Mats Zuccarello, W
Arguably the best signing and the biggest steal that Holland pulled off for the Kings on Day 1 of free agency was getting former Minnesota Wild veteran winger Mats Zuccarello signed to a one-year contract, worth only $1 million in base value.
That's a player who just registered 54 total points in 59 games played this past regular season for the Wild, whom the Kings signed for $1 million in free agency.
Signing Zuccarello immediately addressed the Kings' need to add a top-six playmaker to the forward group for this upcoming season. He has proven experience bolstering a top-six forward lineup with a playoff-caliber team from this past few seasons in Minnesota.
Another benefit to the Kings signing Zuccarello in free agency this offseason is the chemistry he could bring with former Wild teammate and Los Angeles winger Kevin Fiala. Zuccarello and Fiala played together for a couple of seasons in the early 2020s in Minnesota.
While new head coach Peter Laviolette and staff might not pair Zuccarello and Fiala together on the same line on opening night, the possibility of them reuiniting and establishing chemistry on the same line together is at least a threat that opposing teams will have to spend time game planning for against the Kings' top six.
Of all the veterans on this list who the Kings signed in free agency this summer, Zuccarello probably has the clearest path to making an immediate impact in the offensive zone. Assuming he forms chemistry with Fiala and helps to revive the Kings' special teams on the power play, Zuccarello could end up being one of the best value free agent signings of the offseason.
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