L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

Byline: -- Rich Hammond

The Kings have signed 33-year-old center Derek Armstrong to a two-year, $3-million contract extension. The signing speaks volumes about what the Kings -- and GM Dean Lombardi in particular -- think about Armstrong. They've been looking to trade guys with expiring contracts, but in Armstrong's case they locked him up before he could become a free agent this summer.

Armstrong isn't a big name, and never will be, but he's severely underrated. Put him out there with any two wingers and he will get the job done. He's a very responsible two-way player who leads the Kings with a plus-16 rating, which is startling when you consider that only three Kings are in the plus category this season.

More important, as the Kings try to build with youth, Armstrong is an excellent teammate, an ego-free guy who toiled in the minors for almost a decade but made himself into an NHL player.