Progress continues to be made on a new long-term contract extension for Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar. Last week it was reported by John Hoven of Mayor's Manor that the two sides were "very close" on a new eight-year extension for the No. 1 pivot, but that there remained certain sticking points, like a no-move/no-trade clause, and AAV. Kopitar and agent Pat Brisson were said to have drawn a hardline at $9.75 million per season, while the Kings were said to want something in the $9.25 million range. On Tuesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period updated talks between Kopitar and the Kings.
Per Pagnotta, the two sides will ramp up communication in the coming weeks. There apparently has been little in the way of negotiations of late, but that's not necessarily a bad sign. Kopitar had indicated prior to the season that if a deal wasn't done by the time games began, he would hold off until after the year. Of course, the allure of a big money deal seems to have changed his thinking there and from the sounds of things, all that's left for a new eight-year extension for Kopitar is some "fine-tuning."
It's going to take some magic from Kings GM Dean Lombardi to keep the team's cap situation from imploding after this deal, especially with optimistic estimates suggesting the cap will rise about $3 million next season and more pragmatic projections looking at something closer to $1 million.
At present, the Kings have about $1.5 million in cap space. With players like Milan Lucic, Travis Lewis and Jamie McBain unsigned for next year, that will open up space at the same time as it creates holes - major ones in Lucic's case - in the Kings roster. Kopitar's extension won't kick in until next year, but if the AAV is close to $10 million, that's going to put the Kings, perennial cap crunchers, in a tight spot.
Kopitar, the team's No. 1 center almost since the day he stepped on the ice as a first-round pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, has eight goals and eight assists through 26 games for the Kings this season. Kopitar, along with the entire Los Angeles team, suffered through a down campaign in 2014-15, but the group looks set to right those wrongs this year.
