First trade for the Los Angeles Kings per everyone and their mom on Twitter. And ole reliable, TSN. Details still to come.
[UPDATE]: For Teddy Purcell and a 3rd round pick
From Cassie at Raw Charge: Halpern’s a solid center. He won’t be flashy, and he may not score a lot of goals, but he’s a fantastic leader on and off of the ice. And he’s a good faceoff guy. He was also captain for a while for the Washington Capitals.
[UPDATE]: More from Raw Charge at 11:40am PST:
Has been captain in the past (with Washington) but really has become a journeyman. Hard worker who has battled injuries. Not excessively flashy, in fact he can get lost in the mix but he’s a stand up guy in the locker room.
He’s played all forward positions this season as Rick Tocchet has juggled players over and over and over again, but his natural position is center. He’s not flashy but he will chip in here and there. But he’ll work. He’ll certainly work for what he needs to.
He’s had injury issues in the recent past, that’s something to be aware of. He’s not delicate or anything, but he’s certainly lost PT while recovering from major injuries.
Seeing as how Halpern is a center can only help the Kings. This will allow the Kings to keep Oscar Moller on the wing where they want him instead of forcing him to the center position mid-game. More faceoff skill is a plus and nothing can be wrong with adding more skilled grit to the roster.