The 2024-25 offseason for the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] was a busy one, as they made 5 big signings last year to improve their roster: Joel Armia, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, Corey Perry, and Anton Forsberg. While Perry was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] at the trade deadline, the other 4 players remained with the team. But looking at Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, their signings may not have been necessary had the Kings not traded away Jordan Spence and lost Vladislav Gavrikov to free agency. JORDAN SPENCE Jordan Spence was traded to the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators] in exchange for a 2025 3rd-round pick and a 2026 6th-round pick. The reason Spence was traded was that He may not have been a top-6 defenseman for the Kings, especially given the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings]' focus on Brandt Clarke. Jordan Spence found himself on the outside looking in, which prompted his trade. Jordan Spence, in his first season with the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators], played in 73 games, scoring 7 goals, registering 24 assists for 31 points, while averaging 18 minutes of ice time. Near the end of the season, the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]were dealing with injuries throughout their defence, and Spence stepped up for them. In the playoffs, Spence played nearly 40 minutes, showing that he is more than capable of being a reliable defenseman. VLADISLAV GAVRIKOV The other defenseman the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] lost was Valdislav Gavrikov, as he signed with the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] in free agency. The Kings wanted to keep Gavrikov and were interested in signing him to a long-term deal, but unfortunately, they were unable to, and he signed a 7-year, $49 million deal with the Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers]. In his first season with the Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers], Gavrikov played in all 82 games, scoring a career-high 14 goals and tallying 21 assists for 35 points. While the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] wanted to keep him for his ability to play on both the left and right sides, they were unable to retain him. REPLACING SPENCE AND GAVRIKOV The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings]' losing both Spence and Gavrikov created holes in their defence, as they really only had a top-4 group that consisted of Andersen, Doughty, Edmundson, and Clarke. So on July 1st 2025, the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings]' general manager, Ken Holland, would sign 2 defensemen to become the 3rd pairing. He would sign Cody Ceci to a 4-year, $18 million deal and Brian Dumoulin to a 3-year, $12 million deal. These signings for the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] were viewed negatively, as Holland signed 2 older defensemen to multi-year deals that included 10-team no-move clauses, meaning that if they wanted to trade either Ceci or Dumoulin, they would have to pick teams that those players left out of their 10-team no-trade lists. THE IMPACT OF THE KINGS FUTURE While the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] were one of the better defensive teams in the NHL, the reason these signings have hurt the future of the Kings organization is that, had the Kings been able to sign Gavrikov and keep Spence, their defensive core would look much stronger than it is now. Another problem with the signing of Ceci and Dumoulin is that Jordan Spence is 25 and Vladislav Gavrikov is 30, whereas Ceci is 32 and Dumoulin is 34. With the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] already having a mix of young and older defensemen on their roster, signing Ceci and Dumoulin only made the team older. The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] have a mix of young and older players on the roster, and they need to keep getting younger. After losing Anze Kopitar to retirement and with Drew Doughty having a few seasons left, the Kings cannot rely on Ceci and Dumoulin to be the future of the team. Had the Kings been able to keep Spence and Gavrikov, their defence roster could have looked like: 1. Andersen-Doughty 2. Gavrikov-Clarke 3. Edmundson-Spence While the problem between Spence and the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] was over playing time, had they been able to sort that out, this defensive core would be a very strong one the Kings could rely on when needed, thanks to the combination of veterans and youth in the lineup. Overall, while this defence core is seemingly better than what the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] are today, the likelihood of this lineup ever truly existing was low due to contract and playing-time disputes. Had the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] figured it out, they could have been in a much better position going forward.
