Still Green, but Making a Strong Bid

It’s his third NHL training camp, and when Josh Green scored his first goal in a King sweater in a scrimmage Tuesday, he didn’t want to put too much emphasis on it. But he wouldn’t mind if General Manager Dave Taylor and Coach Larry Robinson did.

“You think about it a little bit in the back of your mind, but there’s so many things that they look for that one play isn’t going to make it or break it,” Green said. “They look at the overall picture, how you play away from the puck.”

Green’s game is a physical one, as befits his 6-foot-3, 200-pound size. It’s also the Kings’ game. That’s why he’s given a good chance of being with them when they open the season at Edmonton on Oct. 10.

Edmonton is an hour away from his hometown: Camrose, Canada, population 13,000.

“I feel a little bit stronger this year, and from what I heard over the summer, there is a legitimate shot for me to make it,” said Green, a 20-year-old left winger who split time between Portland, Maine, and Fredericton, Canada, in the American Hockey League last season, scoring 51 goals in 74 games.

“I know that if I play well and do my job, there’s a chance I can stay here. It helps me on the ice.”

The goal was a benchmark of sorts, as will be the exhibition games. He has played in one in each of his previous two training camps.

He’s set to play this weekend in Las Vegas, and if he plays in both games, Saturday and Sunday against Colorado, “it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” he said.

He has impressed Robinson, who said he likes “what I’m seeing in these games. He’s getting chances, skating well, being physical in front of the net.”

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Center Eric Belanger, also on the list of young players given a strong chance to make the roster, suffered a setback Tuesday when he broke his left hand during a scrimmage. He will be out four to six weeks. . . . Jozef Stumpel (sprained ankle), Dan Bylsma (foot surgery) and Jason Morgan (knee tendinitis) will not play in the Kings’ first exhibitions. . . . Taylor said he had tendered an offer to extend Robinson’s contract Monday, with the length of the deal to be negotiated. Taylor added that he favored two or three more seasons. Robinson’s contact runs out at the end of this season. . . . Taylor also said he is still trying to sign defenseman Aki Berg, who said he is leaving for his home in Finland today.