Do the LA Kings need more defensive depth?
If there is one that is certain in today’s NHL, it’s that nothing is certain. Should the LA Kings make a move for defensive depth?
Going into the 2021 season, the LA Kings seemed to be all set on their blueline. The team traded for Olli Maatta during the off-season in the hopes of solving the great Drew Doughty partner mystery, and the play of youngsters Matt Roy, Sean Walker, and Mikey Anderson last season gave the Kings a promising young defense corps to work with. Kurtis MacDermid would provide depth and grit, and rookies Kale Clague and Tobias Bjornfot would be rotated between the NHL and AHL to get both much needed playing time with the big club. The plan was looking pretty good.
Then Thursday night happened.
In the second period of the LA Kings game versus the Minnesota Wild, right defenseman Matt Roy took a hit from behind from Wild forward Kevin Fiala, which caused Roy to crash face-first into the top portion of the dasher boards. As a result, it took Roy several minutes to get to his feet, and when he did, he had to be helped off of the ice by his teammates. He did not return to the game.
In the third period of that same game, another Kings right defenseman, Sean Walker, would suffer a game-ending injury. Walker was in the wrong place at the wrong time as a rising Matt Dumba slapshot sailed under his visor and made direct contact with his face. It was obvious the injury was severe, as Walker was immediately taken off of the ice and to the locker room. Down to only four defensemen, the Kings were unable to mount a comeback and would lose the game 5-3.
The following day would bring more potential bad news, as Kings center Blake Lizotte would join Andreas Athanasiou on the covid list. On the surface, this shouldn’t affect the team’s defensive depth, as Lizotte is a center. But considering that Lizotte and Mikey Anderson are roommates, the Kings were suddenly faced with the prospect of losing three defensemen within a very short period of time.
There is good news.
At the very least, Mikey Anderson should be available for their next game on February 2nd against Anaheim. Anderson was on the ice for practice Sunday, which would suggest he has a negative covid test and is also symptom-free. If Anderson can continue to avoid the COVID list, at least the left side of the LA Kings defense will remain relatively intact.
There is also not so good news.
LA Kings coach Todd McLellan reported after practice on Sunday that both Matt Roy and Sean Walker would miss an “extended period” of time. While the pair are not on IR yet as of this writing, it can be inferred that “extended period” likely means week to week. The Kings have an opportunity to make the playoffs this season, but to do so, both Roy and Walker figured prominently into those plans.
Of course, it is too early to write this season off because of these injuries, but the Kings will need to come up with a replacement plan until they come back. With that in mind, what are the team’s oprions?
Solution number one: The LA Kings keep it in house
This solution is obviously the most immediate one, with the Kings having about 48 hours to decide what the defensive lineup will look like Tuesday night. This solution should also be considered temporary if the Kings are going to have playoff aspirations.
It has been reported that rookie Kale Clague will move over to the right side, filling one of the spots vacated by Roy and Walker, but he has also yet to play on the right side in his short NHL career. Journeyman free agent signee Mark Alt will most certainly be called up from the taxi squad to fill the other opening as he is a natural right defenseman.
The newly created openings on the left side should be filled by Olli Maatta and Kurtis MacDermid for now. MacDermid can play both the left and right side, so he also offers flexibility in the lineup. One of Tobias Bjornfot, Austin Strand, or if you’re really looking for a wildcard, Sean Durzi, will have to be called up to fill the seventh spot. Here is what the defensive lineup could look for the LA Kings on Tuesday night:
Anderson – Doughty
Maatta – Clague
MacDermid – Alt
Bjornfot
Clague, Anderson, and Bjornfot all certainly figure into the Kings’ future defensive plans, but this lineup makes one realize just how valuable Roy and Walker are right now.
Solution number two: The LA Kings explore the free agent wire
For teams in the NHL, this would be a very difficult proposition due to cap restraints, but not the LA Kings. With over $10 million in cap space available, the team could sign virtually anyone on the planet that was available. The problem is, the market is very thin for available right defensemen.
In an interesting twist, on Sunday, the New York Rangers placed right defenseman Tony DeAngelo on waivers. After registering 53 points and posting a +12 last season, the team signed him to a two-year contract extension this off-season with an AAV of $4.8 million.
Will the LA Kings put a claim in on him? The team could certainly afford his cap hit.
DeAngelo would be an upgrade offensively over Alt or Clague (for right now). The problem with DeAngelo is he is having a terrible start to this season, and he is also one of the most polarizing players in the league. At this point, it’s unlikely management would want to bring in a potential headache to solve a temporary problem.
DeAngelo is the highest-profile defenseman to become available, but he certainly isn’t the only one out there. Veteran Ron Hainsey played last season for the Ottawa Senators but did re-sign with the team in the offseason. The 39-year-old right defenseman put up 12 points in 64 games but had an impressive +10 on a last-place team. If he is still looking to play, Hainsey could be a very attractive depth piece which the Kings could get on a reasonable one-year contract to get them through this current storm.
Another free agent option for LA could be Karl Alzner. The 31-year-old played last season for the Montreal Canadiens, who wound up buying out his contract. The wrinkle in signing Alzner is he is a natural left defenseman, but like Hainsey, he could be a very good depth piece on defense for the Kings for the rest of this season.
Solution number three: The LA Kings make a trade
As previously stated, the LA Kings have over $10 million in cap space – currently the most in the NHL. Some expected General Manager to use this abundance of cap space to take on a “bad contract” to acquire more assets, but ultimately the only significant trade he made was for Olli Maatta.
Cap space was and still is at a premium in the league, and if Roy and Walker are going to miss a lot of time, perhaps it’s time for Blake to re-visit the trade market. An opportunity could be had to both fill a need and gain additional assets.
Rasmus Ristolainen seems to frequently find himself on the Buffalo Sabres’ trading block. The hulking 26-year-old is known for his physical play but can also chip in offensively. He has this season and next left on his contract, which carries a $5.4 million AAV before hitting unrestricted free agency.
The Sabres are looking to contend for the playoffs this season, so Ristolainen would not come cheap. However, if there is a team that has the cap space and assets to pull this deal off, it is the Kings.
While the Buffalo Sabres have the luxury of having a small bit of cap space available, the Washington Capitals do not. Washington is right up against the cap (pardon the pun) and is basically compliant because of LTIR. If the club hopes to make any moves by the tradeline to improve their Stanley Cup chances, they will have to open up some salary cap room.
One asset the Washington Capitals do have is an abundance of right defensemen. Coincidentally, that is where the LA Kings currently have a need. 30-year-old Nick Jensen is a player the Capitals could be willing to move at a very cheap price, perhaps even throwing in a sweetener. He has two more seasons left after this one on a contract that carries an AAV of $2.5 million.
This may not seem like a huge number, but when a team is desperate for salary cap space, every dollar counts – and the Kings can exploit this. If LA doesn’t want Jensen, they could also make a deal with Washington for Trevor van Riemsdyk. His contract expires at the end of this season and has a reasonable $800,000 cap hit, so the Capitals may be reluctant to move him.
There are all the options for the LA Kings. Keep in mind, if the club brings someone in via free agency or trade, that player could be subject to quarantine protocols and might not be able to play right away. Let the speculation begin.