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The LA Kings are in the second half of their 2022-23 campaign and currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division. As we hit the middle of January, that also means it’s rumor season, as the NHL Trade Deadline is less than two months away.
Here’s a look at some of the recent rumors surrounding the LA Kings.
Goaltender
It’s no secret that the goaltending in Los Angeles has been subpar. At least until Pheonix Copley showed up. Among goaltenders with at least ten games played, both Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen are in the bottom ten in GSAx in the NHL (per Moneypuck.com). While Copley has been a big improvement over the other two, he has been somewhat average (34th in GSAx and 33rd in GSAx/60). He’s given the Kings what they’ve needed lately, but will it be enough for a playoff run?
In the Daily Faceoff’s latest Trade Deadline Matchmaker, Mike McKenna had the Kings atop his list of teams needing a goaltender. McKenna mentions the likes of James Reimer, Thomas Greiss, and Cam Talbot as potential cheap options, though I don’t think any of them move the needle. He did, however, offer something up that would be quite the splash:
“But here’s the catch: maybe LA wants to revamp their crease for the long haul. Would the Kings have the assets necessary to land Predators goalie Juuse Saros? What about Canucks backstop Thatcher Demko? I don’t know if either goaltender is truly available. But both have attractive contracts. Saros and Demko would each come with a $5 million cap hit. The only difference is Demko’s deal runs through 2025-26, while Saros’ contract ends a year earlier at the completion of the 2024-25 season.”
Given Demko’s injury situation, I’m not sure there’s a fit there unless he proves he’s healthy. But Saros is one of the few goaltenders that I consider “elite” as he is currently second in GSAx and has been in the top six each of the past three years. At 27 years old, if Nashville is willing to entertain offers, I’d certainly be interested.
Defensemen
Whether people like it or not, this will be a topic of conversation until GM Rob Blake addresses it. Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period recently sat down with Blake, who had positive things to say about Sean Durzi’s play on the left side of the defense. Be that as it may, if the LA Kings are going to be serious about making a playoff push, they need a top-four left defenseman.
Jakob Chychrun remains the biggest name on the market and has been linked to the Kings for what feels like an eternity. Though, Arizona’s asking price may very well have Blake looking elsewhere.
Bernstein mentions a couple of other names:
“The team has been consistently attached to trade rumors regarding left side defenders – the most prominent name being Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun, to a lesser extent Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, and in recent days Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm’s name has been bandied about. “
Similar to the Saros situation, Nashville is a tricky team to figure out. They aren’t a Cup contender (in fact, they aren’t even in a playoff position right now), but they are not a young team. They’ve got some big contracts that could be tough to move. One of those contracts is Ekholm. The player would be a fine addition, but he’s 32 and signed for three more years at $6.25M AAV after this season. No, thank you.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Provorov linked to the Kings, though in fairness, if you are a defenseman who shoots left-handed, you’ve probably been linked to the Kings in recent years. Surely the Flyers are going to make some changes, right? Provorov does make $6.75M AAV for two more seasons after this one, but at just 25 years old, that’s a lot easier to stomach. The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco recently offered some Provorov speculation.
His teammate, Travis Sanheim, has been a name mentioned in the past, but he just signed an eight-year extension in October, so the team likely views him as a cornerstone piece on the blue line.
Third Line Center
Ok, so this one I haven’t actually seen anywhere, but I’m bringing it to the table. With Quinton Byfield moving up to the first-line left wing (for now), the Kings again have a hole at 3C. It’s worth mentioning that spot could very well be Byfield’s when Arthur Kaliyev and Trevor Moore return to the lineup from injury, but even with them back, I think you could probably still have enough room to add a center.
Two players that could fit that role are Sean Monahan of the Montreal Canadiens and Max Domi of the Chicago Blackhawks. Both are on expiring contracts and will be UFAs at the end of the season. Monahan is currently dealing with a foot injury but has been skating and is expected to return to the Montreal lineup soon. In 25 games, Monahan has six goals and 17 points. He’s been an all-around solid player for the struggling Canadiens and, at 28 years old, a likely candidate to be sold by March.
Domi brings a little more feistiness to his game but considering that’s something the Kings lack, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. It also comes with some production, as he has 28 points in 39 games this year. The soon-to-be 28-year-old would be someone the Blackhawks may want to cash in on.
Here’s how the two compare per Evolving Hockey:
What would the Kings’ lines look like with adding another forward to a seemingly crowded group?
Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Iafallo – Danault – Arvidsson
Moore – Monahan – Fiala
Kaliyev – Lizotte – Vilardi
*For purposes of this exercise, I would be sending the waivers-exempt Rasmus Kupari to the AHL.
While the team has more pressing needs, the depth of that forward group is pretty attractive.
There won’t be any shortage of rumors surrounding the LA Kings over the next few weeks. And with the Western Conference seemingly up for grabs, why not be aggressive?
(Main Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)