Smolinski Mulls His Options

Bryan Smolinski is torn.

Part of him wants to test the market this summer as an unrestricted free agent. But a greater part of him, it seems, wants to stay with the Kings.

“Just looking at past history, some guys might just owe it to themselves to find out what might be out there ... to test the waters,” said Smolinski, one of five Kings eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. “Am I like that? I don’t know. I don’t know how to feel, really.

“I want to be in L.A. Hopefully, we can get whatever done.”

The Kings, however, have yet to make a significant move to re-sign the veteran forward. While the club has stepped up efforts to re-sign Aaron Miller, exchanging recent contract proposals with the defenseman, it has not made offers to its other four potential unrestricted free agents -- Smolinski, Felix Potvin, Dmitry Yushkevich and Craig Johnson -- as the March 11 trade deadline looms.

“It’s a great motivator,” Smolinski said of his uncertain status. “I want another contract somewhere, and obviously the best way to get a real good one is to play your best. And if other teams see that, you never know what’s going to happen.

“I’m not putting my finger on, this is going to happen, that’s going to happen. I’m just more or less going with the flow.”

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Coach Andy Murray dismissed a report that the Kings are interested in making a deal for veteran goaltender Arturs Irbe of the Carolina Hurricanes. “We feel fine with Cristobal [Huet],” Murray said of the 27-year-old Frenchman with no NHL experience who is serving as Jamie Storr’s backup while Potvin is sidelined because of a knee injury.... With Jason Allison and Chris McAlpine on injured reserve, center Chris Schimdt and defenseman Jason Holland were recalled from the Kings’ American Hockey League team at Manchester, N.H.