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.
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