Will Melrose Go on Kings’ Firing Line? : Analysis: Horrendous start and questionable motivational tactics could spell his demise. Moves by management have not helped.

The day Barry Melrose was hired by the Kings, he said, “I’m going to be the Kings’ coach who doesn’t get fired.”

Was he being confident or naive?

With Melrose’s record of 71-91-26 through two-plus regular seasons and the Kings in an apparent meltdown, anyone calling for his dismissal certainly couldn’t be accused of rushing to judgment.

By all accounts, including his own, Melrose simply has not done the job. After missing the playoffs last season, the Kings started this one poorly and have regressed into embarrassment, going 1-6-1 in their last eight games. And in those last eight games, they have given up eight goals three times, and have allowed four goals in the first period in each of their last three games.

Players are openly talking about Melrose’s motivating methods--prolonged stays in the doghouse followed by a subsequent trade. That has been the pattern since Melrose arrived in Los Angeles and has been experienced by Bob Kudelski, Jimmy Carson, Tomas Sandstrom, Shawn McEachern and Mike Donnelly.

But it’s a doubly dangerous scenario. After Melrose has soured on players, the team’s general managers--first Nick Beverley and now Sam McMaster--have been unable to make palatable deals, to say nothing of good ones. Beverley’s moves made his predecessor, Rogie Vachon, look like a strong general manager. And the mistakes of the Beverley regime are looking less distasteful in the wake of the Alexei Zhitnik/Donnelly/Dave Karpa disasters.

Now the cycle seems to be beginning with center Robert Lang, who has been in and out of the lineup.

“He’s been kicked in the butt so much,” forward Pat Conacher said. “He’s been the brunt of criticism, not just from Barry, and he doesn’t need that. Sent to Phoenix last year and he’s in and out. You’ve got to give the kid time to get acclimatized.

“He never got a pat on the back here. In my playing this game, 90% of the time you do need a kick in the butt. But he’s taken a lot more. It’s like a dog who gets kicked over and over again. A hockey player can only take so much . . .”

One player pointed out that Sandstrom was so beaten down that he is only now starting to regain his confidence in Pittsburgh. Donnelly, who scored four points against the Kings on Monday, admitted that he lost his confidence before the Kings traded him to Dallas last month.

So far, the Kings’ movement toward Melrose’s goal of bigger, stronger, tougher has added up to a brutal brand of hockey--but only in the results.

There have been five victories in 20 games and two in 12 games at the Forum. And goaltender Grant Fuhr, acquired in the Zhitnik trade with Buffalo, has been horrendous, most recently allowing seven goals on 24 shots in Monday’s 8-2 loss to Dallas.

Traditionally, firing the coach is the move of choice under such conditions. But the firing of Melrose is not a foregone conclusion. He has another year left on his contract, plus an option year.

That’s an awful lot of money to swallow for a team whose recent decisions have been based on the bottom line. It was the reason for the Donnelly trade and the King players certainly believe money played a major part in Kevin Brown’s demotion to Phoenix on Sunday.

Brown is on a two-way deal, meaning he makes $225,000 with the Kings and $50,000 in Phoenix. Players such as Troy Crowder, John Druce, Randy Burridge and Dan Quinn are on one-way contracts.

Brown, at 20 one of the few decent prospects in the system, had been steadily progressing. He had four points in 13 games, but in a 3-3 tie against Calgary on Feb. 23, he had an assist and was among the best players on the ice. His departure sent a strong message to the dressing room and wasn’t the best way to start a five-game trip.

Melrose won’t discuss the moves, saying he is the coach, not the general manager. But he does speak about his precarious position.

“When (talk of firing) comes out in the media, players lose their accountability,” he said. “Players know the coach is going to get the blame. I think it’s a terrible thing when players lose that.

“It doesn’t matter. We have to win some games. I know I’ll pay the ultimate price if we don’t get going.”

Have his players quit on him?

“No, we care too much,” Melrose said. “There’s too much character from the guys on this team for that.”

Said right wing Rick Tocchet: “We have to look at ourselves. Firing the coach at this point won’t help. It won’t help us play any better.”

One NHL executive thought a coaching change wouldn’t make any difference, pointing out the Kings’ lack of talent. And Dallas center Corey Millen, traded the summer after the Kings’ run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, shook his head and seemed almost sad when he spoke about the departed talent and the current roster.

“I was surprised at how few people I know over there in that room,” he said on Monday. “Mike (Donnelly) was telling me, ‘You won’t even recognize anyone.’ And he was right.”