Vinny Lecavalier couldn't play for the Philadelphia Flyers, trapped in the two-word abyss known as the "healthy scratch" for close to two months before the Kings life raft came calling.
Similarly, defenseman Rob Scuderi found himself on the outside in Chicago. He cleared waivers and played three games for the Blackhawks' minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. He wound up back in Los Angeles shortly before the trade deadline.
How can someone go from the IceHogs to playing 20-plus minutes for the Pacific Division leaders?
Perhaps it says more about the Kings accommodating the newcomers, almost seamlessly, than the new guys trying to fit in.