Elias Pettersson, F
If it hasn't been crystal clear this regular season in the West, Holland and the Kings' front office personnel in the Pacific Division are pushing to win now for the postseason in the playoff picture this upcoming spring in the next month or two. On the surface, it looks like it makes sense on the trade block that the Kings would be interested in Elias Pettersson from the Canucks in the West in the Pacific Division this regular season at the trade deadline.
The Kings need a first-line center in the active roster lineup to highlight the top-six forward lines core group this regular season and once center captain Anze Kopitar retires at the end of this 2025-26 season.
It was reported this past month during the three-week break for the Olympics in mid-to-late February that Pettersson's two-goal performance for Sweden in the tournament a few weeks ago caught the eye of Holland and the Kings' front office personnel. Pettersson's sizable contract that pays him over $11 million in average annual value could be a challenge to getting a trade on the block this upcoming week and at the trade deadline for the Kings and Holland on the roster cap sheet