LA is giving up an asset to Seattle to prevent them from taking whom exactly? The most likely casualty of the expansion draft for LA is Clague, and you don't have him on your roster anyway. He's no longer waiver exempt, so you're giving up a 3rd just to lose him to waivers.

Keep the 3rd, bury Maatta in the AHL, and lose Clague to Seattle.

I'm good with that too, just wouldn't be pumped to see Clague do well in Seattle. Regardless, you are right, there is currently enough cap space to bury Maata in that situation, however more so that the cap space would allow the Kings to make a trade deadline move if needed.

The Kings have several extensions to sign next summer (Brown, Petersen, Kempe, Vilardi, JAD, Anderson). I'd be very surprised if they spend to the cap next season.

Yeah, still not sure how Blake anticipates getting two top-6 players or top-line LD on one-year contracts with those contracts next season. But I feel like the Kings will be moving Quick at the trade deadline, and with Brown and Maatas' contracts up the Kings should have enough cap space to give everyone the bridge deals they need. Other than Petersen (and maybe Kempe), not sure players have played consistently lights out too demand a huge raise. But I guess we'll see how this season goes.

Brown and Petersen's new contracts will likely offset each other. I can see Petersen getting $4.5M or so and Brown getting $1.5-2M. Anderson is going to get a substantial raise.

I could see the Brown and Petersen offset, but I think Anderson would accept a $2.5Mx2 bridge if he is no longer eating top-line minutes. He's been good, but top line isn't where I see him long-term.

With where the Kings currently are, I think they'd be better suited signing him to a long term deal now. If they can lock him up to 6-8 years @ $4M, they can potentially avoid having to give him a long term bigger money contract 2 years out.

I would be in no way upset if they got him locked in at that, especially if it's a trend that Bjornfot follows.

Blues arent doing any of that and you arent getting schwartz at that deal

We'll see, like I said above if Tarasenko nixes it, the Kings can try at Saad. Lots of available top-6 wingers and it's a cap freeze, so the Kings can either find trade partners who are against the cap and their window is still open or the free agency.