It’s time for another round of NHL ruumours. We’re still in the dog days of summer, but there’s still plenty going on. General managers are trying to figure out what to do with their rosters with training camp starting next month. There have been some signings, but things won’t really pick up until the calendar flips to September. We could also see some trades as we draw closer to camps starting.
One team that could make some more moves is the Los Angeles Kings. This edition of NHL rumours deals with a young defenceman that could be on the trade block.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Young Los Angeles Kings Defenceman Could Be Traded
Rumour: Michael Russo of The Athletic reported on the Daily Faceoff Rundown that the Kings were close to trading young defenceman Brandt Clarke in the off-season. However, nothing came of the deal, but general manager Ken Holland wants to get eyes on Clarke before deciding what to do next.
Analysis: This isn’t the first time that Clarke’s name has been linked in one of our NHL rumours pieces. The new Kings General Manager has come in guns blazing to try and get his new team past the Edmonton Oilers. Holland has made some big changes, but he may not be done making moves.
Russo said that the Kings did explore trading Clarke at a few points during the off-season. Clarke is a former eighth overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft and would definitely get some interest if he’s on the trade block.
Last season was Clarke’s first full campaign since being drafted. He registered 33 points in 78 games this last season, including five goals.
That seemed like a solid-enough season. However, the Kings might consider moving the Nepean, Ontario native in order to acquire other assets. Los Angeles might want to bolster its forward depth and Clarke could be enticing part of any deal.
What It Means
The Kings have already been busy this off-season on a number of fronts. They dealt Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators and seemingly made some signings to fill the void left by the departure of Vladislav Gavrikov. Cody Ceci was signed from the Dallas Stars after Gavrikov signed a multi-year deal with the New York Rangers.
Former GM Rob Blake‘s departure was seemingly hastened by the team’s failure to beat the Oilers. Holland is tying to load up for a possible rematch with a team he used to be a general manager for. It’s too early to tell if these moves will put the Kings over the hump. However, it won’t be for a lack of trying.
Despite some big moves, Holland may not be done tinkering with the roster. Adding Corey Perry and others is a good start, but depth will be needed to prevent Edmonton from besting Los Angeles one more time.
General managers often face hard choices and trading someone like Clarke will be a tough decision. However, it may not come to that until later in the season of at all.
Main photo by: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
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