In case you missed it, Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake officially declared his team open for business on the NHL’s trade market by shipping longtime Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a two prospects and a first round pick.
It’s the first big move from Blake that seems to indicate he’s given up hope on the 2018-19 season. Blake, of course, swapped forward Tanner Pearson for Carl Hagelin in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season in an attempt to jumpstart his team. He also fired head coach John Stevens just a month into the season. Neither move has had the desired result and so now Blake is tasked with the job of rebuilding and restocking a one time perennial Stanley Cup contender.
With Muzzin gone, Blake made it clear yesterday that the he’s far from done. In fact, he’s just getting started. Expect more deals from the franchise icon in the days and weeks to come.
The problem is… the Kings don’t really have many players on expiring contracts, which prevents Blake from weighing in on the rental market. They do, however, have several quality veteran players with term who could command a healthy return. Players like Anze Kopitar, a Hart Trophy candidate last season, Ilya Kovalchuk, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, Alec Martinez and Jonathan Quick could all be available for the right return. It seems unlikely that the Kings move Kopitar and they’ll have a hard time finding someone to take on contracts for Brown, Kovalchuk and defenseman Dion Phaneuf, but you can bet that teams will line up for Carter, Martinez and, potentially, Quick. Tyler Toffoli could also be an intriguing player for several teams.
One thing’s for sure… Rob Blake ain’t done yet. Expect plenty of action from the Kings ahead of February 25th Trade Deadline.
