Like every July 1, a lot of teams were making moves to ship guys out and bring guys in - all in hopes of strengthening their teams for the foreseeable future.

Blake stuck to his guns and didn’t make a splash today, but more of a spritz, signing defenseman Joakim Ryan to a one-year, one-way contract at $725K and forward Martin Frk to a one-year, two-way contract at $700K.

I actually really like this move - or the idea behind it.

It’s a very low risk. These guys are stop-gaps that can do a few things:

1. Gives you a little bit of depth up front and on the backend
2. Could help take some pressure off some of the developing kids
3. As cheap options, there’s no gamble - if they underperform or get beat out by the youth movement, there’s no real big loss
4. Both guys get a chance to show they can play at the NHL level, so they should be hungry

Ryan has 106 NHL games under his belt with the Sharks, where he has tallied 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists). He was a seventh-round (198th overall) pick in the 2012 draft.

From NHL.com:

“The 26-year-old Ryan (born June 17, 1993) appeared in 44 games last season with the San Jose Sharks, posting seven points (0-7=7) and 15 penalty minutes. The Rumson, New Jersey native also played in 20 postseason games during the 2019 playoffs, recording one point (0-1=1).”

Frk (25) comes to LA with some NHL experience where he spent time in Deteoit and Carolina. He seems like a bubble guy, bouncing back-and-forth between the big show and the A - obviously why he has the two-way deal.

From NHL.com:

“The Pelhrimov, Czech Republic native has appeared in 100 career NHL games between the Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes, posting 31 points (12-19=31) and 18 penalty minutes. In 227 AHL games he has posted 132 points (68-84=132) and 191 penalty minutes.

During the 2017 AHL playoffs, the former second-round pick (49th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings registered 15 points (5-10=15), a plus-3 rating and 20 penalty minutes to help Grand Rapids win the Calder Cup Championship. He tallied two points (1-1=2), including the game-winning goal in the championship clinching game against Syracuse.”

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While it’s not in the cards for the Kings to have “Christmas in July,” I think this move gives them a little depth and flexibility. Again, these guys probably aren’t going to be game-changers, but I think they can be moved in and out of the lineup depending on how some of the young guns perform and develop.

Curious to see what (if any) other moves are made. Do you guys think we’ll see anything else? Maybe a contract offloaded?

Guess we’ll have to keep watching...

Go Kings Go
👑👑👑

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