Storr Considers Net Worth

At 22, King backup goaltender Jamie Storr is old enough to understand that the NHL is a business but young enough to hate the business aspect of it.

“It’s no fun,” he said Thursday of being unsigned. “It’s a time when the brutal truth is told, and it’s kind of degrading. It’s hard when they build up your confidence during the season, telling you all the things you did for them, and then you hear all the negative stats and other things [when it’s time to consider a contract].”

Storr works out alone at the Iceoplex before the team begins its daily training camp regimen, and says the sides are not far apart in negotiations.

General Manager Dave Taylor acknowledges that he has had more feedback from Storr’s representatives than those of the three other unsigned Kings--Rob Blake, Aki Berg and Matt Johnson--but that the sides are still at a distance.

The Kings have offered Storr a 10% raise from the $550,000 he earned last season, and the club would prefer a two-year deal worth about $1.2 million.

“They’ve even offered me three years, but at about the same thing: 10% increases per year,” Storr said. “I hope that I can be a starting goalie by the third year. Backup goalies average about $600,000-$800,000, but starting goalies are at $3 million to $6 million.”

King starter Stephane Fiset is at $1.115 million for this season.