KINGS JETTISON MORE VETS\McSorley, Kurri sent to Rangers.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

Marty McSorley and Jari Kurri wondered after a loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday if they had played their last game as Kings.

After weeks of rumors and speculation, now they know.

The Kings, in keeping with their youth movement, dealt the two veterans and 30-year-old right wing Shane Churla to the New York Rangers on Thursday for four players, including center Ray Ferraro and 24-year-old defenseman Mattias Norstrom, and a fourth-round draft choice in the 1997 entry draft.

The Kings also received centers Ian Laperriere, 22, and minor-leaguer Nathan LaFayette, 23.

"This has added tremendous youth and depth to the organization," Kings general manager Sam McMaster said. "We feel we can get a good prospect with (the draft choice) so we feel we added five players who can contribute."

Kurri and McSorley expressed relief that a deal had finally been completed. After Wayne Gretzky was dealt to the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 27 for three young players and a draft choice, it became clear the Kings had begun a rebuilding process.

Kurri and McSorley were obvious candidates to be traded, Kurri because he is 35 and becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and McSorley because he is 32 and still had trade value. Scouts from other teams became fixtures at Kings games the past couple weeks as rumors swirled.

"Oh yeah, definitely it's a relief," Kurri said. "I'm really excited. I'm going to a pretty good team. The playoffs are long. It will be fun to be a part of that."

Said McSorley, "It's been a long process. The players hear most of the stuff and conversations have gone on all year long, especially the last month before Wayne was traded. We could see signs we weren't in their plans."

The Kings spoke with the Detroit Red Wings as recently as Tuesday and talked regularly with the Philadelphia Flyers. Colorado and Vancouver also had initial discussions with the Kings, but the Rangers, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference and are among the three or four teams considered to have the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup this year, seemed the most determined to make a deal.

"The playoffs last year are the genesis (of the deal)," Rangers general manager Neil Smith said. "When the (Philadelphia) Flyers knocked us out a lot of people picked up on the point that our club is not big and strong enough. We added a lot of talented players to the team this year, but we did not add any big, tough players. One thing that came through was that we needed to get bigger and stronger to get into the playoffs."

McSorley and Churla will bring a physical presence to the Rangers while Kurri adds playoff experience and versatility. Churla had been with the Kings for less than a month, coming over from the Dallas Stars in the Darryl Sydor trade on Feb. 17, but after Gretzky was sent to St. Louis he expressed concern to Kings management about his future with the club.

"It was more Shane wanting us to move him than us wanting to move him," Kings coach Larry Robinson said.

Ferraro, at 31, is the only experienced player the Kings received. He had 25 goals and 54 points in 65 games this season.

Norstrom is the player the Kings most coveted because he is a young defenseman whom Robinson said can do a little of everything. He suffered a slight shoulder separation earlier in the year and in 25 games had only two goals, three points and five penalty minutes. He sprained his knee against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, but McMaster said it's not considered serious.

In 61 games, Laperriere accumulated 140 penalty minutes while getting four goals and 12 points. LaFayette was pointless in five games with the Rangers, but he has 21 goals and 26 assists in 56 games with Binghamton of the American Hockey League. He will stay with the Kings and won't be sent to IHL-farm team Phoenix.

Although they are looking toward the future, the Kings insist they haven't given up on this season. With 12 games left, they are six points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the Western Conference's final playoff berth.

KINGS-RANGERS TRADE

The Kings get: Center Ray Ferraro (31), defenseman Mattias Norstrom (24), center Nathan Lafayette (23), forward Ian Laperriere (22), a fourth-round '97 pick.

The Rangers get: Forward Jari Kurri (35), defenseman Marty McSorley (32), forward Shane Churla (30).

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART

Photo (1--color) KURRI (2--color) McSORLEY Box KINGS-RANGERS TRADE (see text)