Free Agency 2024-25

[Kings4OT]

Kings considered losers in FA. Color me shocked. Per TA:

Joel Edmundson, Los Angeles Kings

Contract: $3.8M x four years
Surplus value: -$2.9M per year

Back in 2019, this might have been a fine deal. But in the year 2024, it feels completely unjustifiable.

Edmundson was OK last year and had a solid bounce-back season after dealing with injuries for a bit — but OK just means he looked like a third-pairing guy rather than completely unplayable. Over a four-year term, the Kings might see that version of Edmundson sooner rather than later. The 31-year-old is unlikely to age well and already doesn’t look like the No. 4/5 he’s being paid to be.

These guys also said Edmonton got a steal in Arvidsson for 2 years/$8 million to be that winger Draisaitl didn't have. We will wait and see but I wouldn't be surprised to see him hurt by December.

No way Arvidsson gets 60games. But i think he gets a lot of points, i think him and Foegle kinda swapped spots

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Reading write-ups on all the teams. Nashville did go really big. Didn't even see they also added Brady Skjei to replace McDonough. All hard-to-spell team with Marcessault from Vegas too. Definitely got a ton older, but all in on winning now. I kinda like it because you got the #1 defenseman and #1 goalie already. Might as well shoot your shot. They look like a 2-3 year window to do something and then those contracts will be really tough.

Conversely, what is Carolina up to? Let some of their guns go and really didn't replace them. Seems like maybe tired of being disappointed and falling short. I see Martin Neccas is still an unsigned RFA. Would love LA to find a way to add that guy.

Most telling and disappointing this I've seen is how much Matt Roy and Sean Walker just got in free agency. Sean Walker was the throw-in so Philly would take Cal Petersen. Philly moved him at the trade deadline for a 1st also (albeit late first). So Blake basically gave Philly a 1st and 2nd to take that Petersen contract. Then Matt Roy walked for nothing and signed with Washington. I guess this LA defense was just that good a few years ago? When they took Edmonton to 7 games. Maybe just ran into a tough team and panicked.

 

[Kings4OT]

Necas is all offense, no care for his own end at all....i tend to stay away from those guys, sure that offense is great but when not scoring you wonder why they on the ice.

Skeji is a great pickup, he is very good imo. I agree that the Preds look like a team trying to win and look like a contender Dal, Col, Edm, Nash, LV and Win look like the locks for PO with LA joining Stl, min, Cal, Sea as hoping to sneak in and relying on the rest of those teams to stay bad.... I think Ana, Chi suprise this season....Kings got a hard road

 

[Kings4OT]

Edm gets Savoie for Mcloed, they crush that deal. Mcloed is fast but does little with it. Savoie's got talent, watch that kid....dunno why LA cant get these deals haha

 

[Kings4OT]

Edm gets Savoie for Mcloed, they crush that deal. Mcloed is fast but does little with it. Savoie's got talent, watch that kid....dunno why LA cant get these deals haha

Nevermind, i guess Savoie has hurt the same shoulder a few times and is smaller than i thought...so ya, perfect for LA haha

 

[PuckinUgly57]

TA, early offseason FA grades:

Los Angeles Kings

C

Getting out from under the potential albatross contract of PL Dubois and picking up a proven netminder in Darcy Kuemper is a victory. Warren Foegele could be a nice addition. The 28-year-old winger will fit as a quality forechecker who has the speed to play with highly skilled players and is willing to do the grunt work on a line. Using a 2025 second-round pick and adding a fourth-rounder this year for Tanner Jeannot feels like too much. Joel Edmundson brings more size and bite to the defense and could be a mean stay-at-home partner for Brandt Clarke or Jordan Spence. But the Kings couldn’t add those traits to their defense for less than four years and a $3.8 million cap hit? — Eric Stephens

Sounds about right. That price tag for Edmunson seems awful high but he will likely slot in LD3 and one of Clarke or Spence will be his partner.

That'll leave Englund, Moverare and Burroughs fighting for the D7 spot most likely. I think Englund did a fine job as LD3 but Edmunson is a cross check king so that'll be an improvement in front of Kuemper.

This brings up Gavrikov, he's going to be a UFA again after the season, I'm almost certain he gets traded near the deadline to get a draft pick or prospect. He was great after he came over from Columbus but took a slight step back last season and definitely did not seem the same after the knee on knee from Anders Lee in November.

Unless Bowlby finds a similar level replacement those guys could be bumped up a ring. Edmunson is not a LD2, neither are any of those other guys. The defense just isn't intimidating overall.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Add Caleb Jones to that mix as well, brother of Seth Jones. Kings signed him to a two way 1 year/$775,000 contract a few days ago. He's generally been an NHL depth defenseman so I'm not expecting him to be on the NHL roster but he did get into about 25 games last season with Colorado.

My guess is the D7 will be Englund most likely, especially because he has a $1 million cap hit this season on a one way contract so teams will be deterred from picking him up if he is waived. The AHL exemption for burying contracts in 2025 is $1.15 million so if he cleared he still wouldn't count against LAs cap but considering the other options it should be him or Moverare IMO.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Tarasenko went to Detroit on Wed, 2 years/$9.5 million. Definitely not the same player he was back in the Blues days but the guy scored 23 goals for Florida this season and 55 points in 15:44 ATOI.

That would have ranked tied for 5th in goals and points on the Kings and none of the other 5 guys (Kopitar, Kempe, Fiala, Buster and Moore) played less than 16:29 ATOI to get those 55+ points. He's also thick at 6'1/220 and he wins a lot of board battles because of the heaviness. His shot is still world class.

Again, that's too rich for LA because of the accounting but he would have been a nice add for the M6, specifically L2. GMs have been throwing mad money around this UFA season because of the big cap jump but he would have been a nice get for LA. Maddening to see teams able to get guys and LA is sitting here licking their dicks unable to do much.

As it stands going into the season, the lines are initially going to be:

78/11/9
12/24/Foegle-XX
22/55/XX - Foegle
61/41/38

That does not look like a productive forward group at all to me. Move Buster up and drop Dunno down.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

The Lizard signed in Pittsburgh, 2 years/$3.7 million ($1.85 million AAV). He will again be a B6 player there.

Good luck and keep your head up, there's some heavy hitters in the EC. I can already see Trouba lining this guy up and taking 3" off his already diminutive height.

 

[Kings4OT]

Rumor Swayman wanting to be top paid G....Bruins moved wrong guy lol

 

[LAKINGSFAN]

Rumor Swayman wanting to be top paid G....Bruins moved wrong guy lol

He most likely waited until they moved Ullmark so he has more leverage.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Anyone else feel like Blake is swinging and missing on a lot of the FA's? It feels like they are a middle of the road type of team and no one wants to come here with him at the helm. I dunno maybe I am getting too old and bitter at this point. LOL

I almost positive that FA and players around the league know he’s a lame duck GM. And they don’t want to sign with a team that’s about to restructure its front office.
Also, many may feel put off by how the PLD deal went down.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

The Lizard signed in Pittsburgh, 2 years/$3.7 million ($1.85 million AAV). He will again be a B6 player there.

Good luck and keep your head up, there's some heavy hitters in the EC. I can already see Trouba lining this guy up and taking 3" off his already diminutive height.

The Lizard out with a concussion during preseason. Great guy, good teammate but was just too small to play that 4C.

I will say while I'm not overly impressed with the acquisitions Blake made he did make the team bigger and tougher to play against which had been lacking and slowly being reduced every year since he took over in 2017.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I almost positive that FA and players around the league know he’s a lame duck GM. And they don’t want to sign with a team that’s about to restructure its front office.
Also, many may feel put off by how the PLD deal went down.

Thus the overpays for a guy like Edmundson. Until the winning culture returns to LA, I think FAs will avoid coming here unless they get contracts they wouldn't normally get elsewhere.