Free agency kicks off Wednesday in the NHL and the Kings will have around $13.7 million in cap space to utilize to improve their roster.
At the end of last season, veteran stars Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar effectively issued a mandate to pursue upgrades for a franchise that had missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and that had not won a playoff series since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
The Kings began that process on July 1, trading two draft picks to the Nashville Predators in exchange for winger Viktor Arvidsson. They were also active at the draft. Not only did they trade up three times on the second day, they had two deals in place to potentially move up in the draft and another to move down, according to their scouting director Mark Yannetti.
Ultimately, they did not add anyone likely to make their NHL debut this year. However, a full season from center Quinton Byfield and potentially from other prospects like winger Arthur Kaliyev may give the Kings an infusion of skill just the same.
In free agency, the Kings could benefit from additions all over their lineup. Subpar production on the wings, a lack of a dependable No. 2 center, sparse offensive contributions from the blue line and a need for depth at left defenseman were all issues last season.
The Kings should be uninhibited as next summer their cap climate gets even clearer with the expiring contracts of winger Dustin Brown ($5.875 million cap hit), defenseman Olli Maatta ($3.33 million) and departed center Jeff Carter ($2.64 million in retained salary) coming off the ledger. They also have to make decisions this offseason regarding restricted free-agent forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Lias Andersson and Matt Luff.
Here are some free agents who just might land in Los Angeles:
Dougie Hamilton, Defenseman, Carolina Hurricanes
Hamilton, 28, is a right-hander with power-play savvy, mobility and a menacing shot from the blue line. He has scored more goals than any other defenseman over the past four seasons, even though he played just 47 games in 2019-20 due to a leg injury. Though he is not particularly physical, Hamilton stands 6-feet-6-inches and weighs 229 pounds. He finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting for best defenseman in 2021. If Carolina can’t re-sign Hamilton, the Kings will have considerable competition, but Hamilton is in the right age range for their rebuild and brings qualities somewhat similar to those of first-round pick Brandt Clarke.
Brandon Saad, Winger, Colorado Avalanche
Though most of the attention has been focused on left winger and team captain Gabriel Landeskog, Saad may be a more realistic target for the Kings. Colorado experienced a salary cap crunch as they doled out a six-year, $54 million deal to defenseman Cale Makar while facing the prospect of losing some combination of Landeskog, goalie Philipp Grubauer and Saad. Saad, 28, has averaged almost 24 goals per 82 games in his career, and tallied 31 times in his career-best campaign of 2015-16. Saad won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 and was a key secondary component for the Avalanche last year. His winning pedigree and competition from contenders mean the Kings may have to sell him on their potential to succeed in the near future in order to sign him.
Phillip Danault, Center, Montreal Canadiens
Danault aided Montreal’s unlikely run from playoff purgatory to the Stanley Cup Final, but there seems to be little firm indication that the Canadiens will be re-signing the 28-year-old. Danault has finished seventh or better in the Selke Trophy voting for the league’s best forward in each of the past three seasons. He has skated to a +44 rating during that time, despite Montreal having a negative-five goal differential over the same span. Offensively, he is somewhat limited but if he could produce around 50 points–he scored 100 over his last two full seasons–that would be an upgrade for the Kings before even factoring in his defensive prowess. The Kings had success bringing in defensive-minded centers under former General Manager Dean Lombardi: Michal Handzus helped shape their roster in the early 2010s and Jarret Stoll was a crucial supporting cast member en route to two Stanley Cups.
Jack Eichel, Center, Buffalo Sabres
Acquiring Eichel would entail a trade rather than a straight signing, similar to what Chicago did when they brought in defenseman Seth Jones on Friday. Still, with free agency often eliciting an open-market premium for talent that seldom if ever equals that of Eichel, the Kings have to at least entertain the possibility of sending some of their stockpile of prospects to Buffalo for the prolific pivot. The Sabres have already been active after a woeful 2021 campaign that saw them sell off assets at the deadline and then continue in the offseason. Last week, they traded defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to Philadelphia and center Sam Reinhart to Florida.
Eichel, whose representatives said in a statement that they expect a trade imminently, would not come cheap. His price could rival or even exceed that of both Ristolainen and Reinhart who, cumulatively, fetched two first-round picks, a second-rounder, a prospect and a roster player. The Kings have generally been conservative with their assets, but depending on the exact price they could be one of several teams inquiring about Eichel.
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