Things Not Yet Cut-and-Dried

Three steps remain in setting the Kings’ roster for the season, which begins Saturday at Nashville:

Today’s waiver draft, in which they might go after a defenseman, though few are available; final cuts, and signing defenseman Mattias Norstrom.

The Kings have exposed eight players to the draft, which will be conducted by conference call today at 9 a.m. The players are defensemen Philippe Boucher, David MacIsaac and Jan Nemecek, forwards Dan Bylsma, Bill Huard, Nathan LaFayette and Scott Thomas, and goalie Mike O’Neill.

After that come final cuts from 29 to the league-mandated 23.

They are the hardest, deepest cuts. “I think the key thing is that all the players who are here now will probably play for us at some time this year,” Coach Andy Murray said. “There are 29 players, and I think we’ll probably use at least 29 guys this year.”

Finally, the Norstrom issue. The Kings and the defenseman remain apart on their contract aims, according to Dave Taylor, the team’s senior vice president and general manager.

To celebrate the end of training camp and an eight-game exhibition schedule in which the Kings were 4-2-1-1, the team was given Sunday and today off.

*

The Kings tested the new tiebreaker rule in four overtime exhibitions and earned decisions in three. They beat Colorado twice in overtime, lost to San Jose and tied Phoenix.

One thing is apparent: The Kings will play overtime games in the conference more conservatively than they will play in overtime against Eastern teams. The reason is that they will be more reluctant to surrender an overtime point to a team they are competing against for a playoff berth.

Under the new rule, both teams earn a point for a tie in regulation play and a team can earn an additional point for winning in the five-minute overtime period, which is played four on four.