The Los Angeles Kings still haven't managed to adequately fill the roster spot left by defenseman Slava Voynov's arrest and subsequent suspension by the NHL for charges of domestic violence.
While players like Alec Martinez and the seemingly unstoppable Drew Doughty have done their best to mitigate the loss, it's not enough and it's a problem that's directly influencing LA's precarious - and at the moment, nonexistent - NHL playoff positioning.
To that end, LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi - never one to stand idly by - has reportedly been talking to the Toronto Maple Leafs about a potential deadline deal for Leafs captain and defensive stalwart, Dion Phaneuf.
"Trade discussions between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings remain ongoing surrounding Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf," reads a report from The Fourth Period.
"Multiple league and team sources have told TFP over the last few weeks and again on Saturday that the Leafs and Kings have been discussing a trade involving Phaneuf."
Phaneuf's name has increasingly been bandied about in NHL trade rumors as the Toronto season fails and the Leafs front office turns their attention more fully toward next season and beyond - just yesterday they shipped out defenseman Cody Franson and center Mike Santorelli, a couple of quality vets, for future picks and assets.
While moving Phaneuf, the team's emotional leader, would seem like something more likely to occur in the offseason, if Lombardi and coach Darryl Sutter see the Kings as in serious danger of missing the playoffs - they're currently five-points out of a Wild Card spot - their desperation for a trade to save the season could increase exponentially and the open-for-business Leafs are, no doubt, willing to listen.
TFP reports that Mike Richards' name has been pushed by the Kings as part of the deal, but sources indicate that the Maple Leafs are uninterested in the veteran center.
It will be difficult for the Kings to bring Phaneuf's $7 million cap hit onboard, especially with Voynov's uncertain future further complicating the Kings' cap matters, so a deal would require some creative cap manuevering.
Lombardi is and has been innovative in the past when it comes to circumventing financial issues, but Voynov's situation is nearly unheard of and presents a difficult set of circumstances that could potentially preclude a deal - a sorely needed deal - for Phaneuf from getting done.
