Anze Kopitar signs two-year extension with Los Angeles Kings

Anze Kopitar signs two-year extension with Los Angeles Kings

Anze Kopitar is adding yet another chapter to his legendary story in Los Angeles, as the reigning Lady Byng winner agreed to a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Kings worth $14 million earlier today. The team confirmed the news of the re-signing:

HE'S STAYING H ME.

We've signed the Captain to a two-year contract extension!

Read more https://t.co/Hqrpn8mOzx pic.twitter.com/hHrGNcThX2

— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 6, 2023

The deal locks Kopitar up with three years and $24 million owed to him. Considering he’s turning 36-years-old ahead of Opening Night, the contract will likely be the last he signs in the NHL. It also represents a nice discount and middle ground between term and AAV for the Kings.

The future Hall of Famer has spent his entire career in Los Angeles after being drafted No. 11 overall in 2005. The Jesenice, Slovenia, native has scored 1141 points in 1292 NHL games, at the time of writing. As well, he has racked up two Stanley Cups, two Selke Awards, two Lady Byng awards and a Messier Leadership award in 2022.

His excellent career has encompassed the Kings’ timeline from the post-Gretzky dog days to the glory days of the early 2010’s featuring him, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick among others.

It is expected that a main goal for the next three seasons is to prepare major acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois to eventually take the throne as franchise centerpiece in 2026. The former No. 3 pick is very similar to Kopitar in terms of height and weight. While his two-way game needs some work in comparison to the legendary center, Dubois’ point totals are also reminiscent of Kopi’s production.

For now, having those two down the middle will certainly solidify the Kings as players in the Western Conference.

In terms of the distant future, Quinton Byfield probably wants some clarity. The former No. 2 pick will not be able to play down the middle for some time, which casts some doubts about his fit in LA. By 2026, he might be able to take a secondary role behind Dubois, but that’s a long time from now. He’s a talented player that could potentially benefit from a change in scenery.

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The Anze Kopitar-Los Angeles Kings love affair is set to continue for a few more years. With that out of the way, Los Angeles can truly prioritize trying to reach the next level in 2023-2024.

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