Western Conference team close to landing Ekholm at the deadline.
After a poor couple of years, the LA Kings have begun to make a resurgence in the Western Conference. During last season's play, the Kings finished third in the Pacific division and had a record of 47-25-10.
Much of this is to thank general manager Rob Blake with his former teammate and president of hockey operations Luc Robitaille as both men began to assemble a powerhouse in California.
It's revealed recently that during this year's trade deadline, the LA Kings were in on defenceman Mattias Ekholm, formerly of the Nashville Predators who was traded to the Edmonton Oilers instead.
Since that trade failed, the LA Kings looked for another defenceman and reached out to the Columbus Blue Jackets and landed Vladislav Gavrikov. In his six playoff games, Gavrikov only had one assist and was a + 5.
Meanwhile, Ekholm had a very different playoff. He played twelve games, scored one goal with six assists for seven points have had one power play point.
He also was instrumental in leading the Oilers to have the best second-half record in the NHL which secured their playoff spot and fitting as it met the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 7 | 374 ANSWERS Western Conference team close to landing Ekholm at the deadline. Is Mattias Ekholm a right fit for the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 365 | 97.6 % |
| No | 9 | 2.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
