Brandt Clarke cashes in with $37 million extension as Kings build around their blue line

The Los Angeles Kings just made a big bet on their defensive core. Brandt Clarke, the 21-year-old defenseman from Ottawa, signed a five-year contract extension worth $37 million on Tuesday. The deal carries a $7.4 million salary cap hit and locks Clarke up through the 2029-30 season.

This move comes after a season where the Kings got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. But the front office clearly sees Clarke as a central piece of the team’s future — especially as they try to make a deeper run next year with a full season of Artemi Panarin in the lineup. The Kings haven’t advanced past the second round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.

From OHL standout to NHL mainstay

Clarke wasn’t exactly a secret prospect. He went fourth overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection to the Barrie Colts and immediately turned heads, leading all rookie defensemen in scoring and making the OHL First All-Rookie Team. When the pandemic shut down the OHL season, he didn’t sit around — he went overseas on loan to HC Nové Zámky in Slovakia’s Tipsport Liga to keep developing.

The Kings grabbed him eighth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. But they let him marinate. He spent another season with Barrie, putting up 11 goals and 48 assists in 55 games during 2021-22. The next year he split time between the Colts, the AHL’s Ontario Reign, and even got nine NHL games where he picked up a couple assists.

Breaking through

This past season was Clarke’s first full NHL campaign. He played 78 games, scoring five goals and 28 assists. Nothing flashy numbers-wise, but the Kings clearly like what they see in his all-around game. Through 185 career NHL games, he’s got 15 goals and 66 assists.

At $7.4 million per year, Clarke isn’t exactly a bargain. But for a young right-shot defenseman who’s still getting better, the Kings are betting his best hockey is ahead of him. With Panarin on the roster and a core that includes Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, and Drew Doughty, the window is open. Clarke’s extension is another sign LA isn’t content with just making the playoffs — they want to actually do something once they get there.