In the 13th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Los Angeles Kings.
During the offseason the Kings added five players from different teams that are expected to be regulars on the roster throughout the year. They are forwards Corey Perry of Haileybury, Ontario and Joel Armia of Pori, Finland, defensemen Cody Ceci of Ottawa, Ontario and Brian Dumoulin of Biddeford, Maine and goaltender Anton Forsberg of Harnosand, Sweden.
Corey Perry
Perry and Armia are projected to be on the Kings fourth line alongside Samuel Helenius. Perry, who signed a one-year contract worth $2 million, is joining his seventh NHL franchise. He is best known for his time with the Ducks, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2007 and the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy in 2011.
This past season with the Edmonton Oilers, Perry had 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points. There was speculation that the Oilers really wanted to keep Perry on the roster, but could not make it happen from a financial perspective.
Joel Armia
The Kings signed Armia to a two year contract worth $5 million. Armia joins a Kings team known for its European forwards. The list includes Anze Kopitar of Jesenice, Slovenia, Andrei Kuzmenko of Yakutsk, Russia, Adrian Kempe of Kramfors, Sweden, and Kevin Fiala of St. Gallen, Switzerland. This past season, Armia had 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 81 games this past season with Montreal. It was his seventh season with the Canadiens after one game with the Buffalo Sabres and three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets.
Cody Ceci
The Kings signed Ceci to a four-year contract worth $18 million. Like Perry, Ceci is joining his seventh NHL franchise. It is interesting that new Kings General Manager Ken Holland is bringing Perry and Ceci to LA as they were all in Edmonton together. In 2024-25, Ceci had 24 points (four goals and 20 assists) in 85 games with the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars.
Brian Dumoulin
Joining Ceci on the Kings’s third defensive pairing is Dumoulin, who signed a three-year deal worth $12 million. Dumoulin won two Stanley Cups in his time with the Penguins, before playing with the Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils over the last two seasons. In 2024-25, he had three goals and 19 assists for 22 points in 80 games with the Devils and Ducks.
Anton Forsberg
Forsberg will be a backup goaltender this season to Darcy Kuemper. He has previously played for Columbus, Chicago, Carolina and Ottawa. In 30 games this past season for the Senators, Forsberg had a record of 11 wins and 12 regulation losses and three losses in extra time, with a goals against average of 2.72, save percentage of .901 and three shutouts. Forsberg’s contract is for two years and $4.5 million.
Projected Grade
The Kings have a grade of C for what they did in the offseason. You could argue that the Kings overpaid for Dumoulin and Ceci, and took chances on a 40-year-old Perry and a jouneyman goalie that has a career goals against average of 3.04. The signing of Armia is fine, but don’t expect a ton of offense, as he has never had more than 30 points in a season.
