We’re nearly a week into the unrestricted free agent market and Dustin Penner is still available. He’s far removed from his days as a clear top-six forward, but Penner still had two goals and 14 points in 33 games last season while averaging just 12:42 minutes of ice time.
He saw his playing time increase during the Kings 2013 playoff run and of course he’s been with the team through one of their best stretches in the franchise’s history.
So does Kings GM Dean Lombardi have any interest in bringing Penner back? Maybe, but it’s not likely to happen.
“It’s one of those cap things,” Lombardi explained to LA Kings Insider, “and I guess it’s safe to say I have a limited amount of cap space left, and there certainly isn’t going to be enough to – I mean his requirements. I talked to him the other day, and I just told him. I talked to his agent a couple days ago and [said] ‘This is where we’re at. I’ve only got X amount left.’”
The Kings have a little over $5 million in cap space left, according to Cap Geek, but they still have to re-sign several restricted free agents, including defensemen Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin, as well as forwards Kyle Clifford, Jordan Nolan, and Trevor Lewis.