The Los Angeles Kings had hoped to have forward Marco Sturm in their opening line today against the Colorado Avalanche at Staples Center, but that will not be the case. The forward was claimed off waivers today by the Washington Capitals, per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. ending Sturm's short tenure as a King. The Kings acquired Sturm from the Boston Bruins on December 11 for future considerations.
In 17 games with the Kings, Sturm had four goals and five assists. He was placed on waivers Friday to give the team roster flexibility should the Kings need to make a move before Monday's NHL trade deadline. However, the gamble didn't pay off. "On the on-ice part of it, we need more,’’ coach Terry Murray told Rich Hammond of LAKings.com yesterday. ``[Sturm]'s a player going through a situation -- as you all know -- with an injury, coming back, getting himself physically ready to play. He's been through the skating club for a couple of weeks. My view of it is that his conditioning is good. He's ready to get going."
At Jewels From The Crown, Quisp explained in detail the gamble by the Kings:
- And I think the conclusion to draw from it is NOT that Sturm is on the way out. He will likely stay right where he is on the first line.
- The conclusion I reach is that Lombardi wants to be able to add two roster players at any moment. He did this last year, remember? He traded Teddy Purcell and brought in Fredrik Modin and Jeff Halpern.
- Doesn't mean he's going to make any deals. He might not.
- But he's ready to.
For more information on today's game, be sure to read Jewels From The Crown.