LA Kings acquire Brendan Lemieux from the NY Rangers

For the second time in under a year, the LA Kings and NY Rangers pull off a trade.

News broke Saturday evening that the LA Kings had acquired Brendan Lemieux from the NY Rangers for a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The Kings had two fourth-round picks in next year’s draft, and they still own the pick they previously acquired from the Calgary Flames.

The twenty-five-year-old Lemieux can play both left and right-wing and is known to be a gritty, physical player. He has already totaled 65 hits for the Rangers this season. He is signed through this season and next at a cap hit of $1.6M per season after which he will become a restricted free agent.

The reason the LA Kings decided to make this trade is unclear at this time, but they could be looking to add some muscle to a lineup that overall lacks in that department, especially when Kurtis MacDermid is not playing. They could also be looking down the road to the Seattle expansion draft by adding a player that could be taken that was not a part of their original plans.

Of note, Martin Frk has begun skating with the team at practice on Saturday, albeit in a no-contact jersey. This is certainly an encouraging sign for Frk’s eventual return, but it will also create a logjam at forward for the LA Kings, especially if they plan on getting their prospects some NHL playing time this season. One has to wonder if this is not part of a larger plan for the LA Kings for this season’s trade deadline.

Let the games begin.