Once a Kings Fan Too
Joined: Jun. 2018
Posts: 40,087
Likes: 25,004
Helge Grans is two stages of development ahead of Ryan Johnson -- he's not only under contract, but he's completed a successful first year of North American professional hockey. Meanwhile, if Johnson doesn't sign his ELC by the end of this coming season, and becomes a free agent, trading Grans for him will turn out disastrously for Los Angeles. So imagining that the Kings would also add a draft pick, even a minor one, is really piggy.
I used to think that Grans for Johnson straight up was a good deal. Now, with that August 1, 2023 deadline staring us in the face, I believe that it only makes sense if there's a deal in place guaranteeing that he comes into the Los Angeles system. I'm not sure how that would work.