INSIDER: Trade Deadline Recap w/ Ken Holland

Today’s trade deadline summary is pretty simple. 

The LA Kings were honest with themselves about where they’re at. The Kings went into this season believing that they made the moves that put them from a 105-point playoff team to a contender from the Stanley Cup. The 2025-26 season has certainly shown otherwise. The Kings are not right there, right now, and Ken Holland’s approach on deadline day cements that.

“The circumstances of where we are, these are the decisions that I have to make, was I going to trade some players away,” Holland said. “I know what I've done in the past with a team that was comfortably in the playoffs and you're in buyer mode……certainly, where we are in the standings, I had to make some philosophical decisions.”

That being said, though, I thought that Holland navigated today with the correct approach. He added to the future without taking away from the present. And, if he did want to pursue a larger rebuild, there is no one who was not traded today who isn't under contract or under team control beyond this season.  Holland was able to objectively look at where the Kings are at, on both sides of the coin. And it’s challenging to do that. Facing pressure to win now, his own desire to win now, alongside wanting Anze Kopitar’s final season to end in the postseason, it might’ve been easier to sacrifice future assets for win-now assets. Might’ve been easy to watch the Kings play as well as they did last night and get impulsive. But that would have been irresponsible and Holland understood that. 

What he was able to do was a bit of a half measure. Maybe more of a two-thirds measure, I suppose. Holland, in total, added future assets by selling veteran players. He did not, however, simply make the team worse, which is important in trying to qualify for the playoffs right now, while maintaining that eye on the future, in ways we haven’t seen in some time. I think there was a balance to be struck and Holland found it. Good on him.

The Kings are three points out. Probably something we’ve heard all too much over the last month. But it’s reality. That’s not 15 points out. It’s three. It’s also not three points in, or more than that. It’s three points out. That is a very attainable number for the Kings to hunt down and qualify for the dance. It’s not, however, a comforting enough situation to have gone out and expended future assets, banking on a playoff berth or a playoff run to justify the spend. 

The direction taken today was also impacted by injuries over the last month. When the Kings acquired Artemi Panarin, Kevin Fiala was healthy. So was Andrei Kuzmenko. Joel Armia and Quinton Byfield too, though both are expected to return this season. That does change things. The Kings acquired to Panarin to add to those guys, not replace them. The injuries up front, that the Kings largely avoided this season, all hit around the same time. Created a difficult situation, on top of some losses, which pushed Holland’s thought process towards what we saw today.

“When we did the deal for Panarin, I thought we had Fiala, I thought we had Armia, I thought we had Kuzmenko, I thought we had Byfield,” Holland said. “By the time we started to play again, shortly thereafter, all those guys are gone. We had a tough [stretch], we talked about it here, we had a tough finish just before the break and I made a decision on the coaching change. Over the last few days, I made the decision [on the deadline]……we want to continue to try to push and fight for the playoffs, but at the same time, behind the scenes, trying to get some picks.”

The overall count shows two players in, two players out. 

Forwards Warren Foegele and Corey Perry were traded today, both netting a second-round draft pick in return, along with a swap of third-round picks that should see the Kings move up a handful of spots in 2026. Going out the other way was a conditional third-round selection, that could become a second-round pick if the Kings qualify for the 2026 postseason. So, when you do a little math, the Kings added a draft pick and improved the stock of another. That’s a net win, obviously, but I am not sure if it comes with a net loss on the active roster. 

Coming in are forwards Scott Laughton and Mathieu Joseph. Laughton and Joseph are not like-for-like swaps for the players who went out. Laughton and Perry are certainly quite opposites, though Joseph and Foegele have some similarities. But as you look at the contributions that all four players offer, along with the draft picks the Kings brought in, it’s hard to argue that the Kings moved further from the playoffs in 2026, while definitely adding to the assets available in the future, as they face what will likely be larger-scale turnover come the summer. There is a reason teams wanted Perry and Foegele, but with where the Kings are at, there was an opportunity here to move on from those players at a higher clip of return, while trying to remain competitive with other additions. 

Thought Holland did a nice job of navigating that today. 

Some notes on each trade –

Scott Laughton
Let’s start with the latest move in the day. The one that didn’t get posted officially until three and a half hours after the deadline officially ended.

How close was it to not getting done?

“Very close.”

Came down to the final seconds of the deadline, but the Kings and Maple Leafs got it done.

“He's a center-iceman, obviously Kopitar is retiring at the end of the year, so it’s an opportunity for us, number one, to look at him,” Holland said. “He can kill penalties, wins draws, competitive and just gives us more depth. Late, around three o’clock [Eastern], Laughton was still available, I talked to Brad Treliving and he’s a really good third-line center, he can also play third-line left wing. He kills penalties, he’s greasy, he’s a center-iceman, so we made the decision.”

Holland pointed to acquiring all of the draft picks that he did earlier in the day as reasoning why he felt comfortable parting with the third-round pick here, to increase the depth and continue pushing for a playoff spot, without sacrificing down the road. 

Feels like a job well done on that one, even if it wasn't formally completed until well after we thought it would be.

Mathieu Joseph
This was one that certainly fell into the Kings’ lap a bit, but here’s it’s an addition without giving anything up the other way.

“Mat Joseph agreed to terminate his contract with St. Louis, I talked to him yesterday and D.J. had him on Ottawa, he plays with a lot of speed, plays fast, can get in on the forecheck and he kind of fits what we’re trying to do,” Holland said of the signing. 

Felt like an easy fit. 

Brings some of the things that Foegele did, familiarity with the coach and what is expected and a role that was opened up with the Kings via trades elsewhere. Seemed to be one of those situations where the Kings had a need, the player had a need and the fit made sense. If the fit isn't what it looks to be, it's a one-year contract with next to no risk, with the player set to be a free agent come July 1.

Warren Foegele
The Foegele situation could have gone a few different directions. 

Holland shared that he had two offers on the table for Foegele, both involving a second-round pick. In his conversation with Ottawa General Manager Steve Staios, he wanted Foegele, so Holland asked for a sweetener on top of the second-round pick, to put the Senators above the offer already on the table. Because of the demand, he was able to get the pick swap as well which should see the Kings move up a handful of picks in Round 3. 

Holland said that the situation could have stood pat until the summer, but that by that point at the latest, there likely would have been a trade, considering who is signed, where he saw Foegele slotting in going forward and the role that Foegele wants to play. The Kings could have held onto Foegele the rest of the way and likely not acquired both Laughton and Joseph. But they saw a good value and a good opportunity for him and both sides seemed happy. 

“Over the last six weeks or so, when he started becoming a healthy scratch and his role got decreased, with the addition of Panarin, we called up Ward and played him enough games he wasn't going to go down, it made a difficult situation for Foegs,” Holland said. “I think he would have been happy to have been here for the rest of the regular season, but looking for next year, with Fiala, with Armia, with Panarin, with the kids and talking to his agent, he felt that he was okay to go to the summertime, but I think he's happy that it happened now and move on.”

Corey Perry
Ultimately, Perry made the call here.

The Kings got a call from Tampa Bay earlier in the week. Holland brought the opportunity to Perry, who had a full no-trade clause in his contract. Perry was comfortable and familiar in Tampa Bay and with the Lightning in a better position to chase a ring, Perry decided to take the opportunity, which netted the Kings an additional second-round pick.

“I talked to Corey Perry the last couple of days, when Tampa called, it was really his decision and he wanted to go there, so we got a second-round pick,” Holland said. “When Tampa Bay called, I talked to Corey and he knows where we are in the standings. Corey decided he wanted to go to Tampa Bay and we were happy to get a second-round pick.”

Sounds like a situation that benefitted both parties and a situation that was handled with a lot of respect for a player who has earned that respect. 

Additional Updates
From what Holland said today, here are a few other things we can share.

- Kevin Fiala is probably done until next season, regardless of how far the Kings were to play into the postseason. Andrei Kuzmenko is out for the regular season, but could be an option for Round 1 if the Kings get into the playoffs.

- Joel Armia is out week-to-week. He sustained an injury at the Olympics and aggravated it during the Edmonton game. Holland expects that he will return at some point during the regular season.

- Quinton Byfield is day-to-day. He skated today, on his own, in a non-contact jersey. He could play tomorrow, but might not. Either way, he will travel with the team on Sunday, as the Kings begin a five-game trip against opposition from the Eastern Conference. Good news there, with Byfield likely to play between Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere when he is ready to return to the lineup. 

- Joseph is expected to be here and available to play tomorrow against Montreal. Unclear, at this time, on Laughton. 

- Kenny Connors and Jared Wright will play games. Somewhere. Some of that will be dependent on injuries and when the newly acquired players arrive in Los Angeles. If there's a role in the NHL, they'll be first in line to play that role. If not, the Kings don't want them sitting in the press box. They'll be assigned to Ontario at that point. Both players were loaned to the AHL today, to meet AHL playoff eligibility. If the Reign play longer than the Kings, both players would be a part of that postseason run. Those are important games for their development. Today's move solidifies that they are able to do that. I thought both impressed in limited roles, but there's also something to be said, longer term, for playing 20 minutes in the AHL versus 10 in the NHL. Two we'll keep an eye on, tomorrow and beyond. 

I am sure I am missing something here. So, sharing Holland's full availability from today below for those who would like to watch.