The Los Angeles Kings and restricted free agent winger Alex Laferriere have agreed to a three-year contract, according to multiple league sources.
Frank Seravalli reported that the new deal has an average annual value of $4.1 million. According to PuckPedia, Laferriere will make $3.5 million in 2025-26 and $4.4 million in 2026-27 and 2027-28. The Kings are expected to announce the deal on Saturday.
Laferriere played 81 games as a rookie in 2023-24 and built upon that last season with 19 goals and 23 assists in an increased role. His ice time shot up from 13:13 in his first season to 16:32. He finished sixth in goals and seventh in points amid a well-balanced group of top-nine forwards.
The Kings are getting him at a good rate, given that the strong-skating Laferriere could continue to improve his offensive numbers if he remains on a line with two of their most skilled forwards, Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield. And the three-year term could also set up Laferriere for a much bigger payday if he’s able to put up seasons of 25 to 30 goals.
In June, Kings general manager Ken Holland said he was out to look for a “fair deal” on a shorter term with Laferriere and sounded confident about getting him signed before training camp.
“He wants to be here,” Holland said. “He likes it here. … Real good player, real important player. Guy that can move up the roster. Can play on the third line. He can check. Conscientious. Important guy to this organization.”
If he’s able to improve on his 9.8 shooting percentage and have a larger presence on the power play, Laferriere could become one of the Kings’ top offensive producers. His new deal expires with arbitration-eligible RFA status one year before he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency.
The Kings are effectively done with their significant contractual dealings this summer. But they still could lock up star right wing Adrian Kempe, who will be entering his contract year.
Kempe, 28, tied for the team lead with 35 goals last season and paced the club with 73 points. He’s led the Kings in scoring for the past two seasons, and his 139 goals over the last four seasons are 45 more than the next most prolific scorer on the team.
With the salary cap set to rise even further in 2026-27 after jumping to $95.5 million for this season, Kempe is due to cash in after giving the Kings a ton of production on a four-year contract that carries a $5.5 million cap number. Holland said he wanted to get through free agency and Laferriere’s contract talks before tackling Kempe’s expected big deal, which would start in 2026-27.
“I’m not going to trade him,” Holland said. “He loves it here. Wants to be here. We want to keep him.”
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)