The Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman Sean Durzi to a two-year extension with an annual average value of $1.7 million on Thursday.
Durzi was a restricted free agent coming off his first season in the NHL. After beginning the campaign in the AHL, he was recalled in late November and never looked back.
The offensive blue-liner logged three goals and 27 points in 63 games during his rookie season, averaging 19:36 of ice time. He appeared in all seven games of the Kings' first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, scoring a goal and three points while averaging 21:30 of ice time.
The 23-year-old right-shot defenseman was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Draft. Los Angeles acquired him in the trade that sent Jake Muzzin to Toronto.
Durzi will remain an RFA upon the expiry of his new contract with a qualifying offer of $2 million in the summer of 2025.
There'll be plenty of competition at Los Angeles' training camp. The Kings now have eight defensemen who appeared in 15 or more NHL games last season. That excludes Sean Walker, who was limited to just six games due to injury.
Durzi was the Kings' final RFA, leaving them with minimal cap space for any further moves before the start of training camp.
