Player evaluation: Handzus

MICHAL HANDZUS
This season: 82 games, 12 goals, 18 assists, 20 penalty minutes, 17:21 average ice time.
The good: There’s nothing Handzus won’t do. A coach’s dream, Handzus is a tireless on-ice worker who will accept any role. Moved to left wing briefly, demoted to the fourth line briefly, Handzus accepted whatever came to him, without even a hint of dismay. Even when his offense is limited, Handzus is a fantastic defensive center who regularly earns raves from linemates for his willingness and ability to cover up their mistakes and consistently make the correct reads and plays without the puck.
The bad: Handzus is only 34 but has played a lot of hard, physically demanding hockey. His effort in the season-ending Game 6 against San Jose, for instance, was a quietly effective, all-out effort. But it raises the question: is Handzus wearing down? His point total surprisingly dropped to 30 this season and, as noted, he had a brief demotion to the fourth line because of ineffective play, even though there was no suggestion that Handzus was giving any less than 100-percent effort.
Going forward: Handzus is the Kings’ most notable unrestricted free agent this summer. WIth center prospects Andrei Loktionov and Brayden Schenn knocking on the door, what do the Kings do? Given Handzus’ quiet, consistent leadership, and the fact that he’s still an excellent penalty killer and defensive forward, the Kings might be wise to offer him a short-term contract to have him fill a bottom-six role. That assumes Handzus is willing to accept a short-term contract with a pay cut from his $4-million salary.