LOS ANGELES – If you're a fan of Los Angeles Kings assistant captain Anze Kopitar, today is a day of celebration.
After a lengthy negotiation, Kopitar and the Kings have agreed on an new 8-year extension that will keep the two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the team through the 2024 season.
According to sources, the new deal is worth $80 million and comes with two $9 million signing bonuses that will be paid on July 1st of 2016 and 2017. The deal guarantees that Kopitar remains with the Kings for the next four seasons, and then gives Kopitar a "no-trade" clause for the following four years.
"He's worth every penny of it," Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said before the team's game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday morning. "A guy that's good enough to do that, you win championships with players like that. A guy like Kopitar, his best years are in front of him. Guys get rewarded for winning Stanley Cups and when they're with one franchise for that period of time, when you've won Cups, then everybody is looking forward to the next part with them."
Kopitar becomes the latest Kings player to sign a long-term deal to stay with the team. He joins Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Marian Gaborik, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez and Kyle Cliffard as core members of the Kings Stanley Cup champion teams who will be with the club for many years to come.
"I've expressed throughout the process that I'd like to stay here," Kopitar said after the Kings 5-3 loss to the Senators on Saturday. "When it's finalized, it's obviously some sort of relief and a very nice feeling."
The 28-year-old center has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings. In 725 regular season games, he has scored 645 points, and 60 points in 70 career postseason games.
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"I've been a part of this organization when we went through pretty big struggles and not very fun years," Kopitar said. "We turned that around and obviously the last few years have been pretty exciting for everybody. Knowing that we have a winning team here, that's what makes you want to stay here for an extended period of time."
The breakdown of the deal can be found in the tweet by Darren Dreger, sportscaster for TSN. With multiple players locked up for the long-term, the Kings will not have a lot of salary cap to work with in the coming years.
Kopitar year by year: $14 mil, $13 mil, $12 mil, $11mil, $8mil, $8mil,$7mil,$7 mil. No move clause immediately and first 4 yrs. — Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 16, 2016
