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2017-18 Primer: Los Angeles Kings

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With the NHL season now just a couple of weeks away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Los Angeles Kings.

Last Season: 39-35-8 record (86 points), fifth in Pacific Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $6.83MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Mike Cammalleri (free agency, New Jersey), D Christian Folin (free agency, Minnesota), G Darcy Kuemper (free agency, Minnesota), D Oscar Fantenberg (free agency, KHL), G Cal Petersen (free agency, Buffalo), F Alex Iafallo (free agency, NCAA)

Key Departures: D Brayden McNabb (expansion, Vegas), F Devin Setoguchi (free agency, Germany), F Jarome Iginla (free agency, unsigned), G Ben Bishop (trade, Dallas)

[Related: Kings Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

"<strongPlayer To Watch: F Anze Kopitar – It’s not always a young player breaking out that brings a team back to contention, and that likely won’t be the case with Los Angeles. Though Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson could have even more room to grow as potential top-line options, it’s Kopitar that will be under the microscope this year.

In what turned out to be a disappointing year for the Kings, Kopitar himself had a frustratingly poor season. Though his point total of 52 still put him second on the team, an extremely low shooting percentage kept him to just 12 goals all year and his possession numbers hit a career low. Kopitar had never scored fewer than 10 even strength goals in his career, but tallied just seven last year.

That said, there may be nothing to worry about for the Kings. The aforementioned shooting percentage is the most likely culprit of the decline, as he came in more than 4% under his career norm. He should bounce back from the low total, though may never again reach the 30+ marks of his youth.

Key Storyline: It was clear in 2016-17 that the entire organization expected to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite being out of a playoff spot at the trade deadline, the team still went out and acquired Jarome Iginla and Ben Bishop to try and sneak in. They wouldn’t, and it ended up costing nearly the entire management and coaching staffs their jobs.

There are new but familiar faces in town to run the show now, as President Luc Robitaille and GM Rob Blake have taken over the front office while John Stevens will take over the head coaching duties. All three have Kings blood running through their veins, and will be entrusted in guiding the franchise back to the promised land.

That may be easier said than done though, as the team has several aging core pieces and a lack of elite prospect capital. They added a couple of solid names in that department at the draft (one of which signed his entry-level contract just today), but will have to keep working to create the type of homegrown pipeline that once carried them to multiple Stanley Cups. Blake and Robitaille were both late-round Kings’ draft picks themselves (in the fourth and ninth rounds respectively), and should have a good understanding of the value of drafting.

With all of this turnover there still remains the looming Drew Doughty decision, as the superstar defender will be eligible for a contract extension as of July 1st, 2018. With just two years left on his current deal, Doughty would be one of the most sought-after free agents on the open market should he ever reach free agency. With that in mind, the new front office will need to decide whether handing out an extremely expensive, long-term extension to a player who will turn 30 during its first year is worth it.

Doughty is clearly one of the best players in the world, but if Los Angeles takes a step backwards and misses the playoffs again, speculation about his availability on the trade market will surely spike.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Los Angeles Kings

Current Cap Hit: $68,168,560 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Oscar Fantenberg (One year remaining, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

None

This is not a very young team and the only player to have an entry-level deal is Fantenberg, who is the 25-year-old blueliner, who signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this year. The defenseman has never played in the U.S. before, but he opened some eyes recently when he found himself on the Kings’ roster to travel to Japan for some exhibition games, suggesting he has a legitimate chance to earn a starting job on the team’s defense.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Mike Cammalleri ($1MM, UFA)
F Jordan Nolan ($950K, UFA)
F Nick Shore ($925K, RFA)
D Christian Folin ($800K, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($650K, RFA)
D Kevin Gravel ($650K, RFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($650K, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($640K, UFA)

Have originally started his career in L.A., Cammalleri returns to his former team after a three-year stint in New Jersey, which came after a three-year stint in Calgary and after a three-year stint in Montreal. The 35-year-old wing isn’t the same guy who put up many 20-plus goal seasons, but the hope is he can fill a back-six line for the coming season at a low price. Nolan will fight for a fourth-line role, while Gravel may also have to fight for a bottom pairing on defense, especially since he is still waiver-exempt.

Shore is one of those young players the Kings hope will have a breakout year. The 24-year-old wing has not been able to put it all together yet. He finished last year with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, but is capable of more if he can put it all together.

Forbert played on the first line a year ago and managed to play in all 82 games. The team now hopes the 25-year-old starts to cash in on the team’s promise when they drafted him in the first round back in 2010. His defensive proficiency is designed to allow others to focus on offense more. The team also hopes Folin, signed away from Minnesota this offseason, will grab one of the last couple of defensive openings. The 26-year-old played 51 games for the Wild last season, but has had trouble getting a full-time role.

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West Notes: Doughty, Foligno, Duchene, Virtanen

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Last weekend, Kings defenseman Drew Doughty had some intriguing comments about his future in an interview with Matt Larkin of The Hockey News where he suggested that he could be okay leaving the team in pursuit of a contender if the team struggles over these next couple of seasons.  Speaking with reporters, including Curtis Zupke of the LA Times, Doughty clarified the statement and stated his desire to remain with Los Angeles long-term:

“You just never know what can happen … but I want to be here and I’m pretty sure that the L.A. Kings and all [my] teammates want me to be here, too. I’m sure something will happen and we will get it done.”

Doughty has two years remaining on his current contract with a $7MM cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019.  The Kings already have more than $53MM committed to just 11 players for the 2019-20 season but undoubtedly will be prepared to make a significant offer to keep Doughty around well beyond then.

More from the West:

  • The Wild and RFA winger Marcus Foligno continued contract talks today, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). While it appears that talks are progressing, the two sides have yet to agree on a contract.  Earlier this week, it was reported that a three-or-four-year deal is in the works which would buy out multiple years of UFA eligibility.
  • It’s no secret that Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is seeking a big return for center Matt Duchene. Speaking with WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Avalanche are seeking one of Nashville’s top-four defensemen plus another asset in order to ship Duchene to the Predators.  While Duchene would certainly give them a top-six replacement for James Neal, that would certainly be a steep price to pay, especially with Ryan Ellis out until early 2018.
  • After reporting to training camp well past Vancouver’s targeted weight for him, Canucks winger Jake Virtanen has come to camp in much better shape this time around, notes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. At 215 pounds, Virtanen is well below the 231 he checked in at this time last year and that might help give him a leg up on a possible fourth line spot despite not exactly lighting it up in the AHL last season (he had 19 points in 65 games).  Head coach Travis Green acknowledged that the Canucks plan to give their fourth line a big workload this season which may make that role a better one for him over more playing time back with AHL Utica.

Evening Snapshots: Senators, Letang, Doughty

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Ottawa Senators signed forward Brendan Woods to a PTO this afternoon in the lead-up to training camp opening this Thursday. The Canadian forward was drafted 129th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, but has played only seven career NHL games so far. Expect this signing to be more a tryout for Ottawa’s new AHL affiliate Belleville Senators.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins can breathe a sign of relief as Kris Letang is officially cleared for contact, reports the NHL.com’s Sam Kasan. The Penguins expect Letang at training camp, which opens this Friday. Letang says that the contact clearance is just the first step, and that he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready by opening night. The Penguins’ defenseman played only 41 games last season after going down with a herniated disc in February.
  • Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty walked back comments made earlier about potentially leaving the Kings. Initially, Doughty told the Hockey News that he just wanted to win Stanley Cups and that he didn’t care where he played. Today, he clarified those comments by saying he only wants to win a Cup in Los Angeles. Doughty has two more years left on his deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

West Notes: Flames, Doughty, Sharks

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Marek Hrivik spent six years in the Rangers organization but only made 21 appearances with the NHL club, compiling no goals and three assists. However, he was much more productive in the AHL, where he played in 270 games and scored 53 goals for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Predictably, the 2012 undrafted free agent wanted an opportunity to play on the biggest stage, and he said that was a big reason why he signed with the Flames this offseason.

“It’s never been a dream of mine to play only in the AHL,” Hrivik told NHL.com’s George Johnson. “So I’ve been looking for a different opportunity. I’ve been with New York for five years and it just wasn’t going to work there. I had a bunch of teams interested but I thought I had the best chance in Calgary and that’s why I signed there. Obviously the interest I felt from the organization was also important. That was probably the No. 1 thing. You always want to feel wanted.”

The 25-year-old left the Rangers organization earlier this offseason and quickly signed a one-year, two-way deal with Calgary. Of course, he understands that it’s still an uphill battle to make the team’s final roster.

“There are bunch of guys in a similar position as I am, I’d say, for a fourth-line spot,” Hrivik said. “Money-wise, age-wise. So I think it’s going to be a decent battle.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the Western Conference…

  • While former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty has been a mainstay for the Kings for nearly a decade, James O’Brien of Pro Hockey Talk believes the team should consider trading the 27-year-old. The writer notes that the organization would receive immediate salary relief, and he believes the Kings could convince another team to inherit a bad contract (like Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik) in any trade for Doughty. A trade would also give the team a chance to get a head start on their rebuild, as they’d surely receive young players and/or draft picks.
  • Veteran Patrick Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs earlier this offseason, and some of his former Sharks teammates were surprised that he left San Jose. “That was crazy,” former Sharks (and current Panthers) defenseman Jason Demers told NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “For him to make that decision, I know him well personally and I know that was probably the biggest decision of his career. I don’t think anybody understands on the outside how big of a decision that was for him. … In my head, after talking to him a little bit, I thought he was going to stay, but I think him and his family discussed it and I think it’s going to be a great thing for him.” Marleau, who had spent 19 seasons with the Sharks, compiled 27 goals and 19 assists in 82 games last season.
  • Earlier today, Jaromir Jagr’s agent gave a “no comment” when asked about the rumors regarding the Flames.

Connor Brown Confident Contract Will Be Signed Before Season Begins

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TSN caught up with a handful of NHL players at Nazem Kadri’s fifth annual golf tournament supporting mental health in London, Ontario including Toronto Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown. Brown is without a contract still as one of the final restricted free agents of the offseason, but isn’t worried about the ongoing negotiations.

You’ve got to control what you can control, and go about your business everyday…I’m just leaving that to my agent and the team.

It’s obviously my first time going through something like this, and I don’t think it’s as stressful as the media would make it out to be. I’m very confident things will get sorted out by season time.

Brown also expressed his excitement about the Maple Leafs offseason, including the additions of Patrick Marleau and Ron Hainsey. The team will be relying on Brown as a secondary scoring option behind the big names, after he scored 20 goals as a rookie last season. The 23-year old is responsible defensively and was born and raised in Toronto, giving both sides a little more incentive to get a deal done.

  • Among the other players spoken to was Drew Doughty, who has known Kadri since they were young boys growing up in London. Doughty spoke about his frustration with the NHL’s Olympic decision, saying that fans won’t enjoy the Games as much without the top players in the world. Doughty should know, as he already has two Olympic gold medals under his belt from 2010 and 2014. A winner at basically every level, he’s also collected World Junior and World Cup gold to go along with his pair of Stanley Cup victories.

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