As I’ve been following this years playoffs, it has been hard to not notice Marian Gaborik. Playing on a line with Anze Kopitar, and fitting in quite nicely, Gaborik has picked up 11 goals and 7 assists so far, good for 18 points in 19 games. He has been tremendous in those 19 games, and those big numbers have to leave you wondering where he will end up signing in the off-season.
Gaborik is still a world class player, if he’s healthy. And that’s a big if. But here we are seeing a healthy Gaborik explode in the playoffs and with each additional game played and point tallied, you have to assume the demand for him will continue to rise.
While he might fit in nicely with several other teams around the NHL, reports from John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor indicate that Gabby will be staying put in LA for the next few years. Hoven says that a three year deal is likely, with a cap hit of roughly $5 to $5.5 million per year. While no such deal has been officially announced, it is customary for teams to wait until after the postseason to announce such a move. If Hoven is correct, we can expect Gaborik to sign his contract extension shortly after this season ends.
If the rumors are true, expect the Kings to continue to make strong playoff pushes over the course of the next few seasons. Not only will they have Gaborik for the next three years, but Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Jonathan Quick are all locked up until at least 2019-20. They also have Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov locked up through the 2018-19 season. With a solid core like that, the Kings will remain in good shape for the foreseeable future.
