The Los Angeles Kings created some buzz this week as they would make former first round pick Brandt Clarke a healthy scratch after Drew Doughty made his season debut on Wednesday against the Florida Panthers. The buzz about a potential trade only grew louder when he would be a healthy scratch once again the following night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Friday, David Pagnotta with The Fourth Period addressed the rumors and said that he was told that Brandt Clarke was not on the trade block and there haven't been any discussions around him. Pagnotta explained the healthy scratches simply as Clarke was the odd man out with the return of Doughty.
While the explanation is simple enough, it does beg the question of how they move forward from here. It seems like the Kings unfortunately have a spot open among their defense after Mikey Anderson left the game against the Lightning with a hand injury.
This should mean Clarke returns to the lineup on Saturday against the Hurricanes but once everyone is healthy, it will be worth watching how this all shakes out.
What are the Los Angeles Kings looking for before the trade deadline?
While the Kings may not be actively looking to trade Brandt Clarke, that doesn't mean they are not trying to improve before the trade deadline. One area that Pagnotta mentions is on the wing and specifically a right-handed shooter.
It is also interesting that Pagnotta mentions that for a trade like that to happen, someone with significant dollars would have to be traded out. If that was the case, it really comes down to two players among the forwards in Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore as both don't have any no-trade clauses and have cap hits over $4 million.
The fact that the Kings have been shut out in consecutive games could create some urgency for the team to get a trade done sooner rather than later.