Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Cap Hit: $81,040,835 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Michael Anderson (one year, $925K)
D Tobias Bjornfot (two years, $894K)
F Arthur Kaliyev (three years, $894K)
F Rasmus Kupari (two years, $863K)
F Vladimir Tkachev (one year, $925K)
F Gabriel Vilardi (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Anderson: $850K
Bjornfot: $212.5K
Kaliyev: $62.5K
Kupari: $212.5K
Tkachev: $850K
Vilardi: $850K
Total: $3.0375MM
Tkachev was brought in over the offseason to give Los Angeles another offensive threat but he has been in and out of the lineup so far. If he can lock down a regular spot in the middle six, he’ll have a chance to hit some of his ‘A’ bonuses but will have to work his way back from the minors first. The 26-year-old has one RFA-eligible year remaining but a return to Russia may be the likelier scenario if he can’t make his way into the lineup on a regular basis.
The other three forwards are much younger and figure to be part of the long-term plans. Vilardi’s first ‘full’ NHL season in 2020-21 was a decent showing and he was able to stay healthy which was notable. Given his injury history, he’s a safe bet for a bridge deal next summer while he’ll need to work his way into the top six to have a shot at some of his bonuses. Kaliyev has managed to hold down a spot in the lineup in the early going but could be shuffled to AHL Ontario at some point as well. As this is only officially the first year of his deal, a lot can change in terms of what his next deal will be. Kupari was a first-rounder in 2018 but has only seen limited NHL action so far. It’s hard to see him playing enough to reach an ‘A’ bonus and as a role player over a core piece, a short-term second contract is likely.
The same can’t be said for Anderson. He has quickly played his way into a spot in their top four and even with him burning the first year of the contract in a one-game appearance, he should have enough of a track record to have a case for a medium-term deal. His limited production will keep the price tag down (though his role could allow him to reach some of his bonuses) but something in the $2.5MM to $3MM range is definitely doable. Bjornfot has seen a lot of action on the third pairing so far in his career but he’s only 20 so it’s not much of a concern from a development perspective. That said, it doesn’t help from a leverage perspective; he’ll need a big 2022-23 campaign to avoid a bridge contract.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Andreas Athanasiou ($2.7MM, UFA)
F Dustin Brown ($5.875MM, UFA)
D Alexander Edler ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Carl Grundstrom ($725K, RFA)
F Adrian Kempe ($2MM, RFA)
F Brendan Lemieux ($1.55MM, RFA)
F Blake Lizotte ($800K, RFA)
D Olli Maatta ($3.333MM, UFA)*
* – Chicago is retaining another $750K of Maatta’s contract.
It’s interesting how the perception of Brown’s contract has changed. When it was signed, it seemed a little long but was market value for a power forward. Then his production dropped sharply and it looked like an anchor contract. However, over the past few years, he has rebounded to the point where the deal looks decent again. Turning 38 on Thursday, it’s quite unlikely Brown will come close to this on his next contract – if there is one – but all of a sudden, he has gone from someone that was a buyout candidate to someone that could stick around. In the meantime, if the Kings are out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, he’ll be an intriguing candidate to be moved and he only has limited trade protection.
Athanasiou’s value has been hard to peg down lately. Edmonton moved two second-rounders to get him, then the flat cap forced him to be non-tendered where he had to settle for $1.2MM last season before landing a big raise in his final arbitration-eligible year. There are flashes of the 30-goal upside he has shown before but he’ll need to do that consistently to fare better on the open market next summer. Kempe hasn’t been able to really build on his production from his entry-level deal; he’s an important middle-six piece but with his numbers being where they are, a longer-term pact next summer should be in the high-$3MM range. Lemieux hasn’t been able to move off the fourth line too often since joining the Kings last season which makes his $1.65MM qualifying offer plus arbitration rights a potential concern for next summer. Lizotte and Grundstrom have worked their way into regular roles which should give them a small raise but both should be around the $1MM range on their next contract.
Edler has been a nice complementary part of the back end in the early going this season and at 35, his days of logging heavy minutes are probably coming to an end. His age makes him a candidate to go year-to-year with the potential for bonuses. Another contract around this price point is certainly attainable. The same can’t be said for Maatta who, despite the injuries the Kings have had on the back end this season, can still barely crack their lineup. His stock has dropped sharply since he signed this deal coming off his entry-level contract and he’ll be looking at closer to the $1MM mark next summer unless he is able to play himself into a regular role.
Two Years Remaining
F Trevor Moore ($1.875MM, UFA)
F Austin Wagner ($1.133MM, RFA)
G Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM, UFA)
Moore earned this contract coming off a career-best year last season where he produced at a third-line level. That hasn’t been his role for most of his career and he’ll need to stay at that level if he wants to have a chance at a sizable raise on the open market. Wagner was signed to be an energetic role player after being a regular for most of last season but cleared waivers and is in the minors which doesn’t bode well for his future earnings.
Quick has been a fixture between the pipes for Los Angeles since 2008 but he has struggled considerably over the past few seasons relative to the level he played at in his prime. At this point, he’s more of a backup than a starter so the current value isn’t there. That said, this was a team-friendly contract at the beginning including when they won a Stanley Cup so it being an overmarket one now shouldn’t bother them much.
Three Years Remaining
F Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Anze Kopitar ($10MM, UFA)
D Matt Roy ($3.15MM, UFA)
D Sean Walker ($2.65MM, UFA)
Kopitar has only finished one season above the point per game mark but has been one of the top two-way centers in the league throughout his career and is quietly off to a strong start offensively this season with 13 points through his first nine games. Considering he’ll be 37 when his next contract starts, it’s unlikely his next contract will be at this price tag but if he’s still a top-six player by then, his drop in pay may not be too sharp. Arvidsson is coming off a couple of quieter years with Nashville but will have an opportunity to re-establish himself as a legitimate top-six winger with the Kings. So far, so good on that front and his ability to sustain that over the next three years will determine if he winds up with an extra million or two or having to settle for a bit less as a middle-six piece.
Roy is more of a complementary defender that has been in and out of the top four depending on matchups and injuries and while that isn’t the most exciting of profiles, it’s one that landed him this deal and should give him an opportunity to beat it slightly in 2024 if all goes well. Right-shot blueliners are hard to come by and teams will pay a small premium for them. Walker is in a similar situation – he produces a bit more than Roy but doesn’t play quite as much and as they’re very close in age (both are 26), his potential is somewhat similar in terms of earnings. If he can become a full-time top-four player though, his production could boost him a bit higher than Roy.
Four Or More Years Remaining
F Phillip Danault ($5.5MM through 2026-27)
D Drew Doughty ($11MM through 2026-27)
F Alex Iafallo ($4MM through 2024-25)
G Calvin Petersen ($858K in 2021-22, $5MM from 2022-23 through 2024-25)
Danault was a big addition for Los Angeles this summer although the long-term fit may be a bit questionable. Danault wanted to be a top-six forward and while he has that opportunity now, Turcotte, Vilardi, Byfield, and Kupari are all in the system which could push him into a higher-priced third center role over the next couple of years which could swing this to an above-market deal at the same time. Iafallo was able to agree on this deal before the last trade deadline and as someone that has seen a lot of time on the front line over the last few years, it’s a team-friendly contract, particularly with some of the contracts that were handed out over the summer.
Doughty’s deal was briefly the record-holder for the highest AAV for a defenseman and when he was producing upwards of 50-60 points and logging over 27 minutes a game. He hasn’t gotten near those levels since then. There’s no denying that Doughty is their top defenseman but unless he can get back to those levels, it’s also going to be a deal that’s well above market value.
Petersen is in the final year of his current contract which was signed when he hadn’t yet established himself as an NHL goaltender. That has since happened and this new commitment works essentially as a later bridge deal. It cements him as the starter for now – which was already happening anyway – but also doesn’t lock them into a long-term commitment if another option presents itself down the road. As for Petersen, it’s an impressive payment for someone who has yet to play in 60 career NHL games.
Buyouts
D Dion Phaneuf ($1.0625MM through 2022-23)
Retained Salary Transactions
F Jeff Carter ($2.636MM in 2021-22)
Salary Cap Recapture
F Mike Richards ($900K in 2021-22 and 2022-23, $700K in 2023-24 and 2024-25, $600K in 2025-26 and 2026-27)
Best Value: Iafallo
Worst Value: Doughty
Looking Ahead
Cap space is at a bit of a premium this year which will limit GM Rob Blake as he looks to find a replacement for Walker who is out for the year and is LTIR-eligible. That said, they’re still in better shape than more than half the league on that front.
Moving forward, they’re in good shape in terms of having enough money coming off the books to sign their promising youngsters as their entry-level deals expire while still having some flexibility to try to retain players or add to the core. Better days are going to be on the horizon for the Kings and they’ll be well-positioned to make a splash or two at some point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.