By Bobby Berger
The Los Angeles Kings are officially all in for the season. There was little question but after the unexpected trade yesterday there is now no doubt. The Kings moved budding star Liam Ohgren, a first round pick of the club, who was now in his second season with the big club. Ohgren had been playing on the 3rd line, also known as the kid line around the locker room. The Kings had high hopes for Ohgren, putting him through multiple workouts during the offseason. But a reasonable contract brought Riley Tufte back into the fold and pushed out Ohgren's timeline for serious ice time out a year or two.
When Seattle made veteran superstar Carl Hagelin available, it got GM Berger thinking, "we have been a slower build kind of team, not making the big splashy moves but slowly getting better. I think with the acquisition of Jared Cowan early this year, it turned our team into a legit contender. I decided now was the time to move our chips to the middle."
In Hagelin the Kings acquired speed, scoring prowess, and a responsible defender. The deal was only made possible by the contract retention. The Kings are now right uo against the ceiling, but are deeper than they have ever been. Hagelin is expected to slot in on the first line amd move Tufte to playing on the 3rd and 4th lines to ensure him ice time. This should allow the 3rd line to have a bit more of a veteran feel after playing 3 players 21 or under.
The Kings didn't totally forgo their future, acquiring a future 1 in the deal after sacrificing another prospect in Nic Dowd as well. The Kings have been playing very good hockey, let's hope the deal only augments the team chemistry. Bandwagon or bust for all the folks out in LA!
7/8/2026 - 309 words
