Los Angeles Kings sign Akil Thomas to one-year, $775,000 contract
The Los Angeles Kings have signed center Akil Thomas to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
We’ve signed forward Akil Thomas to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
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Thomas, 23, was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year entry-level contract that he signed with the Kings that slid an extra year due to not starting his professional career until the 2020-21 season. His new contract sees a $20,000 decrease in pay at the NHL level, and is a two-way contract, although his AHL salary is currently not confirmed.
Thomas’ 2022-23 season with the Ontario Reign in the AHL was cut much shorter than he likely anticipated, as he had to have season-ending surgery for his shoulder in November. He got into just 13 regular season games, where he had five goals, three assists, and eight points.
Thomas was a second-round pick of the Kings in 2018 at 51st overall, with only 12 players selected ahead of him in the draft also not having played an NHL game to this point. He signed his entry-level contract in 2019, and after another season in the OHL, has spent the past three seasons with the Reign, with 24 goals, 23 assists, and 47 points in 93 games.
The Kings have had a busy offseason, making several moves before free agency by offloading Cal Petersen, Sean Walker, and Sean Durzi to clear cap space before then moving Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second round pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Pierre-Luc Dubois, who they locked up to an eight-year extension.
They didn’t make too many big free agent signings, only adding some goaltending depth in Cam Talbot and David Rittich, as well as signing Andreas Englund and reuniting with Trevor Lewis, but they did extend captain Anze Kopitar for two years. They currently find themselves about $750,000 above the salary cap, but are also rumoured to be looking at moving on from Viktor Arvidsson and his $4.25 million cap hit.