UPDATE, JULY 2: Jhonas Enroth in, Andrej Sekera and Justin Williams out. Who’s up?
There are two reasons you’re probably not expecting much out of July 1, as a Los Angeles Kings fan.
1) Of all NHL teams, the Kings have signed the fewest free agents on July 1 in the last decade.
Teams signing fewest FAs on July 1 since 2006: @LAKings 5, @SanJoseSharks 6
— Ross McKeon (@rossmckeon) July 1, 2015
2) You forgot that free agency started today, because the last week in Kings news has been all over the place.
That being said, the Kings have a couple holes to fill. One: the backup goaltender slot, which Jon Rosen covered nicely here. Two: LA is probably looking for a second-pairing defenseman, or at least, a guy that can rotate in with Alec Martinez, Matt Greene, and Brayden McNabb.
So this is the open thread! Here’s a list of the top ten defensemen available, in alphabetical order, for your reference. We’ll update with any news as it comes in.
Francois Beauchemin
He actually feels like a guy the Kings might opt for, but something about him in an LA jersey seems off. Can you tell me what it is? [UPDATE: Signed by Colorado.]
Christian Ehrhoff
Left-shot who’s more comfortable on the right side, and injuries might drive down the price… I could see it.
Cody Franson
Kings went in a different direction at the deadline; has anything changed?
Mike Green
If Oduya or Martin are too big-name, the biggest name of the 2015 class definitely is. [UPDATE: Signed by Detroit.]
Barret Jackman
Chicago and Nashville are front-runners, reportedly. Jackman’s noteworthy Kings connection: this GIF was from a Kings-Blues matchup. [UPDATE: Signed by Nashville.]
Paul Martin
Remember when Martin picked Pittsburgh over LA in 2010? He fits the “one last ride” criteria now. [UPDATE: Signed by San Jose.]
Zbynek Michalek
Due to price, right-shot-ness, and Regehr Replaceability Quotient, a very reasonable fit. [UPDATE: Signed by Arizona.]
Johnny Oduya
Definitely no desperation to sign with an immediate contender, so he’ll probably get overpaid by someone else.
Andrej Sekera
I mean, I’ll be holding out hope until the ink dries on a new contract. [UPDATE: Signed by Edmonton.]
Will LA sign one of these ten defensemen?
| Yes | 83 |
| No, but they’ll sign a different UFA defenseman | 75 |
| No, and they won’t sign any other UFA defensemen | 122 |