Kings Potential Trade Deadline Strategy: Standing Pat and Why It Makes Sense

The Kings continue to embody management's vision: a stingy, structured team that excels at even strength while winning close games. The offseason acquisitions, made possible by the salary cap space created from departing players and the Pierre-Luc Dubois-Darcy Kuemper swap, have significantly benefited the team and its current trajectory. In particular, Warren Foegele is having the best year of his career in the National Hockey League, and Joel Edmundson is performing at or above the level expected given his previously criticized contract.

Drew Doughty's return will be a tremendous boost for the Kings, who are already the best defensive team in hockey. With Doughty back, they will have a true number-one defenseman. He is an emotional-locker room leader in Los Angeles with a resume that commands respect across the league. The 'A' that will return to his jersey reflects his long tenure with the franchise and the direction the Kings need to continue taking to achieve postseason success. Fortunately, the team hasn't lost momentum and, in many respects, has become the best version of a Blake-managed Kings team. While the team does not lack any defensive capacity, it will likely not be a top-ten offensive team without straying from its established identity.

Moreover, the $10,453,334 in the Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) pool will also return with Doughty's comeback. According to Puckpedia, the projected cap space when Doughty is healthy will be -$92,389, leaving little room for adjustments, and possibly more paper transactions to be compliant.

Trevor Moore has been a notable subject of trade speculation because of his no-movement clause, his annual average salary of $4.2 million, and his prime age of 29. Fresh off a 30-goal season, he could add scoring depth to a serious contender.

However, Moore has a contract that runs through the 2027-2028 season, so he isn't a true rental. As he will be entering his 33-year-old season when the contract expires, this poses a significant risk for any team looking to acquire him. Additionally, Moore is gradually working his way back to the top of the lineup after recovering from an injury. He started as one of the off wingers in the 11-7 system against Tampa Bay and is now practicing as the winger alongside Quinton Byfield and Foegele on the third line.

While there is great potential for a defensively solid line with Moore next to the underrated two-way threats of Foegele and Byfield, he is likely to return to the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. This scenario arises as Alex Turcotte's performance has slowed since the seven-game road trip, leading to a potential removal to make room for Moore.

The roster is beginning to take shape based on its potential with it's current roster. If they needed an internal scoring boost, it will not come from a waived player who the New York Rangers have since picked up. Instead, they could consider promoting Samuel Fagemo, who has scored 19 goals in 30 games this season in Ontario and boasts 122 goals in 231 AHL games (over 0.5 goals per game) in his career.

History will show that it is extremely unlikely they will bring up Fagemo, as there has a complete lack of evidence of entrusting long-term openings for risk-averse natural goal-scoring drafted players in the Kings' starting lineup. Also contributing is the number of layers, rather, players he must overcome to get a roster spot.

Externally, the most probable trade target would be Moore, as he is viewed as the most 'tradeable' asset, but he may not be as appealing to other teams as one would expect. It seems the Kings are likely to hold steady with their roster once Doughty returns, hoping that their formidable Western Conference rivals do not significantly upgrade, allowing the Kings to avoid a tetralogy of being leapfrogged in the first round of the playoffs.