The Los Angeles Kings didn't have much left to get done this offseason ahead of the upcoming season. However, one of those moves was finalized and announced on Sunday with a three-year contract for Erik Portillo.
Portillo was originally a third-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, however he made it clear he would not sign with the Sabres after college. Instead of testing free agency, the Sabres would trade Portillo to the Kings for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Portillo spent this past season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign and went 24-11-3 with a save percentage of .918% and 2.50 goal against average. He also appeared in eight games in the Calder Cup playoffs with a 5-3 record and a save percentage of .916% while improving the goals against average from the regular season down to 2.16.
When should LA Kings' fans expect to see Erik Portillo in the NHL?
In regards to when fans might expect to see him playing for the Kings, they may need to wait a little longer. According to Zach Dooley, the plan right now is for Portillo to spend this upcoming season with the Reign
Portillo showed a lot of promise as a rookie. Kings would like to see him be the dog in Ontario this season. If all goes well, there’s hope he can challenge for NHL games in 25/26. https://t.co/dpyqPvvUtk
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) August 25, 2024
There is a real chance that Portillo is the goalie of the future considering Darcy Kuemper, David Rittich and Pheonix Copley are all over 30 years old. The only other goalies under contract for the Kings outside of those three and Portillo is Carter George.
It definitely appears that the Kings believe he can be the goalie after this season, given that the contract is one-way in the second and third years of the deal. However, depending how this season plays out, there is a chance that Portillo could get his first taste of the NHL this season.