The Golden Knights added to their defense as they ready for a playoff run, while the Kings added yet more draft picks to their rebuilding effort. Could this Pacific Division trade be win-win?
Golden Knights get: D Alec Martinez
Kings get: 2020 second-round pick (VGS), 2021 second-round pick (STL)
Vegas Golden Knights: A-
Ever since the Golden Knights entered the league in the 2017-18 season (and shocked everyone by how good they were so quickly), they've never had a true No. 1 defenseman. Let's get this out of the way: Martinez doesn't profile as a true shutdown No. 1 guy, either. At least not at his age, with the way he is playing right now.
He does, however, add a lot of what the Golden Knights were looking for. Vegas wanted to beef up its defensive group, and in the 32-year-old Martinez, it gets a player with a ton of playoff experience (64 games, two Stanley Cups) who is used to big moments. Remember, he's the guy who scored the game-winning overtime goal in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights' defense has improved since Peter DeBoer took over, but it still could use some assurance.
Martinez's underlying numbers this season in Los Angeles haven't been great, but it's tough to perform on a team that is devoid of talent. He'll improve in Vegas' system. And the fact that Martinez is under contract for next season -- at a decent $4 million salary -- is crucial for this cap-strapped team. Deryk Engelland, Nick Holden and Jon Merrill all become restricted free agents this summer, and now the Golden Knights have some cost certainty.
Luckily the Golden Knights had a surplus of second-round picks to deal away, and they still have at least one in the next two second rounds, so they're not missing much. And we're seeing improvement in discipline from this management. Two years ago, it grossly overpaid for Tomas Tatar, which was a mistake. Tatar was scratched through much of the Golden Knights' run to the final. At first glance, this trade should fare much better.
Los Angeles Kings: A-
We knew the Kings were going to be sellers at this deadline, as they work to shed veteran contracts and transition to the youth movement. Martinez was as good as gone once that was decided. Plenty of teams made a run on defensemen on Tuesday, but Martinez was among the best candidates available because of his experience, and because he is under contract through next season. So the Kings knew they could ask for a lot.
Their initial ask was two second-rounders, and they got it. You have to wonder if they could have received more considering the prices going around (and the fact they were dealing with a division rival), but this is not the time to be greedy. They now have 10 draft picks over the first three rounds of the next two drafts.
The good news for Los Angeles is the future looks bright. Losing Martinez for next season -- on the ice but also in a leadership position -- will hurt, but the Kings likely wouldn't have held onto him after that. They have one of the deepest prospect pools in the entire league, and without Martinez, the Kings can try out some younger defensive players.
According to our prospect guru Chris Peters, "There are some intriguing options in the near-term, including Kale Clague -- who has taken solid steps over the last two years in the AHL -- 2019 first-rounder Tobias Bjornfot and former collegiate standout Mikey Anderson, among a few others. Those are guys the Kings should be looking at to take the next step in their careers and seize the openings that will be there next season."