Los Angeles Kings Salary Cap Options
Recently, Jared Clinton of The Hockey News reported Gary Bettman projects the NHL salary cap will rise to $71 million for the 2015-16 season. A meager $2 million increase, which doesn’t help NHL general managers sleep at night. Many teams have had to shed players & salaries just to get under the required number in the past few years.
The same looks to hold true for the upcoming season.
That being said, what are the Los Angeles Kings’ salary cap options as they look to field a team who will make it to the playoffs rather than sitting on the sidelines this time of year?
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Here’s who we’ve got to work with…
Unrestricted free agents – Jamie McBain, Andrej Sekera, Jarrett Stoll, Justin Williams
Restricted free agents – Andy Andreoff, Tyler Toffoli, Martin Jones
The Kings have $64 million allotted to 17 rostered players. This leaves approximately $7 million to the above players and any others hitting the unrestricted free agent market this summer.
So, what will the Kings do? $7 million is clearly not enough to cover all these players. Stoll & Williams took up over $6 million last season so the numbers just don’t add up.
Now, here’s how I think this will play out for each player above…
JARRETT STOLL – see ya, buddy. Your drug problems ain’t helping the teams reputation. Maybe this is why you had a seizure prior to last season. Plus, his productivity is on a huge decline. I’m not judging…
TYLER TOFFOLI – this kid is a priority. He was the Kings’ 3rd highest goal scorer and led the team in + / -. I imagine he’ll require at least $2.5 million…maybe $3 million.
JUSTIN WILLIAMS – it highly depends on where Toffoli lands. If they get Toffoli for a lower cap hit, then Williams will priority #3 after…
MARTIN JONES – this ‘tender has some promise. He tied a record for most wins in a row for a rookie in 2013-14 and his stats show he’s the perfect back-up for Quick. As priority #2, he’ll get his deal done at maybe $1.2 million per year.
ANDREJ SEKERA – I find it hard to believe the Kings will re-sign him. His cap hit will probably be out of their range, plus the Kings have some great prospects down in Manchester that will definitely compete for a position in next season’s roster (Colin Miller, Derek Forbort, Nick Ebert). Plus, their biggest need is for a right handed defenseman and that just ain’t Sekera…the hockey gods apologize.
JAMIE MCBAIN – there’s a good chance he’ll get a new contract, but at that same pay scale ($550k). He’s a low cap hit and if he makes that low of an amount, then it doesn’t count against their salary cap if he’s sent down to the AHL. Sounds like a no-risk option as they let him work for a regular rotation on the NHL roster.
ANDY ANDREOFF – he’ll get a nod from the Kings and take a slight raise to maybe $600k. No sweat for a guy who’s got a lot of heart.
There you have it? What do you think the Kings will do? Comment with your thoughts!
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