The trade deadline is still a few months away but general manager Rob Blake shouldn't wait until then to try and improve the roster for the Los Angeles Kings. They will be getting Drew Doughty back at some point, and that will help, but they could be looking to add to the goalie position.
Fortunately, the Kings should have plenty of options and this list should only grow but if there is a move to be made now, these are three players that could be options.
John Gibson
According to Pierre LeBrun with The Athletic, the Anaheim Ducks could finally be in a position to trade their long-time goalie John Gibson. He has started 470 games for the Ducks over the past 12 seasons but with Anaheim unlikely to be in playoff contention, they may want to trade him while his value is still pretty high.
Another reason the Ducks may be ready to trade him is that they appear to have their goalie of the future in Lukas Dostal, who has a goals against average of 2.69 and a save percentage of .924 through 13 starts. Meanwhile, Gibson is still producing with a save percentage of .906 and a goals against average of 2.71.
It would make sense for the Kings to explore adding another goalie as Darcy Kuemper once again is on injured reserve. David Rittich has been great but they need another veteran goalie if Kuemper is unable to return soon.
A trade for Gibson would not be easy because of his contract. In addition to a $6.4 million salary, the biggest hurdle with Gibson could be a modified no-trade clause that includes 10 teams. However, if Gibson is ready to go to a playoff contender, then he might be willing to waive that if the Kings are one of the 10 teams.
Dan Vladar
In addition to the no-trade clause, John Gibson is going to require a decent return and the Kings may not be willing to meet the Ducks' demands. Another goalie that might be available is also in the Pacific Division in Dan Vladar with the Calgary Flames.
He has appeared in 10 games and has a 4-4-2 record with a save percentage of .903 and a goals against average of 2.67. A move like this doesn't significantly improve the position, and Vladar might not be better than Kuemper (or even Copley or Erik Portillo).
However, if the Kings are worried about Darcy Kuemper's durability for the rest of the season adding a goalie like Dan Vladar makes sense as he is a free agent after the season and would give the team another veteran goalie to pair with Rittich.