Hockey Betting is Hot at Vietbet!
By Ian Palmer
The Los Angeles Kings rewarded Marian Gaborik for his superb play in the postseason by signing the forward to a seven-year contract extension worth approximately $35 million on June 25. Gaborik was acquired by Los Angeles from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2013/14 NHL trade deadline in a deal which saw forward Matt Frattin and a pair of draft picks head the other way. It was the second straight year Gaborik was dealt on deadline day.
The 32-year-old right-winger from Trencin, Slovakia, played in 19 regular-season games with the Kings and scored 16 points on five goals and 11 assists. However, he turned things up a couple of notches once the playoffs rolled around. He scored a league-high 14 goals and added eight assists for 22 points in 26 contests to help lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup for the second time in the last three years.
Gaborik said it’s been a very hectic time since the Kings clinched the cup and he’s happy to be staying with the team as he believes they can defend their title next season. Gaborik was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but the Kings didn’t want to risk losing him. Gaborik let the club know that he was more interested in staying in LA than testing the free-agency market. It seems that he eventually settled for less money in return for a longer deal.
Gaborik admitted that he could probably have landed a bigger contract elsewhere, but he made it clear to his agent, teammates, and the Kings organization that he didn’t want to leave. Gaborik has also played with the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers during his career and has reached the 40-goal plateau on three occasions. However, he struggled with inconsistent play and injuries in the 2012/13 season and was dealt from New York to Columbus.
His play didn’t improve with the Blue Jackets though as he scored nine goals and 13 assists in 34 games and they dealt him to the Kings in March. His 16 points in 19 games on the west coast gave him 11 goals and 30 points for the season in 41 games. His play certainly picked up with Los Angeles and hit his peak during the team’s long playoff run by playing on the top line with captain Dustin brown and Anze Kopitar. Gaborik said his teammates made him feel at ease from day one and he was thrilled to play with Kopitar and Brown.
Even though Gaborik has signed a new seven-year deal it doesn’t guarantee he’ll end his career with the Kings, He said there isn’t a no-trade clause in the contract and he realizes after two trades that anybody can get moved no matter how long their contract is. Gaborik has appeared in 810 career regular-season games in the NHL and has racked up 704 points on 347 goals and 357 assists. He’s also added 32 goals and 25 assists for 57 points in 80 career playoff games.
