a pretty lucky guy,” Coffey said.

Coffey became the top all-time scoring defenseman earlier this season. He’s scored 317 goals and has 791 assists for 1,108 points in 863 games.

Coffey knew he could be traded at any time.

“I’m not like some of those baseball players who have no-trade clauses,” he said Tuesday night, after the Penguins’ 7-1 victory over the Minnesota North Stars.

“The rumors started in training camp, they heated up when the new ownership took over and they heated up again at the All-Star break,” he said.