Kings Lose Thomson to North Stars : Hockey: Right winger, who spent most of season in minor leagues, goes in expansion draft.

The Kings lost one No. 17 and gained a better one.

Right wing Jari Kurri made the number famous in Edmonton. King right wing Jim Thomson would like to do the same in Minnesota, where he is expected to join the North Stars after being selected in Thursday’s expansion draft.

Thomson, 25, spent most of the season with the Kings’ New Haven farm club, appearing in eight games for the Kings and scoring one goal, a game-winner against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan 6. In selecting him, Minnesota passed up bigger-name Kings left unprotected such as John Tonelli, Tim Watters and Bob Halkidis.

Each existing team lost one player in an unusual expansion draft that saw the new San Jose Sharks and the Stanley Cup finalist North Stars alternate picks.

Bodies were moving in all directions in a long and wild day of wheeling and dealing that began with a dispersal draft that enabled the Sharks to select 24 players from the Minnesota organization. Four--goalie Brian Hayward, right wing Shane Churla and defensemen Neil Wilkinson and Rob Zettler--came from the club that lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the finals. The other 20 came from the minors.

When the draft phase began, the Sharks didn’t wait long to make their first trade. After obtaining wing Tim Kerr from the Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose sent him to the New York Rangers for wing Brian Mullen.

After selecting forward Greg Paslawski from the Buffalo Sabres, the Sharks traded him to the Quebec Nordiques for center Tony Hrkac.

Minnesota also got into the trading market. Picking forward Rob Murray from the Washington Capitals, the North Stars sent him to the Winnipeg Jets for a seventh-round selection in this year’s draft. Minnesota then traded that pick to the Calgary Flames for backup goalie Steve Guenette.

The usual situation of having an existing club--and a Stanley Cup finalist at that--sharing the wealth in an expansion draft came about because of a controversial agreement struck when George and Gordon Gund, former North Star owners, sold their team to get the new Bay Area franchise.