Los Angeles Kings star winger Kevin Fiala suffered a season-ending injury at the Olympics. Could Nashville Predators star winger Steven Stamkos be the Kings' major offensive acquisition before the NHL's trade deadline?
The NHL’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics carries with it a certain amount of risk that a key player will suffer a major injury. And that nightmare happened on Friday in the round-robin game between Team Canada and Team Switzerland when Swiss and Los Angeles Kings left winger Kevin Fiala fell awkwardly late in the game and had to be stretchered off the ice.
Fiala is out for the rest of the tournament and the remainder of the Kings' 2025-26 season, as he underwent leg surgery after the game.
The Kings have already made a blockbuster trade before the Olympic break when they acquired star left winger Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers.
But Fiala’s devastating injury will open up significant salary cap space to allow L.A. GM Ken Holland to make a move ahead of the March 6 NHL trade deadline.
As it stands, prior to Fiala being placed on long-term injured reserve, the Kings have approximately $10.6 million in cap space – and that number rises to $15.7 million at the deadline.
Fiala’s $7.875-million cap hit is going to give Holland even more cap space to make a notable trade. And there’s one player in particular who makes a lot of sense as a Kings trade target – and that’s Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos.
With Fiala out, the Kings need help at center and on the wing, and that’s where Stamkos can be a huge help for them.
The Preds may choose to hang onto Stamkos as they may make a Stanley Cup playoff push of their own, as they are four points out of a spot in the post-season. But if Nashville GM Barry Trotz wants to speed up the retool or rebuild for his team, dealing Stamkos could bring the type of return that makes the Predators a better team in the long run.
With a full no-move clause in his contract, Stamkos can dictate where he gets traded to if that’s what Nashville wants to do with him. Stamkos isn’t a rental player, as he has another two years on his contract after the current season.
But Stamkos’ $8-million salary lines up almost perfectly as a replacement for Fiala’s cap space. And next season, the Kings are projected to have $15.85-million in cap space, so they can fully absorb Stamkos’ salary beyond this year without having to trade away players in return.
For the 36-year-old Stamkos, the Kings could be his last NHL destination. So if Holland can convince him to accept a trade to L.A. the way he convinced Panarin to accept a deal, the Kings could get a massive boost where they need it – on offense.
Steven Stamkos (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)Los Angeles went into the Olympic break with the NHL’s third-worst offense at 2.54 goals-for per game, so they need all the help scoring goals that they can get.
After a slow start to this season, Stamkos has come on strong, posting 28 goals in 57 games. That’s more than the 27 goals he had for Nashville in 82 games last season, and he can play center or wing depending on the Kings’ needs at any particular moment.
The last thing Holland wants to see is his team fail to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season after losing Fiala, so he’s got all the motivation in the world to go out and make a second blockbuster move this year.
Furthermore, the Kings presently have all three of their first-round draft picks in the next three drafts, as well as four second-rounders in that span. Thus, Holland has the trade capital to satisfy the Predators’ needs.
This is why the Kings are a perfect fit for Stamkos. He’d be going somewhere where he doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting, but he’d definitely be seen as a key piece of the competitive puzzle for Los Angeles.
And with Stamkos being the ultimate decider of where he gets traded, the Preds wouldn’t be able to ask for the sun and the stars in any Stamkos trade.
So don’t be shocked if Holland acquires Stamkos or another name-brand player with Cup-winning experience. And while Stamkos may not be a King by the deadline, there’s no question Holland has the impetus to improve his group with a difference-making forward.
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