Laughton agreed to terms on a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Laughton was expected to test the market and wasn't viewed as likely to come back to the Kings. Instead, the 32-year-old center looped back around in free agency and will stabilize Los Angeles' bottom six. Laughton had 13 goals, seven assists, 95 shots on net, 121 hits, 42 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 64 regular-season outings between the Maple Leafs and the Kings last season.
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Kings' Erik Gustafsson: Signs one-year deal
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Gustafsson signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday.
Gustafsson has plenty of NHL experience under his belt, but he spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the minors. He logged four goals, 33 assists and 32 PIM across 39 regular-season appearances with AHL Grand Rapids, and he'll attempt to carve out more playing time at the NHL level with his new team.
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Kings' Jan Jenik: Remaining with Los Angeles
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Jenik signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Kings on Wednesday.
Jenik was traded to the Kings from the Senators in March, and he'll remain with Los Angeles for at least one more season. Across 43 regular-season AHL appearances between Belleville and Ontario in 2025-26, he recorded nine goals, eight assists and 29 PIM.
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Kings' Scott Perunovich: Agrees to two-year contract
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Perunovich signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings on Wednesday.
Perunovich had nine goals, 49 points and 54 PIM in 64 regular-season outings with AHL Tucson in 2025-26. The 27-year-old might be in the mix to start the upcoming season with LA as its seventh defenseman, but there's a good chance Perunovich will end up in the minors.
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Kings' Lane Pederson: Heading to Los Angeles
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Pederson signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, PuckPedia reports.
Pederson's deal will be a two-way agreement for the 2026-27 campaign worth $650,000 at the AHL level and $850,000 at the NHL level before converting to a one-way deal with a $900,000 salary for the 2027-28 season. Pederson made double-digit NHL appearances in three consecutive years between the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons, but he played exclusively in the AHL across the next two seasons. He made just five regular-season NHL appearances for the Flyers last year. He spent most of his time in the minors, recording 23 goals, 25 assists and 44 PIM across 63 regular-season appearances for AHL Lehigh Valley. He'll have an opportunity to get a fresh start in Los Angeles.
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Kings' Corey Perry: Returns to LA
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Perry signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Perry had 17 goals, 37 points and 81 PIM in 72 regular-season outings between Los Angeles and Tampa Bay in 2025-26. He began the campaign with the Kings, but they dealt him to Tampa Bay on March 6 in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick. It seems Perry enjoyed his time in LA enough to return to the team as an unrestricted free agent. The 41-year-old has done a remarkable job of defying his age by continuing to provide a nice balance of grit and offense, but it remains to be seen how much longer he can keep this up. It wouldn't be shocking if Perry dips below 15 goals and 30 points in 2026-27 despite reaching those milestones in each of the past two regular seasons.
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Kings' Mats Zuccarello: Agrees to one-year contract
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Zuccarello signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Zuccarello's new contract includes performance bonuses, so he has the potential to earn more than that $1 million base salary. The 38-year-old had 15 goals and 54 points in 59 regular-season outings with the Wild in 2025-26, which made it his fifth consecutive campaign with over 50 points. He should get a top-six assignment and some power-play ice time with the Kings.
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Kings' Erik Haula: Agrees to two-year deal
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Haula signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, according to PuckPedia.
Haula had 14 goals, 38 points, 64 PIM and 118 hits in 81 regular-season outings with the Predators in 2025-26. The 35-year-old is probably going to serve primarily on Los Angeles' third line over the life of this contract, but he might have stints in the top six if injuries warrant the increased role.
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Kings' Vertti Svensk: Round 5 pick of Kings
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Svensk was the 145th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Svensk's calling card is his mobility. His acceleration and ability to change directions helped him average nearly a point per game (31 points in 33 games) in the Finnish Jr. league and earn an 18-game stint in Finland's top league in which he struggled (one assist) in a limited role. Svensk plays bigger than his size, but at 6-foot, 170 pounds, he doesn't have the frame to log heavy defensive minutes at the NHL level. As a November birthday, Svensk has a little less runway than some of the draft's younger first-year eligible players, but his skating is going to give him a chance to play at the highest level.
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Kings' Thomas Vandenberg: Grabbed by Kings in Round 4
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Vandenberg was the 103rd overall pick by Kings in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Vandenberg arrived in the OHL this past season after spending the 2024-25 campaign in the USHL. He posted 25 goals and 50 points in 59 games for OHL Ottawa before adding seven points in nine playoff appearances. All things considered, Vandenberg had a nice year considering the 67's lacked top-flight offensive weapons. A large portion of the appeal surrounding Vandenberg is his youth. He has an early September birthday and was about a week away from being eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft. Vandenberg adds depth to the Kings' prospect pool. He is a 2026-27 commit to Providence College.
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Kings' Yegor Rybkin: Another goalie picked by Kings
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Rybkin was the 89th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Scouts didn't get very many looks at Rybkin this past season, as he appeared in just 11 games in the Russian Jr. league. He went 5-2 with a 2.56 GAA and .915 save percentage. It's a pretty safe bet that what drew the Kings to Rybkin in the first place is his massive size. Already 6-foot-6 and north of 210 pounds, the big Russian takes up a ton of the net. The No. 2-ranked European goaltender by NHL Central Scouting, Rybkin will continue to develop in his home country for the foreseeable future.
Zielinski was the 80th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
A native of New Jersey, Zielinski joined Des Moines last season and earned a spot on the USHL Third All-Star Team. He racked up 25 goals and 55 points in 53 games. Zielinski has shown the ability to play both center and wing while handling each role responsibly, but he lacks dynamic traits offensively. Still, Zielinski's strong hockey IQ and ability to fill a variety of roles give him a chance to be an immediate contributor at Providence College in 2026-27.
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Kings' Adam Goljer: Slovakian defender joins Kings
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Goljer was the 49th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Goljer spent the entirety of this past season in Slovakia's top league as a 17-year-old. He posted 11 points in 43 regular-season games before finishing the year by being named Best Defenseman at the World U18's, helping his native country to the Silver Medal. Between the size and his huge shot from the point, Goljer brings some intriguing attributes to the table. His offensive game is quite basic, but Goljer plays within himself and doesn't try to do too much with the puck. Overall, this is a projectable second-pairing, stay-at-home defender who has already played a lot of high-level hockey relative to his age.
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Kings' Liam Lefebvre: Overage forward goes at No. 46
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Lefebvre was the 46th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
An overage player who was eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft and wasn't selected, Lefebvre moved on to the CHL this past season and had a great season. He finished with 32 goals and 59 points in 59 games in helping Chicoutimi win the QMJHL title. Although a center by trade, Lefebvre played primarily on the wing during the Sagueneens' playoff run. He's massive at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He also has a big shot and a decent set of wheels. Lefebvre should be able to seize an immediate role upon arriving at the University of Vermont this fall.
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Kings' Drew Doughty: No contract extension this summer
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Doughty will not get a contract extension this summer, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on Saturday.
Kings general manager Ken Holland wants Doughty to finish his career with the team, and he said the contract situation will come into focus after the 2026-27 season. Doughty has spent his entire career with Los Angeles, playing 1,279 regular-season games and putting up 165 goals and 544 assists. He has won two Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014) with the organization. Doughty has also played for Team Canada at the 2010, 2014 and 2026 Olympics, as well as the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Hermansson was the 19th overall pick by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Hermansson's hands are legend -- his passes are lasers, his dangles are delicious and even his Michigan comes with extra swagger. But he sometimes picks the wrong time to execute his biggest moves, and that simply hands the puck back to the opposition. Hermansson's play can also waver without the puck, and sometimes his compete is invisible. The Oilers drafted a guy named Rob Schremp back in 2004 that had exactly the same profile. Look him up. He was the definition of frustrating. Still, Hermansson has already held his own against men, and coaching and commitment can help him get stronger on both sides of the puck. His future as a top-six, power-play winger is entirely up to him.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Signs five-year extension
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Clarke signed a five-year, $37 million contract extension with the Kings on Friday.
Clarke wrapped up his entry-level deal in 2025-26, posting eight goals, 32 assists, 159 shots on net, 185 blocked shots, 63 PIM and a plus-11 rating over 82 regular-season games. His new deal will carry a $7.4 million cap hit. This cements his place in the Kings' future plans and should help the team ease the transition on the blue line as Clarke starts to take over the top role from Drew Doughty. The 23-year-old Clarke should be a popular fantasy pick this year, especially if he retains a spot on the first power-play unit.
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Kings' Francesco Pinelli: Staying with LA
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Pinelli signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings on Wednesday.
The deal is worth $850,000 at the NHL level. Pinelli is coming off the end of his entry-level contract. He had a career-high 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) over 65 regular-season outings for AHL Ontario last year, and he followed up with two points in five playoff games. Pinelli has yet to make his NHL debut, but he could do so if he shows a little more offense in the AHL in 2026-27.
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Kings' Martin Chromiak: Pens two-way deal
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Chromiak agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with Los Angeles on Thursday.
Chromiak has yet to make his NHL debut since being selected by the club in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old winger has spent the past four years playing exclusively in the minors with AHL Ontario, including the 2025-26 campaign, which saw him tally 28 goals and 28 assists in 71 regular-season contests. If he can repeat those offensive numbers at the start of next year, he should earn a call-up sooner rather than later.
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Kings' Aatu Jamsen: Inks two-way deal
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Jamsen signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings on Friday.
Jamsen earned his second contract with the Kings on Friday after signing a two-year, entry-level deal in May of 2024. While he's yet to make his NHL debut, the 23-year-old forward has 23 goals and 39 points across 95 career regular-season games with AHL Ontario. Jamsen will more than likely open the year with the Reign, but he could make his debut with the Kings at some point during the 2026-27 campaign.
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