NHL NOTEBOOK: LEAGUE CLOSING IN ON OLYMPIC DEAL.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

A final agreement for NHL participation in the Turin Olympics might be close.

Officials from the NHL, the league's players association and executives of the International Ice Hockey Federation will meet today in Zurich, Switzerland.

Bill Daly, the new NHL deputy commissioner, and Ted Saskin, the new executive director of the NHLPA, plus IIHF president Rene Fasel and IOC and Turin organizing officials will head the talks.

``I understand the IIHF will have further meetings with participating federations later this week, and we expect to have a definitive answer on the contract by Monday,'' Daly said.

The meeting is part of a European trip for Daly and Saskin, who are trying to save the tentative NHL-IIHF agreement that the Russians and Czechs rejected last week.

The NHL's participation at the Olympics depends on the Russians and Czechs signing the player transfer agreement, which increases the compensation the NHL pays European federations in exchange for signing players.

Under the new five-year plan, the NHL would pay $12.5 million annually to a development fund managed by the sport's governing body.

That's a $3.5 million increase from the previous deal.

--Report: NHL to go Outdoor for TV: The NHL is close to completing a two-year deal with the Outdoor Life Network, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.

The report said that the deal was worth an average of $50 million annually and that OLN would televise two games a week.

ESPN said it was still interested in reaching an agreement with the league, in part because it is pleased with several rules changes that were made after the labor agreement with the players was reached last month.

ESPN has a contractual right to match the OLN deal, which must be approved by the league's board of governors.

--Kings sign three: The Kings have agreed to a one-year contract with restricted free agent forward Michael Cammalleri, general manager Dave Taylor announced today.

Cammalleri, 23, appeared in 79 games during the 2004-05 season with the Kings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, recording an AHL-best 46 goals and 109 points, which were second most in the AHL.

The Kings also signed goaltender Adam Hauser to a one-year deal, and gave unrestricted free agent defenseman Marty Wilford a two-year contract.

--Ducks moves: Left-winger Mike Leclerc, 28, is expected to come to terms with the Mighty Ducks as soon as today, according to one source. While the length of the deal was not immediately known, he will make an estimated $1.14 million next season.

The Ducks have a total of seven restricted free agents, a cast that includes left wing Stanislav Chistov and defenseman Ruslan Salei. They have until Monday to accept the qualifying offers made by Anaheim.

The Ducks also announced former NHL defenseman Dave Farrish, 49, would join the team as an assistant coach on Wednesday. Farrish was head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the ECHL's Pensacola (Fla.) Ice Pilots last season.

- A.J. Perez

--Also: Pittsburgh signed veteran goaltender Jocelyn Thibault to a two-year, $3 million contract after acquiring him from Chicago for a fourth-round pick in next year's draft.

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The Kings re-signed Michael Cammalleri, who led the AHL in goals while playing for the Manchester Monarchs in 2004-05.

Getty Images