To use a description from Alabama’s legendary football coach Bear Bryant, Marian Gaborik is a stud.
With the trade deadline looming this upcoming Monday, at 3:00 p.m. EST, it seemed like a good idea to look back. In time, Gaborik’s acquisition could be considered one of the, if not thee, best trade deadline moves in all of Kings history.
Last year the Kings made a splash with a move on deadline day to acquire Gaborik. L.A. traded the Columbus Blue Jackets forward Matt Frattin, a second, and a conditional third round pick. According to NHL.com the third round pick turned into another second round pick if the Kings won more than one round in the 2014 playoffs, or if the Kings re-signed Gaborik.
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We know how all that turned out.
Was the trade worth it?
Well, Gaborik went on to lead the NHL playoffs in goals with 14 in 26 games, en route to the Kings second Stanley Cup victory in franchise history. In total Gaborik scored 22 points, had a +6 rating and 3 power-play goals.
Gaborik won his first Cup as a major contributor to L.A.’s second. With centermen and linemate Anze Kopitar, Gaborik helped the Kings first line dominate.
The Kings had a historic run in 2014, coming back from a 3-0 game deficit against the San Jose Sharks. L.A. also had one of the toughest roads to win the Stanley Cup, playing 26 out of a possible 28 games. They started on the road every series except for the Stanley Cup final. And the Kings had to go through San Jose, Anaheim, Chicago, and New York.
Arguably some of the best franchises in the NHL, and all with Stanley Cup aspirations.
This past off-season Gaborik elected to re-sign with the Kings rather than heading into free agency. Gaborik could have demanded a higher price tag than the Kings paid, but he chose Los Angeles.
From Yahoo sports:
“I know I could get maybe more money if I would have gone to free agency, but it wasn’t about money,” Gaborik said. “I wanted to stay here and be part of a great team. . . . All along I wanted to stay here. The organization knew it, the players knew it, everybody knew it, my agent knew it. I believed we could get it done.”
According to sportrac.com Gaborik is in the first year of a 7-year deal worth $34.125 million, with an average cap-hit of $4.875 million.
Puck Prose
This season Gaborik is still making a difference.
Recently Gaborik scored the go-ahead, game-winning goal in the 2015 Stadium Series outdoor game against the San Jose Sharks. It was more than a theatrical and fun event. The two-points for the Kings, taken from San Jose made a tremendous difference in the standings.
Gaborik was injured for a significant portion of the year to start the season, but since November he’s been right next to Anze Kopitar.
In 48 games this season Gaborik has 17 goals, 16 assists, 33 points, a +5 plus/minus rating, and 7 power-play goals. Gaborik is 5th on the team in points, 3rd in goals, and tied for first in power-play goals.
It’s safe to say that looking at Gabby’s performance from this season, he’s still a steal.
We’ll have to wait until Monday afternoon to see if Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi makes another splash on the trade deadline. Though, matching what he did last year, acquiring Gaborik is going to be a difficult feat.
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Feb 21, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings right wing Marian Gaborik (12) celebrates with defenseman Jake Muzzin (6) after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the third period during the Stadium Series hockey game at Levis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports