Free agency has begun, and the Kings have been active in signing Mats Zuccarello and Corey Perry. Los Angeles secured two valuable veterans while keeping them on team-friendly deals.
At the end of the 2026 season, there was a clear objective for General Manager Ken Holland. That objective is to improve the offense by any means necessary.
“What needs to happen here over the next couple of months as I look at our team, said Holland. “Like I said were 29th in goals scored. We got to score more goals.”
Los Angeles needed offense, and they managed to steal one of the best players on the Minnesota Wild. Last season, Zuccarello recorded the third most points for the third-best team in the Western Conference standings.
Zuccarello notched in 54 points, which would've been the second-highest point total for the Kings last season. The 38-year-old winger is expected to carry a great offensive load and be a threat in a top-six role.
In addition to helping the overall offense, Zuccarello will be a drastic boost to the Kings’ power play. Last season, Zuccarello recorded 21 points on power plays while not a single King had 20 power play points.
The Kings had a bottom five offense and power play, but those problems can be addressed in 2027. Zuccarello provides strengths in both of those areas, which will immediately improve the Kings' two biggest weaknesses.
Similar to Zuccarello, Perry was also brought in to Los Angeles to add a spark on offense. One year earlier, the Kings added Perry in the 2025 offseason to help with scoring and physicality.
Although the Kings ended up trading Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning, there’s a reason he’s coming back one year later. Perry was an integral player for the Kings in his short tenure with the team.
Perry only played 50 games in Los Angeles, but he recorded 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points. Perry had two separate stretches in October and January where he had five straight games with at least one point.
There were times when Perry had to be the focal point for the Kings offense and that saved them early in the season. Los Angeles has seen results of Perry performing well with the team. There’s a good indication he can do it again.
Both Zuccarello and Perry were signed to one-year, $1 million contracts which are complete steals for the Kings. Despite the limited cap space, Los Angeles brought in players to shape up the offense.
A ripple effect for the Kings to improve their team started with the Zuccarello and Perry signings. Erik Haula was able to sign with the Kings because Los Angeles saved money on the contracts with Zuccarello and Perry.
This offseason free agency has gone in the right direction for the Kings and Los Angeles already looks like an improved roster. The Kings are in prime position to see an improved offense that elevates this team in the Western Conference.
