Loading…
Loading…Erik Gustafsson, a 34-year-old left-shot defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings, grades as a clear top-quartile defenseman with a 87.7 overall (20th of 327).
The standout tool is play driving (93), backed by defensive impact (82); finishing (49) is the part of his game that grades lowest.
His rating fell from 96.1 in 2023-24 to 80.9 in 2024-25, one of the bigger drops in his 9-season card history.
At $1M through 2026-27 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $9.89M, so the Los Angeles Kings save roughly $8.89M a season against his production.
His cap hit is the 18th-largest on the Los Angeles Kings NHL roster and uses 1.0% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $8K in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 81 |
| Defense | 82 |
| Play driving | 93 |
| Finishing | 49 |
| Power play | 76 |
| Penalty kill | 56 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | DET | 60 | 80.9 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | NYR | 76 | 96.1 | 0.5 |
| 2022-23 | TOR | 70 | 92.3 | 0.5 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 59 | 75.8 | -0.1 |
| 2020-21 | MTL | 29 | 65.5 | -0.2 |
| 2019-20 | CHI | 66 | 57 | -0.3 |
| 2018-19 | CHI | 79 | 89.8 | 0.6 |
| 2017-18 | CHI | 35 | 91.8 | 0.4 |
| 2015-16 | CHI | 41 | 80.7 | 0.1 |
Other LAK defensemen by rating: Brandt Clarke (93.4), Scott Perunovich (72.1), Drew Doughty (70.7), Mikey Anderson (47.7). See the full Los Angeles Kings cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.