To you fans who thrive on reading trade rumors: why? Are you a fan of a hockey team or its general manager? If you like the nuts and bolts of how a team is built beyond knowing who makes what and for how long... you must be a bigger fan than I. And that's coming from a guy running a website that features weekly podcast, game recaps and video previews.

Since I have been reporting/blogging/rambling about the Kings for close to five seasons, I've had many people ask what I think the Kings will do now, and whether I'm going to write about it.

For the record, I find that reporting on things like guesses of trades falls well outside my scope of what I find interesting as a fan and a journalist. I do value all my tens of readers and I hope that alienates you. There are plenty of rumor-mongering sites that will satiate your thirst. But writing about rumors is guessing, not reporting.

That said, all the talk about how the L.A. Kings should acquire a high-scoring winger has permeated Hockeywood the past two months.

Rumors have been swirling that the Kings should acquire this guy or that guy has  become tedious. Ridiculous trade offers have flooded hockey sites, blogs and message boards from reporters and fans alike; all looking to "improve" the team.

Scenarios where the Kings give up 2-3 rostered players AND picks are a common thread. And all are usually always for players who are over-priced, all because the Kings have cap room. And almost every of these lame-brained suggestions is punctuated with a "Do It, Dean!"

Well, rather than sit here and propose another myopic trade with the trademark "Do It, Dean" kicker, I'd rather say this:

Don't do it, Dean.

The playoffs are tantalizingly close, Kings fans. I can feel you. For the time being, they are comfortably in the top eight spots in the West. But don't start rooting for Lombardi to tear apart his well-crafted vision in L.A. to try and snag a sniper.

This team has grown together over the last two seasons. And if all goes according to plan, they should make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. And how has that happened? The Kings' success is a direct reflection of the gradual maturation of the youth, not through the acquisition of talent.

Let the kids make it to the playoffs themselves, without any help. See how far they can get without any "help" from an outsider. How else are they supposed to grow further?

Many of these trade scenarios involve teams who have no idea how a salary cap works in the new NHL. They want help from the Kings, who have navigated the rocky shores of the cap for a long time, and have built a contender with money in the bank.

But here's the rub: if the Kings happen to pull off one of these glass-eating trades, where does that put them in the cap situation? I doubt seriously that Lombardi would waste five years of work in one ill-advised trade.  

Another factor is how would it affect the team if a key player like Wayne Simmonds or Dustin Brown was dealt? Think Lombardi would upset the apple cart just when this club is heading in the right direction AND gaining momentum?

And do the Kings really need help in the scoring department? Right now, they are ranked 8th overall in scoring. Not only that, but they win 78 percent of the time when they score first, which they have done 60 percent of the time this season.

Granted, getting another player who can light the lamp would be helpful to any club. But instead of acquiring a supernova star whose gravitational pull would pull all the other elements out of their newly-defined orbits, who not get some complimentary players who could assist the youngsters in developing.

Look at the emergence of the top line,once Anze Kopitar was paired with Wayne Simmonds and Brad Richardson. Coach Terry Murray tried a billion different combinations, and paired Kopitar with almost every player on the roster. If you had told me Brad Richardson would have found himself on the top line in October, I would've laughed in your face.

There's no guarantees the Kings would find that chemistry with a high-caliber weapon suddenly thrust into their clubhouse. Now instead of the Kings playing the game they are used to, they are trying to incorporate a new piece of the puzzle with less than 30 games left in the season.

Don't do it, Dean. You've already proven yourself as a master general manager who can turn a struggling franchise around. But you need to let them make the turn.

Sometimes, no move is the smartest move a team can make.