With the trade deadline fast approaching and forward Alex Iafallo still in need of a contract extension for next season, the Los Angeles Kings will have a decision to make in the next few days.
TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that while the Kings would prefer to keep Iafallo, they’re now taking calls on the forward, in the case that they can’t get an extension done before the deadline.
Iafallo has scored nine goals and 23 points in 37 games this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. I had said before that Iafallo could be the last major piece dealt in the team’s rebuild and it’s certainly a tough decision to have to make.
On one hand, Iafallo is good for about 50 points per 82 games, can round out a top-six group and is good defensively. He’s also still just 27 years old, meaning we’re still many years away from having to worry about a potential decline.
That said, the Kings also need to be very careful about a potential extension and while the price is important, I think the term should be the key factor. The Kings have a number of key prospects who will be competing for a spot in the NHL sooner rather than later. If Iafallo’s contract carries too much term, it’s certainly possible that we see him get bumped from the top-six in a couple of years and he'd then be on a contract too rich for the role he’s in from that point forward.
I think the Kings should probably be willing to give more money for less term, rather than the other way around. Something in the range of three years would be ideal, in my opinion, though it remains to be seen what Iafallo’s asking for.
Obviously, it’s also worth considering what the return would be in a trade. The market right now does not favour teams who are looking to sell and it’s probably quite unlikely we’d see the Kings fetch a first-round pick in a return. Then it’s a matter of whether a second-round pick and possibly a mid-level prospect would really be worth dealing him.
There are certainly a lot of factors to consider here and while it would be great for Iafallo to stay with the Kings, it would have to be a deal that makes sense for the Kings and keeps the team’s options open going forward.
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Should the Kings trade Alex Iafallo for future assets before the deadline?
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