Michael Amadio

As expected, the Los Angeles Kings have announced new contracts for Michael Amadio, Daniel Brickley, Matt Roy and Sheldon Rempal. Amadio, Brickley and Roy have all signed two-year contracts that will carry $700K average annual values, while Rempal has signed his one-year two-way qualifying offer that carries an $874,125 salary in the NHL.

Amadio, 23, is arguably the most important of the four after playing 80 NHL games over the last two seasons. In 43 contests during the 2018-19 season he recorded 13 points, but was once again a strong offensive talent in the minor leagues. Now three years into his professional career, Amadio will have a real opportunity at camp given that he is no longer waiver-exempt and would need to be offered to the rest of the league in order to end up in Ontario again. With the Kings looking for any young players to step up and make an impact at the NHL level, the third-round pick could be in line for increased playing time.

The Kings signed Rempal, a top NCAA performer and former BCHL superstar to a two-year entry-level contract last year and the 23-year old rewarded them with an excellent minor league season. Playing in 59 games for the Ontario Reign he scored 40 points, continuing his history of offensive production. Unfortunately that offense didn’t appear in his seven games with the Kings, as Rempal is still waiting for his first NHL point.

Brickley, 24, was another top college free agent in the spring of 2018 but spent most of this season in the AHL. The 6’3″ defenseman registered 12 points for the Reign but was a whopping -31 on the year, the worst on the team despite playing in just 42 games. Brickley has played in five games for the Kings so far and scored two points, but may have a tough time really cracking the NHL lineup given their current depth on the blue line.

That depth has only been strengthened with the re-signing of Roy, who has turned himself from a seventh-round afterthought to legitimate NHL option. Roy played in 25 games for the Kings last season after a pair of solid years in the AHL and will battle Brickley and others for the opportunity to stay in the NHL again this season. Like the rest of the young players looking for playing time on the Kings’ blue line, Roy will be waiting patiently for an opportunity that could be created at some point this year through trade. The Kings have three defensemen scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer and another with just two years left. If the team decides to really blow it up and go young, names like Derek Forbort and Alec Martinez will surely draw interest on the open market.