While the playoffs are now underway, many teams have already started their offseason planning. What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason? Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Los Angeles Kings.
After making the playoffs last season and adding winger Ilya Kovalchuk in the offseason, expectations were high in Los Angeles. Instead of pushing for a Wild Card spot, the thought was that they’d be in the mix for a top-three spot in the Pacific Division. Instead, they floundered out of the gate and an early coaching change did nothing to turn around their fortunes. As a result, they find themselves squarely in a rebuild as they enter the offseason. They made one significant move already with the hiring of Todd McLellan but here’s what else to watch for in Los Angeles.
What’s Next For Kovalchuk?
Kovalchuk was supposed to give the Kings a boost offensively and move them up from a middle-of-the-pack team relative to the rest of the league. Early on in the season, he did exactly that, notching 14 points over his first 14 games. While he’s not the best of skaters, he was still finding a way to be productive.
That all changed when Willie Desjardins took over behind the bench. Kovalchuk’s ice time quickly dwindled and so too did his production as he wound up with just 20 points over his final 50 contests. It got to the point where he became a healthy scratch and was even left home during a late-season road trip to work on skill development.
Needless to say, the signing hasn’t worked out and with GM Rob Blake embracing at least some form of a rebuild, he’s not an ideal fit on their roster moving forward. However, with two years left on his deal at a $6.25MM cap hit, his trade market shouldn’t be particularly robust.
As a result, even though moving him out would probably be the best from a potential player development perspective, there’s a case to be made to give Kovalchuk another chance under a new head coach. If he rebounds, his trade value should improve as well. That said, it’s safe to say that Kovalchuk and Blake didn’t expect they’d be in this situation less than a year after he signed.
Free Up Cap Space
The Kings were right up against the Upper Limit for a big portion of the season (even spending time using LTIR) before they started to sell in the second half. While that alleviated some of their shorter-term concerns, a lack of cap space is going to continue to be an issue for this team moving forward, especially if they have plans to try to add a veteran or two along the way.
As things stand, they have over $72MM committed for next season already, per CapFriendly. On top of Kovalchuk’s contract, they have some other pricey ones for underachievers on the books including center Jeff Carter ($5.27MM through 2021-22) and defenseman Dion Phaneuf ($5.25MM through 2020-21). Goalie Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM through 2022-23) has been involved in some trade speculation with the thought that a deal is more likely now than it was midseason. However, they may have to take a goaltender back in any move as a tandem of Jack Campbell and Cal Petersen likely isn’t a viable long-term tandem.
For Los Angeles to have any sort of tangible cap flexibility over the next couple of years, at least one of those players will need to be moved out. Considering it’s likely that they’d have to retain in a trade or take contracts back to offset some of the salary, it’s possible that more than one will need to move. The market for those players is going to be limited so Blake is going to need to be creative to get some of those big tickets off the books.
Decide Toffoli’s Future
Back at the trade deadline, there was some speculation surrounding winger Tyler Toffoli. It was believed that he was available but since he had another year left on his deal, the asking price was quite high.
Now, the 26-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2020 offseason. It’s time for the Kings to decide whether or not he’s part of their long-term future.
What will complicate the decision for Blake is Toffoli’s year-to-year inconsistency. Four seasons ago, he looked like a long-term core piece after collecting 58 points. One year later, that total dropped to 34 in an injury-plagued season. He rebounded in 2017-18 but this past season, he dipped once again, going from 47 to 34; his 0.41 point per game average was the lowest of his career. Can they build around someone who has bounced from producing close to a front-line player to one putting up numbers comparable to a third liner?
If the team wants to get an early extension done, it’s likely that Toffoli’s camp will be seeking an increase on his current $4.6MM AAV to entice him to avoid testing the open market. However, if it appears that a deal can’t be reached or if they decide that it’s time to move on, expect his name to come up in trade speculation closer to the draft in June.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
