Anze Kopitar is set to be with the Los Angeles Kings for a long time.
The most-followed story as of late has been the one about Anze Kopitar and his contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings.
While there were many reports recently that the two sides were at an impasse, it was reported earlier today that Kopitar, his agent Pat Brisson and the Kings are putting the finishing touches on a deal that would keep Kopitar in an L.A. jersey for a long time.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Kopitar and L.A. are close to agreeing on an eight-year, $80 million deal with an annual average of $10 million. TSN’s Darren Dreger also reported that we should expect to see the deal to be completed on Thursday.
The deal would make Kopitar the highest-paid player on Kings, dethroning defenseman Drew Doughty of the title. It would also make the Slovenian star the third-highest paid player in the NHL behind Chicago Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who each make $10.5 million per year.
Kopitar told L.A. Kings Insider Jon Rosen that he and Brisson talk all the time and that communication between the two is a two-way street, so Kopitar always knows what’s going on. The Kings’ center admitted that having this whole contract situation unsolved was initially a bit of a distraction, but he learned quickly that these things can take time.
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Kopitar noted that this was the first time in his career that he’s had to go through something like this, stating that the situation was much easier when he signed his last contract with the team, a seven-year, $47.6 million contract.
Kopitar has led the team in scoring for the past eight seasons and is on his way to making it nine. The 6’4″ center has 35 points in 42 games played this season with a +17 plus-minus rating and three game-winning goals.