On June 24, 2011, it was reported that Brulé had been traded along with a fourth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Ryan Smyth. Due to health concerns, the deal never materialized as Brulé had not yet been cleared to play following his concussion (under league rules, an injured player can be traded but cannot be bought out, which is what the Kings had planned on doing). Furthermore, Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi made it apparent to the media that the team wanted someone with a smaller salary cap hit if Brulé could not be bought out. The Oilers ultimately acquired Smyth in exchange for forward Colin Fraser (whose cap hit was over $1 million less) and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft.