Pursuit of Holdout Allison Heats Up

The Kings, hoping to fill their need for a top-line center, are among a handful of teams considered front-runners to land restricted free agent Jason Allison of the Boston Bruins, NHL sources said Sunday.

Allison, who was the Bruins’ leading scorer in each of his last three full seasons, is holding out this season in a contract dispute with the team.

The Bruins, apparently convinced that they will not be able to sign him, reportedly are fielding trade offers for their 26-year-old captain.

“In the last week, things have intensified with a number of teams,” Allison’s agent, Bryant McBride, said Sunday. “The decision is the Boston Bruins.’ They’re smart hockey guys, smart business guys, and they’re obviously going to make a deal that improves their team. And that’s what we’re waiting for.”

Dave Taylor, the Kings’ general manager, confirmed that the Kings have had “general discussions” with the Bruins and McBride.

“They’re looking for a good deal, as you would expect,” Taylor said. “He’s a good player, and they would have to get a good package to move him.”

The package probably would have to include several players, among them a top-line forward such as Jozef Stumpel, Adam Deadmarsh or Glen Murray.

Also, Allison is said to be seeking a contract that would make him one of the league’s top 15 highest-paid forwards. Such a deal probably would make Allison the Kings’ highest-paid player, a distinction that belongs to right wing Ziggy Palffy, who will be paid $6 million this season and $7.25 million next season.

Allison, 6 feet 3 and 218 pounds, has averaged more than 84 points in his last three full seasons and last season was tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with a career-high 95 points, among them 59 assists and six game-winning goals. He played in the All-Star game for the first time last February and helped the Bruins to a 15-point improvement in the standings, though they missed the playoffs. *

Luc Robitaille, who scored the winning goal Saturday night in the Red Wings’ 3-2 victory over the Kings at Detroit, is on pace to score the 600th goal of his career in the Red Wings’ 16th game, Nov. 7 at Phoenix.

The Red Wings’ 18th game is Nov. 10 at Staples Center.

If Robitaille reaches it that night, will the Kings stop the game to honor the milestone? “We would probably look to the league for direction on that,” Taylor said. “But if anybody scored a milestone goal in our building, I think we would recognize it, and certainly if Luc did it, we would handle it like that....

“A 600th goal is pretty significant. It really doesn’t come up that often.”