The deal

Los Angeles Kings get: Milan Lucic

Boston Bruins get: 2015 first-round pick (No. 13 overall), goalie Martin Jones and prospect Colin Miller

Kings: B

Lucic fits the Kings' identity perfectly. To make it even better, they’re getting him at a discounted rate, with the Bruins retaining close to half his salary to make this deal happen.

He's the kind of big, heavy forward GM Dean Lombardi and coach Darryl Sutter love to throw out there, but Lucic is also the kind of player who doesn’t play his best hockey until the postseason. That’s fine if you make the postseason, but as the Kings and Bruins proved last year, it’s not automatic, even for talented teams.

That’s why one Eastern Conference executive paused briefly when asked if he liked Lucic as a player right now.

“I don’t know,” he said. “He doesn’t always play the physical game needed to open up space.”

But when he does and he’s engaged, he can make a major impact on the game. That usually happens in the biggest games of the season.

The Kings made this trade at the expense of signing Andrej Sekera or making an addition on defense, a major consideration for Lombardi. But the opportunity to acquire Lucic was more than they could pass up. They see some parallels between Lucic’s situation in Boston and Ryan Kesler’s in Vancouver and a player ready to capitalize on a scenery change.

“There’s very few players I think we would have done this for,” Lombardi said after the deal. “It’s not only the player we like, it’s the fit. I think there’s only two or three guys in the league we would have paid this much for, not because there’s not players who are worth it, but the player plus the fit.”

Bruins: A

This was a really smart deal for Don Sweeney. The Bruins have cap issues, and Lucic was entering the final year of his contract. If the Bruins are truly doing a sweeping rebuild, as these trades indicate, they cashed out on Lucic at the right time. He’s 27 years old, and it’s quite possible his next contract will be given to a player on the decline.

They’re going to get a good player at No. 13; Martin Jones has value either as a backup or a player to trade, and Colin Miller was a young defenseman Lombardi got a lot of calls about leading into the draft.

“We gave up a lot," Lombardi said. "I think it’s a very good deal for them."

Jones is regarded as a potential No. 1 goalie, though that seems a little redundant, given the Bruins already have Tuukka Rask.

Miller becomes the wildcard in this deal. He’s a right-handed shot, something all teams covet. He also put up 52 points in 70 AHL games this season.

“He’s a good player. [Boston] probably looks at him to replace [Dougie] Hamilton," Lombardi said. "They’re a little different, but there are some similarities. He’s clearly one of our top prospects.”

ESPN Insider’s prospect guru Corey Pronman likes Miller but also sees some flaws: “Miller had a very strong second AHL season. He's a strong skater with significant puck-moving skills and a bomb from the point. He's certainly a good prospect, but the gaudy point totals can mislead a little. Miller has a lot of risk in his decision-making, and his defensive positioning is somewhat below-average currently.”