Helleson, 24, returned on a deal that will pay him an annual average value of $1.1 million.

He spent the first month or last season in the minors but came up to play 56 NHL games. He had a +6 rating and 13 points manning the right side of the Ducks’ third pairing overwhelmingly, playing over 16 minutes per game.

The Farmington, Minnesota, native was a friend of Jackson LaCombe growing up and their reunion with the Ducks has been fruitful. Former coach Greg Cronin said that Helleson’s arrival boosted the confidence and morale of LaCombe, who enjoyed a breakout season that saw him turn around his shaky rookie campaign 180 degrees to become the Ducks’ top blue-liner.

Now, Helleson and LaCombe will be part of a group that added Chris Kreider via trade, Mikael Granlund through free agency and Joel Quenneville from the coaching market. Thus far, their defense has remained unchanged from the end of last season.

Helleson’s re-signing comes one day after the Ducks committed $32.5 million over five years to lock up Lukáš Dostál, their uncontested No. 1 goalie following his stellar 2024-25 and the trade of John Gibson to Detroit.

Among restricted free agents without contracts are a pair of former Western Michigan standouts, Sam Colangelo and Tim Washe, and 2021’s No. 3 overall draft pick, Mason McTavish. Since Dostál had arbitration rights and McTavish did not, it seemed logical that the Ducks would attend to Dostál’s deal first.

Even with the signings of the past two days, the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks have the most cap space of any NHL team, over $21 million, per PuckPedia. That should protect them against offer sheets for McTavish and enable them to not only retain their remaining RFAs, but also explore opportunities to add talent.

Dostál, 25, announced his own signing via Ducks social media channels on Thursday morning.

He’s come light years from a tiny town outside Brno where he began his journey to NHL stardom.

“I look at myself in the mirror and I always see myself as being a kid from a village with 300 people in it,” Dostál said. “It’s a good reminder that if you have a dream and you want to chase it, there’s always a possibility to reach it.”

Dostál said the deal was finalized late Wednesday night, and while he was looking ahead to his morning workout, he had to fit in a call home to parents Martin and Renata before bed.

“Right away, I called my dad, like, ‘Hey, it’s done, these are the numbers, we can chat more the next day,’” Dostál said. “My dad didn’t want to hang up the phone, he just wanted to talk to me. It’s a big moment for my family.”

Last season, he led one of the NHL’s top goaltending tandems with veteran John Gibson. The longtime Duck was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in June, and now Czech countryman Petr Mrázek will serve as Dostál’s backup.

Dostál said he reached out to Gibson when he was dealt, saying the pair had a strong “professional relationship” and that he gleaned quite a bit from Gibson. Now, Dostál is the uncontested starter.

“Lukáš has proven he is a No. 1 goaltender and we are so pleased to get this deal done,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”

Dostál went 23-23-7 with a .903 save percentage last season, but given his team’s typically poor possession numbers and high shot volume against, he was one of the top goalies in the NHL in terms of goals saved above expected.

Just before solidifying himself at the NHL level, Dostál was the lynchpin in Czechia’s run to World Championship gold on home soil in the spring of 2024. In February, he will likely reprise his role as No. 1 netminder in Milan at the Winter Olympics, the first tournament with NHL participation since 2014.

“It’s a massive honor. The NHL players are coming back, and it’s nice that I can be a part of that wave,” Dostál said. “I’m going to be 25, and representing the Czech Republic (at that age) is going to be really cool.”

Dostál is part of a young Ducks core that also includes half a dozen top-10 picks as well as top defenseman Jackson LaCombe. He said the mid-range term of his pact – he could have signed for as many as eight years or as few as one – represented a mutual desire between him and the Ducks.

“We are a rising team, I truly believe that. That’s why we agreed to a long-term deal,” said Dostál, whose contract covers two arbitration-eligible years as restricted free agent and three unrestricted free agent campaigns.

Remaining unsigned for the Ducks are RFAs Mason McTavish, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021; Drew Helleson, a solid contributor on right defense and close friend of LaCombe; Sam Colangelo, who spruced up the third line once he was called up for good last season; and Tim Washe, who joined the Ducks for two games at the end of last season after winning the NCAA championship with Western Michigan.

Yet hope springs eternal, and with a deeper forward group and a reconfigured defense, the Kings will take the ice for these six must-see contests.

Oct. 7: vs. Colorado Avalanche

As part of a nationally televised tripleheader, the Kings will help ignite the 2025-26 campaign as they host the Avs. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and a healthy Gabriel Landeskog will try to crash the party, while Kings fans will get their first look at heel-turned-face Corey Perry in a black-and-silver sweater. The Avs’ lightning-paced attack will be a great first test for the Kings’ new-look defense – outgoing were Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence, incoming were Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin – since Colorado has captured 14 of the past 18 meetings with the Kings.

Nov. 28: at Ducks

With the Ducks edging toward .500 last season and making some notable upgrades over the summer, the Freeway Faceoff could be back. The first of four installments will unfold at Honda Center, where Perry plied his trade for 14 campaigns, including winning the Hart Trophy in 2011 and being an enormous thorn in the Kings’ side seemingly every year. Dumoulin was a Duck for most of 2024-25, though he finished the year with a playoff team, the New Jersey Devils.

Dec. 2: vs. Washington Capitals

While Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois have already both returned to Los Angeles once, the absence of Roy will still be felt and the aftershocks from the miserably failed Dubois acquisition still reverberate through each level of the Kings organization. The Capitals catapulted to the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings last season, the same campaign in which captain Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s hallowed mark for career NHL goals.

Jan. 20: vs. New York Rangers

Though Jonathan Quick didn’t start either matchup with the Kings last season, he’ll be back with the Rangers again and this time he’ll be joined by another former King. At the 2025 trade deadline, then-GM Rob Blake said Gavrikov would soon be signing a long-term contract. Four months later, he did – with the Rangers. The Kings committed the same $8.5 million he and Spence will make this season to Dumoulin and Ceci, moves that The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn described as “subtraction by addition” in an analysis that placed the Kings as having the biggest drop in roster quality year-over-year.

Feb. 6-24: Winter Olympics in Milan

After a 12-year absence, the NHL is back at the Olympics and its contingent is sure to include some Kings. Adrian Kempe (Sweden) and Drew Doughty (Canada) represented their countries at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Kempe is a lock to return to the Tre Kronor and Doughty has long been known to elevate his game when sporting a maple leaf on his chest. With the field expanding from four teams to 12, Kevin Fiala (Switzerland) will undoubtedly head to Italy as well.

April 11: vs. Edmonton Oilers

The Kings and rival Edmonton will square off only three times this season, with two clashes at Crypto.com Arena. In Game 79 of the Kings’ season, they’ll measure up against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the squad that’s sent them fishing in each of the past four postseasons. Given that Vegas reeled in the offseason’s biggest fish, Mitch Marner, and might not be done, it’s far from inconceivable that the Kings and Oilers would meet in a fifth consecutive first-round series, with this matchup setting the scene and maybe even influencing the venue.

KINGS 2025-26 SCHEDULE

Oct. 7 vs. Colorado, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Winnipeg, 10:30 a.m.

Oct. 13 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 vs. Carolina, 6 p.m.

Oct. 21 at St. Louis, 5 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Dallas, 5 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Nashville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Chicago, 4 p.m.

Oct. 28 at San Jose, 8 p.m.

Oct. 30 vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 vs. New Jersey, 6 p.m.

Nov. 4 vs. Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 6 vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Pittsburgh, 11 a.m.

Nov. 11 at Montreal, 4 p.m.

Nov. 13 at Toronto, 4 p.m.

Nov. 15 at Ottawa, 4 p.m.

Nov. 17 at Washington, 4 p.m.

Nov 20 at San Jose, 7 p.m.

Nov. 21 vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 24 vs. Ottawa, 6 p.m.

Nov. 28 at Ducks, 1 p.m.

Nov. 29 vs. Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Dec. 2 vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m.

Dec. 8 at Utah, 6 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

Dec. 13 vs. Calgary, 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 at Dallas, 5 p.m.

Dec. 17 at Florida, 4 p.m.

Dec. 18 at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.

Dec 22 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.

Dec. 23 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27 vs. Ducks, 6 p.m.

Dec 29 at Colorado, 6 p.m.

Jan. 1 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 vs. Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Jan. 5 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 7 vs. San Jose, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9 at Winnipeg, 5 p.m.

Jan. 10 at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Jan 12 vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14 vs. Vegas, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 vs. Ducks, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17 at Ducks, 7 p.m.

Jan. 20 vs. New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 24 at St. Louis, 5 p.m.

Jan 26 at Columbus, 4 p.m.

Jan. 27 at Detroit, 4 p.m.

Jan. 29 at Buffalo, 4 p.m.

Jan. 31 at Philadelphia, 9:30 a.m.

Feb. 1 at Carolina, noon

Feb. 4 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5 at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Feb. 25 vs. Vegas, 7 p.m.

Feb. 26 vs. Edmonton, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 28 vs. Calgary, 4 p.m.

March 2 vs. Colorado, 7:30 p.m.

March 5 vs. New York Islanders, 6:30 p.m.

March 7 vs. Montreal, 4 p.m.

March 10 at Boston, 4 p.m.

March 13 at New York Islanders, 4 p.m.

March 14 at New Jersey, 4 p.m.

March 16 at New York Rangers, 4 p.m.

March 19 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

March 21 vs. Buffalo, 1 p.m.

March 22 at Utah, 6 p.m.

March 24 at Calgary, 6 p.m.

March 26 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

March 28 vs. Utah, 6 p.m.

April 1 vs. St. Louis, 6 p.m.

April 2 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.

April 4 vs. Toronto, 4 p.m.

April 6 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.

April 9 vs. Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.

April 11 vs. Edmonton, 1 p.m.

April 13 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

April 14 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

April 16 at Calgary, 6 p.m.

Here’s a quick peek at the six games that aren’t to be missed this season.

Oct. 14: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

After a quick swing through Seattle and San Jose, the Ducks will kick off the home portion of their schedule against the Pittsburgh Penguins and perhaps the greatest player of his generation, Sidney Crosby.  Crosby’s Pens have missed the playoffs three years in a row – the Ducks’ drought is seven seasons – but they won Stanley Cup titles in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Those three championships were equaled in the post-lockout era only by the Chicago Blackhawks, who won it all in 2010, 2013 and 2015 under new Ducks coach Joel Quenneville.

Oct. 19: at Chicago Blackhawks

This early-season visit to the Madhouse on Madison was already significant thanks to the showdown between 2023’s top two picks, Chicago’s Connor Bedard and the Ducks’ Leo Carlsson. Now, the plot thickened as Quenneville joined the Ducks. He’d returned to Chicago previously with the Florida Panthers, though only once outside the crowdless conditions of the COVID pandemic. Quenneville hoisted the Stanley Cup in Chicago three times, but his tenure was later marred by what the NHL deemed inadequate action to a sexual assault scandal, leaving him barred from the league for nearly three years.

Dec. 15: at New York Rangers

It’ll be the first game back in the Big Apple for a pair of players who wore letters for the Rangers, former captain Jacob Trouba and former alternate captain Chris Kreider. Trouba was traded to the Ducks last season after they’d already played at Madison Square Garden and Kreider was sent west over the summer. Both were not only critical contributors on the ice for the Blue Shirts, but pillars of the community as well. While Kreider’s departure was handled with care, Trouba was less than thrilled about how the Rangers pushed their Mark Messier Leadership Award winner out the door.

Jan. 6: at Philadelphia Flyers; March 18: vs Philadelphia Flyers

What instantaneously became the biggest interconference rivalry in the league today only deepened its intrigue over the summer. Last season, the Philadelphia crowd went insane while welcoming Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier, who had refused to sign with the Flyers after they drafted him fifth overall, sparking a 6-0 romp by Philly. This year, not only will Gauthier hear the hate on Broad Street, but former Duck Trevor Zegras should feel the love inside the Honda Center. The former team leader in scoring was dealt unceremoniously to the Flyers this offseason and will make his return to Anaheim in March.

Feb. 6-24: Winter Olympics in Milan

It’s another campaign with a compressed schedule for 2025-26, this time for the first Winter Olympics since 2014 that will feature NHL pros in the ultimate best-on-best tournament. Carlsson was the only Duck to participate in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, but should he go to Milan as well he will likely be joined by goalie Lukáš Dostál (Czechia), captain Radko Gudas (Czechia), newcomer Mikael Granlund (Finland) and other hopefuls, including Kreider (USA).

April 16: at Nashville Predators

Will Game 82 carry real significance for the Ducks this season? As they visit one of the freshly acquired Granlund’s former teams, the Ducks could be playing for a postseason berth or playoff position. They haven’t been in such a position since 2018, when they were swept by San Jose in the first round. With the O.C. Vibe complex opening, Quenneville arriving and Ducks ownership opening its checkbook wide, ambition has returned to Orange County.

DUCKS 2025-26 SCHEDULE

Oct. 9 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at San Jose, 7 p.m.

Oct. 14 vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16 vs. Carolina, 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Chicago, 4 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Nashville, 5 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Boston, 4 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m.

Oct. 28 at Florida, 4 p.m.

Oct. 31 vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 vs. New Jersey, 5 p.m.

Nov. 4 vs. Florida, 7 p.m.

Nov. 6 at Dallas, 5 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Vegas, 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 vs. Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

Nov. 11 at Colorado, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 at Detroit, 4 p.m.

Nov 15 at Minnesota, 3 p.m.

Nov. 17 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

Nov. 19 vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

Nov. 20 vs. Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Nov 22 vs. Vegas, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 vs. Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Nov 28 vs. Kings, 1 p.m.

Nov. 30 at Chicago, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 at St. Louis, 5 p.m.

Dec. 3 vs. Utah, 7 p.m.

Dec. 5 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

Dec. 7 vs. Chicago, 5 p.m.

Dec. 9 at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m.

Dec. 11 at New York Islanders, 4 p.m.

Dec. 13 at New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.

Dec. 15 at New York Rangers, 4 p.m.

Dec. 16 at Columbus, 4 p.m.

Dec. 19 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.

Dec. 20 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Kings, 6 p.m.

Dec. 29 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m.

Dec. 31 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

Jan. 2 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 at Washington, 4 p.m.

Jan. 6 at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.

Jan. 8 at Carolina, 4 p.m.

Jan. 10 at Buffalo, 4 p.m.

Jan. 13 vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 at Kings, 7:30 p.m.

Jan 17 vs. Kings, 7 p.m.

Jan. 19 vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Colorado, 6 p.m.

Jan 23 at Seattle, 7 p.m.

Jan. 25 at Calgary, 5 p.m.

Jan. 26 at Edmonton, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 29 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs. Vegas, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.

Feb. 25 vs. Edmonton, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 27 vs. Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

March 1 vs. Calgary, 5 p.m.

March 3 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.

March 4 vs. New York Islanders, 7 p.m.

March 6 vs. Montreal, 6 p.m.

March 8 vs. St. Louis, 6 p.m.

March 10 at Winnipeg, 5:30 p.m.

March 12 at Toronto, 4 p.m.

March 14 at Ottawa, 10 a.m.

March 15 at Montreal, 4  p.m.

March 18 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

March 20 at Utah, 7 p.m.

March 22 vs. Buffalo, 5 p.m.

March 24 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

March 26 at Calgary, 6 p.m.

March 28 at Edmonton, 12:30 p.m.

Mar 30 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.

April 1 at San Jose, 7 p.m.

April 3 vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.

April 4 vs. Calgary, 7 p.m.

April 7 vs. Nashville, 7 p.m.

April 9 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m.

April 12 vs. Vancouver, 5 p.m.

April 14 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

April 16 at Nashville, 5 p.m.

Clang, 23, has 68 games of experience with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, where he will compete for starts among a crowded group of goalies that includes veteran Ville Husso, recently arrived prospect Damian Clara and a healthy Tomas Suchanek after the Czech national missed last season with a knee injury. The ECHL could be an option for the recovering Suchanek while Clara – he divided last season between San Diego, Sweden and Finland – could have options abroad as he prepares to represent host nation Italy at the Olympics.

Clang was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft (No. 77 overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins and was traded to the Ducks in March of 2022 as part of the package they received in return for forward Rickard Rakell.

He has represented Sweden internationally in junior competition, winning gold at the U18 World Juniors and bronze at the U20 level.

Myšák, 23, was acquired near the 2024 trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jacob Perreault. Myšák went 48th overall in 2020 to the Habs.

His game revolves around effort, energy, diligence and forechecking. Yet he posted a respectable 42 points in 68 games with the Gulls last season, doubling his scoring output from the campaign prior.

He has skated for Czechia, including captaining their U20 side and being named to the tournament all-star team. In 2021, he arrived in North America and his first junior season in Canada saw his Hamilton Bulldogs win the 2022 J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions and become finalists for the Memorial Cup.

Lord, 40, had been around El Segundo and the Inland Empire a bit for various camps when he guided the Kings’ ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, from 2020-24. Now, he’s back to run the much more directly connected AHL club, the Ontario Reign.

“I’m really aligned with the organization [in terms of] culture, structure, details and competitive nature. I feel like my coaching style really blends with that. I’m super excited,” Lord said.

Earlier this offseason, new GM Ken Holland alluded to a potential hire falling through, though Lord declined to comment on the hiring process on Tuesday.

Holland was among those Lord thanked for the opportunity to replace Marco Sturm, who was hired as the head coach of the Boston Bruins this offseason. Lord said the “language, systems, structure and identity” of the Reign would mirror those of the Kings, and that “whatever they need from us, we’re gonna do.”

“It’s going to be seamless, it has to be, right? If we’re expecting guys to be able to get called up today or tomorrow to go and play in a National Hockey League game, they’ve got to be playing the same system,” Lord said.

Lord, a Canadian who began his coaching career as a player-coach for a Welsh pro club, the Cardiff Devils, returned to North America with Greenville and then spent last year guiding the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads at the junior level.

Halifax purged many of its older players, leaving Lord with five 16-year-old players and what he said was “one of the youngest teams in league history.” That experience, Lord said, better prepared him to seek the delicate balance between player development and team competitiveness.

“It is the ultimate juggling act, between development and winning,” Lord said. “I really believe winning is developing in a lot of ways, starting with developing a competitive nature, clawing yourself out of tough situations, going on the road and having a big win.”

Assistants Brad Schuler, Christ Hajt (defensemen) and Adam Brown (goaltending) will all carry over from Sturm’s staff to Lord’s.

Most analysts assessed them as becoming slower, older and, likely, worse.

They were roundly panned from legacy outlets to new media (for example, here, here, here, and, again, here), but perhaps the most troubling signs for the Kings were that a growing number of players seem less than enthused at the prospect of playing for their organization.

Linus Ullmark’s reported refusal to be traded to the Kings made sense given his desire to stay in the East and closer to his native Sweden. Mikko Rantanen and Brad Marchand had superior options in Dallas and Florida, respectively. Trade target Rasmus Andersson has reportedly zeroed in on one destination, and it’s the same one Mitch Marner chose over the Kings and other suitors, the rival Vegas Golden Knights.

But forget big names in the trade and free-agent market, the Kings are having an increasing amount of difficulty keeping their own players.

In consecutive offseasons, they’ve lost their top unrestricted free agents with Matt Roy walking to Washington and his former defense partner Vladislav Gavrikov rebuffing the confident Kings in favor of the tumult-laden New York Rangers.

In both cases, then General Manager Rob Blake – Blake himself opted not to return after his contract expired last season – expressed desire as well as varying levels of certitude in the players returning.

With Roy, he’d expected to accelerate talks near the Christmas break in 2023 and said the Kings were bidding until the closing bell for Roy’s services last summer. With Gavrikov, Blake outright said he was expecting him to sign a long-term extension in March only for Gavrikov to switch coasts on July 1, even after the Kings made multiple offers.

Gavrikov was not introduced formally and the Rangers puzzlingly canceled plans to make him available prior to training camp. He was voted the Kings’ top defenseman last year, but saw his role reduced significantly when Drew Doughty returned from ankle surgery. He also played noticeably fewer minutes than not only Doughty but Joel Edmundson during a first-round fold against the Oilers in which the Kings lost four straight games to be eliminated for a fourth straight time by Edmonton.

That wasn’t dissimilar to promising defenseman Jordan Spence, 24, who was persona non grata in the playoffs and headed for a diminished role until Holland shipped him to Ottawa. He joined Gavrikov as the latest in a series of valuable Kings rearguards that have netted limited return or none at all.

Their next order of business will be re-signing leading scorer Adrian Kempe. New GM Ken Holland said he met with Kempe’s agent, CAA’s J.P. Barry, at the scouting combine, and said he would soon be looking to extend Kempe.

Kempe was asked about the extension during his final media availability of the 2024-25 cycle, saying at first that the talks might go into the regular season but later saying his ideal preference would be signing a deal as soon as possible.

“I want to take the next step with this organization, I want to take it back to winning. The identity and the – I think we’re doing the right things,” Kempe said. “We sat here after the last four seasons and said the same things, but it really felt like we had something (good) going on this year.”

Whether or not the Kings can sustain or improve upon last year’s finish, among the best in franchise history with 48 wins and 105 points but dampened massively by a playoff flameout, remains to be seen.

Holland said the acquisitions of Cody Ceci, who struggled against Edmonton as a member of the Dallas Stars in last year’s playoffs and was let go by the Oilers a year earlier, and Brian Dumoulin, a player who was traded cheaply last summer but sought-after at both the trade deadline and July 1 free agent opening, gave the Kings a bigger, more defensive-oriented blue line with five penalty-kill contributors.

“I think it makes (the defense corps) different; we believe it’s going to be better,” Holland said, adding that “the trading front, from our perspective, not being, really, somewhere to go” regarding any further acquisitions.

In the past 13 seasons, Roy and Gavrikov were the only players to unseat Drew Doughty as the Kings’ top defenseman. Both departed in free agency. Sean Walker and Helge Grans were sent along with a second-round pick to dump approximately $6 million in salary over two years, in large part to re-sign Gavrikov to a short-term deal. Sean Durzi was jettisoned in the leadup to the Pierre-Luc Dubois catastrophe, effectively leaving the Kings with nothing to show for him.

Gavrikov, 29, has been very durable, missing just 19 games across six seasons, the bulk of which came not due to injury but because of a complicated situation where he was held out of action pending one trade that fell through and, later, another that sent him to the Kings. Despite his seven-year term, he’ll be 36 when it expires, a year older than Ceci, 31, and the same age as Dumoulin, 33, will be when their shorter-term pacts expire.

Holland posited that Kings management was looking to refine and improve around the edges, small bumps in different areas that aggregated to something greater. He also pointed out that the character of the players brought in, emphasizing Dumoulin perhaps more than the other four players he signed on July 1, would be an asset.

“We’re moving good people into the locker room,” Holland said. “We’ve moving in pros, we’re moving in good people that we think will help us on the ice, but will (also help us have) a team with real good chemistry off the ice.”

Whereas last season they came up empty-handed in free agency despite possessing an obscene amount of salary cap space, this time they landed Mikael Granlund, who had been coveted by teams firmly ahead of the Ducks in the Western Conference standings. They had already acquired another firmly-in-his-30s forward, seizing a buy-low opportunity on former 52-goal scorer Chris Kreider as the New York Rangers angled to open up cap space for former Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.

Their biggest addition of the offseason might have been not on the bench but behind it. They abruptly fired Greg Cronin, who presided over the second-largest leap in the NHL standings and the biggest in the West last year, and then oh-so-slowly confirmed the obvious: they were hiring Joel Quenneville. Quenneville lugged four Stanley Cup titles in tow, but also the baggage of a grim scandal in Chicago that left him out of the game for the better part of four seasons.

“(The Ducks) took a really big step last year. With some of the new players that are coming in and with ‘Coach Q’ coming in, it really feels like we’re taking the next step,” said Granlund, whose 66 points last season were three shy of a career high. “It’s not about just (developing) some players and learning, it’s about starting to win some hockey games.”

The NHL’s investigation into Quenneville was lightyears from flattering, indicating that he not only was aware of sexual assault allegations against video coach Brad Aldrich toward at least one Chicago prospect, Kyle Beach (Quenneville said he was unaware until 2021, previously), but that he also provided Aldrich with a favorable evaluation at year’s end. Three years later, Aldrich pled guilty to sexually assaulting a high school player in Michigan.

Quenneville has shown what the Ducks consider to be appropriate contrition, though in his lengthy introduction nothing was said or asked about another player currently suing the Blackhawks in litigation similar to the Beach lawsuit. Ducks players have emphasized Quenneville’s success, particularly with the Blackhawks, where he won Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Frank Vatrano played for him in Florida and played up his locker room presence. Ryan Strome said he hadn’t followed the scandal too closely. Granlund said his experience was invaluable.

“He has won in this league, a few times. He knows what winning takes and how the game looks when you’re winning,” Granlund said. “That’s a big thing in the NHL, you have to know what it takes to be a good team, what it takes to actually win something.”

The Ducks won just a little something last year, chasing a .500 points percentage until nearly the final game of the season, and showed individual improvement among some cornerstone players. Overall, however, their special-teams and underlying numbers were atrocious, reflecting in part a team that has sold off more than it has replaced in terms of established talent year after year during its doldrums.

Part of this offseason was also about resolution, especially for the man who had been the longest-tenured Duck, John Gibson, and for another who had been the team’s leading scorer just two years ago, Trevor Zegras.

In a swap that netted a couple of mid-tier draft picks and enough salary flexibility to bring back Ville Husso as a veteran No. 3 netminder, Gibson was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings. The deal didn’t make the Ducks’ goaltending any better, younger or significantly cheaper, but it did re-home Gibson to a place where he can both get starts and get a fresh start.

Zegras was shipped to Philadelphia after roughly a year of intermittent discussions with the Flyers. The not-so-star-studded return was a second-round draft pick (which became center Eric Nilson), a future fourth-rounder and fourth-line center Ryan Poehling. Zegras had a year left on his contract and the Ducks owned his restricted free-agent rights for next year, but they settled for a modest package ostensibly to remove Zegras from limbo after two injury-plagued campaigns.

With Zegras departing between Kreider and Granlund’s arrivals, the Ducks’ top nine effectively added one player. For a team that has finished last in the league in goals of every kind across the third-longest playoff drought in the NHL, that’s likely not enough of an augmentation to move the needle without some larger-than-foreseeable steps forward from the Ducks’ talented but inconsistent young core.

Two members of that core, forward Mason McTavish and goalie Lukáš Dostál, are still without contracts. Both are restricted free agents. There was some brief unsubstantiated hubbub (much like the ephemeral Troy Terry trade rumors) about one or the other signing an offer sheet, until Dostál filed for salary arbitration, as GM Pat Verbeek predicted. McTavish has no arbitration rights, but Verbeek assured fans that both players would be signed without significant delay.

“We’re working on that, we’re starting to work on that stuff a little harder now. We wanted to get through free agency,” Verbeek said on July 1. “We’re going to work to negotiate a deal long before (Dostál’s arbitration hearing), and then Mason, we’ll do the same thing. We’ve got some time now to really get after it and get both those players under contract.”

Lord, 40, will guide the AHL’s Ontario Reign. That’s a step up from his stewardship of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who are the AA affiliate to the Reign’s AAA, a duty he carried out from 2020-24. In his final season, he was honored as the ECHL Coach of the Year. Most recently, he shepherded the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL to a playoff berth and a first-round upset last season.

Now, he will replace Marco Sturm as the Reign’s bench boss after Sturm landed his first NHL head coaching gig, with the Boston Bruins, earlier this offseason.

Prior to his arrival in the Kings’ organization, Lord began his coaching career overseas in Wales, first as a player-coach and then as the head coach of the Cardiff Devils.

“We are excited to welcome Andrew to the Kings and Reign family as the head coach of the Ontario Reign,” Reign general manager Richard Seeley said. “At just 40 years old, Andrew has over 10 years of coaching experience in both Europe and North America and has shown the ability to create a winning culture in a variety of different environments. Andrew’s familiarity with our organization as head coach of our ECHL affiliate in Greenville will serve him well as he continues to develop the L.A. Kings prospects here in Ontario and his passion and work ethic will help further the strong culture in place with our existing staff.”

Hailing from West Vancouver, British Columbia, Lord played college hockey for the RPI Engineers before moving onto the minor-league level and playing professionally in Germany and Wales. That path was somewhat parallel to the one walked by Kings coach Jim Hiller, another B.C. native and collegiate competitor (Northern Michigan) who played pro most extensively in Europe, primarily in Germany before spending a season in Italy.

After adding substantially to Cardiff’s trophy case, Lord led the Swamp Rabbits to the playoffs in each of his four seasons at the helm, including a conference finals run.

In Ontario, assistants Chris Hajt and Brad Schuler remain aboard to work under Lord.

“I am extremely excited and feel very fortunate to be a part of such a great organization,” Lord said. “I want to thank both the L.A. Kings and Ontario Reign, specifically (Kings GM) Ken Holland, (Kings director of player development) Glenn Murray and Richard Seeley for this incredible opportunity. I cannot wait to get started and do my part to carry on the great tradition of excellence and development put in place by former and current staff and players.”

Yet Granlund, 33, opted to join the Ducks for three seasons, catapulting himself to the top of a list of free-agent signings that hasn’t had a lot of pop or sizzle since Scott Niedermayer’s arrival in 2005.

That timeline might be fitting since the Ducks turned back the clock with the hire of coach Joel Quenneville, who will be 67 when the puck drops on the season opener and won Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“After things didn’t work out in Dallas and they didn’t have any room for me, I had to go in a different direction, and Anaheim suited me well,” Granlund said via teleconference from his native Finland. “The team is going in the right direction with all the young talent and the good veterans they have. With Coach Q coming to the team, he knows what winning takes and we’re trying to (establish) those habits.”

Another consecrated figure from the past and a fellow Finn, Ducks legend Teemu Selänne, helped sway Granlund to make the move.

“As an organization, he said only good things about how well they take care of you and about the team, how much talent there is, how it’s going in the right direction and all that stuff,” Granlund said.

Rick Dhaliwal of the Donnie & Dhali podcast reported that Granlund received an offer that was greater in terms of total dollars – $24 million over four years rather than $21 million across three from the Ducks – but that Granlund turned it down.

That pact suited both team and player nicely, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had shared Tuesday at the team’s practice facility in Irvine.

“Term is probably more valuable and more important than the money,” Verbeek said. “It’s something that really works for us, and I’m glad that it really worked for him. Both of us are coming out ahead.”

Granlund said he felt Southern California was a fantastic place to settle, more so since there were direct flights from LAX to Helsinki, a couple of hours from the Päijät-Häme region where his two sons and ex-wife live for most of the year.

“It was only a little bit before free agency started when we knew it wasn’t going to happen in Dallas. Everything fell into place pretty quickly,” Granlund said. “I was thinking about what would be the best option for me not only as a hockey player but as a dad. Anaheim picked up pretty quickly and I’m more than happy with my decision.”

Granlund and his ex-wife Emmi divorced two years ago but have maintained a co-parenting relationship, she told the Finnish publication Ilta Sanomat.

For Granlund’s part, that resolution ended a period of tumult not only away from the ice but at the rink, where he struggled during a 2022-23 campaign split between Nashville and Pittsburgh. After being dealt to San Jose in the Erik Karlsson trade, he put up a 60-point season for the Sharks and a 66-point effort last year split between the Bay Area and the Lone Star State.

“A couple of years ago, I made some changes in how I wanted to prepare for the season. A lot of things were happening in my life, so I kind of got a clean slate in San Jose,” said Granlund, who was traded to Dallas on Feb. 1 along with defenseman Cody Ceci, who has since joined the Kings, in exchange for a first-round draft pick and a conditional third-round pick. “I really put everything into being a better player and that really paid off. I’ve been playing the best hockey of my life for the past two years and I really feel my best years are ahead of me.”

Granlund’s contributions have covered a broad spectrum, as he has become known for his detail-oriented game as much as his lacrosse-style goal in 2011 for Finland against Russia. He also played in rebuilding situations like San Jose’s and for short-list Cup contenders like Dallas after developing a high level of trust in Nashville and Minnesota previously. Capable of playing all three forward positions and in all situations, Granlund has also worn letters at the professional and international level.

“[In terms of leadership ability], you either have it or you don’t. You can learn and kind of grow into it, but for me, I’ve always been trying to do the right things and the little details to kind of set an example,” Granlund said. “I never really think about it, you try to set the right example, you try to make everyone else better and help everyone, but the example you show every day is, by far, the most important thing.”

Having played most of the past two seasons in the division and all of them within the Western Conference, Granlund said he was aware of the strides the Ducks had made last year under former coach Greg Cronin and was excited about where they could go under Quenneville.

“There’s a lot of talent. They play really fast hockey. It was kind of fun to watch,” Granlund said. “With the talent they have, it’s only going to get better, and they have some really steady veterans, so I think it’s a good mix.”