King, 27, is in the final season of a three-year, $5.85 million contract with an average annual value of $1.95 million, according to CapFriendly.com. He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
"The shock was there this morning. Obviously there's always a chance you'll be moved, especially being a UFA," he said. "But once that wore off the excitement kicked in. I'm looking forward to getting to Montreal later today and kick off the rest of the year."
King, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Los Angeles, has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 63 games this season. He has 108 points (52 goals, 56 assists) in 348 NHL regular-season games during seven seasons, all with the Kings.
"I think the games intensify here a little bit in the stretch run and obviously in the playoffs," he said of his Stanley Cup experience. "It's just a matter of having guys who have been there. There's guys on [this] team already who have been to the playoffs and know what it's about, so I'll just be another player [who's] been there. I'll share my knowledge if anybody needs it or wants it.
"Puck possession and hard defensive hockey [are] what I tend to bring."
Los Angeles selected King in the fourth round (No. 109) of the 2007 NHL Draft.
