EL SEGUNDO, CA — At the onset of what is to be a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Kings, some players might dip into the 23-million-dollar pool that newly minted general manager Ken Holland has to appropriate.
There’s the serviceable, dependable Vladislav Gavrikov, who has arguably been the number two on the backend (more recently the number one) and can play with various partners while handling either side of the ice while facing elite competition. There’s also the deadline acquisition in Andrei Kuzmenko, who, despite a scoreless start, finished the season at a blistering rate (point per game player, 17p in 17gp). There’s the rugged Tanner Jeannot, who missed the Kings ‘ six-game first round. And then there’s Trevor Lewis.
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There’s a gauntlet of players potentially departing for free agency and Holland should let a few walk. Gavrikov might be the one who should come to the table to negotiate a deal, as the team has implied a win-now mode and he’s been a seamless fit on the backend. Kuzmenko’s salary is better justified by using swinging for a big-name player in conjunction with an expanding cap. Jeannot perhaps fits into that bucket too, despite the fact that he provided a solid depth role on the wing next to Samuel Helenius, adding some much-needed swagger to a team that still needed to get even more ‘uncomfortable’.
Seventeen seasons into the NHL, Lewis is not planning to retire. Past sentiments aside, this is a player who should let another team fill that roster spot. Even if it’s a depth role, that’s playing time desperately needed for Akil Thomas or other depth players who have struggled for ice time over the last four seasons on the Kings. Conversely, it is hard not to consider the human connection to the longtime unsung hero for the Kings, as that is a team award not voted upon by the media, but rather the players. It’s a player who has won here as part of the original Lombardi crew, was drafted here, had his best career season here, and only three seasons apart from here.
The Kings already have two legends bound to retire as Kings’ lifers: Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Dustin Brown already crossed that bridge. That’s two players over 35, costing the organization $18 million to ice; adding another aged player to that list of retired Kings seems dubious at best despite the low cost. That’ll be a trio of retired Kings instead of a quartet.
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With respect, Lewis is a champion and a playoff veteran with over 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games on his resume. But to think of him holding a roster spot on his retirement journey season would be humanistic of Holland and company, but not business savvy.
If Holland says he wants to be aggressive this offseason, he will likely need every dime and penny the Kings can afford to dish out. That likely means Kuzmenko is out the door, the same as Jeannot, and almost certainly means the 800k of Lewis’ contract, too.