Arguably, the biggest remaining roster need for the Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland to address this offseason is at the center position.
The Kings already addressed several roster needs early this summer, including adding a top-six playmaker to the forward group and bringing in more center depth. Holland and the Kings signed vetrean centers Scott Laughton and Erik Haula to multi-year contracts and former Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello in free agency this offseason.
One possibility for the Kings to address the need at the center position this summer, in terms of rumors going around in the media and on social media, is potentially trading for Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks.
The Los Angeles Kings' reported interest in Elias Pettersson makes sense, but the cap situation tells a different story
After free agency, the Kings only have about $2 million in cap space remaining. That limited cap flexibility for the Kings makes the hypothetical idea of absorbing Pettersson's projected cap hit of around $11.5 million in average annual value very challenging to pull off this offseason.
A report from Farhan Lalji on Donnie and Dhali this past week indicated that the Kings "made a call" to the Canucks regarding Pettersson. It sounds like the Kings at least kicked the tires on the possibility of trading for Pettersson from the Canucks this offseason.
"I do know that the Kings made a call. They kicked the tires and I don't think they're offer, not that it wasn't a formal offer. I don't think what they were discussing was providing back was necessarily going to be good enough yet. But I think those conversations are going to continue as well. "Farhan Lalji on Donnie and Dhali
Even if the cap hit worked out for the Kings this offseason, taking on Pettersson's lofty contract value of over $11 million in average annual value would be risky for Los Angeles going forward. Pettersson hasn't registered 20 goals and/or 60 points in this past couple of regular seasons for Vancouver.
The Kings would need the Canucks to at least keep some significant portion of Pettersson's contract if the two teams were to work out a trade this offseason.
This report from Lalji that the Kings at least kicked the tires on the possibility of a Pettersson trade with the Canucks this offseason isn't a big surprise to me. Teams like the Kings will routinely inquire about top players at positions of need when they become available.
But Holland and the Kings had a busy start to free agency this summer, and Los Angeles appears to have gone the route of exploring trade options to fill the need at center. If the Kings can't clear out significant cap room on the roster sheet first, completing a trade for Pettersson looks really difficult compared to how it did within this past few weeks.
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