With 12 days to go before the trade deadline, the Kings will continue to be attached to every player who is believed to be on the market and who has ever scored an NHL goal. That’s what happens when you’re last in the league in scoring. Rick Nash? Yes, the Kings and 28 other teams would love to have Rick Nash, but it’s not like buying something at a supermarket. Rick Nash isn’t available for purchase on aisle 4, next to Frosted Flakes, simply because a team wants him. Trade talks are long and complicated and, almost certainly, will go down to the last minute. As players and management know, it’s highly complicated. Justin Williams understands that as well as anyone, given that he’s been a part of in-season trades twice in the last eight years, from Philadelphia to Carolina in 2004 and from Carolina to the Kings in 2009. Today, Williams talked about the increased anxiety that comes with the trade deadline.
WILLIAMS: “The media has everything hyped up. It’s the same as it always was, but the media has everything hyped up like it’s some sort of national holiday. These are our lives we’re dealing with, our jobs, and it has kind of turned into a circus a little bit, with rumor websites and people talking. But it’s still the same for us. I’ve learned, throughout my time, not to go on any of those websites. I don’t even look at stat sheets before a game. You just try to steer clear, and focus on your game. If you start focusing on, `My name is floating around,’ or, `We’re trying to do something at the trade deadline,’ you need to stop. It’s not going to impact you positively.’’
Question: What was the situation like for you in Carolina? Did you have any idea that your name was out there?
WILLIAMS: “I never had an inkling I was going to be traded. I’ve been traded twice, and I never had an inkling both times. Especially in Carolina, I had signed a five-year deal. I was hurt at the time, so I kind of felt even more comfortable when trade-deadline day came. Especially when it came and went, and then I got called. We just focus on what we are, and the guys upstairs do what they have to do.’’
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