1. Brandt Clarke, D (5 years, $7.4M AAV)
Among the newest contracts the Kings have signed this offseason, young defenseman Brandt Clarke inked a five-year contract extension in restricted free agency this summer worth around $7.4 million in average annual value (through the end of the 2030-31 season).
We can't do a list like this without mentioning the best new contract that the Kings have signed for a key defenseman this summer, with a player in Clarke who could be the team's top defender for multiple years going into the future.
Clarke is one of the best young and developing defensemen in the league, and yet the Kings still signed him to a contract with a price tag that is pretty cheap considering the expense of some of the other deals getting done this offseason on the blue line. He was just one of five defensemen in the NHL this past season under the age of 24 who registered at least 40 total points and a power-play goal.
The fact that Clarke could be a top-pairing defenseman for the Kings at just 23 years old shows how good of value the front office got by signing him for under $8 million in AAV. He can be a versatile defenseman who plays on the top pairing while contributing on special teams on the top power play unit and on the penalty kill in the future.
If Clarke continues to develop into the No. 1 defenseman for the Kings that many believe he can become, a $7.4 million cap hit annually could look like one of the NHL's biggest bargains within just a couple of seasons, especially as the salary cap is ancitipated to continue to rise.
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