Could the Kings be active before the NHL’s roster freeze?
The big holiday roster freeze is set to begin at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 20., with teams across the NHL not being allowed to make trades between then and 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 28.
This means teams will have to act quickly if they want to make any notable personnel changers prior to the bulk of the holiday season. One team that might take some action on the last day before the break is the Los Angeles Kings.
While many have been talking about how impressive the starts have been this year for the Minnesota Wild, the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights, the Kings have quietly been one of the top teams in the Western Conference. With a 17-8-3 record, Los Angeles sits second in the Pacific Division, just two points back of the Golden Knights for first. The Kings are also fourth in the conference, five points back of the Wild and Jets.
Like in years past, L.A.’s defensive structure has been the cause for their success, sitting tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the fewest goals allowed in the NHL (72). However, there is always room for improvement, and for a team looking to challenge for a division title, the Kings might be active before the freeze.
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss if the Kings might be shakers before the deadline.
Frank Seravalli: I think they’ve been in conversations with a couple of teams about what it might cost, and checking out the marketplace. Might you be able to grab a good young player from [the Buffalo Sabres] for instance? I just think there’s a ton of different possibilities on the table for Rob Blake and his team. For as good as they’ve played, there’s been some holes in this lineup. Quinton Byfield has had a really tough season after signing that big extension in the offseason.
This is a good team, that’s got some good players, that wants to break through to that next threshold of not just being a playoff team, which they’ve been for the last three years, but taking a step beyond that and being a team that can advance and enter the conversation as a contender.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…