Los Angeles Kings Strengthen with Key Signings in Free Agency
In their attempt to advance beyond the first round and aspire to greater achievements, the Los Angeles Kings announced the addition of five free agents on Tuesday. The star signing was former Hart Trophy winner, Corey Perry.
Perry signed a one-year contract for $2.5 million. In this round of signings, the Kings also secured the services of forward Joel Armia (two years, $2.5 million AAV), defenseman Cody Ceci (two years, $4.5 million AAV), defenseman Brian Dumoulin ($4 million AAV), and goaltender Anton Forsberg (two years, $2.25 million).
The elimination in the first round for the fourth consecutive postseason, at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, prompted changes in the Kings’ management, with the departure of Hall of Fame defenseman Rob Blake.
Subsequently, they hired Ken Holland, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder after forging a dynasty with the Detroit Red Wings, a team with which he won three Stanley Cups, five Western Conference titles, three Presidents’ Trophies, and 10 Central Division titles.
Holland was out of action in the 2024-25 season after his contract with the Oilers was not renewed. In his last season as general manager of the Oilers, the team reached the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games.
Holland’s hiring came with the belief that it would strengthen the Kings’ roster and help the franchise get past the first round for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
At the end of June, it was rumored that the Kings were interested in virtually all top-tier forwards who would become unrestricted free agents, with the belief that they could still have the remaining cap space to re-sign pending UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
Many of those forwards had already re-signed or were traded to other teams, with Gavrikov opting to sign with the New York Rangers.
This prompted Holland and his management team to reinforce the squad with the signing of Perry, who played most of his career with rivals Anaheim Ducks, and Armia, with the aim of strengthening a group of lower-line forwards and with the intention that both could fit into a mid-line role.
Perry, who turned 40 in May, scored 19 goals and 30 points to help the Oilers reach a consecutive Cup final, where they lost to the Panthers. Perry scored 10 goals and set a record for most postseason goals for a player in his season at 39 years old, a mark previously held by Jean Beliveau.
Armia gives the Kings another veteran who has reached double figures six times in his career, including last season, when he scored 11 goals and 29 points for the Montreal Canadiens.
Ceci, who was also in Edmonton during Holland’s time, began last season with the San Jose Sharks before being traded to the Dallas Stars and helping them reach a third consecutive conference final. He finished with four goals and 24 points in 85 games, averaging 21:12 of ice time.
Dumoulin, who won two titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, also started the year with the Ducks before being traded to the New Jersey Devils. He finished the season with three goals and 22 points in 80 games, while Forsberg won 11 games with a .901 save percentage as a backup to Linus Ullmark with the Ottawa Senators.
Ceci and Dumoulin join a group of six players who already had Mikey Anderson, the 2016 Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty, Brandt Clarke and Joel Edmundson, while Forsberg will work in tandem with Darcy Kuemper, who won the Stanley Cup in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche.
