With contract negotiations seeming to be at a standstill between the Los Angeles Kings and their star centre Anze Kopitar, anxious times are sure to be ahead for the organization. Since July 1st, the Kings and Kopitar’s agent, Pat Brisson, have been in ongoing negotiations to try to secure the Slovenian phenom to a long-term extension. Unfortunately, it seems like both parties aren’t quiet seeing eye-to-eye on the value of the two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Anze Kopitar: Seeking a King’s Ransom
Kopitar’s start to the season had been a relatively uncharacteristic one. The 6’3″, 224 pound centre only managed to score 7 points in 17 games to begin the 2015-16 campaign. He’d been held pointless in 59% of his games up until that point and had struggled to be the consistent producer he’d been in the past.
Luckily for Kings’ supporters, Kopitar seems to have turned it around since then. In his last eight games, No. 11 has averaged a point per game and regained the form that saw him capture two Lord Stanleys. In the process, Kopitar also helped linemate Marian Gaborik return to the scoresheet in bunches. Gaborik’s currently on a stretch that has seen him post five of his nine points on the season in his last five games.
Before Kopitar’s turnaround, there were questions circulating around the affect his current contract negotiations could be having on his production. However, with his latest stretched, those question have long since been put to rest and any doubts concerning his play have subsided.
Why the Wait?
Mike Futa, Los Angeles’ director of hockey operations, has been on record saying “Anytime we write out our core and what has made us successful, the first name we write down is our C1, Number 11.”
While I think Drew Doughty’s name should be written down first when it comes to the core of the Kings and what has led them to victory, this quote gives us a window into the minds of Kings’ management. If they do in fact credit Kopitar with the success they’ve had in the past, how is it they seem to be so far apart in contract talks.
Actually, to be fair, “far apart” seems to be a bit of an understatement. Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said back on September 1st that the two parties were “not even in the ballpark” in their negotiations. Although progress has undoubtably been made since September, since it’s been reported that Kopitar’s looking for an average annual value of roughly $10 million, “not even in the ballpark” seems to be a bit harsh.
With Chicago Blackhawks superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane striking yearly deals of $10.5 million themselves last season, you have to figure Kopitar should be in the $9-10 million range. Therefore, if the Kings and Kopitar are miles away from getting ink to paper, it makes you wonder what they’re presenting to Kopitar as fair market value. If they truly credit him with their success and regard him as the centrepiece of their core, why are they low-balling him to the point where they risk losing him?
It’s important to note that Kopitar is set to become a UFA at season’s end, and if the negotiations go on much longer, the Kings risk having to enter a bidding war for the services of the Slovenian star. Therefore, the fact that Lombardi chose to begin the contract negotiations with a figure so far from what Kopitar was looking for seems perplexing to me. Although all signs point to the Kings desperately wanting to get a deal done, it seems like low-balling Kopitar has backfired in the worst possible way. Kopitar has been on record saying he wants to stay a King, but one needs to wonder if the Kings’ recent transgressions have left a bad taste in his mouth.
Given Kopitar’s UFA status, losing him to an open market bidding war is becoming increasingly likely as this process drags on. The longer the negotiations take, the more inclined Kopitar will be to hitting free agency and getting a better estimate of his worth in the market; a definite no win scenario for the Los Angeles Kings.
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