LA Kings: Los Angeles Trades for Jordan Subban
By Brook Smith
Los Angeles made a minor move on Thursday, acquiring Jordan Subban from the Canucks. Nic Dowd will depart Los Angeles in exchange.
The Kings made a move on Thursday, acquiring a 22 year old defenseman from Vancouver. In exchange for Nic Down, the Kings received Jordan Subban. Jordan of course is one of the trio of Subban brothers who are in the league. His brother Malcolm is the goaltender for the Golden Knights, and P.K. is a defenseman for Nashville.
Nic Down started his career in Los Angeles, and was in the middle of his third season. Dowd put up decent numbers last year, but has always been criticized for his +/- numbers. Dowd owns a career -17 when he is on the ice. Last season Dowd played in 70 games and had 22 points overall, but had a -15 in +/- for the year. While his defense will not be missed, his presence around the team surely will.
In Subban, the Kings will be getting an undersized defenseman who is still developing his skills. In the AHL this season, he has played 16 games and has 5 assists. Subban has spent the last 7 seasons split between the AHL and OHL, not quite making it to the next level yet. He was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL entry draft with the 115th overall pick. At this point, it remains unclear how the Kings plan to use Subban.
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Los Angeles already has one of the best defensive lines in the league, so Subban does not appear to have an immediate spot. It seems like he will spend the remainder of the season with one of their affiliate teams, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Looking Ahead: After winning their seventh game in a row last night, the Kings will face off against Carolina at home Saturday. The Hurricanes have had a rough start to the season, with just a 11-10-6 record on the year.