They’re Looking Forward

A more suspicious group than the Kings might have sensed last summer that this wasn’t going to be the year.

Before training camp, Ian Laperriere and Aaron Miller suffered abdominal injuries that required surgery and eight weeks of rehabilitation. Laperriere was ready to play in the opener, but Miller was sidelined for the first month of the season. And a pattern had been set.

For every injured player who returned to the lineup, it seemed another was sidelined. The Kings used 43 players, 11 of whom made their NHL debut and 16 of whom spent time in the minors this season.

By the time the season ended Sunday, the Kings had lost 536 man games to injuries, far and away the club record, and had failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in four seasons under Coach Andy Murray.

They were not isolated events.

It would be too easy, however, to blame the glut of injuries, for the forgettable season.

They still have not addressed their need for top-six forwards, a shortage that developed in October 2001 when they traded Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel to the Boston Bruins for Jason Allison.

Their lack of secondary scoring threats became all the more evident during a season in which injuries limited Allison to 26 games and Adam Deadmarsh to 20.

In their absence, Ziggy Palffy delivered what might have been his most impressive season, amid rumors that he was on the block. And despite their denials, the financially strapped Kings thought long and hard about trading him.

On top of everything else, their disappointing season also brought the news, delivered by club management, that the Kings had lost more than $100 million since Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz assumed ownership in October 1995.

Mostly, though, the Kings were left with more questions than answers.

Foremost among them: Will Deadmarsh ever play again?

Deadmarsh says yes.

The Kings say yes.

But do they really know?

Sidelined since Dec. 15 after suffering a concussion for the second time in less than five weeks, the winger still does not feel right and is unable to exercise.

Still, General Manager Dave Taylor said, “The direction we get from our medical team is that they expect him to be back and 100% by September.”

The prognosis is even better for Allison, who sat out the last 33 games because of a concussion after having earlier sat out 23 because of knee injuries.

Unrelated to the condition of their top-line forwards, the Kings have stockpiled young prospects and draft picks with an eye toward possibly packaging them in a trade or trades to fill their need for more scoring and perhaps a goaltender. They hold three picks in the first round of the June draft, the highest No. 13.

Club President Tim Leiweke, promising a busy off-season for the club, has extended the renewal date for season seats until after the draft, giving fans more time to assess the Kings’ moves.

Having signed Mattias Norstrom and Miller to long-term contracts, the Kings believe they are set on defense.

Up front, the Kings are counting on the return of Allison and Deadmarsh to bolster their forward corps. They hope to sign Palffy to a long-term contract extension this summer and believe that Alexander Frolov, 20, is a future star.

Mostly, the Kings seem to be overloaded with third- and fourth-line forwards.

No. 1 goaltender Felix Potvin or backup Jamie Storr, or both, could be traded if the Kings can track down a better alternative.

Storr failed to claim the position during an extended audition during the season’s final two months, when Potvin was sidelined because of a knee injury, and Potvin is eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1.

If the Kings re-sign Potvin, it almost surely will be for less than $3.55 million, which is what he made this season, and could lead to dumping Storr.

In any scenario, Cristobal Huet could emerge as the backup.