KINGS NOTES...
By Gann Matsuda
3.31.00 On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed free agent center Steven Reinprecht to a contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Reinprecht, 23, led the Wisconsin Badgers and the entire NCAA in scoring this season with 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points. He has been the Badgers team captain the past two seasons and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most valuable player in NCAA hockey each year. Over his career with the Badgers, Reinprecht, who is 6-0 and weighs 190 pounds, has scored 72 goals and added 90 assists for 162 points in 153 games. Reinprecht was also voted the WCHA Player of the Year, as well as being named to the first-team all-WCHA squad. "We are excited to sign Steven, who is a skilled young player," said Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He will add depth to our organization, both for the long-term and immediate future." Reinprecht will join the Kings immediately and will wear number 28. He will be available for the game on Saturday against Anaheim at Staples Center, but will not be eligible for post-season play.3.20.00 On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have activated goalie Stephane Fiset from injured reserve. Fiset suffered a left groin strain on March 4 and has been out of the lineup since that time. To make room on the roster, the Kings assigned goalie Travis Scott to the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL. 
3.16.00 Bad news hit the Los Angeles Kings hard today... The Kings announced that right wing Ziggy Palffy, who suffered a right shoulder sprain after being hit by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski during Wednesday night's game at Anaheim, is expected to be out of the lineup for 2-4 weeks. Palffy was examined on Thursday morning by Kings' team physician Dr. Ronald Kvitne. The Kings also announced that goalie Marcel Cousineau will undergo surgery for acute appenditicitis on Thursday. The Kings have recalled winger Brad Chartrand and goalie Travis Scott (emergency basis) from the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL. Scott, 24, has a 13-18-5 record with a 3.01 GA in 40 games at Lowell, with two shutouts. He will wear number 45 with the Kings. 3.14.00 Here's more on Monday's trade that sent Atlanta Thrashers' right wings Kelly Buchberger and Nelson Emerson to the Los Angeles Kings or right wing Donald Audette and defenseman Frantisek Kaberle. Turns out that Atlanta's primary interest was in Kaberle. "We've said all along if we can improve our team not only in the short term but the long term we'll make a trade," Thrashers' general manager Don Waddell said. "Kaberle is a guy we've watched for a long time. He's a skilled defenseman and that was an area we needed to address." In fact, Waddell said that it wasn't until about 2:30 PM PST, just 3 1/2 hours before the trade was completed, that Kings' general manager inquired about including Audette and Emerson in the deal, which was the clincher. The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION reported in today's edition that the Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs were also going after Buchberger. Buchberger told Atlanta reporters that he had mixed feelings about the trade. "First of all, coming here was an unbelievable experience, with the way we were all treated," Buchberger said. "Unfortunately, when you're not winning, things like this happen, and they were able to get a young defenseman in return. I really liked it here. The city has been great to me." "[But] as a pro athlete, you always want to be in the playoffs," Buchberger added. "The only thing I'm disappointed about is I wish I could have played better for the Thrashers. I wish we could have won more games." Buchberger is currently signed to a four-year contract worth $7.4 million. Emerson also expressed mixed feelings about the deal. "I'm sad to be leaving the guys here, but I'm excited to be going to LA," he said. "It's a solid team battling for a playoff spot and the captain of the team [Rob Blake] is my best friend." During Monday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, both Donald Audette and the Los Angeles Kings got what they wanted. Early in the second period, the Kings announced that they had traded the unhappy Audette, along with defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, to the Atlanta Thrashers for right wings Kelly Buchberger and Nelson Emerson. Audette, who had been criticized by Kings' head coach Andy Murray for not contributing enough defensively, had recently asked to be traded. In 49 games, Audette, 30, scored 12 goals and added 20 assists for 32 points in 49 games. Although he was originally scheduled to play against Vancouver on Monday, he became a healthy scratch after it became clear that he was to be traded. Kaberle, 26, was selected by the Kings in the third-round (76th overall) in last summer's NHL Entry Draft. He started the season with the Kings and played well, recording nine assists but more importantly, playing well defensively and handling the puck very well. Kaberle was assigned to the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League on January 12, where he played in 18 games and tallied 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points. Kaberle also played in four games with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League, where he contributed two assists. Buchberger, 33, had 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points and 139 penalty minutes in 68 games for Atlanta and was the captain of the Thrashers, who acquired the rugged winger in the 1999 expansion draft from the Edmonton Oilers. "This is very tough," Thrashers' general manager Don Waddell said. "Honestly, I wrestled with this one the last four days." But the Thrashers, in their first year and struggling, especially offensively, need skilled players, and this trade brings them a player with proven offensive talent and a skilled defenseman who can handle the puck. "[Kaberle is] a very skilled defenseman who moves the puck well," Waddell said. "He's going to jump right into this team and become one of our top defensemen." Atlanta head coach Curt Fraser said a new captain will not be named until next season out of respect to Buchberger. "Kelly was special to me," Fraser said. "He was a leader and we did a lot of work to build this team together. It was very tough on him. I think I put him in a role that was maybe too much for him." Buchberger played his entire 13-year NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers before being selected by Atlanta in the NHL Expansion Draft on June 25, 1999. In 863 games career NHL games, the Langenburg, Saskatchewan-born Buchberger has 87 goals and 170 assists for 257 points and 1,886 penalty minutes. Buchberger, who is 6-2 and weighs 210 pounds, won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers (1987, 1988 and 1990). Emerson, 32, was signed by the Thrashers as a free agent. He was their third-leading scorer with 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 58 games. Emerson joins his seventh NHL team after playing for the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. His best season came in 1993-94, when he scored 33 goals and added 41 assists for 74 points in 83 games. This came one season after scoring 22 goals and 51 assists for 73 goals in 82 games for St. Louis in 1992-93. Originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (44th overall) in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, Emerson has scored 178 goals and added 279 assists for 457 points and 496 penalty minutes in 647 career NHL games. Emerson played his college hockey at Bowling Green University, where he was a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and a teammate of Kings' Captain Rob Blake. Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said he had been talking with Atlanta a lot of about this deal in recent days. "We've talked about it for a few days," Taylor told reporters during the second period of Monday's game. "The deal just seemed to come together today around 6:00 PM. We had Donald Audette scheduled to go in the game [on Tuesday against Vancouver]. When we knew we had a deal, we took Audette out of the lineup. We didn't want to jeopardize the trade with the chance of an injury." Taylor also explained that he had talked with Atlanta about even-up trades involving Buchberger and Kaberle or Emerson and Audette, but Atlanta wasn't interested in that. "We had talked in general terms about these four players," Taylor said. "When we finally agreed to do two-for-two, that's what got the deal done." Taylor also discussed the reasons the Kings made this deal. "We felt heading towards the playoffs that it was important to add some leadership and some grit in our offensive lines and Kelly Buchberger has a tremendous amount of experience," Taylor said. "He's won three Stanley Cups with Edmonton and he's an excellent team player. He'll stand up for his teammates at any point in time and I think the addition of Nelson Emerson gives us more speed and skill in our top six forwards." "I think it's real important, not just in the playoffs, but down the stretch drive," Taylor added. "[Buchberger] has been on some championship teams and just the way he handles himself--he's a team player. In the conversations I had with him tonight, after their game at Atlanta, he's ready to jump on a plane at 8:30 tomorrow morning and get out here. He's looking forward to them coming and we're certainly glad to have both of these guys in our lineup." Taylor also said that Buchberger and Emerson were already under long-term contracts that do not place a heavy burden on the Kings' payroll. "[Buchberger's] contract runs another two years and Emerson's contracts runs an additional three years," Taylor explained. "They're both signed to longer-term deals." "We haven't added a lot of payroll," Taylor added. "Certainly not for this season, it's pretty close to a wash. Then moving forward, there's a little additional payroll, but not a lot." Buchberger and Emerson are no strangers to Kings' head coach Andy Murray. "I know both of them very well," Murray said. "Nelson Emerson, I coached in Winnipeg, I had him with me at a World Championship. Kelly Buchberger I had at a World Championship, so I know both these guys very well. They're good people." "Both are good skaters," Murray added. "Nelson Emerson is a guy who has a good shot, he's a strong skater. Kelly Buchberger is a very strong defensive player, a good penalty-killer, brings a physical presence and is a vocal person in the dressing room." Kings' center Jozef Stumpel was not very familiar with his new teammates, but he said that they would be a big help. "I just know them a little bit," Stumpel said. "I know they're hard workers and good players. That's what we need now to get into the playoffs." "It's going to give us a big lift," Stumpel added. "We'll see in Anaheim. There should be a lot of excitement in the room because of the new guys. I'm sure they're going to help us a lot." Taylor explained where he thought his new players would fit in. "Buchberger is a third-line player who will be mostly in a checking role," Taylor said. "He's very good at shutting down opposing team's top players." "The decision is up to the coaching staff, but I think [Emerson] would be able to step into Donald Audette's position probably on the line with [center Bryan] Smolinski and [right wing Glen] Murray," Taylor added. "Buchberger plays all three forward positions and Emerson in the past has played the point on the power play," Taylor said. "They're both very versatile players and both have a lot of experience." Taylor now feels that the Kings are in a much better position for the playoffs, but will continue to look at possible deals. "We like the situation we're in, we think we've addressed a couple of needs here," Taylor said. "Certainly, we'll be busy on the phone until noon [Tuesday, the NHL's trade deadline], but I don't see anything happening. If we could add some depth to our lineup, obviously, we'd like to do that." Murray talked about how this trade would help his team down the stretch and in the playoffs. "We're not in yet and we know that," Murray said. "The trade was made to help us here in the stretch run as much as anything. We want to make sure that we get in and should we happen to get in, we'll have a competitive chance." "You want to be in a position to make your team better and those guys definitely do that," he added. Both Taylor and Murray also discussed Audette's situation. "We lost a good person in Donald Audette, I don't want to forget that in the equation here because there was nothing personal between Donald and I," Murray emphasized. "I felt when he came back in the lineup here lately, he was playing some of his best hockey." "I think Donald was fine," Taylor said. "I had a number of talks with him, Andy's had some talks with him. He had asked us for a trade and we told him that if it's the right deal--he actually played some pretty good hockey for us the last couple of games and he's a very good hockey player, so this is a fresh start for him going to Atlanta. I talked to him after the trade, he was kind of relieved and he actually thanked me. He's looking forward to moving on with his career." While the Kings were busy playing against the Canucks, Audette left his now-former teammates a handwritten message on the dry ink board in the Kings' dressing room at Staples Center. "Good Luck. Your Friend, Donald." This was a great trade for the Kings. They gave up a skilled forward and a defenseman who showed some good skills, but would not have been able to crack the Kings' lineup this year or probably even next season with the emergence of Jere Karalahti and the improved play of Garry Galley. Moreover, the Kings got rid of a problem. Audette only played defense when he felt like it. When his lack of effort on defense was criticized by Murray, Audette never seemed to understand that Murray wanted a solid game from him in all three zones, not just in the attacking zone. Audette's attitude helped him go from a playoff-bound team on the rise to a first-year expansion team that will be on the golf course in late April. Of course, Audette's new team needs offense more than anything else, so he will fit right in. While some might say that the Kings got older in this trade and gave up two skilled players, they gained a lot more in experience, grit, character and leadership than they lost in talent. Clearly, the addition of Buchberger and Emerson is not going to be enough to make the Kings Stanley Cup contenders. Nevertheless, this appears to be an excellent trade for them. 3.6.00 Late Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have placed goalie Stephane Fiset on the injured reserve list due to a strained left groin. Fiset suffered the injury about midway through the second period during Saturday's game against Nashville. The Kings have recalled goalie Marcel Cousineau from the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL to serve as the backup goalie to Jamie Storr.
