The Los Angeles Kings increased their forward depth at the NHL Trade Deadline by bringing on Andrei Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko's ability to attack the open ice brings some new energy to the LA offense.
The Edmonton Oilers lost their recent game in Buffalo by a score of 3-2 last night. The Sabres held on despite a flurry of attacks boosted by the two-headed nightmares of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. For the Los Angeles Kings, it acts as a window of opportunity, with two games in hand to close the 78-75-point gap.
Leading up to the NHL trade deadline there was considerable chatter that the LA Kings were very much in on Finnish star Mikko Rantanen. Esteemed and very connected SportsNet NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman reported one of the hurdles to any deal was the talented forward’s disinterest in signing an extension with the Kings.
In what was an interesting trade deadline for the Los Angeles Kings and its fanbase, 22-year-old Brandt Clarke winds up staying put with the organization.
As the dust settled on the March 7th NHL trade deadline, GM Rob Blake took questions from the media for about 20 minutes – – one of the longer availabilities of his tenure.
The very thought of seeing Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty wearing a sweater other than LA’s probably seems blasphemous to Kings fans, but should it be? Ageing superstars or even ones in their prime get traded. Even the Great One ended up in St. Louis and eventually New York.
After a tremendous momentum streak plated by wins centered around victories against the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights, the Los Angeles Kings have lost four games in a row. The team had a winless road trip, being outscored 15-4.
The Los Angeles Kings have not won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. And as thrilling as Alec Martinez’s OT game-winner was for Kings fans, it took place almost 11 years ago.