It has been a challenging offseason for Kings' fans as they entered the summer months with high hopes that new general manager Ken Holland could make moves to get this team past the first round of the playoffs. However, the focus has been on depth while losing key players like Vladislav Gavrikov has left more questions than answers.
On Friday, the Kings may have made one of the best moves they could have all offseason, as Frank Seravalli reported that Los Angeles and Alex Laferriere agreed to a three-year deal with an AAV of $4.1 million. Laferriere was a restricted free agent this summer, and due to specific roles in the CBA, he was guaranteed to return as he couldn't accept offer sheets from other teams.
However, the contract is what makes this a huge win (for both sides) and something that Kings' fans should be celebrating this weekend.
Why this is a win for Alex Laferriere
Alex Laferriere gets a big bump in compensation as he had just wrapped up a three-year deal worth $2.625 million. He certainly earned this new contract after he made significant improvements this past season compared to his first.
He saw goals increase by seven, assists increase by 12 while his +/- went from -14 to +22 and he became a bigger part of the offense as his time on ice increased over three minutes per game.
Aside from the increase in compensation now, a three-year deal could help him with an even bigger pay day at the end of the contract. He will be 26 years old and if he continues this trajectory, he will generate plenty of interest in free agency or the Kings will be motivated to re-sign him.
Why this is a win for the Los Angeles Kings
While Alex Laferriere gets a significant bump in AAV, it is still a reasonable number for his production and one that fits well within the Kings' cap space. At this point of the offseason, the Kings still have over $2.5 million in cap space, which will be helpful during the season, especially around the trade deadline.
A three-year deal is also a good length for a player of Laferriere's caliber as it gives the Kings more time to reasonable evaluate him and determine if he is worth that max length contract that they could discuss after two seasons.
All around, this is a perfect move that keeps an ascending player in Los Angeles for the next three seasons at a reasonable AAV. When looking back on this offseason, this will probably be viewed as the best move made by general manager Ken Holland.