The Los Angeles Kings are starting to make a move up the standings again. With four straight wins, they’re three points out of the wild card in the Western Conference. If there’s an area that needs some help currently, it’s the back end and it appears they at least have one target in mind.
The Kings have shown interest in Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. He also reported that general manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters are taking in an Ontario Hockey League game between the Ottawa 67’s and Kingston Frontenacs. The Kings have three prospects playing in that game including 2014 second-round picks Roland McKeown and Alex Lintuniemi, who are both defensemen.
Sekera may be one of the most sought-after blueliners on the trade market now that both Tyler Myers and Cody Franson have been moved. With an expiring contract, Sekera is probably a rental player, but he’d fit right in with the Kings’ top four.
They may have some competition for the strong two-way defender though.
Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada noted that the Dallas Stars have shown some interest in Sekera, who played for head coach Lindy Ruff when the pair were in Buffalo. The Stars are in a similar position to the Kings when it comes to the playoff race. They’re both just on the outside, but are trending up.
With star forward Tyler Seguin hurt, however, the Stars may have a tougher time staying in the race. They're already five points back of the last playoff spot.
If they were to go out and acquire Sekera, the Stars might want to consider (and perhaps are) acquiring him with the goal of re-signing him before he goes to unrestricted free agency this year. He'd be a valuable defenseman for a team that has had some uncertainty on the blue line the last few years.
Sekera has a reasonable cap hit at $2.75 million, though he stands to make quite a bit more if he hits the open market in the offseason, which is why he could simply end up as a rental for any team that acquires him.
The 28-year-old defenseman has been excellent since joining the Hurricanes via trade two summers ago. He had a career year in 2013-14 with 11 goals and 44 points in 74 games, while also averaging a career-best 23:41 per game.
This season, Sekera hasn’t been as offensively potent on a low-producing Hurricanes squad. He has 18 points in 52 games, but still averages near 23 minutes a night.
The Hurricanes have been reportedly trying to re-sign him, but with only weeks remaining before the deadline, Francis has a tough decision ahead of him. If Sekera doesn’t re-sign before the deadline, the risk of losing him for nothing in the summer is extremely high. With the position Carolina is in organizationally, in need of rebuilding around their core players, they can’t afford that.
It appears more likely Sekera is dealt and even though he is a likely rental, the vast interest in him should keep the asking price for him favorably high for the Hurricanes. He’s definitely a player to watch as the deadline nears.
