Kings sign Jacob Moverare to two-year contract extension (AAV: $762,500)

Another day, another signing, Insiders!

The Kings have re-signed defenseman Jacob Moverare to a two-year contract extension, the first of the team’s restricted free agents to sign an extension this offseason. Moverare’s new contract is a two-way deal in the first year and a one-way deal in the second year, a nice reward and step forward for a player who has made a ton of progress since joining the organization in North America last season.

After he spent the 2020-21 season in AHL, Moverare made his NHL debut in January against the Nashville Predators. He went on to play in 19 NHL games during his rookie season at the NHL level, in addition to 30 AHL contests with the Ontario Reign. As stolen from Moverare’s season in review piece, the Swedish-born blueliner was a solid, defensively sound presence at the NHL level, bringing with him a low-event brand of hockey that kept the puck out of his own net. An excerpt from that article –

“In the most complimentary way possible, not a ton happened this season when Moverare was on the ice. And that’s a great thing for him. Only defensemen Drew Doughty and Austin Strand had fewer shot attempts per 60 minutes against this season, with only Tobias Bjornfot and Olli Maatta having fewer shot attempts for. Moverare played a steady, reliable, low-event brand of hockey that was exactly what the Kings needed when several regulars on the blueline went down. What it amounted to was the team’s best GA/60 rate (1.51) amongst players with at least 250 minutes at 5-on-5 this season.”

TL;DR – Moverare prevented goals against and prevented chances against, as he provided strong defensive play, even if he didn’t contribute all that much in terms of chances created. Decent guy to keep around.

Todd McLellan on Jacob Moverare’s game
If you just evaluate Jacob on the cover of the book, you might write him off too quickly, but if you dive into the book, you realize that he doesn’t hurt himself or the team very much. He positions himself well and he can make a great outlet pass. His production, his impact on the game the other night was a real positive one. What Jacob does is make simple plays, consistently. What should keep him out of the game doesn’t hurt him, people talk about his skating, but he’s there all the time, he’s there when he needs to be there and he makes simple plays. I can’t recall a moment when he really hurt the club, and I can think of many where he helped, so good for him.

From the team’s official release –

Moverare, 23, made his NHL debut this past season on Jan. 6 against the Nashville Predators. In 19 appearances with the Kings, he registered two assists and an average of 16:20 time-on-ice, the fourth-most among Kings rookie defensemen.

Originally drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Moverare has skated parts of two seasons (2020-22) with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. In 30 games this season, he collected 10 points (3-7=10). In 2020-21, his first season in North America, he ranked second among team defensemen in both points (15) and assists (14) while ranking 10th and sixth in both categories among all team skaters.

Prior to the Kings, the 6-3, 210-pound defenseman spent five years between the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Liiga and Ontario Hockey League (OHL). From 2018-20, he compiled 26 points (11-15=26) in 93 regular-season appearances for Frolunda, capped by winning the 2019 Swedish Championship after contributing six points (3-3=6) over 16 playoff games. In two seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), Moverare notched 53 points (5-48=53) in 95 games and served as an assistant captain his second season (2017-18). Before Mississauga, he spent two seasons with the HV71 organization where made his SHL debut in 2015-16.

The Ostersund, Sweden native has represented his country in several international tournaments, winning two silver medals at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship (served as assistant captain) and the 2016 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship. Across international play, Moverare has posted five points (1-4=5) in 14 contests.

Moverare is the first of 13 restricted free agents to sign extensions this offseason, bringing the number of RFA’s down to 12.