LA Kings and St. Louis Blues make early morning one-for-one trade

For weeks now, fans have been awaiting the big, blockbuster trade to start the NHL's trade season, but as of right now, that type of deal remains rumour and speculation among the league's top insiders.

However, we did get a very intriguing deal early on Tuesday, with two Western Conference teams swapping young players, hoping that a change of scenery for both players could be what sparks them at the National Hockey League level.

In the deal, the Los Angeles Kings acquire 25-year old Nikita Alexandrov, a former second round pick that has spent the last two full seasons in the American Hockey League, struggling to crack the Blues roster.

Last season, he had 49 points in 48 games played, and with 3 goals and 14 points in 18 games this season, he's clearly got the talent, but in St. Louis, it simply became clear that he wasn't going to have a shot at cracking this roster full-time.

In exchange, the Blues land former second round pick Akil Thomas, who has 4 goals and 13 points in 19 AHL games this season, with the 25-year old appearing in 32 games at the NHL level over the past two campaigns for the Kings.

Both players have shown at the AHL level that they can produce in a big way, but taking that next step has been a struggle for both, and with the move, both the Kings and Blues hope that the change can spark them at the highest level.

Ultimately, it's unclear if either will become full-time NHLers moving forward, but it was clear that neither were going to reach their ceilings where they were, making this a no-brainer deal for both teams.