Gaining a New Line Tradeoff for Smolinski

Bryan Smolinski was the Kings’ best player last season, according to Coach Andy Murray, and he was off to a fast start this season.

Then came the Oct. 24 trade with the Boston Bruins.

It brought all-star center Jason Allison to the Kings but took from Smolinski his most trusted linemate and closest friend, Glen Murray.

Smolinski, who had eight points in nine games at the time of the trade, has two points in seven games since. The Kings lost five of those games.

It didn’t help that he suffered back spasms during the adjustment period, forcing him to sit out one game and play in pain in several others.

But he’s feeling fine now and Murray is again calling on him to produce.

“We need more out of Bryan Smolinski,” Murray said.

While Smolinski is not sure what that means--”It’s pretty broad when they say they need more; what do you do, push a button and all of a sudden it comes out?”--he admits he has struggled in Glen Murray’s absence.

Steve Heinze, added to the line in training camp, had seemed to fit in seamlessly.

“We complemented each other so well,” Smolinski said of Murray, “that when we added Heinzey, it was easier for him to come into the mix. It was easy for him to read off us because Glen and I did it so well that the extra guy was easy to find. Our line was playing rather well right up until the trade.”

Smolinski said he sometimes still looks for Murray on the ice.

Slowly, though, he has adjusted. He assisted on Ziggy Palffy’s game-winning goal in Saturday night’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and has been playing on the same line with the high-scoring winger in practice this week.

“I think I’m back to where I can play with anybody,” he said.

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After Ken Belanger and Ian Laperriere got into a fight Tuesday, Andy Murray said it was a sign the Kings are getting tired of practicing against each other. They have played only four games in 15 days, all at Staples Center. The schedule gets more demanding starting Thursday night, when the Kings host the Dallas Stars in the first of four games in six nights in four time zone.... Backup goaltender Jamie Storr, who has played in only two games, is expected to make his second start Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild at St. Paul, Minn.