Kings lock in important defensive pillar

LA has signed Owen Power to a long term extension

LOS ANGELES - Kings' GM Kaylen Peterson has already crossed an important task off his to do list: sign cornerstone defenceman Owen Power to a new contract. "Signing Owen to a new deal was at the top of our list" said GM Peterson. "He's a huge part of our future, literally and figuratively. Owen did a tremendous job for us down the stretch playing mostly meaningless games, it was important for us to reward him for that. We told him we're committed to building a winner here and we're very happy he sees the bigger picture the same way we see it."

LA extended Power for 5 years with a $7.9 million cap hit, making him their highest paid player at any position. The Kings are one of the rare teams that may struggle to hit the cap floor in the upcoming season, so the cap hit won't concern them the way it might have for other teams. Handing out maximum term to young players always carries a risk, though, and if Power fails to live up to the potential LA's front office sees in him, they may come to regret this deal towards the end. However, GM Peterson says the Kings understand and feel the risk he won't be worth his contract is low. "He's a gamer" said GM Peterson, "and he's huge. We expect growing pains with Owen like we would with any developing player, but to step in and play the way he plays in the NHL at barely 23 years old, we're confident we have a foundational piece to build a defensive core around and are happy to take on that risk. Owen is a bonafide top-pair defenceman and we're ecstatic to have him locked up long term."

With a Power extension done, the Kings' brass can now set their sights on the 2026 DCHL Entry draft. Thanks to a trade that sent former 7th overall pick in James Hagens to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 4th overall pick in this year's draft, the Kings have two picks inside the top-10. "We all saw the scouting reports released by our colleague in Nashville, and that was just a handful of players. We think there are 12-13 can't-miss prospects in this draft and we're ecstatic to be coming away with three of them" said GM Peterson.

Along with the newly acquired 4th overall pick, LA picks at 6 and at 11. "We've said from the beginning, our goal is to accumulate as many quality young prospects as possible and see who becomes a player. We thought the world of James, he's going to be a heck of a player in Washington. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: you have to give up quality to get quality, and with our depth down the middle, we thought we could afford to let go of James for a top-5 pick."

Who the Kings decide to take is still up for debate, but is certain to be an impact player. Though there is no consensus #1 in this draft, it should still produce a few stars that could change the trajectory of the franchise that picks them. For the Kings, the draft represents one step closer to ending the rebuild.