Taylor Still Hopes to Trade a Goalie

Dave Taylor was still trying to unload a backup goaltender Monday as today’s trade deadline loomed, but the King general manager was having no luck finding a taker for Jamie Storr or Stephane Fiset.

If neither is dealt before 11 a.m. PST, after which NHL rosters will be frozen for three days, one will be left unprotected in Friday’s waiver draft and could be lost to the Kings with only $40,000 as compensation.

Each team can protect 18 skaters and two goaltenders and, provided it doesn’t claim any, can lose no more than three players in the waiver draft. A team claiming a player must drop another from its protected list.

The Kings will protect No. 1 goaltender Felix Potvin, but their other choice is not so clear. The oft-injured Fiset, six years older and more highly compensated than the 25-year-old Storr, would seem the better bet to be left unprotected. Fiset, who will be paid $2.75 million this season while Storr makes $1.45 million, sat out Monday’s practice because of a hip injury.

The Kings figure to protect seven defensemen: Mattias Norstrom, Aaron Miller, Mathieu Schneider, Lubomir Visnovsky, Jaroslav Modry, Philippe Boucher and Jere Karalahti.

And eight forwards seemingly are sure bets for protection: Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Adam Deadmarsh, Steve Heinze, Bryan Smolinski, Glen Murray, Eric Belanger and Ian Laperriere.

That would leave three more skaters to protect, and the Kings would choose from a group including Nelson Emerson, Kelly Buchberger, Ken Belanger, Craig Johnson, Adam Mair, Randy Robitaille, Rob Valicevic, Brad Chartrand, Scott Thomas and Steve Kelly.

Rookies, including Andreas Lilja and Jaroslav Bednar, are exempt.

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Deadmarsh, who has been limited to non-contact drills in practice and has not played in the Kings’ three exhibition games after recovering from off-season wrist surgery, is now bothered by a groin injury too.

He will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond but might play Saturday night against the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center.

The Kings open the season on Oct. 4 against the Phoenix Coyotes.