The Kings had an active day in the free-agent market on Tuesday, adding a pair of wingers, two defensemen and a goalie. The most notable acquisition was longtime nemesis Corey Perry on a one-year deal worth $2 million guaranteed and another $2 million in performance bonuses.
Perry, 40, won the Hart Trophy and a Stanley Cup title during his 14 seasons with the Ducks. More recently, he has been to five of the past six Stanley Cup Final series, losing each time. That included the last two years with another Kings rival, the Edmonton Oilers.
During his introduction on Tuesday via teleconference, Perry admitted he never really envisioned himself in a Kings sweater and that it might feel strange the first time he pulled it over his shoulders. Yet he noted that he had played for a number of teams that had been rivals, all with the same tenacity and professionalism.
“I’m just going to let my play speak [for itself] and go from there,” Perry said. “Obviously, I’ve had many battles against L.A., and the fans were passionate and hard, and it’s exciting when you see that. Now I’ve got to get them on my side.”
Perry was a player who new Kings general manager Ken Holland brought into Edmonton initially, as was new defenseman Cody Ceci ($4.5 million AAV), who will man the right side for the Kings after they dealt away Jordan Spence. Ceci spent last year with San Jose and Dallas, but went to the Final with Edmonton in 2024.
“Kenny brought me into Edmonton, we had some deep runs together, so that was definitely a factor that played into (the signing),” Ceci said.
Another former Duck, albeit a lower-profile one, will operate on the left side of the Kings’ blue line. Brian Dumoulin ($4 million AAV), who won two Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins, split last season between the Ducks and New Jersey Devils. Initially expressing a preference for the East Coast, he warmed up to Southern California during his time in Anaheim and now will make his home just a short drive north for the next three seasons, one fewer than Ceci.
“We had such a great experience in Anaheim. The quality of life in Southern California played a big part in my decision,” Dumoulin said. “My family loved it. Although it’s far from [Boston] where we live in the summer, it was such a good experience that it made it easy to go back there.”
The Kings also added winger Joel Armia ($2.5 million AAV), who should bolster their penalty kill considerably as he did for the Montreal Canadiens, and backup goalie Anton Forsberg ($2.25 million AAV), who had the same role for the Ottawa Senators last season. They each signed two-year pacts, rounding out a plentiful group of acquisitions on the first day of free agency.
Perry and Armia fulfilled not only Ken Holland’s quest for what Coach Jim Hiller would deem a serviceable fourth line – he all but turned his fourth line into three healthy scratches during much of the Kings’ fourth straight first-round loss to Edmonton – but also filled roles on special teams.
They are both right-handed shots, something the Kings’ forward group needed desperately. Armia is a superb penalty killer, while Perry has long been a top-notch netfront presence on the power play. Both bring a high level of competitiveness and intensity.
“I played with him in Montreal, and we got put together on a line with Eric Staal,” Perry said of Armia, with whom he went to the 2021 Final. “I thought we had good chemistry and we kind of took off. We kind of think the game alike and play it alike.”
The elephant in the room was the apparent fumbling of the Vladislav Gavrikov extension. His departure to the New York Rangers left the Kings scrambling to find another granite-strong defenseman in a paper-thin market.
“Players and teams are free to make decisions. We were involved in negotiations since before I got here. Ultimately, we couldn’t find, obviously, anything that worked for both sides,” Holland said via teleconference.
Holland did not specify if dollars, term or role were factors. Though Gavrikov’s deemphasis in the postseason was not as drastic as Spence’s, it was noticeable. He was the Kings’ top defenseman during the regular season, but seemed to be deprioritized in favor of a recovering Drew Doughty and the much less well-rounded Joel Edmundson.
Holland’s predecessor, Rob Blake, said he felt confident Gavrikov would re-sign with the Kings.
Multiple reports over the past two seasons have indicated that Linus Ullmark, Mikko Rantanen and Rasmus Andersson effectively vetoed potential trades to the Kings.
Even so, Holland rejected the notion that the Kings lacked a strong draw for free agents and contracted players with trade protection, calling it “totally inaccurate.”
“Seven hundred players don’t all want to go to one spot,” Holland said. “Lots of players want to come to L.A. We talked to lots of people. We made some decisions on some players who wanted to be here.”