King Price Finally Is Right for Palffy

By JIM HODGES

June 21, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Vancouver couldn’t pry Olli Jokinen from the Kings, and Pavel Bure is in Florida because of it. Calgary tried to wedge Jokinen into a deal for Theoren Fleury. Nothing doing.

For the past year, the quickest way to freeze trade talk with the Kings has been for Dave Taylor to hear the name “Olli Jokinen” in the earpiece of his telephone.

Sunday, things thawed.

Taylor, the Kings’ senior vice president and general manager, was finally made to realize that, even under the New York Islanders’ fire-sale terms, the only way to get right winger Zigmund Palffy for the Staples Center marquee was to part with Jokinen, a center who was the team’s first choice in the 1997 entry draft.

That the Kings did, agreeing to send Jokinen, left wing prospect Josh Green, defenseman prospect Mathieu Biron and their 1999 first-round draft choice--No. 8 overall--to the Islanders for Palffy, center Bryan Smolinski, backup goalie Marcel Cousineau and a fourth-round draft choice in a deal that gives the Kings a present at the possible expense of a future.

“Olli was the first player that I drafted,” Taylor said. “It was difficult to trade him. I think we’ve given up a significant package of young assets. But with the opportunity to acquire Ziggy Palffy and the others in the package, we had to do it.”

In effect, the trade gave the Islanders the Kings’ No. 1 choice in 1997 (Jokinen), ’98 (Biron) and Saturday’s entry draft.

But the Kings, who were 25th in scoring in 1998-99 with 189 goals, have Palffy, a 27-year-old right winger who scored 43, 48 and 45 goals in three full NHL seasons beginning in 1995-96 and had 50 points in as many games this past season.

He also is a power-play factor, twice having scored 17 man-advantage goals in a season. The Kings were 24th in the power play this season.

“He’s a marquee player, one of most exciting players in the game,” Taylor said. “Every time he touches the puck he does something clever. . . . We’ve added a very exciting player to the lineup and a No. 2 center [Smolinski]. There is a possibility we’ve added 50 or 60 goals to the lineup.”

The trade was completed just before the 2 p.m. PDT Sunday deadline, after which rosters were frozen for the expansion draft. It was approved by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who had said he would review any transaction involving the Islanders.

The Islanders are trying to jettison some of their payroll after losing more than $20 million this season, and they are being rebuffed by government officials in the team’s attempt to get a new arena.

Palffy will be in the second season of a five-season, $26-million contract. Smolinski earned $1,746,729 last season.

New King Coach Andy Murray was excited about having a new asset.

“I’ve adopted the stance that I will coach the team I’m given,” said Murray, who became the team’s coach Monday and has watched the trade machinations all week while in town to house-hunt.

“I do know that Palffy is an exciting player. The thing about Palffy is that, even though you’re always aware of him while he’s on the ice, and you tell your players to be aware of him, he keeps finding a way to get behind your defense. He must lead the league in breakaway opportunities.”

If the Rangers had had their way, he wouldn’t be breaking away from New York.

A trade from Long Island to Manhattan was close a week ago when the Rangers offered Todd Harvey and Niklas Sundstrom, plus perks, for a package that included Palffy.

Among the perks was $2.5 million cash.

That perked up Bettman’s ears, and he declared that for the good of hockey, he would reserve the right to review any deal involving the Islanders.

The Kings--who have been talking with the Islanders for almost a year about Palffy--then stepped up with a package of their own that met New York’s desire to have none of the its acquisitions earn much money.

The deal included Biron, Green, center prospect Justin Papineau and winger prospect Jason Podollan, plus $2 million for their care and feeding.

The NHL wouldn’t approve the deal because the Islanders would be giving up two regulars in Palffy and Smolinski for players who would probably not be on their roster next season.

Bettman also said no money could be involved, which in effect invited the Kings and any other comers to sweeten the deal with players.

Though the Islanders had sent out several smoke screens involving other Kings, it was plain that they regarded Jokinen as sweet.

“Mike wanted to acquire Olli right from the start,” Taylor said. “In our mind, it was important that if Olli was in the deal, Smolinski was. If we were giving up a center, we wanted to get back one.”

The deal has several ramifications:

* It has the potential of regenerating center Jozef Stumpel, who struggled with injuries in a 13-goal, 21-assist, 34-point season that was less than half his 79 points of a season ago. Stumpel, a fellow Slovak, is Palffy’s best NHL friend and the two were teammates as youths. Palffy will attend Stumpel’s wedding July 3.

* If Stumpel returns to form, a line of Luc Robitaille, Stumpel and Palffy has 200-plus point potential.

* It exchanges Smolinski, a 16-goal, 24-assist center in 1998-99, for Jokinen, who had a nine-goal, 12-assist rookie season in which he struggled with weight problems and adjusting to different linemates.

* It loads up the Kings on the right side of the ice. Palffy, Donald Audette and Glen Murray are all right wingers. Audette might be asked to move to the left.

* It further increases the Kings’ payroll, which was between $33 million and $34 million last season, when the team lost $21 million. One source said it would approach $38 million by the time the team begins play at the Staples Center.

“It was an organizational decision, without question,” Taylor said. “The fact we were moving into Staples Center had impact. . . . There was no problem selling this to ownership.”

Apparently, it was tougher selling it to the NHL.

THE DEAL

A look at the trade between the Kings and New York Islanders

TO THE KINGS

Zigmund Palffy (right wing)

Bryan Smolinski (center)

Marcel Cousineau (goalie)

TO NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Olli Jokinen (center)

Josh Green (left wing)

Mathieu Biron (defenseman)

1999 first-round draft choice