What does the future hold for the Los Angeles Kings? If one was to listen to internet rumors (and trust me, I’d rather listen to Peter Loubardias and Pierre McGuire double team game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final) a trade on deadline day is all but imminent.
Personally, I’m not that convinced.
While I do believe the Kings will be buyers at this year’s deadline, I don’t foresee a blockbuster deal on the horizon, should they choose to dip into the market at all. Remember, just because the Kings are going to be buyers again this season, does not mean that a deal will surface that’s the right “fit”; anyone who has ever listened to one of Dean Lombardi’s monologues on team building knows that the guy is all about “fit”. The Kings are undoubtedly in the market for a top-6 forward, but what’s out there?
What do I think is going to happen? Here are a few moves I see being possible and a few I just truly refuse to believe.
Possibility #1: Kris Versteeg
Kris Versteeg would be a perfect fit in LA. Not only can he fill a top-6 role as the winger that the Kings so desperately need, but he has the goal scoring touch, character, and Stanley Cup experience that the Kings will need heading into the playoffs. With one year remaining on his contract, and Brian Burke’s assertion that the Maple Leafs are not yet done making moves this month, Versteeg’s name has come up in trade rumors from reputable sources such as TSN. The only downside to a deal for Versteeg is that Burke is in the market for young roster players and top prospects. While Versteeg may not have lived up to the high expectations in Toronto this season, he will not come cheap.
Tomfoolery #1: Dustin Penner or Ales Hemsky
Overpaid and under performing stars are the norm in Edmonton (for God’s sake they paid Shawn Horcoff 7-million dollars last season), but I can’t imagine that either Hemsky or Penner are the solution to the Kings’ problems heading down the stretch. Hemsky, the oft injured Czech, is infamous for hesitating to shoot the puck, always looking for the perfect pass. Averaging about 185 shots a season, Hemsky would not solve the problem the Kings tend to have putting the puck in the net. Not only that, but he doesn’t seem to possess the strength to play the Kings’ grinding, cycling style of play. Penner may be a more realistic option (still not a good one in this writer’s opinion) but he has a reputation for lacking the drive necessary to become a star in this league. Simply put, he’s lazy. While he can put the puck in the net and is a big bodied guy, his lackadaisical attitude does not fit the hard working, character focused culture of the LA Kings.
Possibility #2: Mike Fisher
With the season all but lost in Ottawa, Brian Murray has declared fire-sale on all of the Senators’ roster players, excluding Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson. Fisher has shown, in past, his abilities as a mid-20 goal scorer and he seems to be on pace for a similar number this season. With 2 years left on his contract, and being a centreman to boot, this may be a bit more a of a stretch for Dean Lombardi, but he does seem like he would be the right “fit” for LA: a big-bodied player that would fit well in the Kings’ system. Plus, he brings Carrie Underwood with him.
Tomfoolery #2: Zach Parise
Any notion that the New Jersey Devils will part ways with star RFA Zach Parise is pure
nonsense. While the Devils are in the midst of one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Parise is one of the few bright lights on the horizon and will be playing along Ilya Kovalchuk for years to come. Rest assured that Lou Lamoriello will be doing some significant restructuring of the Devils in the coming months in order to accommodate Parise’s massive contract extension. Los Angeles is not a destination of the future.
So much will change in the coming weeks (especially in the Western Conference) that my trade deadline musings are nothing more than educated guesses. One thing is for sure though, if the right “fit” isn’t on the market, the Kings will have no problem heading into the playoffs with their current roster. This team has shown glimpses of greatness throughout this season, and if they can find the consistency needed to become a legitimate contender they won’t need the outside help.
Of course as soon as I publish this article the Senators trade Fisher to Nashville for a first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick; just my luck.
On a different note, with Fisher having a no trade clause his wife obviously played a hand in the location selection. Capital of country music here they come.