Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators complete 4-player trade
Los Angeles Kings add their defenseman and the Ottawa Senators clear cap space in a four-player trade.
The Los Angeles Kings wanted to add a defenseman for their playoff push this season, and they were able to carry out that plan late on Tuesday night in a trade with Ottawa.
It was no secret the Ottawa Senators are selling at this year’s trade deadline. They were able to unload one of their largest contracts be trading away defenseman Dion Phaneuf. The Senators are also parting ways with forward Nate Thompson. In return for these players, the Kings are sending Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore to Canada’s capital.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings have rejuvenated their offense this season, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have both continued to grow into more prominent roles. Jeff Carter is returning in the upcoming weeks, which made Gaborik expendable. Outside of Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez, the Kings did not have great depth on defense. The Kings want to add another Cup before Drew Doughty hits the free agency market and felt defense was their biggest need.
The addition of Dion Phaneuf will help to solidify their defensive core. Phaneuf is not the dominant force he used to be when he signed a huge seven-year, $49 million dollar contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. Eventually, Phaneuf was traded to the Senators where he spent the last two seasons. The Senators will be retaining 25 percent of Phaneuf’s salary. Nate Thompson is a nice bottom-six forward for the Kings to add for depth purposes.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators are trying to clear as much cap space as possible to work on a contract extension for Erik Karlsson. After the trade, the Senators will have saved about five million dollars. Marian Gaborik is a former 86-point scorer, and even though he hasn’t scored at that pace in a long time, the Senators will hope he can offer a spark to their offense. Nick Shore has spent most of his playing time on the Kings centering the bottom two lines. There are rumors that Derick Brassard will be on the move, so adding a center to fill in the bottom of the lineup was an important addition.
Next: NHL trade deadline 2018: 5 players who will be dealt
Who won?
The trade was a win for both sides. The Senators got to clear some cap space and add forward depth, while the Kings added a bottom four defenseman and a good fourth line winger. Ultimately, in the short term, the Kings will benefit. If the Senators are able to re-sign Karlsson, this trade will be an important factor.