Riding a 5-game losing streak, the LA Kings are still clinging onto a playoff spot and the 3rd position in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. However, there was hope that they would be more active at the trade deadline to boost their chances to get out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2014.
While Rob Blake and company did make one move, trading for winger Andrei Kuzmenko from the Flyers, will that ultimately be enough firepower to push the Kings over their scoring woes?
ESPN released their winners and losers from the trade deadline, and NHL insider Ryan S. Clark placed the Kings in the “Losers” category.
LA Kings Graded As “Losers” At NHL Trade Deadline
The LA Kings are currently 24th in the NHL in goals per game, and as mentioned earlier, they are riding a 5-game losing streak. During this losing streak, they have scored a total of 8 goals over a 5-game stretch. While Kuzmenko is a nice addition, there were some premier point-getters out there, including Mikko Rantanen and Brock Nelson.
“How they addressed that concern was to trade for winger Andrei Kuzmenko, who could slot next to captain Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on their second line,” wrote Clark. “But that means they are banking on Kuzmenko’s recent success of finding instant results whenever he joins a new team. He had 39 goals in his first season in Vancouver before scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games when he was traded to the Calgary Flames. Kuzmenko had five points in seven games with the Flyers before he was sent to the Kings. Is that really all they could have done at the deadline?”
That will ultimately be the big question, especially if they sputter down the stretch, get bounced from the playoffs early, or miss the playoffs altogether: Could the LA Kings have done more?
In both of the LA Kings’ Stanley Cup-winning years, they made big moves at the deadline. In 2012, they added Jeff Carter, who ended up being instrumental in their playoff run, and in 2014, they added Marian Gaborik.
This is a solid squad, and we know that Darcy Kuemper can get hot between the pipes, but it will be fascinating to see if they can find some scoring rhythm down the stretch. First, they need to get out of their current losing streak.