NHL News: Anze Kopitar’s key teammate makes major revelation about his future with the Kings

While the Los Angeles Kings showed flashes of brilliance last NHL season and emerged as one of the Pacific Division’s top contenders, their dream of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals ultimately slipped away. Looking ahead, Anze Kopitar and his teammates are determined to take things a step further and improve on last year’s results.

The good news for Jim Hiller’s squad is that they’ve secured Alex Laferriere for the next three seasons — a promising young talent who posted impressive numbers and is shaping up to be one of Kopitar’s key linemates moving forward.

In a recent media session published on lakingsinsider.com, the right winger reflected on his contract situation and emphasized how important it was to sign a three-year deal with the franchise heading into the next chapter.

“There was definitely a lot of talk about different years, different numbers and stuff like that but I think three years for me puts me in the best position for my career and it gives me a little bit extra time before that next contract,” Laferriere said.

Alex Laferriere #78 and Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings during warm up before the game against the Colorado Avalanche in the Los Angeles Kings season opening game at Crypto.com Arena on October 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

“I think with the layout of our team, you don’t know what’s going to happen and giving myself three years to make a bigger impact on the team and solidify myself in a bigger role just seemed like the right thing to do.”

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NHL News: Jim Hiller can count on a key player for the Kings ahead of next season

Laferriere highlights importance of contract talks with Kings

Alex Laferriere’s situation with the Kings was resolved in a way that proved favorable for both sides, ensuring that the talented winger will remain part of Hiller’s roster for at least three more seasons.

“[The salary cap] is definitely something you kind of have to look at,” he said. “It’s something that hasn’t been relevant in the last little while, so it’s definitely new and different for both sides of the negotiation. I think you have to look at it but I think that’s where you’ve just got to trust in your support team and know that they’re going to try and put you in the best position possible.”

“I was definitely involved with the whole process throughout it, but for me, I’m still learning, it was my first contract negotiation, so I was just learning along the way,” he also added. “My agent, Mike [Curran] definitely did a lot of the heavy lifting, talking with Jake Goldberg and Ken [Holland] and he would always call me and let me know what was going on throughout those talks. It was definitely a cool learning experience for me.”