Los Angeles Kings Free Agency Outlook, Potential Fits
By Ryan Ritchie
Los Angeles Kings Free Agency Preview/Outlook, Salary Cap Situation, Restricted Free Agents, Team Needs, and Potential Fits
Los Angeles Kings free agency plans took an unexpected twist after recent reports suggest Milan Lucic will test the open market. It was unclear whether the Kings would have enough money to re-sign him, but it seems now GM Dean Lombardi will be forced to weigh other options.
The Kings also have a vacancy on the right side of their second defensive pairing that was left by Slava Voynov some time ago. LA has done a nice job masking the void, but it might be time to look for an upgrade.
LA had a strong regular season in 2015-16 finishing 2nd in the Pacific Division with a record of 48-28-6 (102 points).
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The Kings unfortunately fell short in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup Finalist San Jose Sharks in the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Following a disappointing finish, the LA Kings made a change in their leadership core handing the captaincy to star center Anze Kopitar, stripping Dustin Brown of the “C”.
Los Angeles opted not to buy out Brown’s contract, insisting that he will bounce back after a pair of seasons that suggest his game is on the decline. For the Kings sake, let’s hope they’re correct, considering Dustin Brown still has six years left on his contract at a $5.875 million dollar cap hit.
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Los Angeles Kings Free Agency Outlook/Preview
Salary Cap Committed to 2016-17: $65,847,727
Number of Players Signed: 35
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents: Milan Lucic, Kris Versteeg, Trevor Lewis, Luke Schenn, Jamie McBain, Jhonas Enroth, Jeff Schultz, Brett Sutter
Notable Restricted Free Agents: Nic Dowd, Derek Forbort, Andrew Crescenzi
LA would be wise to re-sign Trevor Lewis and Jamie McBain (for the right price), but Derek Forbort tops the list of players still looking for a new contract.
Even though the Kings have limited money to spend against the cap, it shouldn’t stop them from making several depth AHL signings. Years of trading away draft picks and prospects have somewhat depleted the prospect pool.
On a side note, If Swedish prospect Adrian Kempe proves NHL ready in the Fall, it could be a major boost to the Kings lineup.
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Los Angeles Kings Free Agency Team Needs
Top-Six Left-Winger, RH Defenseman
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The Kings need for another top-six LWer hinges on top prospect Adrian Kempe.
The Swedish left-winger could potentially fill the void left by Milan Lucic. However, it may also be in the Kings best interest to find another player via free agency to throw in the mix.
After all, Los Angeles did win both of their recent Stanley Cup’s with four lines of scoring depth.
As noted above, Los Angeles could also use a right-handed upgrade on the second pairing. Unfortunately limited options exist of the quality nature in free agency, which could force the team to look to the trade market.
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Potential Los Angeles Kings Free Agency Targets
Top-Six Left-Winger: Andrew Ladd, Mikkel Boedker, Tuomo Ruutu, Teddy Purcell (re-union?)
Right-Handed Defenseman: Jason Demers, Roman Polak, Yannick Weber, Ben Lovejoy
*Salary/Free Agent information was obtained through www.generalfanager.com