The GM spent a few days watching his Manchester farm club before joining his team in Tampa Bay for the Kings' game against the Lightning on Tuesday. He is planning on discussing his impressions with coach Darryl Sutter, who could shuffle the lines to generate more offense up front.
While Lombardi keeps looking around the league for potential trades, the Kings remain close to the salary cap and are not expected to make a blockbuster move in the upcoming weeks.
Lombardi will get more than $13.6 million in cap space after the season when the contracts of Dustin Penner, Scott Parse, Willie Mitchell, Jarret Stoll, Colin Fraser and Trent Hunter expire, but leading unrestricted free agents appear to deny the Kings' offers.
Waiting until July 1 also means fans will need to be patient and accept the fact that the GM spent close to the salary cap for a team that isn't as close to Stanley Cup contention as he hoped.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Jeff Carter, forward Mike Richards' old teammate back in Philadelphia, might be an option for the Kings, but his $5.27 million cap hit through the 2021-22 season could be a risky commitment.
He could, however, revitalize Richards' offensive touch and help improve the 14 goals and 12 assists he has posted in 45 games this season.
Lombardi could choose to make smaller deals, such as acquiring impending unrestricted free-agent winger Tuomo Ruutu from the Carolina Hurricanes and examine offerings from non-contenders such as the Edmonton Oilers, Blue Jackets and the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings currently sit in seventh place of the Western Conference with a 25-18-10 record, only two points ahead of the last playoff spot.
More Trade Deadline Info
List of Trades
| No-Trade/No-Movement Clauses
| Top 25 Available Players
| Team-by-Team Cap Info
