Trade: Los Angeles Kings Swap Centers With St. Louis Blues

The Los Angeles Kings have acquired Nikita Alexandrov from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Akil Thomas.

This is a one-for-one trade involving two minor-league centers, both 25 years old. Alexandrov is eight months younger than Thomas and was drafted one year later than him.

St. Louis drafted Alexandrov in the second round with the 62nd overall pick in 2019. In contrast, the Kings selected Thomas 52nd overall in the 2018 draft, also in the second round.

Alexandrov and Thomas are on expiring contracts at $775,000 per season. Alexandrov is on a one-year deal while Thomas is on a two-year contract.

These two centers have spent the majority of their professional hockey careers in the AHL, with some NHL experience sprinkled in here and there. 

For Thomas he is playing in his fifth campaign down in the American League with the Ontario Reign. In 19 games this season, he has four goals and 13 points.

The Toronto native has played 32 career NHL games over the last two years. In fact, he only played NHL games last year. He featured in 25 games and scored three goals and an assist.

Meanwhile, Alexandrov has 19 more games in the NHL, featuring in 51 contests, but hasn't made an appearance since April 12, 2024.

Kings Make Significant And Highly-Anticipated Changes To Both Power-Play UnitsJim Hiller has made another change to the Los Angeles Kings' power play, but this one has been highly anticipated for quite some time. Defenseman Brandt Clarke gets moved to the first unit, while Brian Dumoulin gets reps with the second group.

With the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, Alexandrov has played part of five seasons. Last season, he finished over a point per game, recording 21 goals and 49 points in 48 outings. 

So far this year with the Thunderbirds, the German has three goals and 14 points in 18 games.

According to puckpedia.com, this is Kings GM Ken Holland's fifth trade since joining Los Angeles in May. 

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