EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the January 28 trade of veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it became clear that Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake and team president Luc Robitaille finally figured out what many seemed to know before the season began—that the 2018-19 Kings were nowhere close to being a Stanley Cup contender. As a result, they began the process of rebuilding the roster with young prospects and draft picks.
What also became clear was that with Muzzin out of the picture, there were now greater opportunities for their bottom three defensemen to move up the depth chart.