With Artemi Panarin coming on board, there is even less room in the Los Angeles Kings' forward group. Left winger Warren Foegele has been the odd man out as of late, and GM Ken Holland has hinted at trading him away, potentially for a center.
While the Los Angeles Kings will receive a massive boost in the top six of their forward group with the new addition of left winger Artemi Panarin, there are some consequences to the acquisition.
On the TNT Sports broadcast ahead of Los Angeles' tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Kings GM Ken Holland was asked if he has any more moves up his sleeves.
"We've got a lot of forwards now," Holland said on the broadcast.
The Kings' surplus in forwards has been evident as left winger Warren Foegele has been the odd man out. The 29-year-old has spent the last three games sitting in the press box and hasn't been able to find a rhythm in this lineup all season.
"Warren Foegele had a great year last year," the Kings GM said. "He's been out of the lineup for the last couple of games… got to work the phones here."
Indeed, Foegele had a solid campaign last year for the Kings. In fact, it was the best season he's had in his NHL career.
He scored 24 goals and 46 points in all 82 games, as well as a team-high plus-36 rating in what was his first year as a member of the Kings.
Warren Foegele (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)This season hasn't been the same for Foegele, production-wise. In 43 contests, the Markham, Ont., native has six goals and eight points, which is nowhere near what he registered last year.
Part of that is because of a couple of injuries he has suffered this season, and constantly being in and out of the lineup. And when Foegele can get in the lineup, he's seeing fourth-line minutes, which is a role he hasn't endured last year.
With the idea of looking to move Foegele ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6, Holland shared his perspective on how he thinks the trade market will pan out with the Olympic break.
"I think it's going to go quiet now for the next 10, 12 days, and then as we get near the end of the Olympic break, the phones will start humming again, so we'll see if there's a fit," Holland said.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman posted a written version of 32 Thoughts following the Panarin trade, revealing some extra details regarding Holland's thought process.
Friedman reported that the Kings were trying to add New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck in addition to Panarin, but it appears Trocheck would like to remain in the Eastern Conference.
Nonetheless, that proves that Los Angeles is still interested in getting a center, as they'll be even thinner down the middle once Anze Kopitar retires at the end of the season. For that, Foegele, among other assets, could be a trade piece to dangle in front of other teams.
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