The Los Angeles Kings have pulled the trigger on the first big trade of the 2022 NHL offseason. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Kings have agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Wild that will send star forward Kevin Fiala to Los Angeles in exchange for the Kings' 2022 first-round pick as well as Brock Faber, who is currently the captain at the University of Minnesota.
According to sources, the #mnwild have traded the rights to pending restricted free agent Kevin Fiala to the #lakings for their 2022 first-round pick and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 29, 2022
Fiala is set to hit restricted free agency this offseason, meaning the Kings likely have a deal lined up to keep him in Los Angeles on a multi-year contract. Fiala was expected to be in for a big payday in the offseason, with some reports suggesting he could fetch north of $50 million over six years, for an average annual value of roughly $8.5 million.
That would make Fiala the second-highest paid forward on the Kings, behind only Anze Kopitar who pockets $10 million per year, and is under contract through the 2023-24 season. The Kings also have to make decisions on their own restricted free agents, including key pieces such as Adrian Kempe and Brendan Lemieux, as well as unrestricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou.
Last season for the Wild, Fiala played in all 82 regular-season games. He registered 85 points, including 33 goals and 52 assists. He was Minnesota's second-leading points getter, behind only Kirill Kaprizov (108).
The Wild will receive the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, as well as the rights to Faber, who was the Kings' second-round selection in 2020, 45th overall. Considering Fiala was not expected to return to Minnesota in free agency, getting a first-round pick for him is a solid coup for the Wild, who no longer have to make the decision on whether or not to extend the 25-year-old's stay in St. Paul.
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