To quickly reset,
Portillo joined the organization via a trade with Buffalo in March 2023. While the initial deal technically was for his rights, it wasn’t long before the 6-foot-6 netminder put pen to paper on his first pro contract.
While it was still an Entry Level Contract (ELC), it wasn’t the usual three-year variety that is commonly signed by players coming out of the junior ranks. In fact, when it comes to players and teams working out the details of an ELC, there isn’t really much to negotiate. The length of the deal is largely driven by the age of the player. Additionally, the base pay is capped at a certain number set forth in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NHL and NHLPA, leaving only really bonuses to be discussed. And even those are already laid out. It’s more like a menu at a restaurant, where both sides sort of check off what they want, but the prices are already set.
In the case of Portillo, he signed a two-year deal that basically amounted to a one-year contract (for the 2023-24 season), as he was able to ‘burn’ that first year off by reporting to the Ontario Reign after his season ended at the University of Michigan. He never even played an NHL or AHL game during the 2022-23 season, yet it still counted toward a year of service on his contract.
A native of Sweden, Portillo is currently a Restricted Free Agent (RFA). The Kings
qualified him back in June, so he has a one-year contract offer already on the table.
He’s coming off a rookie season that saw his workload increase as the 2023-24 campaign wore along. While Ontario used four different players in net, Portillo led the team with 39 regular season starts, along with all eight playoff games. His 24 wins were second best in the AHL among all first-year goalies, while his .918 save percentage was fourth best (and sixth best when looking at all goalies, regardless of experience level).
