The Slava Voynov situation continues to hang like a dead weight around the collective necks of the Los Angeles Kings.
While his salary has been wiped from the books for the time being, there's continued uncertainty over his "open-ended" punishment and what the NHL's plan will be with the suspended defenseman moving forward - the cap-strapped Kings don't have much long-term space even with Voynov's salary off the books and Mike Richards sent to the franchise's AHL affiliate.
Coach Darryl Sutter's crew has done a good job replacing arguably their second-best defenseman - and the player that recently broke the NHL's record for longest suspension - thanks in large part to the efforts of Jamie McBain and the unstoppable Drew Doughty, but they still haven't been able to adequately replace the now you see me, now you don't Voynov.
To help assuage this issue, GM Dean Lombardi may be eyeing a deal for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera.
"In Andrej Sekera - this is where teams like the Los Angeles Kings come in. Pittsburgh's looking for a defenseman. Tampa Bay. Anaheim. Detroit. Montreal. Calgary. There's a long list. But tough decisions ahead. L.A. especially. They still have the Voynov situation hanging over their heads. When or if he comes back into the mix, that money comes back onto the books. And we know the Los Angeles Kings to be a cap-strapped team," said TSN's Darren Dreger on NBCSN's NHL Live Wednesday, per NicholsOnHockey.com.
"So if he's not in the mix - Voynov that is - then I think you could absolutely see the Los Angeles Kings go hard after a player like Andrej Sekera."
It's hard to envision Voynov returning to the ice with any expediency - his trial is set for early March.
Sekera, a pending unrestricted free agent, has been on the trade block for some time. The 28-year-old lefty had his best NHL season after joining the Hurricanes last year, potting 11 goals and adding a whopping 33 assists.
This year he's got two goals and 17 assists in 54 games.
The Canes had been trying to lock him up long-term but for a team with a tight fiscal focus, Sekera's asking price seems to simply be too high, though his current cap hit is a very palatable $2.75 million.
