LA Kings Sign Tobias Bjornfot to Entry-Level Deal

The Los Angeles Kings have gotten one of their draft picks under contract.

Today, the team announced that they have signed defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to a three-year entry-level deal. He was one of two first-round picks for the Kings in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. That pick came to the Kings by way of Jake Muzzin being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was the 22nd pick in the draft, and the second player picked by the Kings behind Alex Turcotte, who was picked fifth. The Swedish player spent the year in the SuperElit league with Djurgardens J20 and played 39 games there, scoring 11 goals and racking up 22 points. He also played in the SHL, making seven appearances there but being held without a point in each appearance. At the U18 World Junior championships, he helped Sweden win a bronze medal.

What do the LA Kings find in him? He is considered an excellent skater who has a great two-way game. He has also shown himself to run a great power play game to go along with a heavy slapshot that can fight through traffic. Unfortunately, he isn't tall, which is a knock on him, but he's bulky at 205 pounds, which means he can take hits.

Bjornfot may have get a taste of NHL action right away, but if he does well at the AHL level with the Ontario Reign next season, he'll have a good opportunity to showcase himself with the Kings the season after the next one. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do at the AHL level.

Milos Teodosic Off To Play in Italy

Looks like Milos Teodosic's run in the NBA is over.

The former Clippers guard has signed on with the Italian club Virtus Bologna, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. The team itself announced the new contract, which will cover three years.

Teodosic had played for the Clippers the last few years but was considered a disappointment after becoming a big star in Europe. Over two seasons, he played only 60 games, including 15 this year. He was eventually waived in February. He averaged 10 minutes a night this season and was frustrated with his playing time going all the way back to November.

In the EuroLeague before coming to LA, Teodosic was a six-time All-League selection and in 2010 was the league's MVP. He helped the Serbian team capture the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, as well as capturing silvers in the 2009 EuroBasket tournament and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

To be fully honest, I was hoping for a better outing for Teodosic when he came to LA, just because of all the skills and accolades he accumulated while over in Europe. It became clear, though, that his time with the Clippers wouldn't have panned out as he would've liked. The Clippers never gave him an opportunity to prove himself and the acquisitions they made over the last few years clearly meant he was on his way out the door. Hopefully, he can find better success back over in Europe and especially in Italy.

Best of luck, Milos! Sorry that it didn't work out the way you would've liked it to.

Alex Iafallo Back With The Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are bringing back a familiar name.

John Hovan is reporting that the Kings are re-signing restricted free agent Alex Iafallo to a two-year, $4.85 MM deal. Iafallo recently filed for salary arbitration and was set to have a hearing on that matter on July 20th. Now, it looks like he'll play for an extra two seasons and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021.

A free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth back in 2017, Iafallo quickly established himself as an important full-time player for the Kings, playing in 75 NHL games in his first pro season. He recorded 25 points in his first season and then improved on that the following year. The only reason for this production is that the Kings were desperate to bring in some youth and skill on their wing. Iafallo has worked very hard to become an important asset on this team and if he improves on any of these names, he could be cashing in on a big contract in two years time, whether it be with the Kings or elsewhere.

The Kings are looking to rebuild their core group in hopes to contend in the future and Iafallo could bring just that. However, if he doesn't prove himself and improve on his game year after year, the Kings could very well auction him off as perhaps a complementary piece for a contending team.

With Iafallo out of the way, the Kings have now several other restricted free agents they need to sign. One of those names is Adrian Kempe. His brother, Mario, was recently brought in by the organization. The Kings still have $9.4MM left in cap room to sign some restricted free agents or bring in new pieces. We'll see where they go and who they bring back and let go.

Red Sox Release Tyler Thornburg

Tyler Thornburg is no longer part of the Boston Red Sox going forward.

The team announced today that they have released the right-hander. It was not a surprise, considering that he declined an optional assignment. He will now hit the open market and hopes to have a few suitors who could look for some relief help.

Thornburg is guaranteed a $1.75 million salary from the Red Sox, regardless of where he ends up. Although his production numbers at the big league level are not impressive, he could still end up on a rivals team, most likely on a minors contract with a chance to prove himself and get back to the majors.

Thornburg was part of the trade that sent Travis Shaw to the Milwaukee Brewers. So far, the trade doesn't seem to be faring all that well for either side. While Shaw has had two quality seasons, he hasn't had quite the numbers the Brew Crew would've expected and they just called up another piece in that swap in infielder Mauricio Dubon. Dubon has handled it well at Triple-A and is viewed as a valuable prospect in the Brewers organization.

As for Thornburg, as I said before, he didn't look to be in the future of the Red Sox organization. Now, he'll have to get a chance to prove himself, most likely at the minor league level, if he ever wants to get back to the majors again. It has been a tough season for him and I feel bad that his time with Boston didn't fare the way he wanted it too. We'll see if he can catch fire elsewhere.

Mariners Get Matt Wisler

Matt Wisler is on the move this Fourth of July.

Today, the Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Matt Wisler from the Padres in exchange for cash considerations. With Seattle having an open 40-man roster spot on their team, it won't be necessary for them to make a corresponding DFA or 60-day IL placement. San Diego had recently designated Wisler for assignment last week.

Despite Wisler still being only 26, he has yet to find any footing at the MLB level, and he was a highly touted prospect when he first came into the league. Since then, he has shifted to a full-time relief role. His numbers aren't that great, though. He has a 5.28 ERA and has allowed five home runs in the last 29 innings of work. However, there is some reason for being optimistic about Wisler. He is striking out a career-best 26.4 percent of opponents, there is a 15.6 percent swinging-strike rate and a 35.1 percent opponents' chase rate, which is telling because when batters are not blasting his pitches out of the park, he's getting a very high strike rate on them.

The problem with Wisler's numbers is that opponents are batting .291/.344/.479 against him in 2019. So with those results, it may be time for a new environment and perhaps the Padres understood that more than most. However, it remains to be seen if that will be the case for Wisler.

As for the Mariners, at least they get another fresh arm in the bullpen. Wisler is out of minor league options with the Padres at this point, and the Mariners are looking to rebuild their team, so this move makes sense. Right now, though, he has to improve his arm at the major league level or he'll be designated for assignment and most likely sent back to Triple-A. That's not something that he would be in favor of, considering his potential and why he was such a premier prospect coming into the Major League levels.