Getting forward Kevin Fiala via trade was a significant upgrade for a team that is already ahead of schedule on its rebuild, but they can’t spend much more without a deal to facilitate salary cap s…
NHL free agency will open on Wednesday, and for the Kings that will present an opportunity to fine-tune a roster that achieved beyond expectations last season and has already seen a significant upgrade this summer.
The team reached agreements with winger Carl Grundstrom and forward Lias Andersson on Monday, with Grundstrom set to earn $1.3 million per year over the next two seasons and Andersson to be paid $750,000 for the upcoming campaign. They tendered qualifying offers to defensemen Mikey Anderson and Sean Durzi, as well as to forwards Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Gabriel Vilardi. Of note, they did not proffer the priciest qualifying offer on the table, that of winger Brendan Lemieux at $1.65 million.
“Rob took two forms of NHL currency, a draft pick and a player, and turned it into arguably a top-12 five-on-five player,” Kings scouting director Mark Yannetti told reporters at the draft in Montreal, speaking of Fiala’s 10th-place finish in even-strength scoring league-wide last season. Blake later indicated that defenseman Sean Walker, who has been on track in his recovery from major knee surgery, or Sean Durzi could potentially play the left side despite being right-handed shots, and that either Olli Maatta or Alex Edler, who shoot left-handed, could be back on a short-term deal. Tobias Bjornfot, a former first-round pick with 106 NHL games under his belt, also factors into the mix.
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