General manager Ken Holland had a busy second offseason with the Los Angeles Kings this summer, staying active in free agency to help upgrade the roster while maintaining some level of cap flexibility.
The Kings added more depth the middle of the lineup by signing veteran centers like Scott Laughton and Erik Haula in free agency this summer. Holland and the Kings' front office also made smart moves in free agency to add a top-six playmaker on the wing and depth on the blue line.
While some of the deals the Kings signed this offseason can carry some risk, most of the contracts Los Angeles handed out this summer look like great values already.
These contracts could become even bigger bargains as the salary cap rises for the LA Kings
Here's a look at the three best value contracts on the Kings' current roster going into the upcoming 2026-27 season.
3. Mats Zuccarello, W (1 year, $1.0M AAV)
While there are bonuses involved in this contract that could make this deal worth north of $6 million for the upcoming 2026-27 season, the deal that the Kings got former Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello signed to for just $1 million for one year was a great job by the front office on the open market.
Considering Zuccarello's offensive production over the past few seasons, landing him on a one-year contract with a $1 million base salary was one of the biggest bargains of unrestricted free agency this summer. This was a fantastic job by Holland and the Kings to get a top-six producer offensively, like Zuccarello signed to such a value contract that still gives the team some cap flexibility.
If the contract deal Zuccarello signed with the Kings in free agency this offseason didn't already look good, then the deal the Chicago Blackhawks just signed veteran winger Patrick Kane to this past week (worth $8 million in average annual value for two seasons) now looks even better for Los Angeles.
Zuccarello gives the Kings a top-six playmaker to bolster the core forward group for this upcoming season. And the Kings got that deal done without sacrificing much cap flexibility or making a long-term commitment to Zuccarello, who will be 39 years old during this upcoming season.
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