KINGS NOTEBOOK: SPOT FOR FERRARO?

Byline: Roger Phillips

With so many talented prospects attending this year's training camp, perhaps it should be given a title such as ``The Kids Who Would Be Kings.''

This is, after all, the year the Kings are hoping their recent drafts will bear some fruit, and numerous 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds are battling to prove themselves. So is center Ray Ferraro, who at 34 is no kid. Coming off an injury-plagued season and postseason knee surgery, Ferraro is trying to use his savvy and experience to win a spot after a season in which he appeared in only 40 games, collecting 15 points.

Ferraro began the summer recovering from postseason surgery to repair his left knee, which caused him problems for the entire 1997-98 season. He spent much of the rest of the summer working on conditioning as he enters the final year of a contract that will pay him $1.75 million this year.

``I remember my first camp,'' said Ferraro. ``A couple of guys came into camp 20 pounds overweight and had a month to work it off. If you come in 20 pounds overweight now, you're probably on the next plane out.''