At this point of the season, the Los Angeles Kings look like they are well on their way to a playoff spot for the fourth straight season. However, it remains to be seen if they are destined for another first round exit or can win their first playoff series since the 2014-15 season.
One way they can help their chances is to make some moves before the NHL Trade Deadline. While there aren't many players available who would be clear upgrades, one player might become available—a player who was already traded once this season.
Los Angeles Kings should seriously consider trading for Mikko Rantanen
Recently Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast mentioned the possibility that the Carolina Hurricanes could look to move Mikko Rantanen prior to the March 7th deadline. This certainly is surprising considering they just acquired him last month but if they are not able to work out a contract extension, they may be looking to recoup some of what they traded away.
The Los Angeles Kings were probably not in a position to trade for Rantanen last month from the Avalanche but now with a reasonable cap hit of around $2.3 million, they might be able to work out a deal. As Friedman notes, any trade discussion will need to be centered around the assumption that Rantanen is a rental player and will not be signing an extension in Los Angeles after the season.
However, what the Kings would be getting is a difference maker that pushes them towards the top of the Western Conference and a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Rantanen is a right-handed forward who has scored 30 or more goals in each of the past four seasons and already has 26 this season. He also has surpassed 100 points each of the past two seasons and is well on his way to breaking that mark again this season.
He is a player who can drastically improve the Kings' power play unit with 51 power-play goals since the 2021-22 season. There is no doubt that a player of Rantanen's caliber would drastically change the Kings' offense and give them a group that can complement an already strong defense.
If Rob Blake wants to give players like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty one more serious run at a Stanley Cup before they call it a career, a trade for Mikko Rantanen would be able to achieve that.