The Los Angeles Kings built up their NHL Draft stockpile Sunday, trading forwards Warren Foegele and Corey Perry at the 2026 trade deadline. Los Angeles collected two second-round selections and a better third-round slot. GM Ken Holland confirmed both deals, which steer the Kings away from short-term playoff contention and toward a deeper prospect pipeline heading into the offseason.
Both trades closed March 8, 2026. Holland’s approach is clear: collect draft capital now, then execute larger roster moves over the summer.
How the Kings Built NHL Draft Capital at the Deadline
Los Angeles netted one second-round pick for Foegele and a separate second-round pick for Perry, plus a third-round swap that projects to move the Kings up several spots in the 2026 draft order. That haul carries real weight. Middle-round picks in today’s NHL regularly produce top-six forwards and shutdown defenders, especially when a front office runs a clear scouting process.
Holland addressed the Foegele deal directly. He noted the situation could have waited until summer but that a trade was likely inevitable no matter the timing. Foegele’s projected role and his own career path made the deadline the cleaner exit point. Perry’s deal moved differently — Tampa Bay called, Perry wanted to go, and the Kings collected a second-round selection for making it happen.
Neither Foegele nor Perry ranked among the Kings’ top possession drivers this season. Their exits trim payroll and open line spots for younger forwards already in the system. Los Angeles gave up minimal five-on-five production while adding two legitimate draft assets and one improved pick slot.
The numbers reveal why middle-round picks matter: over the past three NHL drafts, roughly 18 percent of second-round selections have logged at least 200 NHL games within five years of being chosen. That rate climbs when a front office has a defined player profile and a stable scouting staff — two areas where Holland has invested since taking the GM role in Los Angeles.
Holland was direct about where the organization is headed. He told the team’s insider that a Foegele deal was coming by summer at the latest, given the forward’s fit within the roster. The GM framed both moves as proactive — getting ahead of an expected offseason overhaul rather than reacting after the playoff picture locked in.
“I talked to Corey Perry the last couple of days, when Tampa called, it was really his decision and he wanted to go there, so we got a second-round pick,” Holland said.
That quote captures Holland’s management style: player-friendly communication paired with asset-maximization. Perry, a veteran winger with Stanley Cup experience, drew interest from Tampa Bay — a team built to compete now. The Kings turned that demand into draft currency without damaging a relationship. Holland ran a clean process on both transactions.
Holland also signaled that broader roster turnover is probable this summer. Kings management has consistently chosen prospect pipeline depth over short-cycle win-now moves when the playoff math gets difficult. The 2026 deadline follows that pattern.
Key Moves From the Kings’ Trade Deadline Day
Film from this season shows both Foegele and Perry operating in reduced roles, which made their exits easier to absorb from a lineup standpoint. Here is a full accounting of what changed Sunday:
The Kings received a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for Warren Foegele.
Corey Perry was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning, also returning a second-round selection to Los Angeles.
A third-round pick swap was included, projected to move the Kings up multiple spots in the draft order.
Holland confirmed Foegele’s long-term fit in Los Angeles was already in question before the deadline, making a summer deal the baseline expectation.
Perry’s destination was driven by the player — Tampa Bay called and Perry chose the Lightning, with Holland facilitating the move.
What These NHL Draft Picks Mean for the Kings’ Future
Two second-round picks and an upgraded third-round slot represent genuine organizational currency. The Kings enter the 2026 NHL Draft with added flexibility in the middle rounds — precisely where franchise depth is constructed over a three-to-five year window.
One fair counterpoint: dealing two veteran forwards does thin the Kings’ depth for the final stretch of the 2025-26 regular season. If younger players fail to absorb the minutes, Los Angeles’s Corsi numbers and high-danger chance rates could soften in March and April. The organization is accepting that short-term cost in exchange for strategic flexibility this summer.
For fantasy hockey managers, Perry’s arrival in Tampa Bay opens power-play minutes on a Lightning unit that has historically run an efficient man-advantage. Perry’s net-front presence fits that system well. On the Kings’ side, the vacated roster spots create audition opportunities for younger forwards — worth tracking on the waiver wire as lineups adjust over the next few weeks.
The salary cap impact of both exits also matters. Foegele and Perry carried contracts that consumed space the Kings can now redirect toward offseason free-agency targets or extensions for core players already on the roster. Holland’s front office enters the summer with more room to operate than it had 48 hours ago.
Los Angeles is not in full teardown mode. Holland’s language pointed toward selective turnover, not a wholesale rebuild. The added draft slots give the scouting staff concrete tools to deploy at the draft in June 2026, and the organization’s prospect pipeline gets measurably deeper as a result.
What did the Kings get for trading Warren Foegele?
The Los Angeles Kings received a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for forward Warren Foegele at the trade deadline on March 8, 2026. GM Ken Holland also arranged a third-round pick swap that projects to move the Kings up several spots in the draft order.
Where was Corey Perry traded at the 2026 deadline?
Corey Perry was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 8, 2026. The move was largely player-driven — Tampa Bay expressed interest and Perry chose to join the Lightning. The Kings collected a second-round NHL Draft pick in return.
Why did the Kings sell at the 2026 trade deadline?
Kings GM Ken Holland indicated the organization faces likely larger-scale roster turnover this summer and that deals for players like Foegele were probable regardless of deadline timing. Collecting NHL Draft picks now gave the front office added assets heading into an expected offseason overhaul.
How many draft picks did the Kings acquire at the 2026 deadline?
The Kings acquired two second-round picks and improved their third-round position through a pick swap, based on the Foegele and Perry trades. All three selections feed into the 2026 NHL Draft, giving Los Angeles added depth in the middle rounds.
Martina VogelMartina Vogel is a Swiss tennis correspondent who has covered every Grand Slam tournament since 2009. With a degree in sports journalism from the University of Zurich, she brings a European perspective and deep tactical insight to her coverage of the ATP and WTA tours. Martina has conducted sit-down interviews with multiple Grand Slam champions and is known for her detailed match analysis that explores the chess-like strategy within every rally.
