The Kings address their shortage of right-shot defensemen with a low-risk signing.
With the first hour of free agency bringing massive contracts to the top available forwards, the earliest defensive signings showed a lot more restraint. The main driving force is the lack of right-shot defensemen available, so it was essential that the Los Angeles Kings pick up an NHL-caliber player early on, preferably for a low price. They did that! Tom Gilbert signed with the Kings for one year at $1.4 million.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2016
With rumors floating around bigger -- and slower -- names, LA got a defenseman who fell off the radar of a lot of teams after a rough 2015-16.