NHL Trade Deadline: Dean Lombardi's Desperation Will Prove Costly for Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are in about the worst position that any professional team would ever want to be in. They have to make a trade and the entire league knows it. 

According to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times, the stakes are high for general manager Dean Lombardi.

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This could be the most important week of Dean Lombardi's six seasons as general manager of the Kings.

If he acquires a high-impact scorer by the trade deadline of noon Pacific time Monday, he can salvage a season that began with high expectations but descended into a grim battle to score goals and make the playoffs.

Failure to reach the postseason could cost Lombardi his job and there would be no reason to argue he should stay.

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Now, 29 other teams know that this team has to make a move. They are literally the worst offensive team in the NHL and as of right now are on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Every general manager in the league knows that the Kings need to make a move. 

Worse, they know that Lombardi has no real reason to fear making a trade. Let's go over a few scenarios that would come with a trade. 

Scenario 1: He gives up a lot for a scorer, the Kings make the playoffs, Lombardi comes back. 

Great. There is really nothing wrong with this. Obviously, the trade was enough for the Kings to reach the postseason. Under that scenario, there would be no reason not to keep Lombardi. Scenario two is where things get interesting.

Scenario 2: He gives up a lot, gets a scorer, the team misses the playoffs, Lombardi is fired.

If Lombardi knows that he is going to be fired if the team misses the playoffs, he has no reason not to gamble on a trade that may not be made otherwise.

Make no mistake, I am not saying that he would intentionally sabotage the organization, as I don't believe that for a second. But what is true is that Lombardi is in a spot with nothing to lose. That is not something that's going to help the Kings long term.

Again, teams know that a trade has to be made. They can make seriously bad offers to Los Angeles knowing that they can't realistically be turned down. Even if potential trades get the Kings to the playoffs, these moves are going to be costly down the road.

If you're a Kings fan, all I can say is that I would hope they win now. A GM with his back to the wall knowing that immediate success is needed will not bring a lot of concern for the team's future to the negotiating table. 

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