LA Kings (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LA Kings head coach Todd McLellan indicated the organization’s initial phase of the rebuild is complete.
When Rob Blake officially took over general manager duties in April 2017, the LA Kings were three years removed from winning their second Stanley Cup title in three seasons. The majority of the core remained intact, but when Blake saw it was apparent that another deep postseason run was not in the cards, the organization proceeded toward a full rebuild.
Over the next couple of seasons, Los Angeles traded away veteran players while stocking up on draft capital.