After inking Austin Wagner to an extension earlier today, the Los Angeles Kings have reached an agreement with another one of their pending restricted free agents. Carl Grundstrom has a new two-year contract that carries a $725K cap hit. The contract is two-way next season and one-way in 2021-22.
Grundstrom, 22, is on the cusp of becoming a full-time member of the Kings, after arriving in Los Angeles by trade in 2019. A second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was a key part of the return for Jake Muzzin and has played 28 games over the last two seasons with the Kings. In that time he’s scored ten points, mixing in a penchant for goal scoring with a strong physical presence.
With a new two-year, minimum-salary contract, Grundstrom becomes an attractive option for the Kings should they decide to spend cap space elsewhere. He could be a fourth-line player for the team as soon as the 2020-21 season, or serve as important depth as an extra forward.
It will be interesting to see if the team decides to try and sneak him through waivers, as Grundstrom will be eligible for the first time in 2020-21. That could secure him an NHL roster spot immediately, especially with this inexpensive contract.
He can pass through waivers next season without getting picked up by another team since you noted in your article that it is a two way deal the first year of the contract.
Random hijack…I like that the Flyers got boned by it, but the rule about getting a minor penalty for an incorrect challenge is BS.
In the regular season to cut down on wasted time and nonsense, sure. In the playoffs? No way. Go back to the lose a timeout if you lose a challenge system for the playoffs.
I’ve seen multiple examples in these playoffs where the challenging team was very likely correct, but the war room wouldn’t overturn the officials so now a team is hurt by a bad call and then hurt by a penalty on top. Not right.