The Los Angeles Kings did plenty of their heavy lifting when free agency opened on July 1, and that early wave already changed the look of the roster for the 2026-27 season.
General manager Ken Holland moved quickly to add veteran help where it mattered most, bringing in former Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello, Nashville Predators center Erik Haula, and winger Corey Perry. Those moves gave the Kings more experience and depth up front, and by now the forward group is mostly set.
That leaves one area still worth watching late this summer: the blue line. The Kings still have room to add at least one defenseman, and there remains a clear need for a puck-moving option before training camp and the preseason arrive this fall.
One name that fits that mold is Nick Blankenburg.
The former Colorado Avalanche defenseman is still on the market, and he could be a useful depth piece for new head coach Peter Laviolette. Blankenburg brings mobility and offensive touch from the back end, which is exactly why he entered free agency as an interesting under-the-radar option.
He also showed he can chip in offensively last season, scoring eight goals and more than 20 total points in 61 games split between the Predators and Avalanche.
Even with a few weeks gone by in free agency, there have not been many rumors or reports pointing to where Blankenburg might land for the 2026-27 season.
For the Kings, that makes him the kind of low-risk, low-cost addition that could still make sense on a short-term deal. He would give the blue line a little more speed and a little more offense without forcing the team to make a major commitment.
In Other News...
Kings Win-Now Trades Suddenly Look Different After Recent Redrafts
When the Kings pushed in their chips on Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo, the logic was clear enough at the time: spend draft capital now to help a roster trying to win now. Fiala has delivered the kind of offense Los Angeles was after, Gavrikov settled in as a steady top-four defenseman, and Korpisalo filled the short-term playoff-goalie role the Kings needed when the pressure rose.
Recent redrafts from The Athletic have made those deals look a little different in hindsight, because the picks Los Angeles sent out were used on Liam Ohgren and Oliver Bonk, two prospects whose standing has since been reexamined. Ohgren slid in the 2022 redo, and Bonks stock took an even bigger hit in the 2023 three-year redraft, which is the sort of development that always sharpens the debate around a contenders trade-off between immediate help and the long view. [Read more 🡒]
Reign Add Three More Depth Pieces To Strengthen Kings Pipeline
The Ontario Reign kept building out their organizational depth this week, signing forward Ryan O'Hara and goaltenders Mattias Sholl and Owen Flores to one-year AHL contracts. For a Kings pipeline that always needs reliable support at the minor-league level, the additions bring a mix of scoring touch, goaltending insurance and familiarity with the kind of grind that defines the AHL and ECHL.
O'Hara arrives after a productive season with Greenville and a strong NCAA run at Bowling Green, giving Ontario another forward who has shown he can contribute in different settings. Flores and Sholl add to the crease picture, with Flores bringing encouraging limited AHL experience and Sholl returning to the Reign after splitting time between Ontario and Greenville last season, a reminder that the organization is still sorting out the pieces behind its top prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Pipeline May Finally Be Improving In One Crucial Area
The Kings prospect picture has started to look a little healthier in goal, where Hampton Slukynsky and Carter George give the organization something it has not always had in the pipeline: legitimate long-term depth at a premium position. Add in Yegor Rybkin, the third-round summer pick who is already viewed as one of the better international netminders in the 2026 draft class, and there is at least a sense that one part of the future is taking shape.
Center, though, is still the area that keeps the whole discussion from feeling settled. The Kings know that position is the real stress point in the system, and it is the one they will likely have to attack through future drafts or trades if they want to avoid a thin middle down the road. For a franchise built around structure and matchup play, that kind of gap is hard to ignore, especially with the next wave of answers not yet fully in place. [Read more 🡒]