Are These Dave Taylor’s Final Days? : NHL playoffs: Though his coaches want him back, the oldest King is playing as if this postseason is his last.

He has gone from a 15th-round draft choice to a 16-year veteran.

He has gone from the bright-eyed kid who didn’t figure to make it in the NHL to the wise old veteran who helps a lot of young players make it.

He has gone from Marcel Dionne to Wayne Gretzky in Kings’ lore.

But at 37, how much farther can Dave Taylor go?

He says he honestly doesn’t know. And right now, in the midst of the Smythe Division finals, he doesn’t want to deal with speculation that he won’t be asked back for a 17th season.

“This could be the end of it, right now,” Taylor conceded Monday after practice as the Kings prepare for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. “The summer is when the decision will be made. This may be my last chance (at a Stanley Cup), but I’m not thinking about it now. I’m playing the game at hand. I’m not concerned about the future.”

Taylor’s contract runs out this season, but not necessarily his talent. His skills have obviously eroded with age, but he can still contribute. And he talks like a man who still wants to play if the club will have him back.

Taylor, who played on the Kings’ famed Triple Crown line with Dionne and Charlie Simmer, now plays on the fourth line with Warren Rychel and Pat Conacher. But he has helped make that unit an effective checking line, capable of scoring. Taylor is also an effective penalty killer.

“I still take a lot of pride in the way I play,” Taylor said. “And I still have a lot of fun doing it.”

He has certainly made a believer of rookie Coach Barry Melrose, who hadn’t planned on using Taylor much when he took over. But once Melrose, who places a big premium on hustle and heart, saw him in action, Taylor had a regular job again.

Now Melrose and assistant coach Cap Raeder say they want Taylor to remain.

“I certainly hope he’ll be back,” Melrose said. “I was glad to have met Dave and have him play for me. He has to make his deal with management but, from a hockey standpoint, he has a great, great heart.”

Taylor has suffered through 16 unsatisfying finishes to Kings’ seasons, the club having never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs. Could Taylor skate away from the game without ever having skated around the rink with a Stanley Cup in his hands?

“If that happens to me, I could live with it,” he said. “I could face that. The teams I have played on have always played hard, and you sort of have to play the cards you are dealt.”

But at this point, Taylor figures he still has cards, and games, to play.

For the second time in the playoffs, Melrose has made a change in the net.

He will go back to veteran Kelly Hrudey at goaltender in Game 2 here Wednesday, yanking rookie Robb Stauber.

“Robb played well,” Melrose said. “This is just a hunch.”

Hrudey, a 10-year veteran who had played in 58 postseason games before this year, was the starter in the opening playoff game against the Calgary Flames, despite an inconsistent season.

After losing two of the first three games, Hrudey gave way to Stauber, who had never played in a postseason game.

Stauber won three in a row as the Kings beat the Flames in six games. But now that the Kings having lost Game 1 against Vancouver on Sunday, 5-2, with Stauber in goal, Melrose is going back to the veteran.

“I’m ready,” Hrudey said. “I’ve always been ready. The time away makes you really want it more.”

King Notes

It had been thought that Game 4 on Sunday at the Forum would start at noon to accommodate ABC. But because the network is not showing the game, it has been moved to 5 p.m. and will be televised on Prime Ticket.