Trevor Lewis avoids arbitration, signs a new one-season deal with the Kings

Free agent forward Trevor Lewis agreed with the Kings on a one-season deal reportedly worth $1.325 million Tuesday, avoiding arbitration and more or less bringing an end to general manager Dean Lombardi’s summer to-do list. Lewis’ deal would bring the Kings’ salary cap space down to about $200,000, give or take a dime or two. Lewis’ signing gives the Kings a 24-man roster. He avoided an Aug. 2 arbitration hearing in Toronto.

Lombardi said repeatedly he hoped to bring back the 2012-13 as intact as possible. He lost defenseman Rob Scuderi and forwards Dustin Penner and Brad Richardson to free agency. Scuderi signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Penner signed with the Ducks and Richardson inked a deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

The lone member of last season’s team without a contract is forward Kyle Clifford. Lombardi acquired forward Daniel Carcillo from the Chicago Blackhawks for a draft pick in what surely was a move to replace the bruising Clifford. So, that would appear to be the end of the off-season moves for Lombardi, although you can never count him out.

Lewis, 26, has been a useful player for the Kings, fitting in nicely as an energy player capable of producing when called upon. He had a career-best 14 points (five goals, nine assists) while playing all 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He has named the Kings’ “Unsung Hero” for the second consecutive season.

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