NASHVILLE, Tenn — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Using a position of strength, the Los Angeles Kings tried to shore up a position of recent weakness.
What got them there was a two-step process. On Friday, they acquired 6-foot-5 defenseman Keaton Ellerby from Florida. They sent a future fifth-round draft pick to the Panthers, the compensation they received from the Devils for center Andrei Loktionov on Wednesday.
The absence of defensemen Matt Greene (back surgery) and Willie Mitchell (knee surgery) has hampered the Kings (3-4-2) early on, and management has had to readjust its thinking.
Mitchell could come back shortly, but the Kings aren't counting on it.
"Right now, we have to operate on the premise that Willie and Greener are done for the year," Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said Friday. "And we have to deal with it. Nothing has changed (with Mitchell) either way. When you're missing a good player, the tendency is: 'When is he coming back? When is he coming back?'
"It becomes a crutch almost. As a team, players, management, coaches - it's what it is. If (Mitchell) comes back, it's a tremendous bonus. But if not, we can't continue to rely on that. We've got to get in that mind-set so that when he comes back it's a total bonus, versus sitting and waiting and hoping."
Patience is not a luxury they can afford, especially in a 48-game schedule.
"You're not going to replace Willie Mitchell," Lombardi said. "He's one of the most underrated players in the league. You're not going to replace Matt Greene's leadership If they do come back, you say, 'Whoa, we've got even more depth.'"
Ellerby, a first-round draft choice (10th overall) in 2007, is the first cousin of Coyotes captain Shane Doan and second cousin of Montreal goalie Carey Price. The 24-year-old has two goals and 17 points in 125 career games with the Panthers, and the Kings are hoping the change of venue will help him regain confidence. He is expected to be at practice Saturday. The Kings returned defenseman Andrew Campbell to their minor-league team in Manchester, N.H.
"I hate to use the word 'fresh start,'" Lombardi said. "But go back to basics. We're not going to look at you as a 10th-pick overall and worry about whether you're Paul Coffey. We just want to make you a good player. We figured this made more sense for us instead of what else was out there."
