The Los Angeles Kings made some splashy moves this week, acquiring center Pierre-Luc Dubois in a major trade and signing goaltender Cam Talbot Saturday. But they also made some minor transactions to shore up their business July 1.
The Kings signed center Trevor Lewis to a one-year, $775,000 deal; defenseman Andreas Englund to a two-year, $2 million deal; and forward Mikhail Maltsev for one year at $775,000.
Lewis, 36, returns to the team with which he won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 as a checking-line center. Drafted 17th overall by the Kings in 2006, he played the first 674 games of his career there across 12 seasons. He left as a free agent to sign with the Winnipeg Jets in 2020-21 and played the last two seasons with the Calgary Flames. Lewis, a physical pivot, chipped in seven goals across 46 games over the duration of the Kings’ Cup runs in 2012 and 2014. His best offensive output came during a four-year stretch from 2014-15 through 2017-18 when he posted goal totals of nine, 8, 12 and 14.
Englund, 27, brings depth and a 6-foot-3 frame to the left side of L.A.’s blueline. He’s played 80 NHL games across the past five years, split between the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks, averaging just 11:42 of ice time. He brings a stay-at-home presence with little offense; he’s yet to score a goal and has seven assists across his 80 games.
Maltsev, 25, a 6-foot-3 left winger/center, made a splash with the New Jersey Devils when he scored six goals in 33 games during the 2020-21 season. He failed to record a point across 23 games over his next two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, however. He qualifies as organizational depth and likely not much else. His contract is of the two-way variety.
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