Kings trade Belanger, Gleason

Strange to think about Kings hockey starting again whilst ramping up for the baseball playoffs, but here we are. And it looks like new GM Dean Lombardi has pulled off another good trade for the near and farther future, swapping players with the Carolina Hurricanes.

NHL.com: “Kings land Johnson for pair”

Unable to get defenseman Jack Johnson’s signature on an entry-level contract after several overtures, the Carolina Hurricanes decided to go in a different direction Friday afternoon with their star-in-waiting.

Johnson, who is about to embark on his sophomore season with the University of Michigan hockey program, was the centerpiece of a four-player trade consummated with the Los Angeles Kings. Carolina sent Johnson, the third-overall selection in the 2005 Entry Draft, and veteran defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky to the Kings in exchange for young defenseman Tim Gleason and veteran forward Eric Belanger.

Allan Muir over at SI.com seems to think the Kings robbed the Hurricanes blind: “Blue chip for peanuts”

A few months back, Carolina’s Jim Rutherford earned accolades as the NHL’s Executive of the Year. This morning, he did his best to help Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi follow in his footsteps.

Truth be told, the Kings aren’t likely to reap the benefits this season of the deal that brought them promising defenseman Jack Johnson and veteran Oleg Tverdovsky for Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger. But, in time, this one has the potential to go down as a legacy maker. We’re talking Cam Neely and Glen Wesley for Barry Pederson territory here.

Later, he says Johnson has the potential to be a dominant D-man in the mold of Rob Blake. Not too shabby.

The Kings season starts October 6th in Anaheim. Game on!