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.<\/p>\n
\nCAL P3TER5ON!!!<\/p>\n
The LA Kings have signed goaltender @CalPetersen40<\/a> to a three-year contract.<\/p>\n
\u2014 LA Kings (@LAKings) September 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Cal Petersen Extended in Los Angeles<\/h2>\n
The 26 year-old netminder was a fifth-round draft pick for the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
According to MoneyPuck<\/a>, 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<\/a>, Elvis Merzlikins<\/a>, and Cam Talbot<\/a>. Not too bad for his first real taste of the majors.<\/p>\n
What This Means Going Forward<\/h3>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Main Photo:<\/p>\n