Los Angeles Kings
If it wasn’t for the Chicago Blackhawks, the Los Angeles Kings would be the biggest surprise in the NHL. They are riding some really good young players to a current playoff spot in the West Division. Their top six is pretty set thanks to some risks taken in the offseason, so they could be willing to take some risks at the trade deadline.
Seeing how well the Andreas Athanasiou signing has worked out might give Kings GM Rob Blake the confidence to go after Gusev. It’s a low-cost move that has a lot of upside. That seems like the perfect move for a Kings team that’s not looking to sell the farm to make the playoffs in a year that it’s highly unlikely there will be any playoff gate in Los Angeles. While other teams might hold out hope to make some extra money in the postseason, California might be the last state to open up arenas.
Still, it’s worth it for the Kings to get some extra games, which would mean extra revenue from other places. Also, it gives these kids some very important experience. After starting the season on fire, losing seven of their last ten games have the Kings on the playoff bubble.
This could be a move to show the Kings they will be rewarded for how they played this season. It’s small, but it shows the team is looking to get better. The Kings have two 2nds, two 3rds, and two 4th-round picks in this year’s draft. Losing their own 4th rounder wouldn’t hurt with this much draft capital in a weak draft.