Summer Synopsis: Los Angeles Kings

It wasn’t that long ago that the Los Angeles Kings were a team that appeared to be on the cusp of breaking through, they were entering win-now mode and had just acquired Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild. General manager Rob Blake had steered the team through a tough rebuild and managed to keep several veterans from the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup-winning teams in the fray. This year the mood around the team feels quite different after a third straight first-round exit at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. It also feels that many of the Kings’ moves this summer were panic moves that show a lack of direction going forward.

Draft

1-26: F Liam Greentree, Windsor (OHL)
2-57: G Carter George,  Owen Sound (OHL)
6-164: D Jared Woolley, London (OHL)
7-198: F James Reeder, Dubuque (USHL)

The Kings dropped back in the draft from 21st to 26th and selected Windsor Spitfires right winger Greentree. The 6’2”, 214-pound forward is a left shot on the right wing and is a creatively gifted skater with an incredible ability to move the puck while he is in motion and traffic. He is extremely slippery and has a good mind for the game, particularly in the offensive zone where he is calm and clever with the puck on his stick.

Thunder Bay, Ontario native Carter George was the Kings’ second-round pick after spending two seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. George led the league with four shutouts last season and was selected to the OHL First All-Rookie Team and the Third All-Star Team. His numbers in the OHL weren’t great with a .907 save percentage and a 3.30 goals-against average, however, goaltenders tend to have skewed numbers due to the high-scoring nature of the league. George has good lateral movement and keeps good angles, but he is undersized and could stand to work on his rebound control. He will likely be a project for Los Angeles and could take five to seven years to reach the NHL.

The Kings had to wait until the sixth round to pick again and chose bruising 6’5” defender Woolley from the London Knights of the OHL. Woolley split last season between London and the St. Thomas Stars of the GOJHL. The Port Hope, Ontario native steadily improved as the season went on and finished by playing four games in the Memorial Cup. Woolley is a physical presence in the defensive zone, both at his blue line and around the net. He is also solid with the puck on his stick, showing patience with the puck at the offensive blue line and starting plays with a good first pass.

Finally, Los Angeles selected James Reeder in the seventh round. The Glenview, Illinois native is set to play in the NCAA at the University of Denver this season and will likely spend all four years of his eligibility there. The two-way forward is dynamic with the puck and isn’t afraid to drive to the net to make a play happen. He plays with a quick pace and can get to open space with relative ease using his speed and hockey sense to create room for himself in the offensive zone. He is a bit undersized but should flourish in Denver over the next few seasons.

Trade Acquisitions

D Kyle Burroughs (San Jose)
F Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay)
G Darcy Kuemper (Washington)

The Kings are counting on bounce-back seasons from a couple of trade acquisitions that were brought in this summer. Kuemper struggled with the Washington Capitals after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 with Colorado. He was brought in on a five-year $26.25MM contract but posted a very pedestrian 35-40-10 record in Washington with a .902 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average. Los Angeles hasn’t had solid goaltending during the previous few seasons and is hoping Kuemper can regain his previous form to help the team get over the hump.

Jeannot is another player who will be hoping for better results in a new environment as he underwhelmed in Tampa Bay after being acquired for five draft picks and Callan Foote at the 2023 NHL trade deadline. The Estevan, Saskatchewan native had just seven goals and seven assists in 55 games last season and lost the scoring touch that made him so valuable the season prior. He took a ton of penalties last season and will have to clean that up if he hopes to be a good contributor on the third line.

UFA Signings

D Joel Edmundson (four-year, $15.4MM)
F Warren Foegele (three-year, $10.5MM)
F Glenn Gawdin (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Caleb Jones (one-year, $775K)*
F Jeff Malott (two-year, $1.55MM)*
C Jason Studnicka (one-year, $775K)*
D Reilly Walsh (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Los Angeles signed Edmundson to a four-year contract, which was a massive gamble for a 31-year-old whose body appears to be breaking down the later he gets in his career. Edmundson does give the Kings a big body and should help in the defensive zone come playoff time as he can clear the front of the net and battle in the corners. However, he does have significant warts to his game as he doesn’t do much when the puck is on his stick and he gives up a ton of scoring chances when he is on the ice. The contract could become an albatross for Los Angeles if Edmundson can’t stay healthy.

The Kings signed Foegele away from Edmonton to add depth to their forward group. The contract is a gamble given that Foegele played fourth-line minutes last year with the Oilers. The upside to Blake’s gamble is that Foegele can skate and is good on the forecheck, and he is good at creating scoring opportunities for his linemates despite the limited playing time. He managed 41 points in 82 games last year, which suggests he could become a more prominent offensive contributor in the future.

RFA Re-Signings

F Quinton Byfield (five-year, $31.25MM)
F Samuel Fagemo (one-year, $775K)*
F Joe Hicketts (one-year, $775K)*
F Andre Lee (one-year, $775K)*
D Jordan Spence (two-year, $3MM)
C Akil Thomas (two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Alex Turcotte (three-year, $2.325MM)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Los Angeles took care of one of their most important players when they locked Byfield into a five-year extension. The second overall pick in 2020 had a breakout season last year, registering 20 goals and 35 assists in 80 games. Byfield hadn’t shown much at the NHL level before last year and took a huge jump forward turning into a two-way center who will most likely fill a middle-six role for the Kings next year. Byfield’s playmaking reached new levels last season, and his 46 takeaways suggest that his defensive game is trending upward as well. At $6.25MM per season, Los Angeles is gambling that the 22-year-old is only scratching the surface, and they will likely be proven right over the next few seasons.

The Kings signed Spence to a two-year extension after the 23-year-old found some offensive success for the first time in three NHL seasons. Spence averaged 14:26 in ice time last season and was sheltered in a favorable role. His underlying numbers were quite good, demonstrating that the young rearguard is solid at generating offensive opportunities while making good defensive choices. Spence’s emergence likely influenced the Kings’ decision to move on from Matt Roy.

Departures

F Viktor Arvidsson (Edmonton, two-year, $8MM)
D Kevin Connauton (Utah, two-year, $1.55MM)*
G Aaron Dell (unsigned free agent)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (traded to Washington)
F Carl Grundstrom (traded to San Jose)
F Hayden Hodgson (Ottawa, one-year, $775K)*
G Jacob Ingham (unsigned free agent)
C Blake Lizotte (Pittsburgh, two-year, $3.7MM)
F Mikhail Maltsev (signed in KHL)
D Matt Roy (Washington, six-year, $34.5MM)
D Steven Santini (Tampa Bay, one-year, $775K)*
G Cam Talbot (Detroit, two-year, $5MM)
F T.J. Tynan (Colorado, one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Los Angeles let go of a lot of forward depth this summer as Arvidsson, Lizotte, Dubois, and Grundstrom have moved on. The effects of those departures could be felt this season, particularly if Jeannot doesn’t re-capture his game and if some of the Kings’ younger pieces are unable to take the next step.

The Dubois trade was one of necessity for the Kings as his contract had become an albatross after just a single season. Getting out of it was likely the right move for Los Angeles long term, even if it does cost them some depth scoring this season. Dubois didn’t fit in Los Angeles for some reason, he opted far too often to pass away the puck, rather than carrying it to the offensive zone to create scoring opportunities for teammates. Dubois could still work out in Washington, but if his game resembles that of what we saw last year, the Capitals could end up regretting the trade to acquire him.

Arvidsson was a valuable offensive contributor for the Kings but didn’t offer much last season as he was injured for a great deal of it. The Kings certainly missed his scoring and weren’t able to replace it this summer.

Carl Grundstrom was never much of a scorer but did contribute a decent amount for the little that he played. He also offered the Kings a physical presence, but that part of his game should be replaced adequately by Jeannot.

Lizotte is a low-maintenance player that the Kings opted to move on from. On paper, his departure doesn’t seem like a huge loss, but it could quietly be a blow to the Kings’ depth up front. Lizotte was a good forechecker, who could kill penalties and play with pace, something Los Angeles could use if they run into the Oilers again in the playoffs. The 26-year-old didn’t have a great offensive season last year but is just a year removed from a 34-point campaign and is an underrated passer.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Kings figure to enter training camp with just over $1.3MM in salary cap space and could potentially add a veteran player before the start of the regular season. Blake might also opt to keep the space open to make an in-season move to try and improve his club. Long term the Kings don’t have any pressing issues as most of their younger players are now signed to long-term deals. However, improvement in the future might become challenging as the Kings have several long-term contracts that aren’t exactly desirable and might be hard to move on from if the team wants to make significant additions.

Key Questions

Is The Team Better? The Kings shifted a lot of the furniture this offseason, tinkering on the edges of the lineup while maintaining most of their core players. But did it make them better? The answer will lie in the on-ice results but at the moment it’s hard to say whether shifting things around has made the group stronger. The Kings have run into the Oilers for three straight seasons and will likely face a similar opponent in the playoffs once again, and this year Blake focused on players who can help come playoff time, but it remains to be seen if that strategy will work.

What Will The Goaltending Look Like? Los Angeles is banking on Kuemper returning to form and if he does their goaltending should be a lot better. But will he get back to the goaltender he was a few years ago? The answer is very unclear, and the Kings don’t have a great plan B if Kuemper falters. Los Angeles could try and take a swing on another trade if Kuemper’s game isn’t where they need it to be, but they would be unlikely to move on from Kuemper’s cap hit in that scenario which would make a trade very difficult.

How Will The Defence Be?  The Kings opted to let Roy go to free agency which won’t impact the top pairing of Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty. However, it will move Spence onto the second pairing after he spent last season being sheltered. For the Kings’ third pairing, veteran Edmundson will likely line up alongside Brandt Clarke. Overall, it’s hard to say whether that defensive setup is better than last year’s lineup, but the Kings will be hoping it is if they want to take the next step.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.