Los Angeles Kings: Riley Nash, Center
For the Kings’ sake, we hope the cap does go up to at least $80 million. Right now, they’re looking at $4 million in space if it doesn’t. The good news for them is they don’t have really any player who needs signing other than Tobias Rieder who is a restricted free agent. Aside from Rieder, Los Angeles has three guys who will hit the open market. The issue is next year, but that’s for another time.
The Kings are pretty set on defense and goaltending. Drew Doughty is locked in until next summer and goalie Jonathan Quick is signed through the end of the calendar century. What they do need in spades is scoring depth. That was evident when they couldn’t find the back of the net to save their lives against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Quarterfinals.
This is another spot where a Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon would make sense for points and goals, but Riley Nash is a tad younger and proved his mettle while playing for a very good Bruins club. He may look for around $3 million, but that won’t kill Los Angeles who are expected to have $8 million to $10 million available. Nash would be a nice fit playing alongside or behind Anze Kopitar or Jeff Carter, and his 15 goals and 41 points will help give the offense a facelift. The caveat is that this was a breakout year for Nash, so it could be a small risk if he doesn’t produce the same next season. That said, he is a former first rounder, so getting him at $3 million a season could be a steal if he’s simply coming into his own.