The NHL Trade Deadline is still a few weeks away but the biggest trade of the season probably happened last night and this is bad news for the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are set to start a five-game road trip tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets but the final game is the one that now looms large against the Carolina Hurricanes.
On Friday night, the Hurricanes were the big winner of a three-team trade that not only saw them add forward Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks but arguably a Top 10 player in Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche.
The Hurricanes were already one of the better teams in the NHL prior to this trade and have been playing excellent hockey. They have won four straight and are 7-2-1 over the past 10 games.
They have now added Rantanen who has 25 goals and 39 assists through only 49 games with the Avalanche.
Los Angeles Kings have struggled at the end of road trips and it just got tougher
The Los Angeles Kings have been on the road a lot over the first part of the 2024-25 season with long road trips of more than five games. It is not surprising by the end of these road trips, the Kings have struggled. In December, they had a seven-game road trip where they lost three of their last four games.
The latest road trip, which was five games, had the Kings lose two of their last three. They returned home for two games, which they split, and are ready to play five games on the road in eight nights.
This game will be a big test for the Kings as they are a team that has been inconsistent and a win over the Hurricanes will be a statement game. However, coming at the end of the road trip it is hard to imagine they are able to secure a win.