Don’t worry, Jack Eichel, we haven’t completely forgotten about you. Nearly every Kings mailbag or live Q&A over the past year – or maybe even longer – has included a question about trading for the beleaguered Buffalo Sabres star.
And now…
We solicited your specific Kings trade proposals last week, and Eichel’s name all but vanished. There is a reason for that, of course. The man is injured. I also noted in a recent mailbag that you don’t move a core piece of the franchise without knowing who the coach is going to be next season, as is the case in Buffalo.
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Nevertheless, there is no way that Buffalo’s 716 area code can be skipped when it comes to trade suggestions with the April 12 deadline fast approaching and in looking to have a bit of diversionary fun while playing general manager. The Sabres are open for business and colleague John Vogl of The Athletic last week listed the case for and against moving every player.
One name dominated the proposals: Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin gets his own section here, and so does Jake Bean of the Carolina Hurricanes, even though their teams are at opposite ends of the hockey galaxy.
You had to feel for young Dahlin, visibly dejected after the New York Rangers defeated the Sabres on Thursday. He was the defenseman back on a two-on-one break, which led to the winner in overtime.
This is a youngster with superstar potential – the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft – but he is playing in an organization beset by change and chaos, multiple coaches and general managers in his time there and organizational beliefs that seem to shift with the wind.
Let’s move on to your trade proposals. It was enjoyable to sift through them, and thank you for taking part.
I’ll be especially interested to see if any of the deals come to fruition, and if they do, let’s talk before I draft my fantasy hockey team next season.
The Rasmus Dahlin Section
Matt Roy, Brock Faber and a first-round draft pick to Buffalo for Dahlin
Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas and a first-round pick to Buffalo for Dahlin
Sean Walker, Alex Turcotte, Helge Grans and Arthur Kaliyev to Buffalo for Dahlin
Who says no?: Buffalo
There’s no harm in dreaming a little dream, but the Sabres are not going to make an impulsive decision and trade someone who could still be a franchise player.
Based on his draft pedigree, Dahlin has the same sort of upside as Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar but hasn’t reached it yet. Development isn’t always on an upward curve, especially with the added scrutiny on defense, where the mistakes are far more visible.
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None of these proposals are quite enough. Turcotte and Thomas have yet to make their NHL debuts, while Kaliyev has appeared in one game. Faber is likely a year away from turning pro and Grans is only 18.
The only way the Sabres would listen is if the conversation started with the name Quinton Byfield, who has the same sort of promise as Dahlin. The Kings would have to come to the table with something special, not a lot of pieces ranging from A- to B prospects.
The Jake Bean Section
Alex Turcotte to Carolina for Bean
Who says no?: Maybe no one
Turcotte for Bean is something to reasonably consider. Bean is a modern-day defenseman, and they are hard to find and develop. The deal includes a first-rounder (Bean in 2016) for a first-rounder (Turcotte in 2019) and Turcotte would be a player who Carolina could easily put into its pipeline.
Andreas Athanasiou and Sean Walker to Carolina for Bean
Who says no?: The Hurricanes
Athanasiou is set to be a restricted free agent and the acquisition of Walker wouldn’t solve the Hurricanes’ expansion draft protection problems.
What I like about the first proposal is that each team is dealing from a position of strength and would fill a need. That makes it more plausible, rather than just something that is fun to talk about.
The wrinkle: Would the Kings want to move on from such a high draft pick in Turcotte before they truly saw what they had in him? Plus, Turcotte’s injury history might send the Hurricanes looking for another solution.
The Johnny Gaudreau Section
Tyler Madden and a first-round pick to Calgary for Gaudreau
Who says no?: The Flames
Yes, nearly everyone is floundering in Calgary. The Darryl Sutter era started off well but the Flames have won two of their last nine games.
But the Flames aren’t interested in extra first-round draft choices. If they move on from Gaudreau, they’ll want a player who can contribute but perhaps with a different and grittier skill set.
I’m not sure why the Flames would have an interest in this deal. They have plenty of players like Madden in the system who might get a look in the NHL in the final month of the season.
Johnny Gaudreau. (Sergei Belski / USA Today)
The Anthony Mantha Section
Quinton Byfield and a 2022 third-round pick to Detroit for Mantha and Luke Glendening
Who says no?: The Kings
Tyler Madden and a second-round pick to Detroit for Mantha
Who says no?: The Red Wings
The Kings would be giving up too much in the first proposal and not enough in the second one.
Idle thought: I’m also realizing that a lot of readers seem to want to move Madden and Walker. I also realize that these proposals came in before Walker played big minutes on Friday night against the Sharks.
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Mantha is a player who teases you a bit. He’s playing for a struggling team – an understatement – and is in the top six and, at different times, the top three. There has been a level of inconsistency but you wonder what he could do with a fresh start in another market. He is the type of player the Kings should be targeting.
There could be a deal crafted somewhere between these two proposals. Maybe Turcotte or Gabriel Vilardi would entice the Red Wings. Vilardi, who played part of his OHL junior career in nearby Windsor, might have some appeal.
Other trade proposals
Sean Walker and Blake Lizotte to Winnipeg for Adam Lowry and a third-round pick (conditioned on Lowry signing at least a five-year extension with the Kings)
Who says no?: Winnipeg
Lowry will be an important piece for the Jets between now and the end of the season, anchoring one of the NHL’s best third lines. Winnipeg could very well come out of the North Division and end up in the final four of the playoffs.
Indications are that the Jets want to keep him, but if Lowry ends up making it to the free-agent market, he is someone the Kings might want to pursue.
Rasmus Kupari, Tobias Bjornfot and a 2022 first-round pick to the New York Rangers for K’Andre Miller
Who says no?: The Kings
It is an overpay – three pieces for one, and not only three pieces but three first-round pieces. Kupari went in the first round in 2018 (No. 20) and Bjornfot in 2019 (No. 22) as part of the Jake Muzzin deal.
Samuel fa*gemo, Alex Iafallo and a 2022 first-round pick to Buffalo for Taylor Hall
Who says no?: The Kings
Why would the Kings give up any assets for a rental? Sometimes you might bring in a player such as Hall if the compensation were minimal and if you felt there was a chance he might sign a long-term deal to stay in L.A. The rationale would be simply to audition him, and auditions work both ways. The organization gets to know the player and the player gets to know something about the organization.
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Jonathan Quick to Colorado (with 50 percent of salary retained) for a third-round pick and a goalie prospect/expansion draft fodder
Who says no?: To the proposal, maybe both. But there is a way to turn it into a fair exchange
Quick could be intriguing to Colorado for a couple of reasons. The salary retention (by the Kings) would help the Avalanche, given that they have cap issues coming soon. For starters, captain Gabriel Landeskog is up in free agency, Makar is coming out of his entry-level contract and goaltender Philipp Grubauer is on an expiring contract.
Quick would give Colorado a goaltender with a Stanley Cup championship resume who has not lost his competitive fire, and who comes at a manageable salary and can serve as an insurance policy if Grubauer leaves as a UFA.
Colorado might hesitate due to Quick’s age (35) and injury history. In terms of the compensation coming L.A.’s way, the Kings would need more than a goalie prospect or expansion fodder and a third-round pick that figures to be in the 80s overall. The Kings would need more to get it done. Colorado has an impressive array of young defensem*n. If you are talking about someone such as Conor Timmins, that might be something to consider
Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi, Sean Walker and a first-round pick to Nashville for Roman Josi
Who says no?: Nashville
The person who submitted this proposal admittedly called it a “dream.” It isn’t a dream … it’s a fantasy.
It should be noted that this proposal came in when the Predators were struggling and looked to be sellers. Still, even before Nashville managed to climb back into a playoff spot – going 8-2-0 in its last 10 games – Josi wasn’t going anywhere. He sets the tone in the dressing room and in the organization and he could end up being one of those players who stays with the same team from the start to the end.
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Two second-round picks to Arizona for Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Who says no?: The Kings and the Coyotes
Ekman-Larsson makes way too much money and has too much term. As I’ve noted before, the Kings don’t need to be restricted by two long-term contracts on the back end. Also, he has a full no-movement clause.
From the Coyotes’ perspective, they would have to retain money and would want prospects in addition to draft picks. Also, from a short-term view, I can’t see Arizona making a deal with a (current) division rival five points behind them in the playoff race. A lot can change by April 12 but there are too many red flags here.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson. (David Berding / USA Today)
A first-round pick and Austin Strand to Nashville for Filip Forsberg
Who says no?: The Predators
Forsberg is the kind of player the Kings should target. He would immediately be their second-best forward but he is out right now, termed week-to-week with an upper-body injury. His value would be greater to a team that is legitimately in the playoffs and feels like it needs a boost in order to win a round or two.
Specific to this proposal, the Kings wouldn’t be able to get Forsberg for a first-rounder and Strand, and would have to enhance this trade package. Could a first-round pick, an A piece and a B piece be enough?
The Kings have plenty of hard-working, interchangeable forwards and Forsberg would give them more flair and skill, possessed with the ability to make something out of nothing. But the Kings would only consider a proposal such as this if they thought they could sign him to a contract extension when it’s permissible to do so.
Tyler Madden, Blake Lizotte and a 2022 first-round pick to Arizona for Conor Garland
Who says no?: The Coyotes
Garland’s skill set and hockey IQ would help the Kings but I don’t think Arizona would be interested in such a transaction. The Kings might be able to get him if the player package was upgraded.
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Sean Walker and a second-round pick to Anaheim for Troy Terry
Who says no?: The Kings
While I am eagerly awaiting the first trade between Kings GM Rob Blake and Bob Murray, his counterpart in Anaheim, the wait is going to be a little longer. There have been occasional flashes of inspiring play from Terry but he still has not found a level of consistency. Right now, Walker is further along the developmental path, and the Kings missed him when he was out of the lineup earlier this season after requiring facial surgery (after getting hit by Matt Dumba’s slap shot).
If the teams were to contemplate this deal, the draft choice should be going the other way.
Dustin Brown (40 percent of salary retained) and a 2021 third-round pick to Pittsburgh for Marcus Pettersson
Who says no?: The Kings
If the Kings are going to risk raising the ire of fans by trading Brown – a decidedly unsentimental move – they would have to get something better than Pettersson, who is a third-pair defenseman.
Rasmus Kupari, Samuel fa*gemo, Jordan Spence and a second-round pick to Columbus for Patrik Laine
Who says no?: The Blue Jackets
Whatever you may think of the year Laine has had, the Blue Jackets see a player who scored 138 goals in his first four seasons. Of note, he turns 23 a week after the trade deadline.
It has been a rough adjustment, for sure. If it eventually becomes clear that Laine has no interest in staying in Columbus, they’ll have to start listening. They had to give up a No. 1 center to get him and they’re not going to flip him for three prospects and a draft pick.
Byfield might get the dialogue started but that alone would not be enough to get it done.
(Top photo of Rasmus Dahlin: Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
