The Los Angeles Kings announced today that goaltender Cal Petersen signs an extension good for three years. The contract is worth an average annual value of $5 million and takes effect in the 2022-23 season.
CAL P3TER5ON!!!
The LA Kings have signed goaltender @CalPetersen40 to a three-year contract.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 22, 2021
Cal Petersen Extended in Los Angeles
The 26 year-old netminder was a fifth-round draft pick for the Buffalo Sabres back in 2013. He spent a few seasons in the NCAA, but didn’t sign with Buffalo following his college career. Instead, the Kings were able to ink him to an entry-level contract in 2017. Petersen spent the following two years mostly in the AHL for the Kings’ farm team – the Ontario Reign – but settled firmly into the NHL last season.
He made his way into 35 games for the Kings last year, finding the win column only nine times behind a weak Los Angeles team. Petersen’s individual numbers were much better. He posted a respectable .911 save percentage in addition to a 2.89 goals-against-average. His advanced metrics weren’t too bad either.
According to MoneyPuck, Petersen finished around the middle of the pack league-wide (min. 15 games played) in terms of goals saved above expected and save percentage above expected. Those numbers were in line with the likes of Linus Ullmark, Elvis Merzlikins, and Cam Talbot. Not too bad for his first real taste of the majors.
What This Means Going Forward
The Kings clearly have a lot of faith in Petersen as the goalie of their future. The decision to give him $5 million a year, despite only having played 54 career NHL games is bold, but could pay off if Petersen continues to cement himself as a legitimate starter. As demonstrated by his numbers last year, Petersen is in relatively decent company, but it will be a question of whether or not he can keep those totals up as NHL shooters become more familiar with his tendencies.
The Kings are still in rebuild mode, and Petersen likely won’t have much of a contender in front of him again this year; however, he is surrounded by a very nice stable of prospects in the Kings’ organization, something that should bode well for the team’s future, as well as his.
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