The Start Of A Fire Sale?

In the first of what the sports outlets think will probably be a series of moves by the Los Angeles Kings before next week's NHL trading deadline, defenseman Jaroslav Modry was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for the Flyers' third-round draft pick in June.

Uh, no surprised here...ever since my team got comfortable at the bottom in the first third of the season, it's been question marks as for who will make it to the end of the year and who will have their gear on clearance at the Team LA store. But damn, a 3rd round draft pick for an active player is a notch above a roll of stick tape and some skate laces.

Modry, along with fellow defenders captain Rob Blake and Brad Stuart, are attractive tradebait due to unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. But Blake, who's currently sidelined with a broken ankle has stated he will not waive his no-trade clause. Stuart, who was only signed to a one year contract, may not have impressed enough to merit retention and could still find himself in another uniform next week..

It's no secret the last-place Kings are sellers, not buyers going into the deadline, but having a hearty crop of young talent poised to carry the team for many years, what are they willing to give up to get the final crucial elements to make them a competitor come the playoffs? Getting a top-10 (or even 15) goalie would be a huge move, especially after sinking $6 million into the injured and failing Dan Cloutier, but a lesser netminder could still be helped with a solid D-man or two.

The strange trade last season of then-captain amd defenseman Mattias Norström for Modry was a sign of the organization trying to shake things up as they slipped out of playoff contention, but was virtually an even swap. Both veteran players and a young prospect switched teams, and a 3-2 exchange of draft picks was the only minor difference. Even Blake called Matty the heart and core of the team, declining the captaincy from Norström when he came back to the Kings in 2006, so his trade was sad and shocking.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few players got their lockers packed, but there are a lot of assets the Kings have to hold on to, and after those players, there isn't a huge field to draw from that other teams will find attractive. Plus any team heading into the postseason isn't going to part with someone valuable, so as sellers the team will be on the losing end. I just hope the team is going to spend money to get the big free agents in the offseason and still have something of a team after the trades start flying.