Kings Continue to Clean House
McSorley, Kurri and Churla go to Rangers for four players and a draft pick
(from the Los Angeles Times)
By Lisa Dillman
Staff Writer
March 15, 1996 - The swift, bloodless dismemberment of the Kings' Wayne Gretzky era continued on Thursday with the departure of defenseman Marty McSorley and forwards Jari Kurri and Shane Churla to the New York Rangers in exchange for four players and one draft pick.
It had been widely expected that Gretzky's close friends, Kurri and McSorley — who were also with him in Edmonton — would soon follow the path out of Los Angeles after he was traded to St. Louis a little more than two weeks ago. Churla, who had seen enough after less than a month with the Kings, all but asked for a way out and found there was room for him too.
Arriving here today from the Rangers is one proven scorer in center Ray Ferraro; one prospect, 24-year-old defenseman Mattias Norstrom; a fourth-line player, feisty 22-year-old center Ian Laperriere; and minor-league forward Nathan LaFayette, who is 23. Additionally, the Kings will receive a fourth-round draft pick in 1997.
Only two players on the current active roster — goaltender Kelly Hrudey and forward Gary Shuchuk — remain from the 1993 Stanley Cup finalist team.
"This is a different era," King President Rogie Vachon said. "With new ownership and starting with a brand new bunch of guys. There's lots of youth. The big stars were getting old and didn't have many good years left."
The inevitability of a trade led McSorley to turn to teammate Steven Finn on the bench during Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Buffalo. McSorley said he told Finn he felt it was his last game with the Kings.
"We knew this would happen when they told Wayne they won't be going after anyone and they traded him," McSorley said. "What's to make me think that I'm going to be immune from it?"
McSorley, a longtime fan favorite, was asked who the marquee players would be now at the Forum after these series of trades.
"I don't know," he said. "Well, the new owners are going to find out."
Kurri, too, had not been immune to the dreary months of pressure and ever-changing rumors after spending nearly five seasons here. Several other teams were highly interested in him, including Philadelphia, Detroit and Vancouver and the Canucks had planned on scouting his next two games.
"I'm relieved," said Kurri, 35 and a future Hall of Famer. "I guess they didn't have any plans for me. I'm excited to play for a team that has plans for me. It's something that's been on my mind, and it's not fun to play that way.
"I would hate to say that {it bothered us on the ice}, but we're all human. We hear things like you do. Every day you come to the rink and we say to each other, 'So, where are you going to go?' "
Kurri, who won five Stanley Cups in Edmonton, leaves Los Angeles having fallen three games short of that goal in the 1993 finals. But he is in seventh place on the NHL's all-time goal list and is 12th on the NHL's all-time scoring list. This season, he had 17 goals and 40 points in 57 games.
McSorley, 32, is departing the Kings for the second time. He came to Los Angeles with Gretzky in the 1988 blockbuster deal and was sent to Pittsburgh before the 1993-94 season and returned several months later.
In 59 games, McSorley had 10 goals and 31 points, making him the team's highest-scoring defenseman. He ranked second in the team in penalty minutes with 148, just behind Churla's 205. Churla was traded to the Kings less than a month ago, on Feb. 17, along with defenseman Doug Zmolek from Dallas in exchange for Darryl Sydor. In all, he had four goals and 10 points in 45 games.
"If Jari and I were going to be moved, he {Churla} wanted to be part of it too," McSorley said. "He didn't want to wait around for a couple of years for the youth to develop."
Ferraro, 31, seemed to think the same way when his name had been mentioned earlier in the Gretzky trade rumors. He joined the Rangers as a free agent last summer from the Islanders in an attempt to make a Cup run, and was adamant in wanting to stay. Though the Kings said he was enthused, Ranger Coach Colin Campbell was asked how Ferraro took the news. "Not good," Campbell said.
ESPN radio said Ferraro may not report, but Ferraro made no such statement in an interview with Newsday. "I'm disappointed," he said. "I really thought we had a chance to do well, but that's none of my business now."
Ferraro, who is making $1.6 million this season and has two years remaining on his contract, took a parting shot at the Rangers. "If any other free agent asked what I think, I would tell him to explore his possibilities before he came here," he said.
The 5-10, 185-pounder has 25 goals and 29 assists in 65 games. He was scratched against Washington on Saturday and returned to score his first goal in nine games Wednesday night against Florida.
Laperriere is often compared to King left wing Eric Lacroix in terms of skill and moxie. He has 12 points in 61 games.
Some consider Norstrom as the key to the deal, an unfinished product with big potential. He has been unable to crack the Ranger lineup much, however, with three points in 25 games. LaFayette, who has been in the minors all season, will be joining his fourth NHL team.
King Notes
King prospect Matt Johnson won't be a late season call-up, as the rugged left wing underwent reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder at Centinela Hospital Medical Center. Johnson, who had spent the season with the Kings' minor league affiliate in Phoenix, will be out four to six months. . . . Left wing Kevin Stevens had hoped to return for Saturday's game against Edmonton but could be out for another week or longer because of a broken fibula in his left leg.
TO THE KINGS
* Ray Ferraro: 5-10, 185. Center. Age: 31. This season — 25 goals, 29 assists, 54 points.
* Ian LaPerriere: 6-1, 195. Center. Age: 21. This season — 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points.
* Nathan Lafayette: 6-1, 194. Center. Age: 22. Has not played this season.
* Mattias Norstrom: 6-1, 205. Defenseman. Age: 24. This season — 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points.
TO THE RANGERS
* Jari Kurri: 6-1, 195. Right wing. Age: 35. This season — 17 goals, 23 assists, 40 points.
* Marty McSorley: 6-1, 225. Defenseman. Age: 32. This season — 1 goals, 21 assists, 31 points.
* Shane Churla: 6-1, 200. Right wing. Age: 30. This season — 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points.