Kings sign forward Andre Lee to two-year contract extension (AAV: $775,000)

The LA Kings have signed forward Andre Lee to a contract extension.

Lee’s contract is a two-year contract, carrying an AAV of $775,000. It is a two-way deal for the 2025-26 season and a one-way deal in year two. Lee made his NHL debut on Opening Night in Buffalo on October 10 and was a regular for the Kings in the first half of the season. He has skated in 19 games in total with the Kings, collecting a goal and two assists, in addition to 28 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Instant Analysis
The Kings like Andre Lee.

Lee’s style of play offers a North/South game with good size and a willingness to play with physicality. In speaking with Jim Hiller, he believes that there are untapped elements to his game with the puck on his stick, as well as offensive potential with Lee’s game. When he was originally assigned to the AHL, Hiller made clear that it wasn’t anything to do with his level in the NHL, but the Kings wanted Lee to get more minutes higher in the lineup so he can work on developing those areas of his game, as opposed to playing say eight minutes a game in the NHL. His AHL production hasn’t jumped off the page but he’s been effective playing in the middle six with Ontario, skating alongside more offensively-driven players. As such, while his simple game allotted him some success in the NHL, the hope is that there’s more to give when he hopefully makes the jump on a full-time basis.

Personally, I like Lee as a fourth-line player with the Kings because he brings a different element. He’s 6-5 and is willing to play to his size. Skating alongside Samuel Helenius, that makes two-thirds of a fourth line at 6-5 or taller. I did agree though that perhaps the best place for his development right now was Ontario, not Los Angeles. While I thought he was pretty effective, I also think that with some more seasoning in the AHL, there could be a better NHL player there next season and beyond. At some point, he’s got to make that jump full-time, but with Lee, I’m okay with a solid cameo and a look towards training camp in the fall, hopefully off of some playoff games with the Reign.

I could see Lee becoming an NHL player on a full-time basis entering net season. Internally, Lee and Helenius is a pairing that the Kings like. They’d like to see those two guys progress together from the AHL to the NHL and coming in on lower-salary contracts, that could be two guys playing for lower cap hits on the fourth line, which would allow the Kings to potentially spend more to upgrade in other areas. Between those two players and Alex Turcotte, who is signed for an additional two seasons at a league-minimum cap hit, the Kings have cost-effective players up front. With Brandt Clarke and Jacob Moverare on the blueline, that makes five players at under $1 million on the cap, with others potentially joining.

So, TLDR, not sure if we’ll see Lee for the remainder of the season in the NHL, but he’s locked in now going forward with a multi-year commitment at a team-friendly rate. As noted, I would expect Lee to be firmly in the mix for a roster spot next season, as he continues to develop as an NHL player. And, should a bottom-line opportunity become needed for the Kings, I would think Andre Lee would be at or towards the top of the list of available players to fill it.

From the team’s official release –

Lee, 24, made his NHL debut with the Kings on Oct. 10, 2024 and appeared in 19 games with the team this season, collecting three points (1-2=3), including his first career NHL goal on Jan. 1, 2025 against New Jersey. By making his debut, Lee became the sixth different skater selected by the Kings in the 2019 NHL Draft to appear in an NHL game. Lee has also skated in 29 games for the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, notching three goals and nine points (3-6=9). 

The 6-5, 205-pound forward has suited up for 134 career AHL contests with Ontario over parts of four seasons, accumulating 17 goals and 33 points (17-16=33) while setting career-highs in goals (8) and points (8-5=13) over 36 games in the 2023-24 campaign. He added four goals in eight Calder Cup Playoff contests, the second-most on the team.

Selected in the seventh-round (188th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Lee played three seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (H-East) where he appeared in 87 games and posted 64 points (31-33=64) with a plus-26 rating. Lee’s best collegiate season came in his junior year (2021-22) after he set career-highs in games played (34), goals (16), points (28) and plus/minus (+12) while helping the River Hawks to their first NCAA Tournament since 2017 and was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team.

Prior to joining UMass-Lowell, the Karlstad, Sweden native played for one season with the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL), where he posted 35 points (20-15=35) in his first season in North America. He and the Stampede won the Clark Cup that season.