Replacing Kevin — The Fourth Period

But back to the deal itself. While the extent of Panarin’s impact remains to be seen, the cost suggests a lopsided deal for Los Angeles. Prospect Liam Greentree may develop into a quality NHL winger, yet his amateur profile indicates he is unlikely to approach Panarin’s production or influence. Importantly, Holland did not mortgage the future or commit to a long‑term deal for a 34‑year‑old player, concerns that initially surrounded the trade.

From a structural standpoint, the deal was critical. Even with Panarin, and if Fiala was still present, the Kings are not legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Defensively, they remain strong – sixth in goals against and second in 5‑on‑5 goals allowed – but continued offensive regression has put their four-season playoff streak in jeopardy.

Panarin’s arrival fundamentally alters expectations. If making the postseason was once the goal, it is now the minimum standard. Winning a playoff round becomes the baseline.

Those expectations extend beyond the team to individuals, most notably Byfield. Assuming Panarin slots on Byfield’s left wing, the partnership could clarify Byfield’s long‑term trajectory. With Panarin driving play and controlling tempo, Byfield’s responsibilities should be simplified. One of his primary weaknesses has been processing speed as a playmaker; deferring creation to Panarin allows Byfield to play more reactively, attack the middle of the ice, arrive at the net, and operate with fewer but more decisive touches.

That said, Byfield cannot fade into deference. He must demand the puck and punish coverage created by Panarin’s presence. The opportunity is there to become the interior force his tools suggest, but it requires assertiveness.

Trade Deadline Possibilities

In a previous column, I outlined an offseason plan to reimagine the center position with Anze Kopitar’s departure at season end and Byfield’s offensive stagnation. That plan remains essential, but the Fiala injury creates a second shorter term plan. A projected $ 15 million in deadline cap space gives Holland all the runway he needs to offset the absence. But it raises questions as to how to go about it.

The first option is to do nothing – until closer to the trade deadline. The key player for the lead-in to March 6 is Andrei Kuzmenko and a better word would be vital if there are no options to improve the offense at a reasonable asset price. As an aside, the chatter around the potential movement of Warren Foegele will lessen in the short team as he needs to be reinserted on the bottom-six forward group.

It starts with the premise that Kuzmenko is a very different offensive player than Fiala, he is not a replacement. He’s not the skater, not the creator that Fiala is but if deployed correctly, he doesn’t need to be.

The best option would be to place him on a line with Panarin and Byfield as a secondary finisher (as mentioned before Byfield must increase his shot volume). Kuzmenko needs to find his game that got him one more season in Los Angeles – the finishing around the net, finding the soft spots in the offensive zone that opponents must account for. Let Panarin and Byfield do the heavy lifting, let Kuzmenko finish the job.

But this alignment has to produce immediately, Kuzmenko’s leash is as long as the March 6 trade deadline at noon Pacific time. If the 5-on-5 offense doesn’t improve, Holland’s hand will be forced into the market to realign the top six for the second time is a short period.

The options?

Not many from a player or trade partner standpoint, two teams look to be trade partners for Los Angeles – the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames – and a third that could solidify its bottom-six, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Setting aside the need for a center in the offseason which both teams can provide (Ryan O’Reilly or Nazem Kadri), there are multiple targets that can provide impact. But the conversation doesn’t start until the Nashville Predators decide what they are. Are they committed to a final push to get to the second wild card and certain elimination in the first round or do they do a soft retool that makes Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault available?

In any case, moving a first-round pick is not negotiable. The only circumstance when you would move a pick would be for a franchise-changing player (an off-season deal for Robert Thomas, as an example).

Stamkos’ availability is doubtful, his midseason stretch likely takes him off the market, but the Panarin acquisition changes the narrative around Holland’s ability to pay for premium players and Los Angeles as a preferred landing spot.

A Marchessault acquisition is intriguing, he hasn’t produced at the level commensurate to his contract and at age 35, age risk is a fair assessment, but his game is not reliant on speed and he would not be a primary, feature player. His shot-volume game can be immediately plugged into the power play – an acute need – but needs to be sheltered at 5-on-5 like Kuzmenko. He may not be at the level of comparable players at his age (Brad Marchand, Mats Zuccarello) but he can be a complementary offensive player like James van Riemsdyk.

Given Marchessault’s limitations, a retention deal makes sense for Los Angeles but not the only path. The best move would be 50 percent retention for a second-round pick and a secondary prospect, if no retention, a combination of Foegele and lower round pick is fair.

But with only one reasonable option to replace Fiala’s offense (there has been some chatter about Toronto’s Bobby McMann – a 19 goal scorer – but with the Maple Leafs interested in re-signing him and the first-round ask takes him out of LA’s range), the only way to improve the Kings may be to lean into its current identity and add or change its middle six.

Calgary provides an option with veteran forward Blake Coleman. Coleman won’t provide the offense that Marchessault could, but he fits the profile of a Kings middle-six winger. His numbers won’t get you to the postseason, but he would fortify the forward wall and has shown he can occasionally elevate for top six minutes. His impact would increase in the postseason (a good comparison is what Ivan Barbashev added to Vegas) and a winger you can trust late in games, an aspect of situational hockey that has dogged the team all season. Like all deals, surrendering a first-round pick is off the table and the comfort level sets at a second-round pick and mid-level prospect.

Chicago offers similar third line options, either pending unrestricted free agents Iyla Mikheyev or Jason Dickinson, one improves the wing, the other the pivot. Mikheyev gives size and speed in transition and supplies another penalty killer. Dickinson fills the void never replaced after the departure of Philip Danault. Sami Helenius could be the 3C of the future, Alex Turcotte drives play and wins faceoffs but his deployment (

Extracting the big picture need for a top-six center, the Kings’ deadline menu is basically: buy a middle-six scorer to replace missing offense or add a matchup a third liner for playoff minutes.