The free agent market opens up today, and the Los Angeles Kings and general manager Ken Holland are looking to address multiple organizational needs, including adding depth on the blue line.
A report from Swedish outlet hockeynews.se on July 1 points to the Kings "closing in" on a deal with Gustafsson in free agency this offseason. This contract agreement would reportedly be for a one-year term between the Kings and Gustafsson.
On the surface, it makes sense that the Kings would want to consider bringing in Gustafsson for a few reasons. First, Gustafsson is familiar with playing in the system under new Kings head coach Peter Laviolette from their time together with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers from 2022-2024.
Gustafsson also fits that profile of the experienced veteran defenseman that Holland has been known to scout in free agency in this past few decades. He is a veteran who has played over 500 career games in the league over this past decade.
The Kings needed to replace outgoing depth defensemen Jacob Moverare and Kyle Burroughs in free agency this offseason. Replacing Moverare and Burroughs with Gustafsson does add experience, familiarity playing under Laviolette's system on the blue line, and puck-moving ability, but it doesn't really raise the ceiling for the Kings this upcoming season defensively.
If the Kings are really serious about taking the next step as contenders in the Western Conference, the team still must find a high-impact, top-four defenseman this offseason.
Another concern I have regarding Gustafsson is his performance and durability at 34 years old. While the Kings probably don't need him to play all 82 games this upcoming regular season, the fact that he only played two games with the Red Wings this past season could create some durability issues.
Limited availability this past season raises questions about whether Gustafsson could contribute consistently to the Kings on the blue line over the course of a full 82-game schedule.
If this reported agreement becomes official later this morning, and the one-year contract term is accurate, I think the risk here could be pretty low. But the Kings need to make other moves to upgrade the top four, and it's very fair to question whether this signing does anything to meaningfully address the team's biggest need on the blue line.
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