UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, February 27, 1996
3B
L.A. Kings expected to trade Gretzky
The Associated Press
The St. Louis Blues may be on the verge of landing Los Angeles Kings superstar Wayne Gretzky. The only thing left to clinch the deal, according to reports, is the financial arrangement.
The players have been agreed upon, ESPN reported Sunday.
But a new contract for Gretzky must be worked out, ESPN said, and that could be difficult. It apparently was the reason a trade wasn't made earlier between the Kings and New York Rangers.
"At this point, he is definitely playing." Gretzky's agent, Mike Barnett, said yesterday morning.
Gretzky was expected to play for the Kings last night against Winnipesg.
The Rangers had reportedly offered the Kings Luc Robitaile and Ray Ferraro and about $2 million in cash for Gretzky. But the deal fell through when Gretzky presumably wasn't able to come to terms with the Rangers on his contract.
Gretzky is making about $6.5 million this season. He likely would want a three-year deal worth $21
million to remain as hockey's highest-paid player. Gretzky has expressed a desire to stay in the sport for a few more years, particularly for the opportunity to win a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics.
He would also like to add another Stanley Cup to his collection of four, which is why he is on the trading block these days. Gretzky asked the Kings to either upgrade the team so it has a chance to win a Cup or trade him to a team that is a contender.
Gretzky will be a free agent after this season, and if the Kings don't sign him they will risk losing him
without compensation after the season.
Kings general manager Sam McMaster denied that any deal had been made with the Blues regarding Gretzky, but he didn't rule out the possibility.
"We have spoken to the St. Louis Blues about a lot of our players in the last week, including Wayne Gretzky. We have stated before that we would entertain trade offers for any of our players, including Wayne Gretzky," he said.
McMaster made the comments in an interview Sunday with The Canadian Press from Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the Kings were to play the Jets last night.
Meanwhile, ESPN reported that a deal involving Gretzky and the Blues might be wrapped up as early as today and that he would be in a Blues uniform for its game Thursday night at Vancouver.
And the Toronto Sun reported Sunday that Gretzky's trade to St. Louis was "on the verge of completion late (Saturday) night." The Sun added that "some last-minute technicalities could delay its announcement until Tuesday."
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