{"id":24930,"date":"2025-06-29T16:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T16:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24930\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T16:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T16:32:10","slug":"ken-holland-speaks-on-decision-to-trade-jordan-spence-plans-for-rebuilding-defensive-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24930\/","title":{"rendered":"Ken Holland speaks on decision to trade Jordan Spence, plans for rebuilding defensive group"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft saw the LA Kings make eight selections. Later on today, we\u2019ll dive into those with a few highlights on selected players, as well as the overall strategy for the day.<\/p>\n

The second day also saw the Kings make a trade that impacted the NHL roster, with defenseman Jordan Spence traded to Ottawa for a third-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026. When all was said and done, the Kings moved that third-round selection for two picks, making the return for Spence a 2026 third-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. <\/p>\n

In speaking with the media, Ken Holland shared that the Kings plan to add a veteran defenseman on the right side of the blueline. That could be a free agent, could be a trade or it could be Vladislav Gavrikov, who has shown the ability to play both sides. On the Gavrikov front, Holland said the Kings see him as capable on both sides, depending on who else is available, but that his decision could come down to July 1. Sounds as if things are trending that way, but the two sides remain in regular communication and the door certainly still seems open on the Kings side. If the Kings sign Gavrikov to be a right-sided defenseman, I\u2019d expect them to also add a left-sided defenseman with NHL experience. <\/p>\n

With that being said, in conversation between Holland and Spence\u2019s representation, it sounds as if the Kings would not guarantee that Spence would be one of the top six on their blueline and if that was the case, Spence\u2019s side felt that it would be better to pursue a trade. Thus came the move with Ottawa. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to play every night and there are some things that have to happen between July 1, July 2 and we basically moved him because I\u2019m not sure that he would be in our lineup every night,\u201d Holland said today.<\/p>\n

Holland highlighted two left-shot defensemen in Mikey Anderson and Joel Edmundson, as well as two right-shot defensemen in Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke as being four of the team\u2019s projected six defensemen entering the season. He believes that Jacob Moverare and Kyle Burroughs are both capable of being a number seven or a number eight. That leaves two holes to fill somewhere in the lineup on the blueline, within the top six. <\/p>\n

Part of the reasoning behind the trade was a belief that in order to progress in the postseason, Holland the Kings didn\u2019t see both Spence and Clarke on the same blueline of a team that is competing to progress in the playoffs. <\/p>\n

\u201cBrandt Clarke was the eighth pick in the draft, he needs to play and there\u2019s a lot of hope and belief that he\u2019s going to develop into an important player on this team,\u201d Holland said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a window right now where the team, in my opinion, can compete with the best teams in the National Hockey League. It\u2019s hard to have too many young defensemen when you\u2019re trying to compete with the best teams in the NHL. That\u2019s sort of the conversation I had with [Spence\u2019s agent] about Jordan Spence. Ultimately, I didn\u2019t see us having Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence in the two and three holes on the right side. I believe there\u2019s room for one and ultimately, we made a decision on Brandt Clarke and wanted to give Jordan Spence an opportunity to go elsewhere and further his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ken Holland said that the @LAKings<\/a> plan to add a veteran defenseman on the right side, while also increasing Brandt Clarke\u2019s role.<\/p>\n

When talking about the plan with Jordan Spence\u2019s agent, it seemed to be a mutual agreement to find a new home for Spence, which led to today\u2019s move.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) June 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As for what Holland might pursue in a replacement, I suppose it remains to be seen, but he spoke about traits he believes are needed in the team as a whole to compete in Games 1 \u2013 82, sure, but also Game 83 and beyond. He spoke about the need to blend speed and skill with winning battles, defending the crease and a general level of team physicality that seems to shine during the postseason. The question was with regards to the defense but I think the answer was a little bit more team-focused, but sharing it below either way.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs you watch the team to go on long playoff runs and you start to watch the hockey that\u2019s being played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I think it\u2019s getting the competitiveness, the heaviness, the hardness, the physicality, the puck battles, the paddles going to the blue paint to defend the blue paint, if you\u2019re a defenseman, the forwards wanting to get to the blue paint, the passion of the players to want to help their team go on a playoff run. You know, you need big, heavy, hard teams but smaller players can be heavy and hard. Part of it might be size, but also part of it is the style of play where a smaller player might be heavy and hard and a bigger player might, might not be heavy and hard. Part of it is the style of play but certainly you want to build a team that\u2019s heavy, it can play hard, play in the hard areas, can win battles. At the same time, you need skill, so you\u2019re trying to put together the right combination of skill and speed, as well as going to the blue paint, defending the blue paint, winning 1-on-1 battles, being able to get in part of it. What happens in a seven-game series is you want to wear the other team down. Now, that\u2019s the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Then you start out in September, there\u2019s an 82 game season where it might not be that style that I\u2019m just talking about, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s quite like that over 82 games, because if it was, I [think] that most teams would be down a lot of men. It\u2019s hard to play that way for 82 games. So over 82 games, obviously you need depth, you need skill, playmaking and hockey ability to try to win regular-season games. You need lots of different ingredients on your team over an 82-game regular season and then hoping to go on and believing you\u2019re going to go on a long playoff run.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As for the NHL roster, trading away Spence currently leaves the Kings with what could amount to over $25 million in salary-cap space for free agency and trades. July 1 is the day to watch for but the Kings will be trying to improve the roster between now and then as well with the possibility of a trade that improves the NHL roster, as opposed to subtract from it.<\/p>\n

More to come on that front.<\/p>\n

Also coming later on today will be a Day 2 recap from the draft, with Jared Shafran providing on-site insights into the picks, as well as recaps and remarks from Mark Yannetti on the draft haul. The Kings made eight picks today, a pretty whopping total, so there\u2019s a lot to discuss with the draft in the books! <\/p>\n

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Photo by Chris Tanouye\/Freestyle Photography\/Getty Images<\/p>\n