A trade-deadline primer for the Los Angeles Kings

There aren’t many teams across the NHL who can afford to take in money with term without moving money out to match. We saw this last summer when the Montreal Canadiens dealt Jeff Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins and received Mike Matheson in return, with Canadiens GM Kent Hughes later commenting on the fact that it was next to impossible to find a suitable deal for Petry without taking a contract back.

Those kinds of deals can be exceptionally difficult to complete in the middle of a season, so while it seems likely that the Kings would love to deal Petersen before the deadline, it seems highly unlikely that they’d actually be able to find a suitable trade. His .868 save percentage this season and .895 last year is simply too big of a cloud over his head for him to be a simple player to move.

If the Kings want to acquire a significant player to add to their lineup for the rest of this season and beyond, they’ll likely need to pull from a well-stocked prospect cupboard. A few names stick out in that regard, and no, the Kings probably won’t be trading top prospect Brandt Clarke, despite some earlier reports. Instead, a prime candidate to be moved from the Kings’ prospect pool appears to be 2019 fifth-overall selection, Alex Turcotte. The aggressive, pace-pushing forward has struggled with injuries and underperformance since turning pro after one season at the University of Wisconsin, and he has thus far been unable to break into the NHL in the way other 2019 lottery picks have.

Perhaps a team that had Turcotte high on their draft board in 2019, a team that still believes in his upside, would be willing to prioritize acquiring Turcotte when dealing with Los Angeles. It’s worth noting here in terms of potential interest that Kirby Dach, once a fellow underperforming top 2019 draft pick, net his former club the 13th overall pick at the 2022 draft via trade, and now Dach is flourishing with his new club.

At this trade deadline, the Kings could look to follow that model with Turcotte, except with the return likely coming in the form of a useful player rather than a top draft choice.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Tobias Bjornfot, D Sean Durzi, C Tyler Madden, D Helge Grans

Team Needs

1) Left-Shot Defenseman: While most might look at the performance of the Kings’ goalies and say that that position is undoubtedly their top need, 31-year-old Pheonix Copley just signed a contract extension and has a 17-3-1 record this season. While the Kings should definitely explore upgrades in the crease, it feels that upgrading the left side of their defense should be the more pressing priority. The team’s current stable of left-handed blueliners is extremely thin behind the underrated Michael Anderson. Their top two left-shot options behind him are 36-year-old veteran Alexander Edler and Tobias Bjornfot, who is still largely unproven. Adding a capable top-four (or better) left-shot blueliner would do wonders for the overall makeup of their lineup. And for those who’d prefer a new goalie, adding to the Kings’ defense will also help their goalies as well.

1) A Quality Goalie: As mentioned, Copley has stolen the show in Los Angeles with his impressive record through 23 games. But if the Kings want a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup, they might want a more reliable face in their crease beyond a player with 54 games of NHL experience and Jonathan Quick, who for all his accomplishments is 37 years old and has an .878 save percentage this season. Netminders such as Joonas Korpisalo, Semyon Varlamov, Cam Talbot, or even Karel Vejmelka could be available and each would present a solid investment for a team with a shaky-at-best situation at the game’s most important position. The Kings have made a deadline-season goalie acquisition before, and it didn’t work out well for them, but they can’t let that history stop them from making what would likely be a very helpful addition this time around.