NHL free agency: 5 teams that need to sign Artemi Panarin

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 27: Artemi Panarin #9 of the Columbus Blue Jackets reacts after scoring in the second period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 27, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5. Los Angeles Kings

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, the Los Angeles Kings have missed the postseason in three of the past five years, and they haven’t won a single series over that span.

General manager Rob Blake hasn’t displayed much of a willingness to tear it all down and rebuild entirely. He could look to move out a handful of aging and expensive veterans like Jeff Carter and Ilya Kovalchuk, but otherwise, he appears keen on trying to win with Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, and Drew Doughty.

The Kings hired Todd McLellan as their new head coach, which is another sign that Blake wants to try to get back to winning as soon as possible. L.A. also owns the No. 4 pick in a stacked 2019 draft class, which is a good reason for Blake to be optimistic about a quick turnaround.

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Blake could take it a step further by signing Panarin, who would fit in tremendously on Kopitar’s line. The Kings are one of the oldest and slowest teams in the NHL, but adding him plus the guy they take with the fourth pick could change that entirely.

It’s believed that Panarin would like to play for a big market team, and Los Angeles obviously fits the bill. Blake has just over $11.728 million in cap space to work with, per CapFriendly.

Ideally, he’d be able to move out on or two pricey veterans in order to be able to fully meet Panarin’s contract demands. If the skilled Russian is truly interested in coming to Los Angeles, Blake shouldn’t have any problem creating that cap space.

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