Over at LetsGoKings, a thread was started by their resident pot-stirrer, Matt Barry, where he breaks down the current economic situation better than I could...

With unemployment already at 10% in California, the Down hitting 12 year lows today, smart GM's will be dumping payroll and looking towards 2010 when the Salary Cap will be LOWERED....

In a year which saw the Kings offering tickets for $11.50 and Tampa Bay offering season tickets for $5.63 a game next season, not only is the economy in desperate trouble, so are NHL franchises. No wonder owners are sweating that their teams BETTER make the playoffs - No wonder the Ducks are considering dealing Pronger - There may be a gigantic fire sale in Colorado...

There's going to be a lot of panic in the next few days. I don't think Dean will be among those.

Times are tough all over, and even though ratings and attendance are up this season, there's no guarantee this "bull market" for the NHL will be long-lived. Attendance is EXPECTED to drop, which is why teams are trying their best to stem the tide now.

The list of players waived today could constitute an entire NHL roster themselves. Satan, Morrison, Gerber... The Kings wound up waiving Tom Preissing, who was suffering from that dreaded "upper body injury." But that was to make room for Moller coming back, not clear room for a blockbuster trade. In fact, I doubt El Deano will be doing much on March 4, other than maybe lifting a gin and tonic at the ESPN Zone across the street from Staples, and laughing manically (which is funny to imagine, since he is usually so straight-laced).

When the NHL salary cap was introduced, many said this is one of Lombardi's strengths as GM. And even though he is often taken to task by fans and the media for his lack of moving in the short-term interest of the team, his worth is apparent in times like this. When teams are struggling to figure out how to LOWER their salaries in anticipation of tough financial times, the Kings are sitting pretty.

So while the Trade Deadline is an exciting time, don't expect anything ground-breaking out of the Kings camp. Except maybe a well-placed Nelson Muntz laugh toward other NHL teams who find themselves between a rock and the salary cap.

Other trade deadline stories

• LA Times: Are the Kings' moves a prelude to a deal -- or just bookkeeping?

With the Kings out of the playoff scramble all but mathematically, it makes no sense for them to acquire someone who would be a rent-a-player for a playoff drive that isn't going to succeed. (That means you, Marian Gaborik. And I don't think Lombardi likes Gaborik, anyway).

• NHL.com: NHL plans unprecedented trade coverage

Wednesday, March 4 at noon Pacific marks the deadline for teams to bolster their rosters for their 2009 playoff runs. Beginning at noon that day, the League's three media platforms will simulcast six hours of trade deadline-focused programming that will keep fans informed while providing exclusive access to the League's movers and shakers and, for the first time, a behind-the-scenes look at how a trade officially goes down.

• Examiner.com:  Five best in-season deals in Kings history

...And the common thread among them was not any instant success, but rather helping build towards future success for the team.

• Examiner.com: Five in-season trades the Kings would like to have back

...we also thought we should list five trades that were completed in-season that the club, and their fans, would like to forget ever happened.

• ESPN.com: LeBrun: Kings GM in different role this trade deadline: He's not in sell mode

"The one thing that's very different from the last two years obviously is that we were clearly sellers and in the mode of acquiring picks and futures," the Los Angeles Kings GM told ESPN.com on Friday. "Now we're one of the youngest teams in the league. We don't have players we're trying to move for futures. The few veterans we have, they're important to this team in terms of their character and the way they play hard and the example they set. We're certainly in a different mode than we were the previous years."

• Bleacher Report: Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline

Couple the fact that the Kings are in the middle of one hell of a playoff race and that they are the youngest team in the league, they aren't looking to trade their veteran role players for picks or prospects as they have done in the past.  The Kings' focus is no longer only on the future but also on the now.

• Bleacher Report: Kings should still be sellers at trade deadline

While the vastly improved Kings sit 4 points out of the final playoff spot, management has thus far gone back on their word once again. However, that might not be such a bad thing if you believe in the approach GM Dean Lombardi has taken over his four year tenure.