Still No Word on Gretzky’s Future

Wayne Gretzky’s future in Los Angeles remained uncertain Tuesday after his agent and team owners discussed a contract extension that would keep him with the Kings.

General manager Sam McMaster called the talks “productive.”

“We discussed many things, including a contract extension for Wayne, but there is no timetable as to when such an extension may be completed,” McMaster said during a brief news conference.

McMaster said talks would resume sometime after Saturday’s All-Star game, in which Gretzky will start at center in his 15th All-Star appearance.

McMaster was joined in Tuesday’s negotiations by Gretzky’s agent, Michael Barnett, and Robert Sanderman, a top associate of the team co-owner, Philip Anschutz.

Gretzky was not available for comment until after Tuesday night’s game with Calgary.

Gretzky, who turns 35 next week, is pressuring Kings management to acquire a top veteran who could help win the Stanley Cup or he will leave next summer as a free agent.

The NHL’s leading career scorer has said he needs to see action soon, and not just promises.

“Well, sometimes things can’t happen as quickly in this hockey world as one might want,” McMaster said. “The Los Angeles Kings are reacting, hopefully, as quickly and possibly as expertly as we can.”

Previously, Gretzky has avoided going public with his demands. But he is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $6.5 million this season, and has taken the opportunity to tell the Kings they must commit to winning now if he is to remain in Los Angeles.

“Wayne is under contract for the remainder of the season. We appreciate his concern and we’re trying to work with him,” Sanderman said. “We have no deadline whatsoever about doing it. We have a sense of urgency, as he does, to get the job done.”

Gretzky insists winning, not money, is his priority.

“The problem now is we’ve gotten ourselves in a pickle by losing, and everybody knows we’re getting a little bit desperate now,” he said earlier. “We’re dealing from weakness now. It’s a tough situation, and that’s why I’m saying it might not be able to be rectified.”

McMaster said he has no restrictions from ownership about going after the kind of players Gretzky wants--a 50-goal scorer and a top veteran. “If there’s a player who can help the Los Angeles Kings win, then I have the authority to go out and get that player,” he said. “Then in the summertime, we might have an opportunity to go sign some free agents.”

The Kings have denied rumors they are negotiating to trade Gretzky, who has been rumored to be headed to St. Louis, the New York Rangers or Toronto.

“We have not talked to any hockey club about trading Wayne Gretzky,” McMaster said.

Marty McSorley doesn’t want to see his old friend leave.

“Wayne desperately wants to stay here,” McSorley said. “He wants to build a winner here. He’s invested a lot of time and a lot of effort. In a sense, he feels responsible for the situation of the franchise. It has grown and a lot of people have huge expectations for the franchise, and he wants to follow through on those.”

Gretzky led Edmonton to four NHL championships before the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Kings in 1988. Since losing to Montreal in the 1993 finals, Los Angeles has failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons.