With LA Kings Training Camp just a few weeks away, all signs point to GM Rob Blake getting the last two pieces of his summer to do list wrapped up before players take to the ice on September 22.
And the first of those dominos has now fallen. Defenseman Mikey Anderson has signed a one-year deal with an AAV of $1 million. Given that Blake and the Kings entered the weekend with a maximum of about $4 million to play with, Anderson signed for a little more than his qualifying offer and will remain a Restricted Free Agent again next summer, when the team will be in a better position to possibly offer him a longer-term deal. In total, Anderson has three more years of restricted free agency.
This leaves fellow defenseman Sean Durzi as the lone player still without a contract. We covered his situation in detail in the article below, as well as looked at the overall salary cap situation entering LA’s 2022-23 season.
Kings Opening Night Roster Coming Together; Updates on Durzi and Anderson Contracts
ALEX TURCOTTE SITUATION
Earlier this week, the Kings issued their roster for next weekend’s NHL Rookie Faceoff tournament in San Jose. While it was a good sign to see forward Alex Turcotte among the names of several dozen prospects, he’s still not 100% in the clear. In checking with team sources, the expectation as of now is that he will be available to play. However, more won’t be known until after Rookie Camp medicals are completed on Thursday.
Those games begin on Friday and will be streamed online. More info to come later in the week.
RELATED CONTENT:
September 1 Notebook: Updates on Durzi, Anderson, Arvidsson, Turcotte, and More
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$1 mil seems like awfully cheap for someone who is projected to be a top-pair D. I’m sure Mikey’s agent could have played hardball and said something like, why don’t you squeeze Durzi instead of my client? He’s not going to be playing alongside Doughty, like my boy! I have to assume that Mikey wanted to make it easier on the team and took less than he is worth. Now the Kings have up to $3 mil for Durzi, whereas I would have expected an even split between the two.
If Mikey Andersen is getting $1M, then Durzi deserves at least double. He was the only reliable PP D when Doughty was out, and can put the puck in the net. You’re either going to pay him or trade him for a better D-man, especially with other Ds waiting in Ontario for a shot. You can’t keep them all, and there was no need for Edler to be resigned.
Re-signing Edler was a reasonable move. He played well last year when healthy and his veteran presence was helpful. They’re paying him league minimum, so he’s actually making less than a player on an ELC. In other words, replacing him with someone younger would actually cost more, so he’s not hurting the Kings’ ability to bring Durzi back.
I don’t agree that Durzi is that much more valuable than Anderson. Yes, they need a second point man on the power play, but they’re also going to need a shut-down guy if they’re going to be successful going forward. Mikey turned it up a notch against Edmonton, and if that is at all representative of his future he’s cheap at $1 mil next year.
Agreed. Mikey is far more valuable. Perhaps Durzi’s greatest value right now is to a trade.
Durzi put up more points, but Anderson is a much better dman. Both are good, but Anderson is miles ahead.