Bryan Smolinski

Bryan Smolinski was the Kings' best player last season, according to Coach Andy Murray, and he was off to a fast start this season. Then came the Oct. 24 trade with the Boston Bruins. It brought all-star center Jason Allison to the Kings but took from Smolinski his most trusted linemate and closest friend, Glen Murray. Smolinski, who had eight points in nine games at the time of the trade, has two points in seven games since. The Kings lost five of those games.

Jettisoned a week ago at the trade deadline, Bryan Smolinski plays for the Ottawa Senators now, but that doesn't mean his time with the Kings is finished. The deal brought the Kings the rights to defenseman Tim Gleason, a 20-year-old former first-round draft pick who is playing junior hockey in Windsor, Canada, but they could wind up with Smolinski, too. If the veteran forward is not re-signed by the Senators, he will be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Bryan Smolinski emerged from Coach Andy Murray's doghouse with a three-goal, five-assist four-game span that earned him NHL player-of-the-week recognition. Smolinski was dropped from the second to the fourth line during the exhibition season, then was brought back to the second before the season opened at Nashville. He, Donald Audette and Glen Murray struggled early, then began to click in the season's sixth game, at Calgary. TONIGHT at Pittsburgh, 5 PST ESPN * Site--Civic Center.

When did Donald Sterling buy the Kings? In the team's rush to dump players and lower both their budget and roster age, I hope management has also located younger fans who can afford the season seats that I now do not plan to renew. Demitra MacMinn Los Angeles Trading Mathieu Schneider and Bryan Smolinski is not just discouraging, it is also a slap on the King fans who every year try to find a player they can call a King for life. Or at least longer than a couple of years.

Jettisoned a week ago at the trade deadline, Bryan Smolinski plays for the Ottawa Senators now, but that doesn't mean his time with the Kings is finished. The deal brought the Kings the rights to defenseman Tim Gleason, a 20-year-old former first-round draft pick who is playing junior hockey in Windsor, Canada, but they could wind up with Smolinski, too. If the veteran forward is not re-signed by the Senators, he will be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

General Manager Sam McMaster has spoken several times with his Pittsburgh counterpart, Craig Patrick, to convey his interest in holdout center Bryan Smolinski. However, McMaster said Tuesday their discussions had not progressed to the point of making a specific offer for Smolinski, who was asking the Penguins for a salary of about $1 million a year. "We're no further ahead than when we started," McMaster said.

He was a center for most of his career, and that means eight NHL seasons, but now, said Bryan Smolinski, "I consider myself a player on Ziggy [Palffy] and Stumpy's [Jozef Stumpel] line." His job definition is winger, but that's a subjective thing. "Really, in our system, the only time anybody is a center is on the faceoff," King Coach Andy Murray said. Smolinski no longer does much of that. "You know," he added, "if I went back to center, it would probably take me a game or two to adjust."

Forward Bryan Smolinski scored three goals in the Kings' 8-2 victory over Carolina on Friday for the third hat trick of his career and first since Jan. 16, 2001. It was the type of effort the Kings are going to need as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive. "We're looking to see that more often from Bryan," said Coach Andy Murray, whose Kings open a two-game trip tonight against Dallas, the top team in the Western Conference. "His attitude has been good, we just want to see him do it again.

When did Donald Sterling buy the Kings? In the team's rush to dump players and lower both their budget and roster age, I hope management has also located younger fans who can afford the season seats that I now do not plan to renew. Demitra MacMinn Los Angeles Trading Mathieu Schneider and Bryan Smolinski is not just discouraging, it is also a slap on the King fans who every year try to find a player they can call a King for life. Or at least longer than a couple of years.

The message, accentuated by a closed-door meeting with the Kings' coaching staff, has been received by Bryan Smolinski, who was back with the second line Saturday night and set up the Kings' goal, scored by Scott Thomas, in a 3-1 exhibition loss to San Jose (4-0-3) before an announced 5,004 at Bakersfield. It was the first flat performance for the road-weary Kings in the exhibition season, and it came in their second game in as many nights.

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.

Forward Bryan Smolinski scored three goals in the Kings' 8-2 victory over Carolina on Friday for the third hat trick of his career and first since Jan. 16, 2001. It was the type of effort the Kings are going to need as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive. "We're looking to see that more often from Bryan," said Coach Andy Murray, whose Kings open a two-game trip tonight against Dallas, the top team in the Western Conference. "His attitude has been good, we just want to see him do it again.

As the Kings start to get some of their injured players back, such as defenseman Aaron Miller and forward Bryan Smolinski (both are expected to return to the lineup this week), it's going to be important for them to be in game-ready shape as soon as possible. That's why Coach Andy Murray spent extra time at the end of Monday's practice working out a group of players, which included Miller and Smolinski. Murray put them through a variety of conditioning exercises.

Although King center Bryan Smolinski has scored merely one goal in his last 10 games and two in his last 17, Coach Andy Murray hasn't even considered taking the veteran center off the first line or cutting his playing time. "He's a good player in so many ways," Murray said. "We'd like to see more production, but I still think his game is good. Sometimes you get players who struggle and you say, 'What are they doing?' That's not the case with him.

The way Peter Forsberg played against the Kings in Colorado's 5-3 victory Saturday, one would think he was the best player in the history of hockey. Forsberg finished with one goal and two assists, giving him five points over the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Not bad for a player who sat out nearly a year because of various injuries before rejoining the Avalanche for their Western Conference first-round matchup against the Kings. "My legs were going a little better [than they did in Game 1]

The Kings were delighted when Bryan Smolinski ended his career-long 30-game goal-scoring drought Monday night, even if it was with an empty-net goal. Not that they were dissatisfied with his overall play before then. "We think Bryan's still doing some effective things for us or he wouldn't be in the lineup," Coach Andy Murray said before the Kings' 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars. "We still have the belief system in him because he's doing other things."

It hasn't taken long for Coach Andy Murray to get his word across to players he thought were struggling to get their game back after the Olympic break. Last week, Murray benched Steve Heinze for a game because he thought the right wing was pressing too much. Murray was ready to do the same to Bryan Smolinski but before benching the veteran center, Murray decided to have a talk with him first.

Bryan Smolinski has gone from being down on the ice in Phoenix, certain that he would be watching the Kings' playoff run on television because of a torn knee ligament, to thinking that maybe he could find a way to get back on the ice for the second round, to feeling pretty good. Tonight, barring problems in the morning skate at Joe Louis Arena, he completes the trip to the lineup when the Kings open their first-round playoff series against Detroit. It has been a dizzying 10 days.

To his King teammates, Bryan Smolinski is known as "Smoke." So, with the veteran center mired in the longest goal-scoring drought of his career, it can be said that the King offense has been Smokeless for months. It's a growing source of frustration for Coach Andy Murray. "I guess he's yet to deserve it," Murray said Monday, searching for an answer to why Smolinski has not scored a goal since Jan. 17, a span of 27 games.

It hasn't taken long for Coach Andy Murray to get his word across to players he thought were struggling to get their game back after the Olympic break. Last week, Murray benched Steve Heinze for a game because he thought the right wing was pressing too much. Murray was ready to do the same to Bryan Smolinski but before benching the veteran center, Murray decided to have a talk with him first.