The Kings have now played three games since the NHL’s trade deadline day frenzy came and went last Friday, posting a 1-1-1 record. They remain squarely in the mix for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 games remaining on their regular season schedule.

As we look back at those who were on the move and others who stayed put when the deadline passed, there were a lot of big names rumored to be available that weren’t dealt. That potentially sets up for a summer of deals as the available free agent class won’t be as enticing as we we’ve grown accustomed to on July 1.

With all the recent rumors and news that made headlines over the past week, NHL Insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN joined The Insider Show to digest what went down for both the Kings roster and around the league as a whole.

Johnston is one of the most respected reporters out there when it comes to news around the league and is annually featured on TSN’s popular TradeCentre deadline day show in Canada. He doubles as a senior writer at The Athletic and spoke to Corey Perry after he chose to return to Tampa Bay for a nice feature this week.

Below are a few excerpts from our conversation, which can be watched and listened to in full on the Kings YouTube channel as well as all major podcast networks on our LA Kings Insider Audio feed.

On his overall thoughts on a quieter deadline
It sort of developed slowly on the day and then a pretty big surge at the end. A deadline does spur interest, it spurs action. It was a little bit of a different deadline this year, I think some of the CBA changes that we’ve seen around the league, I’m not going to say it’s going to have a long term impact, necessarily, but I think teams are still feeling their way around. We’ve never had a playoff salary cap for example, in the NHL, this will be the first season that’s been in use and I think it’s almost like the teams have to go through it and experience it to know what they will and won’t do when it comes to acquiring players next year. At the same time, we’ve also had the cap jumping after all those years though the pandemic where it was pretty flat, and we did see some trades where real salary moved. Nazem Kadri gets traded from Calgary to Colorado, he’s got three more years after this one on his deal. MacKenzie Weegar goes to Utah, he’s got multiple seasons beyond this. Often the deadline ends up becoming a player on an expiring contract for a draft pick and the Kings, for example, made a couple trades, both selling and buying, in that regard. But I think this deadline period did include some interesting trades that were different than before.

On the Kings approach at the trade deadline after acquiring Panarin
I think it’s an approach you’ve seen some teams do where you’re kind of both buyer and seller. Specific circumstances, obviously, this year hadn’t gone as well for Warren Foegele, I think he was open for a change. They found a way to turn him into an asset, but also give him a fresh start somewhere else that he’s happy about. You trade Corey Perry away, I had a chance to talk to Corey on Saturday morning, the day after the trade where he joined the Lightning, and he was very much unsure and ultimately made the decision to leave. But then you also bring in Scott Laughton to fill the void in the lineup and you’re not giving up that much. I think it’s probably a sensible approach for a team in the position LA is. Really tough losing a player like Fiala at the Olympics. The beauty of the Panarin deal is that they did get that contract extension at a reasonable rate beyond this year so the move will be judged over the next couple of seasons. For Ken Holland, and he’s been doing this for so long, you almost have to just not give in to your impulses and be modest, and you’ll see if the team on the ice can still get in the playoffs. When I look at the Pacific Division, I still think it’s there for them even with the recent struggles they’ve had. It’s just a matter of putting it together for a strong five or six week push here to the finish.

On Scott Laughton and his opportunity and role with the Kings
I think you’re going to find a very motivated player in Scott Laughton. It was a year ago he went through the first trade of his career at last year’s deadline from Philadelphia to Toronto, his hometown team. I think there was some good in it for him but I look at the way the Leafs used him and frankly, I don’t know that it always made sense. He didn’t get a lot of third line opportunities during his days in Toronto. He still put up some offense playing on a fourth line in some nights only seven or eight minutes is all he was getting. I noticed he played 15 in his first game for the Kings. So given that probably left a little taste in his mouth, not just his usage but, it was a difficult year for the Leafs, they started the season talking about trying to be a contender and they’re at the bottom of the standings so it hasn’t been much fun for anyone who’s put on that jersey this season. For Laughton, he’s a pending UFA so I think he’s playing in some degree for his next contract to have a high finish to this year and put a high note on it. I think you combine all those factors, he’s not that old, he’s been at times of his career kind of a 15-goal guy, I think he can give you pretty good offense from the bottom-6 and super high character, I can tell you he was one of the most popular Leafs in his year with the team. I think that all adds up to being a pretty low-cost bet. I like betting on someone like Scott Laughton because of that character and because I do think he’s got something to prove with how things went for him in Toronto.

On the returns the Kings got for the players they dealt
No red flags for me. You look around and there just wasn’t very many first round picks traded at this deadline. A lot of the players that got the first were playing premium positions like right-shot defensemen, or guys that are under contract for years to come. Perry was on an expiring deal, so to get a second for him is tidy business. I definitely think it’s good to accumulate those kind of assets, no matter what stage your franchise is at. It didn’t end up being a huge sellers market, I don’t feel, I mean we did see a few players get maybe an outsized return above what I would have guessed, but certainly feel the Kings got fair value on their guys and did well by them too, I think there’s a bit of gentlemanly business done there. Corey Perry, being in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals, he’s gone to great ends to try to chase that second cup to add to the one he won in Anaheim so it’s nice of the Kings, I think, to work with him and find him a place to go. I know there were some discussions about an extension to keep him around there in LA so I do think you add it all together and it’s a reasonable deadline and it wasn’t a deadline where a lot of teams are true winners, I don’t think.

On the potential of seeing a flurry of trades at the NHL Draft in June
There’s always draft pick trades at the draft and stuff like that, but I think that it’s the only way for a lot of teams to address holes on their roster. Almost every goalie is signed, for example. There’s almost no UFA goalies on this marketplace. There’s still a few forwards out there, Alex Tuch doesn’t have a contract, there’s a few forwards and also some useful second and third pairing defensemen, but we don’t have a headliner. We really don’t have a sweepstakes, I’d call it for July 1. I do think in late June there will be some fireworks going off around the league.

Johnston also touched on the move the Anaheim Ducks made to bring in John Carlson, other players that might become available during the offseason in the summer and the lack of goaltending trades that we’ve seen as of late.

Stay tuned for more coming soon on The Insider Show as the stretch run ramps up!

The Insider Show – Episode 109