Hurricanes trade Sekera to Kings for 1st-round pick, prospect

Tap here to access theScore's NHL Trade Deadline Tracker, which includes the latest transactions and rumors.

The Jiri Tlusty deal was only the beginning of the Carolina Hurricanes' fire sale Wednesday.

The Hurricanes traded highly sought-after defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a first-round pick and 2014 second-round pick Roland McKeown. The first-round pick will be for 2015 if the Kings make the playoffs, but will defer to 2016 should Los Angeles fail to advance to the postseason.

"We appreciate Andrej's contributions to our organization on and off the ice over the past two seasons," Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "He is a good player and an even better person."

TSN's Aaron Ward was first to break the news on Twitter.

Sekera has been on the trade market since contract negotiations stalled with Carolina. The 28-year-old will be looking for a hefty raise on his $2.75 million cap hit in this offseason following a career season in 2013-14, which is why the rebuilding Hurricanes decided to deal him for futures instead.

The speedy blue-liner has 19 points in 57 games with the Hurricanes after recording 11 goals and 44 points last season. He is primarily a puck-moving defenseman and should provide a boost to Los Angeles' power play.

Many teams were rumored to be interested in Sekera, including the New York Rangers, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars. The Kings were mentioned as a possible destination back in January.

McKeown is a right-handed defenseman playing for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. Los Angeles selected him 50th overall last June. The 19-year-old has 96 points in 177 junior games.

"Roland has served in leadership positions for Kingston and Hockey Canada and is a good young defenseman that our scouts like," Francis said. "Obviously we are also happy to add an additional first-round pick."