Los Angeles Kings Swing Big, Acquire Kevin Fiala From Wild
The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild.
Fiala, at age 25, is coming off a career year. In his third full season with the Wild, he demolished his career-highs in goals (33), assists (52), and points (85). He was also a plus-23 with 17 points on the power play and seven game-winning goals.
This season, Fiala recorded an individual point streak that set a Minnesota franchise record while finishing second on the team in points.
Now, the Kings will look forward to him continuing that type of production in LA. Los Angeles has slowly been creeping up the division standings over the last few seasons, and after reaching the postseason this year, they’ll hope Fiala can help them win a series next season.
Kevin Fiala has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
At the time of the trade, Fiala was set to become a free agent on July 13, but the Kings quickly took care of that by signing him to a seven-year contract. His $7.875 million cap hit is the second-highest among LA forwards.
For the Wild, losing Fiala will be a big loss, but they did well to get good value for him. Minnesota acquired a first-round pick (19th overall) in this year’s draft plus defensive prospect Brock Faber.
The pick gives General Manager Bill Guerin two picks in round one this year, with the other coming at number 24.
Faber is a 19-year-old blueliner who won multiple awards this season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He helped his team reach the Frozen Four, and he competed for Team USA in the 2022 Olympics.
While both teams did well here, the trade is a big win for the Kings. This is a team that has its best opportunity to win in the short term. Los Angeles is still getting production from some of the aging players on the roster, and Fiala adds youth and scoring to help support them.
Trending. Rumors: Is Evgeni Malkin Leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins?. light
A healthier version of the Kings may have won a series in this year’s playoffs, but at full health and with Fiala now in the mix, LA should feel optimistic about what’s in store next season.