Penguins Subtract Salary; Kings Add Offense

Martin Straka is the latest casualty of the Pittsburgh Penguins' austerity program. Straka has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings for minor league defenseman Martin Strbak and Sergei Anshakov, a 19-year-old forward playing in Russia.

Straka has done little to earn his $4.35-million salary this year, with 4 goals and 8 assists in 22 Pittsburgh games. But he has had four 20-goal seasons, and recorded 95 points in 2000-01. The Kings, who are short on healthy forwards, obviously hope the faster style of hockey played in the Western Conference will help Straka regain his touch.

Strbak, a 28-year-old Slovak who came to North America this season, had two goals in five games for L.A. Anshakov, 19, was a second-round pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He currently plays in the Russian Super League.

The trade drops the Pittsburgh payroll into the $23-million range, challenging Nashville and Minnesota as the NHL's lowest paid team. Straka joins Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang and Alexei Kovalev on the list of expensive scoring stars who have been sent packing by the Penguins in recent years.