LA Kings: Four defensemen worth trading 2021 first round pick for
This offseason is critical for the LA Kings, and they should consider trading their 2021 first-round pick for these four defensemen.
One of the biggest priorities on LA Kings general manager Rob Blake’s to-do list this summer will be finding more scoring from the blueline. It’s been a major point of emphasis all year long, and while the organization acquired Olli Maatta last offseason, the Finnish defenseman put a bandaid on an open wound.
Maatta, 26, had just four assists in 41 games this season. He has one year left on his deal, and he’ll likely be left unprotected to Seattle’s expansion draft, although the chances seem slim the Kraken will take him.
Mikey Anderson had a strong rookie season, tallying a goal and 11 points in 54 games, but both he and Tobias Bjornfot don’t project as offensive D men. The Kings could give a long-term look at Kale Clague, assuming Seattle does not take him, but a strong argument can be made the Kings need help along the blue line right now.
It’ll be a busy offseason for the Kings, and they’ll have another top-ten draft pick. While there are several top-tier defensemen in this draft class, they could all be off the board when the Kings are on the clock, assuming they don’t have the same draft lottery luck as last season. And, again, if they can grab one of those defensemen, that player likely will not be ready for a few seasons.
All the more reason to consider trading the pick for an established player.
Jakob Chychrun
What a season Jakob Chychrun had for the Arizona Coyotes. The 23-year-old finished the season with 18 goals and 23 assists. He has a big, heavy shot, one that tallied five powerplay goals, an area the Kings could also use some help.
It feels like a pipe dream that Arizona would want to deal the former 16th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. However, they just fired head coach Rick Tocchet, and TSN’s Darren Dreger reported around the trade deadline that general manager Bill Armstrong may look to re-shape the roster in the summer.
Yeah, I don’t think he wants to use the word rebuild, but he wants to make some changes. And perhaps some significant changes. Not a fire sale for the Arizona Coyotes, just a strong appetite for different. And we’re potentially talking about core players…It’ll drift into the off-season, but the Arizona Coyotes, for obvious reasons, are looking for long-term improvement and willing to discuss just about anything on the trade front. – TSN/Dreger
The Coyotes had a number of teams calling about Conor Garland at the trade deadline. He remained with the club but could be part of a wave of moves in the offseason.
For the Kings, it starts with Chychrun, who would be the perfect fit for the second pairing with Matt Roy. At 23, the Coyotes blueliner is signed through the 2024-2025 season, coming at an affordable $4.6M AAV cap hit. Arizona will have some salary coming off the books after the 2021 season, but they need draft picks right now.
They are without a first-round pick after violating the NHL’s Combine Testing Policy, so there is obviously some incentive for them to get that pick back. They are also without a third-round pick, so perhaps a package of picks and prospects can get this deal done, but plenty of reasons exist that suggest Chyrchrun survives the Coyotes’ “desire for different” this offseason.
Perhaps a Garland deal in the offseason gives them the draft capital they need. However, if I am Rob Blake, that’s the first team I am calling to shore up the blue line.
Rasmus Dahlin
You can never have too many Rasmuses on your team, and Rasmus Dahlin would balance out the defensemen with the forwards, assuming Rasmus Kupari sees an expanded role next season.
Joking aside, Buffalo is a dumpster fire and could be trading away multiple assets this offseason. Jack Eichel’s exit interview revealed the ugly truth inside the Sabres organization, and we’ve already seen how good Taylor Hall is again after leaving at the trade deadline. There’s a very real scenario where Buffalo gets rid of multiple pieces and goes back into a rebuild.
Dahlin popped up in multiple trade proposals this season, and for good reason. He’s 21 years old and already has three NHL seasons under his belt. The Swedish defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent when the league year ends. Evolving Hockey sees the blueliner fetching a six-year deal at a $6.1M AAV cap hit.
He recorded five goals and 18 assists in the 56-game schedule. Dahlin also recorded a -36, but I like to believe that’s more a result of the organization than the player. He’s a proven 40-point player in his first two seasons and managed to account for a 48.5 xGF% for the Sabres this season.
Zach Werenski
Columbus will be an interesting team to watch over the summer. It wasn’t too long ago that they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following their second-round loss to the eventual Cup champion St. Louis Blues, Columbus saw both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky walk in free agency.
Despite swapping the disgruntled Pierre-Luc Dubois for Patrik Laine, the latter didn’t provide much hope for the franchise under recently fired head coach John Tortorella. Finishing with an 18-26-12 record, the Jackets are closer to another rebuild than they are a playoff run.
One guy the LA Kings should inquire about is Zach Werenski.
He’s 23 years old and fits the age bracket identified by Rob Blake. He has one year left on his deal before becoming a restricted free agent. Werenski comes at a $5M cap hit, but there is obviously some long-term team control if the Kings were to make this trade.
Columbus’ Zach Werenski, 23, might be a possibility as the Blue Jackets brace themselves for what seems like an annual purge of prominent players. They already traded center Pierre-Luc Dubois and saw Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene and others bolt in the summer of 2019. – DailyNews/Knoll
Werenski and Seth Jones have made quite the duo for Columbus, and the former put up pedestrian numbers on a struggling Columbus team — seven goals and 20 points, but he was limited to 35 games. Werenski was shut down at the beginning of April and is scheduled for sports hernia surgery.
It could end up playing favorably for the Kings, given Wereski’s injury situation, but he’s a proven 40-point player in his previous four NHL seasons.
Mikhail Sergachev
I thought the LA Kings should have signed Mikhail Sergachev to an offer sheet last offseason, but he was re-signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on a three-year contract at a $4.8M AAV cap hit. Two things. The Lightning are without a first, second, and fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and I don’t see how they Houdini their way out of the salary cap this time without moving some pieces.
They were creative last year, placing Nikita Kucherov on long-term injured reserve. Between him and captain Steven Stamkos, the Lightning have $18M on LTIR. Per CapFriendly, without re-signing anyone, they are projected to exceed the $81.5M flat salary cap by just over $5M. The Kings might be inclined to take a look at a forward like Tyler Johnson or Alex Killorn to help with their second line scoring woes, but Sergachev would be the preferred option here.
He’d be costly, and the Lightning will do everything they can to keep him. But for the right price, there is a scenario where TBL general manager Julien BriseBois parts with the almost 23-year-old.
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Sergachev tallied four assists and 26 assists, playing in all 56 games. He was critical in the Lightning’s Stanley Cup run a year ago, tallying three goals and 10 points in 25 games. He’s an excellent facilitator on the powerplay, an area where the Kings could use a boost, as previously noted. Not to mention, Sergachev has a bombing shot from the point.