KINGS SWING ANOTHER DEAL, GET STUMPEL.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Daily News Staff Writer

In their second major trade in two days, the Kings believe they've acquired the play-making center that has missing since the Wayne Gretzky era.

Twenty-four hours after L.A. welcomed Luc Robitaille back to town, the team Friday got center Jozef Stumpel - the Bruins' leading scorer last season - burly right wing Sandy Moger and a fourth-round draft pick next year from the Boston Bruins for goalie Byron Dafoe and forward Dimitri Khristich.

``Stumpel has a great upside: He's just beginning to emerge as a front-line center,'' Kings general manager Dave Taylor said. ``He's got good size, very good skills and he's an excellent playmaker.

``I think what this does is open up an opportunity for Jamie Storr to play at the NHL level and makes us bigger and more skilled up front.''

A key element to the trade is the departure of Dafoe, which will give Storr, 21, an opportunity to show whether the Kings made the right decision picking him seventh overall in the 1994 draft. He will play behind Stephane Fiset.

Khristich, 28, is a solid two-way player and a 1997 All-Star. For the second straight year, he led the Kings in scoring with 56 points - 19 goals, 37 assists.

However, he played more like a wing than a play-making center and was criticized by some veteran teammates for being selfish.

Stumpfel, a native of Nitra, Slovakia, who was drafted in the second round in 1991, had a career-high 76 points - 21 goals, 55 assists - on the worst team in the league.

He's a natural center with good size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) and speed.

He's expected to play on the same line as Robitaille, creating what the goal-hungry Kings hope will be a formidable scoring combination.

``(Stumpel) is a little more skilled offensively, a natural center and he has a right-hand shot, as well,'' Taylor said. ``Dimitri, although he was used as a center, he's more a winger. Stumpel is younger by three years. We feel he'll continue to improve.

``If you look to the future, you have Stumpel, (No. 3 overall pick this year) Olli Jokinen, Roman Vopat, Donald MacLean; good young players with good size who we're very high on.''

Khristich, who was traded with Dafoe from Washington in 1995, expected a trade.

``I've heard for a month they wanted to trade me,'' he said. ``I wasn't surprised or anything. I just didn't know where. My reaction? Everything will work out for the better.

``I think I played all right for L.A. and they said they were pleased with the way I've played. Maybe I just don't fit into their plans.''

Dafoe, 26, had a comparable season to Fiset, allowing 3.11 goals per game to Fiset's 3.19. But he isn't an established player like Fiset, 27, and doesn't have Storr's potential. Thus, Dafoe was the odd man out.

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Photo: STUMPEL