The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks each made a flurry of moves in the hours leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, swapping some veteran players for draft picks while bringing in new faces.
The moves come as both teams vie for the playoffs and a Pacific Division title. The race currently has the Ducks leading all teams in the division at 35-24-3. On the other hand, the Kings find themselves fighting for a Wild Card position, and currently sit behind the Utah Mammoth, San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken.
As such, each team made what they felt were the necessary moves to get them over the finish line while still looking to benefit themselves in the future.
Corey Perry during a Los Angeles Kings game versus the Edmonton Oilers at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kings trade deadline
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After making some notable moves in the weeks leading up to the deadline, which saw the Kings land elite scorer Artemi Panarin, Los Angeles' moves saw some of the team's more popular players on the move.
Their first move came on Thursday, when the Kings sent forward Warren Foegele to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick and a third-round pick in 2026. He joined Los Angeles in 2024 when he signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal. Since then, he has 31 goals, 24 assists and 55 points in 129 games.
On Friday, they then shipped Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning for another draft pick, this time being a second-rounder in 2028. Perry, 40, played in Tampa Bay for two seasons before bouncing around several teams. For the first 14 years of his career, however, he played with the Kings' rivals in the Anaheim Ducks, with whom he has his lone Stanley Cup. In 50 games this season, he had 11 goals, 19 assists and 28 points.
One of the final moves before the deadline saw the Kings acquire forward Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old, who previously spent 10 years with the Philadelphia Flyers, before he was traded to Toronto. In 43 games in the 2025-26 season, he has eight goals, four assists and 12 points. The Kings gave up a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
John Carlson of the Washington Capitals looks on against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 3, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images
Ducks trade deadline
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The Ducks made two moves on Friday, the first of which saw longtime Washington Capitals defender John Carlson moving teams for the first time in his 17-year career.
Now 36, Carlson cost Anaheim a conditional first-round pick in 2026 and a third-rounder in 2027. In 55 games this season, he has 10 goals, 36 assists and 46 points.
The Ducks then shipped center Ryan Strome to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick. Anaheim was Strome's fourth stop in a 14-year career. In 33 games, he had three goals, six assists and nine points.