LA Kings News: LA Makes Three-Team Trade to Create Cap Space

Where does Los Angeles go from here?

Los Angeles entered this offseason with a goal in mind and that was to clear some cap space. Well, the first shoe dropped as the Kings have agreed to a three-team trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Kings agreed to send out goalie Cal Petersen, defenseman Sean Walker and prospect Helge Grans out while saving money. Los Angeles is also sending out a second-round draft pick in this deal, while also retaining 30% of Ivan Provorov contract. Provorov is expected to head to Columbus in this three-team trade.

They plan to go after re-signing defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov, who they acquired before the trade deadline this season. The Kings can breathe a bit now with the savings from this deal and it gets rid of some of the pressure on the salary cap that they entered the offseason with.

Los Angeles made the postseason again this past year but were bounced in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings haven’t won a playoff series since 2014 when they won the Stanley Cup so they understand that this offseason looms large and will play a big role in the future of the franchise. This is step one but it’s a big step. For General Manager Rob Blake, this is a home run start to the summer.