They tried to trade them but there just isn't a market. The rumor was a deal was in place to trade Quick to Columbus if they traded Bobrovsky. But the Blue Jackets didn't. The Kings are holding out for a first for him but clearly they didn't get any other bites. They'd love to part with Carter but his production to cap hit isn't good. And he has leverage that he could just retire if a trade doesn't suit him, killing the Kings cap. Brown was always going to be hard to move though I'm not even sure you really actually want to. His voice in the locker room during this struggle is important. Considering what it'd take to get another team to take his contract, it might not be worth it. And Lombardi is why we have all the contract issues and a dismal poor farm system. I don't know if Blake really believed this team could win this year, was told to try, or felt it necessary to try before imploding. But clearly the tea leaves have been read. Even if "retooling" is the preferred term to "rebuilding".