LA Kings: Three way-too-early defensemen to target in 2021 offseason

Given the prospect pool is top-heavy with offensive talent, the LA Kings may be interested in acquiring an established defenseman in 2021.

A quick look at the LA Kings prospect pool reveals immense offensive talent. With names like Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, Samuel Fagemo — to name a few — the future looks bright in Los Angeles. In just a couple of seasons, the Kings could go from one of the lowest to the NHL’s highest-scoring team.

Conversely, the organization is not as deep defensively. Sure, Tobias Bjornfot, Kale Clague, and Mikey Anderson headline the blueline prospects, but there’s no denying the defensive side could use another established player.

The Kings acquired Olli Maatta from the Chicago Blackhawks to replace Ben Hutton on the team’s first pairing this offseason. Maatta has two years remaining on his deal, and most believe he could be left unprotected for Seattle’s expansion draft.

Matt Roy was analytically was one of the best defensemen last year, and it will be interesting to see how teams attack him in year two. Sean Walker was recently inked to a four-year contract extension at a very reasonable $2.7M AAV.

Much of the 2021 campaign will consist of evaluating the talent in the prospect pool, but there is a sense the organization will add a big-name defender in the near future.

Russell Morgan and I teamed up to look at three players the Kings should target next offseason, listed in order of preference.