ADAM HAUSER just wants the Los Angeles Kings to show him a little love.

His standard qualifying offer from the Kings, the one that kept the Manchester Monarchs goalie from the free agent market on July 31, didn't exactly snuggle him in warm fuzzies. In fact, it sat ignored on his kitchen table for a couple days this past week.

"At the end of last season and throughout the summer I always wanted to be back with Los Angeles," said Hauser, who is still mulling the Kings' offer and not jumping to sign it.

Hauser's two-way NHL-AHL contract with the Kings calls for him to make below the $75,000 AHL threshold salary.

The "threshold salary" is in a way a maximum salary. At $75,000 or below, a player will not need to clear waivers on his way to the NHL on a callup or on his return to the AHL.

Beyond the $75,000 mark, teams can claim the player for half his NHL deal. The club he previously played for picks up half the player's salary so the new club gets a player for half price. Each half counts against each team's salary cap.

In fact, Hauser has been offered less than $60,000. He has until August 15 to sign his qualifying offer.

Kings GM Dave Taylor said Tuesday that former Hartford Wolfpack goalie Jason LaBarbera was signed to serve as the backup to Mathieu Garon. That makes Hauser number three. "I can either take it and play or don't play," said Hauser. "I have asked my agent about playing in Europe and he's initiated that process. The problem is that when I come back, L.A. still retains my rights. I have no free agency right and no arbitration rights because I haven't played enough in the NHL."

Hauser signed his NHL deal a year ago. He had worked impressively in the AHL for it. With the Monarchs, the 25-year-old out of Minnesota has recorded 12 shutouts in two seasons. Last season he was third in the AHL in goals-against average at 1.93 and fourth in save percentage at .933. Both were franchise records.

"I want to be the number three," Hauser said. "I just want (Kings) to show me they think of me as the number three.

"We love Manchester," he added, "and Manchester has been good to us."

Love's got nothing to do with it, said Monarchs GM Kevin Gilmore.

"It's not a lack of love. It's a team policy, and everybody gets treated the same," said Gilmore, who doubles as assistant GM in Los Angeles and is thoroughly versed in the collective bargainning agreement and the salary cap. "That way you're not treating anybody unfairly because you're treating everybody the same. The qualifying offer is what it is. That's the way the system works."

"I've played against LaBarbera. It's not like they're bringing in an NHL veteran," said Hauser. "They've signed LaBarbera to a two-year deal. That means they have a plan.

"All I've ever asked for is some sort of progression," Hauser said. "Keep me moving in a positive progression. I want to be an average guy same as everybody else. I don't need to make a million-two like (former Monarchs goalie Milan) Hnlicka. I don't.

"This is a business," Hauser said. "This is my fourth year and it never hit me so much, how much it governs people's decisions."

But, Gilmore added, "Even the older guys aren't going to make more than $75,000. It comes down to what organization gives me the best chance to become an NHL player and where do I want to play? I think we have the best development system in the league and the best place to play."

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THE MAGIC NUMBER: Under the new CBA, players making more than $75,000 in the AHL will be subject to clearing waivers when they are called up and when they are sent down. It's known as the "anti-stashing rule."

"Teams are subject to a $39 million cap but teams like Toronto could spend $69 million and still make money," Gilmore said. "They could sign (unrestricted free agent) Alexander Mogilny for a million and put him in the AHL (Toronto's AHL team is in Toronto) and recall him on a game-by-game basis."

"Any player who wants to play for more than a hundred grand will be buried in the minors. You will never risk recalling him and losing him," added Gilmore.

So in fact, Hauser making less than $75,001 makes it easier for the Kings to move him to Los Angeles in the event of injuries to starter Mathieu Garon or back-up LaBarbera. The fact Hauser is under the threshold salary brings him closer to making NHL money — $450,000 minimum.

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FRONT OFFICE SHUFFLE: The Monarchs have promoted Kim Mueller to public relations director and broadcaster Ken Cail will handle added responsibility as the team's public relations coordinator assisting Mueller.

Cail will continue as the Monarchs' broadcaster. In five seasons he has never missed a game. The 24-year-old Mueller, a St. Louis native, has worked for two seasons with the Monarchs.

Kevin Harp, 29, has been hired to replace Monarchs manager of game entertainment Ben Peirce, who has taken the same postion with the Kings.

Harp comes to the Queen City from the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League. He also provided game presentation for the Dorados of the arenafootball2 league. He previously was a game operations staff member for the NBA San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.

Mueller replaces Monarchs publicist Mike Kalinowski, who is the Kings' new manager of communications. Monarchs intern Stephanie Krauss of Pelham has been hired by the Kings to work as a communications and broadcasting assistant.

"We're very happy for Mike and Ben and Stephanie," said Monarchs president Jeff Eisenberg. "Any individual who's here wants to go to the next level.

"I think the hallmark of any organization is retention of employees but also growing employees. I've always felt that I was very lucky to keep Mike and Ben as long as I did. I knew they were tremendously talented individuals. That's our job. To bring in new people.

"I've still got a very strong foundation of very experienced people," Eisenberg said. "If you lose a piece, there's this whole network of experienced people who can really help bring a new person into the flow. I'm very proud of the fact we can send these individuals to L.A. I think it will reflect very positively on the Monarchs organization."

Kevin Provencher covers the Manchester Monarchs for the New Hampshire Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News. Sources used for this column include: www.monarchshockey.com.