The Los Angeles Kings added some veteran presence to their defense on the opening day of free agency, signing defensemen Cody Ceci to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million through the 2028-29 season and Brian Dumoulin to a three-year contract with an AAV of $4 million through the 2027-28 season.
Ceci split the 2024-25 campaign between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, recording 24 points and averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time in 85 combined regular-season games. After making his debut with Dallas on Feb. 2, the 31-year-old established a team-best plus-15 rating in the final 31 regular-season games and added three assists 18 playoff contests.
Dumoulin split the 2024-25 season with the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks, posting 19 assists and 22 points in 80 combined regular-season games. The 33-year-old averaged a league-high 29:21 minutes of ice time over five Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Devils.
A two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and ’17, Dumoulin has recorded 25 points in 86 career Stanley Cup Playoff games during his 12 NHL seasons.
Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin bring Stanley Cup playoff pedigree to Kings' blue line
It's clear based on their early moves on the opening day of free agency that the Kings are gearing up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run in 2025-26. In addition to adding these key veteran pieces to the blue line, they also inked veteran forward Corey Perry to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million and signed Joel Armia to a two-year contract worth $2.25 million per season.
It what has already been a busy day for the Kings and new general manager Ken Holland, they also locked up goaltender Anton Forsberg for two seasons at $2.25 million per year after losing backup David Rittich to the New York Islanders in free agency.
Perhaps this will be the year that the Kings finally make it past the dreaded Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Doing so with Holland, the former Oilers GM, at the helm would be icing on the cake.