The Los Angeles Kings are still hunting for more offense, and that search has reopened a familiar question: could Elias Pettersson be back on their radar?
On Daily Faceoff, David Pagnotta said the Kings are trying to bolster their top-six after losing Kevin Fiala from the second-line mix and seeing Adrian Kempe get off to a slower start than usual.
“Not having (Kevin) Fiala there eliminates the second line threat. You know, like you’ve got other pieces, it just hasn’t, it hasn’t fit.
Even, you know what, even Adrian Kempe has, has had a slow start to the season by his standards. So they are looking to see how they can bring in more offense, how they can improve their top-six.”
Jeff Marek agreed with that read, and the conversation quickly turned to whether Los Angeles might circle back to Vancouver and ask about Pettersson again.
Pagnotta said he doesn’t think anything is imminent, but he did float the idea of the Kings and Canucks revisiting the kind of framework that has come up before.
“As well as a center position, and I really, I don’t think anything’s happening now on this front. But I really am curious, do they circle back again for the whatever, umpteenth time, even with Kenny Holland now as GM, because Rob Blake did it before, do they go to Vancouver and say, “We like Elias Pettersson, and we can discuss Quenton Byfield.”
Marek called that kind of swap a huge one and raised the issue of the “division tax” that can come with a deal like that.
“Wow. That would be a monster of a deal, obviously. One of the things that I always wonder about is how much division tax you pay…”
Pagnotta pushed back on the idea that Vancouver would be eager to move Pettersson without serious hesitation, especially with the risk that he could take off somewhere else.
“Right.”
Marek: “… in a situation like this.”
Pagnotta: “Yeah. Look, Vancouver’s hesitancy before the GM change and now with Ryan Johnson is, we move Elias Pettersson, and he explodes all over again. If he goes off …”
Marek: “I know.”
Pagnotta: “… you got to deal with that while you’re rebuilding it and while you’re back in the mix.”
He added that the same kind of concern would exist on the Kings’ side if Quinton Byfield were part of the discussion.
“Now, at the same time, if you have a guy like (Quentin Byfield) that’s available in this, yeah, and other pieces as well. I’m not saying this is a one for one. I’m saying you know centerpieces to a deal.
L.A., do they, they have the same hesitancy to go, ‘Well, okay, Petey’s at 90-point pace, but now Q, younger, bigger frame, more physical, sort of. Is that, is he going to bite us in the you know what.
So risk on both sides, but man, if I’m looking at this, if I’m LA, I’m going yeah, you need secondary scoring. Panarin, Patterson, Kempe.”
Marek responded, “It’s pretty impressive.”
Pagnotta finished the thought by saying, “Not a bad first unit.”
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