[Signing] Kings sign Kopitar to 8 yr extension. $10 mil AAV

[PeteMoss]

He'll be 29 when this kicks in, so it ends when he's 37. Essentially you need him to age like a Sedin (who are 35).

The Kings have done with their defense salary-wise. Their top 3 makes $15M/year until Doughty hits UFA in 2019.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

If the bridge contract wasn't dead before it is completely going to be dead moving forward.

Likely better off to sign a core piece for 8 years at 21/22. and that buys you his prime seasons but you have more flexibility to cut bait once he hits his 30s.

Opposed to signing him to a 3 or 4 year bridge, which means that next big 8 year contract is going to take him into his mid 30s.

From a asset perspective trading a good player going to UFA at 30, is likely going to garner more return then a guy who you may be selling off at 33 or 34.

It's funny to think that the Kings likely wish they went longer than 7 years when they signed him to that contract as a 21 year old off his ELC.

I dunno, Subban's post-bridge contract looking a lot better than these ones.

[Vinny01]

Yikes this is gonna be bad for LA when Kopitar is 33+

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by HarryH93

I can see this blowing up in LA's face a few years down the road. Then I'll come back to this thread and bump it and we can all laugh at LA

Do we get to laugh at them if they get one or two more cups on the way to the "blow up"?

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

This ones gonna smell so bad in a couple of years

Oh don't worry, it's the Kings we're talking about. I'm sure by then they will have uncovered that 5 years ago he drove a dune-buggy without a helmet, or some other similar BS, making his contract void. The cap rules don't apply to the Kings.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Yikes this is gonna be bad for LA when Kopitar is 33+

Don't worry they'll just call up Gary and he'll let them weasel out it... and then the sportscasters will all tell us that we need to shed some tears for poor Dean Lombardi.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

I'd take that contract on the Flames every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Since the cap was put in place, star players have always been underpaid relative to their contribution to winning, and support players overpaid.

The Flames usually pay their 4th line and bottom defence pairing a solid $15m, sometimes more depending on the lineup.

Given my choice, I'd rather have prospects and waiver-wire pickups playing 4th line minutes, and as many $10m players in the line-up as possible.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by Locke

Wow. Does he get a full NMC and daily ass kisses as well? He got everything in this deal. Term and dollars. Did they even negotiate?

Kings had ZERO leverage in this negotiation. He can ask for the terms, salary. If they say no, he goes to open market and gets it from some other team, slightly less term but then they lose him for nothing.

It was really up to Kopitar to get maximum or give a bit of hometown discount and he chose not to. I like it.

The deal will haunt the Kings in few years.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

I'd take that contract on the Flames every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Since the cap was put in place, star players have always been underpaid relative to their contribution to winning, and support players overpaid.

The Flames usually pay their 4th line and bottom defence pairing a solid $15m, sometimes more depending on the lineup.

Given my choice, I'd rather have prospects and waiver-wire pickups playing 4th line minutes, and as many $10m players in the line-up as possible.

Fair point. Who wouldn't trade Stajan, Raymond, Backlund and Engelland for Kopitar, Schlemko, Grant and Shore?

The money evens out. (But you still have to be concerned about the term).

And if you are paying your stars big money, you just have to be more disciplined about how you pay bottom line and bottom pairing guys. All about entry level deals, AHLers and waiver wire pickups.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

I dunno, Subban's post-bridge contract looking a lot better than these ones.

The difference between Subbans $9M and Kopitars $10M is mostly because the market for centers is higher then d-men right now.

PK Subban likely could have been signed for something like 10 years and $70 million back in 2012, and he'd only be a $7 million cap hit.

Instead he had:

$2 years at $2.875M, and now 8 years with a $9M AAV.

Could potentially have saved $8 Million and a lot of the cap hit over the next 8 years by just avoiding the bridge and signing long term then.

[IgiTang]

I would much rather pay elite players $10M/per over paying 6 guys $3mil+ a season to play 12 mins if they are lucky and just be muckers who are defensively responsible.

If you have 4 guys on a team eating up $30M, and the other 30M goes to 19 other players, that would be fine with me.

Its the Matt Stajan's of the world making $4M/yr that bothers me. Or Goalies who are going to get 20 games a season, if they are lucky, making over $4M a season.
2 guys right there that could get you a Kopitar type player.

Dennis Wideman making $4M a season to try and back hand the puck to nowhere every time he gets possession.

I have no problem paying elite players elite salaries. Its the bottom players making upwards of $5M a season that I dont understand.

[spuzzum]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Yikes this is gonna be bad for LA when Kopitar is 33+

Wasn't 20 supposed to be the new 30, 30 be the new 40 and so on. Man, I did not realize if you were 33 that they should take you out back and get shot.

[sureLoss]

Meh when Kopitar is 33+, the NHL CBA will have expired and I am sure the NHL will throw out another round of get out of cap jail compliance buyouts for all the rich teams to escape their mistakes.

[sa226]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Meh when Kopitar is 33+, the NHL CBA will have expired and I am sure the NHL will throw out another round of get out of cap jail compliance buyouts for all the rich teams to escape their mistakes.

There is probably more truth to this than most are willing to admit.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Do the Kings have any money left to sign Lucic?

Doubt it. I thought when they acquired him that most people thought they wouldn't be able to re-sign him.

Love the Flames to take a run at him as an UFA. He'd be a very close flight to his hometown Vancouver and could play in Canada again. Dunno if that's important to him or not.

Ferland on one line, Lucic on another, drool.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Meh when Kopitar is 33+, the NHL CBA will have expired and I am sure the NHL will throw out another round of get out of cap jail compliance buyouts for all the rich teams to escape their mistakes.

and cue the whining that ensues

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by DJones

I kind of hate the precedent though. Chicago and LA both have sacrificed their futures to win the cup.

Dreading Calgary having to have the same mentality.

Pretty much what we tried doing with Iginla/Regehr/Kiprusoff/etc. I get it if you think you are close, then you go for it. I wasn't ok with it when it was obvious we need to rebuild, but went for it anyways with Brad Richards.

We also tried cheating the system by back diving contracts, we were the first... but lets not that get in the way of all the Mike Richards whining.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

I would much rather pay elite players $10M/per over paying 6 guys $3mil+ a season to play 12 mins if they are lucky and just be muckers who are defensively responsible.

If you have 4 guys on a team eating up $30M, and the other 30M goes to 19 other players, that would be fine with me.

Its the Matt Stajan's of the world making $4M/yr that bothers me. Or Goalies who are going to get 20 games a season, if they are lucky, making over $4M a season.
2 guys right there that could get you a Kopitar type player.

Dennis Wideman making $4M a season to try and back hand the puck to nowhere every time he gets possession.

I have no problem paying elite players elite salaries. Its the bottom players making upwards of $5M a season that I dont understand.

yeah its kind of funny... Kopitar is a top 5 player in the league, will make what Denis Wideman + Matt Stajan make... people think this is a bad signing. LOL

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Doubt it. I thought when they acquired him that most people thought they wouldn't be able to re-sign him.

Love the Flames to take a run at him as an UFA. He'd be a very close flight to his hometown Vancouver and could play in Canada again. Dunno if that's important to him or not.

Ferland on one line, Lucic on another, drool.

And i'm fairly certain he's good buddies with Bouma. If I recall correctly he even mentioned Bouma when interviewed on the ice after winning the cup.

Plus I think he was genuinely impressed by the Iginla ceremony.

I think if we take a run at him we'll have a shot.

[DJones]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

yeah its kind of funny... Kopitar is a top 5 player in the league, will make what Denis Wideman + Matt Stajan make... people think this is a bad signing. LOL

Those are two terrible contracts too.