LA Kings: A tiered approach of left wingers to trade for this offseason

The LA Kings appear intent on adding legitimate scoring in the form of a top-six winger in the offseason. These players should be trade targets.

Once the free agency period officially opens up on July 28, it will be open season for Rob Blake. The LA Kings general manager made it clear that the team will have an appropriate response to Drew Doughty’s call for the team to make some splash moves this offseason.

We recently spoke with The Fourth Period‘s David Pagnotta on the podcast, and he indicated the Kings are more likely to make a trade for scoring than sign a free agent. You can check out the full podcast below or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

So when the Free Agency Frenzy period opens, the Kings should target these left-wingers in a trade, to some aspect.

Tier 1 – Realistic

Filip Forsberg

Subject to trade rumors at the deadline, Filip Forsberg and the Predators could soon be headed for a divorce. What perfect timing for the LA Kings to swoop in and grab a perennial 20+ goal scorer in non-COVID seasons. The 26-year-old has one year left on his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent, so there would have to be some level of certainty of a long-term extension if acquired.

With approximately $17M in cap space this offseason, the Predators have a number of free agents to address. At a $6M cap hit, Forsberg could find himself in another uniform next season, preferably in Los Angeles.

Ondrej Palat

Palat could be a cap casualty for the cash-strapped Lightning this offseason, and the LA Kings could grab themselves a player who just tallied 15 goals and 31 assists in 55 games. He’s an underrated asset on the man advantage, scoring seven goals with 13 assists this past season.

Palat has one year left on his deal before becoming a UFA, so see previous text on acquiring an impending UFA. He can score, is an asset on the powerplay, and a great puck possession forward – areas where the Kings need to improve.

Tier 2 – Might be something there

Johnny Gaudreau

Johnny Hockey. Gaudreau rebounded from a down year in 2019-20, by his standards. The 27-year-old tallied 19 goals and 49 points in 56 games while shooting the puck at an absurd 17.0% shot rate. Like Forsberg, he’ll be a UFA after the 2021-22 season, so the Kings need to proceed with caution.

Gaudreau’s camp would have to give some assurance of him sticking around in Los Angeles. He was subject to trade rumors at the deadline, but Gaudreau remained in Calgary. Will the Flames offload his $6.75M cap hit this offseason?

Viktor Arvidsson

Nashville had several players reportedly on the trade block at the deadline, including Arvidsson. The 28-year-old is three years removed from a 34-goal campaign with plenty of good hockey left in him. He shot at the puck at a career-low 6.6% in 2021 but still racked up 25 points. The Preds have also reduced his TOI over the last two seasons.

Get him on the top-six forwards in Los Angeles, where he’ll be playing 19+ minutes a night, and he’ll get back to scoring goals at will. That’s the hope anyway. He’s also approaching elite puck possession in the NHL with a career 53.1 CorsiFor percentage.

Arvidsson still has three years left on his contract, coming at a $4.25M cap hit per season, which would allow the Kings to take his contract on and then some this offseason. For the same reasons Forsberg gets dealt, I could see Nashville wanting to offload Arvidsson’s contract.

Plus, the Kings could use another Swedish forward, am I right? His versatility to play both winger positions will be an asset, given the influx of prospects on their way to Los Angeles.