With expiring contracts and on the heels of two consecutive scratches, the fates of Teddy Purcell and Justin Schultz seem pretty clear. No move has been made yet, but on Saturday TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Los Angeles Kings were in close discussions with the Edmonton Oilers about acquiring the pair. 

The Kings have the cap space to get a deal done thanks to the injury to Marian Gaborik, which will allow them to take on the kind of contract money they would not have been able to manage just a short time ago. However, Edmonton also has the ability to retain salary and with a combined $8.4 million cap hit between the two and apparently no player coming back it seems obvious that it will do so if a trade agreement is reached. 

Of course, Dreger also hedges his bets here, noting that other NHL teams are also “in the mix.” We’ve seen the Chicago Blackhawks make several big moves in the last few days while most of the NHL’s other contenders have had to watch on the sidelines as the closest thing to a dynasty in the modern league adds to its already considerable stable.

Purcell is obviously of interest as a complementary player on a skill line, being able to play left or right wing on any of a team’s top three lines. In the short term it seems plausible that he could even go to the Kings’ top unit alongside Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic, displacing Dustin Brown (just 23 points on the year, only two assists in his last eight games). In the long-term, his fit would be determined by how well he plays in the interim and then by where coach Darryl Sutter wants to run Gaborik. 

Schultz is a more interesting matter. The Kings have worked to upgrade their right side already with the addition of Luke Schenn from Philadelphia earlier in the season and are currently running him in a second pair role behind Drew Doughty. Jamie McBain, who shares many similarities to Schultz, is the third option on the right side depth chart. Former Oiler Matt Greene is done for the year. 

Beyond Doughty, it’s not a great group. McBain’s been fine in a sheltered role but hasn’t generated any offence; it’s hard to imagine Schultz doing much worse and if a change of scenery resets him a little bit he might manage to do significantly better. Schenn, meanwhile, has wretched underlying numbers next to Alec Martinez, and there’s room for Schultz to pass him on the depth chart, too.

When I look at the Kings’ roster, I understand why they’d be willing to take a chance on Schultz, particularly given the lack of other right-shooting options on the market (there’s almost nothing out there) and the success they have enjoyed in rehabilitating Vincent Lecavalier, another player who had struggled. Schultz should certainly slide into third-pair duty and based on Schenn’s performance it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he took on the No. 4/5 slot in Los Angeles. 

The Kings even have a logical partner for Schultz in Jake Muzzin, who checks many of the same boxes that Oscar Klefbom did on Edmonton’s own reasonably successful partnership. That would allow Drew Doughty to anchor the top pair while at the same time creating a second pairing with a decent shot at success. The more I think about this, the more I see it as a move with a legitimate chance of paying off for L.A.

As for return, no idea, but I think it’s going to be more than people expect not only because Purcell has significant value by himself but also owing to the fact that for right-shot defencemen rentals the Oilers are close to the only seller in the league.