Kings players can relax as trading deadline passes

Deals were coming down around the NHL on Sunday night and Dean Lombardi could not have been more emphatic about his plans for the NHL’s trade deadline Monday.

Was he going to try to do anything else?

“No way,” Lombardi said.

The Kings’ general manager stuck to his two-word email on what was a hectic day around the league, especially for their busy Southern California rivals, the Ducks, who made four trades. Even though it was clear the Kings’ work was done last week with the acquisition of defenseman Andrej Sekera, there was a lingering concern among the families of some players.

“You never know what to expect anymore,” Coach Darryl Sutter said Monday after practice. “It’s just a date, that’s all it is. But the expectations are usually what is created on the outside and because of the social media and all that stuff. I think the players, they just roll with it now. It’s part of the business.”

Right wing Justin Williams, who was not in play even though he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, had to spend time reassuring friends and family he wasn’t being moved.

“You try to stay clear of all of that, that’s just a total distraction from everything,” he said. “…Especially with this day and age … it’s hard to stay away from it. I’ve found it’s in my best interest.

“They [his parents] are not on Twitter. My mom reads the blogs all the time, for sure.”

Perhaps the biggest development to affect the Kings had nothing to do with the trade market. It involved a big blow to one of their chief rivals, the Calgary Flames.

Calgary GM Brad Treliving told reporters in Philadelphia that defenseman and team captain Mark Giordano would require surgery for a torn biceps tendon, meaning he will sit out the rest of the season.

The Kings and the Flames are tied with 70 points, but Calgary is in a playoff spot by virtue of the tiebreaker, sitting in third place in the Pacific Division.

Inconsistency has beset the Kings this season. They’ve dropped three consecutive games after winning eight in a row. Calgary might have suffered a devastating injury and the San Jose Sharks are slumping, but the Kings need to raise their level of play.

“The feeling is that you need your best players to be top players,” Sutter said. “We’ve had a lot of guys that have had tough stretches and tough years. They’re good guys, and all that. But they need to be better than good players.”

KINGS VS. EDMONTON

When: 6:30 p.m. PST, Tuesday.

Where: Rexall Place.

On the air: Fox Sports West. Radio: 790.

Etc.: The Oilers’ move on trade-deadline day was sending defenseman Jeff Petry to Montreal in exchange for a second-round draft choice as well as a conditional fifth-round pick this year. Petry had five points in 59 games and was a minus-25.