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The Los Angeles Kings were aggressive in trying to improve last summer, making several key additions. It marked a major step out of their rebuild, where they were adding major pieces for the first time in years.
The team added two key forwards in Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault, along with defenseman Alex Edler.
Arvidsson came to the Kings for a second and third-round pick and immediately made an impact with the Kings. He scored 20 goals and 49 points in 66 games, a pace of 25 goals and 61 points per 82 games.
I wrote an article ahead of last season projecting Arvidsson to score at a pace of about 25 goals per 82, which he hit, but then Arvidsson completely surpassed my 50 points per 82 projection.
Meanwhile, Danault was brought over to be a defensive force up the middle and he did just that, and more. He scored 27 goals and 51 points in 79 games, marking a major career high in goals. Along with Arvidsson, Danault found great chemistry with Trevor Moore and the forwards produced in a way few expected them to.
Then with Edler, though he was injured for a huge chunk of the season, he still performed well when he did play. He managed 19 points in 41 games and while his 18:28 per game in ice time was lower than possibly expected, he was still effective on the team’s blue line.
With the moves, the Kings made huge progress and the additions played a big part in helping them reach the postseason. While we likely shouldn’t expect them to be quite as active this offseason, it’s still a safe bet that they continue to make moves to improve.
The Kings have a little over $20.5 million in cap space for next season committed to 16 contracts, according to CapFriendly. They still have pending restricted free agents to re-sign, notably Adrian Kempe, Mikey Anderson, Brendan Lemieux, Sean Durzi and Carl Grundstrom. Andreas Athanasiou, Alex Edler, Olli Maatta and Troy Stecher are all unrestricted free agents as well, though it remains to be seen as to whether any of them will be back.
Los Angeles will certainly have some cap space left over and while they have to be careful not to overspend and end up in a bad spot in a year or two, they certainly have room to go after a quality free agent. In a league where many teams don't have the option to add due to their cap situation, Los Angeles has a big advantage.
The Kings were willing to be aggressive last summer and it worked out in a big way. Now this year, we can likely expect them to make some more additions and while we may not see quite as many moves, we could probably still expect an addition or two. Los Angeles could certainly use scoring at the top of their lineup and while prospects continuing to improve will help with that, an addition on the wing could be a smart play.
Last summer, the organization did a good job going after players with high potential but minimal contract risk and when they did go big on a contract with Danault, they were signing a versatile player at the right age who could make an impact in different ways. The Kings did a great job improving last offseason without actually taking any huge gambles and hopefully, this offseason plays out along the same lines. If it’s a matter of signing an expensive, long-term contract that could be a risk in a few years, the Kings should steer clear.
This is a team that’s looking to improve but isn’t in win-now mode yet and while additions will be key, the Kings still need to be building to compete long-term. That said, Los Angeles is on the right track and we can likely expect them to be in the mix on a player or two via trade or free agency.
QuizWiz 
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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