1. Cody Ceci, D (4 years, $4.5M AAV)
This was a pretty easy choice to have Ceci No. 1 on this list among the worst contracts on the Kings' current cap sheet going into the 2026-27 season. It was confounding to see Holland and the Kings sign a then 31-year-old Ceci to a four-year contract last offseason worth almost $5 million in average annual value through the end of the 2028-29 season.
When the Kings signed both Ceci and Dumoulin, I think the intention was to get more grittiness and proven veteran depth on the blue line.
Neither Ceci nor Dumoulin will be consistently playing top-four pairing minutes on the blue line for the Kings anytime soon. And the fact that both Dumoulin and Ceci will be in their late 30s by the time that their current contracts run out is a testament to how bad these cap hits really are.
Even though the salary cap is expected to continue rising in the next few years, committing over $8 million in base value annually to a third defensive pairing still limits the Kings' cap flexibility when addressing other key needs on the roster.
The price tag of Ceci's contract will also make it difficult for the Kings to move him on the trade block anytime soon. The Kings still have three years remaining on Ceci's current contract. This contract should've been more in the ballpark of $1-$2 million in average annual value for probably just one year, maybe two.
And while Ceci has had good moments and I don't have anything against him personally, this contract isn't something that was a smart move by Holland last offseason.
The Kings committed $4.5 million in average annual value to a defenseman who is a third-pairing player on the blue line. That is difficult to justify regardless of future salary cap considerations.
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