Scott Laughton went from a potential rental for the Los Angeles Kings to an important fixture in their lineup with a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension that could provide great value for the skills and intangibles the veteran usually brings to his teams.“Security has always been important to me, and I think my family absolutely loved it,” said Laughton, who has a full no-trade clause in the first year of his new deal. “When we went down there — and it was a short period of time — but after playing in the same place (Philadelphia) for 12 years and getting traded twice in the same calendar year, it’s a pretty big whirlwind for you and especially with a young son.“Definitely getting a little bit of term was on my mind. And just trying to fit in the best I could in the group that’s already there. Those guys were amazing with me. I wanted to be a part of it and be a part of that group.”Laughton should stay as the Kings’ third-line center while providing defensive acumen and penalty killing. But at 32 years old, the former Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs man in their middle doesn’t make Los Angeles any younger. An older team took an even sharper turn in that direction.The Kings finished last season as the fifth-oldest team in the NHL, with those who suited up averaging 29.92 years of age. That number will rise for the 2026-27 season. New to the team will be Mats Zuccarello, who’ll be 39 on opening night, and Erik Haula, who’ll be 35. Not so new is Corey Perry, who at 41 is back for his second L.A. stint in two seasons. And if Erik Gustafsson becomes part of the mix, that puts a 34-year-old on the roster.This group already had Drew Doughty (36), Artemi Panarin (34), Brian Dumoulin (34), Joel Edmundson (33), Joel Armia (33), Cody Ceci (32) and Trevor Moore (31). For good measure, Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala will be 30 once training camp starts.Corey Perry signed a free-agent contract and will have a second stint with the Kings. (Griffin Hooper / Imagn Images)Look no further if you want a team of wily veterans. But can they succeed in a league where you’re chasing 19- to 22-year-olds around?“Well, that’s a good question,” Haula, who signed a two-year contract, said. “I guess there’s only one way to find out. But overall just having an older team, I think we’re going to try to be probably a pretty tight-knit group. Get along great. Similar phases of life. And then we have some younger guys, too, that I’m excited to get to know. But I just think the dynamic is good on paper.”That older dynamic, Laughton will contend, has its merits.“I think it helps in the ebbs and flows of the year,” he said. “You go through so much throughout a year, whether it’s you lose a couple in a row, you win a couple in a row, and that’s when you have the leadership to kind of keep you even keel and go through the season and kind of keep building the process of your game, and everyone believing in that.“Yeah, I think it helps for sure, having everyone on the same page. And we still have some younger guys who are coming into their own and can make a big difference. It’s exciting for me.”With the help of bonus-friendly contracts with Zuccarello and Perry, Kings general manager Ken Holland filled out his roster with moves that counted only a little more than $9 million against the cap. What could their lineup look like in Peter Laviolette’s first season as coach?ForwardsArtemi Panarin — Quinton Byfield — Alex Laferriere