Kings sign Tyler Toffoli to two-year contract
The Los Angeles Kings took care of one of their biggest offseason priorities on Friday when they signed restricted free agent winger Tyler Toffoli to a two-year contract.
By
Chris Peters
•
1 min read
The Los Angeles Kings got one of their biggest offseason priorities taken care of Friday by signing restricted free agent forward Tyler Toffoli to a two-year contract. The team did not release the final terms of the deal, but Toffoli's contract comes with a $3.25 million annual average according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
Toffoli is coming off of a strong sophomore campaign with the Kings, posting 23 goals and 49 points in 76 games. The 23-year-old was also an integral part of the 2014 Stanley Cup team, having posted seven goals and 14 points during the Cup run.
The two-year bridge deal allows the Kings to not overcommit early while dealing with significant salary cap issues both next season and beyond. They’re going to have to move some salary out, but Toffoli’s potential makes him a player definitely worth keeping.
The $3.25 million cap hit is manageable now, but if Toffoli keeps progressing as he has, he could stand to earn a huge raise for the Kings by the time this deal expires.
Kings GM Dean Lombardi has a lot more work to do.
The team has to either re-sign or trade RFA backup goalie Martin Jones, who could be Jonathan Quick’s eventual heir as starter. They also have to start talking long-term extension with Anze Kopitar, who will be playing on the last year of his current deal in 2015-16. There’s also the question about what to do with Mike Richards and his albatross contract. All of those moves have both short-term and long-term ramifications.
By getting Toffoli done on a two-year deal, it at least solves one short-term problem and ends the speculation that he could have been a target for an offer sheet in restricted free agency.
