NHL Trade Rumors: LA Kings Smart to Take Dustin Brown off the Trade Market

After acquiring Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a conditional first-round pick, rumors started to swirl that the Los Angeles Kings were shopping captain Dustin Brown.

However, according to Elliotte Friedman, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is no longer dangling Brown in the trade market.

"

Trade deadline craziness: Lombardi telling inquiring GMs that Dustin Brown is not available. Can't wait until this is over.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 24, 2012"

TSN's Bob McKenzie assured everyone via Twitter that even though Brown is no longer available, he was at one point.

"

IF LAK are no longer considering trading Dustin Brown, as @FriedgeHNIC tweeted, I can most certainly assure you they were. #TradeCentre #tsn

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 24, 2012"

So why would the Kings pull Brown from the market just hours after it was reported they fielding offers for him? 

Let's break down the situation.

On the surface, moving Brown seems like a move that would have to be made for salary reasons. The team just took on Carter's monster contract that has an approximate $5.3 million annual salary for another 10 years, so maybe trading Brown and his $3.175 million cap hit for two more seasons would give the Kings some more cap flexibility.

Another reason the Kings could have moved Brown off the block is that they were underwhelmed by the offers. I would imagine the Kings' asking price for Brown was quite high, thus dampening many teams' interest in the Kings captain. You would have to think that a top-six forward was the starting point in any deal.

In the end, the Kings made the smart decision to take Brown off the trading block and keep one of their best players so the team can climb back into a playoff spot.

Brown is one of the few players on the Kings who goes to the net hard, plays physical, and raises the intensity of his teammates with his high-energy style of play.

Also, shopping your captain does not look good and can reflect poorly on one of your team's best players and strongest leaders. In general, trading your captain is a sensitive situation, which is why you rarely see captains traded during the season.

The Kings need Brown, and it was wrong for them to even put him on the block in the first place. If the reports are true, and they aren't shopping him anymore, then it's time for the player and team to move on and focus on saving their season with a strong run at the playoffs.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.