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Much like Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Los Angeles Kings and Anze Kopitar find themselves in limbo for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. There’s a reason why Kopitar isn’t signed yet. The 28-year-old Slovenian is an elite two-way center. He has all the skills to guide a team to the Stanley Cup and the rings on his fingers to prove it. Of course none of this needs to be said to the Kings’ front office. Still, Kopitar has no extension and the Kings are allegedly standing pat with their offer.
While Kopitar is asking for a contract similar to the extension that Jonathan Toews signed with the Chicago Blackhawks that pays him around $10.5 million annually. The Kings have made it known that they are willing to pay Kopitar around $9 million per year, but are not willing to budge much more. This standstill puts the Kings at the hands of the Slovenian for the rest of this season. If a deal cannot be reached by the time the trade deadline rolls around and the Kings are out of the playoff race, a decision on Kopitar’s future may need to be made.
These negotiations may also be in the mind of Kopitar, who has gotten off to an extremely slow start in 2015. Through the Kings’ first six games Kopitar has only collected one goal. Although his face off and possession stats are solid, the offensive output just hasn’t been up to par. The Kings have managed to turn the corner from their 0-3 start and have now won three games in a row, even without Kopitar.
The good news is the Kings will have until February to assess their team and try to negotiate a deal with Kopitar. The bad news is the Kings could have a contending team when the trade deadline nears and still no deal in place with their No. 1 center. With aging and uncertain futures with other forwards on the team, the Kings can ill afford to lose Kopitar and get nothing in return. Kopitar has accrued 611 in his 9 year career all of which came with the Kings. It will be interesting to see this story unfold as the season progresses.
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