Sammy Helenius spent the first stretch of the 2025-26 season on the outside looking in, but by the time the regular season settled in, he had carved out a steady place in the Los Angeles Kings’ lineup.
Helenius did not crack the opening night roster, and during the first couple of months he appeared in only three games under former head coach Jim Hiller. Most of those October and November appearances came while he was filling in for the injured Anze Kopitar.
After that, though, his role grew. Over the final five months of the regular season, Helenius became a regular part of the Kings’ roster and missed only a handful of games because of injuries.
In 53 games, a career high, Helenius finished with five goals, four assists and nine points. He also dressed for all four of the Kings’ postseason games in the first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
His game looked much the same as it did in 2024-25: a steady push toward a more dependable spot in the middle of the lineup on the fourth line. The Kings were not leaning on him to create offense or drive play. His job was more straightforward than that - bring depth, win puck battles, finish checks and give the team a physical presence it could count on.
That’s the lane he’s settled into over the last couple of seasons, and he’s made himself useful there. Helenius finished among the team’s top three in hits and led the Kings in hits/60. The scoring numbers were modest, but there was some timely value in them: four of his five goals either tied the game in eventual Kings wins or gave Los Angeles the opening goal.
He was also a steady presence in his own end. Helenius used his size and reach effectively, getting his stick into passing lanes and helping disrupt opposing puck carriers in the defensive zone. The physical edge has become a real part of his profile.
There are still clear areas for growth. His faceoff percentage was well below 50 percent this season, and he needs to find more ways to chip in offensively, especially late in games and in clutch third-period moments. Special teams remain another area where he can do more.
For the season, Helenius gets a grade of B.
Looking ahead, the Kings have already locked him in with a two-year contract extension worth roughly $875K in average annual value through the end of the 2027-28 season, and he’s expected to enter 2026-27 as the team’s fourth-line center. It was a low-risk move by the front office, and if Helenius can add a little more offense, improve at the dot and maybe even push into double-digit goals, he could become a very important bottom-six piece for Los Angeles.
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