Three trades that shaped landscape of LA Kings rebuild
By Ryan Sikes
Trade #2: LA Kings trade Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford for Trevor Moore, 2020 third-round pick, 2021 third-round pick
The Jake Muzzin trade tilted the franchise towards a rebuild, taking away a steady force alongside Drew Doughty on the team’s top pairing, with the expectation that Bjornfot will develop into a Jonas Brodin-type player for the next great LA Kings team. About a year later, the next domino fell when backup goalie Jack Campbell and fan-favorite Kyle Clifford were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On February 5, 2020, the LA Kings were in the basement of the West Division, and with the trade deadline approaching, Campbell showcased himself enough in place of an injured Jonathan Quick to show a glimmer of hope of being a 1A-type goalie. Clifford won two Stanley Cups with the Kings, and while he was never a major point producer, he was a physical forward who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
In exchange, the Kings acquired a bottom-six forward in Trevor Moore who played well in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies but never got a fair shake at the NHL level. After the trade was completed, the 25-year-old tallied three goals and five points in 15 games. Thus far in 2021, Moore has been a valuable winger on the fourth line, showing good speed and forecheck abilities in the opposition’s zone. He recorded his first goal on Tuesday against the Wild and has five assists and a 46.2 xGF% in five-on-five play.
While the 2021 third-round pick has yet to be determined, the third-rounder in this past year’s draft produced Alex Laferriere, who led the Des Moines Buccaneers with 19 goals and 45 points in the 19-20 season. He was expected to play collegiate hockey at Harvard, but the Ivy League canceled the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Laferriere returned to Des Moines and while he got off to a slow start, aided by a two-game suspension, he’s third on the team with 19 points in 26 games.
The future looks bright for the Chatham, New Jersey native.