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Los Angeles Kings Re-Sign Defenseman Brandt Clarke to Five-Year Deal
The Los Angeles Kings re-signed defenseman Brandt Clarke to a five-year contract worth $37 million. The team announced the deal on Friday after Clarke posted career highs in the 2025-26 season. Clarke was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
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The Los Angeles Kings re-signed defenseman Brandt Clarke to a five-year contract worth $37 million, or $7.4 million annually, the team announced Friday. ESPN reported the signing. Clarke, selected eighth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, recorded 32 assists and 40 points in the 2025-26 season.
He ranked second on the Kings in assists and fourth in points while averaging 19:48 of ice time per game. Only Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson logged more minutes among Kings defensemen. In the 2026 playoffs, Clarke recorded one point in four games and averaged 19:45 of ice time per game.
The Kings were eliminated in the first round for the fifth straight year. With the signing, the Kings have six players under contract for more than three years. Doughty, 36, is the only Kings defenseman without more than one year remaining on his contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
PuckPedia projects the Kings have $10.9 million in salary cap space ahead of free agency. The window will be the first without longtime captain Anze Kopitar, who retired after the 2025-26 season.
