Matt Roy

Roy has been a steady, if unspectacular, regular for the Kings for years now. He appeared in all 82 games last season, posting career-best marks in goals (9), points (26), and blocked shots (153). Roy doesn't see much power-play time anymore, a trend that will almost certainly continue with the full-time arrival of Brandt Clarke this coming fall. The 28-year-old Roy is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, which may serve as motivation for him to play at his best.

Roy missed nearly a month in the latter part of the season due to a lower-body injury. He ended up playing in 67 games for the Kings, posting two goals and 21 points. A seventh-round pick (194th overall) of Los Angeles in 2015, Roy signed a three-year, $9.45 million deal in March 2021. He has two years left on that contract, ensuring the Michigan Tech product will return to his usual top-four role for the club this coming season. It's not a gig that will lead to much fantasy production, but everything the Kings get from Roy at this point is gravy considering where he was taken in his draft year.

In what was his first full NHL season in 2019-20, Roy established himself as a defensive stalwart for the Kings. On a team that had one of the worst offenses in the league, and consequently one of the worst goal differentials, he somehow posted a plus-16 rating in 70 games. Anze Kopitar was second on the team with a plus-6 mark, and only two other Kings who saw regular action were even above zero. Roy made a similar impact in secondary stats, reaching triple digits in hits and blocked shots, and in advanced stats as his 56.1 percent CorsiFor was second on the team to the since-traded Tyler Toffoli. Roy doesn't offer much offensive production, but he doesn't need to in order to be an invaluable part of the Los Angeles blue line. The organization has some impressive young defensemen on the way up, but the 25-year-old Roy will provide the bedrock for the next generation to stand on.

The 24-year-old made his NHL debut in February and didn't look out of place on the Kings' blue line, scoring two goals and six points in 25 games while registering a palatable minus-1 rating. Roy is a modern puck-moving defenseman who has experience running a power play dating back to college, but he's worked hard to improve his play in his own end as well, and he seems poised to carve out a top-four role for the Kings as soon as this season. He doesn't have an elite ceiling, but if Drew Doughty gets traded as part of the club's rebuilding efforts, Roy is the player best positioned to benefit in the short term by inheriting most of Doughty's offensive duties.