- Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider: Don’t expect the Kings and Anze Kopitar to agree to a contract extension in the immediate future. Kings GM Dean Lombardi said that they are “not even in the ballpark” when asked if they were close. Kopitar is entering the final year of his deal in which he’ll make $7.7 million, carrying a $6.8 million cap hit. The Kings have $50.98 million committed to 15 players next season according to war-on-ice, using cap recapture for Mike Richards and not including Slava Voynov. Other potential 2016 UFAs for the Kings include Milan Lucic, Trevor Lewis, Christian Ehrhoff, Jeff Schultz, Jhonas Enroth and Jamie McBain. Brayden McNabb will be a RFA.
- Craig Custance: The gap between the Kings and Kopitar is a couple million per year apart. Koptiar also doesn’t want to have contract negotiating during the season, so they’ll have to make some big progress if they want to get a deal done before then.
- Jared Clinton of The Hockey News: Kings Milan Lucic on TSN 1410 radio in Vancouver.
“I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen moving on,” Lucic told TSN 1410. “I mean I have one year left on my contract, and there’s a possibility that I can hit the market. It’s obviously something that’s been a dream of mine since I’ve been a kid, is to play in your hometown and play for the Canucks, but right now the main focus is going down to L.A. and trying to make the most of that.”
Lucic has one year left on his deal. Lucic on the Kings.
“If you look at the roster, we’re still a really deep team that has another chance to make a Cup run,” Lucic told TSN 1410. “Right now, I’m more worried about that than anything else.”
- Chip Alexander: Hurricanes GM Ron Francis said that it is unlikely that Eric Staal or Cam Ward will be signed to contract extensions before the start of the season.
- Andy Strickland: The Ducks and Rickard Rakell are discussing a contract extension. It is likely in the two- to three-year range.