LA Kings: Three players to target after Lightning re-signed Sergachev
Retaining Mikhail Sergachev puts the Tampa Bay Lightning over the salary cap. The LA Kings should target these three players to improve the roster.
The NHL’s free agency frenzy came and went with the LA Kings acquiring only Olli Maatta to shore up the defense’s left side. I was clamoring for the organization to offer sheet Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
Before the club re-signed him on Wednesday, Tampa had just under $3M in available cap space. Offer sheets are rarely used these days, but Sergachev, at 22 years of age, is an incredible talent that would have been an enormous upgrade on the left side of the blue line.
The Kings may be able to revisit Sergachev when he hits the open market in three years, still at age 25, but for now, they might be able to upgrade their roster in other areas due to Tampa’s ongoing salary cap issues. Sergachev’s contract extension put the Lightning approximately $2M over the league’s $81.5M salary cap.
The club still has restricted free agents in Anthony Cirelli and former LA King Erik Cernak. It’s difficult to imagine one or both players returning next year unless Tampa makes a significant corresponding move.
Of course, the LA Kings enter the 2021 season under the assumption that the campaign will be an evaluation year. There appears to be a couple of roster battles that will need to be sorted out in training camp, whenever the league officially sets the start date for the upcoming season.
Having said that, there are a few proven players on the Lightning’s roster that could have an immediate impact on Los Angeles.
Anthony Cirelli
Players like Anthony Cirelli, who have established themselves as prominent scorers at only 23 years of age, are hard to find. Drafted in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Cirelli broke into the regular lineup during the 2018-2019 campaign, tallying 19 goals with 20 assists in a full season of work. He scored five short-handed goals and shot the puck at a 15+ percent clip.
In the shortened season, Cirelli tallied 44 points (16 G, 28 A) while averaging nearly four additional minutes per game than the previous year. During the Lightning’s Stanley Cup run, the Etobicoke, Ontario native tallied three goals with six assists while averaging just over 20 minutes a night. Of course, he showed up in a pivotal moment, sending Tampa to the Stanley Cup Finals with his overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
SB Nation’s Raw Charge sees Cirelli getting a one or two-year deal at $2.5M AAV. Per the offer sheet compensation rules, the LA Kings would have to give up a second-round pick in 2021. The Lightning are already without a second-round pick next year, so there could be some incentive to let Cirelli walk.
He’s primarily lined up at center on the first or second line, but he was sprinkled in along the left wing as well. Cirelli could be an excellent option on the Kings’ second line with Gabe Vilardi and Martin Frk. Plus, a bridge deal would provide a little extra time for some of the prospects impacted by the restrictions of what figures to be a shortened 2021 campaign.
Tyler Johnson
I’ve been pounding the table for the LA Kings to make a move to acquire Tyler Johnson since the Stanley Cup Finals ended. Even if the Lightning let both restricted free agents Cernak and Cirelli walk, they’re still over the salary cap. When the offseason began, Tampa puts Johnson on waivers, but he went unclaimed.
Teams reportedly asked the Lightning to add a sweetener in the deal, in the form of draft capital, to take on all of Johnson’s contract. Speaking of, the 30-year-old has four years remaining on his deal at a $5M cap hit each year. He scored 14 goals with 17 assists for 31 points in the shortened 2019-2020 season.
He’s consistently flirted with 20+ goal seasons throughout his eight-year career, achieving the feat four times. Johnson played a big role in the Lightning’s power play and scored a career-best eight goals during the 2014-2015 season. During the Lightning’s Stanley Cup run, he tallied four goals with three assists in 25 games.
Johnson’s versatility makes him an attractive trade candidate. He can play at all three positions, primarily doing so on Tampa’s second and third lines this past year. Given how deep the LA Kings are at center, Johnson would be playing along the wing if acquired.
Alex Killorn
If not Tyler Johnson, the Lightning will move Alex Killorn. The 31-year-old has three years remaining on his contract with a modified no-trade clause. I’m not sure if the LA Kings are on that list, but perhaps that could be amended if needed.
Drafted in the third round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Killorn played his first full season with the Lightning in the 2013-2014 season. He’s consistently been a 40+ point scorer, tallying a career-best 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in the COVID-shortened season. Killorn can play at both winger positions, seeing time on the first, second, and third lines.
He tallied five goals with five assists, shooting the puck at a 13.5 percent clip. Killorn brings a veteran, physical element lost when the LA Kings traded away Kyle Clifford. Every Kings fan loves Clifford, even if he didn’t light up the box score. Killorn is still a consistent point-producer whose been great on the Lightning’s power play.
I would expect acquiring Killorn would involve some sweetener to take on all of his remaining contract as well.