KINGS COULD MOUNT MARKETING CAMPAIGN TRADES POSSIBLE; L.A. LOSES AGAIN CHICAGO 3, KINGS 2 (OT).

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

Few could blame Dean Lombardi if he opened a ``Rent-A-King'' booth outside Staples Center.

The Kings are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff race, so why not look to the future?

Lombardi, the Kings' general manager, isn't in fire-sale mode, but the team is looking to make trades.

``I don't think there's going to be a lot of changes, but there might be a couple,'' coach Marc Crawford said. ``A lot of (trade talk) is just people trying to promote their TV shows or whatever.''

If so, the Kings figure to get plenty of air time this month. In a matchup of the two worst teams in the Western Conference, the Kings put forth a decent effort Thursday night, but it still wasn't good enough, as they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime in front of 16,958 at Staples Center.

Of the Kings' two goals, one was deflected in off the body of a Chicago player and the other was literally shot into the Chicago net by a Blackhawk trying to work the puck out of the corner.

The second miracle -- credited to Jamie Lundmark -- tied the game 2-2 at the 7:09 mark of the third period, but Chicago's Lasse Kukkonen ended the game 57 seconds into overtime.

``I saw him right when he got the puck on his stick and he beat me,'' Kings goalie Sean Burke said. ``By the time I reacted, it was already in.''

Another loss -- the Kings' 10th in their past 11 games -- dropped them four points behind Chicago.

With the Feb. 27 trade deadline approaching, Lombardi will have a chance to accomplish his dual goals of making the NHL team competitive while strengthening the reserve list of organization prospects.

Lombardi got things going Monday when he traded Craig Conroy to Calgary for Lundmark and two draft picks. Lombardi is set upon rebuilding the Kings through strong drafts.

``This is not the situation you want to be in, but you have to try to use it to your advantage,'' Lombardi said. ``It's not fun to be a seller but you have to pick up as many young assets as you can.''

It's widely assumed that the Kings are roughly two years away from being a fearsome team, and Lombardi has said he will entertain offers for players whose contracts expire after this season.

That's a long list, and one that features some interesting names, including Derek Armstrong, Mathieu Garon, Aaron Miller and Brent Sopel, all of whom will be unrestricted free agents this summer.

Sean Avery and Michael Cammalleri will be restricted free agents, and how Lombardi handles those two players could say a lot about his view of the team.

Avery has been a divisive player in the past but has calmed down this season, and Cammalleri, at age 24, is second on the Kings with 20 goals.

There will certainly be a market for both players, but will Lombardi want to keep them around?

And more immediately, will the trade talk make the Kings disintegrate even further?

``That's just professional sports,'' Crawford said. ``Even the guys who are new to professional sports, they realize that (getting traded) is a part of the game.''

Based on their start Thursday, the Kings looked as though they might be in for a big night.

Alexander Frolov put the puck in off a Chicago defender just 1:16 into the first period, Martin Havlat answered less than a minute later and Jeff Hamilton scored a second-period goal for a 2-1 Chicago lead.

Frolov gave Burke an early lead when he held the puck behind the net and attempted a centering pass.

The puck deflected off a skate, then off the body of James Wisniewski and past Nikolai Khabibulin.

The lead lasted all of 43 seconds, as Havlat picked up a rebound out of a scramble in front of the Kings' net and pushed it past Burke.

The Kings did well to stay even for the rest of the period, as they had to kill three consecutive penalties that left them shorthanded for more than five minutes.

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The Kings' Kevin Dallman, middle, battles a group of Chicago players for the puck Thursday.

Edna T. Simpson/Daily News