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For a fourth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Kings returned to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for a fourth straight time. The Kings brought in Ken Holland to be the new GM, and he made some solid moves in the NHL Free Agency. His latest move was to re-sign Alex Laferriere to a three-year contract extension, in a deal that was beneficial to both sides.
It has been a solid summer of 2025 for Holland and the Kings. They did lose Vladislav Gavrikov to the New York Rangers, and they also traded Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators. Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin join the team as replacement options. The team would lose backup goaltender David Rittich, but potentially upgrade with the signing of Anton Forsberg. LA also added Corey Perry and Joel Armia to add depth to the forwards. Finally, the Kings retained Andrei Kuzmenko. After the new contract for Laferriere, the team will have just under $3.5 million in cap space left to work with.
Laferriere was the 83rd overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft. He would spend two campaigns at Harvard before breaking into the NHL in 2023-24. The New Jersey native has missed just six games in his NHL career, while lighting the lamp 31 times and adding 34 assists.
The Kings bring back young potential
In 2024-25, the winger was seventh on the team in points, amassing 42 points. He was also sixth on the team in goals, finding the back of the net 19 times. This was a solid progression season for the forward. While playing in four fewer games, he would chip in seven more goals while adding 12 more assists. Further, Laferriere also saw his ice time increase by over three minutes per game.
It is his advanced statistics that show the most improvement year over year. The American-born forward was involved in scoring on a more regular basis in 5v5 situations. In 5v5 situations in 2023-24, he has just 20 points, but in 2024-25, he compiled 36. Further, his IPP, the Individual Point Percentage, which measures the percentage of times a player registers a point when a goal is scored with him on the ice, went up nearly five percentage points. Laferriere also saw his expected goals, high danger scoring chances created, and shooting percentage all increase in the 2024-25 campaign.
The winger became more of a two-way forward as well, seeing his defensive statistics increase. He improved by 15 blocked shots and ten hits from the previous season. He was also more disciplined on defense, cutting his penalty minutes in half.
There is still work to do for the former Harvard player. While there was an increase in icetime on the powerplay, his production increase did not match. He nearly tripled his time on ice on the powerplay, but had just one more point. If the Kings are going to get the most out of this contract, Laferriere will need to become a powerplay threat at some point in his progression.
Final thoughts and grade on the Alex Laferriere contract
The Kings will be spending $4.1 million per year for the next three years on this deal. He will also still be a restricted free agent at the end of this deal, which could be beneficial to the franchise. The forward will also be turning just 24-years old this year. Meanwhile, if he continues to improve and produce at a rate greater than that of 2023-24, this could be a solid financial deal signed by the front office. An effective contract gets one point for every $100,000 of salary from a player. Considering that Laferriere scored 42 points in 2024-25, if he continues to produce, this will be a solid move for Los Angeles.
For Laferriere, this is also a great deal. He gets three years to continue to prove his worth, and got a deal well within the expected range of salary. Furthermore, he is expected to stay on a line with Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield. This will help both Laferriere and Byfield continue to grow and improve their game together. While he does not hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal, there is still a positive. He can re-sign a short-term deal with the Kings to hit unrestricted free agency quickly, or use his leverage for a long-term deal or trade if he continues his progress.
There is an aspect of the forward betting on himself with this deal, but considering his progressions already, it may have been a smart move. Overall, both sides got what they needed. The Kings brought back a solid second-line forward at a cost that keeps them with some cap flexibility, while Laferriere gets over $12 million to keep growing in a positive situation.
Los Angeles Kings grade: A
Alex Laferriere grade: A-
