Taylor Shows a Deft Touch

Dave Taylor declined comment Thursday when asked about reports that the Boston Bruins wanted Adam Deadmarsh to be included in the Jason Allison trade before Taylor told them that Deadmarsh was untouchable.

“We talked about a lot of players,” said Taylor, who is said to have tried to package a defenseman and a forward before agreeing to send forwards Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray to the Bruins. “I don’t want to talk about specific guys.”

Is Deadmarsh untouchable?

“I suppose as much as anyone’s untouchable,” Taylor said of the winger, who was acquired along with defenseman Aaron Miller in the February trade that sent Rob Blake to the Colorado Avalanche. “We value him a lot and he’s only 26. He’s got a lot of good years ahead of him. He was a real force for us last year.”

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Glen Murray’s departure seemed troubling to Coach Andy Murray, who had questioned the winger’s commitment during training camp, then watched him get off to a fast start by scoring six goals in the season’s first nine games.

“To me, that was the real tough part of the whole deal,” the coach said before Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It was tough for me because when you challenge a player and he responds and then you trade him ... it’s not easy.”

Linemate Bryan Smolinski said Glen Murray was devastated by the trade. But Murray, who played four full seasons and parts of two others with the Kings, seemed OK by the time he met with reporters in Boston.

“It was kind of a shock at first,” said Murray, who was drafted by Boston in the first round in 1991 and played all or part of four seasons with the Bruins. “But I’m really excited now. It’s weird how things happen.”

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Defenseman Aaron Miller, who has been suffering from back spasms all week and sat out Tuesday night’s game at Columbus, Ohio, flew to Los Angeles on Thursday for further tests. He might not rejoin the lineup until after the Kings return home Wednesday from their six-game trip.

TONIGHT

at Florida, 4:30 PDT

Site--National Car Rental Center, Sunshine, Fla.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Records--Kings 3-5-1-1, Panthers 1-6-1-1.

Record vs. Panthers (2000-01)--0-1.

Update--The Kings, who made their last visit to South Florida more than two years ago, have never won on the road against the Panthers, going 0-3-3 while being outscored, 19-9. The Panthers, last in the NHL overall standings, are 0-3-0-1 at home after Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.