2017-18 In Review: Is Phaneuf Enough?

In what has seemingly been an annual tradition, the Kings made a mid-season trade for a veteran who had fallen out of favor with their previous club. And like Vincent Lecavalier and Jarome Iginla before him, Dion Phaneuf immediately looked right at home with Los Angeles and their veteran core. A string of timely power play goals immediately after the trade made the comparison to the other two veteran additions even more apt.

One notable exception regarding the Phaneuf acquisition: he was not a rental, with the Kings on the hook for another three years, carrying a $5.25 million cap hit. Ottawa agreed to take the remaining three years of Marian Gaborik’s deal while covering $1.75 million a…