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The Los Angeles Kings announced yesterday that they’ve signed defenseman Mikey Anderson to an eight-year contract extension. The deal will carry a $4.13 million cap hit, kicking in next season.
Anderson is 23 years old and is in the midst of his third full NHL season. This year, he’s posted 13 points in 55 games with the Kings, while averaging 21:49 per game.
With the long-term deal, there’s the potential that Los Angeles could get great value here. Still in his early 20s, Anderson already has a huge role with the Kings and if he can continue developing, a cap hit just above $4 million could look great in a couple years.
We’ve seen the strategy of opting for long-term deals with solid, young defenders, even if they weren’t necessarily considered elite at the time. A couple examples were the extensions for Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin with the Carolina Hurricanes about five years back, where each signed a long-term deal, despite only a couple years of NHL experience at the same age. The result has been both defensemen providing excellent value for the majority of their contract.
At worst, it’s still a low-risk move for the Kings. Even if Anderson doesn’t take major steps over the next few years, he’s already a capable defender and will continue to be a key part of the left side of the defense group. Anderson’s counted on for the toughest matchups of any defender on the team, playing in a defensive role against a very high quality of competition. His defensive zone start percentage is the highest of any Kings defenseman, but he’s still posted an expected goals for percentage of 51 per cent (according to NaturalStatTrick.com).
Another key factor is how much we can expect the cap to rise. While the $4.13 million cap hit is manageable as is, it’s only going to look better as the cap goes up.
The deal also comes a week after the Kings signed goalie Pheonix Copley to a one-year extension worth $1.5 million.
Overall, there's a lot to like about this contract for the Kings, and the potential value it could bring.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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