Looking for Spark, Kings Acquire Klima

The Kings continued rebuilding their offense Thursday, acquiring left winger Petr Klima from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 1997 conditional draft choice.

In 67 games for Tampa Bay last season, Klima had 22 goals and was the team’s third-leading scorer with 52 points.

“Petr Klima is a proven NHL goal-scorer with excellent speed,” King General Manager Sam McMaster said. “He will be a big addition to our power play and overall team speed.”

Klima, 32, defected from then-Czechoslovakia in 1985 and played with Detroit for the next four seasons. He was traded to Edmonton in 1989 and then to Tampa Bay in ’93. In 11 NHL seasons, he has 558 points in 740 games.

The Kings, who struggled on offense last season and missed the playoffs, signed free-agent center Ed Olczyk last month. Olczyk had 49 points in 51 games with Winnipeg.

*

The New Jersey Devils sent veteran forward Stephane Richer back to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for bruising defenseman Lyle Odelein, Devil General Manager Lou Lamoriello said.

Richer began his NHL career with the Canadiens in the 1984-85 season and played with them for six more seasons, twice topping the 50-goal mark.

Richer, 30, has 343 goals and 646 points, but was a disappointment for the Devils last season, scoring only 20 goals with 12 assists in 73 games.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Profile

PETR KLIMA, LEFT WINGER

* Born: Dec. 23, 1964, in Chomutov, Czechoslovakia

* Size: 6 feet, 188 pounds

* Previous NHL teams: Detroit, 1985-89; Edmonton, 1989-93; Tampa Bay, 1993-96.

* Career highlights: First NHL goal against Minnesota on Oct. 10, 1985; scored a career-best five points against Vancouver on Jan. 30, 1991; scored 30 or more goals in a season six times.