Game Day: Kings trade then for now

Editor’s note: This is the Wednesday, March 1, edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Good morning. Kings fans woke up to bittersweet news: The team has given up a piece of its Stanley Cup past to try to improve its immediate future.

In other sports headlines:

The Dodgers got the word they feared on Gavin Lux’s injury as the shortstop was declared out for the season with tears in his right knee.
The Lakers expect to be without LeBron James for a while after he wore a walking boot on his right foot to watch a three-game win streak end in Memphis.
The Clippers are going the wrong direction, too, after a sloppy loss to the Timberwolves.

On happier notes:

The Angels watched Shohei Ohtani make his spring pitching debut, going two-plus no-hit innings before sounding at ease going into his free-agent season.
The UCLA and USC women’s basketball teams go into the Pac-12 tournament, starting today in Las Vegas, after improved regular seasons.
New Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley sees ways to improve, although it will still be head coach Brandon Staley calling defensive signals.

On the ice last night, Anze Kopitar scored four goals and goalie Pheonix Copley was unbeatable in the shootout as the Kings rallied to defeat the Jets 6-5 in Winnipeg, jumping into a first-place tie with Vegas in the Pacific Division.

Then came the shocker: The Kings traded goaltender Jonathan Quick, a 2023 first-round draft pick and one other pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets to acquire defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo for the season’s last 20 games and playoffs.

Keep checking for reactions and analysis from the Southern California News Group’s Kings page and The Royal Road newsletter as the day goes on, and follow beat writer Andrew Knoll on Twitter (@AndrewKnollNHL).

For now, suffice it to say the Kings are paying a big emotional price by giving up Quick, one of the heroes of their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cups. Kopitar and Drew Doughty are the only cup-winning Kings left.

But hasten to add that it’s a price worth paying if it helps the Kings to make their first playoff run past the first round since those Stanley Cup years.

Quick, 37, isn’t the same player now, his record (11-13-4), goals-against average (3.50) and save percentage (.876) his worst in 16 seasons with the Kings.

And general manager Rob Blake has added two pieces the Kings needed in a goalie and a left-handed-shooting defenseman.

Korpisalo, 28, and Gavrikov, 27, can be free agents at the end of the season, as can Quick.

Of Korpisalo, Knoll writes: “He has posted a respectable .913 save percentage this season despite playing behind one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL and one that has been battered by injuries.”

Of Gavrikov, Andrew says: “At 6-foot-3 and north of 220 pounds, Gavrikov gives the Kings a physical presence on the left side they haven’t had since Willie Mitchell’s departure (in 2014). Gavrikov’s active stick and gap control were surely attractive to (Blake), a former defenseman who has been seeking to add size on the back end since at least this past spring.”

The Kings came home last night to play 10 of 11 games at Crypto.com Arena between now and the end of March. That starts with a game against the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night and includes one against Quick and the Blue Jackets on March 16.

Digesting this trade might take fans all month. Though if it works out as hoped, we’ll still be talking about it in June.

TODAY

Lakers, visiting Oklahoma City, will need Anthony Davis to play a second night in a row for the second time this season (5 p.m., SPSN).
Ducks, hosting the Capitals, go for a season-high fourth win in a row (7 p.m., BSSC). Ducks update.
UCLA faces Arizona State, No 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed, to open the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas (noon, Pac12N).
USC meets Oregon State, sixth seed vs. 11th seed, in the Pac-12 women’s tournament (8:30 p.m., Pac12N).
Angels host the Brewers in Tempe, Ariz. (11:10 a.m., BSW). Yesterday’s game report.
Dodgers visit the Rangers in Surprise, Ariz. (12:05 p.m., SNLA). Yesterday’s game report.

READERS REACT

The newsletter asked: Do the Dodgers’ offseason changes leave them prepared to contend for a championship after injury strikes a starter like shortstop Gavin Lux?

Dan Town replied: “There’s no way they win the division with (Miguel) Rojas as the starting SS.”

And Nick Confer said: “The odds are stacked against the Dodgers that much more now. It’s going to be an interesting season.”

NEXT QUESTION

Did the Kings make a good trade by acquiring defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from Columbus in a deal that costs them goalie Jonathan Quick? Share your opinion by email (KModesti@scng.com) or on Twitter (@KevinModesti).

280 CHARACTERS

“Are these Lakers more watchable without LeBron? Not meaning better or more effective, necessarily, but a more fun to watch style.” – Columnist Jim Alexander (@Jim_Alexander) tweeting during last night’s game, before Ja Morant and the Grizzlies took control and Jim added: “OK, this didn’t age well. But Ja’s sure fun to watch!”

1,000 WORDS

He’s being watched: Miguel Rojas, who became the Dodgers’ starting shortstop when Gavin Lux was declared out for the season with a knee injury, throws late to third base as second baseman Michael Busch looks on during a 7-1 loss to the Reds yesterday in Glendale, Ariz. Photo is by AP’s Ross D. Franklin.

TALK BACK

Thanks for reading the newsletter. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at KModesti@scng.com and via Twitter @KevinModesti.

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

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