It seemed like this offseason that the Los Angeles Kings were an afterthought or a location that free agents didn't want to be. There were players they were reportedly ready to go after like Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, or even their own Vladislav Gavrikov but each player elected to join other teams.
One player though that the Kings did beat out the rest of the league to sign is defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who signed a three-year deal worth $12 million. The Kings' interest in the player was not surprising as they had a need on their blue line, but the contract he signed was a bit surprising.
Elliotte Friedman shed some light recently on why the Kings offered the contract they did. On a recent episode of the '32 Thoughts' podcast, Friedman mentioned that he had a lot of interest around the league but ultimately wanted to join the Kings.
Dumoulin is coming off a season where he began with the Anaheim Ducks and was struggling a bit. However, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, and being surrounded by a more talented roster, he saw his performance improve and was a big part of their defense in the playoffs, as he had almost 30 minutes of ice time per game.
Brian Dumoulin will be the best free agent signing the Kings made but won't make up for losses
When looking back at Ken Holland's first offseason as general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, Dumoulin will be the one player who will be viewed as the best free agent signing made by the team this summer. He brings veteran experience and is rather underrated for what he can do on the ice.
However, the Kings lost Vladislav Gavrikov while also trading away Jordan Spence during the NHL Draft. Even with the addition, it is a tough argument to make that the Kings' defense has the same talent it did last season.
It will be interesting to see just how much this defense regresses for the upcoming season and how much Dumoulin can help fill that void.