KINGS HURT BY MORE THAN INJURIES THIS YEAR.

Byline: MATT McHALE NHL 

NASHVILLE - Hidden beneath the season-ending injury to Ziggy Palffy and the long rehabilitation facing Martin Straka are two other sad stories in this free-falling Kings season.

Mike Cammalleri and Maxim Kuznetsov, players the Kings expected would have key roles this season and for years to come, were sent to the minors just when it seemed the team needed them most.

It would appear losing Cammalleri and Kuznetsov couldn't possibly be as damaging as the loss of Palffy, who underwent successful shoulder surgery Monday, and Straka, who is out indefinitely after suffering a severely sprained knee Saturday.

But it is damaging because for years the King have been talking about ``not mortgaging the future'' and ``building from within.''

Cammalleri and Kuznetsov were supposed to represent what a team could do through drafts and trades. Well, there are 18,000 fans showing up every night now wondering about their investment.

Just a month ago, Cammalleri's career seemed promising. He had shaken off last year's concussion and this season's knee injury and scored eight goals in a three-week period.

The front office was beaming. Take that for all the Bill Guerins the Kings didn't sign. They had a potential star.

But then, disaster. Cammalleri went 11 games with one assist before Kings coach Andy Murray said he had seen enough.

Cammalleri had been getting plenty of ice time with the top two offensive units. But instead of using his speed and quickness to ignite the Kings' dump-and-chase offense, he started diddling with the puck and grinding the team to a halt.

The Kings believed a trip to the minors would remind him how precious it is to play in the big time. But after five games at Manchester (N.H.), he has not scored.

Yes, Cammalleri is only 21. But what does it say when a team that is falling apart doesn't even recall one of its supposedly brightest talents.

``To have credibility as an organization you have to call up the players who are the most deserving,'' Murray said Monday after announcing Scott Barney and Esa Pirnes are being promoted and will join the team tonight.

Fine, but how much credibility does a team with an 11-game winless streak have?

The case for Kuznetsov might be an even bigger indictment of the Kings' plan for the future.

Certainly, no one could have predicted he would lose two months with visa problems in his native Russia.

But the Kings' defense is terrible right now. The defensemen aren't giving their goaltenders any help, can't clear the puck, and can't get it to their offensive teammates.

Without that trifecta, it doesn't matter if Palffy was around or not. Remember, Palffy played in the first nine games of the team's winless streak.

The Kings touted Kuznetsov as a top-six defenseman in a group that included veteran Aaron Miller. Now with Miller gone a month and not skating because of a pinched nerve in his neck, Kuznetsov is not good enough to make this rag-tag bunch.

At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Kuznetsov had the kind of size teams want at the blue line. Although Jaroslav Modry is nearly that big, he doesn't have the presence Kuznetsov was supposed to bring from Detroit when he was acquired last March.

At the time, the Kings were applauded outside of L.A. for getting Kuznetsov and Sean Avery for veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Avery has value, when he is not in the penalty box.

But Mad Max? Kuznetsov showed up clunky and slow on defense, a liability when opponents come sailing into the Kings end.

The Kings designated Kuznetsov for assignment last week. If he cleared he would head to Manchester. If he didn't, the other team would pay half his $575,000 salary.

He cleared and the Kings sent him down. This is the same person who played 53 games last season with the Red Wings and earned a Stanley Cup ring the year before. Now he isn't good enough to play here.

``We didn't really know much about him,'' Murray said. ``He came here and broke his foot in the third game. Then he misses so much time this season. It's hard to say how much that time hurt him because we never had the chance to see him play for us.''

Palffy will be gone six months. If the NHL doesn't shut down over labor problems, he probably will re-sign with the Kings as a free agent. He won't like the contract they offer at first. But with a salary cap looming in the sport, the big-money days appear all but over.

Straka has another year on his contract and the Pittsburgh Penguins are paying a big piece of it.

The timing is awful for both injuries, especially because it appears Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh won't be back this year.

The Kings enter the second half with one big question: Do they have any chance to get back in the playoff race?

Without Palffy and Straka on top of all the other problems, it will be tough.

And sad, knowing that Mike Cammalleri and Maxim Kuznetsov are not part of the answer.

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(1) FROM THE BLUE LINES

(2) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Matt McHale

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