Kings: Overreaction trade Los Angeles must make amid inconsistent start to NHL season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Kings won big against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. It was a win they certainly needed. Los Angeles cruised to a 7-2 triumph over Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks. But there remains a bit of a cloud over the Kings and their on-ice potential this season.
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Part of this is due to the team learning a new head coach’s system. Veteran bench boss Peter Laviolette has taken over behind the Kings bench. A lot of these players are working out how to find success within that system.
At the same time, a lot of this is down to Los Angeles’s roster construction. The Kings have the oldest roster in the league at this time. This is a team with a ton of experience on the ice. But they also have a lot of wear and tear on their bodies.
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Still, the goal is to challenge for the Stanley Cup this year. If Los Angeles cannot make it out of the first round, then this team has some serious soul-searching to do. General manager Ken Holland is going to go for broke trying to improve this roster unless the team is too far down the standings.
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The Kings are going to turn to the trade market at some point. What they do remains to be seen, of course. But there is one area of the ice Los Angeles has to improve. And there is a very intriguing trade candidate who could be available for the taking.
Bruins’ Pavel Zacha could be Kings trade candidate
Natalie Reid-Imagn Images
Trading for Pavel Zacha certainly won’t be easy. For starters, the Boston Bruins are competitive right now. In fact, they are atop the tough Atlantic Division at this time. They hold a narrow two-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
However, Zacha is a free agent at the end of this season. They are currently projected to have just $24 million in total cap space next summer as well. The veteran center is going to be in high demand without a doubt. He has been one of the NHL’s more underrated players over the last few seasons.
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The Bruins certainly wouldn’t want to trade Zacha to the Kings. Their preference would be to sign him and keep him around long-term. But with the cap rising, player salaries are also on the rise. The Bruins may not be comfortable paying what Zacha could command. This opens the door to them trading Zacha midseason to avoid losing him for nothing in July.
The Kings don’t have a ton of cap space right now. But they could easily create the cap space needed to fit his contract for this year. As for the future? Los Angeles is projected to have $37 million in available cap space. They have young players and draft picks that could entice the Bruins, as well.
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Again, this is not an easy trade for Los Angeles or Boston to make. Each side has its reasons why this wouldn’t work. At the same time, they have reasons as to why this could be beneficial to them.
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This all becomes a moot point should Zacha simply re-sign. Until that happens, the Bruins need to weigh the cost of current success against long-term sustainability. If the Bruins elect to improve the latter, Zacha becomes a trade candidate. And the Kings are a fantastic landing spot for the 29-year-old.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
