Kings Enter Free Agency Needing to Fill Multiple Holes

The Los Angeles Kings and general manager (GM) Ken Holland have their work cut out for them this offseason. With glaring holes needing to be filled in multiple spots throughout the roster, while trying to stay true to the goal of icing a roster that can take the “next step” in 2025-26, the next few days are going to be crucial in determining what the Kings will look like in October. 

An already difficult task, has become an even harder one less than 24 hours before the “Free Agent Frenzy” with a lot of the big name pending free agents either re-signed or traded, most notably the Kings’ biggest target of the offseason, Mitch Marner, who will end up starting his new chapter in Sin City with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Kings are reportedly a team that is “swinging for the fences” and trying to make big and impactful moves to better the team. The problem is, so far, they haven’t been successful. With Jordan Spence traded and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman confirming that Vladislav Gavrikov will not be returning to Los Angeles, the Kings have massive holes to patch up on the backend. Rasmus Andersson, a top-four right-shot defenseman with the Calgary Flames, was someone the Kings targeted. Andersson can play both sides and would have filled the Kings’ need of a top-four defenseman. They supposedly proposed a “whopper” of a trade to the Flames, but ultimately, Andersson didn’t want to play in LA.

Not only is finding the right player, fit, and cap hit a hard task, but it doesn’t seem like LA is a place players want to be in, which is another element that will make this process even harder for the Kings. Andersson wasn’t the first player to decline the City of Angels. Marner chose Vegas, Mikko Rantanen didn’t want to sign an extension if traded here, and Brad Marchand chose the Florida Panthers instead at the trade deadline. Time and time again, the Kings have missed out on big names due to them not wanting to play here. Why is that the case? Is it the state tax? Is it the way the Kings play? Is it the coach? Is it because they don’t feel they have a chance to win? 

One player who was in need of a new contract and did want to be in LA was forward Andrei Kuzmenko. The crafty Russian winger signed a one-year deal with the Kings, worth $4.3 million. He found a home in LA and resurrected some of what we saw during his rookie season. While you can’t complain about bringing back Kuzmenko for one year and seeing if that promise he showed continues to grow, the truth is that it can’t be the answer when talking about the need for the Kings to acquire that top-nine forward. They need someone who can move the needle, and Kuzmenko is not the answer. 

That leaves them with $4.3 million less in cap space but still needing to find another top-nine forward, wanting to re-sign Alex Laferriere, needing a top-four defenseman, needing to round out the fourth line with a physical presence, and supposedly wanting a backup goaltender that isn’t Pheonix Copley nor Erik Portillo?

How Can the Kings Try to Fill in Those Gaps?

Where do the Kings go from here, with so many holes to be filled, only $19,693,333 in projected cap space, and not a ton of flexibility when it comes to players who fit or even want to play in LA? It’s safe to say that with what the Kings are trying to build, trades are going to be made. There is no way they will be able to tackle everything through free agency with what is available based on their needs, as well as their limited cap space. 

With free agency about to open up in the coming hours, teams will be taking runs at the players who haven’t been traded or re-signed by their current teams. Whether it’s through free agency or by trade, the Kings have to make multiple deals happen. Based on their needs, who could fill those holes? 

As Holland mentioned in his pre-draft media availability, defense is priority number one. Right now, the Kings’ defensive group consists of Mikey Anderson, Drew Doughty, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, Jacob Moverare, and Kyle Burroughs who is a seventh D. Pretty weak to say the least and nowhere near enough when thinking about how the Kings stack up against other top teams in the Pacific Division. In a perfect world, the Kings are able to move Edmundson’s contract to one, clear more cap space, and two, allow Moverare to take on a well-deserving full-time role. Even though that’s what should happen, the odds of that actually happening are minuscule. Regardless, a top-four LD spot is open, and a bottom pairing RD spot is open. 

The next best option after Gavrikov could be New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller. We know the Kings have reportedly been interested in him, and it continues to look like the Rangers want to move on from him. Not to mention the Rangers’ reported interest in Gavrikov, I don’t see a world where both of them fit. With Miller being a restricted free agent (RFA), the Kings could either offer sheet him or acquire his rights in a trade with the Rangers. I’ve talked about Miller before and how he can fill that major hole that the Kings have on the backend, and in terms of putting together a defensive corps good enough to compete this season, Miller would be a great piece to the puzzle. 

Bowen Byram is the other RFA the Kings are supposedly in on. Health has been a major concern for the 24-year-old, but there’s no discrediting his abilities when he is on the ice. Byram is a puck-moving defenseman that the Kings should be looking to add with Spence no longer here. He loves to join the rush and contribute offensively, but also has the speed and explosiveness to get back and defend. 

With Ivan Provorov securing $8.5 million and Gavrikov most likely about to earn around the same, if not more, both Byram and Miller could be making a lot more money than expected, considering what the market looks like. Teams are in need of left-shot defenseman, preferably young, and available ones are scarce. 

Holland talked about wanting to add “pros” to the defensive group, a veteran with size who can play bottom pairing minutes on the right side. There are a few available free agents who could fit that role. Nicklaus Perbix, Nate Schmidt, and Jan Rutta are all defensive defenseman who can play on the right side and provide a solid shutdown presence with sheltered minutes. 

It’s a tough pill to swallow losing out on a superstar like Marner, especially considering players like that rarely come around, as well as the fact that no one else the Kings add can provide the same impact. That being said, there are still a couple of forwards available that can move the needle for the Kings, and they are expected to aggressively pursue one of them as soon as free agency opens at 9 a.m. PT. 

The next best option for the Kings via free agency is former 40-goal scorer Brock Boeser. A right-shot scoring forward who knows how to put the puck in the net. The Kings are in need of a player who can just score goals, and Boeser is exactly that type of player. While he’s not known for his speed, Boeser’s ability to find open ice and release pucks is what makes him an elite player. He can play the left flank or net front position on the power play, and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and burying loose pucks around the net.