According to TSN's NHL insider Darren Dreger, the Los Angeles Kings are expected to be a big part of a lot of trade talk in the league between now and the 2021 Expansion Draft on July 21st. According to Dreger, the Kings want to be a "major player" this offseason and are particularly interested in acquiring two top-six forwards.
Is it possible that I'm way ahead of the game by tying the Kings to Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel? There are just a few clubs in the NHL with the assets and cap space required to acquire Eichel, but the Kings are unquestionably one of them. They have an abundance of draught picks and young players to trade to the Sabres and should be able to handle Eichel's $10 million annual payroll with ease.
Do I think the Sabres will trade Eichel for spare parts now? No way, but the Kings do have some LEGIT prospects that have the potential to become NHL stars. We're not talking about ordinary prospects here. Gabe Villardi, Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, and Arthur Kaliyev are all blue chip prospects who might make an immediate impact on a rebuilding Sabres team. And if the Sabres decide to trade away other young core players like Rasmus Risolainen and former second-round selection Sam Reinhart, GM Kevyn Adams will have a real chance to assemble the best young collection of players in the NHL.
