Breaking: Kings Trade Durzi to Coyotes

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that Sean Durzi had been traded to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2024 second-round pick. It’s the Montreal Canadiens second-round pick that the Coyotes received from Montreal in the Christian Dvorak trade.

A Durzi trade always seemed likely this summer.

Durzi was well-liked by the locker room and coaching staff, but the logjam on the right side meant someone had to go. With Drew Doughty and Matt Roy holding down the top-two spots and Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke waiting in the wings. This trade makes a lot of sense for the Kings.

Durzi’s versatility to play the left side was a bonus. But the addition of Vladislav Gavrikov and Tobias Bjornfot’s ability on the left side leaves the Kings without a spot for Durzi.

The Kings clear $1.7 million in cap with this deal, which should give them enough space to re-sign both Gabe Vilardi and Joonas Korpisalo.

It’s also possible that another move is in the works, possibly moving more cap, or a move to acquire a number one goalie.

Regardless, the Kings traded away an expendable player and will replace him with a cheaper player who should bring a similar — if not better — impact.

Assuming the Montreal Canadiens are near the bottom of the league again next year, which isn’t a guarantee, this should also be a relatively high second-rounder.

Durzi burst onto the scene in the 2021-22 season after a slew of injuries on the Kings’ backend and originally looked like the future on defense for the Kings.

However, his defensive lapses and tendency for poor turnovers became very apparent last season.

He’s still a solid defenseman and power-play specialist, but with players like Spence and Clarke able to fill a similar role, the Kings shouldn’t miss Durzi too much.

One of Durzi’s traits that maybe goes underrated which the Kings will miss is the sandpaper he brings to the lineup. Not the biggest player, Durzi isn’t afraid to get scrappy and drop the gloves. Something you can’t say for most of the Kings’ roster.

Still, this is a sensible trade from Rob Blake and I’d expect a few moves — be that re-signings or another trade — to follow soon.