The Los Angeles Kings re-signed defenseman Sean Walker to a four-year deal worth $10.6 million. The 25-year-old became a staple on the Kings blue line last season, racking up 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) in 70 games.
Walker joined Los Angeles as a free agent coming out of college. Just like general manager Rob Blake, he played collegiately as Bowling Green University. Walker made his debut for the Kings in October 2018, appearing in 109 games since then.
Blake likes the speed and two-way game of Walker, who should be a long-term solution on the back end. L.A. controlled the play 54.8% of the time with Walker on the ice, which is impressive considering how low the Kings finished in the standings.
With Walker’s signing, L.A. has just under $17 million in salary cap space. Blake has also re-signed forwards Austin Wagner and Carl Grundstrom earlier in the offseason. Only long-time forward Trevor Lewis, and defenseman Ben Hutton remain un-signed heading into free agency.
Walker trailed only Drew Doughty for minutes per game for Kings defenseman. He averaged 18:50 per contest, and figured to have an increased role under head coach Todd McLellan in 2020-21.
L.A. could look to add some news pieces to its blue line in free agency, with players such as Torey Krug and Joel Edmundson expected to hit the market. If Blake elects to have more prospects in the lineup to start next season, the Kings can wait until 2021, when they will have nearly $34 million in cap space.