from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,

When the pending unrestricted free agent was asked about his desire to remain in southern California, he didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” he said. And then he added a second “yes” for emphasis.

It’s been a tough year of transition for Lucic, but he’s in a good place. His father committed suicide last April and then came a trade from the only NHL club the second-round 2006 draft pick played for over his previous eight seasons.

But he looks comfortable and sounds content.

“It’s been great,” stressed Lucic. “I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Great place to play. Great place to live. And a first-class organization in how they treat their players and that’s why I would love nothing more than to definitely remain a King.

“It just seemed because of my style that coming here was going to be a really good fit because we play that straight ahead power game. And playing for Darryl (Sutter), you obviously have a lot of respect for a good western guy and that was something I was really looking forward to — playing for a guy who’s hard-nosed and expects his guys to play a certain way.

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