Kings Get Message From Upstairs

The Kings might well be playing for Coach Larry Robinson’s job, but they are playing for their own futures as well.

Dave Taylor, the King vice president and general manager, let them know that in no uncertain terms Thursday morning in a seven-minute meeting in which he did all the talking, telling them that nobody was satisfied with the season.

Receipt of the message was indicated a few hours later in the Kings’ 3-2 victory over Edmonton in which defenseman Philippe Boucher had a goal and assisted on scores by Luc Robitaille and Steve Duchesne in the first period.

Alex Selivanov, who had scored three goals the night before against the Mighty Ducks, had two more for the Oilers, also in the first.

“I think we had the effort,” Taylor said as the Kings moved within six points of Edmonton for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. “That’s all we can ask for. If you lose and have the effort, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s when you don’t have the effort and lose that you are concerned.”

After lecturing the players, Taylor spent time with Robinson, talking over prospects for next season’s team, which might not include the coach.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, all that might be academic,” Robinson said of prospects of his extending his contract, which runs out after this season.

Taylor sent all of the coaches out of the locker room after the morning skate and was brief and to the point in his speech to the players.

“It was important that they get the message from the organization,” he said. “The organization is not happy. My boss [President Tim Leiweke] is not happy. I’m not happy.”

The reason for King management’s unhappiness is apparent.

“I haven’t seen the effort,” Taylor said. “We can’t be protecting players any more. There are no excuses. We had injuries, but Glen Murray is about to come back and we’ll be near 100% then. There are no excuses.”

What prompted Taylor to come downstairs was Monday’s debacle against the Mighty Ducks, which the Kings lost, 3-1. Taylor was in Calgary and watched only the third period on television, but did not like what he saw.

“We got outworked in our own building and that is unacceptable,” Taylor said. “I don’t think it’s been there all season, but the game against Anaheim was a perfect example. No offense to Anaheim, but they had just come off a difficult game against Phoenix the night before. And they outworked us.”

After a preseason spent in ballyhooing the accomplishments of the year before and predicting bigger and better things, the Kings have faltered since late October.

Robinson has challenged them. The team leaders have challenged them. The players have challenged themselves, but no one has answered those challenges.

“Talk is cheap,” Robinson said.

In this case, though, the talk could be expensive.

“In the off-season, players are going to be signing new contracts,” Taylor said, “and they’re going to want pay raises. And they’re going to be negotiating on what they did this season.”

That’s going to be tough for many of the Kings who are struggling.

Contributing to all of the problems have been squandered opportunities in home games against Pittsburgh and New Jersey, as well as the Ducks. All three losses were to teams that had played the previous night.

“Those are opponents we have to take advantage of,” Taylor said.

There are 26 games remaining, and 14 of those are against teams in places 5-13 in the West, a conference in which no team below the first four seems to want to take charge.

“I still believe in this team,” Taylor said. “I think we can get on a roll and get some more confidence. We can get three or four wins in a row.”

Much depends on what happens in a six-game trip that begins Saturday at Calgary.

Robinson’s situation remains up in the air, and he is becoming increasingly fatalistic about his future.

He has said he wants to return as coach, but he acknowledged Thursday that it might not happen.

“It’s the easiest thing,” he said of changing coaches. “It’s a lot tougher to change 25 or 26 players.”

Maybe, but there could well be changes among those 25 or 26 players. That was Taylor’s message to them Thursday morning.