The Kings (21-33-5), who are last in the Western Conference and 19 points out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoff from the Western Conference, play the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-W, NHL.TV).
"It's definitely not a great feeling, obviously," center Anze Kopitar said. "But you've got to look ahead and move on. What happens off the ice, happens off the ice. There's really no control in our hands, so we'll just move along as we go.
"You want to play as good as you can. To say that you can't get distracted by that is untrue. Just try to move along and play the best you can. When stuff happens, it happens. Just deal with it."
After the game against the Jets, the Kings, who have won two in a row, have three home games before the deadline; against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
"It's a good test for us, all these games coming here," said forward Trevor Lewis, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. "We've got another one tonight and it seems like we're playing well and hopefully we can carry that momentum over.
"When you're at this place in the standings, you know changes are probably going to be made. There's definitely uncertainty and it's sad to see guys go, but we all have jobs to do and we've got to focus on tonight."
Coach Todd McLellan said the Kings weren't particularly happy about trading Toffoli, who had 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 58 games and was coming off a hat trick in a 3-1 victory against the Avalanche in the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Saturday.
"With that being said, we've known all along what the plan was going to be and how it was going to be executed," McLellan said. "The team itself hasn't put itself in a position where we can maintain those assets, so it's time to move on. We'll miss him dearly and he's a [heck] of a player. Vancouver is very fortunate to have him, but now opportunities for others open up.
"It's no longer about the older players that have been here; it's about some of the younger players now stepping up here and proving they belong here and can contribute. They're going to get that opportunity, and they're going to be evaluated closely from now until the end of the season."
