Rumor: Two-time Cup champion found a way to shut down trade

The Los Angeles Kings' strong start to the 2017-18 season is exciting for fans, especially that former captain and star forward Dustin Brown has improved tremendously under new head coach John Stevens. 

According to Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman, who spoke on Calgary's Sportsnet 960, Brown had been growing frustrated under the stifling defensive system of former coach Darryl Sutter, but is now making the most of the new system. 

Friedman reports that the Kings have moved from trying to trade Brown and his lengthy contract to trying to improve his play. However by doing so, Brown may become a coveted player NHL rival clubs will try to land ahead of the Trade Deadline, but it might be too late. 

"I think there was a time when he thought he was going to be in Las Vegas and he was going to be somewhere else. I think he has a no-trade to Canada. I think it was possible that L.A. and Ottawa, when they were talking Phaneuf last summer, Brown and/or Gaborik’s name came up," Friedman explained. 

“And for a long time I think the Kings’ theory on Brown was ‘Let’s trade it.’ And then what happens is you make a change, you realize you can’t trade it, you have a new GM, a new coach, and you get to the point where you say, ‘If we can’t trade it and we don’t want to buy it out, we’ve got to solve it.’

Brown’s contract and the decline in his production over the last several seasons made him impossible to trade. In 80 games last season, Brown recorded 14 goals and just 36 points, but it was most likely what saved him from getting shipped out of Los Angeles. 

His on-ice improvement might now trigger some teams to call in with interest for the 32-year-old forward. But for now, the Kings will focus on trying to make him better on the ice for their own sake.