The Kings signed forward Aatu Jämsen to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth up to $850,000 on Friday, per a team announcement.
Jämsen, 23, has played two seasons for the Kings’ top minor-league affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The lanky left winger and Finland native previously skated for his hometown Pelicans in Lahti and was selected by the Kings in the seventh round of the 2020 draft.
He set AHL personal bests in games played (59), goals (16), points (28) and power-play goals (4) last season. He gained steam as the calendar turned, putting up 11 goals and 17 points during a 24-game span.
He surmounted a late-season injury to return for the stretch run and Calder Cup Playoffs, where he added a goal and an assist in four postseason games.
As the 190th overall selection in his draft year, Jämsen was unlikely to even sniff the NHL, but with his year-over-year progress in the AHL, he could eventually join the likes of Matt Roy and Andre Lee as Kings seventh-rounders that reached the top level.
PREDATORS BRING IN BLAKE
Former Kings star defenseman turned former Kings general manager Rob Blake found a new home Friday, agreeing to become the executive vice president of hockey operations for the Nashville Predators.
Blake, 56, spent eight seasons as the Kings’ GM, qualifying for the playoffs five times but never advancing beyond the first round. He oversaw a rebuild wherein shortcuts and missteps ultimately lowered its ceiling.
Now, he will work under Chris MacFarland, the GM of the year finalist with the Colorado Avalanche whom the Predators lured to the Music City earlier this week.
“Rob is a two-time Stanley Cup winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a legend of our game,” said an “ecstatic” MacFarland in a statement. “Additionally, he brings a wealth of knowledge in management and I will rely on him to assist me in many areas across the department as we look to build a winning team in ‘Smashville.’ I couldn’t think of a better person to join me and the organization on this journey.”
COACHING SEARCH CONTINUES
With the NHL entry draft looming and free agency on its heels, the Kings remain without a coach for next season and the fate of interim coach D.J. Smith is still uncertain.
Bruce Cassidy has been left in limbo as the Vegas Golden Knights, who are tied 1-1 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, continue to deny the Kings, Edmonton Oilers and any other interested party access to their former coach, whom they fired late in the regular season.
Reports emerged of continued interest in Peter Laviolette, who last coached Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers two seasons ago, and Jay Woodcroft, the former Edmonton bench boss now working under Joel Quenneville with the Ducks.
One name that was off the market, as projected in SCNG’s initial analysis of the Kings’ quest for a steward, was Manny Malhotra, who became the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.