Left Out in the Cold

Just when you thought you’ve heard Luc Robitaille give every possible answer in his 15 years as a hockey ambassador in this town, this week he came up with a new one.

Silence.

He turned down my interview request for the first time, telling friends he didn’t want to lie.

Just when you thought you had heard Jeremy Roenick show every possible emotion in his nearly two decades in the league, this week he also revealed something new.

Humility.

“My confidence is shot,” he said. “Trying to take a guy one-on-one, it’s shot. Playing on the fourth line, it’s shot. Sometimes I think, if I can’t do any better than this, I might as well cash it in.”

As they prepare for tonight’s game against the Mighty Ducks, the Kings are enduring strange days indeed, losing seven of their last 10 games while in danger of losing their heart.

That beat emanates from Robitaille and Roenick, who are slowly disappearing like an outdoor rink in March.

They are the team’s two most esteemed veterans, but Coach Andy Murray has found kids he trusts more.

They are the team’s two most marketable players, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find them.

The other night against Florida, Robitaille, the Kings’ all-time leader in power-play goals, was officially on the ice for one second worth of power plays.

One second.

Last week against Carolina, Roenick, who has scored more goals in his career than all but one U.S.-born player, was on the ice for only 11:50.

Fifteen Kings played more.

“All I know is, I’m a pretty expensive fourth-line player,” Roenick said.

Their tumble from grace could be a pretty expensive fall.

Robitaille is the Kings’ most popular player, Roenick is their highest-paid player at nearly $5 million a year, and together they formed the cornerstone of the team’s attempted rebirth.

With them, the Kings perhaps have enough star power to keep a town mildly interested until the kids can get them to the playoffs.

Without them, the Kings are just Andy Murray and a bunch of XXL sweaters.

What’s a coach to do?

When asked if the veterans are finished as impact players, Murray is momentarily silent.

“You still see the passion and energy in them,” Murray said.

But, according to the numbers, little else.

Together, Robitaille and Roenick have combined for only 19 points this year -- five other Kings have outscored them alone.

Together, two great goal scorers have taken 91 shots and connected on only 10, a below-average percentage.

And, together, they have a plus/minus rating of minus-two, meaning the Kings are almost better off without them?

“Their roles may be changing,” Murray said.

It is this change that has kept Robitaille from talking, fearful that he will speak his mind and cause a disturbance in an organization he hopes to remain with until he retires.

He and Murray have never had a great relationship, Robitaille being the artist and Murray coveting the mechanics.

One can only imagine the gap between them has grown, the emotional Robitaille feeling he deserves a chance to regain his form while the unsentimental Murray treats him like a struggling rookie.

Robitaille played only 5:10 against Washington after not even practicing with the power-play units the previous day.

He showed that he hasn’t lost his toughness by returning nine games after suffering a broken leg. But his instincts, well, he hasn’t had an assist in nearly two months.

“Luc has to show that he’s back,” Murray said.

As for Roenick, he says his problem is only with himself. And, well, his blades.

“I have not yet felt comfortable on the ice with my skates,” he said, noting that he and the team’s blade sharpener are still looking for the right cut. “Every time you go to a new team, there are adjustments that are made, and I just have to work with it a little more.”

Old-timers used to wince when hearing that -- didn’t they used to just lace ‘em up and go play? -- but Dave Taylor kindly resisted.

“Ninety percent of the league’s players have the same cut on their blade, but Jeremy has a radical cut,” said the Kings’ general manager. “We’ll keep working. We’ll get it figured out.”

If you’re looking for more conventional reasons for the veterans’ downfall, there are plenty.

First, take age. The players are a combined 74 years old and counting fast.

Then, take layoff. The two players did not skate during last year’s lockout, unlike other veterans.

Finally, take the changing nature of the game. It’s faster, it’s quicker, and thus it has gotten younger.

“I think the layoff has affected anyone who didn’t play,” Murray said. “It’s tougher for them. The game has changed, and the layoff has had a toll on the older players.”

Several older players retired during the layoff, most notably Ron Francis, Mark Messier and Scott Stevens. The kids who played in Europe last year are the new stars of the league.

This is clearly not Robitaille and Roenick’s party anymore.

But isn’t there still a place for them?

Shouldn’t Robitaille, simply out of respect for his smarts and skills, be given more than one second on a power play?

And, while the team is struggling, shouldn’t Roenick be given more consistent chances to find some shade of his former greatness?

Murray thinks not.

I knew both players were in trouble when, shortly after I visited his office this week, Murray pulled out a highlighted page from a recent book by New England Patriot Coach Bill Belichick.

The topic was Drew Bledsoe, and the yellowed paragraphs described how Belichick felt the veteran quarterback had a sense of entitlement, which led to his eventual benching for Tom Brady.

“Nobody is entitled to anything,” Murray said. “Nobody.”

He then made that point again Thursday during practice, when he read the players a quote in which Detroit Red Wing star Steve Yzerman talked about accepting a lesser role for the good of the team.

That quote was meant for two players, and two players only.

Roenick thinks about another quote.

“I went home the other day and my 8-year-old son said, ‘Dad, how come the coach doesn’t play you anymore?’ ” Roenick said. “I said, ‘He doesn’t have any confidence in me, and I don’t have any confidence in myself.’ ”

Meanwhile, somewhere, Robitaille is undoubtedly wondering the same thing, hearing the questions, having no answers.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.