Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland had a busy day on Tuesday, trading forward Akil Thomas to the St. Louis Blues and re-singing forward Samuel Helenius- both transactions targeted at improving the bottom six.
Thomas was the Kings’ 51st pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. While he was a solid prospect from day one he spent most of his career in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Ontario Reign. He did get a few cracks in the NHL with the Kings roster but only produced four goals and three assists for seven points in 32 NHL games. A strong two-way player he was productive in Ontario , scoring four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 19 regular season games. A good hockey player that wore out his welcome in Los Angeles and never stuck with the big club.
In return, the Kings get forward Nikita Alexandrov from the Blues. Alexandrov is 25 years old and a left-handed center. The Blues’ 52nd pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he could not crack the NHL lineup full-time. he did manage to play 51 games with St. Louis, registering three goals and six assists for nine points and 12 penalty minutes. A feisty forward who plays a 200-foot game, he has spent the last three seasons with the Blues’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In that time he has 27 goals and 43 assists for 70 points and 28 penalty minutes in 73 AHL games. He will be a free agent after this season as he is currently on a 1-year, 2-way deal.
Was this a deal that will be a needle-mover or one that puts Los Angeles over the top? No. More than likely this was a move to give both talented players a change for scenery. neither player performed badly with their teams but they also did not live up to expectations. Without gaining a full-time roster spot, both players may want to expand their roles with a new team, which is likely. Not a bad trade for both teams, but also one that doesn’t mean a lot at this time.
Holland also re-singed Helenius to a 2-year contract extension. The average annual value of the deal is $875,000 and expires at the end of the 2027-28 season. The 23-year-old Helenius has been held scorelessin three Kings games this season.
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