The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed left-winger Alex Iafallo to a four-year deal worth $4 million per season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the deal on Monday.
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Alex Iafallo Re-Signs with Kings
Since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Iafallo has really started to figure out his game and progress as a player. In the 2019-20 NHL season, Iafallo scored 17 goals and 26 assists for a total of 43 points in 70 games played. This was his career-high, and he did it in fewer games than any of his prior seasons.
So far this season, the 27-year-old wing has continued to show growth and consistent production. In 38 games played, he has 10 goals and 14 assists for a total of 24 points. This gives him a points-per-game pace of 0.63, putting him on pace to score about 52 points in a full 82-game NHL season.
What He Adds
For starters, he is a very solid defensive player. He is a responsible winger whose coach should trust him in all three zones of the ice. He is an incredibly hard worker as well. You will rarely see Iafallo shy away from a puck battle, regardless of which zone it’s in, and you will rarely see him lose one as well. He is a great example of a modern-day power forward. He has speed, grit, the ability to start a play, and the ability to finish a play.
Overall, Iafallo is a dependable complimentary winger who can be utilized in just about any situation. He fits in nicely anywhere in the top nine forwards of the lineup. While he can be a decently productive scorer, his stats may be slightly inflated due to his deployment and linemates with Los Angeles. He has spent the majority of his career there playing on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, as well as getting time on the top power-play unit.