Kings GM Rob Blake continues to retool his roster via another massive deal. Just one week removed from a three-team trade with Philadelphia and Columbus, he’s now swung a deal with Winnipeg that will land
Pierre-Luc Dubois in Southern California. The 25-year-old forward arrives in LA coming off back-to-back seasons with the Jets that saw him record 28 and 27 goals.
Going back the other way in return is a package that includes
Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kuapri, and Gabe Vilardi. LA is also including a 2024 second round pick.
From the LA side, Iafallo was key to the deal, as he carries a $4M AAV for the next two seasons and the Kings
began the day with less than $2M in projected cap space available — all while still needing to sign a goalie. Moving out money was absolutely necessary to get the deal done.
Vilardi was the most attractive chip in all of this from a Winnipeg side. A former No. 1 pick, the 23-year-old forward is coming off a 23-goal campaign and his future continues to look very bright. He put up 41 points in 63 games last season, a pace that trails Dubois, yet it came on an LA club that is far less offensively minded. Vilardi’s defensive analytics are better than Dubois. Adding in Iafallo’s strong 200-ft game, Kings coach Todd McLellan will likely need to reconfigure the team’s defensive approach at forward and on the penalty kill.
Iafallo also gave the Kings some depth at forward, as prior to the trade he wasn’t even factored into their top three lines. It was a good insurance policy to have around should one of the top forwards be out due to injury — something that happened on several occasions last year. Now, pushing the ceiling of the salary cap, the Kings will need some of their younger, less experienced players to step up in 2023-24. They’ll now be counted on to play more minutes and in more important roles.
