Ban Price trades
Joined: Oct. 2017
Posts: 6,474
Likes: 6,450
I don't have a horse in the Kings' race. As an Oiler fan, I genuinely hate seeing them succeed and have enjoyed the past few seasons where the Kings have toiled.
However: I'm enamored with prospects and how they develop. The Kings have a really good thing going in Ontario, and it's arguably better for guys like Clague to be eating more minutes in a winning environment. This is Bjornfot's first year in North America - he's adjusted phenomenally well - but taking time in the AHL to really work out the minutia of his game only does the Kings more good in the long run. Vilardi seems to be getting exceptional treatment by the organization, but that definitely stems from him being physically ready for the NHL the second his name was called at the draft. He's put in time in order to get his back situated and delaying his rise to the NHL any further isn't going to better prepare him to be a top-six center.
The Prokhorkin usage is interesting, but as someone who has experienced how McLellan operates a roster, he'll probably see some higher usage in due time. The roster blender will come out eventually.
By not trading Lewis, Ryan, or Hutton, you've essentially traded the potential for a few late picks in order to better develop key prospects. The Kings did nothing wrong here.