Signs Point to Uncertainty for Kings

The Kings’ already lengthy training camp roster got longer Thursday with the addition of three defensemen and a winger who played in the minor leagues last season.

The question is, though, when will the list be further extended with the addition of defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Aki Berg and winger Glen Murray?

Signed Thursday were defensemen Jaroslav Modry and Jan Nemecek, both of whom toiled at Long Beach last season, and Dave MacIsaac, who has played at Philadelphia of the AHL for the last three seasons, and right winger Scott Thomas, who had 45 goals and 70 points for Manitoba of the IHL.

All are seen as minor league players this season.

Then, there’s Berg, Norstrom and Murray.

The Kings sent a one-year offer believed to be worth $750,000 to Berg’s representative, $130,000 to $150,000 short of what agent Larry Kelly is seeking for his client, who played in Finland last season after three seasons with the Kings.

“They did tell me that they have him penciled in as the No. 4 or No. 5 defenseman, which is better than the No. 6 or No. 7 they had been negotiating from in the past,” Kelly said.

The $750,000 is $100,000 more than the contract Berg spurned last season. The one-year duration is new.

“If we can get Aki on a one-year deal, at least he’ll be playing here,” said General Manager Dave Taylor, who would prefer a contract of longer duration. “He can learn and get better here. He can’t learn anything else playing in Finland.”

Options in Finland and Sweden are available to Berg, Kelly said.

Coach Andy Murray spoke with Berg during a European tour this summer and told him the time to return to the NHL is now.

“I think it’s time for Aki Berg to take control of his life,” Murray said. “I told him, ‘I want you to come back right now, but if you don’t, I hope you have a hard time coming back next year because I hope we have success and I’m going to be loyal to those who bring that success.’ ”

Murray and Norstrom want to be in training camp when it begins Sept. 4, and are considering multiyear King offers.

Murray and the Kings are still far apart, according to sources close to the negotiations. He played for $675,000 last season and would need to double that merely to reach the projected league average for 1999-2000. And, though he led the team in goals with 30 two seasons ago and was on a pace to match that with 15 through December of last season, a knee injury might have weakened his bargaining position.

Murray scored only once in the final two months, perhaps having come back from the injury too soon.

Norstrom played for $950,000 last season and was named to the World team for the NHL All-Star game.