News broke on late Saturday afternoon that the Los Angeles Kings have gotten Alex Turcotte signed a three-year contract. The deal is for a total of $2.325 million with an average cap hit of $775,000. This contract runs through the end of the 2026-27 season.
🗣️ TURCS
We have signed forward Alex Turcotte to a 3 year contract worth an AAV of $775K.
Full Release 📲 https://t.co/XU8y1lVocw @Enterprise | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/nNWrK7wK5r
— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 22, 2024
Alex Turcotte Signed by Kings
Turcotte has played part of three seasons with the club. He netted his first NHL goal on January 28 against the St. Louis Blues. The 23-year-old also supplied three assists to get a total of four points in 20 games. He had a Corsi for of 53.7 and a relative Corsi of 5.7.
The Elk Grove, Ill. native split time last season between Los Angeles and the AHL Ontario Reign. He tallied 29 points (10-19=29) in 35 regular-season games with the Reign. The 5-foot, 11-inch forward also totaled two goals and two assists in the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs.
Los Angeles originally drafted Turcotte in the first round, fifth overall of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s been mostly with the Reign during his pro career. However, he’s gotten more time with the big club the last two seasons.
Turcotte has also represented the United States in four different tournaments. He was part of the gold-medal winning squad at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships.
What It Means
This seems like a low-cost deal that will hopefully see Turcotte take the next step. Kings General Manager knows the pressure is on to go deeper in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Blake and new head coach Jim Hiller are hoping Turcotte can get more game time and be a contributor.
Tucotte has had strong stints with the U.S. National Team Development Program and in Wisconsin. However, that success has yet to come at the professional level. Some changes in the roster could mean that Turcotte gets more of a chance at the NHL level. The former high draft choice is itching for his opportunity.
Main photo by: Jason Mowry-USA TODAY Sports
