Kings Taking Hits From All Directions

TAMPA, Fla. —  Here’s a twist: The Kings, widely criticized for their refusal to open their wallets for all-stars Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille, are now accused of overspending for all-star center Jason Allison.

At least, that’s what Boston Bruin General Manager Mike O’Connell implied in a news conference after Allison and left wing Mikko Eloranta joined the Kings on Wednesday in a trade that sent two of the Kings’ top six forwards, No. 1 center Jozef Stumpel and leading scorer Glen Murray, to the Bruins.

The Kings, who traded Blake and lost Robitaille via free agency rather than pay market value for them, then signed Allison, 26, to a three-year, $20-million contract that could grow by about $2 million with performance bonuses.

Allison and Eloranta, wearing Nos. 41 and 42, made their King debuts in Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of 12,957 at the Ice Palace--the Lightning’s second shutout of the Kings in 13 days.

Less than two weeks after Kevin Weekes, in his only start of the season, stopped 31 shots in a 1-0 victory over the Kings on Oct. 13 at Staples Center, teammate Nikolai Khabibulin blanked the Kings by stopping 28.

Jamie Storr started in goal for the Kings, ending a streak of 32 consecutive regular-season starts for No. 1 goaltender Felix Potvin, and faced only 18 shots in his first start since February.

He gave up second-period goals to Fredrik Modin, Martin St. Louis and Stan Neckar. Modin scored at 10:17 and St. Louis, who also had two assists, scored 41 seconds later. Neckar scored a shorthanded goal at 17:46.

Allison, meanwhile, played for the first time since April and showed the rust. He had one shot on goal but no good scoring chances.

“Obviously it wasn’t my best game,” he said, acknowledging that his energy flagged after the first period, “but it’s probably about where I expected to be. The conditioning is one thing you can deal with, but it’s tough when you just don’t have your feel. That’s what I rely on out there--instinct. I didn’t do a good job on little things and you get frustrated.

“But I wasn’t expecting to come in and be the best player on the ice. You’re getting used to a new team, new teammates. You haven’t played in a game. Your timing’s off. New system. It won’t take long, though.”

Allison, fifth in the NHL in scoring last season with 95 points, had been a contract holdout in Boston, the Bruins calling him overreaching in his demands. Allison, who had been working out for the last few weeks with the Bruins at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., reportedly was seeking a multiyear deal worth more than $8.5 million a season from the Bruins last summer.

Later, he lowered his request to $13 million for two years.

The Bruins reportedly offered one year at $4.2 million, apparently believing that their captain was worth no more than Pittsburgh Penguin teammates Martin Straka and Alexei Kovalev, each of whom also scored 95 points last season.

Kovalev will be paid $4.25 million this season, Straka $3.75 million.

“We felt at this time that the money Jason was looking for, he was ahead of himself,” O’Connell told reporters in Boston after the trade was announced. “We think he’s a great player, we think he’s a good player, we think he could help us, but we felt the money he was looking for was greater than where he fits in the league right now. Based on the limited interest we had, I would say most teams agreed with us.”

When the Kings included Murray and Stumpel in the deal--”top-six forwards on most teams in the NHL,” O’Connell said--the Bruins “had to move.”

The Kings, believing that Allison gives them their first legitimate top-line center since they traded Wayne Gretzky in 1996, will pay him $5.5 million this season, $6.5 million next season and $8 million in the 2003-04 season.

“We were comfortable with the contract we signed with Jason,” General Manager Dave Taylor said before Thursday’s game. “Obviously, we wouldn’t have signed it [otherwise]. I believe there were probably teams out there that were prepared to pay more. We feel it’s a fair deal.

“He’s paid on a salary that’s pretty close to what Ziggy [Palffy] is earning for us. And the salary is gauged with the belief that Jason will continue to improve.”

Palffy, who led the Kings with 89 points last season, is the team’s highest-paid player. He’ll earn $6 million this season, $7.25 million next season.

Allison was paid $3.5 million in base salary last season, plus $1 million in performance bonuses when he led the Bruins with 59 assists and six game-winning goals and played in the All-Star game for the first time.

He rolled his eyes when told that O’Connell had called him overpriced.

“Of course he did,” Allison said, smiling. “He made the trade. Maybe that’s what he thinks. Hey, they got two great players, no question about it. Glen and Jozef are great players. They’re going to help that team a lot. Did [the Kings] overspend? Obviously, I don’t think so. I believe in what I can do.

“I had a great year last year. I had four great years in Boston. But if they want to treat me that way, there’s nothing I can do about it.”