Kings Sign Erik Haula to a 2-Year Contract

On July 1, the Los Angeles Kings signed forward Erik Haula to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.6 million.

Haula began his NHL journey when he was drafted in the 2009 NHL Draft in the seventh round by the Minnesota Wild. He took to NHL ice in the 2013-14 season and played four seasons with the Wild. He was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights in their expansion draft in 2017 and played there for two seasons. At the end of the 2019-20 season, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he only played for about half a season before getting traded to the Florida Panthers.

Florida elected to not re-sign him, and Haula moved on to play with the Nashville Predators. He hit free agency again and signed with the Boston Bruins, where he was then traded to the New Jersey Devils. He spent three seasons in New Jersey before he was traded back to Nashville, where he played this past season.

Kings Add Veteran Presence With Haula

For the past 13 seasons, Haula has played for seven different teams. He has played in 840 games and has recorded 375 points via 167 goals and 208 assists. With Los Angeles, he will likely reach 900 NHL games, which is no small feat.

Haula is a quality forward who will be a great addition to the middle six or bottom six forwards group in Los Angeles. At age 35, he has navigated the free agency market several times and has always been successful for whatever team he plays for. Now, he’ll do the same for the Kings.

With his age, one has to wonder how many more times Haula will go through free agency and how many more seasons he has in the NHL. Let’s hope he makes his two-year contract in Los Angeles count.