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head coach: Larry Robinson

roster: C - Jason Morgan, Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Yanic Perreault, Jozef Stumpel, Nathan Lafayette, Roman Vopat. LW - Craig Johnson, Matt Johnson, Luc Robitaille, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Steve McKenna, Dan Bylsma. RW - Sandy Moger, Glenn Murray, Russ Courtnall. D - Aki Berg, Rob Blake, Phillipe Boucher, Garry Galley, Mattias Norstrom, Sean O'Donnell, Doug Zmolek, Jan Vopat. G - Jamie Storr, Stephane Fiset.

standings:

Western Conference - Pacific Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
y-Colorado   82  39  26  17    95  231  205  
x-Los Angeles82  38  33  11    87  227  225  
x-Edmonton   82  35  37  10    80  215  224  
x-San Jose   82  34  38  10    78  210  216  
Calgary      82  26  41  15    67  217  252  
Anaheim      82  26  43  13    65  205  261  
Vancouver    82  25  43  14    64  224  273  

x - Clinched playoff spot
y - Clinched division

team news:

by Matt Moore, Los Angeles Correspondent

Another season finished and the Kings are still a few years away from challenging for the Stanley Cup. But definite progress could be seen through the season, except for some serious regression at the end and in the playoffs.

The team still shows signs of being one of the youngest in the league and were inconsistent throughout the year. Only when the older "leaders" stepped up in mid- to late-January did the Kings put together a winning streak that showed what they will hopefully do in the 1998-99 season.

Stephane Fiset by Meredith Martini

TEAM MVP: A tie between goaltender Stephane Fiset and defenseman Rob Blake. Without Fiset the Kings would have easily been a sub-.500 team. He gives the Kings their first goaltender since an in-his- prime Kelly Hrudey who can go on a tear and win streaks of games in spite of his team not playing defense. His acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche two seasons ago could turn out to be one of the best trades in the history of the franchise.

Rob Blake, who won the Norris Trophy, came back from several seasons of injuries to show that he is truly one of the best defensemen in the league. He kept on being one of the most punishing checkers in the league, with one particular hit on Devil Patrik Elias coming to mind. But Blake also developed into an effective scorer, leading the league's defensemen in goals. Heck, his offense carried the team through many of the scoring droughts that hit the Kings, which is pretty sad now that I think of it...

SURPRISES: Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel. Murray was always one of those guys who has disappointed at all of his prior stops in the NHL. So one would expect for him to blow goats in LA, land of the underachiever. But Murray decided to turn it on this season, going on to score career highs in goals and points. Combining with Vladimir Tsyplakov, Jozef Stumpel, and to a certain extent, Yanic Perreault, he turned into the power forward that the Kings needed. And in the playoffs he seemed to be the most consistent and aggressive forwards on the team.

Jozef Stumpel came over in a preseason trade with the Bruins and was a practical godsend. In the trade that got rid of Dimitri Khristich, who was a drag on the clubhouse atmosphere and a guy who was more concerned with making the one on one move than the team play, the Kings received a big young centerman who would be the first No. 1 center and the best playmaker since Wayne Gretzky left town. Averaging over a point per game, he was the best forward on the team.

DISAPPOINTMENTS: Where should I start? Ray Ferraro was hampered by injuries, so I can't really get on him for going out and playing like he was carrying lead weights. So the goat of the year has to go to Yanic Perreault. Perreault had a good enough year, scoring 28 goals, but that is crap considering he scored the majority of those goals in a three-week period early in the season. After that, he disappeared, going so far as being benched for his lackadaisical play. Sure, he can go on great goal-scoring streaks that make people forget his crappy play for a while, but the Kings will never get to be a contender until they find someone else to be a No. 2 center.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES: Well, the Kings have already unveiled their new logo, which is a stylized version of the logo that they used to have before they went to the gangbanger black-and-white version. Now if only they would keep the crown logo and get rid of the other nonsense, then they would look sharp. The "coat of arms" logo just makes me want to puke, with it being just too busy. Simplicity is a virtue, particularly when they go to the point of putting sunglasses on the lion.

The Kings also traded Jan Vopat away, which really is un-news since he was AWOL during the past season. That is quite sad considering that he had shown some potential during the previous year. But in 97-98 he was a non-factor and could have easily been replaced by a dead seal out on the ice, except the dead seal would have probably blocked a few more shots and has better lateral movement.

There continues to be a feeling around town that Larry Robinson might not stay with the Kings for the full rebuilding process. Apparently some feel that Larry might just say "screw it" to the travel and the work needed, and head on off to the polo field, where he can make horses work harder than Yanic Perreault did during the second half of the season.

Doug Bodger was acquired from the Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick before the expansion draft. He will provide some additional depth at defense along the blue line and will hopefully play a role similar to Garry Galley by adding leadership and some old-time hustle.

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