Taylor Listening to Offers for Palffy

General Manager Dave Taylor indicated for the first time Thursday that the Kings are listening to trade offers for scoring leader Ziggy Palffy.

Meanwhile, the club has stepped up efforts to re-sign defenseman Aaron Miller, one of five Kings eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.

“Ziggy’s been our best player this year,” Taylor said of the Slovak winger, who is due $7 million next season if the club option on his contract is exercised, “but we have to look at the economic side of things.

“We want to keep an eye on 2004 as well,” said Taylor, referring to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between club owners and players. “Nobody is sure what the situation will look like, but from our particular perspective, having some flexibility, I think, would be important to us and to our ownership.”

The Kings are weighing whether it’s in their best interest to tie up $15 million in two player contracts next season, when Jason Allison is due $8 million.

Miller, perhaps the Kings’ top defenseman since the trade that brought him from the Colorado Avalanche nearly two years ago, probably will command a free-agent contract similar to the four-year, $14.5-million deal signed by teammate Mattias Norstrom on the eve of training camp last September.

TONIGHT

vs. Carolina, 7:30, FSN

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KSPN (710).

Records -- Kings 21-24-4-4, Hurricanes 17-26-6-5.

Record vs. Hurricanes -- (2001-02) 1-0-0-1.

Update -- Jason Allison is expected to sit out again for the Kings.