Modry is traded to Philadelphia

In the first of what probably will be a series of moves by the Kings before next week’s NHL trading deadline, defenseman Jaroslav Modry was sent to Philadelphia on Tuesday in exchange for the Flyers’ third-round draft pick in June.

It’s no secret the last-place Kings occupy a rare spot in the NHL -- as sellers, not buyers.

The fact that the dressing room could look vastly different, and much younger, by the time the deadline passes Tuesday has not been lost on the players.

“For the first time, I saw it last night,” Kings Coach Marc Crawford said Tuesday.

That was the backdrop of a decidedly uninspired 4-0 loss to the Coyotes on Monday night at Staples Center. For those players in the last year of their contracts, it could be an unsettling next few days.

“I’m the first one,” Modry said in a telephone interview.

Of many?

“Time will show,” said Modry, who will turn 37 the day after the trading deadline. “It’s a great challenge for me. You can look at it from either point of view. . . . It’s obviously not a great part of our business. I’ve been through it before. I know what to expect. We’re obviously a team not going anywhere this season and they wanted to get something out of me for the future.”

With Modry’s departure, the Kings recalled rookie defenseman Peter Harrold from their minor-league affiliate in Manchester, N.H. Harrold has appeared in five games with the Kings this season.

Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi, in Naples, Fla., for the NHL general managers’ meetings that end today, said he had not asked Kings captain and defenseman Rob Blake to waive his no-trade clause. They met last week to discuss Blake’s future, and Blake, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, said later he did not want to leave.

“I just don’t think it’s necessary to go through the process unless there is a legitimate offer,” Lombardi said. “If we have an offer. . . . I’m not at that point.”

Blake, out because of a fractured left ankle, probably won’t start skating until next week.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com