Kings Have a Natural Trade Partner for Kaliyev in Penguins

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With just 20 games played after Jan. 1 and some less than complimentary comments from Rob Blake in his exit interview, it seems like Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev’s time with the Los Angeles Kings is coming to an end.

On an expiring contract, the Kings won’t have much leverage but can trade Kaliyev’s RFA rights before free agency opens.

Had they moved him at the deadline, they might have gotten more value, but they didn’t so they’ll have to take what they can get.

Still, Kaliyev’s might be an intriguing player to a lot of teams. He’s the 13th highest-scoring player of his draft and still has a deadly shot, even if he has his flaws.

Teams that are trying to get younger, need help on the power play and create a lot off the cycle could be willing to buy low on him.

You won’t be getting a great piece, it will be another reclamation project or a depth player coming back, but that could still provide value for the Kings.

The most obvious trade partner for the Kings would be the Pittsburg Penguins.

Looking at the above parameters, the Penguins are certainly trying to get younger.

They finished with the league’s 30th-ranked power play, and create the majority of their chances off the cycle.

Great, it works for the Penguins, but what about the Kings?

There aren’t a ton of options for the Kings, but one very good option is Jesse Puljujarvi.

The former fourth-overall pick, the pick after Pierre-Luc Dubois in 2016, has never lived up to his draft expectations and was a mid-season add for the Penguins after he had offseason surgery.

He didn’t do much in Pittsburg, scoring just four points in 22 games after nine points in 13 games at the AHL level.

The offense won’t ever pop for Puljujarvi whose career-highs are 15 goals and 36 points as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Puljujarvi has been a bit of an analytics darling during his career though and is a big body who is willing to throw his weight around.

He could be a good fit on a line with Phil Danault and Trevor Moore if they shift them into a more defensive third-line role, or could be a good replacement for Carl Grundstrom on the fourth line if the Kings let him walk.

Signed through next season at just $800,000, he’d offer a slight savings for the Kings for a similar impact to Grundstrom with a little more upside.

If he found a home higher in the lineup, that’s even better.

Without a long-term contract, he’d be a low-risk move for the Kings too.

As a big, defensively sound forward who’s willing to throw his weight around Puljujarvi is an ideal fit for the Kings’ bottom six.

Who knows if the Penguins would be interested in Kaliyev, but they should be, he would make a lot of sense for them.

It would be a low-risk, potentially “high” reward type deal for both teams.