The Los Angeles Kings have a new general manager in Ken Holland, and it is going to be a sprint for the new general manager to get up to speed ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft at the end of next month. However, based on Holland's draft picks with the Edmonton Oilers, the plan is clear what the Kings need to do and that is trade as many picks as possible to add veterans that can help them win now.
One of the messages that has been clear over the past two weeks from Luc Robitaille and recently Holland, is that they believe this team is only a couple of moves away from being legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. That is why it makes sense to maybe package some of the draft picks they have to bring in players to help sooner rather than later.
As it stands right now, the Kings have seven draft picks but no second-round pick due to the Tanner Jeannot trade last offseason. However, they do have an extra seventh from the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the Andrei Kuzmenko trade.
Ken Holland struggled in the NHL Draft with the Edmonton Oilers
In five NHL Drafts, Holland would draft 22 players but as of this point only four have played in an NHL game. The two players who have played the most is Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg but neither saw extensive ice time with the Oilers as they both signed offer sheets with the St. Louis Blues and finally got a chance to make an impact.
In comparison during that time, the Kings have had eight players play in over 100 NHL games with players like Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke.
While the Kings shouldn't mortgage their entire future, considering Holland's track record with the Edmonton Oilers and the fact that the NHL Draft is quickly approaching, the draft picks (particularly the first-round pick) would be better utilized in trading for a player who could help now get the Kings over that hump and competing for the Stanley Cup.