Last summer turned into an endless bummer for the Los Angeles Kings.

Strung out for months and left standing at the altar by Ilya Kovalchuk, the Kings had no viable backup plan and didn’t upgrade their offense.

That same scenario could have played out on a smaller scale when their push for Brad Richards came up fruitless over the weekend, but general manager Dean Lombardi jumped quickly to sign winger Simon Gagne. The move spoke to the Kings’ aggressiveness in free agency and Gagne’s willingness to do what seemingly many high-end free agents won’t: move to Los Angeles.

AROUND THE PACIFIC

West Coast teams typically have more demanding travel schedules, which weakens the attractiveness of a market that, despite the Kings’ promising nucleus, is not a hockey hotbed. Although he only cited "family reasons," it was telling that Ryan Smyth requested a trade to a last-place team in Edmonton rather than stay in L.A.

That left the Kings in dire need of a winger, and Gagne had no reservations about switching coasts. He is reunited with former linemate Mike Richards, former coaches Terry Murray and John Stevens, and is surrounded by an ever-promising young base.

“If you look at the last two years, they’re a really good team,” Gagn e said. “They’re a young team, but at the same time those guys play like veterans already. If you look at the teams that have won Stanley Cups, it’s not like it used to be 10 years ago. Now, it doesn’t matter if you’re 21 years old. Those guys play like superstars already.”

That’s not to say that the Kings won’t need the veteran leadership of Gagne and Richards, who have more than 140 games of playoff experience.

A four-time 30-goal scorer, Gagne comes with a history of health issues. But if he fulfills expectations he will fill a gap on the wing and give L.A. a top-six forward unit that already included Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner to go with Richards and Gagne.

At his end-of-season media briefing, Lombardi cited a lack of skill players to bring the puck across the blue line as a factor in the Kings’ first-round playoff loss to San Jose. He also noted that offense wins overtime games after L.A. dropped three OT games to the Sharks.

With Richards and Gagne, Lombardi has tended to those areas. He’s also gained some peace of mind for the summer as the franchise tries to re-group after that playoff loss.

Gagne doesn’t feel that sting, and he doesn’t think the Kings are far away from serious contention.

“I know, with my experience, that it doesn’t matter whether you’re starting in first place or you end up eighth,” Gagne said. “I know that the Kings are going to be a team to put themselves in a playoff spot, and from that point on, you never know what can happen. I believe the Kings are just getting better and better every year, you know?”

For those that foresaw the Dany Heatley trade, please raise your hand.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson cited a need for more speed in sending Heatley to Minnesota in exchange for Martin Havlat. In that regard, it made sense after San Jose lost Devin Setoguchi.

Heatley formed a formidable line with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and was an important piece on one of the NHL’s top power plays.

Havlat, meanwhile, has been fairly well hidden in Ottawa, Minnesota and Chicago, but those that have seen the Czech winger know he is superbly skilled.

A win-win trade for both sides? As always, stay tuned.

The Stars checked in with six signings, headlined by the two-year, $7 million deal it gave to Michael Ryder, fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with Boston.

Dallas can now put out a top line of Ryder, Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. It also gained a solid faceoff man in Vernon Fiddler.

As for Sheldon Souray, his upside was worth a shot. The veteran defenseman could be a great story in the division next season.

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