As we near the midway mark of the 2021 season, the LA Kings are still hanging around the West Division playoff race and could seek help.
It’s already been an up-and-down year for the LA Kings, but they’re still within striking distance of a playoff spot in the West Division as they approach the halfway point of this 56-game season.
The Kings are still in a rebuild and not a true Stanley contender yet, but reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and getting their young players some postseason experience would certainly be valuable.
The Kings are not in a position yet where it would make sense to trade high draft picks or top prospects for short-term help. They could, however, take a similar approach to the one they had at the trade deadline back in the 2009-10 season.
With a young LA Kings team was on its way to the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2002, then-GM Dean Lombardi didn’t make any blockbuster additions to a team that wasn’t ready to truly contend but did add some veteran depth pieces in Jeff Halpern and Fredrik Modin to help out with their playoff chase. Modin even ended up contributing three goals in six playoff games.
If Rob Blake does decide to get his team some help, these are a few players he could make some calls about leading up to the April 12th trade deadline.