Kings Extra Motivated To Add More Before Trade Deadline

The LA Kings lost Kevin Fiala for the season to a tough loss at the Olympics, but after already adding Artemi Panarin and this being Anze Kopitar's last season, more will be done to ensure the team is given a chance to succeed.

Jeff Marek said, "I don't think the Kings want...to have Anze Kopitar's career end in the regular season. You lose Kevin Fiala...that is a major dent. I cannot see Ken Holland sitting on his hands. He's gotta use that LTIR space to bring in a scorer."

Options for scorers aren't great unless you look a bit deeper. But the Nashville Predators could be a good place to look for the Kings. Jonathan Marchessault especially. While he's having a tough season with 10 goals and 17 points in 38 games, the Predators aren't good at scoring and his numbers have been impacted by that. He has put up consistent goals and points over the last number of years and his contract fits perfectly in the timetable for the Kings with three more years at $5.5 million AAV.

No cap would have to be retained by the Predators either as the Kings have space with Fiala out and will have space next season with Kopitar retiring. It doesn't even have to be a huge overhaul for the Predators, but Marchessault is someone the team does need to move on from.

Other options, if they can convince the Vancouver Canucks and look at lengthy contracts, are Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, or Jake DeBrusk. It remains to be seen if the Canucks are seriously looking at trading players with more term or if they're trying to come back next season and give it another run with the core they have remaining.

Holland was aggressive in getting Panarin, but there wasn't competition as that is the only place the former New York Rangers' star wanted to go. It'll be tougher to go after other top players, but not impossible.