Vegas Golden Knights beef up defense with proven winner in Martinez

Let the fun begin. The Vegas Golden Knights have pulled the trigger on a trade, acquiring defenseman Alec Martinez from the LA Kings in exchange for two second-round draft picks.

First reported by Bob McKenzie of TSN on Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights have bolstered their blueline by trading for the two-time Stanley Cup Champion.

However, it has come at a hefty cost with the Knights sending a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in addition to another second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

The 2021 second-round selection is the one that originally belonged to the St. Louis Blues.

Also, it has been reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that the LA Kings won’t be retaining any of Martinez’s salary, meaning that the Golden Knights will have to shift one or two contracts off the books in order to become cap compliant.

Martinez does come with term with a $4,000,000 cap hit this year and again in the 2020-21 season.

The Golden Knights have addressed a need, though, and while they will still need to do more before the Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, Martinez is a solid addition to the blueline.

First and foremost, the veteran is a proven winner having collected two championships with the Kings, while Martinez is best known for scoring the Stanley Cup clinching goal in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers.

Martinez, who was taken by the Kings with the 95th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, has skated in 597 career regular season games for LA, recording 62 goals and 136 assists for 198 points with a +23 rating.

Furthermore, the 32-year-old has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 64 postseason outings under his belt.

That mix of experience and knowing what it takes to win should prove invaluable to the Golden Knights, especially in the postseason, while the left shot can be relied upon to eat monster minutes given that he has averaged a whopping 21:31 minutes of total ice time this year.

Martinez can play both sides and can also be used in many different situations, including on the penalty kill.

He’s willing to sacrifice his body for the good of the team, as backed up by the 85 blocked shots he has recorded this year (ranked 46th in the NHL), while the blueliner is also known for being a model professional in the locker room.

While not an elite defenseman by any stretch, Martinez can move the puck and he should help with the Golden Knights’ transition game, which has been less than stellar this year.

However, and while it is worth remembering that the Kings are a bad team and are now in the process of tearing everything down, Martinez has shown signs of decline and regression this year.

Through 41 games, the 32-year-old is a -9 with one goal and seven assists for eight points, in addition to 32 hits, six Takeaways, 31 Giveaways and a 51.3 CF%.

Martinez also ranks low in a number of metrics, including a career-high 3.19 in goals against per 60-minutes.

You could argue, however, that Martinez has been a victim of playing on a poor Kings team that is going through huge transition.

It remains to be seen exactly what role Martinez will play with the Golden Knights, but $4 million a year is expensive for a bottom-four defenseman.

Maybe a change of scenery and the chance to play for a contender will help to revitalize Martinez, but the veteran is somewhat of a minor upgrade on the Vegas blueline and he will have a big role to play both down the stretch and in the postseason, where his experience will prove invaluable.

He’s not much of an offensive threat and he won’t be a big factor on the power play, but he adds much-needed depth to the blueline and will bring a steadying presence to the Vegas defense.

You could argue that there were cheaper defensemen out there with higher upside, but the Vegas Golden Knights had to make a move to bolster their roster and Alex Martinez has the proven pedigree when it comes to postseason hockey.

He should be a good fit in the locker room and, as already mentioned, playing in-front of an elite goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury may actually help Martinez to find his game again.

While not a game-changer by any stretch of the imagination, Alec Martinez is a nice piece for a contender and it makes Vegas stronger while not putting them over the top.

Plus, as already mentioned, Martinez has a proven pedigree as a two-time Stanley Cup champion and you can’t put a price on that level of experience.

While some may not be a huge fan of this trade, the Golden Knights are in win-now mode and they needed to add an established figure to that blueline. The move to acquire Martinez certainly ticks that box.

There will be more moves to come given that the Knights need to clear cap space, while they could also do with a puck-moving defenseman and some secondary scoring help.

A lot can happen between now and the Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, so expect the Golden Knights to have a few more trades up their sleeve before Monday.