The Los Angeles Kings made their second trade in the past three days, trading for defenseman Keaton Ellerby from the Florida Panthers.
The Kings used the fifth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft obtained from the New Jersey Devils in the trade of center Andrei Loktionov on Wednesday to obtain Ellerby on Friday.
Ellerby, 24, has been with the Panthers for four seasons. He appeared in nine games with the Panthers this season, but did not register a point, has a minus-2 ranking and 36 penalty minutes. For his career, he has made 125 NHL appearances, scoring two goals and 17 points while having a minus-21 rating.
A first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2007 NHL Draft, Ellerby was averaging a little more than 15 minutes per game. His place in the defensive rotation, however, became tenuous with the return of Erik Gudbranson to the mix. Gudbranson, 21, played more than 20 minutes in the victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.