The most aggressive team of the 2025 offseason has been the Los Angeles Kings. On day one, the Kings signed five players and added $15.25 million towards next year's cap. That's 16 percent of Los Angeles's cap hit for the 2025-26 season. In total, they spent $41.5 million in just the first few hours of the free agency period. An aggressive approach that has to make Kings fans happy.
However, as we've seen in the past, just because you spend big in free agency does not guarantee on-ice success. There is no bigger example of this than the Nashville Predators, who were dubbed the 2024 offseason "champions." But what went wrong for the Predators, and could the Kings face a similar fate?
The Predators cautionary tale and what it means for the Kings
On July 1st, 2024, the Predators, under the direction of new general manager Barry Trotz, shocked the NHL world by going on a spending spree. They ended up spending nearly $100 million and landed several of the best players on the market, including Steven Stamkos, Johnathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. After such an active offseason, many projected the Predators to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
However, that could not have been farther from what happened. The Predators' season was over before it even started. They finished seventh in the central division and had the third-lowest point total. Only the rebuilding Sharks and Blackhawks had fewer points. A far cry from what many thought the "offseason champions" would be. To make things worse, the players they gave long contracts to struggle immensely, and with them on the wrong side of 30, they fear what they'll be like in a few years. It's an offseason that set the organization back years.
There are many similarities between these two situations, outside of them being the most aggressive teams in free agency. The most significant change is in the front office. Barry Trotz was in his first free agency as general manager of the Predators. Similarly, Ken Holland was recently hired as general manager of the Kings and is in his first offseason. Both of them wanted to put their fingerprints on the teams they were running and have "their guys" as key contributors to the team's success.
Both teams also gave these contracts to players on the wrong side of 40. The average age of the players the Predators signed was just over 32 years old. Compared to the Kings, whose players have an average age of just under 34. Both of these teams have their eggs in the baskets of aging players. With older players, there is always the concern of regression, which could hinder the Kings' chances of returning to the playoffs.
While the Kings have a better and more established core than the Predators, this free agency haul still should give some pause. As Preds fans will tell you, just because you were the most aggressive team does not guarantee you success. We'll have to see if the Kings luck out or become yet another cautionary tale.