The NHL Trade Deadline came and went on Friday with the Los Angeles Kings making only one move on Friday by trading for Andrei Kuzmenko. He has played in two games and averaged around 15:30 of ice time and while he has yet to register any points, his impact has certainly been felt across the roster.
The Kings look much more balanced as Kuzmenko has lined up on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and they have combined for six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in those two games. By adding Kuzmenko, the Kings were able to shuffle their lines and the biggest move has been Alex Turcotte moving to the fourth line.
That line of Turcotte, Samuel Helenius, and Tanner Jeannot have helped the Kings get the most all season from that fourth line. It has looked pretty bad at times but the physicality Helenius and Jeannot bring with the speed of Turcotte has been a great combination.
Kuzmenko has also helped a power play unit that has ranked among one of the worst in the NHL this season. In the game against the Blues, they moved the puck well and he set up Kempe on a shot that would have been a goal if it was not for an incredible save by Joel Hofer.
Kempe did end up with the power play goal against the Vegas Golden Knights though and helped the Kings secure the 6-5 win on Sunday night. It is certainly a small sample size but the hope is that this group can continue to build on the new addition as they get more ice time together and more familiar with their new teammate.
Los Angeles Kings may regret not adding another goalie at the NHL Trade Deadline
While Kuzmenko has been able to help a bunch of issues the Los Angeles Kings have had, they failed to address one big issue that was on display Sunday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Since returning ffrom the injured reserve in December, Darcy Kuemper has been very reliable in net as the team's starting goaltender.
However, David Rittich has really struggled and the Kings may regret not looking to replace him at the NHL Trade Deadline. Since roughly the time that Kuemper returned, Rittich has not played great and gone 3-6-2 and allowed 35 goals during that stretch. In fact, in the three games Rittich won he gave up at least four goals and was fortunate that the Kings had some of their best offensive performances of the season in those games.
The challenge for the Kings at this point is that they don't have many options to replace him. It would be great to call up Erik Portillo, who should be considered their best goalie prospect for the Kings, but he is dealing with an injury that looks to be long-term.
The other goalie with the Reign is Pheonix Copley, but he has struggled as of late and allowed three or more goals in six of their last seven games.
For the Kings, the best news is that the games are relatively spread out for the rest of the season. There may not be many instances when they need to call on Rittich, so it might not be a huge issue. However, if Kuemper were to miss any time, this would become a major concern for a team that is fighting for a playoff spot.