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As the last major move of the offseason, the Los Angeles Kings signed goaltender Cal Petersen to a three-year contract extension near the end of September, which carries a $5 million cap hit.

Petersen has been with the organization for the last four years and has played games with the Kings in each of the last three seasons. In 54 career NHL games, the netminder has posted a .916 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average.

Petersen is expected to play a key role in the team’s future and is penciled in as a potential long-term starter for the team. He still managed a .911 save percentage last season, despite the Kings giving up far too many quality chances on a nightly basis. Locking him up for three more years, on top of the year he still has left on his current deal, means the Kings should have stability in net for the foreseeable future.

As for the contract itself, I think it probably could’ve been a bit better. If it was a four or even five-year deal, $5 million makes a lot more sense. At three years in length, I would’ve expected the cap hit to come in closer to $4 million, based on comparables. It’s still far from a poor contract and only comes with a 10-team no trade list, it just comes with less term/a higher cap hit than expected.

Petersen is still just 26 years old, so there shouldn’t be any fear of decline on this contract. He’ll be 30 years old when the deal expires, which will give the team the chance to assess his performance at that point, before offering another potential mid-term deal.

While Petersen’s contract extension isn’t Rob Blake’s greatest work as the team’s general manager, it’s still a fine deal. The Kings have their starting goalie locked up and Petersen should be a key part of the Kings getting back to contender status.



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