The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed defenseman Sean Durzi to a two year contract with a $1.7 million cap hit.
Durzi was a restricted free agent after finishing his entry-level contract, making this contract his first with a salary of more than $1 million. His closest cap hit comparables are the Dallas Stars’ Colin Miller and the Buffalo Sabres’ Jacob Bryson at $1.85 million, along with the Calgary Flames’ Juuso Valimaki at $1.55 million.
Durzi was originally drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and was acquired by the Kings in the deal that sent Jake Muzzin to Toronto. The 2021-22 season was Durzi’s first year in the NHL, and he had a strong debut, with three goals, 24 assists and 27 points in 64 games. He also proved to be a solid power play quarterback with 15 points on the man advantage.
Durzi’s defensive game isn’t quite put together yet, but as far as rookie seasons go for defensemen, being mediocre is certainly one of the better scenarios. He finished the season with a 51.49% shot attempt share and 51.23% expected goal share at even strength, with his strong ability to generate offense balancing out any of his defensive deficiencies.
The Kings had a relatively quiet offseason, especially considering that it started off with a bang when they acquired Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild for their 2022 first round pick and prospect Brock Faber. They immediately signed Fiala to a seven-year contract with a $7.875 cap hit, but didn’t make a lot of noise in free agency after that.
With Durzi’s contract done with, that leaves the Leafs’ Rasmus Sandin and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Nicolas Hague as the remaining defensemen of note on the RFA market. Sandin has particularly received coverage for how far apart he and the Leafs are in negotiations, but perhaps Durzi’s contract will set the market for the two defensemen.
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