Elliotte Friedman put a frame around the Los Angeles Kings‘ quiet summer: it is deliberate. On a recent 32 Thoughts episode, relayed Monday by The Hockey News, Friedman described the Kings as maintaining “maximum flexibility” in case what he called an “LA-type move” becomes available.
The roster work fits the description. Ken Holland’s additions this summer — Corey Perry, Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula, the last on a two-year deal at $3.6 million per season — are complementary veterans, not core pieces. Friedman also noted Los Angeles would still like a puck-moving defenseman but is operating dollar-in, dollar-out: money has to leave the roster before anything meaningful arrives.
The speculation that follows is obvious enough. Connor McDavid signed a two-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers in October 2025 that runs through 2027-28, and Auston Matthews is under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs through the same season. The earliest either could reach unrestricted free agency is July 2028. Neither is available today, and there is no guarantee either ever is — a caveat that belongs in the front window, not the fine print.
My read: this is an asset strategy with a real bill attached. Cap space only counts as an asset if it eventually converts into a player, and the patient version of this plan asks the current roster to hold its ground for two more seasons without a major reinforcement. Holland’s history says he will swing when he sees a championship opening — his 2001-02 Detroit summer brought in Luc Robitaille, Dominik Hasek and Brett Hull, albeit in a league without a salary cap. The discipline gets tested at the next two trade deadlines, when good-but-not-transformational players are available and the space is sitting right there.
On the fantasy side, don’t hold roster spots waiting for a Kings splash — the group that opens camp in September should look like the group on paper now. Perry, Zuccarello and Haula are depth adds with modest category upside, and established Kings values are steady rather than rising. The 2028 scenario, if it ever arrives, is a dynasty-league conversation and nothing sooner.
