Usually there is no need to write twice a day, but considering the Kings just picked up one of the more talked about impending free agents and trade targets it seemed justified.
Per LA Kings Insider,, the Kings have acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from Carolina for a 2015 first-round pick and defensive prospect Roland McKeown.
McKeown was selected in the second round of last year's draft after the Kings traded Linden Vey and another draft pick to Vancouver to move up and select the puck mover. He has had his fair share of struggles this season with the Kingston Frontenacs, and also missed out on Team Canada for the World Junior Championships. Nevertheless, McKeown is considered a solid offensive defenseman with a lot of upside. The first round pick will also be in this coming draft, which is considered one of the deepest drafts in the last decade.
Sekera, 28, is an impending free agent and is one of the better possession defenseman in the NHL.
With the Voynov trial getting pushed further back and an uncertain future also looming, the Kings moved on the left shooting Dman from Slovakia.
Sekera was at a $2.75 cap hit for Carolina and would likely be in line for a bit of a raise given his body of work. Considering the Kings made certain they could resign Marian Gaborik at last year's deadline it wouldn't be surprising if a similar set of circumstances were in place. For the 3rd time in 4 years, Dean Lombardi has stepped up right at or before the trade deadline in acquiring a player of need. While there is a certain amount of risk involved with this one, Sekera is an immediate boost to a Kings defensive group that has been playing an extreme amount of minutes lately. Doughty has regularly played above 30 minutes a night, and Robyn Regehr logged his highest average ice time in February in about 10 years. Sekera currently has 19 points on the season and is logging 22+ minutes for the Hurricanes.
Either way the Kings have boosted their defensive ranks after a day that also saw them sign Kyle Clifford to a five-year extension. With the news of the Clifford extension and the acquisition of Sekera, the likelihood of impending free agents Robyn Regehr, Jarret Stoll, and Justin Williams all coming back is seeming more and more unlikely. That being said, Sekera could still end up a rental for the Kings if things don't work out.
Blog will be updated as more details emerge.
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