On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings lost their sixth straight game after surrendering another late lead.
They look nothing like the team we saw earlier in the season when they were one of the best teams in hockey statistically.
The goals haven't come as easily recently, they're struggling to hold leads and they can't put together a full 60.
They don't need to panic yet and don't need to make drastic changes — although they can — but something does need to change.
However, given their cap situation, they're very limited in what they can do.
Trades will be difficult and they don't have a deep cupboard of prospects to call upon.
So, what can they do?
Call Up Samuel Fagemo:
The easiest thing to do is call up forward Samuel Fagemo and find a way to fit him into the lineup.
Fagemo has been on an absolute tear since returning to the Ontario Reign with 18 goals and 31 points in 22 games so far.
Fagemo is a natural goal scorer who could help with some of the Kings' offensive decencies of late.
He's also lethal on the power play and could help the Kings in that area. Being a right shot, he'd bring an element they're missing and could facilitate a switch for the second unit.
With Fagemo on the left half-wall, they could flip the power play, allowing Pierre-Luc Dubois to play the net front role Gabe Vilardi and Viktor Arvidsson played last season on the opposite side,
This is far from a guaranteed fix, but the power play needs mixing up and this could help.
He isn't just a power play specialist though, he can score at 5-on-5 and has improved his defensive play.
If he's called up expectations should be tempered, remember how many goals Martin Frk scored in Ontario? But he's a good player who could certainly help this team.
The big issue is fitting him and Arthur Kaliyev onto the roster.
They both can't play on the same power-play unit, or at least they both can't be the trigger man where they excel, and at 5-on-5 there isn't a natural fit either.
You'd assume that Fagemo replaces Alex Laferriere in the lineup and a Kaliyev-Dubois-Fagemo line does not sound good.
A simple fix would be swapping Kaliyev and Kevin Fiala, but Todd McLellan seems unwilling to try Fiala and Dubois on a line together again.
You could also flip Trevor Moore with one of Kaliyev or Fagemo, but I doubt there's any interest in pushing Moore onto the third line.
I would like to see Fagemo called up and played on a Fiala-Dubois-Fagemo line, but I'm not sure that happens.
Move on From McLellan:
To be clear, I don't think this is a real option for the Kings right now. However, it's being discussed a lot on social media so I'll touch on it.
Coaching changes are often viewed as the easiest play if a team wants to make a drastic move and firing Todd would be drastic.
Multiple blown leads in quick succession and a six-game slide doesn't look great for a coach.
The criticisms for Todd are the same as they've always been. He's very stubborn with his system, is overly reliant on veterans and doesn't make in-game adjustments well.
These are all valid criticisms, but he likely has enough good will in the bank to avoid a real job scare here.
This losing streak would have to stretch to the 10-12 game mark for that to become a real possibility. Excluding something dramatic like a player mutiny, of course.
Make a Trade:
Because of the Kings' cap situation, this is probably the most unlikely change for them to make.
They don't have the cap space to make a move with their future assets and it's unlikely they have any plans to trade one of their more established players.
Just looking at their roster, the fourth line doesn't get much in a return so they're safe. Everyone on the top line is a core piece and won't be moved.
You can't move Kevin Fiala or Dubois and are unlikely to move Phil Danault given Dubois' struggles.
So, if they really want to make a dramatic trade they maybe trade Moore while his stock is highest, or trade Matt Roy if they're confident in Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke to makeup for his loss.
I don't think they are confident in that and I highly doubt they trade Moore right now, so I'd put that possibility at below 1%.
If the Kings feel they have to make a trade, the only one that makes some sense is moving Roy and Kaliyev together for a top-nine forward, but I can't see that happening.
Move Dubois to Wing:
I've talked about this ad nauseum since he was acquired and wrote about it at length on Tuesday, so I'll keep this section short.
I won't stop beating this drum until the Kings try it.
Move Dubois to wing and let him be a power winger, stop pretending he's something he's not.
Either move Quinton Byfield back to the middle, or scratch Laferriere, move Blake Lizotte to 3C and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to 4C. At least until Alex Turcotte is healthy.
The Kings Need to Do Something:
Of the above options, calling up Fagemo is the only one I see as a real possibility.
I don't view him as a true game changer that can really move the needle, but the Kings don't neccesarily need that either.
If he can come in and contribute offense, that could be enough to help push this team out of their current rut.
Whatever they decide, they need to make a change soon before the season starts slipping away from them.