Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are in the midst of a rebuild. Unlike the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have cupboards full of picks for the next two drafts. They may also be willing to part ways with most of their UFAs. The Kings have a few.
Trevor Lewis
Trevor Lewis is a lifer with the Kings. He was drafted by them in the first round, 17th overall, in 2006 and has been with them since. In those 12 years, Lewis has played all three forward positions.
Lewis injects energy into the lineup and as a two-way forward he is often used to kill penalties and blocks shots. Lewis may have only tallied 12 points in 56 games this season but his value has never been as a scorer.
Ben Hutton
On the blueline, Ben Hutton is coming off a very strong season as Drew Doughty’s partner. Playing with Doughty helped Hutton improve defending his own zone. Hutton bet on himself prior to the season and signed a one year deal with LA worth $1.5 million.
It was a good gamble as he is likely to score a longer-term higher-priced deal in the offseason.
Joakim Ryan
Joakim Ryan is a late bloomer. He spent four years at Cornell University and then transitioned into playing three years in the AHL. In that third season, he finally got the callup to join the team that drafted him in the seventh round of the 2012 draft, the San Jose Sharks. Ryan has looked incrementally better since then and been trusted with tougher assignments.
Ryan was paid $725k for the season. Turning 27 years old in June, the defenseman will be looking to try and lock in a longer-term deal prior to next season.