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Post-deadline wrapup

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A couple final thoughts on the trade deadline…

The Kings did sniff around the possibility of adding defensive depth, but didn’t find anything that fit what they were looking for. Clearly, quality guys (Lubomir Visnovsky, Steve Staios, etc.) moved, but they moved for other NHL players. The Kings’ goal, as Lombardi explained after the Halpern and Modin trades, was to improve while not taking players out of the current lineup (Teddy Purcell being a regular healthy scratch). The defensemen who moved either didn’t draw the Kings’ attention or commanded too high of a price.

Also, as the trade deadline approached, the Kings had one eye on the summer. The Kings already have almost $45 million committed to 16 players (players currently on the NHL roster) for next season, and I’m told they want to leave themselves enough room to fill out the roster and still be players for a top free agent (or a top player that might be available via trade, such as Ryan Smyth last season). The salary cap this season is $56.8 million, and there has been concern that it might drop next season.

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