The Los Angeles Kings came to terms on a new contract with defenceman Tobias Bjornfot. The contract ends after two years, carrying a $775,000 cap hit each season. This qualifies as a bridge deal, as he remains an RFA upon expiration. He just wrapped up his entry-level deal with the Kings, the same team that drafted him in the first round back in 2019 (18th overall).
We have signed three players to NHL contracts, including:
▪️D Tobias Bjornfot (2 years, $775K)
▪️F Samuel Fagemo (1 year, 2-way, $775K)
▪️F Tyler Madden (1 year, 2-way, $775K)📰 https://t.co/zsmBpuURKJ pic.twitter.com/RVokw76jeO
— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 7, 2023
Tobias Bjornfot Signs New Contract with Los Angeles Kings
In 116 career games, Bjornfot collected one goal and 14 assists for 15 career points. He spent all of 2021-22 with the big club, but only logged ten games (one assist) for LA last year. In the AHL with the Ontario Reign, he accumulated 12 points in 50 games played across 2022-23. He’ll be a player in the Kings training camp hoping to secure his full-time spot again in the NHL.
Last year, Bjornfot saw an uptick in offensive zone utilization while playing with the Kings. Yes, the sample size was small, but his advanced statistics improved drastically. His relative Corsi-for percentage came in at -0.5%, after ranking at -6.9% or worse in all years prior. He averaged 16:28 in icetime across his NHL career, with 103 blocks and 101 hits as well.
What this Means for the Future
The Kings sit just over the league salary cap for next season, so likely need to make another move before the season begins. Otherwise, they have to bury money in the AHL or on injured reserve to become cap compliant. Besides Bjornfot, the Kings have six other defenceman sitting on the NHL roster today. That includes a few lineup mainstays in Drew Doughty, Vladislav Gavrikov, Michael Anderson, and Matt Roy.
They also feature Andreas Englund and Brandt Clarke on the blueline. Clarke, 20, wants to carve out an NHL role after two seasons in the system. His entry-level contract already slid twice, so he still remains on that contract for the next three years. Thanks to the nature of the contract, Bjornfot remains under team control even upon its end in the summer of 2025. With another seven defencemen in their pipeline too, including Kevin Connauton, the Kings have tons of competition set for training camp.
Main Photo Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
