It was a busy opening day of unrestricted free agency earlier this month for general manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings, including multiple veteran free agent signings coming right after a solid haul from the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The Athletic ranked the nine best contracts of free agency so far in the 2026 offseason this summer.
Zuccarello was the only Kings' free agent signing to make this list among the best contracts of this summer. The Kings and Holland signed Zuccarello to a one-year contract in free agency this offseason, worth $1 million in base value for the 2026-27 season.
Mats Zuccarello's affordable one-year contract earns praise around the NHL
Once Zuccarello plays 10 games, his $5 million incentive bonus will be triggered, making this contract significantly more valuable than the $1 million base salary suggests.
That said, this is still a fantastic value signing for Holland and the Kings this summer, especially in the context of how limited the team's cap flexibility was going into free agency in this past few weeks.
Even though Zuccarello will be 39 years old at the start of the 2026-27 regular season, he's still a proven top-six playmaking forward who can bolster the Kings' offensive production this fall. He registered 54 total points in 59 games this past regular season with the Minnesota Wild, and he's been a consistently clutch scorer in recent years.
Zuccarello has registered at least five-game winning goals in back-to-back seasons for the Wild (since 2024-25).
He'll bolster the Kings' unit on special teams on the power play for this upcoming season, giving the team another forward who can drive the play from the wing on the man advantage.
Assuming the Kings get a healthy Kevin Fiala back in the roster lineup this upcoming season, there is also the chemistry factor that he could have with Zuccarello after they played multiple years together on the forward lines in Minnesota in the early 2020s.
The Kings could have a really good top-six forward group this upcoming season, depending on what Holland and the front office management does at the center position. A top-six that includes key playmakers like Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe, a healthy Fiala, Zuccarello, and Quinton Byfield could be really dangerous this upcoming season.
This all comes in a deal that was low financial risk and only a one-year commitment for the Kings this offseason.
Among the many veteran additions the Kings and Holland made this summer in free agency, none appear to offer a better combination of production, upside, affordability, and low risk than Zuccarello.
If he stays healthy and produces at a level close to what he did in Minnesota this past season, Zuccarello could prove to be one of the best value free agent signings in the NHL this offseason, not just one of the Kings' best transactions.
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