It is a major priority this upcoming offseason for general manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings in the front office to find a top-six scoring center for the active roster lineup in free agency or on the block in this upcoming next few months in this summer.
This Kings' team has consistently contended in the Pacific Division in this past half-decade in the mid-2020s in the West, making the postseason in the playoffs in each of the last consecutive five years. Yet, despite the Kings making the postseason in this past five consecutive years in the playoffs, LA is still missing out on true high-end depth and offensive talent in the zone in the active roster lineup.
That search for more firepower in the zone offensively this upcoming offseason might have been made even more difficult in free agency early this week on Tuesday.
A report early this week indicates (per Chris Johnston of The Athletic) that the Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed Coyle to a six-year contract deal early this week on Tuesday. Columbus signing Coyle to a six-year contract extension deal early this offseason this spring takes one of the top players in free agency at the center position for this upcoming summer off the open market in the league.
Many early views of this upcoming offseason's UFA class this summer have shown limited proven top-six centers on the open market in the league in this upcoming next couple of months. There are veterans, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, Ottawa Senators' Claude Giroux, and Columbus' Boone Jenner, but all three players are in the latter stages of their careers.
Coyle wasn't the perfect long-term solution for the Kings at the center position in the active roster lineup for this upcoming offseason, but the long-term contract extension deal he signed with the Blue Jackets early this week goes to show how limited this summer's center market is in the league.
The contract extension deal Coyle signed early this week might not directly impact the Kings' team this upcoming season in the West, but it goes to show how limited the center position market has become for this upcoming summer. If Holland and the Kings in the front office want to be truly competitive in the active roster lineup at the center position this upcoming offseason, they might need to be more aggressive and confident sooner than later this summer.
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