Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Marian Gaborik At Home In LA

06/25/2014 at 5:33pm EDT

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Gaborik will now carry a cap hit of just $4.875-million per season. That is Ryane Clowe, Martin Erat and Stephen Weiss territory. Not only is it a manageable number in real time, but it won’t take very long before it lands somewhere around the NHL average with the cap expected to soar past $80-million in the next few years.

Beyond that, the Kings have adopted a win-now mentality and there’s no question that having Gaborik around helps those ambitions. He was reborn after being acquired at the trade deadline from Columbus and is already hooked on the taste of success after winning his first Stanley Cup.

The 32-year-old had seen neighbours Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa bring the trophy back to Trencin, Slovakia in recent years and now gets his chance to do the same. His summer could also have included an even bigger contract elsewhere, but Gaborik and agent Ron Salcer wrapped up negotiations on this deal before even entertaining offers from other teams.

There is no doubt about where his priorities lie right now.

“The No. 1 thing was winning a Cup and just having a chance year after year,” Gaborik explained on a conference call. “It made a lot of sense for me. I know I could have made more money if I would have gone to UFA, but it wasn’t about money.

read on

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Cigar-Nurse in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Mathematically… - 10 minutes ago
Comment by Bill_H in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Mathematically… - 12 minutes ago
Comment by bigfrog in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Mathematically… - 17 minutes ago
Comment by Royal Grand Exalted PooBah in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Mathematically… - 21 minutes ago
Comment by Royal Grand Exalted PooBah in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Mathematically… - 23 minutes ago