In what would be Rob Blake's final offseason as general manager for the Los Angeles Kings, he made two notable free agent signings. One of those moves would pay major dividends and that player already is looking like a bargain while the other was productive but there were clearly some concerns with his game.
Let's re-grade those moves one year later based on the production and the contract they currently have.
Joel Edmundson
The Los Angeles Kings looked to improve their blueline and find a replacement for Matt Roy, who signed a six-year deal with the Washington Capitals. The Kings would sign Joel Edmundson to a four-year deal worth $15.4 million, and the $3.85 million AAV ranks 111th among defensemen in the league, according to Spotrac.
Edmundson would finish the season playing in 73 regular season games and set a career-high in points with 20 while reaching his second-best +/- of his career at +25. He would also make an impact on the penalty kill as he played the third most minutes in those situations, behind only Vladislav Gavrikov and Mikey Anderson, but had the lowest Goals Against Per 60 minutes at 4.8.
There is no question that Edmundson is not a top-line defenseman, but he does provide some value to this defense. It will be interesting to see how he handles what is expected to be an expanded role with Vladislav Gavrikov gone this season. If he does a good job on that second line, this move gets an even better grade.
Grade: B
Warren Foegele
The other notable free agent signing last offseason was forward Warren Foegele, who joined the Kings after three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. He would go on to have a career year with the Kings as he had 24 goals, 22 assists, and an incredible +/- of +36. Foegele would also lead the team in game-winning goals with seven, as well as 5-on-5 goals with 22 of his 24 occurring when the teams were at even strength.
Foegele's contract, 3 years for $10.5 million, is where this move really stands out because he well out-produced the deal he signed. The AAV of $3.5 million ranks 200th among forwards and the percentage of the salary cap is only going to go down each season, making this deal even better for the Kings.
There really is no downside with this move by the Kings and was one of their best free agent signings in recent memory.