While the NBA is so excellent at creating drama in its offseason, especially heading to and during the free agency period, the NHL would like to remind everyone that it is also very much capable of turning heads post-Stanley Cup Finals. Take for example the blockbuster trade that went down Wednesday, with the Minnesota Wild sending star forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman prospect Brock Faber and the rights to the no. 19 overall pick in the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Kevin Fiala was an elite player for the Wild in the 2021-22 NHL season. Sure, Minnesota has Kirill Kaprizov, who is an amazing talent on his own, but Fiala was right next to him in terms of importance to the squad. The Wild would have loved to keep Fiala, but they also knew that they did not have the financial equity to match whatever Fiala was going to get in the open market once the one-year deal worth $5.1 million that he signed in 2021 with Minnesota expires.

With all that being said, it's now time to grade the exchange of assets of the Kings and the Wild, who, in varying degrees, must be feeling happy about what they made out of this huge transaction.

Grading the Kevin Fiala Trade of Kings-Wild

Los Angeles Kings

One look at the Kings' basic numbers in the 2021-22 NHL season would give mostly everything you need to know why acquiring Fiala makes plenty of sense for the franchise. Los Angeles had an anemic offense in that campaign, ranking just 20th overall with only 2.87 goals per contest. Adrian Kempe led the Kings with 35 goals, followed by Phillip Danault with 27, and Viktor Arvidsson with 20. No other Los Angeles player outside of those three had found the back of the net at least 20 times. If Fiala wore Kings threads last season, he would easily pace the team in goals, as he finished the campaign with 33 goals. His 52 assists would have also led all Kings skaters. And before anyone starts to bang on their keyboards and virtually shout “but he benefited from playing with Kaprizov,” let this tidbit of clarity from JFresh sink in:

Because the narrative is already starting, think it's worth mentioning that Kevin Fiala spent 5.5% of his 5v5 minutes with Kirill Kaprizov on the ice in the past two seasons. 88 minutes total.

Inserting Kevin Fiala to the top line with Anze Kopitar instantly would elevate the ceiling of the Kings, who wished they had someone like Fiala when they went up against the high-powered offense of the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite the lack of firepower, the Kings managed to stretch that series to seven games. Just imagine if they had a stick like Fiala helping them combat Connor McDavid and company…

Having Fiala on the ice would and should mean higher conversion of prime scoring opportunities for the Kings, who were fifth last season with a 50.49 xGF and seventh with a 53.36 xGF%. Los Angeles certainly is aware of how Fiala would positively impact its offense, which is also a big reason why the Kings signed him to a seven-year extension worth $55.125 million shortly after the trade. At just 25 years old on the day of the contract signing, Fiala will be playing his prime in Hollywood.

Grade: A

Minnesota Wild

Losing Kevin Fiala is huge for the Wild for obvious reasons. He was a guy they could rely on to make things happen on the ice even when Kaprizov is on the bench. Having said that, the Wild managed to flip him for a pair of inexpensive assets that could turn out to be highly valuable down the road. The Kings have one of the deepest farm systems in the league and acquiring a top prospect like Brock Faber plus a first-round pick for Fiala, who was a long shot for Minnesota to re-sign, to begin with, sounds like Minnesota landed itself in the best position possible, given the circumstances.

Via The Athletic:

Faber’s a smooth-skating (forward, backward, as well as through his footwork, crossovers and pivots), strong, stick-on-puck defender who plays a heady, efficient, play-driving two-way game. Though there isn’t a lot of flash to his game, he has honed what he’s good at to become a legitimate prospect. He turns the Wild’s duo of B-plus prospects on defense (Carson Lambos and Calen Addison) into a trio and slots in a cut above their B-grade guys in the pool (Jack Peart, Ryan O’Rourke, Daemon Hunt).

Faber is from Maple Grove, Minnesota, so adjusting to his new surrounding wouldn't be an issue. If anything, being in a familiar atmosphere might only accelerate his development at the pro level.

As it stands, the Wild have a total of four picks in the top 56 of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. It's not going to be the most surprising thing to see if Minnesota uses any of those picks to arrange a trade package for an asset it could use to address any need.

Grade: B+