Alec Martinez is packing his bags and headed to Las Vegas for two 2nd round picks.
The 32 year old D-man still has a year left on his contract after this season with a cap hit sitting at 4 million for the next two seasons.
Vegas adds a solid vet to their D corps as they look to make a playoff push and the Kings add two more high round picks to their growing stockpile.
But it would be completely irresponsible of us to just move on from this deal without climbing into our good ole time machine and taking a blast into the past.
The year was 2014. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. Before we even knew what a 'golden knight' was.
Just under six minutes remaining in double overtime when Derrick Brassard backhands the puck from below the goal line into the low slot looking for a potential game winning setup. The Kings clear it away to the near side where the infamous Alec Martinez takes possession and flies up the the ice with Kyle Clifford in the center and Tyler Toffoli on the far side boards.
Martinez slides the puck over to Clifford who immediately flips its over to Toffoli who loads up a shot while the other two Kings crash towards Henrik Lundqvist. The Toffoli beam redirects right to Martinez's blade, a D-man turned left winger for a brief yet successful moment. Seconds later, gloves, sticks and helmets go flying through the Staples Center as Martinez gives his best live musical impression with his powerful use of jazz hands as he clutches his teammates in victory.
It was a beautiful moment in NHL history. Probably one of the more memorable goals for younger hockey fans like me. And Doc Emrick's call....chills.
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