Quoting: Bf3351
Rangers have Fox and Trouba. The only way they can fit Deangelo in is if they put him on the left side which means they'll be pairining him other offensive style defensemen which is not a quality option. If he is not traded he will be offersheeted. We have to try. We can afford to lose next years 1st. Ever since Vilardi got called up the Kings went 8-1-1, the whole team fed off of his energy. Add Turcotte, JAD, and Bjornfor to the mix and are whole team has a brand new energy. I wouldn't be surprised if we aren't that far from a wild card spot at the end of the season. Not saying we will be close to a playoff team, but no where near rock bottom.
If you are set on drafting a winger rather than a defenseman then this makes sense. We have what, Clague, Anderson, and Bjornfot and that's it. I guess I can't forget about spot fillers like Roy and Walker, but going after Sergachev and/or Deangelo makes a lot of sense.
Teams can't afford to have six top-four defensemen. Spot fillers like Walker and Roy are necessary pieces in championship rosters. If the Kings pick up Sergachev and Deangelo, the Kings will have a defensive corps that could very easily top $30 million, but still have a very middling top six forward corps.
I agree that the Rangers might look to trade Deangelo, but they will get significantly better offers from contenders that include 1st round picks and quality prospects. They're not going to trade him for some spare parts and a former 1st round pick that had a disappointing season. The pieces that the Rangers would want in return are likely on the Kings untouchable list (1st round picks, Kaliyev, Bjornfot, etc.)
Sure, the team looks like it's trending in the right direction, but i wouldn't get too excited about a 10 game stretch of play. A lot of teams took the Kings for granted and expected an easy 2 points. As the Kings make steps in the right direction, teams will stop expecting an easy win and come prepared. Sure, they could be the surprise team of the season, but they could just as easily be the 2021 version of the Buffalo Sabres. If they are in a playoff spot at next year's trade deadline, then I would be prepared to consider trading away the 2021 1st rounder for immediate help, but not before.
The Kings defensive corps currently looks like this:
????-Doughty (top pair capable guys)
Bjornfot-Walker (middle pair capable guys)
Anderson-Roy (bottom pair guys)
Clague-Durzi-MacDermid (fringe NHLers)
Assuming Ryan and Hutton dont' return, they'll likely sign a veteran free agent to fill in on the left side in the short term until they can find a better option. I don't think they'll try to make a big splash this summer. Maybe next summer after they've made some progress and their draft picks aren't as premium as they are now.