Kasper Simontaival Sent Down To Mestis In Finland
- Kings prospect Kasper Simontaival has been loaned from Tappara of the SM-liiga to Tuto of the second-tier Mestis. While no announcement was officially made, the 66th pick in last week’s draft was in the lineup for Tuto today. Simontaival has seen limited action with Tappara this season, suiting up in just four of their six games while averaging under 10 minutes a night in playing time.
Quinton Byfield Signs Entry-Level Contract
The second pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has his first professional contract. Quinton Byfield has inked his three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings and will wear No. 55 for the team.
Byfield, a 6’4″ center that has received comparisons to Anze Kopitar and Evgeni Malkin because of his powerful frame paired with top offensive talent, trailed only Alexis Lafreniere in the draft. Having only turned 18 in August he is ten months younger than the first overall pick, but similarly dominated the CHL this season.
In 45 games for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, Byfield recorded 32 goals and 82 points. It was his World Junior performance that led to some doubt (if you can even call it that) about his prospect status, as he looked overmatched at times in the U20 tournament. Tim Stuetzle, the German forward with incredible skating ability, ended up pushing him for the second spot but ultimately the Kings went for the true center that could anchor their forward group for the next decade-plus.
By signing, Byfield joins one of the best prospect groups in the NHL. The team finally got Gabe Vilardi—the 11th overall pick in 2017—on the ice last season and he’ll soon be joined by names like Alex Turcotte (5th in 2019), Rasmus Kupari (20th in 2018) and Tobias Bjornfot (22nd in 2019) among many others. Both the high-end ability and depth of the Kings system is outstanding, with Byfield taking his spot right at the top of the prospect chart.
The next question will be whether Byfield steps directly into the NHL, one that is complicated by the status of the CHL this season. The OHL hasn’t yet started their year, while the QMJHL has already had to pause much of their action thanks to COVID-19 concerns. Byfield is not allowed to play in the AHL, though perhaps special circumstances would be made this year if the major junior leagues aren’t able to make a season work. (For that matter, the AHL’s schedule is still uncertain.)
Depending on when NHL training camps begin, Byfield could potentially suit up for Canada again at this year’s World Juniors. The tournament will be held in an Edmonton bubble similar to the one the NHL used to complete their playoffs and could host an incredible group of talented youngsters depending on the status of other leagues. Byfield, a year older and stronger, would be expected to make a much greater impact this time around.
Kings Sign Troy Grosenick And Mark Alt
The Kings have added some minor league depth, announcing the signings of goalie Troy Grosenick and defenseman Mark Alt to one-year, two-way contracts. Both deals carry cap hits of $700K in the NHL.
Grosenick had a strong season with AHL Milwaukee in 2019-20, posting a 2.29 GAA with a .920 SV% in 33 games, his best showing since 2016-17. The 31-year-old has a pair of NHL games under his belt from 2014-15 and will serve as a veteran recall option should one of Jonathan Quick or Calvin Petersen get injured in Los Angeles.
As for Alt, he has been a capable AHL defenseman for the past five seasons. He spent the last two years in Colorado’s system after being claimed off waivers from the Flyers although his NHL action in that stretch has been limited to two appearances. Last season with the Eagles, he had five goals and eight assists in 55 games along with a career-best +19 rating.
Both players will require passing through waivers in order to report to AHL Ontario next season.
Los Angeles Kings Acquire Lias Andersson
The New York Rangers have finally found a taker for Lias Andersson. The former top prospect is on his way to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 60th overall pick in today’s draft. With the pick, the Rangers have selected William Cuylle.
Andersson was selected seventh overall in 2017 and is still actually under his entry-level contract, but has been playing in the SHL for some time. His father happens to be a scout in the Los Angeles organization and should have a good handle on how to go about the young forward’s development.
Even in 2017, Andersson was a surprise selection by the Rangers. He had been expected to go much lower in the first round, but New York obviously thought that he could become a star in the league. The biggest appeal for the young center was how polished he was, and Andersson proved it by playing seven games with the Rangers in that first year.
Unfortunately, the relationship quickly went downhill when he kept getting sent back to the minor leagues and the two sides eventually split last season. Andersson requested a trade and returned to the SHL where he has played since. He was even supposed to stay in Sweden for the 2020-21 season, though that will obviously be reconsidered now that he is in a different organization.
Perhaps the Kings can get the best out of the 21-year-old, but Andersson is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract. If he doesn’t receive an NHL opportunity right away, there is still the chance that he heads back to Sweden next offseason.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Matt Luff, Mikey Eyssimont
The Los Angeles Kings have completed some business, re-signing Matt Luff and Mikey Eyssimont to one-year deals. Both contracts are two-way deals and will carry NHL salaries of $700K. Both players were pending restricted free agents.
Luff, 23, has played 51 games for the Kings over the last two seasons but failed to really establish himself as an NHL force. The undrafted free agent signing out of the OHL has nine goals and 16 points in those games, but has shown a little more offensive upside at the minor league level. While Luff may receive some more opportunity in the Kings lineup there are certainly other prospects in the system on paths that will quickly overtake him on the depth chart.
Eyssimont, 24, isn’t really one of those prospects. Though he did record 12 goals and 28 points in 56 games this season with the Ontario Reign, he’s at the point where becoming an impact NHL forward is likely out of reach. He does represent some more depth for the organization and a strong player for the AHL team, but that point-per-game output at the college level does not seem to have traveled with Eyssimont to professional hockey.
There are several more minor league RFAs for the Kings to sign, along with Nikolai Prokhorkin at the NHL level. Prokhorkin, of course, has already returned to the KHL and signed a two-year deal with Magnitogorsk, meaning that though the Kings can retain his rights temporarily with a qualifying offer, he won’t be signing a new deal with them anytime soon.
Los Angeles Kings Acquire Olli Maatta From Chicago
The Los Angeles Kings announced they have traded for defenseman Olli Maatta, acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks for ECHL prospect Brad Morrison. The Blackhawks will also retain $750K of Maatta’s contract as part of the deal, bringing down Maatta’s salary cap number to around $3.33MM.
“Olli is a well-rounded player who will fit well with our group of defensemen,” said Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake. “He is a young player that already has a lot of valuable NHL experience, including a pair of Stanley Cups, and we look forward to having him join our organization.”
For the Kings, the team just acquired a two-time Stanley Cup champion for practically nothing besides that two year, $3.33MM AAV price tag. Maatta, who originally signed a six-year, $24.5MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2016. While he has struggled with his play the last few years, he still should make an immediate impact with Los Angeles, who needs as much defensive help as it can. After star defenseman Drew Doughty, Maatta likely becomes the second best defenseman on the team as most of their defense is comprised of younger, unestablished players.
Of course, Maatta hasn’t been nearly as sharp since signing that deal, especially considering the original costly $4.1MM AAV. With only two years of more than 20 points on his offensive resume, Maatta has even had some trouble dominating on the defensive side and found himself on the Penguins’ third pairing before they traded him last offseason to Chicago. His play wasn’t much better with the Blackhawks where he put up four goals and 17 points in 65 games. However, Maatta did play better in the playoffs, posting three goals and six points in nine playoff games for Chicago.
For Chicago, it’s a great deal to free up as much cap room. The team has a number of key players it must re-sign, including unrestricted free agent goaltender Corey Crawford as well as the need to work out long-term extensions with restricted free agents Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik, who have become top-six players recently. Because of that, unloading Maatta’s contract was expected to occur at some point. There was some discussion that the Blackhawks had planned to buy out Maatta if they couldn’t find a trade option. With Maatta’s contract (or most of it) off the books, the team now has $11.1MM of available cap space with 16 players signed.
While the loss of Maatta takes away a veteran from the team’s defense, the Blackhawks are loaded with young defensive players who look close to NHL-ready, including Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin and Lucas Carlsson, amongst others.
Chicago did acquire Morrison, who played 50 games at the AHL level in 2018-19, but found himself in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Comets where he played just 17 games. A fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2015, has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.
Trevor Lewis To Test Free Agency
Trevor Lewis has been a part of the Kings organization since they drafted him in the first round (17th overall) back in 2006. However, his time with Los Angeles has come to an end as he told David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link) that he will not be re-signing with them when the free agent period opens up next month. He briefly commented on his pending departure:
It’s definitely different, a little tough to think about. I grew up here, been here my whole career. It’ll be different, but I’m excited. Change is always good. I’m excited to see what happens.
The 33-year-old has been a versatile veteran throughout his 12-year NHL career, played almost exclusively in a bottom-six role. However, his offensive production has tapered off considerably as he has managed just a dozen points in each of the last two seasons while battling some injuries along the way.
Nevertheless, as someone that can kill penalties and play all three forward positions, there should be a decent market for his services come October 9th. However, he’ll likely have to take a pay cut from the $2MM he has made in each of the last four seasons as most contenders – and Pagnotta adds in a separate tweet that Lewis is looking to go to one – won’t have that type of money to commit to someone that is likely best suited to play 10-12 minutes per game on the fourth line.
With 674 regular season games and another 79 in the playoffs, the Kings got a reasonable return out of their selection of Lewis even though he never really managed to develop a consistent offensive game. However, his time with Los Angeles has come to an end.
Los Angeles Kings Reach Loan Agreement With Eisbaren Berlin
Sometimes it pays to have rich parents. The Los Angeles Kings have reached an agreement with Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL to have a group of five young players loaned overseas for the next while. The two hockey teams are owned by the same parent company, Anschutz Entertainment Group. Alex Turcotte, Tyler Madden, Akil Thomas, Aidan Dudas, and Jacob Ingham will join the DEL as they prepare for their upcoming season, though will all be back when NHL training camps get underway.
Not only will these players get a chance to stay on the ice training with a professional environment, but it can also serve as a relationship and chemistry building experience for a group that will be integral to the Kings success down the line.
Turcotte, the headliner here and one of the top prospects in the NHL, was the fifth-overall pick in 2019. After a strong rookie season at the University of Wisconsin, Turcotte signed his entry-level contract and could be competing for an NHL roster spot as soon as the 2020-21 season gets underway. The 19-year-old center scored 26 points in 29 games for Wisconsin but is also known for his strong defensive game.
Madden meanwhile came to the Kings organization in the Tyler Toffoli trade with Vancouver and also decided to sign his entry-level contract this spring. Two outstanding years at Northeastern University turned Madden from a third-round lottery ticket into a top prospect and he’ll now be a name to watch in the coming years.
Thomas, Dudas, and Ingham were all selected by the Kings in 2018 and are each coming off excellent performances in the OHL.
Thomas started the year on the struggling Niagara IceDogs but ended up with the Peterborough Petes, a club that had their eye on the Memorial Cup before things were shutdown for the year. The 20-year-old forward had 84 points in just 49 games and continued to show why he should have been picked above 51.
Dudas was a fourth-round selection but actually managed to make his AHL debut in the spring of 2019, scoring two points in six games with the Ontario Reign. While he’s undersized, the 20-year-old center continues to shatter expectations and even made it onto the 2020 Canadian World Juniors team.
Ingham, the lone goaltender of the bunch, was just a sixth-round pick of the Kings a couple of years ago but had the best season of his life this year with Kitchener. With a 33-8-5 record and .917 save percentage he was one of the best goalies in the league, while also taking home the OHL Humanitarian Award for his work with Hockey Gives Blood, an organization that helps raise awareness about the importance of donating blood.
Jacob Moverare Loaned To SaiPa
The Los Angeles Kings have sent another prospect back overseas, loaning Jacob Moverare to SaiPa in Finland’s top league. Moverare has spent the last two seasons playing for Frolunda HC, but there was recently a ruling blocking short-term loans to the SHL without a previous contract (that’s why there have been so many loans to Allsvenskan, the Swedish second league).
Moverare, 22, had an outstanding stint with Frolunda, twice winning the Champions League title and taking home the SHL Championship in 2019. The big defenseman experienced a breakout in the 2019 playoffs and carried that strong play through this season, recording 19 points in 51 games.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Kings in 2016, Moverare is actually heading into the final season of his entry-level contract with Los Angeles and will be a restricted free agent in the 2021 offseason. While he still hasn’t suited up for a single NHL game, it does look like a roster spot with the Kings is in his future. In fact, he could potentially grab a spot for the 2020-21 season if the team decides to recall him from SaiPa when things get underway.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear when exactly that will be. As Frank Seravalli of TSN explains on Twitter, “hardly anyone” believes the season will be starting in early December as planned.
Kings Loan Carl Grundstrom To Allsvenskan
Just days after signing a two-year contract, there’s another transaction involving Kings winger Carl Grundstrom. The team announced that they’ve loaned him to IF Bjorkloven of the Allsvenskan, the second division in Sweden. (SHL teams aren’t permitted to bring in players on short-term loans.) As is the case with many of these loans, Grundstrom will be recalled once NHL training camps get underway.
The 22-year-old looked to have an inside track at a full-time roster spot this season following a strong stint in 2018-19 after he was acquired from Toronto as part of the Jake Muzzin trade. In that stretch, he picked up five goals in just 13 games. Instead, Grundstrom only had a few brief NHL stints this season, playing in just 13 games while collecting four assists. He spent most of the year with Ontario (AHL) where he fared much better offensively, picking up 12 goals and 16 assists in 40 games before the pandemic ended their season early.
Grundstrom is returning to a program that he has some familiarity with. While he was drafted out of MODO of the SHL, he did spend three years with Bjorkloven’s program from 2010-11 through 2012-13, playing on their U-16 and U-18 squads. As he’s now waiver-eligible, a good showing in Sweden could give Grundstrom a leg up on landing a full-time roster spot with the Kings for next season.