Dave Taylor expected to join Stars

One of the most enduring and respected figures in the Kings’ organization, Dave Taylor, will no longer be with the franchise.

Taylor’s contract expired June 30, and it is expected he is going to be hired by the Dallas Stars in a front-office capacity, according to a source familiar with the Kings, though nothing has been finalized.

Taylor, who played 17 seasons for the Kings and served as general manager for nine more until April 2006, on Thursday called his three-decade tenure with the team “very rewarding” and said he was “looking to a new challenge.”

This past season, Taylor served as the team’s director of amateur development and it appeared as though the Kings were poised to increase his role.

Taylor, 51, was drafted by the Kings in 1975 and made his NHL debut in 1977. “I spent over half my life with the Kings. I have no regrets,” he said.

A five-time All-Star, Taylor was a member of the vaunted Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer, served as team captain for four seasons and played in a team-record 1,111 games.