Ziggy Stardust
Master Debater
It truly did. It's quite comical to see how many failed wingers the Kings would experiment with alongside Gretzky after Sandstrom was dealt.
They tried a slew of well traveled journeymen ranging from Rob Brown to Randy Burridge and Dan Currie. Rick Tocchet was dealt for an even more broken down Kevin Stevens who also got to play with Gretzky for a short while before Gretzky's tenure in LA came to an end.
The last couple of linemates he had that were actually fun to watch had Wayne centering Vitali Yachmenev and Dmitri Khristich.
Prowling for Goals : King Wing Vitali Yachmenev Has Gone From Chasing Burglars to Being Chased by Defensemen as One of the NHL's Top Rookies
On the ice, there is very little misunderstanding when Yachmenev and Gretzky are together. Gretzky has assisted on every one of Yachmenev's team-leading 11 goals. Starting the season on Gretzky's line clearly has boosted Yachmenev's rookie-of-the-year chances.
It has been an unusual season in that no rookie has taken a commanding lead. Yachmenev is tied with Ottawa right wing Daniel Alfredsson for the league's rookie scoring race at 23 points. Alfredsson has 10 goals and 13 assists in 29 games; Yachmenev has 11 goals and 12 assists in 31 games. Other rookies with a viable chance for the Calder Trophy include Chicago's Eric Daze, the Islanders' Todd Bertuzzi and Montreal's Saku Koivu.
"It would be nice," Yachmenev, 20, said. "I just try to do my best."
Winning the Calder would mean a $50,000 bonus to supplement his $305,000 salary. Certainly, his presence as one of the elite rookies has come as a welcome revelation for the Kings. The only King to be named rookie of the year was Luc Robitaille after the 1986-87 season, when Robitaille had 45 goals and 84 points, 38 points after 31 games.
Even locally, the preseason focus centered more on King defenseman Aki Berg and Mighty Duck center Chad Kilger. Yachmenev was the Kings' third-round selection (59th overall) in the 1994 entry draft. The team's first two picks were goaltender Jamie Storr and developing enforcer Matt Johnson.
Yachmenev, 20, had a stunning NHL start, with 10 goals and 20 points in his first 19 games, including four goals and six points in the first three games. But, like the rest of the Kings, Yachmenev has all but disappeared offensively in the last month. He has only one goal and three points in the last 12 games.
"He's still getting the chances," King Coach Larry Robinson said. "But everyone knows him now and is watching him closely. It's not like he's not going to the net. I don't get the feeling he's a streaky scorer. Every game he's getting his chances.
"I'm certainly not disappointed in him."
Said Yachmenev: "I'm not thinking about how many points I'm getting. We have had a few chances."
Robinson has been trying a variety of line combinations and has split up Khristich, Gretzky and Yachmenev. Against Ottawa on Wednesday, he kept Khristich and Yachmenev together with Yanic Perreault centering them and put Gretzky on a line with wings Tony Granato and Tocchet.
Of course, Yachmenev would fade into obscurity after Gretzky was dealt and he didn't have the best playmaker in the game setting him up any longer.
