The LA Kings took an important step toward competing for another Stanley Cup, acquiring the rights of Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala for a first-round pick in next month’s draft and 2020 second-round pick Brock Faber.
After acquiring Fiala, Kings GM Rob Blake extended the Swiss-born winger to a lucrative seven-year contract at a $7.875 million AAV.
Fiala, 25, is now the second-highest paid forward and third-highest player on the Kings roster.
After the dust has settled, the Kings will have just under $12 million in available cap space, per our friends at CapFriendly.
Coming off a career year in which he tallied 33 goals and 85 points, Fiala gives the Kings a legitimate top-six scoring forward.
Now Blake will be tasked with re-signing key restricted free agents in Adrian Kempe, Mikey Anderson, Sean Durzi, and Carl Grundstrom, among others.
Can he make all the puzzle pieces fit?