Latest on Trade Rumors from Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are the hottest team in hockey and they are doing it all without some big names on their roster. The likes of Drew Doughty, Viktor Arvidsson and Sean Walker all are out of the lineup and not expected back anytime soon. Regardless, management is rolling with what they have as reports are don't expect any major deals from the Kings.

The Kings started the year 1-5-1 and have now won seven in a row after shutting out the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Some wondered if they would land Jack Eichel but that never happened and while there's been some rumors about the Kings being in on some right-handed defensemen on the trade market, Kings insider Lisa Dillman explains it's highly unlikely:

One of the oldest cliches in sports is that when a productive, high-end player gets injured, it creates opportunities for someone else. That’s not always true, but in the Kings’ case, because they still see this as a transition year, it has given them an opportunity to increase the workload for some players, and in the case of Kale Clague, to get a truer sense of whether he has full-time permanent NHL upside.

The Kings have been led by some steady goaltending and offense by committee and if this recipe continues to work into 2022, the team could very well make some moves to add talent closer to the trade deadline. 

For now, they are riding the hot hands of what they have and will continue to rely on a slew of young defensemen to get the job done in California.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports