KINGS AT 55: THE BOOK OF EXODUS

LOS ANGELES, CA – The inevitability of the Los Angeles Kings’ 2019-20 season manifested itself Wednesday with the trade of a pair of veteran players. Though necessary, the trade of Kyle Clifford and Jack Campbell to the Toronto Maple Leafs left many fans with fluttering hearts (and, truth be told, a few in the LA locker room, too) this morning.

With his team going in straight reverse (losses in 8 of 9 games, 11 of last 13), General Manager Rob Blake shifted his roster transition into third gear and by the time we reach the afternoon of February 24, he will have put the pedal to the metal to finally make this roster his and not Dean Lombardi’s.

In the past 72 hours, the exodus has started in both words and deeds.

The debate has already started on the return for two of the most well-liked players in the Los Angeles room.

Campbell, who has resurrected his career in Los Angeles after failing to live up to the expectation of a first-round selection by the Dallas Stars, was less impactful with Cal Petersen waiting in the wings as the Los Angeles goalie of the future. His journey to establish himself as a capable NHL goaltender culminated in a nomination for the Masterton Trophy from the Los Angeles chapter of the PHWA last season, a designation that goes to the quality of character Campbell has maintained throughout his sojourn.

As for Clifford, well, there’s nothing more to add than a robust thank you to a player that gave every inch of his being to help the organization win two Stanley Cups. He is a player who was respected and revered by the opposition and whose value far outweighed the statistics he registered. As the NHL game distanced itself further from the physical, grinding play that succeeded in LA in 2012 and 2014, Kyle transitioned his game to stay relevant and effective until his final days on the corner of 11th and Fig. In watching the Maple Leafs play on several occasions this season, the toolbox Clifford brings to them both on and off the ice is something that is badly needed. He will be both a mentor and a deterrent in Toronto and it’s my hope that he intimidates more and fights less with his new team, a concern I’ve heard intermittently throughout this season when his name was discussed in trade talks.

Regarding the return for the pair, rather than grade this specific trade I will defer until the morning of the 25th to assess Blake’s full body of trade deadline work. This deal has various conclusions given the conditions attached and how Trevor Moore fits in the depth chart. It could vary from ultimately returning no NHL players to finding a player like Braden Point or Anthony Cirelli in the third round like Tampa Bay.

As for their teammates, I reached out to a couple after their morning skate at Barclays Center in Brooklyn prior to their Thursday matchup against the New York Islanders and their thoughts aligned – the inevitability of moves being made were expected but it’s tough to see players they have won with (specifically Clifford) walking out the door. They understand that it needs to happen to make room for the next generation of Kings, but it does not lessen the sting that will linger for a while.

What was surprising is the feeling some have that the transition of the roster could go beyond the current group of players being talked about (Alec Martinez, Tyler Toffoli and Trevor Lewis trade discussions are active) with the thought that most of the roster could be had at the right price.

At the moment, defenseman Martinez looks to be the next veteran out the door, he was discussed in the Leafs deal but given Toronto’s cap situation, he could not fit into the deal (it likely would have taken Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson added to the deal to make it work) but there is plenty of interest in the 32-year-old defenseman with one season remaining on his cap-friendly hit of $4 million.

I’m hearing up to four teams have significant interest in Martinez and one is an in-division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights. Martinez would be a welcomed addition to the Vegas blueline, which needs another quality defender to solidify their standing in the Western Conference’s top eight post-season qualifiers. Furthermore, if they have any designs of replicating their deep playoff run of their inaugural season, a 20-minute-a-night defenseman is a requirement. With Vegas up against the cap, it likely requires the Kings to take back a contract (the emergence of Chandler Stephenson has made pivot Cody Eakin expendable on an expiring deal and could be flipped by LA to another contender) but could raise the return for Los Angeles.

Blake spoke on a conference call Thursday and was transparent as could be given the fluidity of the trade market and his participation in active trade talks.

“We need to re-do this roster,” in stating the obvious with the short-term goal of acquiring as many assets as possible over the next 18 days.

The possibility exists for a quiet Deadline Day for Los Angeles, Blake said he would not hesitate to pull the trigger if the asking price for an asset it met as opposed to waiting for the final hours to apply more pressure on acquiring team to raise the ante. That said, some prospective buyers may need to accumulate additional cap space to position themselves for the acquisition of additional assets.

Once the trade deadline passes, look for some returning faces (Martin Frk, Matt Luff and Kale Clague) as well as some new ones (the NHL debut of Gabe Vilardi looms closer), but what was made clear is that all the faces will be internal, not external ones.

Given the Kings’ deep pipeline that is among the finest in the NHL, the potential of adding more at the deadline and at the June Draft table in Montreal, I asked Blake specifically if would be inclined to couple some assets for some established, younger talent. While one should never say never, he indicated next season will be one of evaluation and projection of where his prospects will be positioned on the depth chart over the long term. One AHL season is not enough to ascertain what slot Vilardi or Tobias Bjornfot will assume for the 2021-22 season.

So, unless there is a significant change in direction of the front office, the solutions to raise the productivity of the 30th-ranked offense will solely be internal and the blueline looks to be one of the most inexperienced corps in the NHL next season.

Short of multiple breakout seasons by first-year players or massive performances by the remaining veteran core, the Kings are staring at a third consecutive 70 to 79-point season, a difficult but necessary ask for continued loyalty from its fanbase. The better news is that the talent on the horizon fans have only had a glimpse of will be fully on display next September because in biblical terms The Los Angeles Book of Exodus has flung open wide with Rob Blake as its author.

RADIO, RADIO

I took a deeper dive on the Kings trade deadline situation on my weekly segment on TSN 690’s “Off The Cuff” in Montreal with Sean Campbell and Jon Still. You can catch my further takes leading up to the February 24 trade deadline on our Hot Stove show on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Ch. 91 from 11am Eastern every Saturday.