With Los Angeles Kings captain and top-line center Anze Kopitar retiring at the end of the season, there is going to be a giant gaping hole in the team’s roster.
It seemed assumed that 23-year-old Quinton Byfield would be the eventual successor of Kopitar and blossom into the team’s first-line center. However, to this point, the second-overall pick of the 2020 draft hasn’t grown into the role like the organization probably hoped.
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Therefore, Kings GM Ken Holland may need to work the phones again this summer to find some help up the middle if they want to remain a playoff contender.
Byfield has 13 goals and 33 points in 60 games, which isn’t the level of a first-liner. It seems sensible to find another middleman to support Byfield, like a first-line and second-line center tandem.
Here are four centers that the Kings can look to in the upcoming off-season, in no particular order.
Nick Schmaltz, Utah Mammoth
Nick Schmaltz is the only player on this list who will be a UFA at the end of the year. He’s in the final year of a five-year contract that paid him $5.85 million per season.
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Schmaltz will likely require a significant raise in his new deal, as he is on pace for the best campaign of his 10-year career.
The 30-year-old has already reached a personal best with 24 goals this season, along with 35 assists and 59 points. With that production across 64 games for the Utah Mammoth, Schmaltz is on track to record 75 points, blowing his career-high 63 points from last year out of the water.
In January, there were reports about the Kings potentially pursuing Schmaltz in the off-season, and that makes plenty of sense for the organization.
Report: Kings Could Be After Nick Schmaltz If He Becomes A UFA
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Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
There have been some soft trade rumors regarding Elias Pettersson ahead of the passing of the NHL trade deadline. However, nothing has been done on that front.
Part of the reason that Pettersson hasn’t been moved by the Vancouver Canucks is likely because of his current contract. He’s only in the second-year of an eight-year deal that pays him $11.6 million per season.
Elias Pettersson (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
Taking on the rest of Pettersson’s contract isn’t an easy task, especially when his recent play is considered. The 27-year-old has 13 goals and 38 points in 56 games. Not to mention, he finished with 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games last season, the worst totals of his NHL career.
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While Pettersson hasn’t been playing to what he’s worth against the salary cap, the Canucks are reportedly not interested in retaining his salary. It’s not surprising that that would be a deal-breaker for GMs across the NHL, including Holland.
Los Angeles Kings’ List Of Rumored Trade Targets Ahead Of NHL Trade Deadline
But in a perfect world, Vancouver’s Pettersson would be a great candidate to be a top-six center on Los Angeles. Don’t forget, though the Swede has struggled in the past couple of years, before that, he registered 89- and 102-point campaigns.
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Maybe he just needs a change of scenery.
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
Robert Thomas was one of the stars who was reportedly available at the trade deadline this year. Ultimately, the St. Louis Blues did not move him, which is likely because the asking price was fairly high, and he also has a no-trade clause on his contract.
With that, he’s in the third year of an eight-year deal, earning an average annual value of $8.125 million. That contract lasts until the end of the 2030-31 season.
There haven’t been plenty of connections or strong rumors linking the Kings and Robert Thomas together. But there was a conversation where TSN’s Darren Dreger said that Thomas could be a fit in Los Angeles.
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Thomas, 26, has 15 goals and 40 points in 46 appearances this season. He’s on a six-game point streak, recording 10 points in that span. Last year, he registered a career-high 81 points, made up of 21 goals and 60 assists.
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
Many expected the New York Rangers to trade away Vincent Trocheck at the passing trade deadline. However, Rangers GM Chris Drury couldn’t find a deal that matched his or the player’s preference.
In fairness to the Blueshirts, even though Trocheck would’ve fetched them a valuable return, there is no rush to move the veteran center as he has term left on his contract.
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After this season, Trocheck will have three more years left on his deal, earning $5.625 million against the salary cap.
It was made clear that Trocheck prefers to stay in the Eastern Conference if he were to get traded. So even if Holland wants to circle back on the 32-year-old in the summer, the chances of agreeing on a deal seem unlikely, especially with his 10-team no-trade clause beginning July 1.
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