The Los Angeles Kings are a much better team with superstar forward Artemi Panarin in the fold — but they are looking to get even better after the devastating season-ending injury Kevin Fiala suffered while playing for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Although it's no secret that general manager Ken Holland and the front office are trying to add another goal scoring forward, it seems Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine will not be the answer, as The Fourth Period's Dennis Bernstein reported on Tuesday.
“As the Kings explore the market for a top-six forward, I can confirm they spoke with Montreal about Patrik Laine,” Bernstein wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “However, there doesn’t seem to be a fit right now and Kings are now looking elsewhere.”
There were multiple reports earlier this month that Laine would be getting traded ahead of the March 6 deadline. He hasn't played a game for the Habs since Oct. 16; the Finnish sniper underwent core muscle surgery shortly afterwards and was given a timeline of 3-4 months.
The 27-year-old is already past the far end of that timeline, but it's been rumored that he will be ready to return to play around the time of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.
Laine has struggled overall in Quebec; he scored 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games in 2024-25, and had one assist in five games before the injury this year.
Unclear who Kings are targeting to improve forward group
With a Laine trade to California looking unlikely, the Kings will shift their focus as they look to bring an impactful forward to Los Angeles sometime in the next nine days.
“The Kings acquired star left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers on Feb. 4 prior to the Olympic roster freeze and have continued to look at additional options, even prior to Fiala’s season-ending injury,” reported The Fourth Period.
“It is unclear, at this time, whom the Kings are targeting, but Holland is looking to make at least one more addition by the March 6 trade deadline.”
With just over $12.6 million in salary cap space to work with, the Kings should have no trouble absorbing a big contract or two if they end up making a splash.
It's been an up-and-down season overall for the club, who are 23-19-14 at the tail end of the Olympic break. That has them on the outside looking in, but just three points back of a wildcard berth in the Western Conference.
There are no shortage of options on the trade market, with players like St. Louis Blues' Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, Nashville Predators' Jonathan Marchessault, Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk and Calgary Flames' Nazem Kadri just a couple of players who could help the Kings score more goals.
The defense and goaltending is solid, but LA is scoring just 2.54 goals per game — good for 30th league-wide — and that is going to need to improve if the franchise hopes to advance to the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.
The Kings return to action against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
