Headlines

  • Golden Knights’ Adin Hill Out Week-To-Week, William Karlsson Targeting Olympic Return
  • ECHL Players To Strike
  • Maple Leafs Fire Assistant Coach Marc Savard
  • Sharks’ Will Smith Out Week-To-Week, Collin Graf Questionable
  • Rangers’ J.T. Miller Out Week-To-Week
  • Oilers’ Tristan Jarry Out Week-To-Week, Frederic Scratched
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • MLB/NBA/NFL
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Kings Rumors

Kings Shopping Brandt Clarke

March 7, 2025 at 9:18 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 17 Comments

The Kings are shopping 2021 No. 8 overall pick Brandt Clarke as they search for a needle-moving upgrade on the wing ahead of the deadline, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

Clarke, 22, has yet to receive a legitimate run at top-four minutes on the Los Angeles blue line. This is really the defender’s first full-time NHL season in earnest, only appearing in nine games in 2022-23 and 16 in 2023-24. He had a golden opportunity to prove he could play higher up in the lineup when fellow righty Drew Doughty started the year on injured reserve following ankle surgery, but even then, he rarely received top-four deployment. He’s only played north of 20 minutes in a game eight times this season, all coming in October and November.

Nonetheless, the 6’2″ righty trudged on with great results in his limited usage. He leads the Kings’ blue line in scoring with 4-21–25 through 56 games, with a good chunk of that production coming at even strength. He was technically the Kings’ top power-play quarterback when Doughty was sidelined through late January, but the team’s man-advantage units have struggled with just a 15% success rate in 2024-25. His possession impacts against lesser competition at even strength are sterling, controlling 54.7% of shot attempts for the second-best share among defenders on the team behind Jordan Spence.

He’s still been chastised for a lack of physicality, registering 16 hits on the year. While he may not engage along the boards, that’s an unfair assessment. His 97 blocks are tied for second on the team behind Vladislav Gavrikov despite his third-pairing deployment, and unlike in other circumstances, that isn’t an indication of Clarke simply not being able to maintain possession of the puck at even strength. In essence, his performance in just 16:13 of average ice time per game this year paints a much rosier picture of Clarke’s two-way potential than some would otherwise caution. That makes his two healthy scratches in the Kings’ last three games a puzzling choice for a club that ranks 24th in goals per game and 19th in shots per game this season.

The Ottawa native is also extremely decorated outside of the NHL. Already an AHL and CHL All-Star with a World Juniors gold medal under his belt, he’s still got one year left on his entry-level contract and rightfully ranked as the top prospect in L.A.’s system by McKeen’s Hockey last fall. While no longer considered a prospect considering his emergence into a full-time NHL role, he ranks fifth among U-23 defensemen in scoring this season behind Jake Sanderson, Owen Power, Lane Hutson, and Luke Hughes.

Needless to say, he’ll be an extremely valuable asset and will comprise most of the return value if Kings general manager Rob Blake makes an aggressive push for a top-six winger like Brock Boeser or Brad Marchand.

Los Angeles Kings Brandt Clarke

17 comments

Maple Leafs, Stars, Kings, Golden Knights, Panthers Calling On Mikko Rantanen

March 6, 2025 at 9:44 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 42 Comments

9:44 a.m.: Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic adds the Golden Knights and Panthers as teams who have made legitimate pitches for Rantanen in the last 24 hours, also moving the player to the top of his pre-deadline board. Vegas would need retention on Carolina’s part to get a deal done with $2.4MM in deadline cap space, with the Hurricanes likely targeting someone like 24-goal man Pavel Dorofeyev as part of the return. Florida wouldn’t need retention after placing Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR for what’s expected to be the remainder of the regular season, and might need to surrender top forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich to get it done. He’s recently been elevated to a top-six role in Tkachuk’s absence.

8:10 a.m.: The Maple Leafs, Stars, and Kings are three teams expressing high levels of interest in star right-winger Mikko Rantanen, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes. After reports first surfaced last month that the Hurricanes could flip Rantanen after acquiring him from the Avalanche in a January blockbuster if extension talks weren’t productive, Carolina has “opened the door” on trade talks late this week, Friedman said. There’s a long list of teams to display interest so far – including the Devils, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now said Tuesday.

It remains to be seen how willing the Hurricanes are to move Rantanen, who will likely need to agree in principle to an extension with his new club for them to land the return they desire. Carolina isn’t a seller in any capacity – they’re nine points ahead of the playoff line and have a 99.6% chance at a playoff berth, per MoneyPuck – so they’re presumably not interested in futures as the primary value in a return.

The 6’4″ Finn hasn’t been what the Hurricanes expected when they surrendered Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, and three draft picks to acquire him and Taylor Hall in a three-team deal with the Blackhawks six weeks ago. Despite spending most of his time in the lineup stapled to star countryman Sebastian Aho’s wing as expected, he’s scored just 2-4–6 through 12 games in Carolina with a minus-two rating.

Rantanen’s brief but underwhelming showing outside of Colorado, where he’d torched the league for 1.28 points per game since 2020, will weigh on teams’ minds as they debate how many resources they’ll commit to acquiring and extending him. With an eight-year deal, he’s virtually guaranteed to become one of the four highest-paid players in the league, surpassing Oilers star Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV and likely even former teammate Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM cap hit. AFP Analytics even projects an eight-year extension for Rantanen to cost $13.65MM per season, approaching $110MM in total value and making him the second-highest paid player in the league next season behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who’ll be kicking off a mega-extension with a $14MM cap hit.

While there will surely be NHL players coming off the acquiring teams’ roster in a Rantanen return, the Maple Leafs are the only one of the above group who would need to make a money-in, money-out deal. Carolina, who has Rantanen on their books for $4.625MM against the cap after Chicago retained half his salary in January’s trade, can make him a $2.3MM player by retaining an additional 50%. That wouldn’t require additional shuffling on the Stars’ or Kings’ end.

Carolina will need an immediate replacement at wing in the deal. While it’s likely to be a downgrade in terms of overall reputation, they’ll still be asking for a bona fide top-six piece with other assets in the deal to make up the difference in trade value. For Toronto, that could mean parting ways with pending RFA Matthew Knies, shifting William Nylander to the left wing to replace him and casting Rantanen and Mitch Marner as their top two right wingers. Another bottom-six depth piece, potentially Calle Järnkrok, could also be out the door to help the Hurricanes replace the void left by William Carrier when he underwent lower-body surgery in late January.

The Kings have made their desire for a right-handed scorer public over the last few weeks and will pivot to second-line type names like the Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri if their efforts to land Rantanen are futile. Carolina likely demands someone like Trevor Moore in return, who erupted for 31 goals last year but has just 12 in 51 games this year. Breakout 23-year-old Alex Laferriere, who’s posted 15-16–31 in 56 games, is also an option as a centerpiece, but would require more additional assets from L.A. than Toronto would need to provide on top of the more highly-touted Knies.

Dallas, who’s already added Mikael Granlund to their forward group, has more appealing NHL-ready young talent to offer than their Western Conference rival. Either 2024 AHL MVP turned NHL full-timer Mavrik Bourque or 22-year-old Logan Stankoven could immediately slot into the Canes’ top-nine (or top-six, in Stankoven’s case), and are more in Knies’ territory in terms of long-term offensive ceiling than Laferriere and Moore.

Carolina Hurricanes| Dallas Stars| Florida Panthers| Los Angeles Kings| Newsstand| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vegas Golden Knights Mikko Rantanen

42 comments

Los Angeles Kings Showing Interest In Kyle Palmieri

March 4, 2025 at 8:34 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, on 32 Thoughts with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the analyst shared that the Los Angeles Kings would prioritize a right-handed scorer at the trade deadline. We opined that New York Islanders’ winger Kyle Palmieri would be the best fit for Los Angeles, given that he’s one year removed from a 30-goal campaign.

It appears the Kings are thinking similarly, as Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News mentioned earlier that Los Angeles had checked in on Palmieri’s availability. Still, there’s some speculation the Islanders will keep Palmieri through the deadline, given they’re only five points back of the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.

Fortunately for the Kings and other interested teams, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Islanders’ reality has settled in, and the team is now engaged in trade negotiations for Palmieri and center Brock Nelson. Palmieri has 19 goals and 40 points through 60 games this year and should command plenty of interest at the deadline, especially if New York is willing to retain some money from his $5MM cap hit.

[SOURCE LINK]

Columbus Blue Jackets| Los Angeles Kings| New York Islanders| Utah Mammoth Karel Vejmelka| Kyle Palmieri

2 comments

Vladislav Gavrikov Changes Representation

March 1, 2025 at 8:09 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

  • Friedman also shared that Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has left the Gold Star Sports Management Group to join CAA Sports LLC. It’s typically not terrific news for a player’s current team if he switches agencies, but Friedman doesn’t believe it’s time to ring any alarm bells in Los Angeles. Mutual interest remains between Gavrikov and the Kings on an extension, although it likely won’t get done before the trade deadline. CAA Sports LCC has recently negotiated several extensions, including David Pastrňák’s, Mathew Barzal’s, Dougie Hamilton’s, Filip Forsberg’s, and Lucas Raymond’s.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Buffalo Sabres| Los Angeles Kings| Washington Capitals Ethan Bear| Jordan Greenway| Vladislav Gavrikov

6 comments

Wild Acquire Tyler Madden From Kings

February 26, 2025 at 8:50 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 1 Comment

The Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings have made a minor league swap, with forward Tyler Madden headed to Minnesota for defenseman Joseph Cecconi. Both players are career AHL fixtures.

The Vancouver Canucks originally drafted Madden in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft.  He spent the next two seasons in a top role at Northeastern University, where he potted 65 points across 63 games. With his eyes on a pro turn, Madden was traded to Los Angeles in a 2020 deal that sent Tyler Toffoli to Vancouver. Madden turned pro in the shortened 2020-21 AHL season and scored just five points in his first 14 career games. He grew to 31 points in 48 games the next year – but has stayed close to the 30-point mark through 71 games in each of the last two seasons. He’s on track to repeat his performance this year – with 25 points in 47 games – but a timely move to the Minnesota organization could give him the spark needed to break 35 points for the first time in his career.

In return, Los Angeles acquired full-frame defender Cecconi to fill the hole left when the Nashville Predators claimed Andreas Englund on waivers. Cecconi was in his first season with the Iowa Wild after two years with the Rochester Americans and five years with the Texas Stars. His 14 points and 41 penalty minutes in 51 games this season continue his tendency for low-scoring and hard-hitting defense through yet another move. Should the Kings face any more blue-line injuries, that style could be enough to earn Cecconi his NHL debut on a lineup that isn’t afraid to ice seven defenders.

AHL| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| Players| Transactions Joseph Cecconi| Tyler Madden

1 comment

Mikey Anderson Expected To Return Tomorrow

February 21, 2025 at 8:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

  • According to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens, the Los Angeles Kings are expected to welcome back defenseman Michael Anderson against the Utah Hockey Club tomorrow night. The six-year pro missed the last four games before the 4 Nations Face-Off because of a finger injury. Los Angeles still needs to activate Anderson from the injured reserve but his return will give the Kings a healthy lineup to start the final stretch of the regular season.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Injury| Los Angeles Kings| Pittsburgh Penguins| Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson| Mikey Anderson| Quinn Hughes| Sidney Crosby

0 comments

Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

February 18, 2025 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Calgary Flames| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| Los Angeles Kings| Nashville Predators| New York Rangers| Pittsburgh Penguins| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Toronto Maple Leafs| Transactions| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks| Winnipeg Jets Arshdeep Bains| Arturs Silovs| Charlie McAvoy| Collin Graf| Dylan Garand| Elias Pettersson (D)| Emil Bemstrom| Ethan Del Mastro| Jack Thompson| Joel Blomqvist| Josh Doan| Kaapo Kahkonen| Lian Bichsel| Matt Murray (b. 1998)| Matthew Poitras| Michael Callahan| Michael DiPietro| Nikita Tolopilo| Nils Aman| Riley Stillman| Riley Tufte| Tristan Jarry| Will Cranley

1 comment

Kings Prioritizing Right-Handed Scorer At Deadline

February 14, 2025 at 1:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 20 Comments

In today’s edition of ’32 Thoughts’ on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman spoke briefly about the Los Angeles Kings’ priority leading up to the trade deadline. Friedman unsurprisingly shared that the Kings’ are engaged in the markets for right-handed scoring forwards.

The news is unsurprising for a few reasons. The Kings have a lethargic offense, especially for a playoff-bound team. Out of every team positioned in a divisional playoff spot, Los Angeles has the lowest goals-for-per-game, powerplay percentage, and shots-on-goal amount.

They also lack handedness diversity among forwards. Of the nine Kings’ forwards with 10 or more points on the year, winger Alex Laferriere is the only right-handed shot.

It’s unlikely Los Angeles would be willing to move Anže Kopitar or Quinton Byfield out of their roles as top-six centers, indicating the Kings will move toward the market for right-handed wings. Furthermore, with cap space being a limiting factor, Los Angeles should find themselves in the rental market.

Those assumed components narrow down the field of available wingers. Kyle Palmieri of the New York Islanders, Joel Armia of the Montreal Canadiens, and Justin Brazeau of the Boston Bruins are the only pending unrestricted free agents right-handed wingers with double-digit or more goals not on teams currently holding onto a playoff spot.

Palmieri should be the ideal candidate given he’s only one year removed from scoring 30 goals and has moderate playoff experience. If the Kings acquired Palmieri today, he would become their third-highest goal scorer and rank sixth in shots on goal.

The other two have scored 10 goals each this year and would cost less than Palmieri. Still, after being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of three straight playoffs, Los Angeles may want to target more of a game-changing talent.

Los Angeles Kings

20 comments

Trade Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings

February 12, 2025 at 10:30 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 9 Comments

With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings are in a peculiar position leading into the trade deadline. They have been a consistently competitive team in the Western Conference but don’t carry the same offensive firepower as divisional opponents such as the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights, leading to early exits in the Stanley Cup playoffs. General manager and vice president of hockey operations, Rob Blake, for better or for worse, isn’t a stranger to big moves. Will he add more offense to balance the Kings out, double down on their pesky defense, or stand pat like he did last year?

Record

29-17-7, 3rd in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Conservative buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$4.516MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 43/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: LAK 1st, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th
2026: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th

Trade Chips

If the Kings’ front office believes they’re in a window of contention, Los Angeles could trade one of their first-round picks in 2025 or 2026. Since selecting Brandt Clarke as the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Kings have added 19 prospects to their organization via the draft, giving the flexibility to trade a higher-valued draft selection. Still, unless they trade some salary from the active roster, Los Angeles doesn’t have the financial flexibility to add a needle-mover thus negating most reasoning to move a first-round pick.

Although the Kings’ organization has many prospects, the overall quality of those prospects is lacking. Since graduating the likes of Clarke, Akil Thomas, and Alex Turcotte to the NHL level, forward Liam Greentree is objectively the best prospect remaining giving Los Angeles every reason to retain him. Greentree was selected as the 26th overall pick in last summer’s draft and is the OHL’s third-highest scorer this year with 35 goals and 51 assists through 50 games.

Still, one thing the Kings’ pipeline has is goaltending depth. According to Scott Wheeler’s prospect rankings in The Athletic (Subscription Required), three of Los Angeles’ top-five prospects are goaltenders: Erik Portillo, Hampton Slukynsky, and Carter George. Portillo is the closest to NHL-ready with the latter two being several years away. Although goaltending depth is always important, no team needs three goaltenders for the future so the Kings’ could look to move either Slukynsky or George for more immediate talent.

Team Needs

1) Second Line Center: As much as Los Angeles would like Quinton Byfield to be a top-six center for years to come, it’s not working out that way. To Byfield’s credit, the Kings are controlling the puck more 5 on 5 when he’s on the ice, but his 43.6% faceoff success rate and his 88.4% on-ice save percentage in all situations show he’s more of a top-six winger. As mentioned, Los Angeles doesn’t have the cap space or the necessary capital to acquire a player like Dylan Cozens or Casey Mittelstadt, but they should be one of the team’s calling on Jake Evans or Trent Frederic. Both players would blend well into the Kings’ system given their defensive awareness and would allow their wingers more freedom and creativity on the offensive side of the puck.

2) Scoring Depth: Los Angeles has no problems keeping the puck out of the net. The Kings are fifth in goals-against per game, fourth in penalty kill percentage, first in shots-against, and ninth in save percentage. On the flip side, they are 20th in goals-for-per-game, 29th in powerplay percentage, and 28th in shots on goal. Again, given their available trade assets, Los Angeles would be better served looking into the trade markets for players such as Ryan Donato or Luke Kunin. The former’s perceived trade value has risen recently but it shouldn’t take a ’Kings’ ransom to pry him away from the Blackhawks.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Deadline Primer 2025| Los Angeles Kings| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

9 comments

Predators Claim Andreas Englund

February 10, 2025 at 1:06 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

The Predators have claimed defenseman Andreas Englund off waivers from the Kings, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. No corresponding transaction is necessary after Nashville opened multiple roster spots yesterday with reassignments ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Englund, 29, was a second-round pick by the Senators back in 2014 and has skated in parts of seven NHL seasons since making his debut in Seattle in 2016-17. He’s only recently emerged as a roster fixture, though, factoring in solely as a bottom-pair enforcer. He played in all 82 games for Los Angeles last year after signing a two-year, $2MM contract, leading the club with 81 PIMs and 189 hits while averaging 13:13 per game. His career 2-16–18 scoring line with a -17 rating in 173 NHL games doesn’t inspire confidence that he’ll ever be anything else, and as such, he lost his regular spot with the Kings in 2024-25 and has only factored into 11 games, including an active run of 13 consecutive scratches leading into the break.

The move marks Englund’s third stint in the Central Division. He skated in 47 games split between the Avalanche and Blackhawks in 2022-23, his first year back in the NHL after spending two years buried in the minors.

His claim doesn’t spell good news for injured defender Jeremy Lauzon, who Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean now suspects could sit out the remainder of the season with the lower-body injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since New Year’s Eve. The 6’4″ Englund is an apt replacement for the heavy hitter, who led the league with 386 last season. A pending UFA, Englund will likely serve in a support role down the stretch while names like Nick Blankenburg and Adam Wilsby, the latter of which just signed a two-year extension, see routine deployment.

Los Angeles Kings| Nashville Predators| Transactions| Waivers Andreas Englund

4 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Golden Knights’ Adin Hill Out Week-To-Week, William Karlsson Targeting Olympic Return

    ECHL Players To Strike

    Maple Leafs Fire Assistant Coach Marc Savard

    Sharks’ Will Smith Out Week-To-Week, Collin Graf Questionable

    Rangers’ J.T. Miller Out Week-To-Week

    Oilers’ Tristan Jarry Out Week-To-Week, Frederic Scratched

    Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury

    Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR

    Blue Jackets Acquire Mason Marchment

    Canadiens Acquire Phillip Danault

    Recent

    Snapshots: Evans, Misa, Horvat

    NHL Players Who Can Veto Trades In 2025-26

    2027 NHL Free Agents

    Assessing The Kraken’s Goaltending Situation

    2026 NHL Free Agents By Team

    Salary Cap Deep Dive: Florida Panthers

    Sharks Reassign Ethan Cardwell To AHL

    Islanders Reassign Marcus Hogberg

    The Flyers Need To Add A Goalie To Stay In The Hunt

    Hockey Canada Announces 2025 Spengler Cup Roster

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Rasmus Andersson Rumors
    • Ryan O’Reilly Rumors
    • Kiefer Sherwood Rumors
    • Steven Stamkos Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2026 Free Agents
    • 2026 Free Agents By Team
    • 2027 Free Agents
    • Players Who Can Veto Trades In 2025-26
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On Bluesky
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On Facebook
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On Twitter/X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Original Posts
    • Salary Cap Deep Dives 2025-26

     

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version