Sheng Peng: LA's Trade Deadline Needs What are the wild card Kings looking for by March 1st's Trade Deadline?

Yeah, we totally need a top six scoring forward. One that is on a short term conract and we can get cheap. Too bad Lombardi didn't pick up Matt Puempel when he was avaliable. Dustin Brown is totally useless in that regard.

from a fan's perspective, you'd naturally like to see Lombardi pursue a trade for an impact winger. but frankly, from Lombardi's position, I'd probably be more inclined to simply let it play out with what you already have. The trade for Sekera showed how absolutely disastrous supposedly high end rental players can be. The types of trades I'd pursue , if any, would be ones in which it's a young impact player with term that can easily adapt to the current style we play. If it doesn't fit that description, you're spinning your tires... or perhaps worse. moving backwards.

Yeah, we totally need a top six scoring forward. One that is on a short term conract and we can get cheap.
- verwustung

The types of trades I'd pursue , if any, would be ones in which it's a young impact player with term that can easily adapt to the current style we play.
- Woodysdemise

I prefer a younger, longer-term guy, but that's going to be more expensive too. Landeskog seems like an excellent fit, except for the cost.

I prefer a younger, longer-term guy, but that's going to be more expensive too. Landeskog seems like an excellent fit, except for the cost.
- Sheng Peng

Jannick Hansen would be a great fit on the Kings. Would cost you a 1st rounder, but I believe it would be worth it.

Im of the mindset to make retooling trades to put us into a better situation next year. Lets not go all in this year. Take the time to allow those kids to get more NHL exp in theyre current roles. Im honestly fine with the defense even if we traded one of them. A winger for Kopi should be priority #1.

Time for Kings to give best offer for Josh Bailey......

In the event that the Kings get their top-line winger, then the third-line hole becomes obsolete. Currently the Kings are swapping King, Pearson, and Brown in and out of that role. Let's say the Kings acquire Landeskog for Muzzin+:

Landeskog-Kopitar-Gaborik
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Brown-Dowd-Lewis

Brown and Dowd have looked exceptional playing together this season, and Lewis was on the 3rd line wing for both Cup wins.

Defense then becomes a bit shallow:

Forbort-Doughty
McNabb-Martinez
Gravel-LaDue
Greene

That's three rookies in the top six.

If the Kings do decide to trade a roster defenseman for Landeskog, they should look into picking up Fedor Tyutin as a rental. I doubt it costs too much extra to get that done.

Sheng Peng: LA's Trade Deadline Needs
What are the wild card Kings looking for by March 1st's Trade Deadline?
- Sheng Peng

Andrew MacDonald from the Philadelphia Flyers!!!

I wish our Dmen would wrist more shots through instead of always trying to get those slappers through.

Eklund: "The deal on the table is Muzzin and #1 prospect Kempe for Matt Duchene and Francois Beauchemin...The Avalanche want LoDue.... but he is untouchable"

I'm relieved that it seems that Lombardi is entertaining the idea of trading Muzzin over Martinez. That Fourth Period article yesterday on him leaning towards trading Martinez had me worried. I started thinking about it during today's OT and decided to look up 3-on-3 OT usage. Going back to last season, Sutter has leaned heavily on Doughty and Martinez, pretty much just alternating between the two.

3-on-3
====
2016-17 Doughty 13.07 TOI
2016-17 Martinez 9.08 TOI
2016-17 Muzzin 2.72 TOI

2015-16 Doughty 28.65 TOI
2015-16 Martinez 20.22 TOI
2015-16 Muzzin 6.85 TOI

As we know, their record in OT over those two seasons is a combined 22-4, which is 22 extra points. It would seem awfully risky to trade one of two main defensemen who helped get the team those points. Martinez is arguably even more money in OT than Doughty is.


Anyways, to address the topic of the blog more specifically, I might've leaned toward not making any big moves if Kopitar didn't have a serious production problem stemming from linemate quality. You absolutely need to address an issue like that before the playoffs, though. I'm frankly surprised that riding Carter this long has worked as well as it has, but you can't count on it working in the playoffs, too. Teams don't go far in the playoffs riding one guy. Maybe you don't necessarily need to add a top-flight player like a Duchene or Landeskog, but you need some kind of upgrade to give Kopitar (and Gaborik) a boost. Of course, unless you're getting him cheap (like Gaborik was in 2014), then it needs to be a player with term left (not a rental) for it to make sense.

Jannick Hansen would be a great fit on the Kings. Would cost you a 1st rounder, but I believe it would be worth it.
- Scooby_Doo

Hansen a good player on a good contract, but doubt LA would give up a 1st for a guy crossing 30. At this point, 1st is more valuable to LA than it is to other teams. Somebody else might though.

Andrew MacDonald from the Philadelphia Flyers!!!
- ggunky

Yesss sign me up!

Andrew MacDonald from the Philadelphia Flyers!!!
- ggunky

I don't foresee the Kings trading for another defenseman that would require protection in the expansion draft. They already have too many defensemen to protect.

If they do pick up a defenseman, expect it to be a rental or a mid-to-late-30s veteran with a only year or two left on his contract.

Maybe you don't necessarily need to add a top-flight player like a Duchene or Landeskog, but you need some kind of upgrade to give Kopitar (and Gaborik) a boost. Of course, unless you're getting him cheap (like Gaborik was in 2014), then it needs to be a player with term left (not a rental) for it to make sense.
- Osprey

It's a good point on getting Kopitar some help. Purcell was supposed to do it, but LA doesn't seem to have much use for him. I'm not averse to a relatively cheap, skilled pick-up -- a Parenteau type -- as long as they do a better job of vetting fit with Sutter, unlike Purcell and Versteeg.

A previous poster suggested Hansen -- if he could be had for cheap, he might be a perfect fit. But I'd guess Vancouver could do better than cheap.