Kings aren't giving up a 2nd round pick for Nick Leddy.

They really need LD bad. Leddy has been excellent in the PO and has had success in the past.

Leddy would make a fine addition to the Kings. That doesn't mean they'll overpay for him. So they'll either give up a 4th for him, or take on Komarov as well and give up a 6th in next year's draft. In no world is Leddy worth a 2nd.

I disagree wholeheartedly but I’d compromise on a 3rd.

Kings will still pass and trade for Hjalmarsson or Staal instead. Hammer could be had for a 3rd and is better than Leddy. Staal isn't as good as Leddy, but the Rangers would pay to dump him.

I think the contracts for the 3 RFA will be
barzal - 7.35 x 3
pulock- 6 mill x 5
toews - 4.25 x 4

I think its highly unlikely they bridge both toews and pulock, maybe one of them, but I doubt it.

No we won't. Staal is expiring that would be pretty narrow-minded for a rebuilding team.

Hammer is definitely not moving for a 3rd. That’s laughable. And if the Kings want to tank than Staal makes sense I guess.

He is if the Kings agree to take on Grabner's contract as well. $8M+ of cap space is nothing to sneeze at.

I'm not suggesting they would give up a 1st round pick or anything, but it's not like they'd be asking for a return either. You're telling me you wouldn't downgrade a 5th round pick to a 7th if LA would take Staal's contract of your hands?

The whole point of trading for a Dman would be to get a valuable asset and take on salary to continue a rebuild or you know, actually improve the team. Leddy for a third is great value for a proven puck moving defenseman. Look at his playoff tape. He’s been very impressive. I’m not saying he’s Booby Orr out there. A team out there would definitely take Leddy for 3rd.

They have to bridge them unless they can somehow dump Boychuk and Ladd. That’s highly unlikely. I also think a team will offer sheet Barzal at that price.

I'm not saying that a team wouldn't take Leddy for a 3rd. I'm saying the Kings wouldn't. They're not "desperate" for LHD as you say. They need a guy to fill in for a season or two while Bjornfot matures in the AHL. There are plenty of guys that they can sign to short term deals without having to give up anything of value. it's not like they expect to be competitive next season. They'd re-sign Hutton before they gave up a 3rd for Leddy.

It's unlikely there will be offer sheets with a flat cap and its in barzal's best interest to sign a bridge deal so he can sign a long term deal for 11 mill in 3 years when the cap goes up.

That’s fair. It’s just hard to imagine them being uncompetitive for this long in that market. I would think there is some pressure to compete again. Maybe because fans in the stands is unlikely for next season they can afford to be more patient with the rebuild? It’s interesting how they play it.

I can see them locking down Pulock but Toews I bet they sign short term low cap. LH D men are much easier to replace than RH.

That's a different story. Thank you for not being one those guys. Would you want retention or how do you see a deal realistically being done if Staal agrees to waive his NMC?

The Kings have never had a problem selling tickets. They've been around for 50+ years, so they've built quite the fanbase. Even in the dumpster diving years in the mid 2000s, they never fell below 90% capacity.

However, I think Kings fans are excited about the future. Most fans remember the last time the Kings selected 2nd overall in 2008 and drafted Doughty. That 2008-09 season was still awful, but it led to a swift return to the playoffs and a Stanley Cup in just a few seasons' time. We can see the analogy and are expecting a quality team in 2021-22. We fully expect next season to be another throw-away though.

The new coach/system and the league-leading prospect pipeline are enough to keep the fans coming. I certainly didn't cancel my season tickets. Next season will be my 21st year as a season ticket holder.

Nah, the Kings have $20M in cap space. Retention is unnecessary. I think they'll look at several other options first, but if none work out, they'd consider making a deal for Staal. They wouldn't give up anything of value, but they probably wouldn't expect much in form of a sweetener either. The question is whether Staal would waive his trade protection.

Agreed. I think Leddy is very likely. Isles need cap room more than anyone right now and have a surplus of defenseman. I think Leddy/Komarov for a 2021 6th is a solid deal both ways.

I agree. That's the deal I hope they make. They actually have a short-term gap at 3LW while Grundstrom works out some issues, so they have a use for Komarov.

I would do that. But Leo has a NTC would you take Clutterbuck? He’s a better player imo and similar cap hit.

Yea probably.

Kings prob trade a 3rd/4th for Leddy. Or isles throw in Komarov and isles get back a 7th

I said 6th, but 7th works too.