The Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland were very busy earlier this summer in the free agency cycle this offseason, adding proven and experienced players in key parts of the roster. Holland and the Kings' front office signed five veteran skaters from this free agent cycle this summer to help this team get more physical and tough in the postseason in the West.
A handful of former Los Angeles Kings players are still looking for a new home via free agency late this summer in the 2025 offseason
Free agency is a two-way street each offseason in the NHL. The Kings have lost some players to free agency that the team would've liked to re-sign in an ideal scenario in the past few offseasons, including defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov earlier this summer.
What determines which players get signed each free agent cycle in the NHL offseason varies depending on salary cap and team needs. There are some former Kings players who caught a stroke of bad luck in the past few years in free agency and didn't ultimately get signed for the upcoming 2025-26 season in the league.
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Andreas Athanasiou, C
Former Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou struggled last season in the Windy City. He only scored 10 points in over three dozen games for Chicago in the past two regular seasons (since 2023).
Athanasiou played eight games this past season in the 2024-25 campaign for the Blackhawks. He cleared waivers last fall and scored 27 points in 30 games with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.
It would not be too shocking to see Athanasiou get signed to a short-term or PTO contract with a team around the NHL that can give him a change of scenery to rejuvenate his career for this upcoming season.
Austin Strand, D
Calgary, Alberta, native and former Seattle Thunderbirds OHL star Austin Strand played a couple of years with the Kings in the early 2020s after getting signed as an undrafted free agent.
Strand signed a deal as a free agent with the Kings in 2017. He played 21 games with the Kings over two seasons in the NHL (2020-2022). Strand tallied up three assists and three total points with the Kings in the 2020-21 and 21-22 seasons.
He most recently played for the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL for five games in the 2022-23 season.
This past season, Strand 39 games with the AHL's Utica Comets, netting two goals and 14 points.
Garret Sparks, G
Goaltender Garret Sparks played a few seasons in the NHL with the Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights in the 2010s and early 2020s. He most recently played two games (one start) for the Kings in the 2021-22 season.
Sparks won his debut start with the Kings, in a brilliant 30+ save performance in a clutch 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals in December 2021.
In the 2023-24 season, Sparks played two games with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and five games in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers.
Sparks was drafted in the seventh round (190th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He is an unrestricted free agent currently.