Just ahead of the start of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday late in the afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings announced a major contract extension with 23-year-old defenseman Brandt Clarke.
The former eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft lottery for the Kings got a well-deserved and much-anticipated five-year contract extension going into this upcoming weekend.
The Kings announced on social media on Friday (June 26) late in the afternoon that the team had signed Clarke to a five-year contract extension deal. This contract for Clarke is worth around $7.4 million in average annual value through the end of the 2030-31 season.
Brandt Clarke's five-year contract extension keeps one of the Los Angeles Kings' top young defensemen in town through 2030-31
This checks a huge box for the Kings early this offseason. It was a top priority on the to-do list early this summer for the Kings to get Clarke locked in for the foreseeable future and before the start of restricted free agency this offseason.
BRANDT FREAKIN' CLARKE
— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 26, 2026
5 MORE YEARS!!! pic.twitter.com/8ilZIpary9
It goes without saying that this was a major signing for the Kings, and also a victory before free agency and right before the NHL Draft for general manager Ken Holland.
Clarke is a player that the Kings are building their young core around going into the future. He is also the future foundation on the blue line on defense that the Kings can continue to form their identity and game around in the zone.
Clarke earned this contract extension deal from the Kings with his play on the ice this past season. He registered a career-high eight goals, 32 assists, and 40 total points while playing in all 82 regular season games for the Kings in the 2025-26 campaign. Clarke also scored multiple game-winning goals for the first time in his career this past regular season.
He's been developing into a true top flight defenseman for the Kings. Offensively, Clarke is coming off his best season in the league this past year. And he's continuing to improve his game defensively to fit better with the Kings identity and system on that side of the ice.
This is also a pretty team-friendly deal that the Kings are signing Clarke to. Given the recent rise in this past couple of weeks in NHL salaries and restricted free agent contracts, the $7.4 million AAV could be a more team-friendly deal if Clarke continues his development and upward trajectory.
Not only does this contract extension deal give the Kings a future building block on the blue line on defense, but it also gives them the ability to add another left-handed shot who can play opposite of Clarke this upcoming season.
The Kings locking in Clarke now also gives the team more priority and momentum going into free agency to negotiate better deals with players and to be a more attractive destination to play over the long-term on the blue line.
Now that the Kings have Clarke under contract for the long term, Holland and the LA front office can turn their attention toward the remainder of the offseason, including improving the team's forward core and preparing for the upcoming NHL Draft and free agency.
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