January 31, 2025 | 2:44pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

KINGS NOT SHOPPING CLARKE, WANT SCORER

Brandt Clarke, defenceman

Rumours ran wild this week after the Los Angeles Kings scratched young defenceman Brandt Clarke from Wednesday and Thursday’s games.

With the return of veteran star Drew Doughty, the Kings opted to sit their young stud temporarily, causing the world to speculate over Clarke’s future with the team.

On Friday’s edition of “The Latest” on TFP, Kate Pettersen and David Pagnotta addressed the chatter and reported that the Kings are not trying to trade their rising star.

“I talked to pretty much everybody in the Kings organization (Wednesday) night and they all kind of were like, ‘Okay, we get it, but everyone just calm down.’ They love Brandt Clarke,” Pagnotta said. “He is not on the trade block. They’re not actively trying to trade him. I don’t even think they’re engaged in any discussions involving Brandt Clarke.

“They really like this kid. Now, it was situational. Drew Doughty comes back. They have nine defensemen on the roster. I know Kings fans don’t want to hear this, but he was the guy that had to be the odd man out for the time being. They like what Jordan Spence and Joel Edmundson have together as a pair. I suspect that will change eventually because they want to get Brandt Clarke back into the lineup. It could be as early as tomorrow in Carolina.”

While the Kings will eventually address their blueline, they are very much in the market for an offensive top-six forward to add to their roster, according to Pagnotta.

The Kings have struggled to score all month and were shutout 3-0 against Florida on Wednesday and again on Thursday to Tampa Bay.

Kings GM Rob Blake is looking around the league for options and could move out someone off the roster in a larger deal to address his team’s need if the right deal falls into place.

“What I can tell you, Kate, is that LA is actively looking to bring in a scoring winger who has a right shot,” Pagnotta said. “We’ve talked about this with Dennis Bernstein before. They have heightened that search. They have had trouble scoring for the last little bit.

“They want to address their scoring needs. They’re looking actively for it. And that could mean somebody significant off the roster getting moved out in order for the dollars to work.”