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Kings Re-Sign Erik Portillo To Three-Year Deal

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10:59 AM: PuckPedia reported the financial aspects of the three-year agreement between Portillo and the Kings organization. The team will pay their top goaltending prospect a salary of $775K in year one, with a minimum salary of $115K and a guaranteed salary of $175K for the two-way portion. He will once again earn $775K in year two as it transitions to a one-way pact before ultimately receiving $800K in the final year of the contract. Shortly thereafter, the signing was made official by a public announcement from the Kings.

10:00 AM: The Los Angeles Kings are expected to re-sign goaltending prospect Erik Portillo to a three-year deal today, as reported by John Hoven at Mayor’s Manor. Similar to other new contracts for restricted free-agent goaltenders this offseason, the first year of the deal is expected to be a two-way agreement before transitioning to a one-way deal in the second and third years of the contract.

After a dominant season with Frölunda HC J20 of the J20 SuperElit in Sweden, Portillo was drafted 67th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2019 NHL Draft. Portillo spent one year in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints before committing to the University of Michigan beginning in the 2020-21 NCAA season. The 2021-22 season was Portillo’s coming out party on the heels of high expectations for him and the Wolverines program.

He finished the season with a 31-10-1 record in 42 contests, a .926 save percentage, and a 2.14 goals-against average. By the end of the season, the Wolverines were the second-ranked team in the nation, headed into the Frozen Four tournament after sweeping the Big Ten tournament and Portillo being crowned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The team was one of the favorites heading into the postseason but was eliminated by the eventual champions, the Pioneers from the University of Denver, in the semifinals.

Instead of signing with the Sabres after his sophomore campaign, Portillo returned to Ann Arbor for his junior year. His numbers dipped slightly from the prior year, but Portillo still finished with 25 wins by the end of the season. By this time, Buffalo’s net was becoming more crowded with the signing of Devon Levi and the promotion of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. This led to Portillo announcing he would not sign with the Sabres and instead become a collegiate free agent when he could.

The Sabres appeased Portillo at the 2023 trade deadline by dealing his signing rights to Los Angeles in exchange for a third-round pick in 2023. A little over a month later, Portillo signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Kings organization, officially ending his tenure at the University of Michigan.

Last season became the first for Portillo in professional hockey as he spent the entire campaign with the Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The young netminder elevated his status as a prospect with a 24-11-3 record in 39 games with a .918 SV% and 2.50 GAA. In the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, Portillo backstopped the Reign to a Western Conference Division Finals finish for the first time in team history on the backs of a .916 SV% in eight games.

With Portillo’s contract becoming a one-way agreement after the 2024-25 NHL season, it is a commitment by Los Angeles that he can serve as the team’s backup once David Rittich’s one-year agreement runs its course. Portillo’s new contract will conclude simultaneously with the remaining years of Darcy Kuemper’s contract meaning the Kings could then keep Portillo around long-term if he proves successful at the NHL level.

Snapshots: Swayman, Brodzinski, Yager

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Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is at risk of entering September without a contract for the season. But team president and NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely isn’t bothered by negotiations dragging on. In an appearance on The Rich Shertenlieb Show, Neely said, “Something will get done. There’s no question. I mean, not every negotiation is as smooth as you’d like it. I know our fan base would certainly love to have something done by now. But I’m fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.”

Swayman has expressed confidence of his own that a deal will get done – making the ongoing holdout a bit surprising. The Bruins carry $8.64MM in projected cap space, per PuckPedia, and a full roster signed otherwise. That should be plenty of budget to sign Swayman to, at least, a short-term deal – perhaps an indication that contract details like signing bonuses are the impeding factor. Swayman has had a stellar NHL career through three seasons, posting a .919 save percentage in 132 games, but he’s yet to exceed 45 starts in a single season. That’s set to change in a big way with Linus Ullmark now in Ottawa – and if Swayman can withstand the barrage is yet to be seen.

Other notes from around the league:

  • College free agent Bryce Brodzinski has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Brodzinski in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but didn’t sign before August 1, 2024 deadline – pushing him into free agency after a five-year career at the University of Minnesota. Brodzisnki scored more-and-more in every season, ultimately posting a career-high 36 points in 39 games this year. He’ll look to continue growing next year, stepping into a competitive Ontario lineup where he’ll battle Los Angeles Kings prospects Martin Chromiak, Koehn Ziemmer, and Kaleb Lawrence for ice time on the wings.
  • The newest top Winnipeg Jets prospect, Brayden Yager, will either play in the NHL or CHL this season Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff shares with The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Yager remains eligible for the NHL-CHL agreement by just four days – keeping him eligible to return to the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he won a WHL championship last season. Yager played a pivotal role in the ring-winning year, scoring a career-high 35 goals and 95 points in 57 regular-season games and 27 points in 20 playoff games. He’s lived up to his 14th-overall standing thus far, and will have now receive a chance to break into the next step as part of a new team.

Projecting Portillo's Contract

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  • The Kings have two remaining restricted free agents in winger Arthur Kaliyev and goaltender Erik Portillo. Kaliyev is believed to be available on the trade market which could affect the timing of his next deal but Portillo is still in Los Angeles’ plans.  John Hoven of Mayors Manor recently examined some comparable netminders, suggesting that Portillo will likely ink a two-year deal around a $1MM AAV with the second season of that being a one-way agreement, similar to recent contracts given to Dustin Wolf (Calgary), Nico Daws (New Jersey), and Jet Greaves (Columbus) earlier this summer.  David Rittich and Pheonix Copley are on one-year deals so a good showing from Portillo with AHL Ontario in 2024-25 could put him in a good position to be Darcy Kuemper’s backup in 2025-26.

Kings’ Defensive Success Sits With High-Scoring Prospects

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The Los Angeles Kings will be entering the 2024-25 season with a glaring absence on defense after Matt Roy opted to sign with the Washington Capitals. Roy was a pillar of the Kings’ lineup, averaging 20 minutes a night over the last three seasons and serving as the consistent, well-rounded impact that allowed riskier players like Drew Doughty to thrive. But despite losing a paramount right-handed defender, Los Angeles has yet to make any notable blue-line additions – save for a surprisingly expensive, four-year deal for left-shot Joel Edmundson.  They’re now left with just $1.4MM in remaining cap space, leaving the job of filling Roy’s role up to top young Kings Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke.

Spence is the more seasoned of the two, having appeared in 101 NHL games over the last three seasons. He broke out in a major way during his first professional season in 2021-22, earning an NHL call-up after posting 42 points through his first 46 AHL games. The scoring translated to the top level, with Spence posting eight points through his first 24 NHL games – the fifth-highest point-per-game scoring of any Kings defender that season. He settled in for a full AHL season in the following year, playing in six NHL games and scoring just one point, though Spence did post an impressive 45 points in 56 AHL games. That production was, again, enough to earn him a consistent NHL role this season – something he managed to good effect, netting 24 points in 71 games despite averaging just 14:26 in ice time.

Meanwhile, Clarke stands as Los Angeles’ unrivaled top prospect and looked stellar in his first professional season this year. He fought for the scoring lead on the AHL’s Ontario Reign for much of the year, ultimately recording 46 points in 50 games – the highest scoring rate of an AHL rookie defender since Jack Rathbone in 2020-21, and Justin Schultz in 2012-13 before him. While Rathbone and Schultz have each seen their scoring stall at the NHL level, Clarke seems to be poised to buck the trend after netting six points in his first 16 games with the Kings. Even more exciting – Clarke stood up to a variety of roles in his first NHL stint, playing as little as seven minutes, or as much as 18 minutes, on any given night.

Both Spence and Clarke have fought their way towards more-and-more opportunity in the Kings organization on the back of strong offense, but also carry reasons to hesitate before they’re thrust into the spotlight. Spence has looked admittedly lanky and easy to knock around at times, shying him away from driving too deep into either zone. Clarke shares that hesitancy, as someone still finding his pro footing, and has also yet to show the breakaway speed of a top NHL offensive-defenseman. But the pair still offers tantalizing scoring upside for a Kings defense that’s only supported one 50-point defender since 2000 – Doughty, who’s achieved the feat five times.

Roy was never much of a scorer, even in top minutes, with a career-high of just 26 points. His departure, juxtaposed by the scoring upside of former top-10 pick Clarke, and point-per-game minor leaguer Spence, matched with the defensive safety net of Gavrikov, could be enough to finally give the Kings another high-scoring defender. But one of the two top young defenders will need to take a major step forward if they want to embrace the lofty, top-four vacancy in the L.A. lineup.

Kings Re-Sign Jordan Spence To Two-Year Deal

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1:00 p.m.: Spence’s new contract is official, per a team announcement. PuckPedia adds that his contract comes with a $300K signing bonus plus a $1MM base salary in 2024-25. He’ll earn a raise to a $1.7MM base salary in 2025-26, meaning that will be the worth of his qualifying offer upon expiry.

12:15 p.m.: The Kings are re-signing RFA defenseman Jordan Spence to a two-year deal worth $3MM, reports John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor.

Based on Hoven’s report, Spence’s deal will carry a $1.5MM cap hit this season and next. The Kings had $2.91MM in projected cap space for 2024-25 prior to the signing, per PuckPedia.

Spence, 23, became a full-time fixture on the Kings’ blue line this season after playing most of the prior two seasons with their AHL affiliate in Ontario. He did so in the third and final season of his entry-level contract, making him an RFA at season’s end. He wasn’t eligible to file for arbitration this summer.

The 2019 fourth-round pick has been a revelation offensively since turning pro. While undersized at 5’10” and 181 lbs, he’s one of the best puck-handling defenders in the organization and put up 87 points in 103 AHL games over the past few years, spectacular production for an early-20s talent. The right-shot defenseman smashed his previous career-high of 24 NHL appearances last season and suited up 71 times, finishing third among Kings blue-liners in scoring with 24 points (two goals, 22 assists). He did so in third-pairing minutes with only fringe power-play time, averaging 14:26 per game.

The Manly, Australia native will likely be relied upon for more minutes next season after Matt Roy departed for the Capitals in free agency. He, along with 2021 eighth-overall pick Brandt Clarke, will likely have a training camp battle for a spot on the team’s second pairing alongside Vladislav Gavrikov.

With Spence signed at $1.5MM per season, the Kings are cap-compliant with a full 23-player roster, PuckPedia shows. Their only remaining RFA is winger Arthur Kaliyev, but he’s not expected to sign a new contract with the club and still has an active trade request. L.A. will have $1.41MM in cap space on opening night if their roster shakes out as projected.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Kings’ Rob Blake Facing Mounting Pressure To Win

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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News believes that Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake is under massive pressure to produce playoff success in the upcoming season. The Kings have been ousted in the first round for three consecutive seasons and have yet to win a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup a decade ago. Blake has been at the helm since April 10th, 2017 and steered the team through a rebuild that has seen the team acquire several good young players but produce mixed results on the ice.

Blake has made some solid moves for Los Angeles, including the acquisitions of Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield, and Phillip Danault. However, he has also had some big misses, particularly the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade (and subsequent extension) from last season.

The Kings will likely need to win at least a round in the playoffs for Blake to remain in his role long-term and given the summer he has had that possibility appears remote. The Kings have traded for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, and forward Tanner Jeannot, while signing veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson and forward Warren Foegele. These moves are unlikely to get the Kings over the hump, meaning they’ll be counting on a lot of internal improvement if they hope to take the next step.

Foegele’s signing is fine, he fills a need for the Kings in their middle-six and could potentially play on the top line in the right circumstances, while Edmundson’s signing is confusing. Los Angeles didn’t necessarily need a player with his skillset and Edmundson’s four-year $15.2MM contract could become a problem if his back problems force him to change his game or keep him out of action.

The Kings have shuffled the furniture and will certainly have a different look next season should they run into Edmonton in the playoffs once again. However, between significant roster subtractions (Dubois, Matt Roy, Viktor Arvidsson), and underwhelming additions, it is possible that this could be Blake’s last season in Los Angeles.

Kings Sign Carter George To Entry-Level Contract

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The Kings have officially signed Carter George, announcing in a press release that the 18-year-old netminder has inked a three-year, entry-level contract with a cap hit of $875K.

The 57th overall pick of last month’s draft, George took the Ontario Hockey League by storm last season, taking home All-Rookie Team honors and winning the Bobby Smith Trophy for Scholastic Player of the Year. Suiting up as the starter for the Owen Sound Attack, George excelled in heavy workload, posting a .907 SV%, 3.30 GAA, four shutouts and a 23-21-6 record. His 56 appearances ranked third in the league and led all first-time draft-eligible OHL goalies.

George was the second-ranked North American goalie in the 2024 class by NHL Central Scouting, trailing Mikhail Yegorov of the United States Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers. Yegorov went to the Devils nine picks before George came off the board. Neither was the top goalie selected, though. That was overage Russia Ilya Nabokov, who went to the Avalanche at 38th overall after he guided the Kontinental Hockey League’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk to a league championship and won KHL Rookie of the Year honors.

George, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, is still a few years away from being NHL-ready. He’ll likely return to Owen Sound on loan from the Kings next season, sliding the beginning of his ELC to 2025-26. Since he’s signing his rookie deal at age 18, the Kings can do this for two years in a row, meaning his deal could take effect as late as 2026-27 and expire as late as 2028-29.

For now, though, George is just the fourth goalie under contract for the Kings next season, joining veterans Pheonix Copley, Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich. The Kings still need to figure out their netminding situation for AHL Ontario, which will be resolved when they come to terms with RFA Erik Portillo. At 18, George must be returned to his junior team and can’t suit up in the AHL on a full-time basis this season.

Kings Sign Liam Greentree

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11:58 AM: The Kings have officially confirmed Greentree’s signing and the $975K AAV.

8:55 AM: The Kings have agreed to terms with their top selection in last month’s draft as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Liam Greentree to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal pays $877.5K per year in salary with a $97.5K signing bonus for each season for a $975K cap hit.

[Related: 2024 NHL Draft Signing Tracker]

The winger was selected by Los Angeles with the 26th pick after the Kings opted to trade down five spots earlier in the day.  Greentree had a very strong sophomore year with OHL Windsor, doubling his output from his rookie season.  All told, he finished up with 36 goals and 54 assists in 64 games before collecting four more points at the World Under-18s.  That resulted in many of his draft rankings slotting between the middle of the first round and the end of it.

While Greentree will likely get at least a brief look at training camp in the fall, it’s highly likely that he’ll return to the Spitfires next season.  Assuming that happens and that he doesn’t get into ten or more NHL games before that time, Greentree’s contract will slide a year and still have three years left on it next summer.

Jack Sparkes To Play At Clarkson Instead Of Michigan State

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  • Kings prospect Jack Sparkes has changed college commitments. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now attend Clarkson after originally being committed to Michigan State.  The 20-year-old was the tallest player in his draft class at six-foot-eight, going 180th overall.  Sparkes split last season between USHL Muskegon and BCHL Chilliwack, picking up a dozen points in 44 games.

Los Angeles Kings Extend Quinton Byfield

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According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Quinton Byfield to a five-year, $31.25MM contract. The deal will pay the former second-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft an AAV of $6.25MM and will end after the 2028-29 NHL season.

Shortly after the Kings announced the signing, PuckPedia reported the breakdown of his contract:

2024-25: $775K salary with $5.5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4MM salary with $3MM signing bonus
2026-27: $4MM salary with $1.5MM signing bonus
2027-28: $6.25MM salary
2028-29: $6.25MM salary (10-team M-NTC clause)

The deal comes as a mid-term agreement between Byfield and the Kings organization which likely gave both sides a little of what they wanted. The Kings will buy up the rest of Byfield’s RFA eligibility and one year of unrestricted free agency at a reasonable price tag while Byfield has set himself up for a long-term agreement heading into his age-27 season.

The first three years of Byfield’s career did not go as planned as the young forward scored eight goals and 33 points in 99 games. Despite the modest production on the scoresheet, Byfield showed an ability to be a physical player at a young age, maturity in the dot with a faceoff percentage of 45.0%, and above-average production in terms of defensive and possession metrics. One of the biggest counterarguments to Byfield’s lack of scoring during the early stages of his career centered around his usage by Los Angeles as he only averaged 13:21 of time per game.

Finally averaging more than 15 minutes a night and thrust into a role in the team’s top six — Byfield had a breakout campaign this past season. The young forward scored 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games while primarily playing next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Playing well in the Kings’ defensively sound system, Byfield also achieved a CorsiFor% of 59.4% during the 2023-24 season as well as a 93.2% on-ice save percentage in all situations.

With Kopitar potentially entering the last two years of his career, Byfield may begin to challenge for a center position. Nevertheless, Byfield should continue to be a factor in the team’s top six and will likely continue on the team’s top line. After securing the first 20-goal campaign of his young career — Byfield could become a 30-goal player rather quickly on this new contract.

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