Expectations after a quiet trade deadline

Originally posted on Hockey Royalty | By Russell Morgan | Last updated 3/11/24

Another trade deadline has come and gone. While western conference rivals found creative ways to bolster their lineups for a stretch run, the LA Kings sat idly by listening yet not capitalizing on a chance to improve. I guess it’s what we should’ve expected.

You may hear talk of the salary cap being a roadblock for general manager Rob Blake’s inability to facilitate a trade. But that’s only an excuse. He just didn’t want to.

Of course, we don’t know if trades perhaps fell through. A rumor out of Boston claimed Vezina Trophy winning goaltender Linus Ullmark nixed a deal due to geographic reasons with some thinking LA was the destination. However, reports indicate that wasn’t the case.

Fascinating day for #NHLBruins, sounds like they had a deal on the table to move G Linus Ullmark to #LAKings that didn’t end up crossing the finish line.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 8, 2024

Either way, as the Oilers, Canucks, Golden Knights, Jets, Avalanche, Stars, and Predators—all teams besides the Kings in current playoff spots—completed trades to improve their rosters before the Friday deadline, Blake remained content with his group.

“That’s the team”

During another contentious media availability with Blake on Friday, he emphasized that the Kings will continue to depend on their prior moves to lead them. “We’ve said that all along. I think I met you guys a month ago, I’ve been meeting you guys a lot lately. But that’s the team.”

Despite Blake’s efforts to build a contender our first glimpse of the post-deadline Kings involved getting mopped by the Dallas Stars, a true contender, on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Not the best look.

Now, it’s difficult to say the Kings have no chance of overcoming the superpowers of the West. They’ll be underdogs in any first-round matchup, but we’ve seen this story before.

Structure is a keyword in every conversation surrounding LA. It’s their identity. It’s how they win.

When on their game, they slow opponents to a crawl, clogging up the neutral zone and forcing nothing to the middle of the ice.

If they adhere to their play style consistently and have players returning from injury prove their impact, then maybe they’ll find playoff success amidst their opposition’s star-filled lineups. They must, for Rob Blake’s sake.

This article first appeared on Hockey Royalty and was syndicated with permission.

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