Lizotte, 25, is now a valuable bottom-six center who hit new offensive marks and adds penalty-killing for below $1.7 million for another season. Though he put up more points and was a key part of the power play’s often-effective second unit, Danault wasn’t quite as good in Year 2 but remains a key matchup center who is signed through 2027.Īn eight-year extension reflected what the Kings see in Anderson, 23, and he injected a little more offense into a game built around shutting down opponents. Kempe, 26, continues to get better in not only hitting the 40-goal mark for the first time but also improved his all-around game. Doughty could have had a better series against the Oilers - he felt his offense was lacking - but he overcame a slow start and produced 52 points to keep up with a league trending toward more scoring.įiala, 26, battled late-season knee issues but delivered the goods as a point-per-game winger in the first of his seven-year deal. With 28 goals, 74 points and a plus-20 rating, Kopitar had his best season since the career-best 2017-18 Hart Trophy finalist campaign. It isn’t as if they’re not worth having around. Kopitar, 35, and Doughty, 33, are the last links to the two Stanley Cup championships and, respectively, have cap hits of $10 million and $11 million. It is quite a lengthy list, but it also reflects the confluence of high-priced key franchise figures, core players locked in on term contracts and low-priced players with time left on their deals who have emerged as regulars. Locks to returnĪnze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault, Mikey Anderson, Blake Lizotte, Quinton Byfield, Pheonix Copley Will there be movement around the edges, or could a notable name be parted with in the quest to improve and play well into May? Let’s break down the roster into several categories. Still, there are moves to be made and the possibility remains that some players will depart, even if it feels like the Kings will run it back with much of the same cast. But with the knowledge that he’s no longer flush with the cap room he had in previous summers, Blake put the Kings’ fan base on notice that it won’t be as easy to make notable additions like he did in injecting Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala into his lineup. No team stays completely the same from year to year, and this isn’t to suggest the Kings should. Getting past the Oilers and a Vegas club that is two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final, while also staying above a surprising Seattle team in a resurgent and top-heavy Pacific Division, won’t be easy, but much of the Kings’ core is intact.
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