The Los Angeles Kings made an extremely bold trade last summer. The Kings traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. This trade included an eight-year contract extension, as well. However, that trade blew up in their face. And, ultimately, Los Angeles dumped Dubois onto the Washington Capitals this summer.
Making big moves like that is something teams should consider doing. In saying that, though, the reason they don't happen that often is because of the risk. Teams don't want to end up trading the player in a cap dump like Los Angeles had to do.
The Dubois trade is something that will follow the Kings for a while. And it isn't clear when they will take another swing like that. In any event, Los Angeles is sure to return to the trade market at some point within the next year. With this in mind, here are two potential trade candidates the Kings could include in discussions with other teams.
Arthur Kaliyev is an interesting trade candidate
Arthur Kaliyev has played parts of four NHL seasons to this point. However, the former second-round pick has not had the best of time in the NHL. This trend continued in 2023-24. The 23-year-old winger saw his offensive numbers this past season. Overall, he scored seven goals and 15 points in 51 games.
Looking under the surface, he performed as analytics expected. He had 2.4 offensive goals above replacement, 0.4 wins above replacement, and 0.7 standing points above replacement this past season. To compare, Kaliyev finished with 2.2 xOGAR, 0.5 xWAR, and 0.9 xSPAR.
There is one shining light for Kaliyev, though. The young Kings winger ranks fourth among current Los Angeles skaters in expected goals for per 60 minutes since 2021-22. Only Philip Danault, Kevin Fiala, and Trevor Lewis have a higher xGF/60 over the last three seasons.
Kaliyev is still only 23 years old. There is a lot of room for him to find his stride in the NHL at some point. That said, he may find his stride elsewhere. The Kings could dangle the former second-round pick in a trade to acquire a player that may better their chances at going on a deep playoff run.
Alex Turcotte could be available
The 2019 NHL Draft has proven rather unkind to the Kings. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot is no longer with the team after they waived him. Kaliyev has underperformed since being drafted. And Alex Turcotte — the fifth overall selection from that class — could be headed out of Los Angeles in his own right.
Turcotte is unlike Kaliyev in that underperformance is the driving force behind his trade candidacy. Turcotte has underperformed, but he has struggled mightily with injuries. In particular, the Kings prospect has dealt with multiple concussion issues.
Turcotte has had some solid seasons in the AHL, but nothing spectacular. For example, he played 35 games with the Ontario Reign this past season. He scored 10 goals and 39 points during those games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he added two goals and four points.
Much like Kaliyev, Turcotte has time to figure things out. Los Angeles gave him a bit of a vote of confidence, as well. The Kings signed their former top-five pick to a three-year contract this summer.
Turcotte could very well become the player the Kings saw in 2019. However, with the team looking to win now, it's possible they consider a trade. Especially if the former top-five pick is unable to crack the roster at any point this upcoming season.
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