The Kings are shopping 2021 No. 8 overall pick Brandt Clarke as they search for a needle-moving upgrade on the wing ahead of the deadline, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.
Clarke, 22, has yet to receive a legitimate run at top-four minutes on the Los Angeles blue line. This is really the defender’s first full-time NHL season in earnest, only appearing in nine games in 2022-23 and 16 in 2023-24. He had a golden opportunity to prove he could play higher up in the lineup when fellow righty Drew Doughty started the year on injured reserve following ankle surgery, but even then, he rarely received top-four deployment. He’s only played north of 20 minutes in a game eight times this season, all coming in October and November.
Nonetheless, the 6’2″ righty trudged on with great results in his limited usage. He leads the Kings’ blue line in scoring with 4-21–25 through 56 games, with a good chunk of that production coming at even strength. He was technically the Kings’ top power-play quarterback when Doughty was sidelined through late January, but the team’s man-advantage units have struggled with just a 15% success rate in 2024-25. His possession impacts against lesser competition at even strength are sterling, controlling 54.7% of shot attempts for the second-best share among defenders on the team behind Jordan Spence.
He’s still been chastised for a lack of physicality, registering 16 hits on the year. While he may not engage along the boards, that’s an unfair assessment. His 97 blocks are tied for second on the team behind Vladislav Gavrikov despite his third-pairing deployment, and unlike in other circumstances, that isn’t an indication of Clarke simply not being able to maintain possession of the puck at even strength. In essence, his performance in just 16:13 of average ice time per game this year paints a much rosier picture of Clarke’s two-way potential than some would otherwise caution. That makes his two healthy scratches in the Kings’ last three games a puzzling choice for a club that ranks 24th in goals per game and 19th in shots per game this season.
The Ottawa native is also extremely decorated outside of the NHL. Already an AHL and CHL All-Star with a World Juniors gold medal under his belt, he’s still got one year left on his entry-level contract and rightfully ranked as the top prospect in L.A.’s system by McKeen’s Hockey last fall. While no longer considered a prospect considering his emergence into a full-time NHL role, he ranks fifth among U-23 defensemen in scoring this season behind Jake Sanderson, Owen Power, Lane Hutson, and Luke Hughes.
Needless to say, he’ll be an extremely valuable asset and will comprise most of the return value if Kings general manager Rob Blake makes an aggressive push for a top-six winger like Brock Boeser or Brad Marchand.