Kings Seem Unlikely to Watch Gretzky Go

Wayne Gretzky’s future with the Kings probably will be determined by the end of January.

Gretzky, who turns 35 on Jan. 26, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but said Tuesday that he wants to stay in Los Angeles. Contract negotiations have not begun.

“We’ll see what happens over the next four to six weeks,” Gretzky said. “The cards will be played at that time. And decisions will be made.”

The new King owners are Denver billionaire Philip F. Anschutz and Southern California developer Edward P. Roski Jr. Robert Sanderman, their top associate and the Kings’ representative on the NHL’s Board of Governors, said that they will sit down with Gretzky next month.

“I can’t envision him not being with the Kings,” Sanderman said from his Denver office. “We agreed we would get together right after the new year and we wouldn’t do it before that. He wanted to see how he was playing and we wanted to see how he felt.

“It’s obviously our intent to keep him playing in Los Angeles.”

Gretzky is making $8 million--some of it deferred--and becomes a free agent without compensation after this season. The Kings would not want to take the chance of Gretzky going elsewhere without receiving something in return.