LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenseman Brandt Clarke to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $7.4 million. Clarke was entering this offseason as a restricted free agent, but now leaves the market.
The deal keeps Clarke under contract to the Kings through the 2030-31 season, when he will become an unrestricted free agent unless he receives another extension. The 23-year-old blueliner just completed his fourth season and second full season in Los Angeles.
Clarke was selected by the Kings with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Since making his NHL debut in 2022, he has appeared in 185 NHL games, registering 15 goals and 81 points. He also has three points in 10 career playoff games.
The 2025-26 season was the best of Clarke’s career. He posted career highs in ice time, goals, assists, points, blocked shots and several other categories. Leading the team in points among defensemen, he emerged as an essential piece of the Kings’ blue line, and was named the team’s best defenseman by the media at the 2026 Team Awards.
After a fifth straight first-round exit in the playoffs this season, the Kings made a change on the bench with new head coach Peter Laviolette, who emphasized his preference for an aggressive offensive style of play in his introductory press conference. Los Angeles allowed the eighth-fewest goals in the NHL in 2025-26, but at times struggled to get offense from their blue line outside of Clarke. In addition, Drew Doughty will be entering his 19th NHL season, during which he will turn 37. Clarke’s extension is a clear effort on the part of the Kings to give their defense a more definitive direction.