KINGS SIGN FREE AGENT CENTER MICHAL HANDZUS TO A FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings have signed free agent center Michal Handzus to a four-year contract, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Handzus, 30, has played eight NHL seasons including one this past season with the Chicago Blackhawks - three with the Philadelphia Flyers (2002-03 to 2003-04 and 2005-06), two with the Phoenix Coyotes (2000-01 and 2001-02) and three with the St. Louis Blues (1998-99 to 2000-01). In 517 career regular season games, he has 300 points (115-185=300), 313 penalty minutes and a plus-51 rating. In 60 career playoff games, he has 25 points (7-18=25), 34 penalty minutes and a plus-4 rating.

This past season, Handzus appeared in eight games with Chicago and collected eight points (3-5=8), six penalty minutes and a plus-4 rating. He collected his 300th NHL point versus St. Louis on October 21, 2006. He also matched a career high with three assists in a game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 7, 2006.

Handzus, a former teammate of center Ladislav Nagy in both St. Louis and Phoenix, finished second on Philadelphia in scoring in 2003-04 with a career high 58 points (20-38=58), and he helped the Flyers win an Atlantic Division title and reach the Eastern Conference Finals that year. In addition, he finished second in voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy (given to the NHL's best defensive forward) after scoring a career high 25 goals and finishing with a career high plus-19 in 1999-00. Handzus has scored 44 or more points five times and 20 or more goals three times during his NHL career.

Handzus, a 6-5, 217-pound native of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, was originally selected by St. Louis in the fourth-round (101st overall) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

Internationally, Handzus has represented Slovakia at the 2002 Winter Olympics Games, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and at the World Championships in 2005, 2002 (gold medal) and 2000 (silver medal). He has also represented Slovakia at the World Junior Championships in 1996 and 1997.

Michal Handzus' career regular season and playoff stats:

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1997-98 Worcester IceCats AHL 69 27 36 63 54 11 2 6 8 10
1998-99 St. Louis Blues NHL 66 4 12 16 30 11 0 2 2 8
1999-00 St. Louis Blues NHL 81 25 28 53 44 7 0 3 3 6
2000-01 St. Louis Blues NHL 36 10 14 24 12 -- -- -- -- --
2000-01 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 10 4 4 8 21 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 79 15 30 45 34 5 0 0 0 2
2002-03 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 23 21 44 46 13 2 6 8 6
2003-04 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 20 38 58 82 18 5 5 10 10
2004-05 Zvolen HKm Slova 33 14 24 38 34 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 11 33 44 38 6 0 2 2 2
2006-07 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 8 3 5 8 6 -- -- -- -- --
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NHL Totals 517 115 185 300 313 60 7 18 25 34

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