Kings sign forward Mathieu Joseph to one-year contract (Reported AAV: $900,000)

The LA Kings have signed forward Mathieu Joseph to a one-year contract, through the end of the 2025-26 NHL regular season. The contract is reported to carry an AAV of $900,000 through the end of the 2025-26 season and comes in on a pro-rated rate, seeing as he is signing in March.

Instant Analysis
Joseph and the St. Louis Blues agreed yesterday to mutually terminate his contract, which was in its final season with a cap hit of $1,800,000. Joseph had previously cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. Joseph was loaned to Springfield on February 27 and played two games with the Thunderbirds, scoring on Wednesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Joseph finished his time with the Blues with 11 points (2-9-11) in 39 games played this season. Joseph was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season anyways and will do so again, just from the Kings rather than the Blues.

To sum it up, this is an experienced player. Frankly, an easy decision for what the Kings are getting him for, considering they traded two forwards over the last 24 hours. Joseph has 459 career NHL regular-season games with Tampa Bay, Ottawa and St. Louis. He’s also appeared in 13 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Lightning and Blues, including games as a part of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup championship team in 2021. Joseph played the final four games in the Cup-clinching series against Montreal and collected assists in Games 3 and 4. In total, Jospeh is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, having qualified in 2020 by regular-season games played.

This isn’t a franchise-changing move. But it’s a move that makes sense to me. The Kings need players who can play down the stretch and Joseph is approaching 500 games played in this league. His speed is certainly a standout when it comes to evaluating his game. Per NHL Edge Data, Joseph’s fastest clocked speed this season was 22.78 MPH, placing him in the 79th percentile around the league. He also ranks in the 79th percentile in terms of speed bursts over 22 MPH and the 61st percentile in terms of speed bursts between 20 and 22 MPH.

For reference, as a team, the Kings have 51 bursts of 22+ MPH, 17 of which are by Quinton Byfield. Only three players on the team have more than Joseph’s six. So, this is a strong skater, who should offer that element of his game for the Kings down the stretch. He ranked in the Top-5 on the Blues this season in takeaways and hits on the per/60 basis. Creates a profile that I feel is accurate. He’s got good speed and uses it to forecheck, turn pucks over and create opportunities for his linemates in the offensive zone. He also averaged right around a minute per game while shorthanded, if the Kings want to work him into the penalty-killing rotation. He also played under Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith in Ottawa, so there is some familiarity there.

The other side of the coin is a player who hasn’t produced a ton of offense throughout his time in the league. He’s played largely in a bottom-six role and has a career high of 13 goals, which came in his first full season in the league in 2018-19. He has three seasons in total with double-digit goals, most recently with Ottawa in 2023-24, when he also amassed a career-high 35 points. He also added his first career playoff goal in 2025. So, there’s a bit of offense in there, though that’s certainly not been what his career has been built around.

Essentially, I see this as the Warren Foegele replacement. Joseph can come in and play on the third line, especially on a team that moved out two forwards over the last couple days. Looking at this one as the Kings acquiring Joseph and the second-round pick, plus the upgrade in the third round, in exchange for Foegele. Similar types of players. The Kings land a serviceable replacement in Joseph, while also netting a second-round draft pick. The kind of trade that fortifies the mentality I wrote about when the Kings moved Perry. The Kings are, rightfully, collecting draft picks to either restock the prospect pool or potentially use in the summer to improve the roster. They are also three points out of a playoff spot and have not really done anything to take away massively from the active roster. Get the picks and still qualify, job well done.

From the team’s official release –

The LA Kings have signed forward Mathieu Joseph to a one-year contract through the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Joseph, 29, has skated in 39 games for the St. Louis Blues this season, notching a pair of goals and 11 points (2-9=11) including one shorthanded goal, one game-winning goal and four penalty minutes (PIM). He added one goal in two games with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL).

A two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, Joseph has appeared in 459 career NHL regular-season contests over parts of eight seasons between the Blues (2024-26), Ottawa Senators (2021-24) and Lightning (2018-22), amassing 61 goals and 160 points (61-99=160) with seven shorthanded goals, 14 shorthanded points, 10 game-winning goals and a cumulative +8 rating. The 6-1, 190-pound forward’s best NHL season came in the 2023-24 campaign with Ottawa where he set career-marks in games played (72), assists (24) and points (35).

Selected in the fourth round (120th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay, Joseph’s 14 shorthanded points are the seventh-most among skaters from his draft class while his seven shorthanded tallies are eighth-most. In 101 career AHL games, Joseph has registered 22 goals and 75 points (22-53=75) with the Syracuse Crunch (2017-18; 2019-20) and Thunderbirds (2025-26).

Prior to his professional career, Joseph collected 206 points (91-115=206) in 201 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) over four seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs, including an 80-point campaign (36-44=80) in 2016-17. During the playoffs that year, Joseph recorded a League-best 19 assists and 32 points (13-19=32) to lead the Sea Dogs to a QMJHL Championship and Memorial Cup appearance. Internationally, the Laval, Quebec native has represented Canada at two International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments, including the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Championship and 2017 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship, claiming a silver medal in both tournaments.