The Los Angeles Kings have already done plenty of work this offseason, but the center spot still hangs over the roster. That’s the one obvious box general manager Ken Holland hasn’t fully checked yet, even after the Kings added veteran centers Scott Laughton and Erik Haula on multi-year deals and brought in former Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello in free agency.
That’s why Elias Pettersson has popped up in the rumor mill. On paper, the idea makes sense for a team looking to add talent down the middle. In reality, the cap math makes it a much tougher sell for Los Angeles right now.
After free agency, the Kings are sitting with about $2 million in cap space. That leaves very little room to absorb Pettersson’s projected cap hit of around $11.5 million in average annual value, which is the kind of number that turns a speculative idea into a serious obstacle.
Still, the Kings have at least checked in. Farhan Lalji reported on Donnie and Dhali this past week that Los Angeles “made a call” to the Vancouver Canucks about Pettersson, suggesting the Kings have at least explored the possibility.
“I do know that the Kings made a call. They kicked the tires and I don't think they're offer, not that it wasn't a formal offer.
I don't think what they were discussing was providing back was necessarily going to be good enough yet. But I think those conversations are going to continue as well.
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Farhan Lalji on Donnie and Dhali
Even if the Kings could make the money work, Pettersson’s contract would still carry real risk. His production has dipped, with no 20-goal or 60-point season in the past couple of regular seasons for Vancouver. That makes taking on more than $11 million in average annual value a major commitment for Los Angeles.
For a trade to become realistic, the Canucks would likely need to retain a significant chunk of Pettersson’s contract. Without that kind of help, the deal looks far more complicated than it did just a few weeks ago.
None of this is especially shocking. Teams in the Kings’ position routinely ask about high-end players at positions of need when those names surface.
But after a busy opening to free agency, Los Angeles seems to have shifted toward trade possibilities to solve its center issue. Unless the Kings can clear meaningful cap space first, a Pettersson deal remains a steep climb.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Still Can't Agree On Letting Kuzmenko Walk
Andrei Kuzmenkos brief run in Los Angeles left enough of an impression that his exit was always going to linger with Kings fans. After the deadline pickup gave the club a needed jolt down the stretch, the front office let him reach unrestricted free agency and moved on with a different one-year addition, a choice that says plenty about how the organization is trying to shape its forward group for the coming season.
Kuzmenko has already found his next stop in Pittsburgh, which only sharpens the debate around whether the Kings should have kept him in the fold. For a fan base still weighing what he brought in a short sample, the larger question is whether Los Angeles is betting on a cleaner fit elsewhere or simply accepting the risk of losing a player who looked like a useful piece when the games mattered most. [Read more 🡒]