NHL Trade Rumors: Ales Hemsky and 10 Players the L.A. Kings Should Target

With less than a week remaining until the NHL's trade deadline, it's crunch time for the teams who might want to tweak a few things in their push to the playoffs.  

Considering most of the Western Conference is gridlocked in a heap straddling the post-season cutoff line, some teams are looking for that missing link that could propel them up into safer standings in the West.

One such team that has been tied to many names is the Los Angeles Kings, who currently look to be hunting for a scoring forward who can be of help on their power play unit.

So who should the Kings target?  

Here are ten possible players (alphabetically by last name) that LA could be seeking to trade for.

1. David Booth: Florida Panthers

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UNIONDALE, NY - FEBRUARY 21: David Booth #10 of the Florida Panthers skates during an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum on February 21, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Goals: 17

Assists: 14

Points: 31

Cap hit: 4.250 

Florida's power forward, David Booth is our first option for a possible trade target.  

Booth's cap hit would be a bit steep for the Kings who currently have less than 4 million in cap space, and four unrestricted free agent forwards come summer.  

However, Booth's numbers would help out in this home stretch leading into the post-season.

2. Tim Connolly: Buffalo Sabres

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SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 17: Tim Connolly #19 of the Buffalo Sabres skates prior to the game against the Florida Panthers on December 17, 2010 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Goals: 8

Assists: 18

Points: 26

Cap hit: 4.500 

For a team that is looking for help on the power play, Connolly would be a great fit.

He has three of his goals and ten of his assists with the man advantage. Pair him with Ryan Smyth, who has eight goals on the power play, on one unit and it could turn into a very lethal lineup when their opponent takes a penalty.

3. Ales Hemsky: Edmonton Oilers

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ANAHEIM, CA - JANUARY 16: Ales Hemsky #83 of the Edmonton Oilers skates prior to the start of the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center on January 16, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Goals: 13

Assists: 27

Points: 40

Cap hit: 4.100 

When you have a team like the Kings who have been surrounded by whispers flying from the rumor mill, sometimes it's difficult to sift through the nonsense and find the legitimate ideas.  

Hemsky seems to be a pretty strong idea as an addition to the Kings, and with his numbers and his cap hit, it is a move that would really make sense.  

However, to get Hemsky away from the Oilers it might be a price tag that is too steep for LA.

4. Jarome Iginla: Calgary Flames

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DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 14: Jerome Iginla #12 of the Calgary Flames warms up prior to facing the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on February 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Goals: 25

Assists: 33

Points: 58

Cap hit: 7.000 

Jarome Iginla has a brutal cap hit, so the Kings would need to sacrifice a few players to make enough cap space, but he could really be that spark the LA team needs to fuel them into the post-season.  

Iginla's numbers are already impressive and have kept Calgary hot, so who knows if he is still on the trading block, but if he was surrounded by a core of young talent his numbers could increase even more.

5. Ethan Moreau: Columbus Blue Jackets

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 04: Ethan Moreau #19 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates with the puck during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on January 4, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Blue Jackets 4-2. (Photo

Goals: 1

Assists: 4

Points: 5

Cap hit: 2.000

With these single-digit stats, Ethan Moreau might look like a little bit of an oddball on this list when you are looking for a strong forward to throw in with the Kings, but Moreau has be a victim of circumstances.  

Moreau has only 25 games played this season, and he has been a part of a struggling Columbus team, so if you mixed him with the talent of LA he might step things up.

6. Dustin Penner: Edmonton Oilers

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COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 05: Dustin Penner #27 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on February 5, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Goals: 20

Assists: 17

Points: 37

Cap hit: 4.250

Dustin Penner has to be one of my picks for Los Angeles' target.

The power forward has proven himself valuable for whatever team's sweat he sports. Penner's size, grit, scoring ability, and overall presence could really mix well with the Kings, but they'd still need to forfeit some solid talent to get him out of Edmonton.

7. Jason Spezza: Ottawa Senators

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CALGARY, CANADA - FEBRUARY 9: Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Calgary Flames on February 9, 2011 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Dale MacMillan/Getty Images)

Goals: 10

Assists: 16

Points: 26

Cap hit: 7.000

After LA fell out of the bidding for Ilya Kovalchuk in the summer, they clearly were ready to clear some cap space for a big name.  

Maybe Jason Spezza could be that spark that can push the Kings into the playoffs. His numbers may not look impressive, but keep in mind that he has only played in 39 games this season.

8. Scottie Upshall: Phoenix Coyotes

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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 20: Scottie Upshall #8 of the Phoenix Coyotes skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 20, 2010 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Goals: 16

Assists: 11

Points: 27

Cap hit: 2.250

Granted the price would have to be perfect for Phoenix to let Upshall switch jerseys, however every team has their price for each and every player there.  

Upshall is a very talented forward, and when he gets hot, he can really help whatever offense he is apart of, and because of that I could see him mixing well with Los Angeles.

9. Stephen Weiss: Florida Panthers

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TORONTO - APRIL 6: Center Stephan Weiss #19 of the Florida Panthers stands on the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL game at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada on April 6, 2002. The Panthers and Maple Leafs skated to a 2-2 tie. (Photo b

Goals: 16

Assists: 24

Points: 40

Cap hit: 3.100

If Los Angeles wants to bring in a scorer with a smaller price tag, Florida's Stephen Weiss could be a solid acquisition.  

When you have a star like Kopitar who has recently been struggling to find open ice, maybe a playmaker like Weiss would be the best piece to add.

10. Nikolay Zherdev: Philadelphia Flyers

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 25: Nikolay Zherdev #93 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center on January 25, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Goals: 15

Assists: 4

Points: 19

Cap hit: 2.000

When it comes to a bargain of a goal-scorer, who else could you pick for a possible pick up?  

Zherdev clearly has the sweet hands and his goal statistics show that, and because of that he could help to pick up the Kings' offense a bit and that makes every penny of his contract worth it.