Hrudey in Excellent Position as He Negotiates With Kings

King goaltender Kelly Hrudey is in an advantageous position in the aftermath of the NHL lockout. If Hrudey doesn’t come to a new contract agreement quickly, he will go to binding arbitration.

The arbitration award would be for this season, with Hrudey, 34, becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer. “I have to use the rules given to me, if it works to my advantage,” Hrudey said Saturday after the first official King practice since the end of the lockout. “It’s a good negotiating tool.”

King General Manager Sam McMaster said he spoke to Hrudey’s agent and is working to complete a deal. Also, McMaster recalled forward Eric Lacroix from the Kings’ minor league affiliate in Phoenix and said Rob Brown will play in a few more games for the Roadrunners and the IHL All-Star game in Las Vegas this week before coming to Los Angeles. Rookie forward Matt Johnson and goaltender Jamie Storr are expected to arrive Monday.

Jari Kurri, fresh off 14 hours of travel from Helsinki, practiced with the Kings for the first time since leaving to play for the Finnish club team, Jokerit, in October.

Among the Mighty Ducks, only rookie winger Valeri Karpov and center Patrik Carnback played overseas during the lockout. Karpov, who played in Russia for his former team, Cheyabinsk, returned in time to join the Ducks for their first workout Friday.

Whether Carnback will return from Goteborg, Sweden, depends on whether the Ducks give him a new contract. His current deal expires at the end of the year, and he earlier told the Swedish team he would play the entire season with them.