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Friedman: Kings Could Consider Trading Jordan Spence

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Although he didn’t specify a specific rumor, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman opined on 32 Thoughts that he believes the Los Angeles Kings could look to move defenseman Jordan Spence this offseason.

Friedman believes that the Kings want to give Brandt Clarke a larger role and do not see the need for three top-four defenders on the right side. Spence should be easy to move if they’d like to, given he’s coming off back-to-back quality years and is making a modest $1.5MM salary.

Los Angeles was able to get away with having Clarke and Spence in large roles for much of the 2024-25 campaign, given regular top-pairing blue-liner Drew Doughty was injured for most of the year. Still, with Doughty entering his age-36 season, and only having two more years on his contract, one could rationalize the Kings retaining Spence and Clarke for when he ultimately retires.

As a counterpoint, and this isn’t a knock on Spence, the Kings shouldn’t have much difficulty finding a similar defenseman in a few years when Doughty hangs up his skates, giving credibility to moving him now for an improvement. Over the past two years, Spence has scored six goals and 52 points in 150 games, averaging 15:40 of ice time per game, registering 132 blocked shots, and racking up 147 hits.

Much of his value can be explained via advanced analytics, as Spence led all Los Angeles defensemen with a 57.1% CorsiFor% and finished third behind Michael Anderson and Doughty in on-ice save percentage with 92.1%. Given his age and relatively low salary, Spence should have a robust market, and allow the Kings to improve their team via trade, especially if they strike out on some of their free agent targets.

Kings’ Anže Kopitar Wins 2024-25 Lady Byng Trophy

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Kings center Anže Kopitar has won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the 2024-25 season, the NHL announced Thursday. According to the league, the award is given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” As with most other major trophies, it’s voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.

As the full voting results show, Kopitar was far from a unanimous first-place vote and narrowly edged out Brayden Point, Jack Eichel, and Jaccob Slavin, all of whom had at least 27 first-place nods. It’s Kopitar’s third Lady Byng, putting him in a tie for fifth-most in league history. Frank Boucher (seven), Wayne Gretzky (five), Pavel Datsyuk (four), and Red Kelly (four) are the only ones ahead of him.

Others receiving first-place votes, listed in order of total points awarded, were Nick Suzuki, Cale Makar, Marc-André Fleury, Mitch Marner, Colton Parayko, Jake Sanderson, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Kirill Marchenko.

Kopitar, 38 in August, appeared in 81 games for Los Angeles in 2024-25 in what was his 19th NHL season, all with the Kings. Still an effective top-line piece, he also finished eighth in Selke Trophy voting after posting a 21-46–67 scoring line, a +14 rating, and 67 blocks while winning 57.2% of his faceoffs. As always important for Lady Byng voting, Kopitar took just two penalties all season – a holding call against the Devils in January and a cross-checking penalty against Utah in April.

The all-time great Slovenian pivot previously won the award following the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons. He was also a finalist back in 2014-15.

Image courtesy of Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images.

Offseason Checklist: Los Angeles Kings

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The offseason has arrived for all but two teams now with the playoffs nearing an end.  Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming weeks with free agency fast approaching.  Next up is a look at Los Angeles.

Nothing much has changed in Hollywood in recent years. In 2023-24, a streaky regular season dotted by a coaching change ultimately led to a familiar fate – a first-round elimination at the hands of the Oilers. With a full season under head coach Jim Hiller and strong play from offseason and in-season pickups to bolster the forward group, most thought this would finally be the year L.A. escaped a first-round date with Edmonton after three failed tries. Instead, after their best regular-season record in 50 years, they blew a 2-0 series lead and headed for the exits early again. That triggered a big change with new GM Ken Holland succeeding Rob Blake, and he’s got some things to address in his first summer on the job.

Look Ahead To Kempe, Kopitar Expiries

Two years ago, franchise center Anže Kopitar put any retirement speculation to rest early when he signed a two-year, $14MM extension five days after becoming eligible to do so. After an age-37 season in which he saw the lowest average ice time of his career but was still a top-10 defensive forward in the league, he becomes extension-eligible again on July 1. Given his slow decline so far, it’s likely he has more than one season left in him.

While it may make sense for the Kings to wait to see how Kopitar starts next season to gauge where he’s at in his aging curve, it would also be smart to get what will likely be a short-term, team-friendly extension for Kopitar out of the way now. That’s primarily because winger Adrian Kempe’s contract expires following next season and, on the heels of a second straight 70-point season, will shatter his current $5.5MM cap hit on a new deal with Los Angeles.

Of course, the Kings could flip-flop their priorities and enter talks on a long-term deal with Kempe now while kicking Kopitar’s contract down the road until they have cost certainty on the former. Jumping the gun on an older player with less earning potential signing a short-term deal is a smarter financial move than over-committing to Kempe too early, though, especially with the rising cap, meaning extension projections for Kempe fall in the $9MM range (per AFP Analytics).

L.A. has enough cost-effective deals with term, particularly at forward, that they don’t have to stress too much about losing one of the two next summer outside of a surprise retirement decision from Kopitar. Still, knowing both top-liners have contractual business to attend to in the next 12 months will certainly impact how Holland doles out his cap space this summer.

Be Aggressive With Gavrikov

The Kings made an unlikely win-win trade with the Capitals involving Pierre-Luc Dubois and Darcy Kuemper last offseason, opening up around $3MM in cap space for them in the process. That increased flexibility will be pertinent for them this offseason as they try to land more of a game-breaking forward to help put them into the league’s upper echelon of offensive clubs. They have nearly $22MM in projected cap space this summer to do so, but while they can let all of their pending UFAs at forward walk with mostly no ill effect in pursuit of a higher-caliber addition, the same can’t be said on the blue line.

Vladislav Gavrikov was a rock on L.A.’s defense this season, particularly with Drew Doughty missing over half the campaign. Unlike the Kings’ top UFA forward, trade deadline Andrei Kuzmenko, there’s no backup plan involving a similar-caliber UFA pickup if the Kings can’t come to terms with Gavrikov on an extension. From now until July 1, working on numbers with him will presumably be priority No. 1 for Holland.

They simply don’t have another player with his skillset and ceiling in their system, and he provided legitimate top-pairing value this year with 30 points, a +26 rating, and 140 blocks while playing all 82 games and averaging over 23 minutes per night. But with most of the top UFA defensemen signing extensions and taking themselves off the market early, he’s the top left-shot option available. That could drive up his extension price, although the Kings have the benefit of being able to offer him an eighth year on his contract to award him the same (or higher) total compensation while keeping his cap hit down.

AFP Analytics’ open market projection for Gavrikov is a seven-year deal at $7.6MM per season for a total value of $53.25MM. The Kings could offer Gavrikov $55MM total on an eight-year deal while keeping his cap hit at a much lower $6.875MM per season, though. That’s a significant difference as they try to keep their options open for going big-game hunting at forward.

Decide Clarke’s Future

Gavrikov isn’t the only name potentially in flux on L.A.’s blue line. Righty Brandt Clarke, the 2021 eighth-overall pick, is slated to be a pending RFA coming off his first full-time NHL season, but still found himself as trade fodder at the deadline.

That’s despite the 21-year-old serving as the offensive cornerstone of the Kings’ defense in Doughty’s absence. He put together a 5-28–33 scoring line in 78 games and managed a +13 rating to boot, but never seemed to earn the organization (or Hiller’s) full trust. He averaged decidedly bottom-pairing minutes at just 16:17 per game.

With the Kings’ questionable usage of their top U-22 player, the feeling might be mutual if Clarke doesn’t feel Los Angeles is the right environment for him to maximize the rest of his development years. He would have immense trade value this summer, not just for his potential impact in a top-four role for a club next season, but because he’d be doing so on a six-figure cap hit in the final year of his ELC.

His trade value would be enhanced further by a weak UFA market, even more so among right-shot defenders than lefties. He would presumably be the No. 2 target at the position if he were on the open market this summer behind Aaron Ekblad, taking both his 2024-25 performance and his still-untapped ceiling into consideration.

If Holland strikes out on the upper echelon of UFA forward talents like Nikolaj Ehlers and Mitch Marner, expect him to leverage Clarke again as he pursues a higher-ceiling winger, potentially Buffalo’s JJ Peterka. In any event, it’s highly unlikely the Kings commit resources to a Clarke extension this summer, particularly with some aforementioned bigger fish to fry.

Sign Laferriere Quickly

Moving away from UFA talk, the Kings do have one notable RFA to deal with this summer. That would be winger Alex Laferriere, whose negotiations could become a headache if the Kings get a Gavrikov extension done and blow the rest of their cap space on a big forward pickup.

The 23-year-old is a highly intriguing top-six winger with a physical edge, finishing third on the team with 124 hits this season. He also logged a +22 rating, put together a 19-23–42 scoring line in 77 games, and averaged 16:32 per game – a legitimate needle-moving depth piece the Kings would likely prefer to retain given his age.

Getting cost certainty on Laferriere, even if it’s a bridge deal to keep his cap hit down, is important for Holland to know if he needs to make any cap-clearing moves to maintain flexibility for Gavrikov and their clearly desired forward pickup. Locking him in could make an older player with a similar price point and offensive ceiling, such as winger Trevor Moore, an expendable asset if L.A. needs to open up some roster space or spending money.

Image courtesy of Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images.

Free Agent Focus: Los Angeles Kings

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Kings.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Alex Laferriere – Not only has Laferriere arrived as a full-time piece for the Kings earlier than expected, but he’s likely been pencilled in as a future top-six piece long term. The 23-year-old cooled off down the stretch after a torrid start, but still saw a 25% increase in average ice time from his rookie season.

He’s shown immense promise as a playmaking right-winger, putting together a 19-23–42 scoring line in 77 games with a +22 rating in his sophomore outing. At Laferriere’s age, there’s still some room to grow, especially after seeing his points per game output jump from 0.28 to 0.55 in his rookie and sophomore seasons.

He’s owed a qualifying offer of $826,875 coming off his entry-level deal that he’ll obviously exceed, and it’s worth noting he’s a 10.2(c) RFA who’s ineligible to receive an offer sheet because he lacks the required professional experience. While he’ll obviously land a seven-figure extension, the question is if the Kings opt for a bridge deal to reserve more cap space for this summer or aim to get him signed long-term now.

Considering they have a few high-cost UFAs to retain, it might make more sense to go for a bridge deal in the $3MM-$4MM range.

Other RFAs: F Jack Studnicka, D Cole Krygier

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Vladislav Gavrikov – The Kings needed Gavrikov to play like a true top-pairing defenseman to begin the season with Drew Doughty on the shelf, and he delivered in spades. Less fortunately for them, Gavrikov’s career-best campaign came in a contract year.

The 29-year-old Russian fell just short of his career high in points but was a dominant two-way force, finishing the year with a 5-25–30 scoring line, a +26 rating, and 140 blocks while averaging a career-high 23:05 per game. Despite seeing the most defensive-zone-oriented deployment among L.A. defenders, the Kings averaged just 1.64 goals against per 60 minutes with Gavrikov on the ice at 5-on-5.

He’s the top shutdown defenseman still set to hit the market this summer and will command well north of $7MM on a max-term contract. The Kings can bring down the cap hit slightly by offering him a comparable total-value deal with an eighth year of term, something they’d likely take advantage of.

With Doughty aging and only having two years left on his contract, the Kings can ill-afford to lose Gavrikov and will likely be willing to shell out the cash they need to keep him.

F Andrei Kuzmenko – A notoriously hot-and-cold scorer over his three years in the league, Kuzmenko has already been traded three times since his arrival in the NHL in 2022, including twice this season. Los Angeles got the Dr. Jekyll version of Kuzmenko after acquiring him from the Flyers for a third-round pick.

The 29-year-old fit seamlessly on Anže Kopitar’s wing and was a lethal power-play weapon, totaling 17 points in 22 regular-season games before going point-per-game in L.A.’s first-round loss to the Oilers. Still, Kuzmenko has spent stretches in the press box during recent stops with the Canucks and Flames and shot just 13.3% this season after a raucous 27.3% finishing rate in his rookie year.

He’ll almost certainly be taking a pay cut on his previous $5.5MM cap hit as a result, but he likely boosted himself back into the $4MM range on a mid-term deal with his finish to the season. At that price, the Kings would be smart to pounce on an extension unless they feel they can confidently replace his top-line role with a big-ticket external signing.

F Tanner Jeannot – The Kings paid a second and fourth-round pick to acquire Jeannot from the Lightning last summer, just over a year after Tampa essentially gave up an entire draft class’ worth of picks to acquire the energy winger from the Predators in one of the more puzzling swaps in recent memory. The 28-year-old has scored just 20 goals in 198 games over the last three seasons following his 24-goal rookie campaign with Nashville in 2021-22, which is now a distant memory.

He’s still an incredibly physical fourth-line piece, albeit with underwhelming possession impacts, but can be a fine fit in limited minutes with some limited scoring upside. There should be some interest in his services league-wide, but it would be surprising to see him match or beat his expiring $2.665MM cap hit.

G David Rittich – Rittich’s past few seasons have been mired in inconsistency. After being one of the best backups in the league for L.A. last season, he regressed heavily to a .886 SV% in an increased workload (31 starts, three relief appearances).

His -11.4 goals saved above expected was seventh-worst in the league, according to MoneyPuck, and fourth-worst among goalies with at least 30 appearances. While he’s had good showings in limited deployment, the 32-year-old isn’t realistically a reliable tandem option, but his value this summer could be helped by a weak goalie market.

It might still make sense for L.A. to pursue a reunion given his 2023-24 performance, though, especially since prospect Erik Portillo isn’t quite ready for full-time NHL minutes after a disappointing AHL campaign.

F Trevor Lewis – The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings returned for his second stint in L.A. two summers ago after three years away. He fell out of a full-time role this season, logging 60 appearances after playing in all 82 regular-season games the year before, but still managed 12 points and 100 hits while averaging 10:13 per game.

He’s played the last two years on one-way deals at or a shade above league minimum, a trend that could continue if the Kings want a familiar face to slot into the lineup if needed.

Other UFAs: F Samuel Fagemo (Group VI), F Taylor Ward, D Joseph Cecconi, D Caleb Jones, D Reilly Walsh (Group VI), G Pheonix Copley

Projected Cap Space

The Kings have just over $21.7MM in space below the $95.5MM Upper Limit, and with just a few roster spots to fill, they should be able to re-sign all of their pending free agents. If they plan to keep both Gavrikov and Kuzmenko around, though, they’ll need to make sure they go short-term with Laferriere to keep themselves in contention for some top UFA wingers like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers. Signing Mitch Marner could still be realistic, but not with Kuzmenko taking up the chunk of change he’s projected to receive.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images (Laferriere) and Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images (Gavrikov). Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.

Kings Re-Sign Martin Chromiak To Two-Way Deal

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The Kings are keeping winger Martin Chromiak off this summer’s restricted free agent market. They announced they’ve re-signed the 22-year-old to a one-year, two-way deal for 2025-26 that carries the league minimum $775K cap hit. He’ll earn $100K in the minors, according to PuckPedia.

Chromiak was a fifth-round pick of the Kings in the 2020 draft. In the years since, the 6’0″ Slovak winger hasn’t taken many forward steps in his development. After his entry-level deal took effect with the 2022-23 season, he’s played exclusively for AHL Ontario. His point per game totals each season carry little variation: 0.51 in his 2022-23 showing, 0.46 in 2023-24, and 0.57 here in 2024-25.

While a well-rounded offensive talent who still carries some upside, it’s fair to question at this point whether he’ll have the minor-league breakout season necessary to warrant a call-up. Without some more demonstrable improvement in 2025-26, he’s at risk of being a non-tender when this new two-way deal is up and taking an early trip to the UFA market.

Chromiak has represented Slovakia at two of the last three World Championships, recording two goals in 14 games. He has a career 48-51–99 scoring line in 196 AHL games, including 18 goals and 39 points in 69 outings this year. The Kings control his signing rights through the 2029-30 season.

LA Kings Sign Defenseman Kirill Kirsanov To Entry-Level Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed 22-year-old defenseman Kirill Kirsanov to a two-year entry-level deal, the team announced today. Kirsanov, the team’s third-round selection in the 2021 draft, spent last season split between the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and the Torpedo-Gorky NN in the VHL (Russia’s top developmental league). His contract will run through the 2026-27 season.

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Kirsanov already has the physical traits NHL teams covet and profiles more as a prototypical defensive-minded blueliner than an offensive one. In 34 games in the KHL last season, he posted three goals and seven points to go along with eight penalty minutes and a plus-five rating. He scored seven points in 28 VHL regular season games and added five points in 19 playoff games for Torpedo-Gorky NN, who would go on to win their first VHL Championship in club history.

The Kings appear to have most of their defensive spots locked up for next season with Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Jordan Spence, and Brandt Clarke all set to return, and Kyle Burroughs and Jacob Moverare also in the mix. While Kirsanov will more than likely begin his North American career in the AHL, his development will be crucial for a team facing several question marks on the blue line in the not-too-distant future. Spence and Clarke both have one year remaining on their current contracts and are due for significant raises, while Moverare and Burroughs are also entering the final year of their deals. If Kirsanov can put all the pieces together, he could push for an NHL spot sooner rather than later.

Marco Sturm Not Yet Solidified As Bruins Head Coach

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Contrary to reports Tuesday night, Marco Sturm is not set in stone as the Bruins’ head coaching hire. He’s high on their list and remains a frontrunner, but the club is still going through their final round of interviews with a few candidates, including Sturm, and hasn’t offered the job to anyone, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on this morning’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

It was likely too early to expect news on a hire in Boston anyway. They only completed their first round of interviews within the last few days. In addition to Sturm, those interviews included a pair of internal promotions in assistant coach Jay Leach and interim head coach Joe Sacco, Capitals assistant Mitch Love, former Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, and ex-Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft. A report from RG’s Jimmy Murphy yesterday indicated Love, Sturm, and Woodcroft have emerged as the final three candidates.

Sturm would be a logical hire for a team looking to shake things up offensively while continuing their trend of inserting people in coaching and front office roles who have familiarity with the organization. Sturm was part of one of the most significant trades in franchise history two decades ago. Boston acquired him, along with checking center Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart, from the Sharks in exchange for All-Star center Joe Thornton.

The German winger lasted the longest with the Bruins out of the three. He scored 106 goals and 193 points in 302 games with the B’s in parts of five seasons, seeing his tenure end following knee surgery and a trade to the Kings early in the 2010-11 campaign. He hit the 20-goal mark in all four of his healthy seasons in Boston

Until Leon Draisaitl shattered his record several years ago, Sturm was the highest-scoring German player in NHL history. Since heading home to wrap up his playing career in 2013, Sturm began his coaching career with a bang, coaching Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in just his third season behind the bench of the national team. That earned him an NHL job with the Kings organization, where he’s remained since. He spent four years on the NHL bench as an assistant before transitioning into a head coaching role for AHL Ontario in 2022. While Boston would be his first NHL head coaching gig, he’s got both NHL bench experience and head coaching experience.

Kings Retaining Marc Bergevin As Senior Advisor

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After coming up short for the Islanders’ GM vacancy, Marc Bergevin will remain in his role with the Kings as a senior advisor, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor reports.

Los Angeles hired Bergevin, 59, midway through the 2021-22 campaign. He’s remained with the team since as one of the top input men for former GM Rob Blake. He’ll now continue to do the same for Ken Holland, whom the Kings installed as the 10th general manager in franchise history earlier this month.

Bergevin’s time with L.A. kicked off shortly after he was relieved of his duties as general manager by the Canadiens, his hometown team. The longtime NHL defenseman spent nearly a decade in the GM’s chair in Montreal after he was hired in advance of the 2012-13 season. He nearly ended up landing the second GM role of his executive career this week. He was one of two finalists for the New York job but was passed over today in favor of Mathieu Darche.

As for the Kings, there are no other indications of any staff changes outside of the Blake/Holland swap. Luc Robitaille remains in his post as team president and alternate governor while the rest of the hockey operations staff, including Bergevin and assistant GM Nelson Emerson, will remain in their posts.

Holland Plans To Be Aggressive As Kings GM

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  • In a long-winded interview with the Los Angeles Kings’ new General Manager, Ken Holland, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun believes the Kings are going ’big game hunting’ under their new leadership. Per a quote from the interview, Holland said, “I plan to be aggressive. Ownership is prepared to go to the cap. The goal is to put a competitive team on the ice and, at the right time, be aggressive to try to make the team better and more exciting. Whether that happens in the next six to seven weeks or next year at the trade deadline or next offseason … but certainly the plan is to be aggressive at the right time.“

    [SOURCE LINK]

Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position

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May 16: According to a report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Holland’s contract with the Kings will run for three years.

May 13: After days of anticipation, it has been released that Ken Holland has accepted the Kings’ general manager role, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (paywalled content). St. James covered Holland for many years during his extensive career with the Detroit Red Wings. Holland will become the 10th GM in Kings’ history.

May 12: It appears that the Kings are making progress with Holland.  Friedman reports that indications are that Los Angeles is closing in on landing Holland as their next GM.

May 10: Former Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland recently met with the Los Angeles Kings to discuss their open GM position, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in his 32 Thoughts podcast.

As Friedman notes, the Kings are surveying both internal and external options, but Holland is firmly in the mix. On the podcast, Friedman said, “One of the names that is starting to circulate a little bit right now for the Kings is Ken Holland. He was in the mix for the Islanders and I am reserving judgment for where I think the Islanders could be going here,” Friedman said. “But I’ve heard Holland’s name with the Kings and if they go external, he may have a shot here.”

The longtime general manager of the Red Wings, Ken Holland, led the team to four Stanley Cup championships. In 2019, he was promoted to senior vice president to make way for Steve Yzerman to take over as general manager. Soon after, Holland was named general manager of the Oilers and tasked with leading a young, talented roster to championship success—just as he had done in Detroit. Despite several deep playoff runs, including falling just one win short last season, he was ultimately unable to deliver a title. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Holland and the team mutually agreed to part ways. Holland has also been rumored for other teams this hiring cycle, including the New York Islanders.

As Pierre LeBrun notes, Holland met with Kings president Luc Robitaille to discuss the position. But as Lebrun adds, the expectation is the team will meet with several more candidates before any decision is made. On May 5, the Kings and former GM Rob Blake mutually agreed to part ways, with Robitaille tasked to lead a search for Blake’s successor. Blake leaves his successor with a favorable salary cap structure. The Kings have over $23MM to spend this summer with just four roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia.

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